Author: Robert King | eWatchman © 2004

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ may perhaps be the most anticipated event in the history of the world and also, paradoxically, the most misunderstood. While Jehovah’s Witnesses do not use the term “the second coming,” in his letter to the Hebrews the apostle Paul used a similar expression, saying: “The second time that he appears.”

In so doing, the apostle was comparing and contrasting certain features of Christ’s first and second appearance in the world. And as discussed in chapter five, a second appearance of Christ would seem to suggest a visible rather than an invisible parousia.

Because of their false expectations, the much-anticipated appearance of the Messiah became a stumbling block to the Jewish nation as a whole. The Messiah was, according to their misguided belief, supposed to restore the throne of David to Jerusalem and cast off the Roman occupation. That this was the general expectation of Israel is evidenced by the question that the disciples put to Jesus following his resurrection, when they asked:

It was inconceivable to the Jews that the Messiah would not become an integral part of the Jewish establishment. They were God’s people and had been for nearly two thousand years! And there most certainly was no provision in the Jewish messianic doctrine for Christ to appear a second time! So it was inevitable that the proud Jewish leaders would reject Jesus.

But when the Romans obliterated Jerusalem and its temple in 70 C.E. the Jewish system of worship came to an abrupt end, and with it, any possibility that a future messiah would be forthcoming from among the Hebrew nation. From Jehovah’s standpoint the Jewish system had served its purpose. It had produced the promised Messiah as God had intended and then that system of worship was brought to a conclusion.

In writing to the Hebrew Christians, it appears that Paul’s intention was to prepare them for the coming end of the Jewish system of things. For example, in reference to Jerusalem Paul wrote at Hebrews 13:12-14:

In saying that Jesus was “outside the camp,” Paul was drawing a comparison to the animal sacrifices performed in the tabernacle—the remains of which were disposed as refuse “outside the camp”. But in making that analogy, the apostle was saying that Jesus was outside the Jewish religious institution centered in Jerusalem.

And because first century Christians were in anticipation of Christ’s imminent arrival, it seems likely that they also came to expect that Jesus would return to the physical city of Jerusalem. No doubt that is why Paul reminded the Hebrew Christians that they did not have in Jerusalem “a city that continues.”

Because both Jesus and Paul used the expression “the conclusion of the systems of things”in connection with the end of the Jerusalem as the center of the worship of Jehovah, it is evident that the pattern in the first century has special importance for those Christians who would be living “the second time that he appears,” during the conclusion of the present system of things.

It is probably difficult for us to comprehend what a challenge it was even for the anointed Jewish Christians and apostles of the first century to completely separate their faith from the Jewish system under which they lived.

Let us consider the account in chapter 21 of Acts as an example of how deeply rooted Judaism was. There, the apostles are concerned about the Jews' accusations that Paul is teaching a heretical doctrine. The apostles advised Paul to ceremonially purify himself and offer a sacrifice in the temple so that the rumors that he was preaching a heretical doctrine about Moses and circumcision would be suppressed. Although the apostles knew that Paul's teaching that Jesus' death was the end of the Mosaic Law and that circumcision was no longer a requirement for God's approval was correct, Paul humbly submitted. But even his willingness to conform to the Mosaic Law could not quell their anger or hostility, and when they discovered his whereabouts in the city, they sought to murder him because he proclaimed that the system of worship—the established way of worship—that had been approved by Jehovah for generations would end, and in fact had already ended.

Since the first-century Christians were eagerly awaiting Christ's “soon” return, it seems that they also assumed that Jesus would return to the physical city of Jerusalem. However, Paul wrote in Hebrews 9:26 that Christ “has appeared once for all at the conclusion of the systems of things.” Since the Jewish way (worship system) would soon come to an end, Paul reminded the Hebrew Christians that they did not have a “permanent city” in Jerusalem.

While the destruction of Jerusalem would completely destroy the false messianic expectations of the Jews who had rejected Jesus, it would also be a test of faith for those who had accepted Jesus but were still under the influence of Judaism to some extent. After the holy city was devastated, these Jewish Christians would have to show God that they were truly “seeking the future one.”

Since Paul used the expression “the conclusion of the system of things” in connection with Jesus' first appearance, we can be sure that the pattern of the first century is of special interest to Christians living at the time “when he appears a second time,” during the conclusion of the entire present system.

We can therefore expect that, just as the Hebrew Christians and apostles themselves had obviously mistaken ideas that Jerusalem would continue to exist as the city of Jehovah, our faith will also be tested to the same extent when Christ finally arrives.

The prophet Malachi confirms this astonishing event by asking:

In the 12th chapter of Hebrews, Paul reminds Christians of the awesome power that was displayed when Jehovah revealed himself to the Israelite nation that had gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai. When Jehovah spoke to Moses on the summit the whole mountain shook and was enveloped in fire and smoke. As if to dispel any notion that the phenomenon was a natural volcanic occurrence—deafening trumpets blared from the invisible.

Paul next explains the significance of that event by quoting from the prophet Haggai. He wrote:

Originally “the things being shaken” proved to be the entire Jewish religious system, with its Holy City, temple and priesthood being shaken completely out of existence. Yet the prophecy of Haggai, from which the apostle directly quoted, foretells that Jehovah is going to “rock all the nations,” not just Jerusalem.

That being the case, it is evident that the prophecies call for the entire wicked system of things to be rocked into oblivion when Christ appears for the second time. That would include that which up until then will have served as the earthly center of the worship of Jehovah, as Jerusalem had been originally. Manifestly, the only thing that will remain standing when the smoke has dissipated will be the kingdom of God and the children with faith in God’s unshakable kingdom.

At that moment, the questions that arose in Eden will be answered once and for all.

Tragically, the human race has been alienated from God since the time that Adam and Eve rebelled against Jehovah and were as a consequence evicted from the paradise of pleasure known as the Garden of Eden. The trusting relationship that Adam briefly enjoyed with his Creator was ruined, both for himself and his then-unborn offspring.

As a hint of the close friendship that once existed between God and man, Genesis reveals that there was a time—back when the world was new—when the presence of God was manifested in some way as if he were leisurely strolling about in the Garden of Eden during the breezy part of the day—casually conversing with his earthly son, Adam. Since that fleeting moment of perfect harmony between God and the first man, the subsequent annals of history on the outside of the gates of Eden is a mere chronicle of the evils due to the alienation of man from God.

But Jehovah has been like a determined and long-suffering parent with a problem child. In his vast wisdom, though, Jehovah knows that the only way that mankind will be finally disabused of its foolishness and actually come to appreciate the benefits of fully trusting and obeying God is if we are made to suffer the painful consequences for our prideful folly and lack of faith.

As Jehovah’s Witnesses know, central to God’s purpose to redeem mankind is the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. Associated with Jesus in his heavenly kingdom are to be 144,000 chosen ones from among mankind, who will eventually be invited to approach Jehovah’s very residence in heaven—the true mountain and city of God. But what purpose will they serve? Surely Jehovah and Jesus do not need their help as associate kings. Indeed, why does God invite anyone from the realms below to inhabit the heavenly sphere?

Back in Eden the original serpent had implied that God was untrustingly holding something good back from Adam and Eve. “Is it really so?” the slithering cherub impugned. Later on in Job’s day, Satan insidiously insinuated that God was guilty of inducing his servants to obey him through mere bribery. To his everlasting praise, Jehovah’s answer to the slanderous accusations has gone far beyond what any angel or human could have reasonably expected. Not only would Jehovah provide the means to legally ransom and restore mankind to paradise—proving he had the best interests of man at heart from the start—in his grand magnanimity, Jehovah also purposed to select some from among mankind and exalt them to heaven itself.

But God’s graciousness even extends beyond merely recreating some humans into spirit creatures. Jehovah purposes to grant these special chosen ones to have life in themselves. That is something that no human can possibly possess, since earthly creatures, by nature, are dependent upon outside forces to sustain life. And although the angels are a superior form of life, not even they possess life in themselves. Having life in oneself means being immortal. Immortal beings are no longer even dependent upon Jehovah for sustenance. Immortality means possessing life as a deathless, incorruptible and indestructible being. Immortality is existence in its own right. Immortality is having life like the very Almighty Jehovah God himself possesses!

Thus, Jehovah not only willingly exalts mere human creatures into his very presence—some individuals from even the dregs of degraded human society, but he also purposes that they should become exactly like himself in nature—glorious, deathless, divine beings.

In case we forgot: that is the very thing that Satan implied that Jehovah was supposedly unwilling to give up, when he said:

According to the Devil, God did not trust his own creation. And since the first humans and the Accuser were obviously not trustworthy, who could really argue otherwise? But contrary to the Devil’s presumptuous accusations, Jehovah has seen fit to lovingly bestow the incomprehensible gift of becoming exactly like himself upon Christ and select sons of Adam. In all likelihood the Accuser had no comprehension of the dimensions of Jehovah’s love for his creation. Thus, with the accomplishment of his eternal purpose in a marvelous and masterful way Jehovah will have established himself as the “God of gods.” Not only has he proven himself more powerful and infinitely wiser, but Jehovah has also been delighted to demonstrate his moral superiority and divinity over both his human and demonic detractors.

In the face of the wonderful way that Jehovah has responded to Satan’s challenge, as if to assuage his own humiliation and diminish God’s glorious purpose, the Devil has vigorously peddled the preposterous lie that humans have an inherent immortal soul. He has also promoted the blatantly false religious doctrine that all “good” people go to heaven when they die; as if that privilege were somehow mankind’s birthright and not dependent on Jehovah’s limited choosing and undeserved kindness. Clearly, the Devil intends to devalue God’s special gift before the world by making it seem mundane.

The truth is, though, Jehovah does not grant anyone an everlasting heavenly residence with himself, much less immortality, unless first they prove that they have an unbreakable faith and loyalty. And in order to create within his chosen ones an indomitable faith, they must first endure Jehovah’s displeasure and his tempered discipline; for even as the scripture says, our Lord learned obedience from the things he was made to suffer.

That is why the apostle exhorted the Hebrews to endure his disciplining—no matter how severe. At Hebrews 12:8, Paul wrote:

A few verses down in that same 12th chapter, Paul partially quotes from Isaiah, where he said:

The 35th chapter of Isaiah—the source of Paul’s quote—is God’s loving exhortation to Israel after the nation had endured a most severe punishment. So then, by inspiration the apostle Paul is really exhorting Christians who would be living during the conclusion of the entire system of things, since that is when Jehovah will rock the heavens and the earth and severely discipline those whom he calls his sons. That will mark the occasion when spiritual Israel would finally come to stand before the awesome heavenly Mount Zion.

Having more closely considered how Jehovah has purposed to permanently settle the challenge to his universal sovereignty, consider, now, the ultimate culmination of his work.

As the Originator and rightful Ruler of the universe, God is uniquely qualified to instruct his creation. However, it may also suit God’s purpose to remain in the background and to hide himself for a time and simply allow events to unfold—even as God himself states, when he poses the question at Isaiah 57:11— “Was I not keeping silent and hiding matters?”

According to the context of the 30th chapter of Isaiah, it is during the distressing events immediately preceding the end of the world when Jehovah ultimately reveals himself as the Grand Instructor and Savior of those who trust him. That is why Isaiah 30:20 says:

:

Since Jehovah's Witnesses claim that Jehovah is our Great Teacher, at what point will Jehovah no longer “hide” from us?
Are we really so spiritually enlightened that our eyes have seen our Great Teacher? If we as an organization imagine that we have already learned everything necessary to make this claim, we should consider what the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

The context indicates that Jehovah unveils himself as the Grand Instructor of his people during the judgment. Hence, we read at Isaiah 30:18:

But if God has already fully revealed himself as the Grand Instructor back in 1919, as the Watchtower intimates, what purpose could possibly be served by his servants remaining in expectation of being shown his favor and receiving his life-giving corrective instruction? The truth of the matter is, Jehovah’s people must yet be fed the bread of distress and drink the bitter waters of oppression and it is in that lowly circumstance in which God’s people will soon find themselves that Jehovah will reveal himself as the Grand Instructor.

In view of the foregoing, Isaiah 30:21 must also have a future fulfillment. That verse reads:

Now, consider the following question: If Jehovah is leading and his people are presumably following him, and yet they hear his voice as if emanating from behind them, does this not indicate that God’s people have gone astray at the point when their Grand Instructor speaks to them as though from behind, as if beckoning them to turn around? Not according to the Watchtower. The Watchtower’s commentary on Isaiah insists that the prophecy is fulfilled “as Jehovah speaks through the pages of the Bible and through Bible-based publications provided by the faithful and discreet slave.”

But the Watchtower’s erroneous, self-serving interpretations aside, it should be apparent that God’s ultimate, eye-opening instruction does not come “through Bible-based publications” of the Watchtower. The great irony is that Bethel’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge its own need for God’s corrective counsel would appear to be one of the primary reasons the Grand Instructor will find it necessary to call out to his people; instructing them to turn around, to repent, so as to walk undeviatingly in a new path.

No human being can predict the future. Historians cannot even agree about the past! Only God can accurately foresee what the future will bring. When prophecies are fulfilled, it not only serves to prove that Jehovah is God; since God has not been in direct contact with humans since the days when the Bible was written, it also serves as a means by which God conveys his instructions and judicial decisions at the right time. Prophecies written down thousands of years ago therefore contain essential messages for those living much later. Jehovah therefore instructed his original prophet Isaiah to say the following:

In the first century, Jesus gave specific instructions that could mean life or death for his disciples living in Jerusalem when the Roman armies began their siege of the city. If Christians saw the predicted “abomination” standing in Jehovah's temple, they would have to flee immediately from the city and Judea. However, Jesus' prophetic instructions also apply to Christians living when the great tribulation sweeps over the earth. The events of the first century thus provide a pattern for events we can expect when God's holy place is desecrated in our time.

Unfortunately, due to misguided expectations resulting from a misunderstanding of various prophecies, the Watchtower and Jehovah's Witnesses do not understand what the holy place is that Jesus said would be destroyed.

These and other misguided expectations have put us in an uncomfortable position, whereby we as an organization will surely be struck by unforeseen and unexpected events. Psalm 74 undoubtedly speaks of the situation that will arise when Jesus' prophecy about the holy place comes true.

For example, the Psalm says:

Verses 8-10 then say:

The psalmist's reference to “our signs” that are not seen, and the fact that we have no prophet to discern what has taken place, can only be the result of misguided expectations that we as an organization have accepted. Ironically, Jehovah prophesied that our appointed prophets would lead us into a dead end, where we would eventually reach a point where it would seem as if Jehovah's word had failed. The accusation that Jehovah's Witnesses are “false prophets” seems to be coming true. The enemies who set up “their own signs as the signs” are in accordance with Daniel's prophecy, which predicts that the king with a grim face will “continue to cast truth to the ground.”

As all Jehovah's Witnesses know, our expectation is that Christendom will be destroyed at the beginning of the great tribulation. This is one of the “signs” we expect to see. Along with other things, this is what our organization's “prophets” have foreseen for our future by studying God's Word. None of us has really questioned the sequence of events that together form our expectation.

So when events do not unfold as our trusted teachers have led us to believe, it will be a test of our faith, just as if false prophets had led us astray.

Worse still, our “prophets” have failed to recognize that the calamity that, according to our pattern of expectation, will come upon Christendom is instead actually coming upon Jehovah's people! Could there be any greater occasion for our enemies to bring shame upon the name of Jehovah, the God whose name we bear? That is why Paul encouraged Christians not to give up when we are reproved, which is sure to happen. And that is why Isaiah was inspired to write an encouragement to us to continue to expect Jehovah's judgment, even when all seems lost.

When we accept this, we are able to understand what the prophecy in Isaiah chapter 30 really foretells, and why God says:

Since the prophecy is intended as a witness for a future day, and since it is written for spiritual Israel, what exactly does this allow us to see? This brings us to the actual topic, the coming collapse of the Watchtower.

At Isaiah 30:1 Jehovah addresses the Israelites as “stubborn sons,” saying to them:

It is worth noting that Isaiah 30:1 is not the only place in Isaiah where God pronounces “woe” upon his people. In fact, every chapter of Isaiah, beginning with the 28th chapter through the 31st, begins the same way. For example, Isaiah 28:1 says:

Isaiah 29:1 likewise reads:

Isaiah 31:1 says:

Jehovah's “sons” have access to their Father's counsel, but they stubbornly refuse to trust in God's wisdom. Instead, they pretend to do things God's way while relying on their own strength and human alliances. As the context suggests, this development has a much broader significance than just for ancient Israel. The definitive fulfillment will take place during the revelation of God's judgments at the conclusion of the system of things. As verse 8 says, it is God's testimony for a future day, until time indefinite.

Can Jehovah's Witnesses today be compared to the stubborn sons of Israel? Unfortunately, yes. We are “inclined to carry out counsel,” which means that we show a willingness to serve God, but that what we offer is not automatically in harmony with God's spirit. The pouring out of a “drink offering” that clearly does not come from Jehovah's spirit can be clearly seen in the Watchtower's abominable alliance as an NGO member of the UN.

Apparently, lawyers representing the Society have also made “backroom deals” with various political institutions in order to improve the Watchtower's recognition in certain countries. At the end of the 1990s, for example, the Watchtower was denied legal recognition by the Bulgarian government because it was understood that the Watchtower forced its members to refuse blood transfusions by threatening them with expulsion. The lawyers therefore reached a compromise. The Bulgarian government would grant the Watchtower legal recognition, and in return, the Watchtower agreed not to expel Bulgarian Witnesses who accepted blood transfusions.

Compromises have also been made in other areas within the framework of legal advantages, such as in the area of voting and alternatives to military service. Such a willingness to “negotiate” in matters of faith shows that today's spiritual leaders and spokesmen of Jehovah's Witnesses fit the profile of those described as “inclined to carry out counsel, but not mine.” Since there is a tendency to compromise in order to protect the Watchtower's own interests, how do we think the Society will react when faced with its own demise? How will we react?

The prevailing thought among Jehovah's Witnesses is that God will protect his organization from the calamity that is coming upon the world. It is inconceivable to us that the Society could possibly incur God's wrath. However, Isaiah 30:25, 26 predicts that restoration is in sight for God's people, but only after the terrible “day of great slaughter, when the towers fall.” Verse 26 says:

The fanciful belief among Jehovah’s Witnesses is that God will protect his so-called “visible organization” from all calamities. That is because many of the prophecies have been misapplied, so that it is simply inconceivable in the minds of Jehovah’s Witnesses that the organization could possibly become the object of Jehovah’s wrath. For example, contributing to that mindset the Watchtower applies the following verse to itself:

However, that portion of Isaiah—although written well over a century before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Chaldeans—is actually a projection of God’s voice to his people living in exile in Babylon—assuring them of his blessing and that Jerusalem would be rebuilt and ultimately fulfill God’s grand purpose in connection with it. But the obvious fact is that the weapon God used against the wayward Jews did have “success.” Nothing could prevent Jerusalem from being destroyed once God had decreed it. In that respect Jerusalem typifies that which is called Jehovah’s earthly organization today.

The context of Isaiah has to do with God comforting his covenanted organization in the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem:

Although the physical city of Jerusalem was rebuilt the prophecy clearly speaks to greater spiritual realities in relation to the heavenly city of New Jerusalem. To be sure, the 21st chapter of Revelation depicts the New Jerusalem with similar symbolism. It is that symbolic city, the very kingdom of heaven, which will never be destroyed—even as Jesus assured his followers when he said in reference to his congregation: “the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18).

Unquestionably, the leadership of the Watchtower is proving that they are like the stubborn sons, in that they support themselves upon inaccurate interpretations of prophecy. Like the ancient Jewish establishment that tried to silence Jehovah’s prophets, the Watchtower is also disposed to scoff at any suggestion that God’s judgments might apply to Jehovah’s Witnesses instead of Christendom.

That is why the prophet speaks for Jehovah to the stubborn sons, saying:

While virtually every Bible prophet straightforwardly foretells how spiritual Israel will be brought into judgment with God, the Watchtower has deviously deflected all negative aspects of those prophetic visions to Christendom or applied them to the relatively insignificant events that befell the International Bible Students during the First World War. Or, they simply ignore certain sections of the Bible altogether. “Untruthful sons,” indeed!

The Watchtower has steadfastly refused to hear the law of Jehovah in this regard. “The ones having visions” are those who “see” the correct understanding of the prophetic visions that Jehovah originally gave to the biblical visionaries, seers, and prophets.

But, just as the Jews were unreceptive, the leadership of the organization has also proven to be unwilling to accept God’s counsel as contained in Scripture.

All of Jehovah’s Witnesses have preferred to hear “smooth things” and “deceptive things”:

in what a “spiritual paradise” we live and how Jehovah glorifies his so-called “visible organization.” Jehovah is therefore even obliged to deal a heavy blow to his stubborn sons so that they wake up from their folly.

Because we as an organization have not accepted God's Word without reservation, it is likely that when the system collapses and the day of tyranny begins, the Watchtower will desperately try to save itself by, so to speak, “going down to Egypt” and seeking assistance from secular sources. Yet another tragic example of “piling sin upon sin.”

In light of this evidence, it seems that the most important thing for the organization has become the survival of the organization itself. It is ironic: the more “successful” the Watchtower becomes, the more vulnerable it becomes. This is because a large publishing organization, which is what the Watchtower has grown into in recent decades, is also completely dependent on the continued stability of the system of things if the work is to progress.

A world war, a global depression, a full-blown financial collapse, a state of war as a result of domestic terrorism, a global dictatorship, massive lawsuits against the Watchtower, or a combination of these and other unforeseen difficulties could put the Watchtower Society under enormous pressure. When we finally find ourselves under this pressure, it will become clear whether we trust God or not.

The 30th chapter of Isaiah announces Jehovah’s determination to knock down the “highly raised wall” of error the organization has built up. Jehovah says:

But does Isaiah’s prophecy really apply to the Watchtower? Well, before answering that question consider another related prophecy in the 13th chapter of Ezekiel. Just as successive chapters in Isaiah pronounce woe upon God’s nation and people, Ezekiel 13:3 announces:

Who are those whom Ezekiel is commanded to denounce? Jehovah goes on to say of the “stupid prophets”:

In considering the Christian parallel of the prophecy, who else other than the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society speaks authoritatively in the name of Jehovah? As all of Jehovah’s Witnesses know the Watchtower claims to be the earthly mouthpiece of God. As such, the organization claims that its prophetic interpretations are the authentic “utterance of Jehovah.” Especially is that the case when it comes to the scores of prophecies that the Watchtower has tied to 1914. It is as if for the last approximately 100 years the Watchtower and Jehovah’s Witnesses “have waited to have a word come true”—but in vain. Instead of vindicating their 1914 vision the passage of time only reveals more cracks in the wall.

In view of the fact that most of the Watchtower’s interpretations of prophecy are in error— as has been irrefutably established in the pages of this publication—from Jehovah’s standpoint all such dogma amounts to “an untrue vision.” And because the “prophets” use the organization’s authority and claim to speak in the name of Jehovah, as if they have directly derived their esoteric knowledge from a divine source, it is as though such visionaries are promoting “a lying divination.”

But, again, does this really apply to those who are actually God’s people or merely those who falsely claim to be such?

Ezekiel 13:9-10 provides the answer:

The prophecy clearly states that the “stupid prophets” exist “in the intimate group of my people,” and that as a result of their misleading influence, Jehovah says, “they have led my people astray.” Naturally, the Watchtower teaches that the condemned false visionaries typify the clergy of Christendom. But if that is the case how is it that the lying prophets are located “in the intimate group of my people”? If Jehovah’s Witnesses are the true people of God, how is it that the supposed “stupid prophets” of Christendom have the power and influence to lead God’s people astray?

The prophets against whom Jehovah is speaking are the most prominent men in the organization. They are responsible for misleading Jehovah’s Witnesses by means of false and lying visions. It is the very teachings of the Watchtower that continually tickles the ears of Jehovah’s Witnesses; assuring them, ‘there is peace, all is well in spiritual paradise.’

Undeniably, the Watchtower has gone to great lengths to convince Jehovah’s Witnesses that Jehovah became king in 1914—applying nearly every prophecy in the Bible to that date—thus, blinding trusting Christians to the reality of a future presence of Christ. The analogy of a wall is apt. Bethel has constructed an elaborate and extensive wall-like structure of biblical prophecy that serves primarily to fortify the place of the Watchtower Society as Jehovah’s organization. The organization’s very logo—a stone and mortar watchtower—is an ironical manifestation of the metaphorical.

By such vain efforts to support a lie, it is as if the Watchtower’s apologists keep plastering coat after coat of whitewash on an organizational “wall” of their own making. Regardless of their efforts, when Jehovah actually does assert his kingship and judge his people the Watchtower’s whitewashed prophetic wall is sure to be toppled and pulverized. Jehovah, in fact, commands his true prophet to tell the “stupid prophets” beforehand that their whitewashed wall is doomed to fall.

Ezekiel 13:11-16 reads:

That the above prophecy of Ezekiel applies to Christ’s congregation during the “second time that he appears” is evident from a parallel prophecy in the 28th chapter of Isaiah. The significance of Isaiah’s prophecy is that God uses the very same analogy of a tempest-driven, flooding downpour that washes away the falsehoods and delusions that the bragging rulers have imposed upon God’s people.

Isaiah 28:14-16 reads:

In proof that the prophecy has not been fulfilled yet, Isaiah 28:16 situates the actual establishment of Christ’s kingdom as coinciding with the flooding downpour of Jehovah’s denunciation. Clearly, the prophecy reveals that Jehovah lays the kingdom stone in Zion—an obvious reference to Christ’s kingdom—at the same time “the overflowing flash flood” is unleashed. Those who imagine they have a working agreement with Death and Sheol are those who trust solely in their place within the Organization. To their horror that seeming place of refuge will be swept away in a flooding hailstorm of persecution.

True Christians, that is, those who really know and trust Jehovah and have faith in Christ, will not panic during the turmoil that ensues. Their faith is stronger than organizational loyalty. Needless to say, the actual return of Christ will shatter the Watchtower’s parousia chimera, along with the hopes of those who foolishly cling to the Lie when it is finally swept away by Jehovah’s onrushing judgment.

Returning to the 30th chapter of Isaiah, the prophecy goes on to say:

While we cannot say exactly how the future will unfold, we can predict, based on past actions, how the Watchtower leadership might react when faced with such severe adversity. However, according to prophecy, no amount of political or financial influence that the Society has accumulated in this world will be able to prevent the complete collapse of the organization in the near future.

The teaching concerning 1914, which the Watchtower has stubbornly clung to despite mounting evidence proving its inaccuracy, and which is the prophetic foundation of the organization, will surely collapse when Jesus Christ truly returns. The erroneous interpretations of the Bible are built like a stone wall, and unwisely enough, we have begun to lean on it. But no amount of dogmatism or legal maneuvering can uphold the Watchtower's wall, which is sure to fall.

The modern history of Jehovah's Witnesses has convinced many of us that the Watchtower Society will always triumph. In times when Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted, it has always been a place of refuge for us. We have often found relief by invoking the fundamental right that guarantees religious freedom. To this day, the Watchtower's legal department has championed the religious freedom of Jehovah's Witnesses. The organization has been a source of support for Jehovah's Witnesses in times of distress and misery. We have trusted that the organization always speaks and teaches the truth and does what is right. That is why we have seen the Watchtower as a protective wall around us. But trusting any human organization is a serious mistake, especially one that claims to be God's visible organization. The example of how the Jews trusted the Jewish system should suffice as proof of this.

Undoubtedly, what we call God's “earthly” organization, along with the entirety of the teachings and policies and the physical infrastructure of the society, is destined to collapse in the prophecies. Because we have wrongly placed our trust in an organization instead of Jehovah, the prophecy of Isaiah predicts the end result:

Yes, Jehovah's “earthly organization” will be smashed to pieces!

Jehovah's Witnesses may then prefer to believe that the prophecy does not apply to God's Israel today, with the Watchtower Society as its companion, but the following verse shows that this is indeed the case. Isaiah 30:17 goes on to say that ...

What a pitiful sight it will be when Jehovah's proud people grovel before the tyrannical enemy. Such a humiliating event will create conditions that will force us to our knees and make us realize that we must never take Jehovah for granted or pretend to serve him. But since Jehovah's purpose is connected to his anointed congregation, our trembling before the enemy compels Jehovah to take it up for his purified people.

During the judgment, we will be forced to make a complete confession before God of all the bad and wrong things we have done, both as an organization and as individuals. And Jehovah's Witnesses must beg God for forgiveness for the incredible shame we have brought upon his holy name. That is why verse 18 says:

The painful lesson that all men must soon learn is that Jehovah God is the rightful Sovereign of this earth. The nightmare that is destined to descend upon this world will prove beyond all doubt that humans simply do not have the wisdom to rule themselves.

Ultimately, Jehovah’s Witnesses must also come to know that Jehovah is God in a way that we have heretofore not known.

In the aftermath of the collapse of the organizational wall the faithful who accept Jehovah’s severe disciplining and his kindly instruction will reject all vestiges of the Society, as if an abhorrent idol. The 22nd verse foretells:

According to the apostle Paul, something that is considered exalted among humans is an abomination to Jehovah. During his judgment, Jehovah will make his aversion clear, so that Jehovah's people will never again elevate a so-called “earthly” organization to the exalted position that the Watchtower now occupies. Only after we leave behind the unclean things that have caused us to stumble, and only after we accept Jehovah as our Great Teacher, then, and only then, will God bring true liberation by pouring out the long-awaited blessings of spiritual paradise.

Yes, then Jehovah's chosen ones will “shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of his Father.” That is because Jehovah himself will pour out his holy spirit directly upon each one. The result will be brilliant new light and a new spirit in each one, in a way that none of us has ever experienced or even imagined.

In Isaiah 30:26, Jehovah reveals the magnitude of the truth that is yet to be revealed by comparing it to literal light:

When will this come to be? The preceding verse says:

The recorded history of the Bible regarding Jehovah's dealings with ancient Israel shows that severe punishment is often the only way God can reach the hearts of his people. But we are also assured that although Jehovah does not exempt us from the punishment we deserve, he is also “good and ready to forgive” afterward.

The prophet Isaiah then writes the following encouraging words:

We should not assume that anyone will receive salvation before we are seriously in trouble and have been brought to a helpless state, forcing us to turn to Jehovah for his mercy. In reality, God has prepared our faith so that we can withstand the coming severe wound through him, after which he can finally allow us to enter his Kingdom.

This brings us back to the letter Paul originally wrote to the Hebrews. Perhaps we can now better understand why the apostle encouraged Christians to stand before the awe-inspiring heavenly Mount Zion. The true city of God exists in the heavens, not on earth. Hebrews 12:18 says:

If we do not have a city here on earth that endures and can be seen and “touched,” as the apostle Paul described it, we are deceiving ourselves when we place our trust in the expected permanence of any so-called “earthly” organization. As Psalm 127:1 says:

No, the coming collapse of the Watchtower Society will not mean the end of our faith as Jehovah's Witnesses; it will be the moment of truth for our faith, which must necessarily be tested as by fire. It will mark for us the beginning of God's mighty day of judgment and will provide for the much-needed rebuke and humiliation of the organization's leaders, as well as the much-needed rebuke and purification of our own misguided views and misplaced trust in the permanence of a system that exists solely to play a small role in Jehovah's purpose, just as the Jewish system once fulfilled that role.

And the most important reason to look forward to the coming collapse of the Watchtower is that it will finally allow Jehovah to prove himself fully as God and Savior.

Postscript/commentary from the operators of this website:

The Bible shows that Jehovah has delegated all power and authority to His Son Jesus, namely

• to rule (Daniel 7:13,14),
• to judge (Acts 17:30, 31), and
• to execute judgment (Revelation 19:13-15).

At the time Isaiah wrote this prophecy, these things were still largely obscure, but today it is important to keep Jesus' crucial role and authority in mind.