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(Cont. from Page 3/8/90).
A BRIEF CRITICISM OF The only multitude who fulfil the "lawless one's presence" "when wickedness will be revealed in human form" (which Augustine called Antichrist) as prophesied by The Christ through the apostle Paul, and revealed before the Day of the Lord, are the unsealed men masquerading as elders of the sect falsely calling themselves Jehovah's Witnesses. Only they fulfil every detail of the apostate "man of lawlessness" of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NWT & NEB):
(1)
They provided "lying signs and portents"
over many years (2) After knowing the truth they apostatized and "went out from us"; made evident by their unrighteous ostracism of anointed ones and their adoption of false teachings. (1 John 2:19). (3) They removed the "restraint" against their wickedness from the scene (namely, The Christ's authority in the congregations: his anointed brothers of the temple of God), rejected their warnings, and removed them from their congregational responsibilities. (2:7). (4) Their wickedness "in human form" (2:3 NEB) was "revealed" in its "due time" by the bitter "Little Scroll" of Revelation Ch.10 before the Day of the Lord. (2:6). The power of their wickedness was in their ability to conceal it. (2:7). (5) Apostates took their seat "in the temple of God" among anointed temple members, each one "publicly showing himself to be a god" by removing anointed ones from their congregations, standing in their place, and uttering diatribes against all other sects. (2:5). (6) They got to "believing the lie" of their "lying signs and portents" deceptively established over many years. (2:9,11). (As revealed from 14/12/76 in the "Little Scroll"). (7) "So that is why God lets an operation of error go to them". They were repeatedly warned and are being "judged". (2:11,12). The "Little Scroll" is part of the legal case of God concerning this "final rebellion" against Him. (2:3 NEB). (8) They made public declarations through "verbal message(s)" and "letter(s)" as though from anointed sons of God "to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here." (2:2). According to Augustine, the effect of these "lying signs and portents" 'will be to draw men into falsehood, in that people will believe that they could only have been achieved by the power of God, being unaware of the strength of the Devil, and especially his strength when he has received such power as he never before enjoyed.' An example of this was the publicized lie of Roger Morgan concerning the new apostate elder arrangement of the "man of lawlessness" when he declared: 'This is God's doing.' (See the quotation from their 1975 JW Yearbook on Page 841). Although Augustine confuses the Antichrist of 1 John 2:22 with the apostate "man of lawlessness" of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, those directly responsible for, and those giving their support to, the removal of "the restraint" of anointed ones from the scene are also in effect anti-Christ but in a subtler way to Trinitarian Catholics. 'Anointed ones' means 'Christs' (plural), 'Anti' means 'opposed to, rivalling'. Hence those of the apostate "man of lawlessness" are opposed to, and are unGodly rivals of, anointed sons of God. One may ask, 'What will this mean for the apostates? That those who are refuse to acknowledge the falsehood of their "Lie" will perish in body and spirit during the coming Day of the Lord. 7/8/90. |
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