Brothers (and sisters)
Now, as you know, I have been doing some independent study into the book of Ezekiel for some weeks now and, to be truthful, I’ve developed a couple of problems. Perhaps someone could clear these things up for me. Specifically, at this moment, I am interested in the Organizations interpretation of Ezekiel chapter 4. Among other things in Ezekiel 4 verses 4-6 Ezekiel has to spend 390 days lying on his left side and 40 days lying on his right side.
To quote the Scriptures: “Lie also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it, according to the number of days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity…390 days, so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again upon thy right side, and thou shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah 40 days. I have appointed thee a day for a year...”
THE FINISHED MYSTERY (page 393) says, about the 390 days :
QUOTE: “Ezekiel here represents the reformer class which had to endure the iniquities of Papacy … The iniquity of Papacy lay in the fact that the reformers had shown them insistent proofs of their wrong course, and yet they continued in their own way…Priestcraft of the larger element of Christendom (Roman ism) was to be under attack for 390 years….This began in 1528 and ended in 1918
Apparently a “turning point in history” occurred 1n 1528 to clearly mark the beginning of the Protestant 390 year “siege” against Papacy, something to do with the ascension of King Charles the 5th of Germany launched the “siege”. I never heard of the guy myself, but then I was never too well developed in the ‘spiritual insight’ department. Anyway, lets press on. About the 40 days, the same book (Finished Mystery) says:
QUOTE: “Protestant ecclesiasticism from 1878 on, for 40 years, became the Judah of this type, besieged on every side by the reform element, under the leadership of the steward of divine truth, Pastor Russell. Until 1918… ”
Now this is all very well brothers. Protestantism besieged CATHOLICISM for 390 years, and Charles Russell besieged PROTESTANTISM for 40 years, but, the book VINDICATION (1931), has something to say about these 390 and 40 day periods as well. Beginning on page 48 that book says:
QUOTE: “Roman Catholics…monopolized the field, from the religious viewpoint, until the year 1531 AD when the rulers of England and Germany broke away from the pope and the League of Schmalkald was formed…This date is definitely fixed as a historical fact…and counting 390 years from then brings the period of time down to 1921As to the 40 day period, this VINDICATION book says:
QUOTE: “The beginning of the public witness work in these Protestant countries would specifically mark the beginning of Gods forbearing with Protestantism. Mark now that it was in 1881 that this public witness began and is especially indicated by the publication and wide distribution of the booklet ‘food for thinking Christians’…God would forbear with the iniquity of Protestantism for a period of 40 years from and after the beginning of that period, the year 1881, as above stated. 40 Years added to 1881 marks the year 1921”.
And what event clearly marks the year 1921 as spiritually significant? VINDICATION continues:
QUOTE: “ It was in that year, 1921, that the WatchTower, by the Lords grace, was permitted to…publish the truth concerning the ‘beast’, the ‘image of the beast’ and the ‘abomination that causes desolation’ …”
Well brothers, they have shifted their interpretation. Not only that, but now (currently) they’ve shifted it back again haven’t they, to 1918? Besides, I thought the publishing of significant Watchtower magazine articles commenced in 1922 brothers and that it coincided with the 7 Revelatory trumpet blasts. Perhaps this other 1921 trumpet blast was just a preblast, a clearing of the trumpetal throat so to speak, I don’t know. As well it seems strange that these prophetic periods are commenced with events I never heard of in the years 1528 and 1531. I have certainly never heard of the “League of Schmalkald” before brothers. Not only these things, but I checked my book THE NATIONS SHALL KNOW THAT I AM JEHOVAH (1971) which interprets Ezekiel verse by verse and there is NO modern fulfilment of these 390 and 40 day periods mentioned there in. This seems very strange to me brothers as it is quite apparent to me how these 390 year and 40 year periods apply in antitype fullfillment. The 390 years apply to PROTESTANTISM and the 40 years applies to the WATCHTOWER ORGANIZATION.
Consider this brothers from the book:
THE NATIONS SHALL KNOW THAT I AM JEHOVAH (1971) Page 105:
QUOTE: “Christendom cannot deny that she has acted far worse than that religious realm which she called "heathendom" or "pagandom." Jehovah's estimate of her must be the same as that which he expressed to the prophet Ezekiel…. "Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, 'For the reason that you people were more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, in my statutes you did not walk and my judicial decisions you did not perform; but according to the judicial decisions of the nations that are all around you, you performed, did you not? therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: "Here I am against you, O city, even I, and I will execute in the midst of you judicial decisions in the eyes of the nations. And I will do in you that which I have not done and the like of which I shall not do anymore by reason of all your detestable things."'"-Ezekiel 5:5-9Theres a small problem here brothers. The Ezekiel book portrays all these nasty prophecies about starvation, death and suffering as applicable to CHRISTENDOM. But these prophecies are pertaining to the nation of ISRAEL and its going off into CAPTIVITY.
And who was the antitype fulfillment of the Israelite captivity?
It was the REMNANT who went of into spiritual captivity. These scripture passages must be relevant to the remnant in some degree at least, if not applicable to the remnant alone! Yes Brothers? Pray upon this matter. If 1918 was the casting off of “Babylon the Great” by Jehovah in favour of pure worship then the equation could read:
1918- 390 years error = 1528AD. 1918 - 40 years error = 1878 !!
When the Org under brother Russell was formed!!
And 40 years of Error they indeed were guilty of, what with their “creature worship”, “character development” and the cross on the front of the WT and celebrating birthdays and the like. Of course the “Judge” stamped all that out after he received his commission while, John like, in Prison, and was released.
Lol brothers.