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| J.R. Brown |
Mr. J.R. Brown,
Spokesperson,
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
25 Columbia Heights
Brooklyn NY 11201-2483
New York
U.S.A
Dear John,
I write to you again on some points of concern. I would be glad if you could answer my questions and satisfy my own curiosity as well as that of many others.
My first question concerns the nature of the 144000.
Watchtower claims that the 144000:
(A) Are only Jehovah’s Witnesses, and that these began their ascension to Christ in 1919.
(B) That they were sealed in 1935
Yet, the Bible does not teach any pre-tribulation rapture, and no evidence for the date of 1919 and 1935 can be found in the Bible, at least not in mine. Maybe I am reading the wrong edition? Can 1919 and 1935 be found in your Bible? I ask this, because I know many errors can be found in your edition of the Bible. I would be glad if you could clarify.
What the Does Bible Say:
“The Rapture”, or “Gathering up”, (which is not to Heaven), but will be into the vicinity or region above the Earth.
That this only pertains to “true Christians”, i.e. “those belonging to the true body of Christ”. Both those alive and those dead, rise to Christ “together”, and they do so at the same time. This appears to be occurring at a single event.
Yet, you claim that there is a “continuous rapture” of only 144000Jehovah’s Witnesses from 1919 onwards? Can you provide evidence to support this?
We also learn that the group the Apostle Paul was speaking of are “changed in a moment”, both “those living and those in the dust”, (together), at the sound of the last Trumpet, and they rise (together) to meet him (Christ), but do so “in the air”, and behold him in the very same fashion as the first century followers beheld him (Christ) leaving the Earth.
Further, it seems that they are “ascending” to meet Christ as he is “descending” to Earth, where he will reign as King here upon the Earth. Why the inherit desire to go to heaven when Gods Kingdom and his Christ will be here on the Earth? Believe it or not, but the roots of Christian belief is in Jewish tradition, and the Jews do not believe in going to heaven, but rather, they believe that the promised Kingdom, Paradise and Messiah will be here on Earth, and that the New Jerusalem will descend out of Heaven. Do you think the Jews could be on to something? Personally, I do not only think that the Jews are on to something, but I believe that what they teach is mainstream thought, and that it is also only what is commonly held to be true, even by Biblical commentators. Further, Christ said that salvation would come to the World by means of the Jews, what do you think that Christ was alluding to by means of that statement? Was Jesus Jewish or American? Have the Watchtower really bothered to research this prior to making their very erroneous views public? Views which are not only misleading, but also very dangerous.
Finally, if those who are in the dust, (those that have died in Christ prior to this event occurring), and those “alive” at the time of this event occurs are changed together at the same time and rise to Christ to meet him at the very same instant and point in time as the Bible clearly teaches. Then this rules out and indeed defies any pre “rapture” or “gathering” up at any time prior to this event occurring. Above all, it makes your claim of 1919 an absurdity.
Before this event even happens, there are a series of other events which must take place first, and these events have not yet occurred, as they are still future. No date is mentioned for any of the events which are still future.
1914, 1918, 1919, 1935, 1975, I could not for the life of me find any of these dates in my Bible. Do you think I should take my Bible back to the Bible Book Shop and demand my money back? But, interestingly enough, Christ himself said, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” Matthew 24:36 (ESV). So, on whatauthority and evidence do you have the right to base these dates?
THE MATTHEW 24 SEQUENCE
(1) “Therefore when you see the Abomination of Desolation (Antichrist)...standing in the holy place (End Time Third Temple Jerusalem)... (verse 15 NASB).
(2) Warning: “those in Judea must flee to the mountains” (verses 16-20).
(3) “For then there will be Great Tribulation” (verse 21).
(4) “But immediately after the tribulation of those days…they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (verse 29).
(5) “He will send his angels with a great trumpet and they will gather togetherHis elect from the four winds” (verse 31).
This is the great gathering, as we see, it is ‘in the air’ to Christ. It would be illogical to state that this gathering refers to the gathering of individuals into an organization. If such were the case then their conversion would have to occur after the Great Tribulation, and not before it, and certainly not from 1919 onwards as you lay claim to.
So, my question is, if the 144000 (who are sons of Israel) those being the Jewish Remnant, if these have not arrived on the scene as of yet, then where have the self-proclaimed 144000 belonging to the Watchtower been since 1919? As no pre tribulation rapture is possible until the Great Tribulation has occurred. So, if they are not in heaven, then where are they?
You also teach that this number Jehovah's Witnesses were sealed in 1935, yet I cannot find this in God’s word the Bible anywhere. If anything, the sealing of this group is still future. Can you please explain this?
What you teach is in total contrast to what Gods word the Bible teaches, and the warning is given about false messengers, and the consequences that will befall those who add and subtract from Gods word the Bible. Can you comment on this with regards to 1914, 1918, 1919, 1935, and indeed all dates that you have published?
I would be very glad if you would answer this question concerning the nature of the 144000 in relation to what the Bible says, and the evidence which was presented to you here. I look very much forward to your very detailed and convoluted explanation of all these matters in due course.
Elijah Returns
