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Index to All Nine Chapters
Salvation, The Second Coming, God's Kingdom, Heaven and Hell etc.
1.) Four Requirements For Salvation: The Watchtower online library outlines four things that God requires of those who wish to reside forever upon his Paradise earth. In other words, be saved.
The following statements about death, God's kingdom, and the afterlife are from the official website of the Jehovah's Witnesses
2.) The Second Coming. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus will return to earth as a "spirit creature" to judge people.
3.) The Kingdom of God. "This is a real government in heaven, not a condition in the hearts of Christians. It will replace human governments and accomplish God's purpose for the earth". "It will take these actions soon, for Bible prophecy indicates that we are living in "the last days."
4.) Earth: Although "God created the earth to be mankind's eternal home. (Psalm 104:5; 115:16; Ecclesiastes 1:4) a relatively small number of people — 144,000 — will be resurrected to life in heaven to rule with Jesus in the Kingdom. (Daniel 7:27; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:9, 10; 14:1, 3)".
5.) Death. People who die pass out of existence (Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:?5, 10). They do not suffer in a fiery hell of torment [01]
Point 1 - Four Requirements For Salvation?
The 1983 edition of The Watchtower featured an article entitled You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (also a book of the same name) in which they say,
Living forever on earth is just an impossible dream. There is no way anybody can do it.’
You may have heard people say that. Yet you may know that in the beginning it was God's purpose for obedient humans to live forever in an earthly Paradise. And God never fails to accomplish what he purposes! (Genesis 1:28; Isaiah 55:11) His Word plainly promises:"The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” — Psalm 37:29.
That is the thrilling message that Jehovah's Witnesses bring to people when they call at their homes. The Kingdom, with Jesus Christ as Ruler, will see to it that God's original purpose is accomplished. Under the Kingdom's righteous administration this earth will be cultivated to become a beautiful Paradise. However, not everyone will be permitted to live in the Paradise earth. Requirements must be met. That is reasonable. — Matthew 6:10.
Consider: If you were the owner of a beautiful home surrounded by well-kept gardens, would you allow just anyone to live there? No, he would have to meet with your approval, meeting your requirements. What does God require of those who will reside forever upon his Paradise earth? Let us examine four basic requirements. [02]
So far, so good. However, they then identify the four things God requires of those who will reside forever upon his Paradise earth.
P The first requirement is when Jesus said
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3 NASB)
This is perfectly true. Everyone's salvation depends on an accurate understanding of and belief in God the Son. As Jesus said, "... unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins" (John. 8:24).
If our entire future hinges on our knowing God, and the Messiah whom He sent, then we have to know who this Messiah was. The tragedy is that the Jehovah's Witnesses themselves do not know who the Messiah is. They say that although they honor Jesus as our Savior and as the Son of God, He is not Almighty God. See The Deity of Christ
PThe Second Requirement
They go on to say
"Many have found the second requirement more difficult. It is to obey God's laws, yes, to conform one's life to the moral requirements set out in the Bible. This includes refraining from a debauched, immoral way of life. — 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 1 Peter 4:3, 4.)"
Of course traditionalists are going to militantly oppose this as "works based" salvation and denounce it as an unbiblical, false teaching.
It is none of the above.
I dread to think what would happen if someone in a modern church were to preach that you have to attain a certain level of righteousness to be saved. The hue and cry would be deafening - the preacher soundly denounced (from one end of the Christian world to the other) as a false teacher who is teaching salvation by works. Unlike many modern churches that have managed to convince people that a very minimal commitment is required to be saved, Jesus laid down some very stringent requirements. Consider for a moment Jesus' words in the sermon on the mount....
For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven". (Matthew 5:20 NASB).
While it is certainly a fact that the Bible teaches that faith is an essential ingredient, without which it is impossible to please God, it never ever teaches that faith is the only requirement for salvation. And the apostles, following suit, often reiterated that loving God means keeping His commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3 NASB)
And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. (2 John 1:6 NASB)
If you are interested in what the Bible actually teaches see The Myth of Faith Alone
Unfortunately this is where the accuracy of the Jehovah's Witnesses articles ends. The third and fourth requirements are man made inventions.
O The Third Requirement
"A third requirement is that we be associated with God's channel, his organization. God has always used an organization. For example, only those in the ark in Noah's day survived the Flood, and only those associated with the Christian congregation in the first century had God's favor. (Acts 4:12) Similarly, Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it".
In other words, they are tooting their own horn.
Over the years the Watchtower has placed itself in an exalted position previously occupied by the Bible alone
The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. God feeds his own people, and surely God uses those who love and serve him according to his own will. Those who oppose The Watchtower are not capable of discerning the truth that God is giving to the children of his organization, and this is the very strongest proof that such opposers are not of God's organization. [03]
It discourages all individual thinking and requires all who "love God" to believe that the Watchtower is now God's sole channel of communication. It also claims that individuals are not able to rightly interpret the Bible apart from guidance received by the Watchtower . Submission to the organization is required.
Sadly, the Society goes even further claiming to be a A "Prophet of God" and God's SOLE Channel of Communication. See Chapter 7 - Back-Pedaling, Contradictions, and False Prophecy
As you will see in the rest of this article the Watchtower promotes some very dangerous and salvation-threatening doctrines.
OThe Fourth Requirement
"is connected with loyalty. God requires that prospective subjects of his Kingdom support his government by loyally advocating his Kingdom rule to others. Jesus Christ explained: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth.” (Matthew 24:14) Will you meet this requirement by telling others about God's Kingdom?"
This is a classic case of eisegesis (reading meaning into the text) instead of exegesis (reading what the text says). In other words, they are reading something into the text that simply is not there. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus was telling His disciples what would happen in the future, promising that before the end, the gospel would go out to the entire world.
This exact form (kerychthesetai) of the Greek verb translated "will be preached" has only been used one other time in the New Testament (https://biblehub.com/greek/ke_rychthe_setai_2784.htm) where the meaning is unmistakable...
Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed (Gk. kerychthesetai) upon the housetops. (Luke 12:3 NASB)
To use Matthew 24:14 as a requirement for salvation is beyond absurd only done I suspect to show how well the Jehovah's Witnesses are fulfilling this "requirement". However, there is no doubt that before He ascended to Heaven Jesus' last instructions to His disciples was to instruct them to spread the Gospel (which we should do as well). However, His words do not in any shape or form intimate that it was a requirement for salvation.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB)
Point 2 - The Second Coming
Jesus' Resurrection - Physical or Spiritual?
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus will return in spirit form because He was "resurrected with a spirit body" "and it is a "misconception" to believe that "When the Bible says that people will see Jesus "coming on the clouds,” it means that Jesus will come visibly. — Matthew 24:30." [04]
To begin with Jesus was not resurrected with a spirit body but a very physical one - He said so Himself (emphasis added)
While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be to you." But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. (Luke 24:36-40 NASB)
And in case the Savior's words are not enough to clinch the matter, He also ate with the disciples (Luke 24:42-43), allowed Thomas to put his finger into the holes left by the nails and his hand into the wound in His side. (John 20:25-28).
The Second Coming - Physical or Spiritual?
The Bible is clear that the yet-future second coming will be physical, visible worldwide event accompanied by visible cosmic disturbances
"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son Of Man Coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:27-30 NASB)
Revelation 1:7 adds that every eye will see him
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. (Revelation 1:7 NASB)
The Jehovah's Witnesses say that the expression "every eye will see him" is not to be understood literally.
Fact: The Greek words in the Bible for "eye" and "seeing" are sometimes used in the sense of discerning or perceiving rather than referring to literal sight. * (Matthew 13:15; Luke 19:42; Romans 15:21; Ephesians 1:18) The Bible says that the resurrected Jesus is "the one . . . who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man . . . can see.” (1 Timothy 6:16) Thus, "every eye will see him" in that all people will perceive that Jesus is the one who brings God's judgment. Matthew 24:30. [05]
It is true that "eye" and "seeing" are sometimes used in the sense of discerning or perceiving rather than referring to literal sight. However, this explanation in no way squares with the fact that in Acts 1:9-11 Jesus was physically taken up until a cloud hid Him from the disciples who were "looking into the sky". And as the angel told them, "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."
Jesus left physically, visibly, and from the Mount of Olives. so if He is to return in 'just the same way' - it will be physical, visible and to the Mount of Olives. (It is most likely that He will then enter Jerusalem through the closest gate, i.e. the Golden Gate which, more than likely, is how He entered the city before He was crucified. See Ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Golden Gate.
They quote Paul's words in 1 Timothy 6:16 to show that no man will see Jesus who lives in "unapproachable light". But is that what 1 Timothy 6:16 says?
The verse needs to be read in context which brings up the fact that the "He" referred to (in bold below) does not necessarily have to mean Jesus Christ who was not the only one called "King of kings". God the Father was in Daniel 2:37 (and so were the monarchs Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:12) and Nebuchadnezzar (Ezekiel 26:7-14).
(13) I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, (14) that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, (15) which He will bring about at the proper time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, (16) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (1 Timothy 6:13-16 NASB)
IN other words, the "He" could very well refer to God the Father and could very well read "... the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about at the proper time" i.e. At the right time the Father will bring about Jesus' return to earth.
Also Paul could not have literally meant that no man had ever seen Jesus - almost everyone in Galilee had. Also See Has Anyone Ever Seen God?
Point 3 - The Kingdom of God - Will be Where?
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Kingdom of God is
... a real government in heaven, not a condition in the hearts of Christians. It will replace human governments and accomplish God's purpose for the earth". [06]
And say that
The message about God's Kingdom is called "good news" because it explains that God has set up a government in heaven to take control of earth's affairs! - Matthew 24:14; Daniel 2:44. [07]
Note: I do not see the connection between God setting up a government in heaven and the two Bible verses quoted i.e. Matthew 24:14 and Daniel 2:44. However, it is interesting how the Jehovah's Witnesses apply the verse in Matthew to them selves. See Footnote I. Also Daniel 2:44 actually gives us an indication as to when the Father will demolish all man's kingdoms and set His up in their place. See Footnote II.
In other words, they believe that God's Kingdom was established in heaven in 1914 - a date that marked the end of the times of the Gentiles. Although it took complete control of heaven at that time it is yet to take complete control of the earth. Note: The belief in the 1914 date is now a bedrock teaching of the Witnesses. It was arrived at after their leadership advanced several other dates, contradicted themselves, and back-pedaled when events did not turn out the way they had predicted. See Chapter 7 - Back-Pedaling, Contradictions, and False Prophecy
Another article from the Watchtower Online Library goes into more detail,
What will be the structure of that government? Will it be a democracy or a dictatorship? Will its ruling authority be situated in Washington or Moscow or Tokyo or any of the other great capitals of the present day? The Bible shows that the perfect government will be far superior to any present form of human government. It has a capital in the heavens, called Zion, and from this vantage point, the King Jesus Christ will effectively administer all the earth in righteousness. (Psalm 48:1, 2; Zechariah 9:9, 10) [08]
Zion?
I cannot imagine where the idea of 'Zion' as the name of God's capital in the heavens came from especially when its location can be easily determined from its many occurrences in the Old Testament. The first mention of 'Zion' is in 2 Samuel 5:7 which shows that it was a strong hold or fortress that David captured from the Jebusites and named the City of David, i.e. Jerusalem.
Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to David, "You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away"; thinking, "David cannot enter here." Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David. (2 Samuel 5:6-7)
In other words, both names Zion and Jerusalem refer to the same city (Also See Isaiah 40:9) that quickly became the seat of power in Israel's kingdom.. Mount Zion is "the southwest hill of Jerusalem, the older and higher part of the city;
So The Question Is Where Exactly Will God's Coming Kingdom Finally Be Set Up?
On more than one occasion the book of Revelation mentions that the heavenly city will one day come down to earth. In all likelihood it will take the place of probably on the site of the present city.
'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. (Revelation 3:12)
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down (Gk. katabaino) out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them (Revelation 21:2-3 NASB)
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, (Revelation 21:10)
This should not be surprising. If you actually take all of the Bible into account it becomes clear that God never had any intention of always maintaining a heaven somewhere 'up there' quite separate from earth.
Adam and Eve were never taken up to God's dwelling place to visit Him. Instead Genesis 3:8 tells us that God Himself, walked the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8).
The Tabernacle was built as God's "dwelling place" - one that He intended to live in forever.
It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. "I have surely built You a lofty house, A place for Your dwelling forever." [1 Kings 8:10-13 NASB]
Since Israel has not had a king since Ezekiel's day, the prophet had to be speaking of a time yet in the future, when Jesus would rule over all.
My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. "They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. "My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. (Ezekiel 37:24-27 NASB)
Also note this part of Ezekiel's vision
Then I heard one speaking to me from the house, while a man was standing beside me. He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die, (Ezekiel 43:2-7 NASB)
Micah clearly stated that Jesus was to be ruler in Israel, which did not happen during His first advent. Was Micah sadly misinformed, or is the ruling part yet to happen?
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)
Daniel's composite statue was struck on its feet by a huge stone and was blown away like so much chaff. Where the image had stood, the rock that destroyed it, grew to the size of a mountain and filled the earth. (Daniel 2:31-35)
For More On This See What and Where is Heaven? Particularly Chapters 4 And 5.
Point 4 - Heaven on Earth:
The official website of the Jehovah's Witnesses makes two statements. The first is about Earth. They say that
God created the earth to be mankind's eternal home. (Psalm 104:5; 115:16; Ecclesiastes 1:4) God will bless obedient people with perfect health and everlasting life in an earthly paradise — Psalm 37:11, 34. [09]
This is far closer to the truth than the vague, half formed ideas about some ethereal place somewhere 'out there' that most Christians entertain. And it is a crying shame that the pious phrases often spouted by mainstream theologians usually amounts to little more than spiritual gobbledy gook. In other words, Christians who believe they will spend an eternity in "heaven" have little or no idea where this heaven is, what it will look like, or what they will do there.
If this is the best we can do then it is little wonder that non-Christians are not in the slightest bit interested in our "heaven", and Christians themselves so rarely seem to look forward to the coming of the kingdom of God. Luckily the Bible isn't at all silent on where "heaven" is and, even more importantly, what it will be like. In fact, the Bible's description of the coming kingdom is far, far, more practical than that of our Biblical scholars. See What and Where is Heaven?
However, it is entirely another matter when it comes to...
The 144,000
The JW.org web site says
"a relatively small number of people — 144,000 — will be resurrected to life in heaven to rule with Jesus in the Kingdom. — Daniel 7:27; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:9, 10; 14:1, 3". [10 ]
And God will
... have associate rulers in that invisible, heavenly government. These are chosen from among faithful humans, followers of Jesus who stuck with him through trials, and to whom he says: "I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom.” (Luke 22:28, 29) It is only a few from humankind who are taken to heaven to rule with Christ Jesus. It is similar to the nations today, where only a few are chosen to rule in the diet or parliament. [11]
The number 144,000 is only seen in two places in the book of Revelation - Chapters 7 and 14
(2) And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, (3) saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." (4) And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. (Revelation 7:2-4 NASB)
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. (Revelation 14:1-3 NASB )
Note that nothing is said about the 144,000 becoming "associate rulers" in God's government, much less an invisible, heavenly one. We are not told who they are the reason for the sealing or what their function is. In fact, although there is a considerable difference of opinion as to whether 144,000 is a literal or symbolic number all we know about them is that they have the name of His Father written on their foreheads (certainly symbolic), and that they are sealed before the earth and sea are harmed.
However, speculation abounds.
The Jehovah's Witnesses claim this literal number will come from their ranks, inasmuch as only 144,000 of them will gain "heaven", the remainder will live on God's glorified earth. Others believe the 144,000 will be Jews who will be saved from the physical nation of Israel. Some traditional commentators believe that this group is symbolic of the Church.
Scripture does not support either of the first two claims, and it is beyond comprehension how 144,000 Jews could be symbolic of the Church. See Article The 144,000
Point 5 - Death and Hell
Charles Taze Russell rejected belief in hell as a place of eternal torment and the official website of the Jehovah's Witnesses says
People who die pass out of existence. (Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:?5, 10) They do not suffer in a fiery hell of torment. [12]
They are right.
Their answer to the request made by someone to explain the meaning of the word ''hell'' in the Golden Age magazine published on January 8, 1930 was, with pretty much just one minor exception, quite accurate. Perhaps the only fault was the oft repeated myth that there was literal fire constantly burning in Gehenna (the literal valley of Hinnom) outside of Jerusalem. See Gehenna - Part III. of What and Where is Hell?
Unfortunately the idea of hell as a place of fire and brimstone has been so strongly held throughout the history of Christianity that few have dared to challenge it. Any person who dares to question the traditional viewpoint runs the risk of being labeled a cultist. However, the deeper one delves into the subject the less persuasive the argument in favor of the traditional view become.
For eternal punishment in an unending hell to be true means that everyone has eternal life; it is only a matter of where each will spend it. Yet, in innumerable passages, the Bible clearly states that eternal life is a result of redemption. ( "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.) In order to believe in the traditional view of hell, one has to play word games, i.e take the word "death" to mean eternal life in hell, and the word "perish" to mean "never perish".
Also note that in Matthew 19:16 the man who approached Jesus asked what he had to do to get eternal life, not what he had to do to ensure he spent it in a good place.
However, it is totally pointless to embark on a investigation unless one is prepared to set aside one's denominational presuppositions and other biases, and rely strictly on what the Word says. This seems to be easier said than done for many, if not most, Christians See Hell
Continue on to Chapter 3 - The Trinity and Deity of Christ
Footnote I - Matthew 24:14
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world (Gk. oikoumene) as a testimony to all the nations (Gk. ethnos), and then the end will come". (Although in Luke 2:1 the Greek word oikoumene means the Roman empire, virtually every other time it is used it means the entire planet).
Although every creature under heaven has not actually heard the Gospel, it has been preached in every nation on earth. (In the first century the Greek ethnos (nations) would have been understood as ethnic groups, not political entities). However, the Jehovah's Witnesses apply Matthew 24:14 to themselves saying (Emphasis Added)
Today, there are 6,613,950 proclaimers of the good news in 235 lands of the earth. What a marvelous fulfillment of prophecy! Never before has "this good news of the kingdom" been preached on such a large scale. Never before have there been so many faithful servants of Jehovah on earth... Over a billion hours were spent in proclaiming the good news in 235 lands. Millions of return visits were made, and millions of Bible studies were conducted. This work has been accomplished by Jehovah's Witnesses, who have freely given of their time and resources to share God's Word with others. [13] [PLACE IN TEXT]
Footnote II - Daniel 2:44
"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. (Daniel 2:44 NASB)
Days of what kings?
If you read the entire chapter, it becomes clear that verse 44 is the last part of a dream king Nebuchadnezzar had of a statue the golden head representing the King himself. The second empire said to be inferior to Babylon was Medo-Persia (the Medes and the Persians) that paralleled the statue's two shoulders and arms. The bronze torso and thighs represented the Greeks that were the next to become a world force. The Greek Empire was eventually replaced by the Romans represented by the iron legs of the statue. (the symbolism of the two legs was not apparent until many years later (in 286 A.D.) when, for administrative purposes, the Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into East and West.)
As Daniel told the king
"You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:34-35 NASB)
The Babylonians, the Medo-Persians, the Greeks and the Romans have all come and gone exactly as Daniel prophesied. However, the last - the feet of the statue made of a mixture of iron and clay (The Romans and... ?) have not yet made their appearance. Since it is the feet that are struck down by God's 'stone', we are obviously not quite there yet. [PLACE IN TEXT]
See The Rise And Fall of The Empires I
And
A Dragon and Two Beasts
Daniel, the Old Testament prophet saw four beasts coming up from the sea - the fourth so horrific that the prophet particularly asked the meaning of it. What he was told has enormous implications for us in the coming years.
End Notes
[01] What Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe? https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/
[02] You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth . https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1983124
[03] The Watch Tower. November 1, 1931. Pg. 327. https://faithleaks.org/wiki/documents/3/39/W_E_19310000.pdf
[04] https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/jesus-coming/
[05] ibid.
[06] What Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe? https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/
[07] What Is God Doing? https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2010322
[08] The Watchtower. "Look! I Am Making All Things New". https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101970001?q=Government+in+heaven&p=par
[09] What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe? https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/
[10] ibid
[11] The Watchtower. "Look! I Am Making All Things New".
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101970001?q=Government+in+heaven&p=par
[12] What Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe? https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/
[13] Watchtower Online Library. "A Witness to All the Nations". https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2006085?q=Matthew+24%3A14&p=par
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