Jess Whitlock
On occasion I would borrow a tool from Dad’s tool shed. He had one standing rule: If you borrow a tool from me, be sure to return it! Meanwhile, there is a congregation in Texas that has listed their “core beliefs” on what they believe. It states: “Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God’s kingdom on earth.” Those congregations that so believe have borrowed pages from Jehovah’s Witnesses and the doctrine of Premillennialism. My dad would say to all such churches “it is past time to take it back!” After you take it back, then why not return to the pages of the New Testament?
Jesus and Nicodemus
Jesus taught Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God…verily, verily, I say unto thee, except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3,5). The “new birth” is the means whereby one is saved. When a person is born of the water and the Spirit, it is because he has obeyed the Gospel of Christ. There is great similarity between the words of Jesus in John 3:5 and the writing of Paul in Titus 3:5: “According to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit…”
The “keys” that Peter and the other apostles used to grant an entrance into God’s kingdom have not been replaced or changed in the past two millennial (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; John 3:3-5). The Greek New Testament uses the same Greek word whether it is the time of begetting or the actual birth. The Greek word is gennao and is defined “to be begotten, to be born.” (Thayer). A person must then be “born” of the water, having been “begotten” by the Spirit. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God: and whosoever loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him.” (1 John 5:1). Peter writes: “having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible through the word of God…” (1 Pet. 1:23). When a person believes the word of God, he will submit to the waters of baptism (Mark 16:16; John 3:3-5; Acts 2:38; 10:47-48; 22:16; Rom. 6:4). As one arises from the waters of baptism he is “being born” because the literal meaning of “being born” is to “come out of.” He is born into God’s kingdom.
I met Mr. Ballard in public debate in Blanchard, Oklahoma years ago. I affirmed that baptism was essential to a man’s salvation. Mr. Ballard was in the negative. I put forth a chart with a large circle and the words “in Christ” with two arrows entering the circle. One arrow was labeled “Romans 6:3-4” and the other arrow was labeled “Galatians 3:26-27.” In his rebuttal speech my opponent claimed that I only had two Scriptures to make my point. Then, he said, “Mistah Whitlock, when is a person saved? Is it when he goes down into the water, while he is under the water, or when he comes up out of the water?” He gloried…he had me. He told brethren J.T. Marlin and Wayne Price to “pump me up!” In my response I observed that he was right in that I only had two Scripture references to prove that the one baptism puts one “into Christ.” I then read the proposition we had both signed and said, “Mr. Ballard, we are still waiting for just one Scripture reference from you, that will show baptism is not essential to man’s salvation!”
As to his second query I directed attention to the healing of Naaman by Elisha (2 Kings 5:1-14). We examined the text and asked when Naaman was healed of his leprosy? Was it after dip number one? Two? Three? Four? Five? Six? Then I said we should look at the text: “Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” (2 Kings 5:14). He had to fully obey the man of God to be made clean.
Jesus Christ said: “…that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24).
Jesus Christ said: “…except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish…but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3,5).
Jesus Christ said: “Everyone therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before My Father…” (Matt. 10:32).
Jesus Christ said: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned.” (Mark 16:16).
At this point I asked my opponent which one of the seven dips could Naaman have omitted and been cleansed of his leprosy? Then I had to ask which command of Jesus Christ can a man omit and have the remission of his sins? Mr. Ballard never answered those questions. Why not? You know why not!
The Writings of Charles Taze Russell
Charles Taze Russell denied that the kingdom of God presently exists.
Nor was the kingdom of God set up at the first advent of Christ (Luke 19:12). Then and since then God has been selecting from the world those who shall be accounted worthy to reign with Christ as joint heirs of that throne. Not until his second advent will Christ take the kingdom, the power and the glory and reign Lord of all (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, 1886, p. 249).
Earlier he had written:
To whom it is the Father’s good pleasure to give the kingdom in an age to follow this…In the end of this age, and the dawn of its successor, the Millennial age, Satan is to be bound and his power overthrown, preparatory to the establishment of Christ’s kingdom (ibid. Vol. 1, 1886, pp. 72-73).
Clearly it is being taught that God’s kingdom will not be established until the Millennium. He includes numerous drawings of the world that was, the present evil world, and the world to come, which he describes as the Millennial period and will include, at that time, the establishment of the kingdom of Christ! Is that what the congregation’s “core belief” has in mine to “usher in the fullness of God’s kingdom on earth”?
Premillennialists inclusive of Jehovah’s Witnesses have misapplied and misrepresented the words of John in Revelation 20:4:
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshiped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Notice please the verb tense: “had been beheaded…such as worshiped …received not the mark…they lived and reigned…” Charles Russell’s theory is not a “second cousin” to this passage. He advocates that man shall be given authority and shall reign. There is a great difference between “shall reign” (future tense), and “they reigned” (past tense).
Since John saw “souls” not bodies, I am surprised that Jehovah’s Witnesses even use this verse. They deny the existence of the “soul” of man. Their doctrine insists that at death, man is “like the dead dog Rover, he is dead all over.” They teach that the wicked are forever dead, no longer in any kind of existence. In the Millennium, they picture “bodies” that will take part in God’s kingdom on earth.
Did you notice there is not one word in Revelation 20:4 about men “reigning in God’s kingdom on earth”? Their teachings continually point to a renovated earth. The scripture is plain that the earth and all the works therein will be destroyed (2 Pet. 3:10). These souls are living and reigning with Christ. Christ is reigning now as the King of kings and Lord of Lords (1 Tim. 6:15). Those who are cleansed by the blood of Christ are those who reign with Him (Rev. 1:5-6; 7:14-17). This reign must start on earth! (Rev. 5:9-10). What consolation, what comfort, what hope. “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them.” (Rev. 14:13).
Charles Russell wrote:
Remember that the forty years of Jewish harvest ended October, A.D. 69, and was followed by the complete overthrow of that nation; and that likewise the fort years of the Gospel age harvest will end October 1914, and that likewise the overthrow of Christendom, so-called must be expected to immediately follow.” (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 245).
This statement asserts that the second advent should have taken place in the year of 1914. Over a century ago Russell said that Christ would return in 1914. Moses wrote: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deut. 18:22). Now we know that Charles Russell and his cohorts were false prophets.
The Law of Entorpy
Let’s return to Science Classroom #101. The teacher informs the class they will study the concept known as “entropy.” That is “a measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system…a measure of the disorder…the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity…the steady degradation of a system…” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, p. 416). Thus, the state of decay, demise and disorder of any system. All of this is summarized by the first and second laws of Thermodynamics. The teacher quotes: “The First Law tells us that either the world has always existed in its present form or else that it was specially created at some time in the past. The Second Law tells us that it cannot always have existed in its present form or else it would have already disintegrated and died!” (Evolution and the Christian, Henry Morris, p. 47).
In a nutshell the Law of Entropy states that everything within our universe is running down and wearing out! “Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.” (Psa. 102:25-26, c. 1051 B.C.) The Lord God is the creator (Gen. 1:1-2); the Lord God “inhabiteth eternity” (Isa. 57:17). Only God stands aloof from all time (2 Pet. 3:8).
The earth with its mountains, forests, oceans, and valleys would seem to be age-lasting; but in God’s sight they are like a garment or vest that is worn for a time and then thrown away. “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment…” (Isa. 51:6, c. 740-698 B.C.). Isiah writes in view of the overthrow of ancient Babylon. Notice the transitory “smoke” and the mention of a garment that is decayed and no longer needed. It is only good to be placed in the trash.
Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands: they shall perish; but thou continues: and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, as a garment, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. (Heb. 1:10-12).
God has complete control and supervision of the universe which He created. This universe was made and designed to one day perish. “By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth…For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast…From the place of His habitation He looketh forth upon all the inhabitants of the earth.” (Psa. 33:6, 9, 14). Everything is running down and wearing out; your car, your house, your body and planet earth.
I do not wish to alarm you, but our sun is shrinking. Since God placed the sun in the heavens (Gen. 1:14-19), the sun has been contracting by about 0.1% per century or about 5 feet per hour! That means that 6,000 years ago the sun was about six percent larger, but 100,000 years ago the sun would have been twice its current size, which is a big problem for the evolutionist! The truth of the matter is that evolution cannot be true if the second law of thermodynamics is true, and it is! Class Dismissed.
Let the Bible Speak
The first advent of Christ was with humiliation and rejection. “He came unto His own, and they that were His own received Him not.” (John 1:11). The nail-pierced hands of the Christ indicate the fulfillment of prophecy. In Acts 3:18 we read: “But the things which God fore-showed by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He thus fulfilled.” Christ came to fulfill prophecy (Matt. 5:17; 26:56). Isaiah had foretold: “He was wounded for our transgressions…” (Isa. 53:5). “For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, a bone of Him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, they shall look on Him whom they pierced.” (John 19:36-37; cf. Psa. 34:20; Zech. 12:10).
The second advent of Christ will be different! “…to you that are afflicted rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with the angels of His power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:6). There will be no rejection of Him as God’s only begotten Son, not in that day. “By Myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” (Isa. 45:23). Paul cited the Psalmist of old: “For it is written, As I live saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Rom. 14:11). Again: “that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:10-11).
Peter proclaimed: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Pet. 3:10). The Jehovah’s Witnesses would agree with the “core belief” that states: “Jesus Christ is returning one day to… usher in the fulness of God’s kingdom on earth!” Listen very carefully: “Yet Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a hissing noise, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and the earth and the works in it will be discovered.” (2 Pet. 3:10 in the New World Translation)! The New World Translation is the “official” Bible of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is their own mis–translation of the Bible!
The “day of the Lord” is used in the Old Testament and the New Testament to refer to calamitous happenings (Isa. 2:12; 13:6-9; 34:8; Joel 2:1; Lam. 2:22; Eze. 13:5; Zeph. 1:18; 2:2-3; 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Thess. 5:2). Christ is coming again and there will be no signs, no warning (Matt. 24:36-ff). The heavens shall be destroyed, the elements of the earth will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the works of God and man upon earth shall be “burned up”!
Peter makes a distinction between the present heavens and earth with the new heavens and new earth. “…the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? But, according to His promise we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Pet. 3:12c-13). There are three Greek words rendered “new” in our English translations. Two demand our attention: (1) kainos defined as “that which is unaccustomed or unused, not new in time, recent, but new as to form or quality, of different nature from what is contrasted as old, (2) neos defined as “new in respect of time, that which is recent, it is used of the young…” (Vine p. 431). Peter uses the word kainos, to describe something newly made, fresh, and not worn out as the present earth and heavens are today. The present heavens and earth shall perish in a mighty destruction attended by a great noise and the elements of the earth will be “burned up.” The new heavens and the new earth will not be made available to man until earth time shall be no more!
The words burned up come from the Greek word katakaio, which means to “burn up, burn utterly” (Vine, p. 84). The Greek word for discover is katanoeo, which means “to perceive distinctly, discern clearly” (Vine, p. 172). If you read the two definitions carefully you might say they are as different as “night and day.” The Greek scholars have stated uprightly: “…the word discovered is strange and improbable” (Thayer). “…discovered makes utter nonsense of the place” (Burgon). The Majority Text (i.e., the majority of surviving Greek manuscripts) support the rendering of the words burned up.
I find it noteworthy that the translators (?) of the New World Translation (NWT) do not trust their own knowledge of the Greek text. The same Greek phrase is used in Matthew 3:12 and reads in the NWT: “…but the chaff He will burn up with fire…” and in Revelation 8:7 the NWT reads: “a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees was burned up, and all the green vegetation was burned up…”
The so-called translators (?) translated the Greek word katakaio correctly four times, and when they came to the fifth occurrence of the same Greek word they changed burned up to discovered. Why? Because the truth of 2 Peter 3:10 stands diametrically opposed to the doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They must have a renovated earth! Since the Greek word katakaio means “burned up” in Matthew 3:12, according to the NWT, and means burned up in Revelation 8:7, according to the NWT, what do you suppose it means in 2 Peter 3:10? Their own “bible” marks the so-called translators as being inconsistent and dishonest. The late brother J.T. Marlin once said to me, “Jess, when a man who is honestly mistaken hears the Truth, he will either submit to the Truth, or he will cease being honest! The NWT reads: “…by the same word the heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire…” Doesn’t that suggest that the earth is going to be burned up? You cannot have it both ways! Shades of contradiction!
