International Bible Students and Watch Tower founder, Charles Taze Russell viewed himself as God’s mouthpiece. He passed away in the year 1916. He leaves behind a legacy of time prophecies, not one of which had brought the results he foretold. I have a real problem with men and organizations claiming themselves to be what Christ says that he himself says he is.
It is a very very sad thing when men and women are misled to believe these self-proclamations of men and organizations and they defend these men and organizations as being who they proclaim themselves to be. For example, the organization today known as the International Bible Students (IBS) hold Charles Taze Russell as a deity of sorts. He, though dead, is revered and held in high respect – in my opinion – more so than Christ himself. I recently read an article generated by that organization and it mentioned Charles Taze Russell over 100 times and Jesus 10 times.
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (WTBTS) revere and fear the organization itself and its leadership known as the Governing Body as being God’s earthly channel and earthly organization. Yet, Christ says that he is the ONLY channel and way to the Father. (John 14:6)
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
When I write about these things, some members of these organizations have a problem with me personally. I fully understand why. I am a threat to them in the sense that I speak the truth and ask the right questions of them and not allow myself to be diverted away from the subject matter at hand; and they know it, though they would never admit it in a million years.
Myself a former – and non-disgruntled disassociated Jehovah’s Witness for more than twenty years, being of sound mind – know what I am talking about; and so do these two organizations. One of many common denominators I want to focus on here is that the proclamations made by both organizations are primarily made by persons of European descent. Charles Taze Russell, born of Scottish parents, makes the arrogant proclamation that he is God’s mouthpiece – in other words, Gods Word. And, people believe this! Yet, Jesus [the] Christ, The Son of God, is God’s mouthpiece!
Many persons wonder why I bring up persons of European descent. Well, it is very simple: They have started and taken the lead in promoting and portraying God, Christ, Angels, Adam, Eve, Moses, Noah, Moses, The Prophets, The Apostles and others in their likeness in art, film, literature, and religion. They have insisted on maintaining these portrayals.These are false portrayals and therefore false entities. Attached to these false entities are the false teachings and utterances that have saturated every corner of the world that it is left confused and in turmoil. We live in a world so full of religion, yet it is a very difficult place to live in. And, those dealing the most heinous crimes and the greatest death blows to the human family has historically been what the European man has stood up and calls Christianity. Yet, this religious system in all of its bulkiness claims itself holy, pious, and true. But it is as Jesus described them at Matthew 23:27-28:
… you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Yes, indeed! Christianity has been responsible for the deaths of many innocent persons since its origin by the European man. Yes, inside of it are a full measure of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. As a system of religion, it is more concerned with the outward appearance or image than it is what it should be on the inside. It appears righteous before the whole world but it itself is full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
So I mention the European man because he has been selling a bill of deception to the world and dares any question him about it. Evidence of that can be seen on this website. If I ask a simple question as to why are organizations such as the IBS, WTBTS or even the Catholic Church: “Why are these organizations exclusively White man’s clubs when it comes to their leadership?” Or, “Why are men such as Charles Taze Russell – a man of European descent – being hailed as a prophet and as “God’s Mouthpiece?” Or, “Why has there been a push in the world to get persons of color to come into these organizations under the guise of conversion to fall to the feet of the teachings of such a man?” Or, “Why is the organization (Watch Tower) being promoted rather than Christ?” Or, “Why does it all appear to be worship of the White man?”
While God, Christ, Adam, Eve, Angels, etc should NEVER be portrayed in the likeness of any race of man (as God, Christ and Angels are not flesh and blood anyway), one does not see in the literature of these organizations non-European portrayals. It is one-sided. I am convinced that it is all by design. In other words, people sat in meetings and discussed and planned it to be this way. But for what purpose? To mislead the world. To present a false image that God and all of his heavenly hosts are portrayed in the likeness of persons of European descent. By doing this and saturating the world with these false images, the world is misled to think that God favors persons of European descent and therefore persons of non-European descent should not question them but follow their lead; and, more sinister to revere them as a superior race among mankind. It is a subtle form of White Supremacy at work.
I say let’s put it all to the test: Portray Adam, Eve, Angels, God, Jesus, Noah, Moses, The Prophets and The Apostles as persons of African descent in art, film, literature, and religion. Saturate those images throughout the world. Place them before the children of persons of European descent and watch the resulting backlash! It will not be pretty and accepted in this world? Why? Because the world in which we live is one conceived of by the European; it is not of God. Why? Because God does not play favorites. (Acts 10:34)
No one, and I mean no one, has been able to answer the question as to why some have arrogated themselves to do such a thing. They avoid the question and turn the attention on me as if – by asking such a thing – I have committed some great sin and they the place a foul stench upon me and make me the subject as a distraction away from the questions I raise. No! I have struck an evil nerve in them and those nerve endings are agitated and they lash out. They would actually prefer that the world just accept what they are doing as truthful and “business as usual.”
What many have yet to understand is that I CHAMPION Christ’s teachings. In their minds, I am a rebel; one who is misled. What it really boils down to is that I do not accept all that they teach and I question, challenge and disagree with them and put them to the test. This is what they do not like. (1 John 4:1)
Bottom Line: If Christ did not teach it, then it is not true and therefore, false. The IBS and WTBTS and indeed all of the system of religion called Christianity are not teaching the things Christ taught. Therefore, when utterances out of these organizations speak of 1914, Charles Taze Russell being God’s Mouthpiece, Governing Bodies, God’s Earthly Organization, the Bible as The Word of God, Water Baptism, Hellfire, Rapture, Trinity, etc; then I question where they are getting all of this from? Jesus [the] Christ did not teach any of that stuff. Yet, they get insulted when you question them about such things.
The WTBTS, an organization having roots with Charles Taze Russell also, proclaims itself as the way (God’s earthly channel and organization or body) and it proclaims itself the truth; all things Jesus said he himself was and is. (John 14:6). Their proclamation comes from men of European descent. The leadership of the WTBTS has been since 1943 up to 1999 all men of European descent. It was only in 1999 that an African American – Samuel Herd – was appointed to that eight-member exclusive body. I have personally met and spoke with Mr. Herd and I believe his appointment was one of tokenism because many persons of color within the organization were beginning to question why has this body been exclusively White men. Yet, there are no persons of Hispanic, Asian, Indian, etc descent on this body. Yet, the more than seven million in the membership is comprised of these racial groups.
Yet, the proclamation of 1914 being the year that Christs officially began his Kingdom rule; that is his second return (Parousia) occurred in that year; that the Appointed Times of the Nations ended in that year; that the beginning of the Last Days occurred; and that three and a half years after 1914 (1918) that the resurrection of the followers of Christ sleeping in death from the Apostles onward began in that year – still issues forth out of the IBS and WTBTS. Notice what Charles Taze Russell – the self-proclaimed mouthpiece of God – said back in 1930 in the book Light 1, page 194:
All of the Lord’s people looked forward to 1914 with joyful expectation. When that time came and passed there was much disappointment, chagrin and mourning, and the Lord’s people were greatly in reproach. They were ridiculed by the clergy and their allies in particular, and pointed to with scorn, because they had said so much about 1914, and what would come to pass, and their ‘prophecies’ had not been fulfilled.
The passage of 1914 saw no complete overthrow of all kings and human institutions on the earth; no takeover by Christ’s Kingdom; no destruction of what they teach as Babylon the Great; no conversion of Israel to Christianity.
While these organizations (IBS and WTBTS) and the leadership associated with them and it’s European-base made these lofty predictions; Jesus, however, says something completely opposite. He says at Matthew 24:36:
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Jesus further says at Matthew 24:42:
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
And Jesus says at Acts 1:7:
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Yet, men and organizations have proclaimed and still proclaim that THEY KNOW!
I have caught much heat just by mentioning these three Scriptures by members of the IBS and WTBTS. They hem and haw and go into long dissertations, but the bottom line and final word is what Jesus says: No human, no angel and not even himself knows. So how can men make such proclamations concerning things Jesus says that even he does not know? Such proclamations of men and organizations are false and will not stand.
The Stain Upon 1914
I fully understand the zeal and eagerness displayed by many about the promised return of Christ. I also understand that it human nature to say things on the spur of the moment and the jumping to hasty conclusions. Yet, I believe the human-generated time prophecy of 1914 presents a major problem: It is false, yet many believe it to be true. It is a date that many of the other teachings and prophetic events foretold to happen by the IBS and WTBTS hinge upon its truthfulness. Just as dangerous is that men and organizations teach and encourage others to share in and believe their error. And, what is most disturbing of all is that the organizations of men that teach it, will label those – like myself – who do not follow their course as lacking faith, as rebellious, proud, impressed with their own wisdom (I get that a lot), egotistical, ambitious, self-willed, misled by the adversary, or guilty of repudiating the Lord.
Any Jehovah’s Witness expressing doubts about 1914 and the chronology surrounding it will have the quality of their relationship with God subtly placed in question – along with their wisdom and faith. The WatchTower organization even punishes by disfellowshipment the questioners who do not allow themselves to be readjusted. Isn’t that something! This is evil and a form of intellectual intimidation. These organizations demand loyalty to themselves and when it is NOT given, this is what they do. They never once think that persons – such as myself – are being loyal to Christ and His God and our God. Such is the pattern and arrogance of the men of European descent who made the lofty self-proclamations about themselves I mentioned earlier in this article. They want to be followed and not challenged or questioned.
The Most High God makes the following statement at Jer 23:21:
I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.
The International Bible Students and Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society have run with their message of 1914. God did not send Charles Taze Russell (or the organization where he got the 1914 teaching – the Second Adventist) with this proclamation of 1914. The Most High God sent His Son and He did not give him any such proclamation of a date. So why are these organizations proclaiming that God gave it to Charles Taze Russell or to them?
It must be understood that this foundation that the IBS and WTBTS built upon 1914 has become very fragile. If by any remote chance that this date is rescinded by these organizations, it would completely collapse that foundation. Prideful human nature will resist admission of such an error especially when it has received worldwide publication for many years as the truth.
What many Jehovah’s Witnesses today do not know – and as a Jehovah’s Witness I did not know – is that in the Watchtower magazines and other Watch Tower publications published from 1879 to the late 1920’s, the time prophecies were contrary to what is believed about them now! In other words, different dates – other than 1914 – were assigned to the things now associated and taught about it. Surely, the Most High God does not make mistakes. What He utters comes true. God is never wrong or in error. The utterances of men are in error and men make mistakes. Men are false. False prophets. Notice what Deuteronomy 18:22 says concerning things uttered by men claiming that it is from God:
If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
1914 is a message the Lord has not spoken. It is a presumption of men. Yet, when the events built upon a date Jesus says no one but the Father knows fails, religious organization will find a way to dupe its membership that there was some new light. This new light game the Watch Tower organization plays so well is just a convenient way to cover over the error they made without ever having to admit to an error. Yet, millions of my ex-Brothers and Sisters fall for it because they believe (the other error) that Jehovah God uses an earthly organization as His channel to communicate us. I thought Jesus was and is the only way. He teaches and speaks the truth.
With the passing of each month and year, the crushing weight and strain upon the untruthfulness of the 1914 teaching is being felt by the IBS and WTBTS.
The Watch Tower book entitled The Time Is At Hand pages 77-78 (published 25 years before 1914), taught the following about the year 1914:
- That in that year God’s Kingdom will have come down and be firmly established on top of ruins of the present governments.
- That before the 1914 date, Christ will have returned to destroy the existing governments and then establish his own.
- That before 1914 the 144000 will be glorified with Christ because, without them, Christ cannot set up his kingdom.
- That from 1914 onward, Jerusalem will no longer be trodden down by the Gentiles, will find Jehovah’s favor.
- That by 1914 the nation of fleshly Israel will convert.
- That in 1914 the Great Tribulation will begin.
- That before 1914, God’s Kingdom will be established on the earth.
The above points all come from an organization that says that it is God’s earthly channel and organization. Yet, the above points are no longer taught by the Watch Tower organization today. Why? Because none of them came true. Remember what the Deuteronomy 18:22 says about prophets claiming to speak in the name of Jehovah.
Most Jehovah’s Witnesses today have no clue of the magnitude of these claims made for the year 1914 back then. Why? Because the Watch Tower organization today pass them over and does not mention them. The IBS and WTBTS engage in the deceptive and mind-controlling practice of keeping its membership babies and kindergarten-level so that its members will be dependent upon (not independent) of them for its food and direction. There is no growth to maturity. Such growth only comes when persons think for themselves and put to the test any utterance of men claiming to come from God. This is proper. (1 John 4:1)
Sooner or later, any utterance claiming to be from God, but is not, will meet up with reality. The reality is the truth: The utterances of the one Jehovah sent, His Son. And, it is to this one we are to listen to. (Luke 9:35)
