What may we expect in the coming year? That is the question that is usually briefly considered at the start of every new year. For example, the weekly magazine U.S. News and World Report projects a return to the glory days for the U.S. economy.

For true Christians, though, those who are charged by Christ to stay on the watch for his promised arrival, the question of what the coming year may bring must include the prospects of the return of Jesus.

Regrettably, for many people and even some of Jehovah's Witnesses included, any discussion of the nearness of that event is usually dismissed with some rebuke about not speculating, or a scriptural retort of: 'nobody knows the day or hour.' A common attitude is that since the Watchtower has been saying that Armageddon is just around the corner for more than a century now, then it is futile to even consider the reliability of such prognostications any longer.

Yet, the fact remains that Christ expects his followers to faithfully stay on the watch, regardless of any seeming delay on his part. Jesus specifically warned us of the dangers of becoming discouraged by the master's delaying. Jesus told the apostles that even if his coming may not occur during the first watch of the night, or even during the second watch, his slaves must remain watchful even until the dawn if necessary.

Revelation 10:6 records a declaration from heaven that acknowledges there will be an apparent delay in Jesus' coming, but that eventually there will come a time when "there will be no delay any longer." But even though Jesus foretold that some of his servants will be found ready and waiting when he finally arrives, ironically, in spite of the faithful slave's watchfulness, the Son of man will still come at an hour not thought likely by those faithfully waiting.

But why is that? Yes, how is it that Jesus comes at the exact time when even his faithful and watching slaves "do not think likely"? No doubt it is because they are watching for the wrong thing. How might this play out in reality?

There is no question but that Jehovah's Witnesses are watchful of world events as to how these may fulfill prophecy. But what exactly are we supposed to be watching for? What do we expect to happen in the future? Well, the only real development that we are anticipating next is what is foretold in the 17th chapter of Revelation; namely, the destruction of Babylon the Great by the eighth king; supposedly occurring at the onset of the great tribulation. From that perspective there is virtually nothing on the horizon that would indicate that the organized religions of this world that make up Babylon the Great are in any way threatened.

Other than that, the Watchtower has relegated virtually everything else in prophecy to the past 20th Century. Consequently, it is unthinkable to Jehovah's Witnesses that the sign of Christ's presence could present itself in the future, since we imagine that the sign has already been in evidence since 1914! Because of our false expectations, not to mention the fact that our 1914 doctrine of the Parousia has caused it to appear as if the Master is delaying, the stage is now set for Christ to arrive at a time even his watchful and ready servants think to be unlikely.

In the context of Jesus' remarks about his coming at a time his faithful slaves thought unlikely, Christ also rebuked the wicked reasonings of the Jews who were intelligent enough to read the signs of the sky in order to make accurate weather forecasts, but who hypocritically failed to use their same powers of observation and reason to discern the signs of the times in connection with Christ.  We should not similarly become hypocrites. So, how do we "examine this particular time," as Jesus worded it at Luke 12:56?

First, it is important to correct the notion that we are already living during the prophetic period of "the time of the end." The time of the end, as used in Daniel in numerous places, and the related expression—conclusion of a system of things—associated with Christ's presence, is the same thing. According to Jesus' two illustrations of the wheat and the weeds and the dragnet, the conclusion of the system is also a harvest when the angels go forth to remove from God's kingdom the weed-like false Christians, as well as the wicked from among the righteous, and "all things that cause stumbling." (See essay: What and When is the Time of the End?)

It is reasonable to conclude that the wheat and weeds represent the faithful and evil slaves, respectively. While the righteous and wicked "fish" represent the collective of non-anointed, and the dragnet that collected them symbolizes the organization presently.

In view of the obvious fact that no such separating harvest or the removal of things causing stumbling has occurred yet, neither should we any longer assume that the sign of the conclusion of the system appeared in 1914, when the nations of Europe were plunged into the First World War.

The sign of Christ's presence and the conclusion of the present system will likely become evident at the next erupting global conflagration and eventual demise of the seventh king. According to Daniel's prophecy, the time of the end is when the king of the north, also called "a king fierce in countenance," floods over all the lands—including the sanctuary of Jehovah. Jesus' own prophecy foretells that nation will rise against nation during the conclusion and even God's holy place will be trampled underfoot by a disgusting thing. So, the time of the end and the conclusion are marked by a war that leads directly into a global tribulation that has no historical equal.

But, rather than the time of the end spanning decades, as we now imagine, the interval of Jesus' presence and the concluding period of the Devil's world span a relatively brief period of time—likely the "three and one half year" timeframe so prevalent in prophecy.

But, getting back to the question at hand, what is there on the horizon as to judging this particular time?

One aspect of the Watchtower's prophetic interpretation that seems reliable is the identification of the United States and Great Britain, the so-called Anglo-American dual world power, as the seventh head of the seven-headed beast and the two-horned wild beast of Revelation. No other entity other than the Anglo-American "king" can serve as a world power in the historical continuation of the Roman Empire in order to fit the prophecies. That being the case, the presence of Christ must occur during the rulership of the Anglo-American dyad. For a certainty, one of the earth-shaking events foretold in the Bible is the fall of the seventh king during the conclusion.

According to biblical history, Egypt was the first world power that oppressed Jehovah's own nation of people. Being the first, Egypt may also serve as a symbol for the seventh king of the beastly political system. Indeed, long after Egypt ceased to be the dominate empire of the region a considerable portion of prophecy is nevertheless devoted to her fall. The prophetic description of Egypt bears an unmistakable resemblance to the United States of America. (For more detailed discussion see essay: Doom of the Anglo American Dyad) And Bible students should take note of the fact that "Egypt" does not escape the imperial designs of the king of the north during the time of the end.

Consider the portentous implications of the prophecy in the 31st chapter of Ezekiel, which describes Egypt like a giant tree that surpasses in grandeur all the other trees (nations) of the garden and that all the nations of the world envy it and seek refuge under its shade. That is a perfect description of the nation that for the last 140 years has often been called the greatest nation in history and the "fountain of liberty and beckon of hope to the world"—America.

The Egyptian cedar, though, is destined to be chopped down by the "tyrants of the nations." Unquestionably, the fall of the United States into despotism would come as a horrifying shock to the world. But that is exactly what Jehovah God has destined to occur, saying at Ezekiel 32:9-10: "'And I will offend the heart of many peoples when I bring the captives from you among the nations to lands that you have not known. And at you I shall certainly cause many peoples to be awestruck, and their kings themselves will shudder in horror at you when I brandish my sword in their faces, and they will have to tremble every moment, each one for his own soul, on the day of your downfall.'"

The earth-shaking crash of the most dominant nation on earth brings about a time of foreboding gloominess symbolized in prophecy by word pictures such as these: "'And when you get extinguished I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. As for the sun, with clouds I shall cover it, and the moon itself will not let its light shine. All the luminaries of light in the heavens—I shall darken them on your account, and I will put darkness upon your land,' is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah." (Ezekiel 33:7-8)

Jehovah's Witnesses should be quick to recognize the similarity to the words of Christ at Matthew 24:29, where Jesus forecasts the immediate aftermath of nations warring against nation, saying: "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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

But, realistically, what are the chances that the United States could collapse in the near future and come under control of tyrants? Actually, the potential for such a catastrophe has never been so great than as at this present moment in history. And by no means is e-watchman the only one posing such a question.

A Muslim observer named, Syed Shahid Hussain, asks the pointed question: Will the U.S. go the way of the Soviet Union? Hussain especially takes note of America's extremely unbalanced and sickish economic condition, as have many others, and he projects that if present trends continue past the 2004 presidential elections that the demise of the U.S. is a "foregone conclusion."

In the 32nd chapter of Ezekiel Jehovah's prophet also likened Egypt to a marine monster. In verses 4-6 Jehovah decrees: "And I must abandon you on the land. Upon the surface of the field I shall hurl you. And on you I will cause all the flying creatures of the heavens to reside, and off you I will satisfy the wild beasts of the whole earth. And I will put your flesh upon the mountains and fill the valleys with the refuse of you. And I will cause the land to drink up your discharged matter, from your blood, upon the mountains; and streambeds themselves will be filled up from you.'"

What strange oracular language! How can the land "drink up your discharged matter from your blood"? Apparently, Jehovah is foretelling in graphic symbolism how the vast wealth of the greater Egypt will be devoured by the lesser nations.

It is no secret that in the span of a few years the United States has become the world's greatest debtor nation. The government's own budget red ink, combined with the nation's current account deficit, amount to a staggering trillion dollars plus per year—and counting. The problem is not just an American problem either. The reason being is that the U.S. dollar is also the world's primary currency. For, example: all purchases of oil through OPEC are transacted using U.S. dollars.

Until recently, the U.S. has been able to attract foreign-held dollars back into treasuries and bonds and other investments in order to finance its massive deficit. But, now, ominously, the tide is turning; the inflow is reversing and the value of dollars relative to other currencies is rapidly waning. The life blood of the greatest nation on earth is being drained at an alarming rate.

The official line is that a weakening dollar is good for U.S. exports. But that fails to take into account the present reality that without a continual daily inflow of nearly 2,000,000,000 dollars of direct foreign investment, the current mountain of debt cannot be sustained for long. A massive sell-off of U.S. debt would for a certainty result in the financial collapse of the United States. Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary under President Bill Clinton, recently called attention to the looming crisis in what he called "the incredible shrinking dollar."  

What is more unsettling, no economic forecast can take into consideration the lethal consequences of another terrorist attack upon the United States. A leading military man in the U.S., General Tommy Franks, recently stated in an interview that if America gets hit with massive casualties from terrorists using WMD, that the United States will most likely be transformed into a military dictatorship.

These are a few of the realities that confront the world of 2004.

By a brief consideration of the precarious financial situation in which the United States presently finds itself, the student of prophecy may be given some insight into how the nations of the world will feast like vultures on the carcass and discharged blood of the greater Egypt.

So, again, the question is posed: How likely is it that the United States will fall into the hands of a tyrannical despot? Given that the Bible foretells that very thing, and unquestionably the circumstances are certainly ripe for such to occur, we may consider it simply a matter of time—a very short period of time.

Of necessity, that means that we are on the eve of the sudden thief-like arrival of Christ and the commencement of the concluding time of the end.

---

Copyright © 2004, by Robert King
All Rights Reserved.