But our correctly interpreting prophecy should not hinge upon how a particular word may or may not have been translated. Individual prophecies in the Bible might be likened to separate pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; in that they only have relevance for us in relation to the other pieces that make up the whole picture. So it is that Daniel 12:4 is merely one aspect of a broad range of prophecy related to the so-called time of the end.  And the common theme of all the prophecies concerning the time of the end is that Jehovah will bring about a complete enlightenment for his loyal ones during that time.

For example: Daniel 12:3 states: "And the ones having insight will shine like the brightness of the expanse; and those who are bringing the many to righteousness, like the stars to time indefinite." Now, the Watchtower teaches us that the prophecy has already been fulfilled, in that the anointed have enlightened the other sheep as to God's glorious purpose. However, according to Jesus, such enlightenment does not occur until the beginning of a harvest-like period, which Christ called the conclusion of the system and which is translated as "the time of the end" in Daniel. In connection with the decisive final separation of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus said: "At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him that has ears listen."

Paul referred to a future miraculous unveiling of the sons of God that would result in indescribable joy for mankind. At Romans 8:19, Paul wrote: "For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God." When Moses came down from Sinai, after conversing with Jehovah for forty days, his face shown like the sun, so much so that he had to wear a veil for a period of time. That event has prophetic significance as is evidenced by the fact that Moses appeared in the transfiguration vision along with Elijah and Christ.

Furthermore, in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, in the 3rd chapter, Paul referred to Moses' glory and said that anointed Christians are similarly transformed into the glory of their Father. So, Moses' shining face stands as a portent of what is to occur. But, since no such apocalypse of the sons of God has taken place, and since it is equally evident that the wheat and the weeds continue to flourish in the same field up to the present moment, the only sensible conclusion we may draw is that those with insight have yet to shine as brightly as the sun in Jehovah's kingdom. And when the time arrives for the sons of God to shine, we should not imagine that the climax of the Christian era should be as ordinary as publishing a religious magazine. Taken in context, then, the foretold increase in knowledge will occur in connection with the revealing of the true sons of God during the final phase—during the time of the end. In view of the glory that is yet to be revealed-- a glory that will render all competing human knowledge into mere foolishness, so that the knowledge of God fills the earth very earth-- it seems that the New World Translation is justified in its translation of Daniel 12:4.

In the 1st Century, the apostles experienced quite a jolt when Christ was arrested and put to death. Even though Jesus explained to them over and over that such things were destined to occur, they just could not comprehend what he told them. In a sense, Jesus' end came like a thief in the night for them because they had false expectations. The same is true for all of Jehovah's Witnesses today. Yes, we have been expecting the Great Tribulation to begin for many years. But, what exactly do we expect to happen when once the tribulation commences? The Watchtower has some very dogmatic views in this regard that are not well-supported by the Scriptures. Furthermore, the Watchtower has assumed that Christ's presence has already begun and that Satan has already been thrown down to the earth. So, while we may be expecting certain things to occur in a particular order, those expectations are certain to lead us down a dead-end cul-de-sac. Because of such assumptions, whenever the actual commencement of Jesus' parousia takes place, it will surely come at a time Jehovah's Witnesses do not think to be it, for the simple reason that we have false expectations.

The Watchtower admits that it went through a disciplinary period as shown in the recent study of the Isaiah II book: The prophecy states: "'For a little moment I left you entirely, but with great mercies I shall collect you together. With a flood of indignation I concealed my face from you for but a moment, but with loving-kindness to time indefinite I will have mercy upon you,' your Repurchaser, Jehovah, has said." (Isaiah 54:7, 8) Earthly Jerusalem is inundated by "a flood" of God's indignation when the Babylonian forces attack in 607 B.C.E. Her 70 years in exile might seem a long time. Still, such trials last "for but a moment" when compared with the eternal blessings in store for those who respond well to the discipline. Similarly, the anointed sons of "Jerusalem above" felt as if they had been overwhelmed by "a flood" of divine wrath when Jehovah allowed them to come under attack by political elements at the instigation of Babylon the Great. But how brief that disciplinary measure later seemed, in contrast with the era of spiritual blessings that have followed since 1919!

When do you say this will take place and why?

Furthermore, the many prophecies that foretell that the released captives will thereafter enjoy a spiritual paradise simply do not describe the present spiritual condition of Jehovah's Witnesses. (See essay "Sodom or Spiritual Paradise—Which?") According to our present interpretations of the prophecies, such as you cited, it is inconceivable to the Watchtower that Jehovah's Witnesses could go into any sort of captive condition in the future. Especially is it unthinkable that Babylon the Great could ever exalt itself over us. Yet, it is evident that is exactly what the prophecies are foretelling.

Begging the reader's patience, It is my intention to address such prophecies in the upcoming essay entitled "Babylon the Great—The Ending."

The same genetic engineering is evident in the animal kingdom as well. For instance, all dogs in the entire dog family are related genetically, indicating that there is an original breed from which all others sprang. But, once a particular species of dog is bred with a similar species, those characteristics peculiar to that dog will become compounded, while the connection with the original breed will become less obvious. It is similar with mankind.

According to Genesis, Jehovah suddenly reprogrammed mankind to speak a multitude of languages in order to force the human race to disperse around the globe. That phenomenon caused individuals that spoke the same language to group together and begin to migrate farther and farther from the original cradle of civilization located in modern-day Iraq. As language groups came into new areas, each tribal grouping came under different environmental influences and developed different diets and cultures, which in turn affected the genetic makeup of each group. So, as the nations evolved over successive generations each nation developed identifiable characteristics that made them more and more distinct from each other. But, the fact that men and women from different ends of the racial spectrum can marry and produce exotically beautiful offspring is proof that, in reality, there is only one race—the human race.

In verses 25-26, Paul said that a "dulling of sensibilities has happened in part to Israel until the full number of people of the nations has come in and in this manner all Israel will be saved." In the first Century, the dulling of sensibilities took place among the natural Jews. But, since "all Israel" refers to spiritual Israel, the full number being 144,000, and since all Israel has not been saved yet, it is evident that the prophecy of the "dulling of sensibilities" applies now to the inability of the long-standing members of the anointed spiritual Israel to recognize that the anointing has not ended with them.

It is very presumptuous of anyone to tell the Father his business. If Jehovah wants to choose a newly-converted man or woman at this late date, what business is it of ours to say what it is reasonable or unreasonable for God to do? According to God's own Word, Jehovah has made it a point to choose the weak and foolish persons of the world, who from a human standpoint, are the least-qualified persons. Seeing that there is absolutely nothing that even the most spiritually-minded man can do to qualify himself for the indescribable free gift that God gives to those whom he wishes, any choice God makes is due to his large-heartedness and not anything we may have done to recommend ourselves in his sight. Apparently, the Watchtower has lost sight of what undeserved kindness means in connection with those whom Jehovah chooses to anoint.

As evidence of that sad fact, every year around the time of the Memorial, the Watchtower makes it a point to hammer home why certain newly-partaking individuals are probably not anointed.  But, by thus creating an atmosphere in the organization whereby genuinely-anointed ones are generally not accepted and viewed skeptically by the congregation, the Watchtower contributes towards the subtle persecution of Jehovah's newborn sons and daughters in our midst.  In doing so, the older anointed fit the description of those in Jesus' illustration who were hired early in the day to work in the vineyard. They assume that they are somehow more deserving of honor than those whom the master hired in the 11th hour.

More than likely, when Satan and the demons are forcibly evicted from heaven, their rage will be manifest when they plunge the world into total chaos, bringing it face-to-face with total extinction. Unquestionably, demonic forces have empowered men with the potential to literally destroy the earth. Many observers recognize that the unthinkable is only a matter of time.

Seeing that even Jesus acknowledged that the Devil is the ruler of the world, we have to assume that when Satan is humiliated by the enthroned Christ and ousted from his place in heaven, so that he knows his time is short before his own incarceration and eventual execution, the Devil is going to make a concerted effort to destroy his world. If it were not for Jehovah's intervention as mankind's Savior, no doubt the Devil's maniacal genocidal holocaust would succeed. But, as Jesus assured us, those days of unparalleled tribulation will be cut short in order that Jehovah's chosen ones may be spared.