The expression "satanic new world order" is not really a biblical phrase. It is a given fact that Satan is the god of this old order, so anything "new" that he might devise is mere mockery. But, the expression "New World Order," as first popularized in the mainstream by President George Bush, Sr., back during the first Gulf War, had reference to a new political arrangement. Back then, most people understood President Bush's use of the term in relation to the end of the Cold War superpower standoff between the USSR and the US, and the revival of the UN as an international peace-keeping agency. However, since the UN was created it has been the intention of some to eventually empower that organization as a world government for the purpose of subverting the sovereignty of the independent nation-states, and thereby implementing an all-powerful global empire; a supranational communist/fascist state.

The Devil once boasted to Christ that the authority and glory of all the nations had been delivered to him and to whomever he wished he gave it. However, not surprisingly, the Devil was not telling the entire truth of the matter. While the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one, Jehovah has by no means abdicated his own authority. The book of Daniel makes it apparent that God is still the ultimate ruler of the world. After king Nebuchadnezzar was humiliated, he glorified Jehovah by saying: "His rulership is a rulership to time indefinite and his kingdom is for generation after generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are considered as merely nothing, and he is doing according to his own will among the army of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth. And there exists no one that can check his hand..."

Prefacing the detailed prophecy of the king of the north and south, at Daniel 11:1 the enlightening angel told Daniel: "And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede I stood up as a strengthener and as a fortress to him. And now what is truth I shall tell you."

Given the fact that the Persians had just overthrown the Babylonian kingdom, Gabriel's comments recorded in the Bible indicate that Jehovah at times supports certain of Satan's earthly governments while overthrowing others-- according to his will—not Satan's.

Proverbs 21:1 says: "A king's heart is as streams of water in the hand of Jehovah. Everywhere that he delights to, he turns it." This means that Jehovah can use earthly rulers to benefit his people, whether the earthly king is even aware of it or not. Paul similarly told Christians to pray for those in high station in order that God's people may live in peace. No doubt we are much more indebted to Jehovah's goodness than we can possibly realize.

In light of the fact that Jehovah is the ultimate ruler, it is apparent that it has suited Jehovah's purpose to send his angelic strengtheners to bless and protect the establishment of the democratic, free nations in our modern world. Such systems of government have unquestionably served as a buffer against the outright tyranny inherent in imperial rule and it has allowed Jehovah's work to progress relatively unhindered. But, given animalistic human nature and demonic influence, there is always a strong undercurrent to revert to tyranny.

We might consider the question, though, as to what happens to the so-called free nations and their institutions when once God's purpose is realized concerning them? In a word they are destroyed. Once God's kingdom comes and the Lord Jesus is ready to commence ruling the world there is no longer any reason for Jehovah's angel to strengthen existing governments, which will by then stand in opposition to Jehovah's duly appointed king. At that time Jehovah will allow Satan to have full sway over the earth in order to marshal his forces into outright war and bring about the final ultra-violent confrontation between the Devil's empire and Christ's kingdom. That's what the so-called New World Order is all about.

In view of the now-publicized fact that many of President Bush's top advisers, including the vice-president, are literally philosophically aligned with Nazism through the teachings of one Leo Strauss, and since the United States is infinitely more powerful than the Nazis were, it seems appropriate to ask: Can the day of absolute tyranny be far off? 

But now, nearly 90 years removed from 1914, it seems that if the rampaging four horsemen of the Apocalypse began their gallop back then, that somewhere along the line they must have tired and turned around and gone back to the stable.

Let's not forget that the four horsemen are released in connection with the opening of the first four of seven seals. The Revelation Climax commentary rightly points out that the unsealing of all the seals logically takes place within the same general timeframe. So, if the first four or five seals were unsealed 90 years ago, then what about the 6th and 7th seals? According to the Watchtower, the 6th seal was unsealed also, but that there is a greater fulfillment in the future. But is such a view reasonable?

The 6th seal, if you recall, foretells that the very sun in the sky will become blackened and the stars will fall from the sky like ripe figs shaken off the tree at the stem, and every mountain will be moved from its place. However, Jesus said that this symbolic celestial phenomenon would occur "immediately after the tribulation in those days." Apparently the "tribulation in those days" is the initial time of distress that comes on the world as a result of nation rising against nation, plus food shortages, pestilence, and so forth, which is in response to the opening of the first seals of the scroll of the Apocalypse. According to the timeframe laid out in prophecy, "immediately after" that time of trouble the whole system comes crashing down, which is what is betokened by the opening of the 6th seal. If words are to mean anything, phrases like "immediately after," as well as Satan's "short period of time," cannot span generations and decades of time—not reasonably.

The point is: the opening of the 6th seal brings about a unique catastrophe in human history, like Jesus said, a time of distress, the likes of which has never occurred before and will never occur again. Since the world has not yet experienced that sort of globe-rocking calamity, it is obvious that the 6th seal has not been opened. And if that is the case, then it seems likely that neither has the five preceding seals been unsealed either.

In related prophecy, in the 21st chapter of Luke, Christ said that men will "become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth" when once the powers of the heavens are shaken. The powers of the heavens being "shaken" have to do with the governments and other seemingly permanent institutions over mankind becoming ineffectual—collapsing. The Watchtower has always pointed to a supposed climate of fear the world is presently experiencing as being the fulfillment of Christ's words. Honestly, though, Hiroshima and 9-11, and the everyday anxieties of life notwithstanding, can we really say that our modern world is in the grip of terror and foreboding that approximates Jesus' description? It would not seem so. Most people in Western nations live relatively carefree lives, without giving more than a passing thought to the possibility of nuclear war or the collapse of the present system.

Test it for yourself, the next time you are in a social setting bring up the topic of thermonuclear war, or global financial collapse. You are guaranteed not to be the life of the party. It would seem then, at least in the Western realm, people are much more interested in the most recent celebrity gossip and the latest refi-mortgage rates than whether the world is going to end tomorrow.

In fact, Jehovah's description of ancient Judah at Ezekiel 16:49b seems most fitting for the organization as well as the world in general in our modern times. It reads: "Pride, sufficiency of bread and the carefreeness of keeping undisturbed were what happened to belong to her..." The NIV uses the expression "arrogant, overfed and unconcerned." Doesn't that more aptly depict the present state of affairs rather than men being "faint out of fear" over what is looming in the immediate future? The point is, we cannot be simultaneously "overfed and unconcerned" and at the same time gripped with famine, war and knee-buckling terror.

Ironically, while we have apparently been overhasty in pronouncing the prophecies as being fulfilled, it seems as if we are now, at last, on the verge of being plunged into a maelstrom that certainly has the potential to far exceed the distressing events that stretched out over the 20th Century.

When we consider the fact that the First World War was set off by a lone assassin's bullet, how much greater would be the consequences today if, say, a handful of terrorists set off a nuclear device or large-scale bio-pestilence in an American city? There is little question but that a mortally wounded Anglo-American king would simply go berserk. Likely, there would be martial law and global warfare before the sun set. The financial system would simply vaporize like spit on a hot griddle, and because of the interdependent nature of the complex world economy there would likely develop a global depression, so that people would be uncertain of where their next meal was going to come from.

These are the very real possibilities that may soon confront us if the four horsemen are actually let out of the gate. It certainly seems as if they are snorting and pawing the ground.

That Jesus is the messenger is evident by the passage at Malachi 2:5-7. Those verses say that God's covenant of peace and life proved to be with his faithful messenger and priest; that the messenger feared God and no unrighteousness was found in him. That perfectly describes Christ. He is the mediator of God's new covenant of life and peace. In the 5th chapter of Hebrews, Paul described Jesus as a God-fearing high-priest. Actually, the word translated as "messenger" in English literally means an angel, which is in keeping with Jesus being the Word—God's spokesmen or messenger—as well as Jehovah's archangel.

Let it be noted too, that the messenger of the covenant is no mere earthling mortal, as some people have imagined.

Just as when Jesus went into his Father's earthly temple in Jerusalem and tossed out the robbers and money-changers, so too Jesus is going to come to God's spiritual temple for the same purpose. According to Paul's writings at Ephesians 2:20-22, as well as 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19, God's temple is the organization composed of his born again anointed sons and daughters. At Revelation 3:12, Jesus similarly said: "To the one that conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by no means go out from it any more." Notice, please, that Jesus refers to "the temple of my God." It is not Jesus' temple, even though Malachi 3:1 calls him the true Lord that comes to the temple. It is Jehovah's temple. Jesus is merely the Captain in charge of preparing God's temple for habitation by his Father.

Elsewhere in the Scriptures, Jesus is merely described as the foundation cornerstone of the arrangement designed to worship God. But, it is noteworthy in the verse above, that Jesus promised his faithful conquering disciples that they would no more go out from it. So, it is evident that some anointed individuals are not going to conquer and hence will be thrown out and will not become permanent fixtures before God's presence.

As Malachi indicates, those who are temple stewards at the time that the messenger of the covenant arrives will find themselves going through a fiery cleansing process that is likened to the smelting and refining of gold and silver. The end result is that the messenger completely cleanses God's temple of all defilements, which is in preparation for Jehovah to come into his temple once it is brought into an acceptable condition by Christ.

The prophecy of Ezekiel, the 43rd chapter, describes Jehovah's coming into his spiritual temple after it is cleansed. For example, the 4th verse says: "And the glory of Jehovah itself came into the House…and, look! the House had become full of the glory of Jehovah." Jehovah's inauguration of his spiritual temple will be the most glorious event in all human history. It will mark the time when God's kingdom descends like a radiant city down out of heaven to begin the 1,000-year reign of Christ and the 144,000.

But first comes the cleansing. That's why Jehovah goes on to speak to Ezekiel and say in verses 7-9: "No more will they, the house of Israel, defile my holy name, they and their kings, by their fornication and by the carcasses of their kings at their death, by their putting their threshold with my threshold and their doorpost beside my doorpost, with the wall between me and them. And they defiled my holy name by their detestable things that they did, so that I went exterminating them in my anger. Now let them remove their kings far from me, and I shall certainly reside in the midst of them to time indefinite."

While the prophecy is set in ancient Israel, the language lends itself to the temple of spiritual Israel. After all, obviously, Jehovah did not dwell in the midst of the reformed Jews "to time indefinite." Jesus said that the house and nation of the Jews was going to be abandoned by God. As we know, the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem once again became corrupted, which is why God caused it to be finally destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. So, the prophecy in Ezekiel parallels that of Malachi and indicates that a cleansing is in order for the spiritual temple related to Christianity, as a prelude to Jehovah's grand entry.

Interestingly, the fornication Jehovah speaks about may well relate to the spiritual adultery the Watchtower has indulged in by seeking to become a friend of the world in the UN/NGO debacle. Also, we have undoubtedly defiled the name of Jehovah in the eyes of the public by coddling and shielding child abusers. The placing of our threshold and doorpost next to Jehovah's own threshold and doorpost may find a parallel today in that Jehovah's Witnesses have exalted Bethel and the Watchtower Society to the lofty place right next to Jehovah's own abode, as it were. "The carcasses of their kings" may similarly symbolize the way the organization has exalted the Watchtower's Founder and succeeding presidents (kings) who have left as their legacy unclean teachings and false interpretations.

So, an ultimate cleansing by the High Priest, Christ, is in order before Jehovah can finally give his organization his approval and blessing.

But, we ought to appreciate that the theme of the book of Daniel itself centers on God's kingdom. Every prophecy in Daniel ends by depicting some aspect of the coming of Christ's kingdom. For example, the four main prophecies beginning with the colossal image with the feet of iron and clay, followed by the vision of the 11-horned beast; the king of fierce countenance; as well as the king of the north and south, all end the same way; namely, with God's kingdom replacing human rule. So, if the 4th chapter of Daniel did not apply also to some aspect of God's kingdom it would indeed be an anomaly.

But, whether the seven times should be calculated using an algebraic formula, whereby seven times equal 2 X 1,260, (1,260=31/2) I cannot say. Certainly there are also serious questions about whether Jerusalem was actually destroyed in 607 B.C.E., which would affect the starting point for the supposed 2,520 year period.

Since the prophecy of Daniel is officially sealed up until the time of the end, and since it can be biblically proven that the time of the end is the same as the conclusion of the system of things, which obviously has not commenced yet, then perhaps the real meaning of the seven times is not knowable until the actual time of the end begins. It may be that the seven times simply stand for an unspecified period having to do with the trampling and desolation that will come upon spiritual Israel associated with God's kingdom during the conclusion. As unsatisfying as that answer is, we must recognize, as did Daniel, that, ultimately Jehovah is the Revealer of secrets and his secrets cannot be figured out in all details by mere human intellect.

But it is not a new problem by any means. Back in the early days of the Watchtower, our ministers used to sell encyclopedic-size volumes of Pastor Russell's commentaries. That's all they did. Later, our ministry consisted of handing out little "testimony cards." During the Rutherford era, Jehovah's Witnesses lugged portable phonographs around and actually played recorded sermons of J.F. Rutherford on the doorsteps of the householder. Back during the 50's and 60's, we actually gave prepared 5-10-minute doorstep sermons, and a lot of people even listened. But, now we are back to passing out literature to harried householders who have no time.

It may well be from Jehovah's standpoint our offerings are sickly and lame, for the reasons described. The solution, though, is outlined in the Scriptures and discussed in various essays on this site. Basically what we are lacking is the full measure of the spirit of God. Jesus said the hour was coming, and that it had arrived, when the true worshippers would "worship the Father in spirit and truth." Elsewhere, though, the prophecies indicate that during the oncoming tribulation, Jehovah will pour out his spirit on the faithful as never before, surpassing the Pentecost phenomenon. That hour is still coming.

But, if the New World Translation committee members were so poorly educated, and ostensibly Hebrew and Greek-illiterate, as some imagine, then we can only marvel and say that it makes their scholarly work all the more impressive—even miraculous!

The truth is that years of research went into the New World Translation. In fact, it was released in six volumes spanning an entire decade—from 1950 to 1960. Furthermore, the extensive footnote system and Appendix give alternate renderings for select passages and explain why certain verses were translated the way they were, so that the reader is given some depth of insight into the complexities of translation. The NWT was not the haphazard undertaking of a bunch of incompetent amateurs, as you have been led to believe. Whether the individual members had scholarly credentials is really irrelevant. Their work stands on its own merit.

As far as the court case: Fred Franz was an extraordinary intellect who had a linguistic gift and a photographic mind. Most likely Fred Franz was just being modest in court when he said he could not translate a particular verse. Whatever his reasons, one does not necessarily have to be able to fluently read the original language in order to be able to translate it. Translating the Bible in modern times is largely a matter of analyzing modern translations in comparison with older translations, in various languages, juxtaposed with the available ancient, original language manuscripts, in order to note textual variations and so forth. Plus, there are many scholarly commentaries available that explain the meanings of Greek and Hebrew words. Given enough time and manpower, any determined team of translators could familiarize themselves with the basic rules of translation, word meanings and variations, as well as the problematic issues associated with specific passages.

Secondly, please remember that the New Testament Christian writers themselves, with the exception of Paul, were also described as unlettered and ordinary men. Peter and John were mere fishermen—not trained scribes. And, of course, they were also similarly held in contempt by the intellectual God-haters of their day. Yet, by Jehovah's guiding spirit they produced part of the Bible that we base our faith upon today. The same guiding spirit of Jehovah is apparent in the work of the New World Translation. In my opinion, it is the greatest contribution to the furtherance of the truth that the Watchtower has ever made.

Here is a link to a web site that discusses some of the criticisms leveled against the New World Translation.

Here is a link to a web site that discusses in detail the proper use of the Greek words that have been wrongly translated as cross. Some historians recognize that the cross was used as an object of reverence long before Jesus ever came to earth. Rather than symbolizing true Christianity, it has been proven to be a symbol that originated in the religion of ancient mystic Babylon.