Please note that the prophecy is directed against those whom Jehovah calls "my people." The Jews didn't just claim to be God's people, they were God's people. And as such, God held them to higher standard, which is in harmony with what Jesus said in reference to his slaves, who have been given much: much will be demanded of them.

Down a few verses in the same context, verse 12b states: "Therefore they will fall among those who are falling. In the time of their being given attention, they will stumble,' Jehovah has said." Recall that on the night of his arrest, Jesus foretold that all of his apostles would be stumbled. However, they all protested and confidently assured Jesus that they would never be stumbled or abandon their master. Peter was the most outspoken in boasting of his loyalty. Of course, we all know that a few hours later Peter denied that he ever knew Jesus.

So it is that the prophesies have also foretold that Jehovah's people are destined to stumble and suffer a complete spiritual breakdown during the conclusion. Jesus specifically foretold that many would be stumbled due to the "increasing of lawlessness," which is not referring to common criminal activity outside the congregation—as we presently imagine. But, no matter how vigorously the brothers may protest to the prophecies applying that way, Jesus' words are certain to be fulfilled upon us, just as they were upon the apostles.

It is in the context of a spiritual breakdown that Jeremiah records these words of Jehovah: "And they try to heal the breakdown of the daughter of my people lightly, saying: "There is peace! There is peace!" when there is no peace."

While we cannot at this time say that the foretold spiritual breakdown has occurred to the extent described in prophecy, the process is well under way in that the leaders of the organization today display the very same cavalier attitude described in Jeremiah. Also, like those described in verse eight, the brothers at Bethel have so far refused to accept responsibility for using what Jehovah calls "the false stylus of the secretaries."  So, it is not really difficult to envision the denial and deception continuing on for awhile even after the judgment begins, during which time the Watchtower will apparently try to keep things glued together with empty platitudes without really coming to terms with the root of the problem.

Judgment Day for mankind is the 1,000 year long "day," during which time the general resurrection of the dead takes place. The good news that Paul was declaring was that there is to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Those who lived in accord with their consciences, even though not having faith or knowledge of God, while they could not be considered righteous in God's sight, would nonetheless have their reward for having lived a principled life. But, Paul was not saying that a person without faith might survive the end of the world.

However, Daniel 12:11 refers to the very same removal of the constant feature and the desolation caused by a disgusting thing, and there says that such will take place during a period of 1,290 days. The suggestion was offered in one of the essays that since the 2,300 period did not specify 2,300 days, but instead referred to both "evenings and mornings," that perhaps that was a cryptic way of saying 1,150 actual days, since each day is composed of both one evening and one morning—making 2,300 evenings and mornings a total of 1,150 days. While that doesn't exactly equal the time period of 1,290 days given at Daniel 12:11, it certainly is within the same time frame of the 1,335 day period that is mentioned in the 12th verse.

But, since those periods of time are undeniably linked to the time of the end, or what Jesus called the conclusion of the system of things, it does not seem possible to see in advance exactly how those over-lapping time periods may apply precisely. One thing is certain, though, that those periods of time have not expired or even begun yet. For example, Daniel 12:12 says: "Happy is the one who is keeping in expectation and who arrives at the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days."

The Watchtower has applied that particular chronology to the past 1922-1926 interval. Embarrassingly, though, only a handful of Jehovah's Witnesses are still alive that lived through that period. Are those few, now-aged survivors to be declared "happy" simply because they lived through a time, now decades ago, when the Watchtower made a few trivial organizational adjustments? That does not at all seem reasonable.

Furthermore, the Watchtower has misinterpreted the "transgression causing desolation" as applying to the desolator. That is wrong. In both historical cases where the Babylonian Empire and the Roman Empire laid the city of Jerusalem waste, it was because of the transgression of God's people. So, too, the coming desolation of the holy ones by the 8th king will be a punishment from God for our transgressions.

Probably the most glaring error in the Watchtower's present hodge-podge of interpretations of prophecy, related to the desolation of the holy place, is that Jesus foretold that the holy place would become desolated by a political disgusting thing during the great tribulation. Christ even referred the reader to the prophecy of Daniel. Since the aforementioned periods of time have to do with the desolation of the holy place, it is evident that that chronology applies to events that take place during the tribulation and perhaps even signify the length of the tribulation period.

"First, Noah could have taken youthful or smaller animals. Second, Noah did not need to take fish or other aquatic animals/creatures on the Ark. As you can see, objectively rethinking the situation reduces the count considerably. The dimensions of the ark would comfortably allow support of all animals. The Volume of Noah's Ark would have been 1,396,000 cubic feet. The Gross Tonnage of Noah's Ark would have been 13,960 tons. The Capacity of Noah's Ark would have been 522 railroad stock cars which could hold 125,280 sheep-sized animals. Because of speciation (ex. two dogs created all the different dogs today); only about 16,000 individual animals would be necessary on Noah's Ark"

It should be pointed out that, as was the case in Daniel, when the image of the beast comes to life and demands our worship, failure to comply carries the death penalty. As the prophecy says: "So that the image of the wild beast should both speak and cause to be killed all those who would not in any way worship the image of the beast."

Up to this point our refusing to join in nationalistic ceremonies has carried no real penalty. True, our children used to be expelled from school, even in the so-called land of liberty. And in Nazi Germany the refusal to give the mandatory "heil Hitler" landed some of Jehovah's Witnesses in prison and worse. Still, we must not imagine that the prophecy concerning the mark of the beast has come about yet. That being the case, in the future the way that we may determine if we are taking the right stand or not is if we are persecuted and faced with death for not complying with the demands of the 8th king during the last hour of test.

However, before the industrial age and the development of factories and mass production, things were produced by individual craftsmen and small cottage industries. So, even in this imperfect system we can see that men are capable of designing and building things on a local, small-scale level, without relying on huge industries to mass produce and bring materials from the other side of the globe.

We should recognize that being made in the image of the Creator means that we are endowed with tremendous, apparently largely untapped, creative potential. That is why God originally gave Adam the mandate to subdue the earth, evidently meaning that it was God's will that Adam and his offspring were to use their power and creativity to transform the entire earth into an Edenic paradise of pleasure and exotic beauty. That means that God gave us all of the earth's natural resources, not to greedily exploit, but to use as we see fit for our own welfare and that of others. Because the earth has such an abundance and variety of materials, and because human creativity was intended to master every earthly challenge, men will no doubt find ingenious uses for all sorts of common everyday materials.

Who is to say that an exquisite home cannot be fashioned out of mud using some as-of-yet undiscovered techniques? And who is to say that some creative fellow following his genius cannot build a house entirely out of bamboo that would make modern homes look like chicken coups by comparison? We can scarcely imagine the power that will be unleashed when perfect men and women work in harmony with each other in the new system. So, what may seem like insurmountable problems to us now might not even be an issue in the future.

Probably the most important factor to consider is that no one will be in a hurry in a world where everyone lives forever. For example, a person could plant a single fir tree with the long-range goal of harvesting it in 400-500 years and using the lumber to build a house.

As far as ecological issues, the earth already has a built-in recycling system. So it is really just a matter of efficiently utilizing the system that Jehovah already has designed.

Apparently Paul did apply this portion of scripture to Jesus. However, that is in keeping with the fact that Paul had already stated in the 2nd verse that "through" Jesus God made the world. The context of the 1st chapter of Hebrews is revealing that God exalted the man, Jesus Christ, to a position far above the angels, so that Christ and his 144,000 are given immortality and never wear out, as do the physical heavens and earth. But, the question Trinitarians ought to be held to answer is whether God exalted himself?

The reason Jesus came to the earth in the first place was to offer an answer to the slanders of Satan. Satan had slandered Jehovah, saying that God was holding back something from Adam and Eve; implying that God was somehow insecure with his positon and could not trust his own creation.

By way of illustration: Let's say that a large corporation is run autocratically by its founder and some disgrunteled employees make a public issue by saying that the boss has not given anyone a raise or promotion because he is paranoid that someone might usurp his position. So, in response, in order to try and refute the charges, the boss gives himself a million dollar raise and promotion. Do you think that would really settle the issue? Well, if Jesus were God, as the Trinitarians assume, what purpose would be served if God appointed himself to the supreme position? Do you see the absurdity of the Trinitarians doctrine? Do you see why it serves the Devil's interests to promote the Trinity?

The point is that Jehovah exalted a creature, a son, to a position of authority, whereby the Father entrusts him with his very throne.