The 'coming' of Jesus at Matthew 24 refers to Jesus as judge and executioner at Armageddon. Furthermore, the Greek word parousia used in the same chapter has been defined as both the arrival and subsequent presence of a royal personage. Jesus gave signs that would indicate these special events. However, I'm a little confused as to the exact timing. The account could be understood as if these signs are a prelude to Jesus' presence rather than during. In keeping with the above definition, is it possible that the parousia combines both Jesus' arrival at Armageddon and his subsequent presence as King over a cleansed earth?

I find your website very interesting, particularly your views concerning a future “time of the end.” However, how can we trust your interpretations of prophecy since it is only at the time of the end that the true knowledge will become abundant? (Daniel 12:4)

God's people are commanded to get out of Babylon the Great, the world's empire of false religion. It is our understanding that Christendom is the most prominent part of this false religious empire and that it parallels unfaithful Jerusalem. However, you have made the case that the Watchtower has erroneously applied all the negative prophecies to Christendom while applying the positive ones to Jehovah's Witnesses, saying in effect that the negative prophecies apply to God's people themselves or more specifically, spiritual Israel. If Jesus' dual prophecy concerning his presence and the conclusion of this system of things in regards to Christians fleeing from Jerusalem is to find a modern day parallel, doesn't it go to show that such a parallel must be fulfilled by means of the destruction of Babylon the Great by the scarlet colored beast of Revelation, since God's people are commanded to get of her inasmuch as 1st century Christians were instructed to flee unfaithful Jerusalem? It was a disgusting thing then that destroyed Jerusalem, and Revelation shows that its parallel is the scarlet colored beast that destroys Babylon the Great. Doesn't that add weight to the fact that Christendom parallels unfaithful Jerusalem? -- Matthew 24:15-16; Revelation 18:4-5

According to the Watchtower Babylon the Great fell back in 1919 and ever since then the angel has supposedly been sponsoring the Watchtower’s call to get out of Babylon. Basically, persons get out of Babylon the Great individually by forsaking Christendom. However, that does not harmonize with the historical account of the Jews’ exodus from ancient Babylon. After Cyrus unexpectedly overthrew Babylon he issued the decree that allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Those who were inclined to go back, who wanted to reinstitute the worship of Jehovah back in Jerusalem, packed up and as a congregation they got out of Babylon. They did not leave individually over a span of decades or centuries.

Another aspect of the Watchtower’s prophetic teaching that is out of focus is our understanding of what the holy place is that Jesus said would become desolated by a disgusting thing. The Society, of course, believes that the holy place represents unholy Christendom. But if that is the case, why did Jesus instruct his disciples to flee out of the doomed city when they saw the disgusting thing standing in a holy place? If true Christians had already gotten out of Babylon why would they need to flee when the disgusting thing presents itself? True, the Society used to teach that the disgusting thing initially began standing in a holy place when the League of Nations came into existence and was hailed by certain clergymen as ‘the political expression of the kingdom of God on earth.’ However, the May 1st, 1999, Watchtower revised that teaching, somewhat. Now the Watchtower teaches that the disgusting thing does not stand in the holy place until the tribulation. Here is an excerpt from that article:

“Since the start of the great tribulation is yet future, is the “standing in a holy place” still ahead of us? Evidently so. While “the disgusting thing” made its appearance early in this century and has, thus, existed for decades, it will take a position in a unique way “in a holy place” in the near future. As first-century followers of Christ must have keenly watched to see how the “standing in a holy place” would develop, so do present-day Christians.”

So, how do Jehovah’s Witnesses expect to respond to the future antitypical disgusting thing standing in a holy place? The article goes on to say that at that time true Christians will demonstrate that they are no part of Christendom. Most interestingly, the article states:

“We must be certain that our refuge continues to be Jehovah and his mountainlike organization. (2 Samuel 22:2, 3; Psalm 18:2; Daniel 2:35, 44) That is where we will find protection! We will not imitate the masses of mankind who will flee to “the caves” and hide “in the rock-masses of the mountains”—human organizations and institutions that may remain for a very short while after Babylon the Great is desolated.”

In saying that Jehovah’s Witnesses will find refuge in “Jehovah and his mountainlike organization,” we do well to ask just what does the Watchtower consider to be this “mountainlike organization” where we will find refuge? While the Society teaches that the kingdom of God is the symbolic mountain, it also alternatively teaches that the Watchtower Society itself constitutes “Jehovah’s visible organization” And as such, it is generally assumed that Jehovah’s so-called visible organization is a permanent and indestructible institution. Therefore, it is presently considered unthinkable that Jehovah would ever discard the Watchtower Society. Yet, the majority of essays on e-watchman make the case that that is exactly what the prophets have foretold.

I'm having difficulty with Revelation 22:13, where the speaker calls himself the Alpha and Omega, which is the character of Jehovah, and later when it says that Jesus is talking. What am I not understanding?