Why Jehovah's Witnesses? And Why Now?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 10:22AM 
Who are Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses? Are they the true worshippers of God – the true light-bearers, as the Watchtower Society claims? What makes the witnesses of Jehovah so special? Do they really believe that they are the only ones who will receive salvation? After all, many accuse Jehovah’s Witnesses of being a satanic cult. How could such a maligned sect possibly be the only true faith?
According to About.com-Christianity, there are 38,000 Christian denominations and sects in the world today – with more coming into existence daily. Originally, however, there was only one. And according to the Founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, there still is only one true faith, which is why Jesus posed the question in reference to the chosen ones: “Nevertheless, when the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?” (“The faith” – singular – not ‘the faiths.’)
While it is common to hear reference made to “the church,” as if the bewildering conglomeration of denominations and sects somehow make up the collective congregation of Christ, that simply cannot be the case. Jesus only recognizes one church, or congregation, and that is the organization Paul referred to as “the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens.” (Hebrews 12:23)
The apostle Peter referred to Christ’s congregation in an even more descriptive way, saying of it: “But you are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies’ of the one that called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
But what has happened to “the congregation of the firstborn” the “holy nation” and the exclusive, “special possession” of God? Does it exist today as the sum of the thousands of competing denominations and sub-sects? Again, no. That cannot possibly be so. The Scriptures condemn sects and sectarianism. Even in the first century, though, there was a tendency towards sectarianism. Paul listed “sects” as a work of the fallen flesh. Besides, Christ’s congregation is founded upon the truth. There is nothing that the churches teach that could be said to be the truth – Nothing!
Paul also foretold that there would be many who would eventually fall away from the faith because of their paying attention to misleading teachings inspired by wicked demons. Paul listed two demon-inspired teachings. One such demonic teaching is celibacy and the other is dietary prohibitions. Undeniably, these two teachings became manifest in the Catholic and Orthodox denominations, from which nearly all of the 38,000+ sects in existence today have directly or indirectly sprung. So, the word of God reveals, that, those who originally fell away from the faith fabricated organizations that have passed themselves off as “the church,” yet they were established and remain under the influence of God’s archenemy – Satan the Devil.
It should come as no surprise that this has come about. Even when Jesus was on the earth the demons sought to use humans under their control to herald Jesus as the Christ. Jesus usually forbade them to even speak. But during Paul’s ministry a girl possessed by a demon of divination followed Paul and Barnabas around for days, all the while crying out: “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are publishing to you the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17) Paul finally grew weary of the demon-possessed girl and ordered the evil spirit to come out of her, which it promptly did. But if the Devil and his demons were opposed to the truth and the spread of Christianity why would the demon endorse the work of Paul and Barnabas? After all, what the girl said was true. Paul and Barnabas were slaves of the Most High God and they preached the message of salvation through Christ. Obviously, the demon did so in order to gain credibility, so as to acquire some influence over those who might become believers.
For a certainty, as congregations sprang up the Devil was keen to try to insert his covert agents into the midst of Jehovah’s “special possession.” Apparently, at one point Satan successfully infiltrated the Corinthian congregation by using men who deceitfully passed themselves off as apostles. Paul sarcastically referred to them as the “superfine apostles” and revealed them to be false apostles and deceitful workers who merely transformed themselves into apostles and ministers of righteousness in imitation of the Devil, who is an adapt at transforming himself into “an angel of light.” Evidently some of the Corinthians put up with the phony apostles. But after Paul and the other apostles and stalwarts died off it got worse. Satan gradually took over completely.
At 1 John 2:18, the apostle John spoke of “the last hour” and warned of the coming of an antichrist. That verse reads: “Young children, it is the last hour, and, just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now there have come to be many antichrists; from which fact we gain the knowledge that it is the last hour.”
Some have mistakenly supposed that the apostle’s reference to “the last hour” meant that John was announcing the imminent return of Christ and the end of the world 2,000 years ago. Although the true disciples most certainly heeded Jesus’ many exhortations to stay in anticipation of his return, that is not what the apostle meant by “the last hour.” What was “the last hour” then? It was the last hour of Christianity. It was the last hour of God’s anointing. Jesus had warned his hearers to walk in the light while it was shining, saying at John 12:35-36: “The light will be among you a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness does not overpower you; and he that walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, exercise faith in the light, in order to become sons of light.”
Jesus was undoubtedly referring to himself as the light. But his original disciples were also to become the light of the world, while they were alive. But with the passing of the apostles the light of truth went on the wane and was eventually overpowered by the darkness. Speaking for all of the apostles, Paul told the Ephesian elders: “I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
True to Paul’s word, in the post-apostolic period there arose prominent scholars and theologians, who although now are revered as “Church Fathers,” were nothing of the sort. The apostles were the only legitimate fathers of the true faith. As evidence that many of the apostles’ immediate successors were deceitful workers and false apostles, those who came after the apostles began to debate and thereby subtlety call into question the most basic of truths; the main being, the special father/son relationship of Jehovah and Jesus. By so doing the so-called Church Fathers revealed themselves to be mere antichrists. In the 4th century the corrupt protectors of the faith went so far as to hand over ecclesiastical authority to the emperor of Rome, Constantine. Christ’s congregation thus came under complete control of an antichrist. Oppressive wolves indeed! All that masquerades today as “Christianity” has sprung from that ancient apostasy.
The Catholic and Orthodox institutions that then came into existence effectively snuffed out the light of truth. The Sacred Scriptures were locked away and unavailable to the average person. Any would-be light-bearers who may have arose were swiftly crushed by the priestly keepers-of-the-darkness. But it would not always be that way. As a prelude to the return of Christ once again the light of truth would be made to shine.
In the third chapter of Acts the apostle Peter urged the Jews to repent so that Jehovah “may send forth the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time.”
“The restoration of all things” did not take place in the first century. Jehovah did not restore the Judean kingdom, at least not in the way the Jews may have expected. The restoration of which the apostle spoke is to occur when Jesus comes from heaven. What is to be restored? God’s purpose is to destroy this present evil system and replace it with a righteous new heavens and new earth. What is to be restored, then, is Christianity itself. And not only that, God purposes to restore humankind to the perfection that Adam and Eve lost. Paul explained God’s purpose at Ephesians 1:9-10: “It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, namely, to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.”
The fact that the Scriptures speak of gathering “all things together again” indicates that there has been an undoing, a scattering. The gathering again is to be a replication of what took place in the first century when the light originally began to shine. But unlike in the first century, the restoration will fully accomplish God’s purpose. It will do so by gathering not only “the things in the heavens,” that is to say, those who are called and chosen to share Christ’s heavenly glory, but also, “the things on the earth” – those are invited to inherit the earth and share in restoring it to Eden-like perfection.
But the appointed times of the restoration is not something that can be calculated using chronology. It is, however, an observable phenomenon. Just as the original establishment of Christianity was characterized by means of an aggressive preaching campaign, so too, the preliminary of the restoration would be identifiable by the preaching of the truth of the good news. The work of Charles Taze Russell and the International Bible students in the late 1800s and the beginning of the 20th century followed the pattern of the first century Christians. The light of truth, which had long been hidden by Christendom, began to shine once again. And many people responded.
Originally the focus of the restoration was upon the heavenly things and many of those who became associated with the Watchtower Society were anointed by God’s spirit, just as the original Christians had been in the first century. But by the 1930’s a new dynamic was clearly at work, evidenced in the appearance of persons who accepted the truth and began to preach the kingdom, but who began to identify themselves as “the things upon the earth” – God having implanted in their hearts the hope of surviving the end of this world and inheriting the world to come.
Together those with the heavenly hope and the earthly hope dwell together in the same organization, just as Jesus foretold when he stated that he had other sheep that were “not of this flock,” which he must also gather. This, indeed, is something entirely unprecedented, but a predictable development as a prelude to the conclusion of the system of things.
The word that is translated administration comes from the Greek word oikonomian, from which the English word economy is derived. Originally it had to do with the management of a household, which would naturally include a budget. The Latin word used is dispensationem, which is translated into English as dispensation. This is as Jesus foretold also; namely, that prior to his arrival he would appoint a slave over his household to feed his domestics their spiritual food at the proper time. In other words, the appointed slave would manage the master’s household and dispense food to his servants until such time as the master arrives. (Please note that Christ indicated that there are two appointments of the slave. See the chapter: The Judgment)
Over the decades the Watchtower Society has sponsored the greatest preaching work the world has ever known – far surpassing even that which the apostles accomplished. Especially since World War II Jehovah’s Witnesses have gone to the farthest corners of the earth with the beautiful message of God’s kingdom. Jehovah’s Witnesses have been trained by the Watchtower Society and empowered by God’s spirit to vigorously overturn the accumulation of devilish lies and practices that have for centuries masqueraded as Christianity. Like the first century Christians Jehovah’s Witnesses have endeavored to be no part of Satan’s world; refusing to participate in the political process; refusing to bloody their hands with the wars of the nations, or celebrate their pagan and national holidays. Jehovah’s Witnesses have repudiated the ungodly things of this world and have endeavored to live godly lives in full devotion to Christ. Like the first century Christians Jehovah’s Witnesses have also been hated, maligned and persecuted throughout the world and some have even been martyred, even as Jesus foretold.
Unlike the first century Christians, however, the appearance of those with faith in God and Christ, but who do not profess a heavenly hope, is an entirely unique phenomena, but one that is expected to occur as a preliminary to the restoration of all things – specifically, “the things on the earth.”
But while the watchtower Society and Jehovah’s Witnesses may represent a restored form of primitive Christianity, the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not the finished product of the foretold restoration of all things. It is only precursory to the actual restoration. That is because the true restoration does not occur until during the tribulation.
At this moment in time a great empire that has existed in various forms for over two- thousand years has entered into a terminal state. The present form of empire is the British Empire. Not the colonial empire of yesteryear, but a supranational monetary and financial empire, designed by and run out of London. (See the chapter: London-Satan’s Throne)
With the crash of the Wall Street mortgage scheme in 2008 and the now-impending collapse of the Euro, it is becoming increasingly apparent that a globe-rocking collapse of that entire decadent system is inevitable and imminent. That is because of the hundreds of trillions of dollars of derivatives bets that sit atop the underlying economy. Any significant default will be the banker's worst nightmare: A systemic event. In view of their own bankruptcy, the mafia-like masters of that empire are determined to set off a global conflagration in order to destroy the nation-state system and implement a corporate-run, fascist world government. The convulsive crash of the present system will give rise to the last king, who is destined by prophecy to rule for an hour – a relatively short period. (See the chapter: An Eighth King)
Even as first-century Christianity was punctuated by the “last hour” before the antichrist, the light-bearing work that Jehovah’s Witnesses are presently engaged in has reached the final hour as well. The world is soon to be enveloped in terrifying darkness. It will signal the end of the Watchtower Society and the ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (See the chapters: Collapse of the Watchtower and Joel)
Just as Peter made reference to the restoration in connection with the holy prophets who spoke from God, it is those very prophets who have foretold that Christ’s congregation is destined to be decimated by a disgusting thing during the tumult of the conclusion. Jesus spoke of an appointed times of the nations to trample upon God’s “special possession” – his holy place. At the conclusion of that appointed period of time, however, God’s purpose will be completely accomplished. He will have chastened and gathered the last of the 144,000 kings and priests and winnowed out a people to inherit the earth.
Just as the Israelites and the vast mixed company of Egyptians and others who came out of Egypt passed under Moses’ outstretched staff and into the midst of the Red Sea, so it is, that Jehovah’s Witnesses now stand poised on the edge of the wilderness to pass under the rod of Jehovah’s judgment. The prophet wrote: “‘And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples and put myself on judgment with you there face to face. Just as I put myself on judgment with your forefathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I shall put myself on judgment with you,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘And I will make you pass under the rod and bring you into the bond of the covenant. And I will clean out from you the revolters and the transgressors against me, for out of the land of their alien residence I shall bring them forth, but onto the soil of Israel they will not come; and you people will have to know that I am Jehovah.’ – Ezekiel 20:35-38
“The bond of the covenant” is the ultimate fulfillment of the new covenant, which will be consummated when Christ sends for his angels and uproots all persons doing lawlessness and all things that cause stumbling out from his kingdom. (See the chapter: The Harvest)
The restoration of all things will then be complete. Jehovah’s Witnesses, the faithful ones at least, will then inherit God’s promised new heavens and new earth.
Not Jehovah's Witnesses official website
Reader Comments (32)
Jesus is not going to come to save faithful Jehovah's Witnesses alone. He's going to save as many people as possible from all walks of life no matter what religion they are now practicing. To make this possible he will bring all the squabbling religions and sects to an end during the great tribulation.
At that time people will not be able to look up to their religious leaders for guidance. All such organizations will be trampled upon by the 8th king, who will establish a one world political and religious system.
Anyone refusing to worship this “image” of the beast, as the Bible calls it, will not be able to “buy or sell,” unless they take upon themselves the “mark” of this governmental wild beast. Under these conditions people will polarize into two camps, the sheep and goats.
We have only to look at the records of religions to see why Jesus will allow a tyrannical end time king to bring down the religious systems of the world. The same goes for the world’s financial and political structures.
So, will Jesus find “the faith” when he comes? Most certainly he will -- in the hearts of people who will turn to him during this critical “hour of test” to come upon the entire inhabited earth.
Very interesting article - I enjoyed to read it. Thanks for your efforts !
Good food at the right time!
Thanks
Very intresting article.
We need to make sure of all things because to any serious christian it is obvious that the time of the end is at hand and closer than ever before.
We need to use our time wisely now and not be to concerned about the worlds things as we put Jehovah first in our lives.
Robert King said QUOTE:
Jesus Christ, there still is only one true faith, which is why Jesus posed the question in reference to the chosen ones: “Nevertheless, when the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?” (“The faith” – singular – not ‘the faiths.’)
The WT's New World Translation is the only bible that seems to be written in this way. Thus being a good scripture to prop up their belief that their religion is the only true faith. This is CLEARLY wrong and truly misleading when comparing other translations namely the King James version, and i take it that you're quoting from Luke 18:8 which says:
8I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He FIND FAITH on the earth?"
To add "the" before faith can be truly misleading!!!
Anyone care to elaborate
The WT Society is a man originating, man run, high control religious cult-like institution), rather than what they tell people they are (God's appointed Channel/Organization/People etc etc).
The facts prove without a doubt that God was never behind any of this:
http://www1.tip.nl/%7Et661020/wtcitaten/part1.htm
We got false predictions all over the place, medical disaster policies -FORCED on JW's.
We got flip flops, blinking lights, wacky science, historical failures, arrogance, judging and loads of WT Society embarrassments and humiliations.
God had nothing to do with all that nonsense that was called, "Food from God".
It was wrong when it first came off the presses.
So why are some today opposed to Jehovah's Witness and their policies?
Dead People is why.
Ruined lives is why.
False prophecies is why.
A controlling Religious Institution is why.
They are WRONG ON BLOOD TODAY (for 68 years now).
They are WRONG ON SHUNNING those that simply walk away from the JW religion today.
They are WRONG 607 BCE and 1914.
They were WRONG ABOUT FORBIDDING Vaccinations, Organ Transplants, Alternative Service.
They were wrong on ALL OF THEIR End of World Predictions. Wrong on marital infidelity rules, rape rules, beards, 1935, Beth Sarim and too many things to bother listing here.
Did God make all of these terrible decisions to force on all the JW's, and then change his mind?
Or did a few old MEN, that make up the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (sitting up in some Brooklyn office) MAKE these poor decisions, FORCE them on all JW's and then afterwards conveniently change their mind?
Does God serve Bad Food like this?
Perhaps He is not a very good cook?
CHRISTIANITY IS GOD"S ORGANIZATION TODAY. That would mean being a follower of Christ. Not some fraction of Christianity, that has the absolute WORST record of them all in terms of false predictions, doctrinal, medical and oftentimes wacky published as "Food from God" teachings.
Shunning people for disagreements is NOT scriptural.
Shunning people for walking away from the JW faith is NOT scriptural.
This is a CONTROL mechanism. And it often works. It is a gross misapplication of scripture to keep the average JW towing the line. One cannot even think differently!
I WAS a JW, and an elder as well, until recently. I am very familiar with how they are actually WORSE than most other faiths today. I am shunned for walking away. People today and for the last 80 years have died, without reason, due to the WT medical policies forced on all JW's.
Each week is filled with a list of JW obligations that basically OWN YOU. You are told what you can read, what movies are acceptable, what association is acceptable, what facial hair is okay. What you can celebrate and cannot. What words you are allowed to use.
What is allowed in your own bedroom with your wife. And too many other things to list here again. Before knowing all the facts and believing they were God's True Channel, one can go a very long way to justify all of these things. Take away that one true faith belief and so falls the rest.
I have been there and done all that.
JW's are told they cannot take blood transfusions in situations where they might need one (such as through complications with pregnancy or child birth).
So, naturally, more JW mothers will die.
Just like this mother died unnecessarily!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-491791/Jehovahs-Witness-mother-d...
And now her husband has no wife and her two new twins have no mother.
And all for what?
This is why I suggest to anybody thinking of becoming a JW ... to READ READ AND READ UP ON THIS RELIGION FIRST!
The proof will clearly stand out that the JW faith is not what they try to tell people they are!
And for all this nonsense about bloodless medicine and surgeries somehow meaning God is with JW's... (that's a joke, right?)
In many places around the earth they are fortunate to have ANY BLOOD AT ALL TO SAVE A DYING VICTIM IN NEED ... or even a clean, working hospital to go to.
Much less bloodless surgery, fractions of blood or any other options that JW's are forced to look for.
There are times when the only thing that will save a human being is blood right now.
People bleed to death. If they cannot stop the bleeding in time, and with no blood transfusion, then as a JW you will simply die.
Leaving behind all sorts of broken hearts and many tears from loved ones, friends and close family.
If they CAN stop the bleeding, then many times they will still need a blood transfusion to save your life because it takes TIME for your body to generate the new blood and cells that have been suddenly lost.
This is very simple. JW's needlessly die for this sorry blood policy today.
From the same organization that has an entire 100 + year history of similar bad policies.
The facts are irrefutable.
Vinny
Just remember the faith is Christianity it don't matter what branch you belong to or even if you belong to any. The faith is Christianity
Vinny, you would be well advised to read Jehovah Himself Has Become King. The litany of charges you make are, for the most part, contained within the judgments of Jehovah to be revealed.
" get out of her my people lest you share in her sins"
Gods people are found within BTG, and at present the WTO teaches that the preaching work of Jehovahs witnesses is what is freeing people from BTG and hence gathering the GREAT CROWD.
if this is true then the reality is that the GC is shrinking not growing.
but if the call to get out of BTG has not yet been made then JWs are under an illusion that they are the chosen slave giving the proper food at the correct time.
Christianity has gone the same way as its predecessor, Judaism. So just like ancient Israel ended up in Babylonian captivity so has Christianity in a spiritual sense. That includes Jehovah’s Witnesses in our pretense of being the genuine "house of God." This condition of captivity will soon concretely manifest itself during the great tribulation.
Therefore, it is useless to point out to a particular organization, as “the faith.” Exercising faith in God is an individual matter. And since there is one God, there is only one faith, to be found in the hearts of people as they turn to God through Christ.
Religion is a mechanism of control. It serves chiefly as a means to maintain power over others, distracting people from the real love of Christ. Contrary to God’s promised kingdom, it is a veneer with a superficially attractive appearance.
So while the kingdom of mankind and its lure is decreasing, God’s kingdom is increasing. Thus there is hope for humanity. –Compare John 3:30
I agree with "A Stone Crying Out", "Jace", "Me", "Elihu" & "Vinny".
The insinuation that the JW's represent the only "one true religion" is dangerous and I advise anyone who is still tormented by JW brainwashing/condemnation to spend time praying to God for the truth regarding this matter. It takes a long time for some to understand this, but there IS life after the JW's and a great relationship with our Heavenly Father & our Lord Jesus is most definitely possible.
God's people can be found EVERYWHERE.
"If any one serves me [Jesus, not any one particular religion], he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him." John 12:26
ANYONE who show's love to their fellow brother is well on the way and I can assure everyone, non-foundational doctrinal beliefs will neither save nor condemn them. Paul, himself, said that we only see dimly - the Holy Spirit teaches us what we need to know, even if we're not given the complete picture at this present time (Jesus told his apostles he had much to tell them but that they weren't capable of handling it all - the same applies today.)
If doctrinal beliefs were the measure of righteousness, ALL religions would fail. Thankfully, it's not. Love is the #1 measure. And, having grown up as a JW, I can say with some authority that, because of the heavy-loads, the condemnation & the lack of true Christian freedom (JW's are still, very much, under law) - there is a lack of love within the JW organisation. Individual's may try (and Jesus recognises their efforts), but as a whole, it's lacking.
Will Jesus find "THE faith" when He returns? Most certainly He will, but it will have nothing to do with sects & everything to do with the individual. He will call His people out from BTG - that includes ALL religions of the world (even non-Christian!!) - don't be fooled into thinking that you must be signed up (or agree) with a particular religion to be saved.
JW's certainly do NOT have "the truth". Jesus is the truth, the way & the light. ANYONE who follows Jesus will be saved - and, like the Egyptians who left with the Israelites, they may appear "unrighteous" now but may follow Jesus at the last moment. Don't be surprised if that Buddhist up the road is called by God at the last hour...
Nigel.
Very good comments, A Stone Crying Out. I agree about the hour of test coming and that all will be given a chance at that crucial time to support God's Kingdom.
Nicely put Nigel
The success of the Watchtower over the decades of the 20th century is not due to the establishment of a “faithful and discreet slave” by Christ that would provide spiritual food to its domestic in the proper time. The reason being, the faithful slave was established back in the first century by Christ who told his disciples that he would be with them until the end. Why then has the leadership of the Jehovah’s Witnesses exclusively taken upon itself the duties of the discreet slave, when they are riddled with lies and inconsistencies just as other organizations?
In the 1st century particularly after the death of the apostles an apostate form of Christianity began to take shape. By the 4th century it was crystallized as the ecclesiastical system of Catholicism which dominated Europe for over twelve centuries. But within this corrupt system, just as in Judaism, they have always been faithful man and woman who championed God’s word, keeping it alive even at their own peril.
Many of them took the long voyage across the Atlantic to North America, establishing the first colonies that would later become the thriving breadbasket of a new world, the United States of America. Thus the Constitution of the U.S. was forged by people who had a sense of the importance of freedom from tyranny and religious persecution, who by 1776 gained their independence from their British colonial masters.
By the late 18th century the U.S. became a bastion of hope for many more people escaping tyranny and religious persecution from Europe. They brought with them their trade and expertise without which the U.S. could not have evolved, even under the umbrella of a Constitution that favors freedom and the pursuit of happiness for its citizens.
Within these developments the hands of providence had been very much at work, echoing Jesus’ promise that he would be with his disciples, who by now were working and toiling for God within the Protestant movement that started in Europe. Bible societies were formed, publishing God’s word in various languages, further expanding the ideals of Christianity.
This trend accommodated the development in the late 19th century the religious organization that later became known as Jehovah’s Witnesses a few years after the First World War. We should not suppose however that this religious organization is somewhat better and enjoy God’s blessing more than its forebears, Protestantism.
In the stream of time religious organizations grow. They flourish for a time and then began to decline. We are seeing the same trend today with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who flourished mainly in the 20th century and are now on the decline, as many former witnesses took to the internet, protesting the harsh treatment of the Watchtower.
Thus we are reminded by Jesus of the dynamics at play within Christianity involving the wheat and the weeds that are allowed to grow together until the conclusion of the system or great tribulation, when he will send his angels as reapers to separate the weeds from the wheat.
The importance of the work that has been done so far is sufficient to plant the seed of “faith” in the hearts of many in readiness for God’s incoming kingdom.
2nd Timothy Ch 2 Verse 15 has something i have found very intresting -King james version says this 15- Study to show yourselves approved unto god , a workman that needs not to be ashamed ,rightly dividing the word of truth.
The greek word in that paragraph for " dividing " is- or-thot-om-eh'-o .It means to make a straight cut to dissect [expound] correctly ,rightly divide.
So in preaching we rightly teach the truth properly but intrestingly we dissect the word of god as we examine the scriptures.
By dissecting the word of god and analyzing it thorougly we can understand gods will better and better.
I think thats what we need to do as the time for this world runs out now.
I sometimes feel that the watch tower literature has gotten in the way of looking at gods word properly itself.The bible warns about adding to the word of god so surely creating magazines and books like the wt does must be an adding to the word of god.
Once an elder told me that years ago the watchtower used to focus on the bible more but these days with the watchtower literature we dont need to so much.I think that comment speaks for itself.
Watchman,
the faith that Jesus will be looking for at his return is not a denomination, sect or religious organization of public law, like the institutionalized Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, as you insinuate in your public relations stunt for the WT Pennsylvania corporation and its GB, but a personal reliance on Him as the exclusive access to the Father.
This faith did not disappear with the death of the apostles as you intimate, only to be reintroduced by deluded Adventists such as Barbour and Russell, but has been in existence uninterrupted since the pouring out of the promised helper at Pentecost.
All through the centuries, those anointed by the Spirit of Truth have been expelled, persecuted and martyred by the nominal, established Church of their day, for bearing witness to Jesus and for defying and exposing the apostate institution.
You say, QUOTE: "Christ's congregation is founded upon the truth." Too right it is! But in contrast, the established, and by the Governments of the world officially recognized, minority faith of JWs is founded upon the invisible 1914 fraud, and the lie that the Government that is about to take complete control of the whole world will be God's established kingdom!
These WT foundational lies to whom all JWs must pay homage, are more insidious than ANY of 'Christendom's' largely unenforced false teachings, and are therefore even more aptly described as "misleading teachings inspired by wicked demons," to quote your words against 'Christendom.'
You write, QUOTE: "What was 'the last hour' [1Jo2:18] then? It was the last hour of Christianity. It was the last hour of God’s anointing." UNQUOTE
That is utter nonsense. Just because the foretold apostasy set in, splitting the original congregation into the institutional Church and the Diaspora Christians, the 'invisible,' 'underground' ecclesia, 'outside the camp' of the established Church, does not mean that Jesus reneged on his promise to be with his anointed followers uninterruptedly ALL the 730,000 odd days UNTIL the conclusion of the global system of things, at his coming on the clouds in power and glory!
Further you say: "QUOTE: "As a PRELUDE to the return of Christ once again the light of truth would be made to shine...the PRELIMINARY of the restoration would be identifiable by the preaching of the truth of the good news [of the WT]....Originally the focus of the RESTORATION was upon the heavenly things and many of those who became associated with the Watchtower Society were anointed by God’s spirit." [caps added] UNQUOTE
The 'light' of 'truth' preached by the WT that Jesus came in 1914 to singularly appoint them over the whole world as his exclusive representatives to whom everybody must submit in order to get saved, is perhaps the darkest Satanic lie ever uttered! And you, for your part, by knowingly endorsing and perpetuating it further, will not escape in sharing the judgment on those "liking and carrying on a lie," unless you repent BEFORE it is too late. (Rev 22:15)
You KNOW that the restoration of all things and the gathering together of the chosen ones, the 'things in the heavens,' is to take place immediately after the end of the great tribulation, but you prefer to use weasel words and a tricky tongue, just like your fellow WT anointed, by inventing some 'preliminary' fulfilment to endorse the WT as the sole representative of a 'restored Christianity.'
That is why you, if not found among the revolters and transgressors against Jehovah at the judgment, will nevertheless not come onto the soil of Israel, due to your ministering to wood and stone, that dungy WT idol, unless you repent. (Eze 20:31-39)
Further, contradicting Jesus' word in order to prop up your WT centric theology, you write, QUOTE: "This is as Jesus foretold also; namely, that PRIOR to his arrival he would appoint a slave over his household to feed his domestics their spiritual food at the proper time." (caps added) UNQUOTE
Prior to his arrival? You mean like 1873 or thereabouts - that old Adventist caper? Or perhaps 1919? Clearly Jesus appointed the slave at his departure in 33 CE - even the apostate WT got that one right.
You say, QUOTE: "The work of ... Russell and the ... Bible students... followed the pattern of the first century Christians." UNQUOTE
But did the apostles teach lies, such as, that Christ's parousia had already occurred, and then force all Christians worldwide into a social boycott, on pain of eternal damnation, against those preferring to remain loyal to the truth - the way that disfellowshipping is practiced among JWs today?
You know that is not true, and yet you peddle such lies in order to promote a 'Church,' 'God's earthly organization,' that was 'established and remains under the influence of God’s archenemy – Satan the Devil,' to quote your words against 'modern, apostate Christianity.'
You write, QUOTE: "Jehovah’s Witnesses have been trained by the Watchtower Society and empowered by God’s spirit to vigorously overturn the accumulation of devilish lies and practices that have for centuries masqueraded as Christianity." UNQUOTE
Yeah, right, and to replace them with even more sinister lies, thus making their converts even twice as much liable to gehenna as the followers of 'Christendom,' as the truth will become known.
As to, QUOTE: "...the light-bearing work that Jehovah’s Witnesses are presently engaged in...the world is soon to be enveloped in terrifying darkness. It will signal the end of the Watchtower Society and the ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses," UNQUOTE,
you might be surprised to see that instead of the end of the WT ministry, you will find them along with their co- religionists of Christendom, actually emerging out of the terrifying global darkness, riding the 'kingdom that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things!' I hope you have readied yourself and your followers to join them.
Watchman'
How much is the watchtower society paying you?!
What you are saying makes no sense at all. God's spirit seems to be teaching you the opposite of what it's teaching myself and others too that are posting here. Is that really the case?! Does Jehovah really do that if we are really seeking the 'Truth' withinn prophecy, or are we just trying to back up our own lame predictions and dig ourselves out of the mud, twisting prophecy and scripture at God's exspense!!
I urge you while there still is time to get back to basics, forget about the rotten WT who you say is eventually going to ripen herself and make sure that you yourself aren't becoming rotten in the process!
To bring it back to basics Jesus never EVER made mention of a WT Society, a JW organisation, a Catholic Chuch etc being HIS special posession.
Yes prior to his death, God did have a PEOPLE (bound by LAW) of his own, but they rejected him and turned apostate!
Things have CHANGED now!!
Are we still bound by 'LAW' in that we say," things haven't changed since Christ's death."
This is very attitude displayed by the EVIL SLAVE who says in his heart 'My master is delaying.' This is worth pondering over.
Are we rejecting everything Christ talked about by stubbornly searching for a PEOPLE that God calls his own.
This "people" or "organisation" that truthseekers today are looking for, these they WILL NOT find!!
What they WILL find is the many Anti-christs that Jesus warned us of.
True "truthseekers" will only be identified BY GOD - NOT MEN by the "FAITH" ( not "THE FAITH") that they have in his son JESUS CHRIST.
God's "True Possesion" will be found scattered to the four corners of the earth until the appointed time for gathering arrives.
Can you honestly say that Jehovah has made these bold statements perfectly clear to you?!
I totally agree with what proxygnosis is saying and hope that you are listening, because for you there are a lot of people hanging on to your teachings, whom, when the time comes will be led right into an 'eagerly' awaited (by billions) ''Satanic Paradise Earth."
If we are spirit appointed by the God of Truth, then we too are continuing to grow into a spiritual temple made up of MANY members who will understand it as the apostle Paul put it in Romans 12:3-16
3)For I say to every man that is among you, through the grace given unto me, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according as God HATH DEALT TO EVERY MAN the measure of FAITH.
4)For as we have MANY members in ONE BODY and ALL members have not the same office,
5)so we, BEING MANY, are ONE body in Christ, and EVERYONE members ONE OF ANOTHER.
6)Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us: if prophecy, let us prophesy according to our portion of faith;
7)or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8)or HE THAT EXHORTETH, on exhortation; he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
9)Let LOVE BE WITHOUT DISSIMULATION. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10)Have kindly affection one for another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another;
11)not slothful in business; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12)rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer;
13)distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality.
14)Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
15)Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16)Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to men of low estate. BE NOT WISE IN YOUR OWN CONCEITS.
As verse 9 says let our 'love be without dissimulation' and this you need to know because there are no false pretenses here other than Gods spirit that speaks within me.
As members of Christ, the many gifts of the spirit are for prophecying, ministering, teaching, presiding and exhorting "one another." These gifts have been given to us to give to each other so that we can go on being built up in Christ. We belong to "one another", and each of us has only been distributed a 'measure' or portion of faith. Therefore as individuals or "members" in Christ, not having a "FULL" measure of faith given to us, this keeps us humble and open to Growth within Gods temple, not thinking more of ourselves than is necessary.
It is advisable that we pay close attention to Jesus’ words particularly as they relate to the love that Christians are commanded to display toward their neighbors. After all, the Bible says that “love bears all things.”
This quality inherent in mankind also prevails instinctively in the animal kingdom. However, since humans are made in the image of God and are endowed with free will, they are in a position to make conscious decisions that work for or against the very will of God.
Thus God warns us of the consequences of bad choices, while he helps and advises us to make good choices for our own good. But mankind for centuries, instigated by the devil and through selfish actions of our own, has been making wrong choices since Adam’s fall.
To put this in layman’s terms, God has allowed humanity to go its own way, so as not to impinge on our free will. In the process he continues to shower his love upon us in that he “makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous.”
By so doing God is teaching humanity the everlasting value of love by principally displaying this quality, inherently built in within his creation. Indeed just as the Bible says: “God is love.”
Consequently, when all is said and done, the love of God will prevail and so will “everyone” who has heartily embraced it. For now, though, “beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep covering, but inside are ravenous wolves.” How do we do this? Paul explains:
“Consequently I entreat you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present YOUR bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason.”
The “power of reason” spoken by Paul is in reference to making right choices concerning God’s will. Saul who became the apostle Paul learned this, when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus.
So there is no point for people of different religious persuasion to keep fighting. Jesus is going to address this issue as surely as he knocked Saul down off of his high horse.
I thank you Robert for being humble in alowing this edifying spiritual banter at your heart felt exspence.
All I have to quote is (Rom 3:4) But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, even as it is written: “That you might be proved righteous in your words and might win when you are being judged.”
Ps 51:4 Against you, you alone, I have sinned,
And what is bad in your eyes I have done,
In order that you may prove to be righteous when you speak,
That you may be in the clear when you judge.
And I say this --
All of us and I mean all of us whether of the Body or want to be’s - We are all blades of grass and when the sun beats down we wither and die, that’s it nothing more.
We can all agree when “Jesus Christ” King of Kings makes his presence he has promised to cleanse the Son’s of Levi thus perfecting the Body Temple. And at that precise moment the temple will be ready for Jehovah to inhabit by spirit (the temple sanctuary will fill with smoke Jehovah’s presence) then he will command the seven angels to pour out the seven bowls of judgment undiluted onto the earth ___ And Jehovah will at that time begin to rule as King by proxy thru his appointed king designate Jesus Christ for 1000 years.
AMEN
Brian,
YOU QUOTE:
(Rom 3:4) But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, even as it is written: “That you might be proved righteous in your words and might win when you are being judged.”
I couldn't agree more and that's why i feel compelled to speak.
May Jehovah be the judge.
If then, you were to give a word of advise to someone like myself who seems to question the inspired expressions of the Watchman, what would it be?
Put up and shut up maybe?
"Just listen to the Watchman", you say, "he speaks nothing but the truth."
"If you hang on to every word this one speaks you will be saved."
Jesus warned of many who would come on the basis of 'His' name saying "follow me"
I'm sorry, but following men are the very things we SHOULD have left behind!
You CANNOT be following men and yet become a follower of Christ at the same time.
Are you saying that testing these inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God is a bad thing?
On the other hand, have you stopped to consider the fact that here presented IS NOT an attack on Robert King himself but the LOVE and CONCERN for a fellow brother who once had a love for the truth but unbeknown to him has exchanged it for a lie. I will not be found guilty of burying my 'gift' in the dirt when knowing these things, and yet watching a fellow brother fall into the path of the devil.
If Jehovahs LOVE didn't include warning those whom he loves of iminent catasrophe, providing a path out, he would be a wicked God.
If Jesus had never warned his disciples of iminent dangers that they would face then he to would have been wicked.
If our child was about to put his or her hand on a hot stove element, and we stood by watched them get hurt what sort of parent would we be. Obviously Uncaring, Loveless and Wicked.
"GODLIKE LOVE" encompasses more than shutting up and putting up with our brothers, but it reaches out when we see that such like ones are about to fall.
"KEEP ON THEN TESTING THESE INSPIRED EXPRESSIONS TO SEE WHETHER THEY ORIGINATE WITH GOD."
A Stone Crying Out,
As you say, Love bears all things, but that SAME LOVE is also the very MOTIVE behind exposing all lies raised up against the knowledge of God, as we do not wage warfare according to the flesh, but against the deceptive teachings of demons, strongly entrenched in the minds of even well meaning individuals through the traditions of man, as taught by sectarian organizations such as the WT and others.
The 'everlasting value of love' of the type meant by God, is not given for its own sake - as in the concept of 'unconditional love,' popularized by the world - but for the definite purpose of leading people to repentance! (Ro 2:4-11) That distinguishes God's love from the natural instinct of his animal creation.
People who spurn His love and forgiveness offered in Christ's sacrifice, and especially those who claim to have 'once for all been enlightened' by the Holy Spirit, but choose blindness and darkness rather than light, even when confronted with Truth, can look forward to another expression of God's infinite LOVE, namely facing His WRATH, as He annihilates all those liking and carrying on a lie.
Yes, one day we will all individually stand before God's judgment seat. Paul knew this fact, YET he says: "TODAY if you people listen to His own voice, DO NOT harden your hearts...but KEEP ON EXHORTING ONE ANOTHER EACH DAY, as long as it may be called 'TODAY,' for fear [and out of LOVE] ANY ONE OF YOU should become hardened by the deceptive power of sin."
You have to know what is true and where you stand - WHICH horse to 'back,' as it were - BEFORE the start of the race, the 'hour of test;' any last minute change of heart will not be possible, hence the divine admonition for TODAY!
Watchman,
you express your disdain for sects and hatred of sectarianism, but are totally blind to the fact that in doing so, you are actually condemning yourself, inasmuch as you are advocating the 'anointed' WT sect as the exclusive body of Christ - none so blind that WILL not see; that is why your sin remains.
Christ started his congregation in a non sectarian way, to be given the name 'Christian,' or 'Christianity' by divine decree. After the initial boost in numbers of those anointed - a rate of expansion that statistically could not be maintained in view of the strictly limited number of those divinely purposed to constitute the body of Christ, which alone is the congregation - new anointings with the Spirit slowed down to a trickle by the end of the first century.
But as early anointed ones slowly died off the scene, more and more non-anointed and weeds of Satan slyly worked their way into what outwardly appeared to be the 'Christian congregation,' with the result that the weeds took over, that is, replaced and outnumbered the true members of Christ's body in the public fellowship of 'Christians.'
Hence, those who were genuinely anointed, initially expelling all imposters and frauds from their fellowship, gradually became the minority resulting, in turn, in their being excommunicated themselves, or else disassociating themselves from the by now only 'nominal' and apostate institution of the Church.
Their loyalty was clearly to Christ himself, not to the notion of - and in reality, fiction, by those holding 'positions' in what they claim to be - 'Christ's congregation,' while in reality propagating lies, just like the WT does today.
To all outward appearances it seems as if Christ abdicated his headship over his congregation towards the end of the first century, what with the unfettered rise of apostasy.
But to those enlightened by the Holy Spirit, it is obvious that Christ continued his headship over those genuine and faithful, just as promised, right down to our day, and that the true nature of the Ecclesia has all along, even since its founding, been HIDDEN IN CHRIST in a spiritual way, until the REVEALING of the sons of God at his second coming.
That is why "the world does not have a knowledge of us," compared to the thorough knowledge it has of the JW anointed and their WT icon, incorporated into, and subject to the governments of this world, preaching, as it does, the coming of the next new world order as the very kingdom of God.
On the other hand, the SPIRITUAL body of Christ's genuine anointed disciples, who go forth to him outside the camp, bearing the reproach He bore, are being accounted as 'nothing of any consequence' by the lawyer directed organization of the WT and its apologists.
Just because during the preceding 19 centuries, the 'invisible' Church of true sons of God did not produce any large popular movements, sects or religions in opposition to the institutional Church - certainly nothing of any consequence, to a fleshly way of thinking, or that of the bombastic, PR craving WT inc. - does not detract from the reality of the ongoing existence of the body of Christ.
It is dispersed around the world, outside any and all sects, movements and Churches organized by men claiming to be God's representatives, but instead being harmoniously joined together in the Spirit of Truth, given by the glorified Christ to those willing to relinquish all affiliation to, and glory from, the weak and beggarly WT and its co-religionists of 'Christendom,' and instead relying exclusively on Him as the Head, and his Word, expounded through his Spirit, as the authoritative TRUTH.
The natural man, of course, cannot discern the spiritual reality of the body of Christ as existing outside of any physical, hierarchically structured and organized facade, one that he can seek and gain the approval of, with a view to joining and becoming a member of, since such a spiritual 'organism' is foolishness to him.
That is why we find such God-botherers attracted to all sorts of 'established' religious sects and organizations, catering to man's self-righteousness, while obstructing access to the God of Truth. Any deluded ones who claim that their particular sect is the body of Christ, are thereby displaying their ignorance of the word of God, and therefore belying their claim to be anointed with the Spirit of Truth.
Thanks for posting this latest article Robert; I have been waiting for a long time to hear more of your thoughts on this. I apologise for the length of this reply but I don’t want to sacrifice a thorough explanation for brevity ...
Some years ago on your forum I asked you about this same topic. In your reply at that time, you used the story of the dragnet as a comparison to the WT society and JW’s. But I wasn’t happy with this reasoning because although I agree the dragnet describes a collecting of all sorts of ‘fish’ into one net for sorting – similar to JW’s being collected into one org for sorting – it does not explain why Jesus waits nearly 2000 years to ‘cast the net’ into the ‘sea’. Or was the net cast in the first century but all the fish managed to swim around it until the 1870’s or so?
My understanding was and is this ‘net’ is cast into the ‘sea’ at the same time as the ‘wheat and weeds’ are planted in the ‘field’. So the collection of all sorts of fish would include the whole of what has come to be known as Christendom - wheat and weeds growing together in one field.
In this latest article you said:
"While it is common to hear reference made to “the church,” as if the bewildering conglomeration of denominations and sects somehow make up the collective congregation of Christ, that simply cannot be the case. Jesus only recognizes one church, or congregation, and that is the organization Paul referred to as “the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens.” (Hebrews 12:23)"
Surely the dragnet full of all sorts of fish would be a ‘bewildering conglomeration’? You must understand that saying Christendom is the bewildering conglomeration of fish in the dragnet is not the same thing as saying that Christendom is “the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens.” Because the only the suitable fish are enrolled in the heavens.
In the same context of the dragnet story Jesus went to great lengths to explain that before the restoration of all things the kingdom would become a contaminated disgusting thing – starting off as a beautiful and perfect thing only to be sabotaged by the devil so that by the time the time of the end comes the sons of God will need to be separated out from the sons of the wicked one. A job the angels are assigned to do.
I can see you believe there has to be one denomination that fits the description of a field with weeds growing amongst the wheat i.e. JW’s. But wouldn’t this mean there would have to be a mini harvest of the first field starting in the late 1800’s through to the end so there is a new field of just JW’s for the angels to gather the wheat from?
You seem to think so. So this is where you have applied Ephesians 1: 9-10.
You write:
"The fact that the Scriptures speak of gathering “all things together again” indicates that there has been an undoing, a scattering. The gathering again is to be a replication of what took place in the first century when the light originally began to shine."
I think you have taken this out of context. This is part of Paul’s introduction to the Ephesians. He talks of being chosen before the founding of the world, about being foreordained. God’s purpose which he purposed in himself was formed before the founding of the world. The light of the Christ originally shone then before the founding of the world not thousands of years later. The undoing or scattering happened in Eden not in the 2000 years after Jesus walked the earth. So this gathering of all things together again in the Christ is the same gathering mentioned over and over again in the scriptures - The wheat into the store house – the chosen ones together from the four winds.
This gathering happens when Jesus arrives in his glory.
I can also see you believe the true anointed could not possibly be aligned with the aforementioned bewildering conglomeration. I agree. However, that conglomeration must include JW’s because prophetically/scripturally there has not been a mini harvest.
You have taken a quote from Peter speaking of ‘the times of restoration of all things’ and applied the WT’s efforts as a ‘preliminary of this restoration’.
You wrote:
" In the third chapter of Acts the apostle Peter urged the Jews to repent so that Jehovah “may send forth the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time.”
“The restoration of all things” did not take place in the first century. Jehovah did not restore the Judean kingdom, at least not in the way the Jews may have expected. The restoration of which the apostle spoke is to occur when Jesus comes from heaven."
I agree, the restoration occurs when Jesus arrives in his glory.
But then you said:
"But the appointed times of the restoration is not something that can be calculated using chronology. It is, however, an observable phenomenon. Just as the original establishment of Christianity was characterized by means of an aggressive preaching campaign, so too, the preliminary of the restoration would be identifiable by the preaching of the truth of the good news"
I’m sorry bro, but that is a massive stretch! You jumped from Jesus’ arrival, to the lead up to Jesus arrival and then compared the great and illustrious day of Jehovah to the establishment of Christianity!
Jesus described the lead up to his arrival thoroughly and although yes, the good news of the kingdom does get preached before the end – there is also the small matter of tribulation the like of which the world has never seen! Also, times so critical, so confusing, even the chosen ones could be misled. This is the lead up to Jesus’ arrival – not 120 years of preaching a kingdom that was established in 1914. And while Russell did good work in exposing Christendom’s paganism let’s not forget Martin Luther and the many other faithful ones through the dark ages.
I’ll say it again, the restoration occurs when Jesus arrives in his glory.
You also wrote:
"What is to be restored? God’s purpose is to destroy this present evil system and replace it with a righteous new heavens and new earth. What is to be restored, then, is Christianity itself. And not only that, God purposes to restore humankind to the perfection that Adam and Eve lost."
Christianity itself?! Is our great God so besotted with formal worship?! I am shocked that you may have listened to another kind of good news! Was your anointing by faith or by works of formal religion?
Jesus did not come to establish true religion let alone restore it! In fact he fulfilled the law and destroyed the only true religion there ever was. A religion whose purpose was ‘to make transgressions manifest, until the seed should arrive to whom the promise had been made’ -Jesus. He came to save the world from true religion and establish God’s righteousness – this is the good news of the Christ!
The true religion of the Jews was a tutor leading to the Christ and Satan has twisted the faith that Jesus brought with him into another law based religious system so that ‘Christians’ the world over can establish their own righteousness instead of seeking to know God’s – to formalize the faith is weak and beggarly.
Galatians 3:23 – 28 says:
However, before the faith arrived, we were being guarded under law, being delivered up together into custody, looking to the faith that was destined to be revealed. (this faith is not true religion – it is a fruitage of Holy Spirit that Jesus brought with him and sent forth as a helper.) Consequently the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith (a gift of the spirit). But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a tutor.
YOU are all, in fact, sons of God through YOUR faith in Christ Jesus. For all of YOU who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female; for YOU are all one [person] in union with Christ Jesus. Moreover, if YOU belong to Christ, YOU are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise.
If we are sons of God through our faith in Jesus then we have been adopted by God when his spirit connected with ours. This happens privately. This does not need to happen in a building. You do not need to be a member of a club. You do not need the approval of other men. As in the case of Paul you may not even meet other members of the Christ for years. As heirs with reference to the promise we are scattered to the four corners of this dark world – most likely alone in our faith with sporadic but fantastic association with our brothers.
Good stuff everyone -- KEEP it Coming!!!!!!
Got to go to work!!!
fair dinkum,
interesting angle there. That would make the WT, along with all other Churches like a nanny, supposedly leading people to Christ, but getting lost along the way, not unlike the original law religion, which then also turned most people into self-righteous Pharisees, with only a few 'Israelites for a certainty' walking by faith and becoming heirs of God's promise.
The codified religious systems of Judeo-Christian origin, seem to serve their purpose by preserving the weak and beggarly rudiments of external divine enactments, but are totally incapable of bringing about righteousness, salvation, reconciliation and freedom, or a dispensing of anything in connection with faith, let alone a new creation of spiritual birth through the living and eternal word of God.
Just as in the first century there were the people of God that were a part of, or inside, Jerusalem, as well as those outside the city or camp, so today we find the same distinction between those who are associated with religious organizations like the WT and the rest of the Churches, and those who are outside of all forms of organized religion.
And just as back then, while ALL of those outside the camp, walking by faith, survived and had God's approval, only a small remnant of those clinging to 'God's earthly organization,' walking by sight, barely survived the divine extermination, so it will be repeated in our time, leading up to Christ's second coming.
Christendom including the WT could be likened to Hagar, the servant girl, that is in slavery to the weak and elementary precepts of religion with her children, who gets thrown out because of persecuting those born of the spirit who are outside the camp and part of the new Jerusalem. Certainly, those born of the WT seem to have received a spirit of slavery, making them jealous and hateful of those who have the glorious freedom of the children of God in Christ. That certainly makes a lot of sense.
Thanks proxy, yes, the prophetic drama is multi-applicable.
interestingly as noted, those who recieve a spirit of slavery don't realise the jealousy and hatred they show towards those of the children of God. On the flipside and in their defence, "they" see that those that question or challenge "their" laws and beliefs, as 'jealous and hateful' towards "them" and "their" God, and thus they feel justified before "their" God to attack, punish and destroy verbally and phisically such ones, in the defence of their "truth" before "their" God.
We have two different Gods here, in fact two different "truths."One Yahweh and one the Devil. Both claim to be the God of Truth. Only ONE is telling the truth!
Their will be many today who claim to follow the God of truth, but it will be the Devil whom they serve.
When 2 Thessalonians talks about a time when 'God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie,' that very lie becomes a matter of "truth" to the majority, making the REAL TRUTH a "LIE".
As this tribulation on (the REAL TRUTH) God's chosen ones who carry and bear the name of the True Christ intensifies, may they continue to be bold in matters of revealed truth no matter what the consequences.
When such ones allow the glory of their God to shine brightly within their hearts and minds, may the ''glare" of Him reveal to them the many dark deceptions surrounding them, bringing such "things" into the light, as a witness before all the accusers, until the end comes
We all long for the revealling of the sons of God, and when it comes, that "light" that shone so brightly within their hearts and minds will then encompass such ones, revealling before all, those that had remained faithful to the end. And only then will the jealous, hateful accusers of "Truth" have their first true "Revelation!!"
to be 'Frank,'
Yeah, I always wondered about the god that wants his worshippers to pretend to believe lies for the sake of coming into the 'truth' - to get baptized into the one-and-only, in 1914 enthroned organization, directed by his spirit of 'truth' - as a necessary prerequisite for their gaining salvation.
What sort of truth might that be, and what sort of god?
Kind of reminds me of a line from Bob Dylan: "Fools glorify themselves, trying to manipulate Satan...And there's a slow, slow train coming, up around the bend!"
For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it keeps panting on to the end, and it will not tell a lie. Even if it should delay, keep in expectation of it.
If they do these things when the tree is moist, what will they do when it dries up?
None but a FEW faithful slaves would discern the Lord's presence since 1914, to the world nothing else but the sign of Jonah would be understood. The preaching work is manifestation of who is the Jonah-organization in the presence of the Lord. QED.
Nigel, I read your post and I agree with everything you have written. I pray for the people who are slaved to the governing body of JWs.
There is only one faith and one way to enter the Kingdom of God. The faith is in Jesus Christ, not the Watch Tower or any other religious sect. How we become to know the faith is by Jesus Christ. He is the truth, God word is truthj. The ony way we get to know him is by reading his word and asking for his holy spirit to open our spiritual eyes and allow the word of God to speak to our hearts.
God's people are everywhere and all over the world. We are connected to each other when we bare witnesses to the same spirit. Christians can do this because we all have the same spirit...the spirit of the truth.
JWs can not do this, because their truth is always changing. God's word is forever and it never changes. God never changes his mind.
I thank God for Jesus and for His Holy Spirit.
Dear Watchman, I read some years ago about your actions re the Organization’s arrangement with the UN. It didn’t really surprise me. I started field service back in 1959, and have seen a lot over the years. We stayed out of the 1975 debacle, when those who weren’t fully convinced the End would come then were accused of “lack of faith”. What has kept me going was a very real sense of my own imperfection.
Reading the posts, one can see how many are still engaged in “arguments” about interpretation of prophecy. How many thousands of pages have been written explaining prophecy? And it leads always to the same result – disappointing people, tearing down their faith.
As Paul said to Agrippa “you are expert on the controversies among the Jews”. And this is the result of this seeming obsession to be the first to explain prophecy - ongoing controversy.
I see recently a correction was published about the resurrection of unborn infants. A relief, surely for those who have suffered this agonizing loss. But why did they have to be more hurt by being told previously that their infants would NOT be resurrected?
Surely, if the scriptures are not specific, what is so difficult about simply saying: “we do not know?” I worked once for a boss who brooked no discussion, no opinion except his own. He knew everything, and even when he was wrong, he was always right. The unhappiest place one could imagine. Needless to say, all the good staff left in droves.
Even though I have associated since the 1950s, I have kept searching for a better understanding of the Truth. And, after many ups and down, and heartbreak, I have come to realize that everything is wrapped up in PRACTISING 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 8.
And understanding what Paul was inspired to write in verses 1 to 5 – without LOVE, EVERYTHING else is VAIN.
Taking in knowledge is well and good, but if love is not learnt, then it seems to lead to self-righteousness and a type of spiritual cruelty, where folk use the scriptures to “beat” one another. Hitler taught the Nazis to believe they were better than everyone else. Those who focus on knowledge are in danger of the same snare.
And, this is the great cry going out in so many places: the brothers are asking: “WHERE IS THE LOVE?”
Why are the “little ones” seemingly abandoned, why are the poor and unfortunates so often ignored. Why are those in spiritual difficulty abandoned to their own devices.
I do NOT say it is everywhere. But I have seen it in so many places, that I begin to wonder.
Worst of all, is the way that slander, innuendo, and false accusation has been used by those who are interested in power and authority, right in the organization. Many have experienced what David did at Saul’s hands, and also had to “run away into the wilderness” as it were, to escape.
I got to the point that I could no longer live in an atmosphere of suspicion, betrayal and slander. After being told, from childhood, that the Truth was the one place I would feel safe, the reality has been very different. And that’s what holds me back. Like Galileo, I cannot pretend that what I have experienced “is not really so.”
What I have learnt, is how important it is to really read the Bible, and get to know Jehovah and Jesus.
Psalm 146: 3 reminds us not to put our faith in ANY human. We use this scripture often in the field. Maybe it has a much wider application.
As verse 5 says, happiness comes from trusting in Jehovah.
TO::: "an outcast"
Thank you for posting your clearly emotionally distrubed feelings about the WT org (B-org) & the results of
its dogma, death dealing policies & false doctrines held on by the "skin of their collective teeth"
Try to read the commenters views on these blogs, & also look up Freeminds.org (top r.h. corner "net soup" &
trawl down until you find a subject that interests you. there are true stories from ex-Bethelites from Brooklyn, from
Fred Franz era,,,,the great apostasy of 1980 ( huge expulsions ) not like the one in the 60s when Knorr threw out
the gay Bethel boys (d'fellowshipped - some for wife-swapping others for cavorting in the Sauna etc)
Before you call yourself and "outcast" please take the time to read some of the true history of the "Secret Society"
you believed was the "TRUTH from the true God YHWH" forget tjhe white-washed version of the Proclaimers Book (93)
refer to the chief Researcher of the facts therein, Sis. Barbara Anderson who writes articles for Freeminds.org , & the
REAL history of the BORG (Beast organisation )
We are certainly not OUTCASTS , but triumphant OVERCOMERS who will not be misled by these "false prophets"
not even mingling with them, we are OUTSIDE the camp for very good reasons,, ,,namely, FAITHFULLNESS...that
is growing stronger every week due to our daily discussions on these forums........Please feel free to join us & be set
free from negative emotions, even anger.....Most of us who spent years in the WTB&TS programmes, have exited
with side-effects, namely Post Traumatic Stress syndrome.....depending on what situations were presentated to us
& ongoing lack of shepherding/ assistance from the so-called "faithful & discreet Governing body"
"Wasted time " though not entirely because the discipline of the meeting schedules gave us the tenacity to
study the Bible, and get to know Jehovah & His beloved son, your time is valuable to us, so please expound on
your feelings in an atmosphere of love & acceptance