1.) For a long time Jehovah’s Witnesses had been taught that Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins was fulfilled in 1918. But the July, 2013, Watchtower adjusted the coming of the bridegroom to a point in the future. Previously the Watchtower had explained that the International Bible Students had “nodded off” during the First World War and were suddenly roused from their slumber in 1918. Since that is no longer the case, does this mean that the anointed virgins who are awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom are destined to nod off immediately before his arrival? And if so, would this not also imply that a significant number of them do not presently have enough illuminating oil in their receptacles to find their way in the dark? What may account for this shortage of “oil”?
2.) On page 20 of the new publication, God’s Kingdom Rules! there is an illustration of Jesus ruling with his scepter in hand. The caption of the illustration states: “In 1914, the Bible Students began to discern the sign of Christ’s invisible presence.” As the Governing Body is surely aware, C.T. Russell taught that Christ’s presence began in 1874 and the Bible Students had been led to believe that the world would end shortly after 1914. But according to the the book God’s Kingdom of 1,000 Years Has Approached, the date for the beginning of the parousia was not reset to 1914 until 1943 — 29 years after the fact. How then were the Bible Students able to discern the presence of Christ? If some individuals back then believed the presence began in 1914 would not they have been out of harmony with the organization and considered to be apostate by today’s standard?
3.) It has now been exactly 100 years since C.T. Russell announced to the Bethel family that the Gentile times had ended and their kings have had their day. In view of the fact that the “kings” of the world have continued to dominate mankind just as before, in what sense have they “had their day”? If the nations were disallowed from any longer trampling upon the holy place and antitypical Jerusalem back in 1914, why does the Watchtower interpret the eighth chapter of Daniel to have been fulfilled during the 1940’s, when supposedly the Anglo-American duo trampled upon the holy place and sanctuary and removed the “constant feature”?
4.) The March 1, 2004, Watchtower carried an article entitled: “The Faithful Slave Passes the Test,” which applied the fulfillment of Jesus’ parables of the wise and foolish virgins and the slaves to whom the master entrusted his silver talents, to the time of testing during the First World War. The article also asserted that the inspection of the house of God began then too. But even though the Society has totally discarded the notion that the bridegroom arrived back then (as of last year) and that the master called his slaves to account for their activities, the God’s Kingdom Rules! publication still maintains that the inspection began back in 1914. If that is the case, what did Jesus inspect? Doesn’t the reward or punishment come about as a result of the master’s surprise inspection? Since the judgment of his slaves takes place in the future, ought we not also reset the day of Christ’s coming as a judge and refiner to the future as well?
5.) On page nine of God’s Kingdom Rules! we read: “It is clear that God’s Kingdom has not yet “come” to fulfill the model prayer…but there is good news. God’s Kingdom has been established.” If God’s Kingdom has already been established and Jesus is ruling over the world, as the title of the publication proclaims, why must we continue to wait for the kingdom to “come”?
6.) On page 10 of God’s Kingdom Rules! the statement is made concerning the parable of the wheat and the weeds, that the growing season had ended and the harvest began in 1914. But since Jesus surely based his illustration on the natural growing cycle, with a harvest being accomplished over a relatively short period of time compared to the growing season, is it reasonable that the “harvest” spans a century? And not only that, but since virtually no one living now was anointed prior to 1914, how can it honestly be said that the “growing season” ended 100 years ago? Expressed differently: How can persons born after the planting and growing season ended be harvested?
7.) Since the Watchtower now acknowledges that the Kingdom has not come yet, why does the Society continue to refer to the supposed end of the Gentile times as “the greatest event ever to occur in world history?” (See page 13 of God’s Kingdom Rules!) Ought we not expect the actual coming of Christ and the day of Jehovah to far exceed in importance an event that only a tiny percentage of people attach any importance to? And doesn’t our fixation on a date 100 years ago actually diminish our Christian watchfulness for the coming of Christ?
8.) On page 37 of God’s Kingdom Rules! it says that as a rule prophecies are not understood until after they are fulfilled or are in the course of being fulfilled. Then it states: “Now that we are deep in the time of the end, many prophecies have been and are being fulfilled.” That being the case, since the prophecy of Daniel is destined to be unsealed during the time of the end, and there is no indication it is unsealed gradually over the span of a century, how is it that the Governing Body has no idea who the present king of the north is and has even stated that we will have to wait and see?
9.) As regards the aforementioned assertion that prophecy cannot be understood before it is fulfilled, isn’t that evidence of a lack of insight? After all, prophecy is intended to reveal the things to come, not what is already past. For example, the prophecy of the king of the north and south reveals that the king of the north will prove successful all the way to the end. And according to the prophecy the king of the north subjugates his nemesis — the king of the south, also known as “Egypt.” In proof of that there is no mention of the king of the south beyond the point “Egypt” does not escape from the machinations of the king of the north. And it is a single king — the king of the north — who comes all the way to his end when he is confronted by the great prince, Michael.
In view of the above, why does the Watchtower assume that the king of the south is on hand when Michael stands up, in spite of the fact the prophecy makes no mention of him in the run-up to the final confrontation? Regardless of the identities of the two kings, isn’t this assumption symptomatic of mere carelessness on the part of the Society’s seers and not as a result of some rule that prevents prophecy from being understood before it is fulfilled?
10.) On page 22, under the sub-heading of A Time of Testing, the Society claims that in 1914 Malachi 3:2 began to undergo fulfillment, which states: “But who will endure the day of his coming, and who will be able to stand when he appears? For he will be like the fire of a refiner and like the lye of laundrymen.”Moreover, the prophecy goes on to say that the messenger of the covenant “will come near to you for judgment.” Since, as already noted, Jesus’ coming to judge his slaves is in the future, in what sense did Jesus come and appear in 1914? Besides, what is the point of judging a small group of Bible Students who have passed off the scene anyway? Prophecy indicates that the judgment immediately precedes entry into the Kingdom for those approved.