by onetwofour 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
hey what are the verses in the bible dealing with false prophets?i only recall deuteronomy 18
regarding john 1:1 i said to a jw friend theres only one God, this makes Jesus a god... meaning 2
then my friend said a lot of things are called god in the bible
how should i respond?
bttt
Onetwofour,
Welcome. There is a guy here named Auldsoul who has a great perspective on this topic. Hope he finds this and contributes. I was myself surprised to see what he has put together on the "false prophet".
Steve
In case you missed it in the body of that thread where I welcomed you, Welcome!
Ask and ye shall receive
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’
Matthew 7:15-20 15 "Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep's covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits YOU will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 17 Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; 18 a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Really, then, by their fruits YOU will recognize those [men].
Matthew 24:9-14 9 "Then people will deliver YOU up to tribulation and will kill YOU, and YOU will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name. 10 Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; 12 and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. 13 But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved. 14 And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:23-28 23 "Then if anyone says to YOU, 'Look! Here is the Christ,' or, 'There!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones. 25 Look! I have forewarned YOU. 26 Therefore, if people say to YOU, 'Look! He is in the wilderness,' do not go out; 'Look! He is in the inner chambers,' do not believe it. 27 For just as the lightning comes out of eastern parts and shines over to western parts, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Mark 13:21-23 21 "Then, too, if anyone says to YOU, 'See! Here is the Christ,' 'See! There he is,' do not believe [it]. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones. 23 YOU, then, watch out; I have told YOU all things beforehand.
Luke 6:26 26 "Woe, whenever all men speak well of YOU, for things like these are what their forefathers did to the false prophets.
2 Peter 2:1-3 2 However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among YOU. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. 2 Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. 3 Also, with covetousness they will exploit YOU with counterfeit words. But as for them, the judgment from of old is not moving slowly, and the destruction of them is not slumbering.
1 John 4:1 4 Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.
2 Corinthians 11:12-15 12 Now what I am doing I will still do, that I may cut off the pretext from those who are wanting a pretext for being found equal to us in the office of which they boast. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. 15 It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness. But their end shall be according to their works.
Galatians 2:1-5 2 Then after fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Bar´na·bas, taking also Titus along with me. 2 But I went up as a result of a revelation. And I laid before them the good news which I am preaching among the nations, privately, however, before those who were outstanding men, for fear that somehow I was running or had run in vain. 3 Nevertheless, not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. 4 But because of the false brothers brought in quietly, who sneaked in to spy upon our freedom which we have in union with Christ Jesus, that they might completely enslave us-- 5 to these we did not yield by way of submission, no, not for an hour, in order that the truth of the good news might continue with YOU.
These are the Scriptures I use. That is what you asked for. In case you want more...
Here is a link to what a poster named crazies came up with: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/104085/1801055/post.ashx#1801055
And below you will find a LONG writeup I did on it for my dad. He didn't read it. He doesn't talk to me anymore. He's been an elder since he was 17 but he took his toys and went home, muttering something about spiritual maturity as he walked out of my life.
***
rs (Reasoning From the Scriptures, 1989) p. 136 False Prophets ***Jehovah’s Witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets. They have made mistakes. Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations.—Luke 19:11; Acts 1:6.
Key phrases are "inspired" and "prophets." The apostles had not yet received anointing by Holy Spirit in either of these cases.
Luke 19:11
— While they were listening to these things he spoke in addition an illustration, because he was near Jerusalem and they were imagining that the kingdom of God was going to display itself instantly.Acts 1:6
— When, now, they had assembled, they went asking him: "Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?"***
w72 4/1 pp. 197-200 ‘They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them’ ***‘They
Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them’(Excerpted due to length, meaning unaltered. Article reference given for verifiability.)
People today can view the creative works. They have at hand the Bible, but it is little read or understood. So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come?
IDENTIFYING
THE "PROPHET"(Excerpted due to length, meaning unaltered. Article reference given for verifiability.)
These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? The clergy of the so-called "Christian" nations hold themselves before the people as being the ones commissioned to speak for God. But, as pointed out in the previous issue of this magazine, they have failed God and failed as proclaimers of his kingdom by approving a man-made political organization, the League of Nations (now the United Nations), as "the political expression of the Kingdom of God on earth."
However, Jehovah did not let the people of Christendom, as led by the clergy, go without being warned that the League was a counterfeit substitute for the real kingdom of God. He had a "prophet" to warn them. This "prophet" was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. They are still proclaiming a warning, and have been joined and assisted in their commissioned work by hundreds of thousands of persons who have listened to their message with belief.
Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a "prophet" of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?
(Excerpted due to length, meaning unaltered. Article reference given for verifiability.)
THE
"PROPHET" SPEAKS TO CHRISTENDOM(Excerpted due to length, meaning unaltered. Article reference given for verifiability.)
Thus this group of anointed followers of Jesus Christ, doing a work in Christendom paralleling Ezekiel’s work among the Jews, were manifestly the modern-day Ezekiel, the "prophet" commissioned by Jehovah to declare the good news of God’s Messianic kingdom and to give warning to Christendom. It is significant that, in 1931, after twelve years of faithful service despite the opposition of Christendom’s clergy, these followers of Christ embraced the name "Jehovah’s witnesses" at the same convention at which the book Vindication was released.—Isa. 43:10-12, American Standard Version.
(Excerpted due to length, meaning unaltered. Article reference given for verifiability.)
JEHOVAH’S
"PROPHET" VINDICATEDSince the year 1919 C.E. Jehovah’s witnesses have found circumstances to be just like that as they have made the widest possible declaration of the good news of the Kingdom in 207 lands of the earth.
To Ezekiel, in his vision, and, symbolically to the modern-day "prophet," the spirit-begotten, anointed ones who are the nucleus of Jehovah’s witnesses today, God gave something to eat. Ezekiel says:
"And I began to see, and, look! there was a hand thrust out to me, and, look! in it there was the roll of a book. And he gradually spread it out before me, and it was written upon in front and on the back; and there were written in it dirges and moaning and wailing."—Ezek. 2:8-10.
(Excerpted due to length, meaning unaltered. Article reference given for verifiability.)
Yes, the time must come shortly that the nations will have to know that really a "prophet" of Jehovah was among them. Actually now more than a million and a half persons are helping that collective or composite "prophet" in his preaching work and well over that number of others are studying the Bible with the "prophet" group and its companions.
The anointed remnant claims to be a "prophet," and infer that they are like Ezekiel who was an inspired prophet of God. But this article is from 1972. Perhaps the understanding has changed since then; or maybe there has been clarification of how this is meant.
*** w73 3/1 p. 150 Heeding Divine Warning Is Wisdom ***
What is to be gained by hesitating and doubting to the end that Jehovah can raise up and has raised up a genuine "prophet" within our generation? Certainly it will gain for no one the divine favor and protection needed during the speedily approaching "great tribulation." If our course is to be that of wisdom and of faith, then, with Bible in hand, we will heed the warning of Jehovah’s true watchman and will take refuge where Jehovah indicates in his Word. Then, when Jehovah’s prophetic watchman gets the report that Christendom has been struck down, we, together with the faithful watchman, will continue to live.
None of us should want to be like these indecisive, unresponsive ones. Better it is to know now, rather than too late, that there is an authentic prophetic class of Christians among us, and to accept and act upon the Bible message, "not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God." (1 Thess. 2:13) Those who wait undecided until what Jehovah’s Christian witnesses have been proclaiming ‘comes true’ "will also have to know that a prophet himself had proved to be in the midst of them." (Ezek. 33:33) But such belated knowledge will not mean salvation for them, for it will find their hearts and their ways to be unchanged.
*** w81 2/1 pp. 21-22 The Time for a Watchman like Ezekiel ***
6 Ezekiel’s people were the ones to whom Jehovah had earlier said by his prophet Isaiah: "‘You are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘even my servant whom I have chosen.’" (Isa. 43:10-12) So Ezekiel pictured the organized body of Jehovah’s spirit-anointed witnesses at the present time, the spiritual Israelites. These anointed witnesses live in a time far more meaningful than Ezekiel’s day.
*** w83 12/15 pp. 22-24 Spreading God’s Word Abroad in a Fearful World ***9 Today, even with the growing threat of nuclear war in spite of the United Nations organization, the religious leaders have not undergone a change of visage toward the Kingdom proclaimers. So the anointed remnant as Kingdom ambassadors and their dedicated, baptized associates out of all the nations have had to harden their own faces like a diamond in view of the stiffened religious opposition. They persist in speaking the Word of God fearlessly.
10 Particularly the clergy of Christendom and their parishioners should have understood the message and the counsel of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Witnesses draw what they have to say from the very same Bible that the religionists of the so-called Christian world claim to accept and that their Bible societies spread abroad in many languages. It has proved to be just as Jehovah God said to Ezekiel, according to the New World Translation: "And the sons insolent of face and hard of heart—I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said.’ And as for them, whether they will hear or will refrain—for they are a rebellious house—they will certainly know also that a prophet himself happened to be in the midst of them."—Ezekiel 2:4, 5.
*** w88 9/15 pp. 22-23 "They Will Have to Know That I Am Jehovah" ***The Watchman’s Duty5 Ezekiel was reminded of his duty as a watchman. (Ezekiel 33:1-7) Of course, God approves of a spiritual watchman only if he does his duty and warns the wicked. (Read Ezekiel 33:8, 9.) Like Ezekiel, then, the anointed "watchman" class boldly declares divine warnings. Since God takes no delight in the death of wicked ones, he will not hold their past record against them if they heed warnings and ‘walk in the very statutes of life.’ In Ezekiel’s day, walking in those statutes meant keeping the Law, but it now means accepting Christ’s ransom and being his follower. (1 Peter 2:21) There is nothing maladjusted about the way God punishes or rewards people, and preservation through the "great tribulation" depends on compliance with his statutes.—Ezekiel 33:10-20; Matthew 24:21.
*** w03 12/1 p. 29 Questions From Readers ***The modern-day watchman class, anointed Christians, have been warning about the doom of Christendom, antitypical Jerusalem. When the "great tribulation" strikes and devastates "Babylon the Great," the world empire of false religion, the anointed Ezekiel class will need to say nothing more about the demise of Christendom, which constitutes a major part of that empire.—Matthew 24:21; Revelation 17:1, 2, 5.
They compared themselves directly to Ezekiel as recently as 2003. They call themselves the "watchman" class. They say they are fearlessly speaking the Word of God, as opposed to their own words. They say "Ezekiel pictured...Jehovah’s spirit-anointed witnesses at the present time." This means, they are calling themselves the greater fulfillment of Ezekiel. They call upon faithful ones not to hesitate or doubt that Jehovah has "raised up a genuine ‘prophet’ within our generation."
This is the current understanding, as of 2003.
JEREMIAH*** w94 3/1 p. 10, 12 and Questions Jehovah’s Judgment Against False Teachers ***
11 Verse 27 tells us more. "They are thinking of making my people forget my name by means of their dreams that they keep relating each one to the other, just as their fathers forgot my name by means of Baal." The false prophets of Jerusalem caused the people to forget God’s name. Have today’s false religious teachers not done the same? Worse, they hide God’s name, Jehovah. They teach that it is not necessary to use it, and they remove it from their Bible translations. They strongly oppose anyone who teaches the people that God’s name is Jehovah. But the Jeremiah class, the remnant of spirit-anointed Christians, along with their companions, have done just as Jesus did. They have taught millions about God’s name.—John 17:6.
Declaring "the Burden of Jehovah"18 So, what is the responsibility of the Jeremiah class and their companions? Verse 33 tells us: "When this people or the prophet or priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the burden of Jehovah?’ you must also say to them, ‘"You people are—O what a burden! And I shall certainly abandon you," is the utterance of Jehovah.’"
Questions:
21. (a) Why was Jerusalem destroyed in 607 B.C.E.? (b) After Jerusalem’s destruction, what happened to the false prophets and to Jehovah’s true prophet, giving us what assurance today?
*** w94 3/1 p. 16 Fruitage—Good And Bad ***Rotten Figurative Figs in Our Day11 Now look around the world today. Do you think we can find a figurative basket of bad figs? Let us consider the facts by comparing our day with Jeremiah’s. In this 20th century, Jehovah has used the Jeremiah class, the anointed remnant, to warn the nations continually of his oncoming fury at the great tribulation. He has urged the national groups to give him the glory due his name, to worship him with spirit and truth, and to acknowledge his reigning Son, Christ Jesus, as earth’s rightful Ruler. What has been the reaction? Just the same as in Jeremiah’s day. The nations continue doing what is bad in Jehovah’s eyes.
*** w88 4/1 p. 16 Christendom Exposed as the Promoter of False Worship ***4 Thus the early anointed Christians acted like Jeremiah. Although faced with overwhelming odds and stubborn religious enemies, they announced God’s judgments. Now, who in this 20th century have followed that same example? Who have announced publicly and from house to house God’s judgments on this system of things and especially on Jerusalem’s counterpart, Christendom? The historical evidence has been piling up for more than 68 years to show that the modern Jeremiah class has been the small but courageous group of Jehovah’s anointed witnesses. These have been augmented and aided since 1935 by the growing "great crowd" of millions of willing companions, also known as Jehovah’s Witnesses. With a united voice, they have fulfilled their Jeremiah role by denouncing false religion as a snare and a racket.—Revelation 7:9, 10; 14:1-5.
*** w88 4/1 p. 17 Christendom Exposed as the Promoter of False Worship ***7 Now, in the age of television, we have TV preachers exploiting that medium with every kind of theatrical trick and psychological device to beguile the masses and empty the pockets of the flock. How appropriate is Jeremiah’s denunciation even now, some 2,600 years later! "For from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them, every one is making for himself unjust gain; and from the prophet even to the priest, each one is acting falsely." At the same time, none of them want to accept the challenge of the true Christian ministry, face-to-face with the people, from house to house. Only Jehovah’s Witnesses—the anointed Jeremiah class and the "great crowd"—have accepted that responsibility.—Jeremiah 6:13; Acts 20:20, 21.
ISAIAH*** w91 4/1 p. 23 A Pure Language for All Nations ***15 So when the Isaiah class in modern times began to hear the voice of Jehovah asking, as recorded at Isaiah 6:8: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" they gladly responded: "Here I am! Send me." It was not easy for all of them to get started in the public ministry, but they wanted to be used by God as a people for his name. His spirit strengthened them. Their numbers grew.
*** w51 4/1 p. 205 Who Sees the New World’s King at the Temple? ***3 Who now sees the temple vision? Isaiah’s prophecy, chapter 6, answers the question for us. In 774 B.C. the prophet had a vision and he pictured the class within our generation who have had the temple vision since A.D. 1914. It was Isaiah who uttered the words to God’s faithful people: "Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen." Isaiah himself was one of the witnesses of the Most High God. He therefore prefigured Jehovah’s anointed witnesses in this day. (Isa. 43:10, AS) So let us examine the facts concerning Isaiah’s temple vision and compare the facts of today with them.
MICAH*** w81 7/15 p. 13, 14 The Judgment Day of the Gods ***9 With such words the Sovereign Lord Jehovah served "as a witness" against the ancient kingdom of Judah. His prophet Micah had to serve as His visible witness, and this took great courage on his part, yes, great spiritual strength. But Micah was equal to what this service called for. How so? He tells us in these words: "I myself have become full of power, with the spirit of Jehovah, and of justice and mightiness, in order to tell to Jacob his revolt and to Israel his sin."—Mic. 3:8.
10 The same spirit of Jehovah that empowered Micah to proclaim the strong message of judgment by word of mouth also moved him to write down this stern message from the true God. Micah had something that the false prophets, visionaries and diviners of that day did not have, and so he had Jehovah’s "answer" to the national problems, namely, the "revolt" of Jacob and the "sin" of Israel. Personally, Micah had a sense of justice, so that he deeply appreciated that his own people were treating God unjustly, callously breaking God’s law and violating their national covenant with him through the mediator Moses. As a fine example for the Christian witnesses of Jehovah of today, Micah was no religious weakling, but he was full of spiritual mightiness to identify sin as sin!
14 During this time of judgment of all the false gods of this world, who are the ones that have carried on the work of exposure? The dedicated, baptized Christians who have been anointed with the spirit of Jehovah God through Jesus Christ. As a company, or class, these were prefigured by Jehovah’s prophet Micah. Activities like those of Micah have been carried on modernly, particularly since the end of World War I in 1918 C.E. Then the Micah class resolutely stepped forward onto the postwar scene and outstandingly acted as the witness for the God of Micah against the idolatrous systems of Christendom and pagandom. On valid grounds this Micah class, when gathered together in international assembly at Columbus, Ohio, in 1931, adopted a resolution by which they confessed themselves to be "Jehovah’s witnesses" and pledged themselves to carry out this obligation of being His witnesses. Following that example, congregations of dedicated Christians worldwide, who recognized themselves to be "the Israel of God," unitedly assented to that 1931 resolution and took upon themselves the Bible-based name "Jehovah’s witnesses." (Isa. 43:10-12; Gal. 6:16) Though challenged by Christendom, the name has stuck!
As can be seen, they not only call themselves a prophet they compare themselves to Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah. They state that these prophets prefigure the anointed remnant as a class, thereby calling themselves the greater Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah. We are left with only one question:
The Governing Body consists of a group of anointed Christian men (13 in 1986), including 7 serving on the board of directors of the Watch Tower Society. These preside over the worldwide activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They are not inspired by God and hence are not infallible, but they rely on God’s infallible Word as the highest authority on earth, and have a lifetime of experience in submitting to God’s will. Each has a record of more than 40 years in the full-time ministry with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
*** w98 2/15 p. 21 Glorious Freedom Soon for the Children of God ***13 Jehovah imparts his holy spirit as a gift to his people. Christians given a heavenly hope are anointed with holy spirit. (1 John 2:20; 5:1-4, 18) Yet, God’s servants having earthly prospects have the spirit’s help and guidance. Among these was Moses, who had Jehovah’s spirit, as did the 70 men appointed to assist him. (Numbers 11:24, 25) Under the influence of holy spirit, Bezalel served as an expert craftsman in connection with Israel’s tabernacle. (Exodus 31:1-11) God’s spirit came upon Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, David, Elijah, Elisha, and others. Though these individuals of ancient times will never be brought to heavenly glory, they were guided and helped by holy spirit, as are Jesus’ other sheep today. So, then, possession of God’s spirit does not mean that we necessarily have the heavenly calling. Yet, Jehovah’s spirit provides guidance, helps us to preach and fulfill other God-given assignments, gives us power beyond what is normal, and produces in us its fruitage of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self-control. (John 16:13; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10; Galatians 5:22, 23) Should we not be thankful for this gracious gift from God?
*** w90 3/15 p. 14 ‘The Faithful Slave’ and Its Governing Body ***20 Supplying information on the development of the modern-day Governing Body, the December 15, 1971, issue of The Watchtower explained: "Five years later [in 1884] Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was incorporated and served as an ‘agency’ to minister spiritual food to thousands of sincere persons seeking to know God and to understand his Word . . . Dedicated, baptized, anointed Christians became associated with that Society at headquarters in Pennsylvania. Whether on the Board of Directors or not, they rendered themselves available for special work of the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ class. They aided in the feeding and directing of the slave class, and thus a governing body made its appearance. This was evidently under the guidance of Jehovah’s invisible active force or holy spirit. Also, under the direction of the Head of the Christian congregation, Jesus Christ."
*** dp (Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy!, 1999) chap. 17 p. 304 Identifying True Worshipers in the Time of the End ***27 Of course, not all endured through this tumultuous era. No doubt that is why the angel had emphasized the importance of "keeping in expectation." Those who endured and kept in expectation were greatly blessed. An overview of Daniel chapter 12 makes this clear. As foretold, the anointed were revived, or resurrected, in a spiritual sense. They were given outstanding insight into God’s Word, being empowered to "rove about" in it and, guided by holy spirit, to unlock age-old mysteries. Jehovah cleansed them and made them shine spiritually, as brightly as stars. Consequently, they brought many into a righteous standing with Jehovah God.
*** it-1 (Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, 1988) pp. 1202-1203 Inspiration ***The quality or state of being moved by or produced under the direction of a spirit from a superhuman source. When that source is Jehovah, the result is a pronouncement or writings that are truly the word of God. The apostle Paul stated at 2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is inspired of God." The phrase "inspired of God" translates the compound Greek word the·o´pneu·stos, meaning, literally, "God-breathed" or "breathed by God."
This is the only occurrence of this Greek term in the Scriptures. Its use here clearly identifies God as the Source and Producer of the Sacred Scriptures, the Bible. Their being "God-breathed" finds some parallel in the expression found in the Hebrew Scriptures at Psalm 33:6: "By the word of Jehovah the heavens themselves were made, and by the spirit [or breath] of his mouth all their army."
Results From the Operation of God’s Spirit. The means or agency for the inspiration of "all Scripture" was God’s holy spirit, or active force. (See SPIRIT.) That holy spirit operated toward or upon men to move them and guide them in setting down God’s message. Thus, the apostle Peter says of Bible prophecy: "You know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit." (2Pe 1:20, 21) The evidence shows that God’s spirit operated on the minds and hearts of all the Bible writers to carry them along to the goal purposed by God. King David said: "The spirit of Jehovah it was that spoke by me, and his word was upon my tongue." (2Sa 23:2) When Jesus quoted Psalm 110, he said that David had written it "by inspiration [literally, in spirit]." (Mt 22:43) The parallel passage in Mark 12:36 reads "by the holy spirit."Even as Jehovah’s spirit moved men or qualified them to perform other divine assignments—the making of priestly garments and equipment for the tabernacle (Ex 28:3; 35:30-35), carrying the load of administration (De 34:9), leading military forces (Jg 3:9, 10; 6:33, 34)—so it enabled men to record the Scriptures. By means of that spirit, they could be given wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, and power, beyond what was normal and according to their particular need. (Isa 11:2; Mic 3:8; 1Co 12:7, 8) David is stated to have received the architectural plan of the temple "by inspiration [literally, by the spirit]." (1Ch 28:12) Jesus assured his apostles that God’s spirit would help them, teaching, guiding, and recalling to their minds the things they had heard from him, as well as revealing to them future things. (Joh 14:26; 16:13) This assured the truthfulness and accuracy of their Gospel accounts, including many lengthy quotations of Jesus’ speeches, even though John’s Gospel account, for example, was written scores of years after the death of Jesus.
So, to inspire means to guide, to direct, to move toward a goal or purpose. God’s modern day organization says it is "sprit-directed" and the anointed were "guided by holy spirit" but that it is not "inspired" by holy spirit.
Was this inspired help only for the 12 apostles?
1 John 2:26-29 — These things I write YOU about those who are trying to mislead YOU. And as for YOU, the anointing that YOU received from him remains in YOU, and YOU do not need anyone to be teaching YOU; but, as the anointing from him is teaching YOU about all things, and is true and is no lie, and just as it has taught YOU, remain in union with him. So now, little children, remain in union with him, that when he is made manifest we may have freeness of speech and not be shamed away from him at his presence. If YOU know that he is righteous, YOU gain the knowledge that everyone who practices righteousness has been born from him.According to John, the anointing teaches. His statement is not ambiguous. Would this not be true of all the anointed? Would they not all be inspired of God?
Does the anointed remnant claim to be inspired? Yes...and no.
Wowzer, this one is a keeper post! Thanks Leo and Auldsoul. BTW is Oldsoul and Auldsoul the same person?
Wow, Leo, sweet stuff. And AuldSoul, you da man!
Wouldn't you LOVE to be at a Watchtower study where Blondie, Leo, AuldSoul, and the others of their ilk were in attendance? Their comments would make the whole experience worthwhile.
Dave
You can do some trick. Take sticker (those sticky papers), write on that paper YHWH, God or something like that, and stick it to your own head. Or to some thing. Make more stickers, and stick them wherever you like. That's all! --- Between lines - to be "called" God and to BE God is two different things. Then there is no contradiction between Jes and all thes "called god" stuff. Things, beings are being CALLED god(s) mostly because they represent some ONE aspect/feature of God himself. Judges are called Gods coz God is only being who has right to judge. Angels are called gods coz they are very clever, spiritual beings and implements will of God. Moses is called God coz he is "proxy" of God to pharon and so on. Jehovah's Witnesses tells everybody, that true NAME of the God is "Jehovah" and still they do not understand what even term "name of God" means and also they do not undestand (atleast do not tell to enybody) what THE NAME means. But means it "Creator" - that's closest word in English, in hebrew it means much more. So... God is CREATOR. So using this point you can argue if the Jesus is just "called God" or he IS God by nature. If he is creator, then he is God, if he is not, then he is just divine being. Coz using "Creator" argument you can eazely draw line between "to be God" and "to be called God". Satan for example can't create even dust on the shelf, all he can do is to corrupt allready created things.
