by TheListener 48 Replies latest jw friends
As we all know, the dub bosses are masters at saying things that are "almost" true. Thus the expression "Follow the Christ" is designed to mislead the public into thinking Christ has anything to do with this misguided pack of followers, while at the same time fooling the followers into believing he does.
It comes as no surprise they'd use the title "Follow the Christ." However, ou won't see them use "Follow Christ." The difference is subtle. But you can bet the Society recognizes it.
I got a weird feeling when I saw that name mentioned. It sounds pseudo-christian and misleading. Why couldnt they have just said "follow Jesus". Something about the words "The Christ" it just sounds so unnatural to say it in that sense.
Dave
Double WOW. I can see something potentially very disturbing looming on the horizon with this. Prima facie it appears the Society may be humbling themselves and trying to put more emphasis on Jesus Christ, which would be fantastic, but it seems more likely that the Convention is going to be one huge propaganda exercise designed to elevate the Society and Governing Body on an even greater level, right up there with Jesus himself, the likes of which we havn't seen before. I can easily see that this may turn out to be a message that we must submissively follow the Watchtower Society, GB, FDS. etc, to an even more obsequious degree, because that is the SAME as following Christ!!
Remember, "Christ" is the NT Greek term for "anointed".
There ya have it. FOLLOW THE ANOINTED!
Double WOW. I can see something potentially very disturbing looming on the horizon with this. Prima facie it appears the Society may be humbling themselves and trying to put more emphasis on Jesus Christ, which would be fantastic, but it seems more likely that the Convention is going to be one huge propaganda exercise designed to elevate the Society and Governing Body on an even greater level, right up there with Jesus himself, the likes of which we havn't seen before. I can easily see that this may turn out to be a message that we must submissively follow the Watchtower Society, GB, FDS. etc, to an even more obsequious degree, because that is the SAME as following Christ!!
Remember, "Christ" is the NT Greek term for "anointed".
There ya have it. FOLLOW THE ANOINTED
Pretty much sums it up.
The WTS is STILL a fraud.
Annie
I think it would work possibly since they recognize the christian community is basically not interested in the old testament God but seem to have some love and respect for Jesus but most people don't see the cards up their sleeves . It takes years to see what's going on with this cult . I think this will be interesting to see exactly what the main discussion is going to be about .
The Watchtower could care less about the anointed remnant partakers in the KH. They have no power and are not consulted on any matters of doctrine or policy. All power rests with the handful of GB members who run the show at WT Headquarters. If the witnesses at the KH truly plan to follow the anointed as the Christ, then it will be to the grave- that's where all of them have ended up.
Here are some statements on "the Christ" teaching:
"But, as Jesus was in God’s plan as the anointed one before the foundation of the world, so too the church of Christ was recognized in the same plan, that is, God purposed to take out of the world a 'little flock'.... As Jesus was foreordained to be the anointed one, so we also were chosen to the same anointing of the spirit as members in his body and under him as our head. ... To be thus a part of 'The Seed,' 'The Christ,' we must see to it that we comply with the conditions [suffer death with Him if we would be found in Him] thus making our calling and election sure.... Our oneness with Jesus as members of the Christ -- anointed body -- may be clearly illustrated by the figure of the pyramid" (Zion's Watch Tower Reprints, September 1880, pp. 134-135).
"The Christ of God is Jesus and the redeemed Church" (Ibid, May 1885, p. 751).
"Jehovah hath appointed the Christ -- head and body -- bridegroom and bride. Together they shall constitute the great Prophet, Priest and King whom Jehovah hath anointed; and their glory shall appear to all intelligent creatures in heaven and in earth" (Ibid, March 1889, p. 1102).
"This latter part of the commission was not due until the harvest or end of the age; and which the entire commission belongs to the whole body of the Anointed -- the Christ, head and body -- the latter part must of necessity be declared by those members of the body living in the last times -- the harvest or end of the age, from A. D. 1874 to A. D. 1915" (Ibid, 1 October 1894, p. 1715).
"So in the antitype -- a 'little flock,' a priestly class, is selected for the pre-eminent position and consitute's 'Abraham’s Seed' on the highest plane, the divine nature. This class, The Christ, is composed of Jesus, the Head, and the church, his members" (Watch Tower Reprints, 1 May 1909, p. 4390).
"This Christ is composed of many members. (1 Cor. 12:12.) The Greek word Christ corresponds to the Hebrew word Messiah.... This age will end when the full number of the 'elect' shall have been found and tested. Then the body will have been completed. When The Messiah is complete, TheChrist will be complete" (Ibid, 15 June 1911, p. 4841).
"We recognize that the church of God is the antitype of Elijah because she is, with her great Head, The Christ of God" (Ibid, 1 February 1916, p. 5845).
"Jesus was the first Christian -- the first of the Christ company. ... Thus the Lord describes The Christ complete -- Jesus Christ in the midst of the new kingdom, and the members of his body, described as trees of life, the leaves of which -- their professions and teachings during the times of restitution -- will be for the healing and blessing of the sin-sick and sorrowing nations of the world" (Ibid, 15 May 1917, pp. 6083-6084).
"The word Christ signifies anointed. Anointing means designation to official position in God’s arrangement. The Christ is the instrument or channel for the blessing of mankind. The Christ is composed of Jesus, the great and mighty head, and 144,000 members... It is important, therefore, for us to know how one becomes a member ofthe Christ, the great mystery of God" (JF Rutherford, The Harp of God, 1921, p. 187).
"God has never promised to use any human organization to carry out His purpose. He selects His own seed for the purpose of carrying into effect His sovereign will. The word church means 'a called-out class.' It is synonymous with the term 'the body of Christ.' The Church is composed of Jesus, the Head, and all those faithful followers of His who through faith consecrate themselves to do God's will, and loyally carry out that consecration. Jehovah has devoted a long period of time to the selection of this class. The period has been from the time of Pentecost until the setting up of the kingdom. The word church is synonymous with the word Christ; Christ means anointed one, and through the Christ the blessings shall come to mankind" (JF Rutherford, "God's Promise to Bless Mankind," Golden Age, 7 May 1924, p. 510).
"The new creation is The Christ. The Christ is a composite body made up of many members. The Head of The Christ is Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son. Those who are taken from amongst men, justified, begotten and anointed by the spirit of Jehovah, and who then continue faithful unto death, will constitute the members of The Christ complete" (JF Rutherford, The Creation, 1927, p. 192).
"Every one of the temple class may have some opportunity of putting the printed message in the hands of the people and thereby to bear witness to the truth that Jehovah is the only true God. Because they are in the body of Christ and brought into the temple condition they are a part ofThe Christ" (Watchtower, 15 January 1929, p. 25).
"Since the remnant constitute a part ofThe Christ, the message antitypically is addressed to this anointed company also" (Watchtower, 1 February 1931, p. 37).
"The sufferings of the body members are not for the purpose of providing a purchase price or a sin-offering, but that they might be made a part ofThe Christ, as members of the Body of Christ.... Each one of the new creation must be proved as loyal and faithful unto God; and the apostle is here rejoicing that he is privileged to partake of the sufferings of Christ, since this is the condition precedent to being made members ofThe Christ" (Watchtower, 1 January 1936, p. 15).
"In this text it is 'our body', of which Christ Jesus is the Head, that is, The Christ, including Christ Jesus, the Head, and 144,000 body members, that experiences redemption or deliverance. The visible manifestation of this redemption is by the deliverance of the faithful on earth from the bondage of Satan’s organization, where they had been captives and prisoners down to 1918" (JF Rutherford, Salvation, 1939, p. 189)
"The THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT is here, it having begun with Jehovah’s enthronement of the King thereof in A.D. 1914.... Yet on earth for God’s purpose there remain the faithful remnant who are in line to be of that Greater Jacob’s body members, The Complete Christ of which Jesus is the Head. They serve on, awaiting also their change in Jehovah’s due time" (Watchtower, 15 June 1942, p. 188).
"These must all be anointed with God's spirit, that is, officially commissioned -- as spirit-begotten witnesses of Jehovah God . Hence The Christ, or The Anointed One, is a collective or composite company, Christ Jesus being the Head, and the 144,000 members of his church being the body" (The New World, 1942, p. 96).
"God’s one corporate organization can be acted upon by the one spirit of the one God but with varieties of manifestation through the active organization members. How so? The apostle illustrates. All these organization members are anointed with the one spirit of God.... The title Christ means Anointed One; and thus all these organization members under Christ Jesus their Head are members ofthe Christ company or congregation or body. Their anointing with God’s spirit is unto service, as the apostle has shown above" (Watchtower, 1 January 1947, p. 6).
In the late 1940s, the phrase "the Christ" became uncommon altho the doctrine was still in place; this probably was a consequence of the new focus on the "great multitude" at the expense of the spirit-begotten class. Instead of referring to the anointed as "the Christ," it became more common to simply call them "body members" or "the anointed", tho the expression continued to be used in the 1950s:
"The poured-out blood of Christ signifies death, not merely for a new covenant to be made over a dead victim, but primarily for vindicating Jehovah’s sovereignty, name and word. And in this death for Jehovah’s vindication the "body of the Lord", Christ’s body-members, share.... So to the wine-drinker the cup pictures the sufferings which the heavenly Father has poured like a potion for all the Christ company, the Head and the body" (Watchtower, 15 February 1952, p. 111).
"There is but the one ‘seed, who is Christ’, including those under him who 'belong to Christ', sharing in the same heavenly hope; members of which class today form the visible governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses. Yes, there is only the one spiritual 'body' of the Christ, only the one true vine, only the one mount, Zion, catching and reflecting Jehovah’s glory" (Watchtower, 1 September 1952, p. 537).
Then by the mid-1950s, the Society ceased entirely to use the phrase "the Christ" to refer to "the anointed". This was followed up by an article in 1963 that presented the "new light":
"But what about the expressions 'the Christ' and 'Christ'? Does the use of the article with 'Christ' designate something different from when no article is used? Might it be that, whereas the term 'Christ' refers to Jesus Christ alone, the term 'the Christ' could also include the 144,000 members of his body? Do the Scriptures support this thought or distinction? No, they do not... In fact, the expression "the Christ" of itself at no time includes the members of Christ’s body... " (Watchtower, 1 September 1963, p. 539-540).
Of course, the Society could still reverse itself or find a way to sneak the "anointed class" into the appeals to "Follow the Christ". It is interesting that as a phrase "follow the Christ" does not appear once in the 2005 WT-CDROM; so this is not an exact quote of a scripture but is innovative in its wording.
Possible bastardized scriptures:
(1 Peter 2:21) In fact, to this [course] YOU were called, because even Christ suffered for YOU, leaving YOU a model for YOU to follow his steps closely.
(Matthew 16:24) Then Jesus said to his disciples: "If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and continually follow me.
Usually there is a theme scripture along with the theme of the DC. Does anyone have access to the KM that discusses it to see if a scripture is mentioned?
Blondie
