OnTheWay, you've got it. I'm going to post a couple of WT citations--as well as some info I used to try and reason with my mother on precisely this subject.
“To such remnant of faithful servants of Jehovah God Christ Jesus has entrusted all “his goods”, or earthly interests of the Kingdom. This does not signify that the faithful remnant or society of Jehovah’s anointed witnesses are an earthly tribunal of interpretation, delegated to interpret the Scriptures and its prophecies. No; Christ Jesus the King has not entrusted that office to them. THE SUPREME COURT STILL INTERPRETS, thank God; and Christ Jesus, the Court’s official mouth-piece of interpretation, reserves to himself that office as Head of Jehovah’s “faithful and wise servant” class. He merely uses the “servant” class to publish the interpretation after the Supreme Court by Christ Jesus reveals it. How does the Lord God make known the interpretation? By causing the facts to come to pass visibly which are in fulfillment of the prophecy or dark saying or misunderstood scripture. Thereafter “in due season” he calls such fulfillment or clarification of prophecy and scripture to the attention of his “faithful and wise servant” class. Thereby he makes them responsible to make known the meaning of such scriptures to all members of the household of faith and to all persons of goodwill. This constitutes giving them “meat in due season.”” [Watchtower 1943, p. 203]
What the heck are they actually saying here, Mom? The claim is made that Jesus has entrusted all his “earthly goods” to them and uses them to “publish” interpretations. But they are not actually doing the interpreting. No. God and Christ do so. Does this make sense? How is this different from any other religion whom the Watchtower Society itself would accuse of being a false prophet? Yes, even they are not suggesting their interpretations have come entirely from their own powers, but that they were supposedly supplied with them by God. Does this salvage their reputation with the Watchtower Society? Certainly not.
God and Christ have no need to interpret something for themselves that they have already set forth in the scriptures. It is we humans who need an interpretation. Who gives it to us? The Watchtower Society. So, the claim goes, God and Christ inspired the writing of the scriptures and supply the meaning of it to some in association with the Watchtower Society, and those men publish this meaning to the rest of us.
While they may disclaim being “inspired,” they definitely claim to be the one agency on earth to whom God is communicating. The one agency he has ‘made responsible’ to distribute his truths. They often refer to God’s “revealed truth.” If it is revealed, who revealed it? The assertion is that God revealed it. If God revealed it, how can it be anything other than inspired and infallible?
It’s an interesting line they walk. They claim not to be inspired, but they speak with the same amount of authority as if they are. They demand they be considered as if inspired, not even allowing the flock to question or have doubts about anything they teach without coming under scrutiny. Yet when accused of being false prophets, they then beg off from responsibility, escaping under a manufactured definition of what the word “prophet” means, suggesting that prophet doesn’t necessarily suggest divinely inspired prophet.
Easton’s Bible dictionary provides the same definition for “prophet” found anywhere else. It shows that the Hebrew word translated “prophet” is nabi. It meant “to bubble up as from a fountain,” hence “to utter.”
“The "prophet" proclaimed the message given to him...(See Num. 12:6, 8.) Thus a prophet was a spokesman for God; he spoke in God's name and by his authority (Ex. 7:1).”
The meaning is not complex. Clearly this definition fits the position the Watchtower Society itself admits it has assumed. Again quoting from the 1943 Watchtower, “…he makes them responsible to make known the meaning of such scriptures…”
And what does the Bible say about such ones?
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.' [Deuteronomy 18:20-22, NWT Reference Bible]
It’s pretty simple, Mom. They claim to be Jehovah’s mouthpiece, and the things they repeatedly said would come true didn’t. According to the Bible, this is not something God takes lightly. The sentence was death. It is also interesting to note the Bible’s counsel for us not to “get frightened at” such a false prophet. It would appear that God may have known that false prophets often try to frighten people into following them.
