This subject is really confusing to me. Since it appears that the WTBTS is not what it purports to be, what exactly is giving the "anointed" the impression that they have a heavenly calling? Does any of Ray Franz' books tell exactly what made him feel that way? Are they 'touched' in some way?
Anointed
by yrs2long 8 Replies latest jw friends
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Nathan Natas
Emotion.
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dungbeetle
The Bible, wherein is found the foundation for a 'heavenly calling' existed long long before the Watchtower. (its claims notwithstanding)
A heavenly calling is a heavenly calling. Use it or lose it...and I mean the whole 'it'. Leaving the Watchtower gives those who have it, or think they do, a real life chance --some for the first time-- to do something with it.
Dungbeetle...so much dung, so little time...
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AGuest
Dearest Yrs2long... may you have peace... and may you permit me to explain, by means of the spirit of my Father, JAH OF ARMIES, that is in me, by means of His Son and Christ, my Lord, JAHESHUA (JAH Saves; Psalm 68:4) MISCHAJAH (messiah; anointed/chosen of JAH), through holy spirit.
First, my Lord has directed me to expound to you just what it is to BE 'anointed'. One who has been 'anointed' dear one, has received the free gift, the promised holy spirit, and thus, such one is a 'christian'... a 'christ' person... or 'chosen' person. If one has NOT received such spirit, one is NOT... a 'christian'.
Second, there is only ONE hope for 'christians'... that is, a hope of living forever in the spirit, as opposed to the flesh. It is heavenly in that it ORIGINATES in the spirit realm; however, such ones WILL... reside upon the earth, in the city of NEW Jerusalem, which 'comes down OUT of heaven'... to the earth. Thus, as prophesied, the meek WILL inherit the earth; they will not, however, inherit it as flesh with its blood.
Third, since there is only ONE hope (Eph. 4:4), such hope encompasses BOTH the 144,000... AND... the 'great crowd'. You see, dear one, you have been misled, as I and many others were, into believing that there are two (2) hopes, one heavenly, one earthly. But, in the words of my brother Paul, "I will tell you a sacred secret":
BOTH the great crowd AND the 144,000... are 'one flock'... and TOGETHER... stand before the throne of my Father... and TOGETHER... 'render sacred service in His temple... night and day."
Revelation 7:15
Revelation 5:9, 10The 'sacred secret', dear one, that the WTBTS has entirely MISSED... is this:
Initially, ALL of Israel was to become a 'house' to God, a 'royal priesthood' in the kingdom of the Son of His love. However, due to their HARD-HEARTEDNESS, MOST of Israel lost out on that 'promise'... and were REPLACED... by people of the nations. However, as always, a REMNANT will be 'saved' in that my Father, by means of my Lord, has designed 144,000 SLOTS for fleshly Israel... in fulfilllment of His promise to Abraham... and David. After that number, however, the REMAINDER of that kingship/priesthood... is to be filled by the NATIONS... the number of which NO MAN is able to number.
Do you see? For their lack of FAITH, Israel... as an entire entity... lost out on the blessing. Because of their lack of faith, the NATIONS... received such blessings. But, since my Father cannot lie, His promise to Abraham WILL go fulfilled, in that 144,000 of Abraham's 'seed' WILL be 'sealed'... to sit on the thrones of such kingdom.
Dear one, there IS no 'heavenly hope' and 'earthly hope' distinction between the 144,000... and the 'great crowd'. THEY... are the 'ONE flock with ONE shepherd' of which my Lord spoke. And BOTH groups have a SPIRITUAL (heavenly) hope, in that they will be given 'white robes'... or spirit bodies... but yet will rule 'over the earth'... and upon it. For New Jerusalem comes down OUT of heaven.. TO the earth... and in this way the 'meek' will 'inherit' the earth... and Satan and Gog and Magog (who have been hurled down TO the earth) are able to be prophesied as 'surrounding the holy city' and 'coming against the camp of the holy ones'.
Such ones of the 'great crowd' are not 'insight of' my Father's throne, dear one. They are BEFORE His throne, which throne IS in heaven... as well as RENDERING SACRED SERVICE IN HIS TEMPLE... day and night. Who but priests, dear one, can 'render sacred service'?
Please, do NOT put your trust in earthling man... or in nobles... or in 'false christs' who CLAIM to be the 'truth', in opposition to whom my Lord SAID is the Truth (John 14:6)... whose vocation it is to 'misled if possible, even the chosen ones.' They are imposters who have a FORM of 'godly devotion'... but 'prove false to its power'.
How so? Because TRUE godly devotion teaches love and forgiveness and freedom and mercy. It does NOT teach hatred and familial separation and judgment and condemnation. Indeed, as my Lord said, "STOP judging, for with same judgment that YOU are judging, you WILL be judged." Yet, the WTBTS, with its false christs and adulterous 'anointed', teach hatred everyday. Rather than following the admonition of my Lord to LOVE [their] enemies, such ones preach, teach and spread hated for any who are not 'of [their] sort'. Rather than listen to the voice of my Lord (John 10:1-6, 27), they instead follow Paul, a sinner in the same manner as all men. They have chosen, in opposition to my Lord's admonition (Matthew 23:10) and in imitation of my ancient Israelite ancestors... kings and leaders for themselves. To their own detriment, and domination to their own injury. And, as spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah, they are LOVING it.
If you have ears to hear, then, dear Yrs2long, I beg of you... LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT... and listen to the voice of my Lord... and do NOT put your trust in earthling man, to whom NO salvation belongs.
Again, I bid you peace and I am,
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
SJ
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DazedAndConfused
I am tired, granted, but in my memory the Bible talks about the 144,000 as being 12,000 out of the 12 tribes of Isreal. This point was brought to my attention by my husband who grew up as a Lutheran, and once he said it.............I wondered why I had never questioned it. Are we now part of the 12 tribes anymore? I think not. Once the Jews lost their favor with God, I believe that what was prophesied was then fulfilled.
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outnfree
Or, 2long, you could look up a post by Amazing -- I think if you do a search under 'Anointed' it will crop up.
It will be interesting reading for you.
There are a few here who claim to be anointed -- 'slave' is the most recent, so you can read and compare!
outnfree
Par dessus toutes choses, soyez bons. La bonte est ce qui ressemble le plus a Dieu et ce qui desarme le plus les hommes -- Lacordaire
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You Know
Since it appears that the WTBTS is not what it purports to be, what exactly is giving the "anointed" the impression that they have a heavenly calling?
First, the the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has absolutely nothing to do with the anointing by the holy spirit of Jehovah. God's spirit is like the wind and blows where it will, according to Jesus. And like the wind it can't be regulated by man. However, the same spirit of God that anoints one also draws them into an association. In the 1st century all of the original anointed were Jewish. They went to synagouges and worshipped at the temple even after their anointing. But eventually that Jewish system was dissolved, but the spiritual organization survived.
Down through Christendom's history Jehovah continued to call select individuals who were more or less part of the Babylonish Vactican religious system. During the closing decades of the 1800s Jehovah began drawing individuals from all nominal Christian churches, apparently anointing them eventhough they were still under Christendom's influence to an extent. In fact, before 1919 a person's baptism as a Methodist or Catholic, or whatever, was considered to be a valid symbol of their dedication to God and they weren't required to be baptized when they became associated as International Bible Students.
The anointed now form the nucleus of a spiritual organization that uses the Watchtower as it's mouthpiece. What must be appreciated though is this: There yet remains a judging and separating work among those who call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses. Even as Jehovah's anointed ones have thrived within corrupt organizations such as the Jewish system and Christendom became, so too, in spite of numerous flaws and corrupting influences within our organization presently, we are accomplishing God's will in this final phase before Christ's arrival. Paul said that in every large house there are honorable and dishonorable vessels. There are many, many, other verses that point out that it is God's purpose to allow his people to be tried and refined by various corrupting influences within his own household. One of the most severe tests that God's anointed ones are faced with is being loyal. It seems that is why God allows us to be confronted with various errors and attitudes that are difficult to deal with. In the end it affords God an answer to the one taunting him.
Christ's arrival of course changes EVERYTHING. So the obvious truth is that at some point the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York will become unnecessary---having fulfilled its usefulness to God, just as did Judaism and Christendom, as well as the political servants. Likely at some point during the tribulation it will be discarded. But, the spiritual organization that has been born from God will survive. In fact, then, it will thrive as never before. That's because the Revelation of Christ Jesus, and the revealing of the associate sons of God, will be the most awesome act of God ever.
Jesus said that he was the vine and that we are the mere branches, and that apart from the vine the branches are useless. Jesus also went on the say that his Father would clean every branch so that they might produce even more. So we are absolutely confident that Jehovah is yet going to clean and purify completely his entire organization. Some won't survive that coming purge, but those who do will be given the kingdom of God. / You Know
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AGuest
SIGH! You Know... WHY must you insist on misleading these dear people?
However, the same spirit of God that anoints one also draws them into an association.
No, they are drawn into a 'union'. Period. One between them, God and Christ. And since is it ONE spirit, they are also 'in union' with one another. IF 'association' was required, why then the TRUTHFUL statment with regard to 'gathering', that some... did NOT do so, and that was THEIR custom? The admonition to 'gather'... was to the HEBREWS, and not to the 'nations', which brings me to your next erroneous statement:
In the 1st century all of the original anointed were Jewish.
I'm sorry, but do you even know what a Jew WAS? It was anyone from the TRIBE of Judah... and Benjamin who later joined themselves TO Judah. The 2-tribe kingdom of JUDAH. THOSE... were the Jews. Cornelius... was NOT a Jew, dear You Know... by NO stretch of the imagination. He was a SAMARITAN... from the 10-tribe kingdom of ISRAEL, as was his 'entire household'. AND... if you will condescend to read Acts 10:44-48, you will SEE that 'the gift of holy spirit... was poured out... ALSO UPON PEOPLE OF THE NATIONS.'
Indeed, while the 12 were 'witnesses of [my Lord] in all Judea and Samaria (which constituted ALL of 'Israel', the 2-tribe kingdom of Judah, which occupied the land of Judea, with Jerusalem as its capital, and the 10-tribe kingdom of Israel, which occupied Samaria, with Bethel as IT's capital)... PAUL... was an 'apostle... to the NATIONS.'
That is WHY... in the Letter to the Romans he FIRST addressed the Jews... 'brothers' (Romans 7:1; 10:1)... and THEN addressed the 'nations' (Romans 11:13) and told THEM that they had been 'grafted in' by reason of ISRAEL's lack of faith. Thus, his letter, addressed to the Jews/Israel AND the nations... contains the greeting "to ALL those who are in Rome as God's beloved ones... CALLED TO BE HOLY ONES." This, dear You Know... is Israel... AND THE NATIONS.
Acts 14:1
And it is CULMINATED in the vision seen by John of 144,000... OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL, 12,000 from each tribe... which includes Jews AND Samaritans (that is why the woman at the well said 'OUR forefathers', speaking of my Lord's AND hers... for they both sprang from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...)... as WELL as 'a great crowd... out of EVERY nation and tribe and tongue and people'... standing BEFORE the throne... and 'RENDERING SACRED SERVICE' in the 'temple'.
Revelation 7:15
It is what Paul(?) was speaking of when he said that SOME (of Israel) had been 'grafted OUT', so that SOME of the 'nations'... could be 'grafted IN.' The royal priesthood of my Lord's kingdom, then, is made up of Israel... AND THE NATIONS.
Revelation 5:9, 10
THAT... is the 'sacred secret' which Paul 'revealed', by means of holy spirit... at Acts 11:25-32... that due to Israel's HARD-HEARTEDNESS, DISOBEDIENCE and LACK OF FAITH, in that they KILLED His Son, rather than KISS him... those of the nations that DID accept my Lord as 'messiah'... replaced those of Israel... that did not.
They went to synagouges and worshipped at the temple even after their anointing.
Not quite. True, they went to synagogues and the temple, but NOT to worship. They went... to tell their brothers, Israel, the GOOD news about the Christ, to preach a RELEASE... and to use the 'gifts' of the spirit that had been granted them to rebuild Israel's faith. Rather than join IN the worship, they preached CHRIST and made 'believers' out of Jews and Greeks, etc., heralded the NEW Covenant to those who still worshipped according to the Law Covenant.
Acts 3:1-4:31
Acts 6:7-7:60
Acts 8:26-40
Acts 13:13-52
Acts 14:1-7
Acts 17:1-15
Acts 18:24-28But eventually that Jewish system was dissolved, but the spiritual organization survived.
Uh, look around, You Know. The Jewish 'system' has NOT dissolved. It has been 'done away with' ONLY for those who have accepted the NEW Covenant. The physical TEMPLE was destroyed, yes, but the 'system' remains to this day. I mean, isn't there a synagogue in YOUR town? Judaism, my dear one, is the 'head' of the wild beast... that 'received a death stroke that got healed'. Read Jeremiah and you might be able to 'see' that.
You Know... you MUST stop this. You have already blashphemed, and you still teach false rhetoric and erroneous propaganda. Such LIES... are from the 'father' of the lie, [our] Adversary, the Devil. Do you TRULY want to continue in this path? Do you TRULY wish to continue asserting YOUR 'rightness' and 'righteousness' over that of God and Christ? Truly? Well, IF you are going to 'teach'... then it is TRUTH that you must teach. For everything else originates NOT with God and NOT with Life, but with Satan... and with Death.
A TRUE servant to the Household of God, Israel, by means of a TRUE anointing with holy spirit, and a TRUE slave of Christ,
SJ
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yrs2long
Thanks for all of your responses. Actually, I was more interested in just what it was that made people in the WTBTS claim to be anointed. I haven't actually begun to research the concept of whether all do or should have the heavenly hope just yet. I haven't looked into other religions as I still trying to remove the shackles of the WT society.
Outnfree- thanks for the tips. I found the info you were referring to regarding Amazing and others, and my question (which was more limited in scope than what was given here) was answered.
thanks again to all.