Very wise my dear Watson. I totally agree with you that the next logical step by the borg will be to say the 144000 stands for a complete number not a literal 144000. It will simply be put down to new light and the r & f will have no trouble accepting it. Many already I'm sure are wondering why the ' anointed members are not going down, this possable change may well be enough to keep them onside.
There are two classes of annointed - why?
by cultswatter 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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gumby
Gumby I disagree. There ARE two classes of annointed
They TEACH there are two classes but in PRACTICE the GB sets themselves above the rest in that they alone dispense the
bullshitfood. They have ALWAYS spoken out of both sides of their big mouths on this issue. On one hand the Faithful and Discreet Slave Class is the entire body of the annointed (Matt 24:45) yet most JW's ( the GB included) use that particular phrase when speaking of the Governing Body alone. Just as the Elders are publishers also, they alone do the teaching at the meetings. It's the same with the annointed in that the GB alone direct the entire organisation. Gumby -
restrangled
My husband, a non-JW, still wants to know when the anointed got together and voted in the Governing Body to represent them. He even wrote an elder about this. The letter he received back was ridiculous and of course the question was not answered.
r.
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Leolaia
Actually, in 1935 Rutherford did not teach that the number of spirit-begotten Christians became complete in 1935. He taught that the "door" to the kingdom of heaven was "shut" in 1926, but that this "shutting" was not for the elect but those "foolish virgins" who were cast off from "God's organization".
*** w35 10/15 p. 312 Virgins ***
The ‘wise virgin’ company was "caught [away] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air". (1 Thess. 4: 17) The feast, beginning in 1922, later reached that state of blessedness spoken of by the prophet, to wit, "Blessed is he that waiteth; and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days [the year 1926]." (Dan. 12: 12) "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." (Rev. 19: 9) This text marks the time of the anointing, when the wise ones received from Jehovah the "new name", and when they became the designated witnesses of Jehovah.
The text of the parable says that when they went in to the marriage feast, "the door was shut." The shutting of the door does not mean that no more would be admitted to the temple, but does mean that none of the disapproved can enter and therefore to all such the door is shut. No creature on earth is qualified to say that the door to the temple is now shut so completely that none can ever be admitted. After the time of the fulfillment of the parable as stated in verse ten, those pictured by Ruth and Esther were brought in, and certainly they must be approved before they can enter through the gates into the temple... The Lord’s kingdom organization has "twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels". (Rev. 21: 12) The shutting completely of the gate or entrance to the kingdom is a secret of the Lord, revealed to no man, and surely as long as there is any danger of one’s being ousted from the temple the way must be open for some other approved one to enter.
Thus it should be clear that it was not taught in 1935 that the door to heaven was shut to others. The new teaching was that the "great multitude" was the burgeoning new class of "Jonadabs" among the JWs, and that there must be a whole new work of bringing them into the organization "from all nations of the earth". I think the first step towards changing this view took place in 1938 in preparation of the Memorial; apparently, confusion had been rife in the 1936 and 1937 Memorials on who really should partake, and whether a person who partook for years was really a member of the "great multitude".
*** w38 4/1 pp. 102-103 His Flock ***
Is there Scriptural proof that the time for the exercise of spiritual discernment is here and that the adoption of the spiritual or royal sons is about over or is no longer the general work of the Lord? Yes; and it is the fact that the prophecies and the types relating thereto, to the other sheep, the Jonadabs, the great multitude, are being revealed by the Lord to his people and understood by them. The spiritual remnant, according to the known and proved rule of action by which Jehovah discloses his prophecies, are now understanding; and that rule is that such understanding would not be given unless the prophecy or the types were fulfilled or beginning to be fulfilled or were in course of fulfillment. Therefore the disclosing of the fulfillment of the prophecies, and the meaning thereof, is proof that the time for the adoption of the spiritual or royal sons is about over and is no longer the general work of the Lord. In 1918, when the Lord came to the temple, the announcement was made, "Millions now living will never die," and the spiritual sons did not then understand that such relates to the "great multitude" class. At that time their understanding was that the great multitude was a spirit class, and in that conclusion they were not correct. The opening to them of the understanding in regard to the Jonadabs, or great multitude, ‘men of good will toward God,’ must be proof marking the time that the gathering of the "other sheep" had begun or is beginning....
It was in 1935 that the Lord revealed to his people the identification of the class thus marked, and disclosing them, that such constituted the great multitude. (See The Watchtower August 1,15, 1935.) This proves that the Lord was beginning to gather the class or company other than those who were spirit-begotten, which earthly class would not and could not have the witness of the spirit. (Rom. 3: 16-17) .... It reasonably follows, therefore, that the majority gathered by the Lord to himself since 1931, and particularly since 1935, would be and are of the earthly class or great multitude, which “other sheep” would not have the witness of the holy spirit, which is given to the spiritual sons, (Rom. 8 : 16,17) That would not necessarily mean that after such dates there would be none spirit begotten. If one who was once in line for the kingdom becomes unfaithful and falls out or is cleared out (Matt. 13: 41,42), then surely the Lord would bring in another one to fill that vacated place in the body of Christ. (Matt. 22: 1-14)
This is almost exactly the view that the Society held thereafter until 2007. Interestingly, Rutherford developed this teaching to avert a social crisis in the JWs, an identity crisis of sorts, that flared up at the Memorial in the absence of clear criteria on who was considered a member of the 144,000 and who was considered a member of the "other sheep". That identity crisis was only possible in the 1930s when the majority of JWs were still "anointed". The ad hoc teaching that Rutherford came up with is a relic of that bygone era, as these days only a tiny minority of those in the "organization" are professed members of the 144,000. Rather, the problem today is that those holding most senior leadership positions in the organization can no longer fit into the criteria that Rutherford set way back in 1938.
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garybuss
The problem with the 1935 change is that now the change is a change, but the principle that the change was made on actually becomes a change too . . . a change and a current teaching. The principle that allowed for the 1935 change is "Another of Rutherford's teachings is wrong!".
If the core doctrine 1935 teaching is wrong, what else is wrong? Let's see . . . the vindication of Jehovah's name was wrong, the generation of 1914 was wrong, the organ transplant cannibalism teaching was wrong, the blood fractions prohibition was wrong, the date Eve was created was wrong, alternative military service was wrong . . . what else is wrong? -
OnTheWayOut
I have to agree totally with Zico:
2 classes of Jehovah's witness.
Governing Body.
Everyone else.
The other anointed are just a nuisance to the GB, they add to the memorial partaker numbers, that they must want to drop.But on this:
...but the WTS has invented two classes of annointed remnant. These two classes cannot be found anywhere in the bible!!
I must agree that they do seem to separate them until they are classes.
The history of the organization says that the anointed receive God's spirit
because they are His chosen ones to carry his name and assignment of
telling Good News to the world.
They have always said that the FDS is the individuals within the anointed
that feed the domestics (other anointed) meat in due season, or proper food
at the proper time, or whatever phrase they want to use.
Now, they seem to be morphing the FDS to mean only the Governing Body
while the anointed as a group are just other worshippers who were chosen
because "somebody has to be chosen" from among the non-Governing Body.As mentioned, an apologist would say the GB is like the apostles, among the
entire anointed group of Christians. The WTS will say there is Biblical evidence
of a Governing Body with special insight to guide everyone else, and they will
point to that SINGLE CONFERENCE in Jerusalem as proof that God approves
their oppression.New Light down the road (not truly new, but written and told like it's new)
may be that FDS is only the leaders. FDS must be followed because only
FDS receives direction from Heaven (God, Jesus, Angels, Anointed, CTR, JFR, whoever). -
emptywords
It's called elitism, the anointed are suppose to be the same no matter where they are. this GB thing is wrong, they have no right to govern anyone, that is Christs job. The whole GB thing is unscriptual, they virtually have control over everyone including the other anointed scattered in the congregations around the word, they are suppose to be fellow workers together, not above one another.
So clearly there are two groups of anointed even though they say they are all from the same body, the governing anointed and the no body anointed sitting in the congo, conspicuous only at memorial.
the anointed are only there because of the sheep not the other way around.