Does the WTS teach that Jehovah is only "Heavenly Father" to the 144k?

yaddayadda

I don't know if it is my imagination or what, but I've started to notice something odd in recent WTS literature (besides all the other odd things):

I am struggling to find any mention in recent Watchtower articles and publications of Jehovah being referred to as the "heavenly Father" of Jehovah's Witnesses!

For example, in the upcoming October 22-28 Watchtower study article entitled "Your Father is Merciful" (quoting from Luke 6:36), God is NOT ONCE referred to as "heavenly Father" throughout the entire article! Only "God" and "Jehovah" are used. This seems very strange given the title of the article.

This is of course in stark contrast to Jesus' frequent use of the term "heavenly Father" for God (compare how Jesus is never once recorded in the NT as addressing God by the tetragrammaton, notwithstanding quotations from the OT).

On that point, I noticed a somewhat odd statement in the new "Come Be My Follower" book just released at the DC's. Page 189, para 20, 21 & 22 says:

"(20) In Jesus, Jehovah has provided an "Eternal Father" for those who hope to live forever on earth. Jesus is a replacement for the human father, Adam, who failed all his offspring so miserably. (Isaiah 9:6,7) By accepting Jesus as our "Eternal Father," exercising faith in him, we have a sure hope of everlasting life....(21)As we imitate Jesus and his [not 'our'] Father, Jehovah, we have a wonderful privilege...(22)At the end of that Millennium, Jesus will hand the rulership back to his Father.(1 Corinthians 15:24) If you continue loyally following Christ, you will be granted a blessing so wonderful that it is hard even to imagine-"the glorious freedom of the children of God"!(Romans 8:21) Yes, we will have all the blessings that Adam and Even had and lost. Earthly sons and daughters of Jehovah, we will be forever free of the stain of Adam's sin..."

Besides the fact that JW's cringe at statements like this because it sounds almost trinitarian, I think I have read that the Society teaches that, technically, Jehovah is presently only a kind of grandfather to those with an earthly hope, and that only those of the 144,000 anointed class can strictly regard Him as their Heavenly Father. I believe it is taught that only when mankind is brought back to perfection at the end of the thousand year reign can those with an earthly destiny claim to truly be "God's sons" and call Jehovah their Father? Is that what the Society officially teaches?

If that is the official WTS belief then it leads to all sorts of absurd results. It would surely mean that 99.8% of JW's should not be praying "Our Father in the heavens" (Matt 6:9,10)! In fact, it is technically wrong for the "other sheep" to call Jehovah "heavenly Father" at any time! Using their own logic, this means that the Society should issue a directive that the brothers are not to use this term of address when offering a prayers at the meetings, (unless the brother is one of the 'anointed'), and that JW's should not be calling Jehovah their "heavenly father" in their private prayers? It also means many passages of scripture can be ignored by the "other sheep".

Can anyone find a statement in any Watchtower literature where Jehovah is said to presently be the "heavenly father" of the "other sheep/great crowd"?

Yadda

greendawn

Their beliefs are an absolute mess on the subject their whole concept of two classes of faithful has no scriptural support. There is only one faith and one baptism and one church. The only two existing classes are the believers and the non believers.

God is the Father of all Christians, they are sons adopted through Jesus and brought into the family of God.

Redwood

It is interesting to me that in the recent years so much more emphasis is placed on Jesus, growing up Jehovah was my God and Jesus' death only allowed me the ability to pray to Jehovah, I just don't remeber Jesus being that important of a figure.

As for the two class - I believe it's in John where the two class' are identified. I am confused on the Jehovah only being God for the 144,000 - because I thought the 144,000 were to reign with Jesus. So when witness' pray "Dear Heavenly Father..." who are they praying too? Now there is a Heavenly Father and an Eternal Father? But Jesus is not equal to Jehovah?????? I'm confused are you?

oompa

I just searched the 2005 CD under "heavenly father" and there are dozens of current occurances where that term is applied to the father of all JW's.

1800 just in wtower mgs....oompa

yaddayadda

Are you sure those references are to "all" JW's?

I did a search on Luke 6:35 and these two quotes came up in Watchtower's going back to 1990:

*** w99 10/15 10 Learning the Excelling Way of Love ***
Since our heavenly Father sets such a magnificent example for us, we should strive to be kind and helpful to all. By doing so, we can prove ourselves ‘sons of our loving heavenly Father.’—Luke 6:35; Matthew 5:45.

*** w97 12/1 16 'Continue Forgiving One Another Freely' ***
As a little boy tries to be just like his father, we, as children whom Jehovah dearly loves, should want to become like our forgiving heavenly Father. How it must delight Jehovah’s heart to look down from the heavens and see his earthly children trying to be like him by forgiving one another!—Luke 6:35, 36; compare Matthew 5:44-48.

Ok, now go back and re-read that quoted portion in my first post from the new book on Jesus.

Questions: So if all JW's can prove themselves "sons of our loving heavenly Father", as per the 1999 Watchtower quote above, then why does the new book say that they only become such after the millennial reign?

And if all JW's can cry to Jehovah like a little boy cries to his father and we are his "earthly children", according to the 1997 Watchtower quote above, then why does the Society teach that only the 144,000 cry "Abba, Father" and are God's sons and children as per Romans 8:15,16 and Galatians 4:6,7?

Totally messed up and contradictory. Go figure!

yknot

Hmmm

Maybe it is a typo that will have to be updated like the Rev Book!

OR

The typestetters at Bethel are having a mini rebellion!

OR

The Writing Department is testing us for loyalty and unity (no matter how erroneous the paragraph)

Cheetos

GreenDawn has it right, when we all are perfect our relation to him will be much more nicer we will not have to feel bad most all the time for our failings even though we do have Christ blood to atone for us it still hurts to know we miss the mark. Through Christ who took the place of Adam and became our new father in a true sense everything will soon be as it shoulld be.

Gopher

The way I remember it --

In JW-speak, Jesus and the "anointed ones" are spiritual brothers, sons of Jehovah.

The "great crowd" are not brothers of Jesus, and therefore are not sons of Jehovah.

However, the "great crowd" can gain eternal life because of what Jesus did. So he became a Lifegiver, or "Father" to those with the earthly hope -- an "eternal" Father in fact, because they'll live eternally.

I just get exhausted trying to do those mental gymnastics. Oh -- I see the judge from Yugoslavia gave me a 9.2. Damn.

eclipse

Maybe it's a rebellion

carla

This one always gets me confused! I think McGregor Ministries had something about the subject but not sure if they are up on any 'new light'. Once again a language problem when they talk to the general population. Most people will recognize God the Father to all , but to a jw? who the hell knows. Just another conversation you can have with a jw where the two of you are talking about two entirely different things and neither party realize just how different the other person defines the words they are using.

Does the WTS teach that Jehovah is only "Heavenly Father" to the 144k?

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