Good job, V and team! The 2000 WT about the six lines of evidence had completely washed over me - I don't remember it at all!
In this 'Worthy' article they had a blitz with the word 'evidently.' Four times! Four 'evidentlys' to one 'apparently.'
Watchtower Comments (3.03.08 Counted Worthy) DOWNLOAD IT HERE
by V 22 Replies latest watchtower bible
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blondie
Paragraph 16
"It seems, however, that no all who have been called to a heavenly hope since the 1930's are replacements for ones who have fallen away. Jehovah evidently made sure that we will have anointed Christians among us all through the final days of this system of things until the destruction of "Babylon the Great.""
So it seems the WTS is projecting the date of the destruction of BTG beyond the age and death of people who were adults in 1935. Does this remind you of the generation change in 1995?
And the ones called after 1935 are no longer labeled "replacements" as Fred Franz energetically insisted.
"We can be confident that the full number will be completed in Jehovah's due time and that all will eventually take their place in the Kingdom government."
Note that the "anointed" are not in the Kingdom government now or reigning as kings.
When will that be? The marriage of the Lamb and the bride is timed to take place after the destruction of BTG, will all the anointed be heaven for that event or will some miss their own wedding as the WTS has said and still be on earth after Armageddon?
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blondie
Paragraph 17
"endured faithfully until death...counted worthy of receiving the Kingdom and EVIDENTLY starting in the early days of Christ's presence--have been rewarded accordingly."
Up until 1943, the WTS taught that the presence started in 1874. That is why the WT was titled "Herald of Christ's Presence" starting in 1879, not 1914.
The WTS also teaches that the resurrection of the anointed started in 1878, then changed it to 1918, not 1914, the current WT date of Christ's presence.
*** jv chap. 28 p. 632 Testing and Sifting From Within ***Based on the premise that events of the first century might find parallels in related events later, they also concluded that if Jesus’ baptism and anointing in the autumn of 29 C.E. paralleled the beginning of an invisible presence in 1874, then his riding into Jerusalem as King in the spring of 33 C.E. would point to the spring of 1878 as the time when he would assume his power as heavenly King. They also thought they would be given their heavenly reward at that time. When that did not occur, they concluded that since Jesus’ anointed followers were to share with him in the Kingdom, the resurrection to spirit life of those already sleeping in death began then.
*** w54 4/1 p. 220 par. 14 The "Likeness of Melchizedek" ***Christ has been invisibly present in his kingdom since A.D. 1914, and those who died faithful belonging to him as members of the royal priesthood have had this "earlier resurrection" since his coming to the temple in 1918.—Mal. 3:1-5; Rev. 11:15 to 12:5.
They have backed off the 1918 date.
*** w07 1/1 p. 28 par. 12 "The First Resurrection"—Now Under Way ***At this point, it may be helpful to consider what might be viewed as a Bible parallel. Jesus Christ was anointed as the future King of God’s Kingdom in the fall of 29 C.E. Three and a half years later, in the spring of 33 C.E., he was resurrected as a mighty spirit person. Could it, then, be reasoned that since Jesus was enthroned in the fall of 1914, the resurrection of his faithful anointed followers began three and a half years later, in the spring of 1918? That is an interesting possibility. Although this cannot be directly confirmed in the Bible, it is not out of harmony with other scriptures that indicate that the first resurrection got under way soon after Christ’s presence began.
Paragraph 18
"they will soon receive the reward for their faithful course"
"With the passing of the last member of the anointed from the earth, whenever that will happen, God's heavenly government will be complete."
Does that imply that not all of the anointed will be in heaven for the marriage of the Lamb and the bride which the WT says now occurs shortly after the destruction of Babylon the Great? Can you imagine a bride missing her own wedding by being on earth while the wedding takes place in heaven?
*** w90 8/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***In the book of Revelation, immediately after John tells of God’s executing the religious harlot, Babylon the Great, he describes "the marriage of the Lamb." A filthy, immoral "woman" is removed from the scene, and we see "the bride, the Lamb’s wife" ‘arrayed in bright, clean, fine linen, which stands for the righteous acts of the holy ones.’ (Revelation 18:10; 19:2, 7, 8; 21:9) The destruction of Babylon the Great is part of the great tribulation. (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14) So it could be reasoned that some of the bride class will survive the great tribulation as evidence of Jehovah’s approval and protection. (Zephaniah 2:3; compare Matthew 24:22.) If they are thus preserved on earth, they could remain here until God chooses to take them to heaven.
*** w98 10/15 p. 22 par. 16 A Jerusalem True to Its Name ***Today, Jehovah’s people long for the time when God will triumph over all his enemies. This will start with the destruction of "Babylon the Great"—a figurative city that embraces all forms of false religion. (Revelation 18:2, 8) The destruction of false religion will mark the first phase of the coming great tribulation. (Matthew 24:21, 22) Ahead of us too is a truly momentous event—the heavenly marriage of the Lord Jesus Christ to his bride of 144,000 citizens of "New Jerusalem." (Revelation 19:7; 21:2) We cannot say exactly when that climactic union will be completed, but it certainly will be a joyous event.—See TheWatchtower, August 15, 1990, pages 30-1.