or OBVES
Partakers this year. How many?
by wha happened? 39 Replies latest members private
-
-
Morbidzbaby
I'm going to say the numbers will surpass last year's...probably in the 12,000 range... HOWEVER, I think that they will either stop announcing the numbers this year, or later on in the year (such as at a DC or ASSembly) they'll make a BIG announcement about how the numbers were being used by the R&F to guesstimate when the Trib will hit/Armageddon will come, so therefore they will no longer be printing the numbers of partakers in order for the R&F to keep their eyes focused on the all-important preaching work. We all know that only Jayhoover knows when the end will come...Not even Jesus knows!!! Well...the GB MIGHT know, seeing as how they're so good at making general predictions for certain years and TIMES of years...
ETA: I also predict that one cited scriptural example will be when Jayhoover ordered for a census NOT to be taken, and this will be used to say that Jayhoover EVIDENTLY had reasons for not numbering his chosen ones and for not having those chosen ones know how many of them there actually were. As the annointed are his "adopted children", this evidently shows that these ones who are still on the earth should not be kept account of.
-
JeffT
As others have pointed out, I think they may stop reporting the number. They can cook up an excuse for anything so it shouldn't be to difficult. It would also be very easy to gun deck the numbers (old nautical term for making stuff up) or better yet have the local elders do it for them. It would be very easy to instruct the elders not to count anybody that is new, flaky, wierd, below average hours or whatever to arrive at the "true" number.
-
DesirousOfChange
ETA: I also predict that one cited scriptural example will be when Jayhoover ordered for a census NOT to be taken, and this will be used to say that Jayhoover EVIDENTLY had reasons for not numbering his chosen ones and for not having those chosen ones know how many of them there actually were. As the annointed are his "adopted children", this evidently shows that these ones who are still on the earth should not be kept account of.
Damnit Morbid, you're giving them good ideas for future New Lite. This is a lot more reasonable that any of the recent stuff they've come out with.
Doc
-
stillin
perhaps a less literal "understanding" of the number...you know, the one in Revelation where NOTHING is literal EXCEPT 144,000?
-
james_woods
they really painted themselves into a corner on this one.
Yes, but - like Slimboyfat says:
I think they'll start fudging the numbers to make a decrease. This will be easier since they stopped publishing the anointed numbers for individual countries in the Kingdom Ministries.
Either that or just stop reporting them.
Who would have thought they would think up that ridiculous "overlapping generation" thing to get out of the broken 1914 generation prophecy?
More to the point - who would have thought their rank & file would actually accept something so patently obvious?
BTW - I think the real number partaking will be upwards of 12,000 - probably over 13,000 in reality.
-
james_woods
A further point: Simply making up "new light" to have everyone partake would get them out of the numbers problem.
However, that would also erase the obvious mark of the elite which is useful to claim ruling authority for the GB.
-
wha happened?
well put James. You later point can still be explained away with the priesthood. Some could enter parts of the temple, others could not, blah blah blah, vomit
-
steve2
Many plausible possibilities offered here.
However, one change I cannot see them making any time soon is viewing the 144,000 as figurative - they have so strongly insisted on its being literal for so long that it would be too big a change to introduce. Besides, 'the churches of Christendom' so reviled by the Watchtower have long viewed the 144,000 as figurative - there'd be too much humble pie to ingest.
-
wha happened?
oh I agree. The 144k is written in stone. They can play with membership forever