Watchtower Annual Meeting Report
“New Light” - Matthew 24:45-47
“Food At the Proper Time”
October 6, 2012
During their Annual Meeting the Governing Body announced some changes in their interpretation of (1) the most important Scripture in Watch-tower theology, and (2) the most important Event in Watchtower history. Are their changes “new light” according to Proverbs, or “refinement” according to Daniel and Malachi? Or are they just the Governing Body’s attempt to try to fix some problems that they finally realized were caused by their previous interpretation (“old light”)? – See Chapter 2
One of there changes has to do with the answer to the question, “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?” Their pervious answer was that it was all of the anointed Witnesses on earth. But their ”new light” is that it is just the few the men of the Governing Body.
"The faithful and discreet slave” was appointed over Jesus’ domestics in 1919. That slave is the small, composite group of anointed brothers serving at world headquarters during Christ’s presence who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food. When this group work together as the GoverningBody they act as “the faithful and discreet slave."
Interestingly, that’s what Captives of a Concept has been saying all along. And that is what Raymond Franz’s Crisis of Conscience has been saying for over 30 years. And so now those men are no longer hidden behind “the faithful and discreet slave.” They no longer just represent it. From now on they, and they alone are “the faithful and discreet slave.”
On the positive side this may help some Witnesses realize that they have been required to follow these men rather than the faithful and discreet slave Je-sus was talking about. And too, this understanding better fits the way things really work with their religion. – Review Chapters 6 and 11.
Another problem that was created by their former interpretation of Matthew 24:45-47 had to do with the appointment over Jesus’ “belongings” (or “earthly interests”) in the spring of 1919. That former interpretation required that in order for the Society to be God’s organization today they had to have passed a “food at the proper time” examination of what they had been teaching down till 1919 in order to qualify as Jesus’ “faithful and discreet slave.” Only then could they have received Jesus’ appointment “over all his belongings.”
But as Chapter 3 of Captives of a Concept shows, there was no way the Society could have passed such an examination at that time. Therefore, ac-cording to their old interpretation (along with the aid of their Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom book), the Watchtower Society has never been God’s organi-zation.
Apparently the Governing Body finally noticed this problem. Their “new light” seems to be their attempt to solve it…
"Jesus’ appointment of the “slave” over his “belongingsmust be a future event. He will make that appointment during the great tribulation."
They simply moved the date of that appointment from the spring of 1919 to an unspecified date in the future “during the great tribulation.” Why must that appointment be a future event? Because if it was a past event in 1919 the Society would not have received it. By moving the ‘belongings appointment’ from the past into the future, all of the sudden it doesn’t matter what the Soci-ety had been teaching down till 1919.
But according to the old interpretation it did matter. It mattered a lot. In fact it mattered so much that the Society’s claim to being “God’s faithful and discreet slave organization” today depends upon having received that ‘belong-ings appointment’ in 1919.
Since that future appointment will not depend on what the Society had been teaching down till 1919, what will it depend on? The Governing Body‘s “new light” doesn’t say. Apparently they feel they can worry about that question when the time comes. They and their successors will always have plenty of “new light” to turn on whenever they need it. - Proverbs 4:18
Apparently the Governing Body still doesn’t realize that in order to God’s organization today they had to have received Jesus’ appointment “over all his belongings” or “earthly interests” at some point. But their old interpre-tation shows why they would not have received it in 1919 because they could not have passed a food at the proper time examination of what they had been teaching down till 1919.
But their new interpretation still shows that they have not received Jesus’ appointment because it hasn’t even been offered yet. And so, the Governing Body’s “new light” interpretation doesn’t help to prove that the Society is God’s organization any better than their old interpretation (“old light”) did.
Unfortunately, this “New light” will probably help to keep the Govern-ing Body and their followers captives of their illusionary concept that the Watchtower Society is still God’s organization “no matter what happens.”
And so, what’s the “final answer”? Why do the men of the Governing Body continue to work so hard to keep believing that the Watchtower Society is God’s organization even when they need to keep coming up with “new light” in order to keep believing it? One of the answers to that question may have something to do with a comment back on page 10…
Because they did not accept the love of the truth …that is whyGod lets an operation of error go to them that they may get to believing the lie." – 2 Thessalonians 2:10,11
Whatever the reason, there does seem to be “an operation of error” going on in the thinking process of the men of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Don Cameron