What Sign Does the Governing Body Offer They Are "The Vine" of (John 15:1-8)

by ÁrbolesdeArabia 4 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  ÁrbolesdeArabia

  "Outrageous Claims Demand Extraordinary Proof!"

  What Sign or evidence back's the Watchtower's Leadership's claim, they are "The Vine" (John 15) and are Jesus Christ's Modern Day Apostles? The 1950 something Watchtower makes the claim if we fall off their Vine, we become like a dead limb or commit spiritual suicide (if some new teaching cracks or blows us off the Vine(Watchtower Teachings)). What proof do they offer?

  Am I wrong to ask how the Governing Body became "The True Vine", and being connected to "them" lead's to life, instead of our grafting onto our lord Jesus Christ, and his Gardner Father Jehovah God?
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  zed is dead

  They cant even figure out who the FDS are. I know what it is, Feminine Deoderant Spray.

  zed
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  Bobcat

  I think the Society says that the "anointed" are the branches of the vine. Of course, in their thinking that is the 144,000 which would include the GB.

  In the context of the vine metaphor (John 15:1-10), the branches are mostly referred to as, "YOU" (2nd person, plural). But they are also referred to as those:

  'who Jesus spoke to' (v.3),

  who 'remain in union (or "abide") with him' (v.4),

  who keep to Jesus' "sayings" (v.7),

  who 'prove themselves to be Jesus' disciples' (v.8),

  and who 'observe Jesus' commandments' (v.9)

  I might add that, based on the new F&DS explanation, the WT basically claims that the GB are the "vine" for all practical purposes. They claim you can't do anything if you are not in union with them. But I imagine they wouldn't have the outright temerity to say that. But they do imply it.

  Here is the most recent thing I could find on the WT understanding:

  *** w02 2/1 p. 18 par. 15 Are You Among Those Loved by God? ***
  Rather than producing the fruitage of true worship, Israel fell into apostasy and produced fruit for itself. Three days before his final meeting with his faithful disciples, Jesus told the hypocritical Jewish leaders: "I say to you, The kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits." (Matthew 21:43) That new nation is "the Israel of God," made up of 144,000 anointed Christians, who are likened to "the branches" of "the true vine," Christ Jesus.-Galatians 6:16; John 15:5; Revelation 14:1, 3.

  Just as a bit of personal commentary, Gal 6:16 refers to, "The Israel of God" but links that nation to, "All those who will walk orderly by this rule of conduct," which in the immediate context involves those who look to Jesus.

  John 15:5 simply says, "YOU are the branches."

  Rev 14:1, 3 refers to the 144,000, but there are no linguistic links in those verses, that I can see, that would require only these to be the "branches" of the vine in John 15.

  Such is the emptiness of WT eisegesis. (Eisegesis=personal interpretation of a text (especially of the Bible) using your own ideas.)
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  ÁrbolesdeArabia

  "Jehovah's visible organization can use you, but can get along without you"... "All must associate together , get the life-giving spiritual food that God circulates to his people through the organization, get the new truths that take away old ideas and the admonition that keeps down queer personal ideas"... "Don't become a withered branch"... Watchtower January 1950

  Maybe the Watchtower think's they are the "Rootstocks" that bring up the all the nutrients Nitrogen and minor nutrients the Vine delivers to each branch? (P), (K), (Fe), (B). Grapes cut from a the Vine can continue to ripen as they use the branch/little-vine's sugar and water until it drys up. If we are cut from the Vine, we are going to die unless we are close to Harvest, the premise of the Watchtower's analogy is obvious they believe they are part of the Vine.
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  ÁrbolesdeArabia

  The gist of the Watchtower article is they are providing nutrition the "Vine" provides to the branches that produce fruit.

  Jesus provided all the food the branches need, what fertilizers, trace-elements and minor nutrients is the Faithful Slave adding? Melanine, "Round-Up", "Agent-Orange" with all their false predictions and One Million and twenty-six rules?