by Marvin Shilmer 33 Replies latest jw friends
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Evil Slave
Today I added a new article to my blog titled Evil Slave. This article focuses on a new Watchtower teaching about who or what to watch out for in terms of the biblical “evil slave”.
As it turns out, according to Watchtower as of now we need only take a look at 8 men of Watchtower, and then ask and answer a question in order to be on the safe side.
My article is titled Evil Slave and is available at: http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2013/04/evil-slave.html
Marvin Shilmer
Marvin, as always: Great work!
I remember the evil slave class in conversations back in the late 80's, when I came in. The elder I studied with said they were the old followers of Russell. What's the thinking now?
WT July 15 2013 article "Who Really Is The Faithful & Discreet Slave?"
"Was Jesus foretelling that there would be an evil slave class in the last days? No. Granted, some individuals have manifested a spirit similar to that of the evil slave described by Jesus. We would call them apostates, whether they were of the anointed or of the “great crowd.” (Rev. 7:9) But such ones do not make up an evil slave class. Jesus did not say that he would appoint an evil slave. His words here are actually a warning directed to the faithful and discreet slave.
Notice that Jesus introduces the warning with the words “if ever.” One scholar says that in the Greek text, this passage “for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition.” In effect, Jesus was saying: ‘If the faithful and discreet slave were ever to mistreat his fellow slaves in these ways, this is what the master will do when he arrives.’ (See also Luke 12:45.) However, the composite faithful and discreet slave has continued to keep on the watch and to provide nourishing spiritual food."
So then ,a fter all these years of depicting an enemy.....The Evil Slave Never Existed after all. Just like the childhood bogey-man , it was all a bad dream!
No surprise..... considering that in Australia they also denied that the Faithful Slave exists....
I don't remember if it was in CofC or ISoCF, but Ray Franz wrote that he believed the GB exhibited the traits that would qualify them to be the Evil Slave.
Anyone have the quote?
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“I remember the evil slave class in conversations back in the late 80's, when I came in. The elder I studied with said they were the old followers of Russell. What's the thinking now?”
wha happened?,
In the past Watchtower essentially taught the “evil slave” was a composite class made up of Watchtower disfellowshipped apostates.
As of July 15, 2013 Watchtower teaches there is no “evil slave” class and that the language was issued as a warning to “the faithful and discreet slave” class not to beat on or otherwise abuse Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Figure that one out!
Marvin Shilmer
I'm confused. So, the 'faithful slave' describes only a class or group but not a hypothetical individual
but the 'evil slave' describes only a hypothetical individual but not a group?
Oh, what a tangled web we weave
when first we practice to deceive
metatron
wha happened - " What's the thinking now?"
We are at war with Eurasia, we have always been at war with Eurasia. There has never been an evil slave, it never was the Russelites, or the anointed gone bad, or Ray Franz. Jesus was speaking in illustrations, apart from when he was talking about the faithful and discrete slave, that bit is literal. The rest is a metaphorical warning.*
*This new light is correct at the time of writing**
**Subject to change.
Commentaries put the "evil slave" in an interesting perspective:
