"If"

by irondork 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  irondork

  According to the new Faithful and Discreet Slave, Christ’s warning about the evil slave was referring to a hypothetical situation that could never happen. The word “if” proves it.

  Mathew 24:48-51 - “But if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites. There is where [his] weeping and the gnashing of [his] teeth will be.

  However, that is a pretty specific, detailed warning, not some general counsel about mistreating the flock. Historically, in the bible, such a detailed warning was issued as a result of God knowing exactly how things were going to play out.

  Remember this one?

  Joshua 22: 12,13 - “But if you should turn back at all and you do cleave to what is left of these nations, these that remain with you, and you do form marriage alliances with them and go in among them, and they among you, you should positively know that Jehovah your God will not continue to dispossess these nations on your account; and they must become to you as a trap and as a snare and as a scourge on your flanks and as thorns in your eyes until you have perished off this good ground that Jehovah your God has given you.
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  *lost*
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  leaving_quietly

  Interesting. Also, the word "ever" is interesting. "if ever". I remember mom and dad saying, "if you ever do that again...". Didn't matter when. It only had to happen once. In this case, this could have happened already, in the past. It could have been right then in 1914. We don't know. It goes on to say, "should say in his heart", which would indicate an inward feeling / thinking. Some pretty interesting commentaries about this verse here:

  http://biblehub.com/matthew/24-49.htm

  Edit: I was just thinking about the eating and drinking "with the confirmed drunkards" portion of the verse. Rev 17 describes the harlot as "drunk with the blood of the holy ones and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus." Wouldn't joining the UN, even as an NGO, be "eating with the confirmed drunkards"? I dunno... maybe that's a stretch.
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  Bobcat

  The expression in Mt 24:48 is, "But if ever," (Greek ean de eipe, literally "If but might" or "If but ever") The expression is exactly the same in Luke 12:45.

  ean ("If") is interesting. The AMG Word Study Dictionary of the NT has a little discussion about:

  1437. ean: conjunction formed by combining ei (1487), a conditional particle meaning if, and an (302), a particle denoting supposition, wish, possibility or uncertainty. What, where, whither, whosoever. Sometimes ean is contracted to an. It differs from ei in that ei expresses a condition which is merely hypothetical, a subjective possibility; ean implies a condition which experience must determine, an objective possibility, and thus refers always to something future.

  The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek NT says (at Mt 24:48 & Lk 12:45):

  Subj[unctive] [verb lego, "says"] w[ith] ean used in 3rd class cond[itional] cl[ause] viewing the cond[ition] as a possibility.

  Some additional examples that could give some 'feel' for what "if" really represents: Mt 28:14; Mk 8:3; Lk 4:7; 14:34; Jn 15:10 (These were given by BDAG as similar examples with Mt 24:48.)

  Additional research on F&DS parable here (See my posts # 690, 691, 805)
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  QC

  @Iron

  FDS: “ But if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards , the master of that slave... will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites. " Mathew 24:48-51

  and Israel: “But if you should turn back... and you do form marriage alliances... until you have perished."

  Yip, I agree with you, a first.

  There is one religious group that matches precisely the specifics of this parabolic prophesy Mt 24:48-51 :

  1) i.e. "my master is delaying", obsessed with dates for Jesus' arrival

  2) i.e. "beat his fellow slaves", publicly abusing those questioning their authority

  3) i.e. " drink with the confirmed drunkards ", like original 4 th century spiritual inebriated hypocritical clerics attaching pagan false doctrines (post 103) to the Father and his Son, JW leadership practices similar spiritual debasement:

  Blaspheming God's name by wearing it illegally, usurping its authority

  As well, obscuring the importance of Jesus role in bringing Adam's descendants to salvation

  Note Mathew 24:45-51 predicts two scenarios to look for :

  45, 47 a " faithful and wise slave... the master will put him in charge of all his possessions."

  48, 51 an "evil slave... cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites... there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "

  We see the "evil slave." The "faithful slave" will follow. It will be from among these folks, Dan. 12:4, 10, 11 . IMO, individuals coordinated from "Jerusalem above." Not a proxy earthly organizational structure.