Alan Fraudbacker writes:
Our local anointed Priest-King prophesied:
More correctly, I am not in any sense the local king-priest, in that, this is the world-wide web. LOL. But let’s don’t nit-pick.
To prevent this post from becoming unreadable I will simply select portions of AF’s comments and let the reader situate them in the context of my previous remarks.
The Watchtower Society has killed the faith of hundreds of thousands and has taught and practiced such inane things that even such a dogged "defender of the faith" as Greg Stafford has recently stated outright that such things should not be in "Jehovah's organization".
That’s the point. The Scriptures I highlighted in the original post prove that there are things that cause stumbling within the organization and there will be up until the point that Christ sends forth his angels to clear such things out. Your reasoning doesn’t at all take Jehovah’s word into consideration. When Jesus said you would recognize them by their fruits, he obviously was not speaking in absolute terms, recognizing that there are the unavoidable causes for stumbling, as he said elsewhere. To point out that stumbling blocks exist, as you have done, is to merely verify what Christ said about such things.
While Stafford does not come right out and say it, it's pretty obvious that he agrees with the most grievous of all criticisms voiced by critics: that JW leaders have set themselves in the seat of Jesus Christ. Sincere JWs who voice disagreement with JW leaders are summarily disfellowshipped or declared disassociated and shunned in order to shut them up. This happens even to JWs who voice only a small disagreement with the Society. Of course, because of this, JW leaders come under the direct and clear condemnation of Proverbs 17:15: "Anyone pronouncing the wicked one righteous and anyone pronouncing the righteous one wicked -- even both of them are something detestable to Jehovah." Can it get any clearer than this?
You are preaching to the choir here. I know there are problems like that. Those are some of the very causes for stumbling that Christ said would exist in his kingdom up until Judgment Day. It doesn’t take any great insight to see that there are problems. Where the insight comes in is in is discerning how Jehovah is going to deal with the problems. As in most areas of life, recognizing problems is the easy part. Finding solutions is much harder. I have found the only scripturally correct and satisfying answer to the critical challenges confronting Jehovah’s Witnesses presently.
In your customary fashion, Bobby, you misrepresent even that which you hypocritically claim you believe is God's Word. In this illustration to which you refer, Jesus is talking about "weeds" being sown in 'the field of the world' -- not "within the true religion". When "the Son of man arrives in his glory" he establishes his Kingdom over the world, and proceeds to clean out of it all the nasty weeds and such. So here you've deliberately misrepresented what the Bible clearly says is Jesus' Kingdom, and equated it with "the true religion" which you claim is that of Jehovah's Witnesses. In this, you're as vilely deceitful as the worst of the Society's writers -- and as reprehensible before your God.
Part of the problem here is that, ironically enough, you are bound by the Watchtower’s somewhat faulty interpretation of Jesus’ prophetic parable, which I suppose is poetic justice. At any rate, the truth of the matter is, that up until the moment of Christ’s arrival there is not a clear distinction between the world and the sons of the kingdom. That’s why it is neccesary for Christ’s angels to
“collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons doing lawlessness.” Did you notice that there are more than just weeds collected? Jesus said that “ALL THINGS CAUSING STUMBLING” would be collected out. Out from where? The scripture says they will be collected “OUT FROM HIS KINGDOM.”
The things that cause stumbling are not the things of the world. Otherwise how could anyone stumble over the things of the world? LOL The things that cause stumbling are the things within Christ’s very own congregation of anointed ones. And Jesus removes such things during the conclusion of the system.
What nonsense! Ezekiel's prophecy concerned the repatriation of the Jews from Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel 36:11 makes this clear, and destroys your claim that it concerns anything about Jehovah's Witnesses today: "
LOL. You really have no business trying to interpret prophecy. But, that the prophecy applies to spiritual Israle and not the physical nation is evident from the 34th chapter where Jehovah says that he will raise up “My servant David” and transfer his reclaimed sheep under his care. This is a reference to the son of David, Jesus Christ. But at no time was Jesus king over literal Israel. Jesus however is king over his congregation the real Israel.
I shall actually cause YOU to be inhabited as in YOUR former condition..." This obviously applies to the Babylonian captivity, and if the prophecy were fulfilled at all, it was obviously fulfilled when the Jews returned to Judah some decades later. And because the Jehovah's Witnesses are not in any sort of "Babylonish captivity" today -- even by their own prophetic interpretations -- the entire prophecy of which verse 36:11 is a part cannot apply to them.
Well, let me just say that Jehovah has a few surprises in store for everyone. Obviously the Watchtower’s interpretations do not allow for any sort of future humiliation or captivity. But, that’s because his judgments have been concealed from them for the time being. When once the system blows though, then all bets are off. That’s when we enter the conclusion phase, when Christ moves more directly against the apostate element within his organization.
Dismantling the Watchtower organization is one solution. Getting rid of 95% of the top leadership and replacing it with decent human beings is another.
Well, as you know, I did write a piece about a year ago that caused a little bit of stir, entitled: “Why the Watchtower is Doomed.” LOL / You Know