by The Quiet One 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Key to all this.. are the words watchmen and prophet...are they the same or different ?
God said to the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me" ( Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
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By either of those definitions they are still prophets. They do claim to speak for God and they do try and predict the future and both of these things, they claim, are inspired by God and only they have this privilege given to them.
We are not prophets, we just foretell the future. We don't speak in jehovahs name, but we are the only ones making it known. We used to say we are not a religion, but well we caved in on that one.
How does one reconcile their conflicting claims?
Easy.
They are prophets of the "god of religion", our evil step-father.
They are not prophets of the "God of Abraham", our heavenly father.
The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. –The Watchtower, November 1, 1931, page 327
For an answer, people should listen to the plain preaching by the remnant prefigured by Jeremiah, for these preach to men the present-day fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecies. Who made them a prophet to speak with the authority that they claim? Well, who made Jeremiah a prophet? –The Watchtower, January 15, 1959, page 39.
Who will be Jehovah's prophet to the nations, to speak to them everything that He should command? Who will be the modern Jeremiah? ... Jehovah's witnesses are deeply grateful today that the plain facts show that God has been pleased to use them. ... Jehovah thrust out his hand of power and touched their lips and put his words in their mouths... –The Watchtower, January 15, 1959, page 40-41.
Unlike the clergy class, those of the Jeremiah classhave been sent by Jehovah to speak in his name. –The Watchtower, September 1, 1979, page 29.
"WHAT FUTURE FOR THE YOUNG? Young or old, you need to face up to the fact that this system is not going to change its direction. Under Satan's influence, it will continue to deteriorate rapidly in its remaining years. The truth of this can be seen in crime statistics everywhere. In the United States the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that in 1968 there was a fantastic 17 -percent increase in crime over 1967. This came on top of many years of other large increases. The population, however, grew only one percent last year. So crime exploded seventeen times as fast as the population! If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment af Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the 'last days' in 1914, Jesus foretold: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.'--Matt. 24:34. Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone! This is why parents who base their lives on God's prophetic Word find it much more practical to direct their young ones into trades that do not require such long periods of additional schooling. And trades such as carpentry, plumbing, and others, will be useful not only now, but perhaps even more so in the reconstruction work that will take place in God's new order. With such practical trades, many young persons have been able to sustain themselves with part-time work. This allows them to spend much more of their time helping interested persons to learn God's requirements for life by studying the Bible with them. True, those who do not understand where we are in the stream of time from God's viewpoint will call this impractical. But which is really practical: preparing yourself for a position in this world that soon will pass away? or working toward surviving this system's end and enjoying eternal life in God's righteous new order?--1 John 2:17. In these urgent times, as this wicked system writhes in its death pangs, this counsel from God's Word Is most practical for all who want to keep living: 'My son, my law do not forget, and my commandments may your heart observe, because length of days and years of life and peace will be added to you.'-Prov. 3:1, 2." - Awake! 22 May 1969, Pages 14 & 15
"However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: 'How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?' when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him." - Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (NWT).
"The expression 'in the name of' need not imply the name of a person. Today, many things are done 'in the name of the government,' which is not a person. They are done by the authority of the government." - Extract from Watch. 15 March 2010, page 14.
The Governing Body claims to speak by the authority of Jehovah, therefore such a prophecy as that proclaimed back in 1969 constitutes a presuming to speak in the name of Jehovah. Although they have proven themselves in times past to wish to have the honour of a prophet but none of the accountability, the fact remains that they are false prophets.
