Blondie"s comments you will not hear at the )(_!%

Why endnotes instead of footnotes? Why footnotes in the September 15, December 15, 2013 Study WT? In fact endnotes disappear and there are fewer and fewer footnotes until December.

Scan codes and where did the WT logo go (now JW.ORG)

Note that the WTS now connects the pictures with the paragraphs they are about.

Is this the first time the change in the doctrine of the wheat and the weeds has been presented recently?

Remember when the review questions were at the end of the article? Now they appear at the beginning. Reminds of when the stopped summing up the paragraphs after getting responses to the questions, but reading the paragraphs first.

“LOOK! I AM WITH YOU ALL THE DAYS”

“Look! I am with you all the days until

the conclusion of the system of things.”

—MATT. 28:20.

LOOK FOR THE ANSWERS

TO THESE QUESTIONS:

Why can we conclude that from

the first century C.E. until today,

there have always been anointed

Christians on earth?

(so who were the anointed between 100 and 1879 CE?)

*** w95 5/15 p. 16 par. 5 Part 1—Flashes of Light—Great and Small ***

In this regard, the book God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached stated: “As to just how the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ class existed and served down through the centuries after the death of the apostles of the Master Jesus Christ, we do not have a distinct historical picture. Apparently one generation of the ‘slave’ class fed the next succeeding generation thereof. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Starting in 1914, what inspection

by Jesus took place?

(Did inspection take place in 1914 or 1918 concluding in 1919?)

Malachi 3:1-3

*** w10 3/15 p. 23 par. 17 “The Righteous Ones Will Shine as Brightly as the Sun” ***

In modern times, this prophecy evidently started to be fulfilled in 1918 when Jehovah, along with “the messenger of the covenant,” Jesus Christ, inspected the spiritual temple.

*** w04 3/1 p. 14 par. 8 ‘The Faithful Slave’ Passes the Test! ***

In 1918, Jesus, “the messenger of the covenant,” had come to Jehovah’s spiritual temple to inspect and cleanse God’s congregation. (Malachi 3:1)

What events depicted in Jesus’

illustration about the wheat and

the weeds still lie ahead?

(Has there been a fairly recent article before on this with an adjustment in doctrine?)

*** w10 3/15 p. 21 par. 7 “The Righteous Ones Will Shine as Brightly as the Sun” ***

Jesus did not say that the wheat would become weeds but that weeds were sown among the wheat. So this illustration does not portray genuine Christians who fall away from the truth. Rather, it points to a deliberate effort on the part of Satan to corrupt the Christian congregation by introducing wicked people into it. By the time that the last apostle, John, was old, this apostasy was clearly evident.—2 Pet. 2:1-3; 1 John 2:18.

*** w74 8/15 p. 507 No Spiritual “Energy Crisis” for Discreet Ones ***

Hence, when C. T. Russell began publishing a new religious magazine in July 1879, it was called “Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence.” It was heralding Christ’s presence as having begun in 1874. This invisible presence was expected to continue until the Gentile Times ended in 1914, when the Gentile nations would be destroyed and the remnant of the “chaste virgin” class would be glorified with their Bridegroom in heaven by death and resurrection to live in the spirit. (1 Cor. 15:42-44) Thus would the “discreet virgin” class enter through the door into the wedding.

START OF ARTICLE

1. (a) Summarize the illustration of the wheat and the

weeds. (b) How did Jesus explain its meaning?

ONE of Jesus’ Kingdom illustrations describes a

farmer who sows fine seed of wheat and an enemy

who sows weeds among the fine seed. The weeds

overgrow the wheat, but the farmer orders his slaves

to “let both grow together until the harvest.” During

harvest season, the weeds are destroyed and the

wheat is gathered. Jesus himself explained the illustration.

(Read Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43.) What does

this parable reveal? (See the chart “The Wheat and

the Weeds.”) SEE Chart at www.jw.org site

http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/?contentLanguageFilter=en&pubFilter=w&yearFilter=2013

As the quote above shows, originally the WTS taught that the harvest season was from 1874 to 1914. If you check the Studies in the Scriptures, that is what its chart showed.

The Bible Students taught that they were searching for the remaining anointed from 1874 to 1914 and then the end would come. But then the end did not come in 1914 or the adjusted 1915 date. So the WTS erased history and made 1914 the beginning.

*** w55 3/1 p. 142 Part 5—The Warning Work (1909-1914) ***

To offset any private wild speculations as to 1914 the Watch Tower of December 1, 1912, published the following:

“There surely is room for slight differences of opinion on this subject and it behooves us to grant each other the widest latitude. The lease of power to the Gentiles may end in October, 1914, or in October, 1915.

1879 "Christ came in the character of a Bridegroom in 1874.... at the beginning of the Gospel harvest." (Watchtower, Oct 1879, p. 4)

1915 The Gentile Times prove that the present governments must all be overturned about the close of A.D. 1915; and Parallelism above shows that this period corresponds exactly with the year A.D. 70, which witnessed the completion of the downfall of the Jewish polity. (The Time Is At Hand, 1915 edition, p. 242)

2. (a) What is illustrated by the events taking place in the

farmer’s field? (b) What part of the parable will we consider?

2 The events taking place in that farmer’s field illustrate

how and when Jesus would gather out of

mankind the entire wheat class—anointed Christians

who will rule with him in his Kingdom. The sowing

began at Pentecost 33 C.E. The gathering will

be complete when the anointed who are alive at the

end of this system of things receive their final sealing

and then are taken to heaven. (Matt. 24:31; Rev.

7:1-4) Just as a lookout point on a mountain provides

a person with a sweeping view of his surroundings,

so this parable gives us a panoramic view of developments

that would occur during a period of some

2,000 years. From our vantage point, what developments

related to the Kingdom do we discern? The

parable describes a time of sowing, growth, and harvesting.

This article will focus mainly on the harvesttime.[1]

*** w81 8/1 p. 23 par. 9 Harvesting in the “Time of the End” ***

When, after 1914, did the Son of man “send forth his angels” to separate the “sons of the kingdom” from “the sons of the wicked one,” the imitation “wheat,” that is, “persons who are doing lawlessness” and who include the “man of lawlessness,” the religious leaders of counterfeit Christianity? The answer must correspond with the facts, and these show that it was in 1919 that the spirit-begotten, anointed “sons of the kingdom,” symbolized by the “wheat,” began to be freed from the “weeds,” or false Christians, that had overrun the religious field of mankind. The “harvest of the earth” was ripe and the time had come for the “Son of man” to thrust in his sickle and reap. The parable reveals that he did this by means of his “reapers,” angels.

*** w04 1/1 p. 13 par. 4 “Into All the Earth Their Sound Went Out” ***

In 1919, it was time for the pure Christian wheat to be separated from the weeds.

UNDER JESUS’ WATCHFUL CARE

3. (a) What condition developed after the first century?

(b) According to Matthew 13:28, what question was raised,

and by whom? (See also endnote.)

3 At the dawn of the second century C.E., “the

weeds appeared” when imitation Christians

became visible in the world field.

(Matt. 13:26) By the fourth century,

weedlike Christians had greatly outnumbered

anointed Christians. Recall that in

the parable, the slaves asked their master

for permission to uproot the weeds.[2]

(Matt. 13:28) How did the master respond?

Who were the anointed Christians in the 4 th century? Were they still part of the original group or had they separated themselves? Who was feeding them the proper food?

Christmas was added to Christian teachings but the WTS did not reject this until 1926, 7 years after the sorting in 1919.

*** w84 12/15 p. 6 Christmas—Why Is It Dangerous? ***

As the book Christmas admits: “The Christian Church . . . in the 4th century found it convenient to take over the sacred pagan day of December 25, the winter solstice . . . The birthday of the sun became the birthday of the Son of God.”

Other “false” teachings retained by the WTS after 1919

*** jv chap. 14 pp. 200-201 “They Are No Part of the World” ***

Practices That Have Been Abandoned

This Christmas celebration at Brooklyn Bethel in 1926 was their last. The Bible Students gradually came to appreciate that neither the origin of this holiday nor the practices associated with it honored God

For years, Bible Students wore a cross and crown as a badge of identification, and this symbol was on the front cover of the “Watch Tower” from 1891 to 1931. But in 1928 it was emphasized that not a decorative symbol but one’s activity as a witness showed he was a Christian. In 1936 it was pointed out that the evidence indicates that Christ died on a stake, not a two-beamed cross

In their “Daily Manna” book, Bible Students kept a list of birthdays. But after they quit celebrating Christmas and when they realized that birthday celebrations were giving undue honor to creatures (one reason that early Christians never celebrated birthdays), the Bible Students quit this practice too

For some 35 years, Pastor Russell thought that the Great Pyramid of Gizeh was God’s stone witness, corroborating Biblical time periods. (Isa. 19:19) But Jehovah’s Witnesses have abandoned the idea that an Egyptian pyramid has anything to do with true worship. (See “Watchtower” issues of November 15 and December 1, 1928)

4. (a) What is revealed by the answer of the

Master, Jesus? (b) When did wheatlike Christians

become discernible?

4 Speaking about the wheat and the

weeds, Jesus said: “Let both grow together

until the harvest.” This command

reveals that from the first century

until today, there have always been

some anointed wheatlike Christians on

earth. That conclusion is confirmed by

what Jesus later told his disciples: “I am

with you all the days until the conclusion

of the system of things.” (Matt. 28:

20) So anointed Christians would be protected

by Jesus all the days leading up to

the time of the end. However, since they

were overgrown by weedlike Christians,

we do not know for certain who belonged

to the wheat class during that

long period of time. However, some decades

before the start of the harvest season,

the wheat class became discernible.

How did that come about?

“anointed Christians would be protected by Jesus”

Should individual ones expect protection?

*** w08 9/15 p. 9 par. 8 Jehovah Is “the Provider of Escape” for Us ***

As individuals, we know that our immediate physical protection is not guaranteed. We take the position expressed by the three faithful Hebrews who refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold. Those God-fearing young men did not presume that Jehovah would miraculously protect them from physical harm. (Read Daniel 3:17, 18.) As matters turned out, Jehovah did deliver them from the flames of the fiery furnace. (Dan. 3:21-27) Even in Bible times, however, miraculous deliverance was the exception rather than the rule. Many faithful servants of Jehovah died at the hands of opposers.—Heb. 11:35-37.

How were the wheat class discernible if they had all the false teachings mentioned above after 1919 and up till 1936?

*** w95 10/1 p. 27 Guard Your Sense of Urgency ***

Then, through the centuries of the Dark Ages, the few wheatlike Christians kept the Kingdom hope alive, as Christ Jesus had foretold. (Matthew 13:28-30)

*** w12 1/15 pp. 7-8 pars. 14-17 True Christians Respect God’s Word ***

In a parable, Jesus indicated that from the first century onward, there would always be some genuine anointed Christians on the earth. He compared them to “wheat” growing among “weeds.” (Matt. 13:30) Of course, we cannot say for certain which individuals or groups belonged to the anointed wheat class, but we can confirm that there have always been some who have courageously defended God’s Word and exposed the church’s unscriptural teachings. Let us consider a few examples.

15 Archbishop Agobard of Lyons, France (779-840 C.E.), spoke out against image worship, churches dedicated to saints, and the church’s unscriptural liturgies and practices. One of his contemporaries, Bishop Claudius, also rejected church tradition and objected to prayers to saints and the veneration of relics. In the 11th century, Archdeacon Berengarius of Tours, France, was excommunicated for rejecting the Catholic teaching of transubstantiation. Moreover, he held that the Bible is superior to church tradition.

16 The 12th century saw the arrival of two lovers of Bible truth, Peter of Bruys and Henry of Lausanne. Peter resigned from the priesthood because he could not reconcile with the Scriptures the Catholic teachings of infant baptism, transubstantiation, prayers for the dead, and worship of the cross. In 1140, Peter paid for his beliefs with his life. Henry, a monk, spoke out against corrupt practices in the church as well as the unscriptural aspects of church liturgy. He was arrested in 1148 and spent the rest of his life in prison.

17 About the time that Peter of Bruys was burned alive for daring to criticize the church, a person was born who would later have a powerful influence on the spread of Bible truth. His last name was Valdès, or Waldo. Unlike Peter of Bruys and Henry of Lausanne, he was a layman, but he valued God’s Word so much that he divested himself of his material goods and arranged for portions of the Bible to be translated into a language commonly spoken in southeastern France. Some were so thrilled to hear the Bible’s message in their own tongue that they too gave up their belongings and devoted their lives to sharing Bible truth with others. The church found this deeply disturbing. In 1184 these zealous men and women, later called the Waldenses, were excommunicated by the pope and banished from their homes by the bishop. This action actually served to spread the Bible’s message to other areas. Eventually, the followers of Waldo, Peter of Bruys, and Henry of Lausanne as well as other dissenters could be found in many parts of Europe. Other champions of Bible truth rose up in the centuries that followed: John Wycliffe (c. 1330-1384), William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536), Henry Grew (1781-1862), and George Storrs (1796-1879).

And who would these be? Did the anointed between know who the wheatlike Christians and who was the small group feeding them? Who was the governing body?

This command reveals that from the first century

until today, there have always been

some anointed wheatlike Christians on

earth.

we do not know for certain who belonged

to the wheat class during that

long period of time.

“some decades before the start” 1874 or 1914?

A MESSENGER ‘CLEARS UP A WAY’

5. How was Malachi’s prophecy fulfilled in the

first century?

5 Centuries before Jesus gave the illustration

of the wheat and the weeds, Jehovah

inspired his prophet Malachi to

foretell events that are reflected in Jesus’

illustration. (Read Malachi 3:1-4.) John

the Baptizer was the ‘messenger who

cleared up the way.’ (Matt. 11:10, 11)

When he came in 29 C.E., a time of judgment

for the nation of Israel had drawn

close. Jesus was the second messenger.

He cleansed the temple in Jerusalem

twice—first at the start of his ministry

and second toward the end. (Matt. 21:12,

13; John 2:14-17) Hence, Jesus’ cleansing

work involved a period of time.

OT support?

A time of judgment for the national of Israel: Then did unfaithful Israelites die after that without a hope of resurrection?

But remember that the cleansing supposedly came in 1919 and even after 17 years the WTS was still basing its chronology on pyramids.

(BTW why did the WTS substitute “baptizer” for “Baptist”?)

6. (a) What is the larger fulfillment of Malachi’s

prophecy? (b) During what time period

did Jesus inspect the spiritual temple? (See also

endnote.)

6 What is the larger fulfillment of Malachi’s

prophecy? During the decades

leading up to 1914, C. T. Russell and

his close associates did a work like that

of John the Baptizer. That vital work

involved restoring Bible truths. The Bible

Students taught the true meaning

of Christ’s ransom sacrifice, exposed

the hellfire lie, and proclaimed the coming

end of the Gentile Times. Still,

there were numerous religious groups

who claimed to be Christ’s followers.

So a crucial question needed to be answered:

Who among those groups were

the wheat? To settle that question, Jesus

began to inspect the spiritual temple

in 1914. That inspection and cleansing

work involved a period of time—from

1914 to the early part of 1919.[3]

So did the inspection begin in 1914 or 1918?

*** w90 3/15 p. 13 par. 15 ‘The Faithful Slave’ and Its Governing Body ***

Whom did Christ find doing so when he returned with kingly power in 1914 and proceeded to inspect the house of God in 1918?—Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 19:12; 1 Peter 4:17.

*** re chap. 6 p. 32 Unlocking a Sacred Secret ***

Jesus was baptized and anointed as King-Designate at the Jordan River about October 29 C.E. Three and a half years later, in 33 C.E., he came to Jerusalem’s temple and threw out those who were making it a cave of robbers. There appears to be a parallel to this in the three-and-a-half-year period from Jesus’ enthronement in the heavens in October 1914 until his coming to inspect professed Christians as judgment began with the house of God. (Matthew 21:12, 13; 1 Peter 4:17) Early in 1918 the Kingdom activity of Jehovah’s people met with great opposition. It was a time of testing earth wide, and fearful ones were sifted out. In May 1918 Christendom’s clergy instigated the imprisonment of officials of the Watch Tower Society, but nine months later these were released. Later, the false charges against them were dropped. From 1919 the organization of God’s people, tried and refined, moved zealously forward to proclaim Jehovah’s Kingdom by Christ Jesus as the hope for mankind.—Malachi 3:1-3.

YEARS OF INSPECTION AND CLEANSING

7. When Jesus began his inspection in 1914,

what did he find?

7 When Jesus began his inspection,

what did he find? A small group of zealous

Bible Students who for well over 30

years had given their strength and fortunes

to pursue a vigorous preaching

campaign.[4] What a joy it must have

been for Jesus and the angels to find

that those relatively few but sturdy

wheat stalks had not been choked by Satan’s

weeds! Still, there arose a need to

“cleanse the sons of Levi,” the anointed

ones. (Mal. 3:2, 3; 1 Pet. 4:17) Why so?

Notice that the WTS has dropped the explanatory note:

*** w12 2/15 p. 31 ‘It Made Me a Little Conspicuous’ ***

The Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then called, saw the need to share the precious truths they had learned from a diligent study of the Scriptures.

There were no Jehovah’s Witnesses before 1931. But there were and are Bible Students since then.

How much door to door did Bible Students do; even colporteurs did not conduct bible studies but only were book salespeople and delivered books. Not until 1937 were jws trained and pushed to make return visits and study with individuals.

*** w01 1/15 p. 20 par. 16 Keep in Step With Jehovah’s Organization ***

The year 1937 saw the introduction of the booklet Model Study, emphasizing the need to make return visits in order to teach others Bible truth. In the years thereafter, Bible study activity was greatly emphasized.

8. What developments took place after 1914?

8 In late 1914, some Bible Students

were disheartened because they had not

gone to heaven. During 1915 and 1916,

opposition from outside the organization

slowed down the preaching work.

Worse, after Brother Russell’s death in

October 1916, opposition arose from inside

the organization. Four of the seven

directors of the Watch Tower Bible and

Tract Society rebelled against the decision

to have Brother Rutherford take the

lead. They tried to cause division among

the brothers, but in August 1917, they

left Bethel—a cleansing indeed! Also,

some Bible Students gave in to the fear

of man. Still, as a whole they willingly

responded to Jesus’ cleansing work and

made the needed changes. Hence, Jesus

judged them to be true Christian wheat,

but he rejected all imitation Christians,

including all of those found within the

churches of Christendom. (Mal. 3:5;

2 Tim. 2:19) What happened next? To

find out, let us return to our consideration

of the parable of the wheat and the

weeds.

Had the Bible Students run ahead about the end coming in 1914 and their going to heaven? Or was it a top down belief taught in the publications and the congregations?

http://www.bible.ca/Jw-Prophecy.htm

The members of the WTS had been told that the harvest period was from 1874 to 1914 and then the anointed would go to heaven. 1914 came and went, even the adjusted period 1915, and the man who told them this died in 1916. Did the WTS have true information from God? Some of these same people would only 9 years in 1925 be fooled again as to when the end would come.

Who caused division, the 4 Bible Students who had been named to take over by CT Russell, or the one who saw the legal loophole, JF Rutherford. Who put forth the 1925 time for the end, yes, the same man.

Cleansing items missed by Jesus (see paragraph 3)

Cross

Birthdays

Pyramids

Christmas

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER

THE HARVEST SEASON BEGINS?

9, 10. (a) What will we now consider about

the harvest season? (b) What took place first

during the harvest season?

9 “The harvest is a conclusion of a system

of things,” said Jesus. (Matt. 13:39)

That harvest season began in 1914. We

will consider five developments that Jesus

foretold for that time.

Did the harvest begin in 1914 or 1874?

10 First, collecting the weeds. Jesus

says: “In the harvest season I will tell

the reapers, First collect the weeds

and bind them in bundles.” After 1914,

the angels began to “collect” weedlike

Christians by separating them from the

anointed “sons of the kingdom.”—Matt.

13:30, 38, 41.

After 1914 or 1919 did the collection of the weeds start? How could it start before the cleansing that began in 1918?

11. Till this day, what has set true Christians

apart from imitation Christians?

11 As the collecting work progressed,

the distinction between the two groups

became ever clearer. (Rev. 18:1, 4) By

1919, it became evident that Babylon

the Great had fallen. What especially

set true Christians apart from imitation

ones? The preaching work. Those taking

the lead among the Bible Students

began to stress the importance of sharing

personally in the Kingdom preaching

work. For instance, To Whom the Work Is

Entrusted, a pamphlet published in 1919,

urged all anointed Christians to preach

from house to house. It stated: “The

work appears stupendous, but it is the

Lord’s, and in his strength we will perform

it. You have the privilege of sharing

in it.” What was the response? From that

time onward, reported The Watch Tower

in 1922, the Bible Students stepped up

their preaching activities. Before long,

preaching from house to house became a

hallmark of those faithful Christians—as

it is till this day.

So that means that door to door was not required before 1922. Did JF Rutherford go door to door?

Do you see how the WTS can and does misrepresent its history?

www.ctrussell.us

12. Since when has the wheat class been gathered?

12 Second, gathering the wheat. Jesus

commands his angels: “Go to gathering

the wheat into my storehouse.” (Matt. 13:

30) Since 1919, anointed ones have been

gathered into the restored Christian congregation.

For those anointed Christians

who will be alive at the end of this system

of things, the final gathering will

take place when they receive their heavenly

reward.—Dan. 7:18, 22, 27.

Since 1919 still celebrating Christmas and birthdays and displaying the cross on the WT and “clean”?

Did you get the point, only the anointed are the “Christian congregation”?

Taken from Blondies review of the WT study on Sacred Service:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/125422/1.ashx

So will all the young anointed get to live out their lives on earth, or do they go to heaven when it plays out on earth? At that rate and with overlapping generations, the end could last hundreds of years.

13. What does Revelation 18:7 reveal about the

present attitude of the harlot, or Babylon the

Great, including Christendom?

13 Third, weeping and gnashing. After

the angels bundle the weeds, what

happens? Speaking about the condition

of the weed class, Jesus states: “There is

where their weeping and the gnashing of

their teeth will be.” (Matt. 13:42) Is that

happening right now? No. Today, Christendom,

as part of the harlot, still says

about herself: “I sit a queen, and I am no

widow, and I shall never see mourning.”

(Rev. 18:7) Indeed, Christendom feels

very much in charge, even presuming to

‘sit as a queen’ atop the class of political

leaders. Presently, those represented by

the weeds are boasting, not weeping. But

that is about to change.

Class of political leaders = no mention of UN

Christendom = harlot but not only BTG

All non-jw religions – sits a queen, not just Christendom

*** w89 4/15 pp. 14-15 par. 14 The Infamous Harlot—Her Destruction ***

In due course, the “scarlet-colored wild beast” itself must go off into destruction. But before this happens, and even before its final beastly attack on God’s people, that UN beast has a special service to perform. Jehovah puts ‘his thought into the hearts of the wild beast and its militarized horns.’ With what result? God’s angel answers: “And the ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire.”

*** w12 9/15 p. 5 par. 6 How This World Will Come to an End ***

A study of the book of Revelation shows that the wild beast refers to the United Nations (UN). “The ten horns” represent all present political powers that support this “scarlet-colored wild beast.” (Rev. 17:3, 5, 11, 12)

PICTURE

Christendom’s close

association with political

leaders will soon come

to an end

(See paragraph 13)

OSCE and the WTS (does the picture on jwfacts look familiar?)

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/politics.php

14. (a) When and why will imitation Christians

‘gnash their teeth’? (b) How does our

adjusted understanding of Matthew 13:42 harmonize

with the thought expressed at Psalm

112:10? (See endnote.)

14 During the great tribulation, after

all organized false religion has been destroyed,

former adherents will run for

cover but will find no secure place to

hide. (Luke 23:30; Rev. 6:15-17) Then, realizing

that there is no escape from destruction,

they will weep in desperation

and ‘gnash their teeth’ in anger. As Jesus

foretells in his prophecy about the great

tribulation, at that dark moment, they

“will beat themselves in lamentation.”[5]

—Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7.

So is the WTS saying the infrastructure is gone or that their members have quit?

No secure place to hide; do you know jws that think that KHs are a place to hide, a place of protection? Are congregations buildings?

*** w09 5/15 p. 8 Where Should You Be When the End Comes? ***

In our day, the “interior rooms” of this prophecy could be closely associated with the more than 100,000 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world. Such congregations play an important role in our lives. They will continue to do so through “the great tribulation.” (Rev. 7:14) God’s people are commanded to go into their “interior rooms” and hide themselves “until the denunciation passes over.” It is vital that we develop and maintain a wholesome attitude toward the congregation and be firmly resolved to stay in close association with it.

15. What will happen to the weeds, and when

will that event occur?

15 Fourth, pitched into the furnace.

What will happen to the bundles of

weeds? The angels “will pitch them into

the fiery furnace.” (Matt. 13:42) That

means complete destruction. Hence,

those former adherents of false religious

organizations will be destroyed during

the final part of the great tribulation, Armageddon.—

Mal. 4:1.

Complete destruction – no hope of a resurrection; includes men, women, children, babies, even those in the womb….eternal destruction

Do jws realize that they could die as individuals during the GT? Will other jws realize that only after Armageddon and they are resurrected?

*** km 5/74 p. 2 Your Service Meetings ***

Consider why some of God’s people may die during the “great tribulation.” It is because of the hatred of Satan’s organization for true worship. See the prophecy at Ezekiel 38:15, 16. It may be from physical hardships, the strain of which are too much for some to bear.

There will be survivors. Not a single one of Jehovah’s people will perish at the hands of Jehovah’s executional forces. Jehovah knows how to reward his people in a manner that is beyond their fondest expectations.

16, 17. (a) What is the final event that Jesus

mentions in his illustration? (b) Why do we

conclude that the fulfillment of that event still

lies ahead?

16 Fifth, shining brightly. Jesus ends

his prophecy by saying: “At that time the

righteous ones will shine as brightly as

the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

(Matt. 13:43) When and where will that

be? The fulfillment of these words still

lies ahead. Jesus foretold, not an activity

currently taking place on earth, but a

future event occurring in heaven.[6] Consider

two reasons for this conclusion.

I’m guessing it has to be when they are dead and resurrected to heaven as immortal spirits but as a group or when all individuals are dead and resurrected? I always asked when the marriage of the bride to Christ since if I were anointed, I would want to be heaven for my wedding not on earth.

*** w81 10/1 p. 31 pars. 22-23 The “Steward” as He Faces Har–Magedon ***

Likewise the “steward” class in this “time of the end,” along with the “great crowd” of Christ’s “other sheep,” will be spared from being destroyed with the worldly system of things in “the war of the great day of God the Almighty” at Har–Magedon. (Dan. 12:4) After Jehovah’s victory there, the Greater Sennacherib, Satan the Devil, and all his demon angels will be abyssed for the 1,000 years of the reign of the Greater Hezekiah, Jesus Christ.

23 For as long as their reigning Master, Jesus Christ, is pleased to use them further on earth, the remnant of “the faithful steward” class will dispense the due “measure of food supplies” to their fellow survivors, the “great crowd” of their Master’s “other sheep.”

*** w90 8/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

In the book of Revelation, immediately after John tells of God’s executing the religious harlot, Babylon the Great, he describes “the marriage of the Lamb.” A filthy, immoral “woman” is removed from the scene, and we see “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” ‘arrayed in bright, clean, fine linen, which stands for the righteous acts of the holy ones.’ (Revelation 18:10; 19:2, 7, 8; 21:9) The destruction of Babylon the Great is part of the great tribulation. (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14) So it could be reasoned that some of the bride class will survive the great tribulation as evidence of Jehovah’s approval and protection. (Zephaniah 2:3; compare Matthew 24:22.) If they are thus preserved on earth, they could remain here until God chooses to take them to heaven.

However, the presentation in Revelation is not in strict sequential order. And it is not as though the small remnant of anointed ones will be needed to get the new world underway, for they have already trained millions of loyal Christians who will live forever on earth. Accordingly, God could take his anointed ones to heaven immediately after the destruction of Babylon the Great, setting the stage for “the marriage of the Lamb” to occur. All the holy ones could thus share with Christ in ‘shepherding the nations with an iron rod’ in the remainder of the great tribulation. (Revelation 2:26, 27; 19:11-21) If that is how God handles things, all the 144,000 would be with Jesus to ‘rule as kings with the Christ for the entire one thousand years.’—Revelation 20:4.

17 First, the “when” question. Jesus

said: “At that time the righteous ones

will shine.” The phrase “at that time”

evidently refers to the event that Jesus

had just mentioned, namely, the ‘pitching

of the weeds into the fiery furnace.’

That occurs during the final part

of the great tribulation. Thus, the ‘shining

brightly’ of the anointed must occur

at that future time as well. Second,

the “where” question. Jesus said that the

righteous ones will ‘shine in the kingdom.’

What does that mean? All faithful

anointed ones who are still on earth after

the initial part of the great tribulation

has passed will already have received

their final sealing. Then, as indicated in

Jesus’ prophecy about the great tribulation,

they will be gathered to heaven.

(Matt. 24:31) There they will shine “in the

kingdom of their Father,” and shortly after

the battle of Armageddon, they will

share as Jesus’ joyous bride in “the marriage

of the Lamb.”—Rev. 19:6-9.

“at that time” EVIDENTLY = a qualifying word opening up the possibility of further “adjustments”

“in the kingdom” = final sealing, a phrase that opens up the way for “replacement” anointed, sealed but not finally. But the final sealing does not necessarily take place before those still living die and go to heaven.

*** w10 9/15 p. 28 par. 12 Our Active Leader Today ***

Before Jesus comes against Satan’s visible organization, the last of the 144,000 members of spiritual Israel will receive the final sealing. The Bible states clearly that the winds of destruction upon Satan’s system will not be released before this sealing of the 144,000 is completed.—Rev. 7:1-4.

*** w07 1/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

However, there are two phases in the sealing of anointed ones. The initial sealing differs from the final sealing (1) in purpose and (2) in time. The sealing in an initial sense serves to select a new member who is added to the number of anointed Christians. The sealing in a final sense serves to confirm that this chosen and sealed individual has fully demonstrated his loyalty. Only then, at the final sealing, will the seal be permanently placed ‘in the forehead’ of the anointed one, identifying him conclusively as a tried and faithful ‘slave of our God.’ The sealing mentioned in Revelation chapter 7 refers to this final phase of the sealing.—Revelation 7:3.

HOW WE BENEFIT

18, 19. In what ways does an understanding of

Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds benefit

us personally?

18 How do we personally benefit from

the panoramic view that this parable

provides? Consider three ways. First, it

deepens our insight. The parable reveals

an important reason why Jehovah permits

wickedness. He “tolerated . . . vessels

of wrath” to prepare the “vessels of

mercy”—the wheat class.[7] (Rom. 9:22-

24) Second, it strengthens our confidence.

As the end draws near, our enemies

will intensify their fight against us,

“but they will not prevail.” (Read Jeremiah

1:19.) Just as Jehovah through the

ages protected the wheat class, so our

heavenly Father by means of Jesus and

the angels will be with us “all the days”

to come.—Matt. 28:20.

Deepens our insight – until the WTS has to “clarify” previous statements.

Permits wickedness or the wicked?

Strengthens confidence – how can you depend on an ever-changing game plan?

But jws cannot expect or depend on individual protection.

19 Third, the parable enables us to

identify the wheat class. Why is that

of vital importance? Knowing who

the wheatlike Christians are is essential

to finding the answer to a question

raised by Jesus in his extensive prophecy

about the last days. He asked: “Who

really is the faithful and discreet slave?”

(Matt. 24:45) The following two articles

will provide a satisfying answer to that

question.

Is the wheat class the faithful and discreet slave?

Wheatlike Christians = only anointed jws

ENDNOTES:

(To be read as footnotes with the corresponding

paragraphs.)

Paragraph 2: [1] To refresh your memory

on the meaning of the other parts of

the parable, we encourage you to read the

article “The Righteous Ones Will Shine as

Brightly as the Sun” in The Watchtower of

March 15, 2010.

Paragraph 3: [2] Since Jesus’ apostles

had died and the remaining anointed

ones on earth were pictured, not by

slaves, but by wheat, these slaves well picture

the angels. Later in the illustration,

those reaping the weeds are identified as

angels.—Matt. 13:39.

Paragraph 6: [3] This is an adjustment

in understanding. Previously, we thought

that Jesus’ inspection took place in 1918.

Paragraph 7: [4] From 1910 to 1914, the

Bible Students distributed nearly 4,000,-

000 books and over 200,000,000 tracts

and pamphlets.

Paragraph 14: [5] This is an adjustment

to our understanding of Matthew 13:42.

Previously, our publications stated that imitation

Christians have been ‘weeping and

gnashing their teeth’ for decades, bewailing

that “the sons of the kingdom” expose

them for what they are—“sons of the wicked

one.” (Matt. 13:38) It should be noted,

however, that the idea of the gnashing

of teeth is connected to destruction.—Ps.

112:10.

Paragraph 16: [6] Daniel 12:3 states that

“the ones having insight [anointed Christians](my comment: or the GB?)

will shine like the brightness of the

expanse.” While still on earth, they do this

by sharing in the preaching work. However,

Matthew 13:43 points to the time

when they will shine brightly in the heavenly

Kingdom. Previously, we thought that

both scriptures referred to the same activity—

the preaching work.

Paragraph 18: [7] See the book Draw

Close to Jehovah, pages 288-289.

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

Next Sunday, FEEDING MANY THROUGH THE HANDS OF THE FEW.

Note the theme the WTS inserts throughout, “Jesus has fed thousands through the hands of a few—the disciples.”

Similar pattern—he would feed many through the hands of a few.

Love, Blondie

Blondie"s comments you will not hear at the )(_!%_@)!# WT Study (WITH YOU)

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