Parable:
1. a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.
2. a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.
AKA fable, allegory, homily
Prophecy:
1. the foretelling or prediction of what is to come.
The WT has been converting parables into prophecies for quite a long time now, creating 'paraphecies' (or is that 'propables'?).
While keeping the desirous (reward) good outcome, now they're trying to downplay or even eliminate the (punishment) bad outcome of the parable, since who ever heard of a prophecy with two possible outcomes?
No one, since it's NOT a prophecy, but a PARABLE.
Besides that, it's pretty damning admission by WTBTS of being OUTSIDERS, by using one of Jesus' parables to apply to themselves, since Jesus admitted using parables only when speaking to the public (unbelievers, AKA outsiders):
Mark 4:10 10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant. 11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’ ” Of course, the parables confused the Godly "insiders", too (i.e. the 12 disciples), such that they had to ASK Jesus what the parables meant afterwards. You'd THINK the guys with the insider information would not be confused by Jesus' parables, too? Jesus might want to work a few of the kinks out of some of those intentionally-confusing parables (AKA intentionally talking in a forked tongue to obsfucate; who does that kind of thing, again?). BTW, you've got to appreciate Jesus' demonstrating self-awareness of intentionally trying to fulfill OT prophecies for the Jewish Messiah. That's almost as bad as the GB trying to force themselves to fit INTO Jesus' parables to FULFILL his prophecies, LOL!
It's fun to look at t he Christian apolegetics attempting to 'spin' for Jesus, eg:
https://www.bible.com/notes/874995/i-use-parables-for-outsiders-jesus-says Jesus did not reveal everything to everyone. He purposely spoke in parables in order to teach the Godly and confuse the unbelievers. Why would He do this? Shouldn't everyone be told so they can believe? Frankly no, these unbelievers would only try to use Jesus' words to trap Him. I think many times in the church we are so desperate to win souls we forget this lesson. I've seen many Bible debates and I've never seen a soul won during a single arguement. I've seen unbelievers, of every nature, trying to debunk or poke fun of Christ. They use information given by over zealous soul winners, which in turn makes Christianity look foolish. This is God's Holy and almighty word.
More true than the writer realizes....
Adam
