Why Did the Governing Body Change Their Interpretation Of Matthew 24:45-47?

by Cameron_Don 36 Replies latest jw friends

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  BluesBrother

  as Raymond Franz expressed it…"It would be an insult to Christ Jesus to say that he selected this organization on the basis of what it was teaching as of 1919."

  Very true , but that is still what they teach.

  WT 2013 7/15 p22/23

  12 When did Jesus appoint the faithful slave over his domestics? To answer that, we need to go back to 1914
  —the beginning of the harvest season. As we learned earlier, at that time many groups claimed to be Christian.
  From which group would Jesus select and appoint the faithful slave? That question was answered after he and
  his Father came and inspected the temple, or spiritual arrangement for worship, from 1914 to the early part of
  1919. (Mal. 3:1) They were pleased with a small band of loyal Bible Students who showed that their heart was
  with Jehovah and his Word. Of course, they needed some cleansing, but they humbly responded during a brief
  period of testing and refining. (Mal. 3:2-4) Those faithful Bible Students were true Christian wheat. In 1919, a
  time of spiritual revival, Jesus selected capable anointed brothers from among them to be the faithful and discreet
  slave and appointed them over his domestics.

  So, they just needed "some cleansing" , like just about everything they were teaching...but hey, they had good hearts !
• 

  FatFreek 2005

  Hi Don,

  You said, "Some have wondered if "Captives of a Concept" had anything to do with why the Governing Body changed their interpretation of the most important Scripture in their theology at their Annual Meeting on October 6, 2012."

  In view of the quotation that BluesBrother subsequently provided ("In 1919, a time of spiritual revival, Jesus selected capable anointed brothers from among them to be the faithful and discreet slave and appointed them over his domestics.") from a Watchtower nearly a year later (WT 2013 7/15 p22/23) something in the kitchen doesn't smell right.

  Can you please provide us with a Watchtower (publication) quotation that substantiates your annual meeting reference?

  Len Miller
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  FatFreek 2005

  I just found their annual report here, http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/activities/events/annual-meeting-report-2012/

  Here's what they say within that report about 1919:

  The evidence points to the following conclusion: "The faithful and discreet slave" was appointed over Jesus’ domestics in 1919. That slave is the small, composite group of anointed brothers serving at world headquarters during Christ’s presence who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food. When this group work together as the Governing Body, they act as "the faithful and discreet slave."

  From that, I don't see where they've changed anything. Am I missing something here?

  Len Miller
• 

  Magnum

  FatFreek 2005 -

  old teaching: FDS was appointed over the domestics and all the master's belongings in 1919

  new teaching: FDS was appointed over the domestics in 1919, but not all the master's belongings. That will be done in the future.
• 

  Cameron_Don

  As we know, there are two separate appointments mentioned in Matthew 24:45-47. The Governing Body moved the “belongings” appointment in verse 47 from 1919 to some time in the future and the “domestics” appointment in verse 45 from 33 C.E. to 1919.

  The “new light” 1919 appointment was still dependent on the Society having been found faithfully and discreetly giving the domestics their right spiritual food at the proper time down till 1919.

  “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?”

  But Chapter 3 of "Captives of a Concept" gives 48 examples where the Society had not been either faithful or discreet about what they had been giving in the way of spiritual food at the proper time down till 1919.

  And so Raymond Franz’s statement still holds true when he said, “It would be an insult to Christ Jesus to say that he selected the Society on the basis of what it had been teaching as of 1919.”

  And so it doesn’t matter which appointment is involved. The Society didn’t qualify for either one of them in 1919.

  Is there any reason to believe that they will be any more faithful or discreet in the future and therefore receive Jesus’ “belongings” appointment at that time?

  Don Cameron
• 

  designs

  But wasn't Ray just coming from a different point of view. Given how diverse Christianity is on ANY subject why should the Bible Students be considered any more wacko than the Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, Catholics, Pentecostals et all 3000 denominations.
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  yadda yadda 2

  They could completely dump the entire 1914 chronology and finally admit that Jesus never became king in 1914 and yet still say that the FDS was appointed as the faithful and discreet slave to feed all the domestics in 1919, all completely disconnected from 1914, by simply pointing to Malachi 3:1-4.

  They can claim that organisational historical events around 1918/19 when the senior members of the organisation were released from prison and the Society "repented" of certain former incorrect ideas around war-time neutrality followed by the new focus on kingdom preaching ("advertise, advertise, advertise the king and his kingdom") all prove that in 1919 Jesus came as a messenger to his template (ie, anointed Bible Students) and "cleansed them". (All pure circular thinking and eisegesis of course.)

  1914 is NOW for all intents and purposes irrelevant for the Watchtower Society's total control to be propped up on. 1919 is when Jesus came to his spiritual temple on earth (refer 1 Cor 3:16; Eph 2:21), refined them (a bit), and appointed the Watchtower Society leaders as his FDS.

  Remember that talk a few years ago by a GB member who said Jesus has come/arrived/returned 7 or so times? No parousia as king from 1914 needed anymore as the doctrinal platform or concept that keeps JW's captive - it's now Jesus "coming" to his spiritual temple in 1919 that is the concept.

  That's pretty much what the new light is, they just havn't got around to officially dumping the remainder of Russell's lunacy around 1914. But that is coming, as clearly shown by the fact the illustrated appendix at the back of the new NWT does not refer to 1914 only 1919, a HUGE hint of future doctrinal change re 1914 in the wings....http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/279909/1/Why-does-the-new-NWT-not-say-outright-that-Jesus-began-to-rule-in-1914