A discussion of this talk on Friday morning deserves its own thread. As I said elsewhere, it was a remarkable one. The speaker was Manfred Vencebi (google him - he's a Bethel bigwig) and some of his remarks are real gems. I thought putting his comparison in table format would make it easier to distinguish between what Satan's rule has accomplished in a century and what Jesus' rule has accomplished at the same time, according to Watchtower's perspective. Peruse at your leisure. I've avoided editorializing but summarized or paraphrased the main points and included some wonderful direct quotes (watch out for these).
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"So the question is, what has Christ done over the past 100 years to make things better? What can be said about the past century of kingdom rule when you contrast that with a century of Satan's rule?"
SATAN’S RULE |
JESUS’ RULE |
Billions of followers (including those following by default rather than choice). |
Under 10 million followers to show for a century of evangelization. "But it is precisely because we are small in numbers compared to Satan's world that we have to conclude that what Christ has accomplished is impressive" - Matt. 7: cramped road to life, few in number, etc. "So the progress that Christ has accomplished over a hundred years is not dependent on numbers." |
Satan's world is 'wiser' (Lk. 16:8) and far more sophisticated scientifically and technologically. But many so-called improvements are superficial, a veneer covering the rottenness underneath. |
'Sons of light' (Lk. 16:8) "have accomplished greater things." |
Improvements in health and nutrition; some common ailments of the past now eradicated. "But does that mean man has finally found a cure for illness and sickness in general? No." - numerous health disorders today that were unheard of 100 years ago with no cure. "Is that progress?" Abortion far safer now but "no abortion is safe for an unborn child" - 44 million abortions globally in a recent year. Progress? Success and accomplishments in field of malnutrition and hunger - eliminated in many parts of the world. "But have they eradicated malnutrition? No. ... Is the world getting better?" Spiritual health. "Has the world drawn closer to Jehovah over the last 100 years? Yes, people live longer today, but what is the point of having a longer lifespan and better health when, in most cases, people use those extra years and that extra energy to draw away from God and from our Creator? People use the extra health to offend God with their conduct. So, 100 years ago, people may have lived 40, 50, 60 years; now they can reach to their 80s and 90s and now they have 20, 30 or 40 years more to offend Jehovah, to engage in conduct that makes him sad. Is that progress?" Most people spiritually starving (Isa. 65:13 - 'my own servants will eat while you go hungry' etc.) and Bible-illiterate. "What is the advantage of having plenty to eat when you don't even know the most elementary things about the Creator and his purposes?" |
Spiritual health and nutrition. Main focus of God's kingdom is our spiritual nutrition. One of the first things Jesus did when enthroned was appoint a 'faithful and discreet slave' because he was interested in helping people understand what the Bible really teaches. "The faithful and discreet slave was commissioned to dig into the Bible, to separate the Bible truths from all the centuries of tradition and human philosophies and get to the core of the Bible's true message." We have our own Bible. Hundred years ago we didn't have our own Bible "accurate, faithful to the original Greek and Hebrew. Now we have a Bible. That's progress." We only had one Watchtower but now we have Public and Study editions. "That is progress. Things are getting better among Jehovah's people." Awake magazine, Kingdom Ministry - didn't have these 100 years ago. Printing 90 million books and 1 billion magazines annually and trying to reach people of every culture around the world. "That is progress." In 1914, published in 30 languages; now publishing in 700 languages. "That is progress. No other organization, religious, political, military, no commercial organization on earth is translating so many languages." Conventions. Especially historical ones like this one. |
"And what can we say about the relief work we do to help people when they are victims of wars and disasters?" [Nothing at all. He leaves the question hanging.] | |
Advances in technology. Some point to it as proof of things getting better in the world, but is it a good way to measure progress? Technology is used in warfare to kill and maim; used for entertainment that offends Jehovah, e.g. games, videos, websites featuring graphic sexual immorality, gruesome violence. "Technology is not a good way to measure progress in this world. The world is not getting better." |
Technological accomplishments. Photodrama of Creation; jw.org, "and the list goes on." All to promote spiritual food, the Truth. |
Changes in civil rights, racial equality. Now people are more accepting, more open-minded, more tolerant. Some changes are for the better BUT "adultery - accepted; pre-marital sex - widely accepted." "Today, homosexual behavior is widely accepted. It seems that the goal is, someday, to make homosexuality widely obligatory." (Isa 5:20,21 - 'woe to those saying good is bad, bad is good' etc.) |
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Satan has plunged the world into darkness, enmity with God. "Satan's world has gone from bad to worse." |
"All of this points to one amazing fact. Over the past 100 years, Jesus Christ has successfully established - or should we say - reestablished on earth true Christianity." We follow the pattern of 1st century Christianity - keeping the congregation clean by removing wrongdoers; being politically neutral; having no clergy; preaching the good news in the 1st century pattern. Abundance of Bible aids to help people morally, in family life. |
"There's no question about it. The world is getting worse, while Jehovah's organization is getting better."
"God's kingdom has accomplished a lot in the last 100 years - they're too numerous to recount."
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Over to you. Please add your comments and observations as well as your comparisions with other versions of the talk at other venues.