What is the GOOD NEWS, for JW's

by jst2laws 9 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  jst2laws

  THE GOOD NEWS

  For 36 years I preached the 'good news of the kingdom established in 1914'.

  Jehovahs Witnesses believe and declare that the Kingdom was established in the heavens in 1914 , they persist in preaching this good news of the Kingdom. *** w89 8/15 13 Opening Up the Way Back to Paradise ***

  Paul taught the "good news of Jesus" (Acts 17:18), which is summarize in 2 Cor. 5 as:

  18 But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of the reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was by means of Christ reconciling a world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and he committed the word of the reconciliation to us.

  Why do you not teach the same good news that the early Christians taught? Yes Paul did occasionally refer to the kingdom, but never once spoke of the kingdom as the good news, never mentioned a kingdom government, never preached 1914 as part of the good news.

  DOES IT MATTER? Try this thought:

  Gal. 1:6 I marvel that YOU are being so quickly removed from the One who called YOU with Christs undeserved kindness over to another sort of good news . 7 But it is not another; only there are certain ones who are causing YOU trouble and wanting to pervert the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to YOU as good news something beyond what we declared to YOU as good news, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said above, I also now say again, Whoever it is that is declaring to YOU as good news something beyond what YOU accepted, let him be accursed.

  Early Christians= Good news of Jesus that we are reconciled with God!

  Jehovah's Witnesses= God's kingdom government established in 1874 (oops), 1914.

  Was it 1874 as taught by the GB up to 1942, or was it 1914 as taught today? Were they teaching a flawed good news then or now? Where they "cursed" untill 1942 or have they been "cursed" since then for preaching the wrong good news. OR, have they been teach the wrong good news from the start? Curses!

  Don't panic. Lets just have a biblical discussion.

  Jst2laws

  Edited to remove Ref to Ging who got busted in a blink.

  Edited by - Jst2laws on 29 December 2002 13:48:45
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  Stan Conroy

  The Good News according to the WT:

  Very soon, maybe any day now, that glorious day will be here when Jehovah of Armies will slaughter billions of men, women, children and babies and let their rotting bodies lie in the streets while the birds of heaven pick at their flesh. Oh what a happy day! This will usher in a new world where Jehovah's people will alone survive and transform the earth into a paradise, but somehow still find time to sit under their vine and fig trees. We should be obedient to the Watchtower Bible and Tract society so that we too can be part of this wonderful event.

  Sick, isn't it? As much as I wish this was filled with twisted sarcasm, the sad truth is, that this is exactly what the "good news" is to JW's.

  Stan
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  jst2laws

  Hello Stan,

  Such GLOOMY good news! You speak as if you do not have your paradise home picked out in that wealthy neighborhood yet. Keep the faith Bro. Get back out in service, share in the marking work.

  "HOW LONG"? Yes 'until the cities actually crash in ruin'. WHY?

  Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably

  YOU may be concealed in the day of Jehovahs anger

  Now isn't that good news. Hmmmm, not even close?

  And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole worlds 1 John 2:2

  What? We chosen, righteous, 'people for his name' will have to SHARE with the 'whole world'? No, that's not good news.

  Sorry. I drifted into a Robin Williams monolague.

  Really, where are the brothers comments? I promise not to be sarcastic anymore.

  Jst2laws
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  rebel

  Jst2laws - what do you think Jesus meant when he said in Matt 28 that we should make disciples? Also, what about Matt 24: 14 which says we should preach throughout the earth? I am not having a go at you - I am just curious and want to know how to answer people that ask me the same thing.

  xxR

  PS - What is "a Trail"? You said in another thread that I may be part of "a trail". I am a bit worried as I feel the elders are ganging up on me.

  xxR
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  jst2laws

  Hello Rebel,

  How are you doing. I have been meaning to write you again.

  what do you think Jesus meant when he said in Matt 28 that we should make disciples?

  He meant just that and to teach what he had taught them. If we go back to just what Jesus said his first official message in the synagogue said he came to:

  declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release, 19 to preach Jehovahs acceptable year." Luke 4

  In dealing with the Jews who were fleshly and kingdom minded he spoke only a few times of the "good news of the kingdom" but then mystified it for them by speaking of it as a "heavenly kingdom" and a kingdom that was 'in their midst' or "within you". After aprox 33 CE with Philip and the Ethiopian no one ever again spoke of the "good news of the kingdom", but did refer over one hundred times to the 'good news about the Christ' and 'good news of God'.

  what about Matt 24: 14 which says we should preach throughout the earth?

  Whatever they preached it would have fulfilled the prophesy of preaching the 'good news of the kingdom in all the inhabited earth.' Note, the message is good news "of the kingdom" (belonging to - a part of the kingdom) but not the good news ABOUT the kingdom. The good news belonging to the kingdom turned out to be the good about Jesus Christ. That is what was preach in the first century and since. The JW's resurrected the old Jewish notion of a literal kingdom government which had nothing to do with the real message about Jesus Christ.

  So Matt 24:14 was fulfilled before 70 C.E. for its main fulfillment by preaching the good news about Jesus, the release of captive to sin, guilt and false hopes of reconciliation by works. All they need is faith in the ransom and the price was already paid. (Rom 5:1, Gal 3:23-25)

  The prophesy had to be fulfilled and was, but not with a preaching campaign to 'advertise, advertise, advertise the King and his Kingdom'. That was not preached by early Christians. You will find a thorough discussion of this subject in Ray Franz's second book, In Search of Christain Freedom.

  Jst2laws

  BTW, Your question regarding "on a trail" is referring to blood hounds on the hunt. If the are asking questions about your beliefs, how you feel about the 'faithful slave', do you consider yourself a JW are typical of elders in investigative mode. They may say they are only asking so as to help you, and sometime you have a sincerely elder who means it, but most often they have a clue about where you stand and they are trying to make their investigation easier by getting you to give the wrong answer to the above questions.

  edited to fix formatting problem

  Edited by - Jst2laws on 29 December 2002 18:6:47
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  johnny cip

  hi stan; sounds like you have read the "finished mystery" you need to understand how the birds ate all the flesh of all non jw's in 1918... let any jw show that in a history book.... HO HO l like when a NEW WT CALLS THIS bible truth.... lol what a little research will do !!!!! slam \ola!!!!!!!!! rebel ; the good news at the time of the the 1 century was that jesus dyed for the sins of man kind... it's a simple messege... that has been taught for the last 2000 years... no matter how any church tried to TWIST IT... JOHN
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  MegaDude

  Good points, Jst.

  And what is really ironic is the Governing Body demands you believe that if people and the governments of this world had "the truth" of the good news, then they would all submit to the leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses. Everybody should submit to a group of men who have a track record of false prophecy, but most of all, blatant arrogance. Long ago the leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses abandoned any love of the scriptures, Jesus, God, in favor of sustaining their religious turf.
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  onacruse

  Paul was an apostle to the nations, and Peter to the Jews. Each had his own set of challenges to confront. Different social systems, different religious backgrounds. Perhaps Peter had the harder row to hoe, considering how intransigent and arrogant the Jews were in their belief structure (sorta like JWs, eh?). But in either case the first step was:

  "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God..." (1 Cor. 10:5 NIV)

  For the time being, I consider my small contributions to "demolishing the WTS theocracy" an act of sharing good news. As for "making disciples": the basic idea of being a "disciple" is to be a "learner." Anything I may do to help others learn is therefore a discipling activity.

  As for "baptism"...not sure yet how I would answer that.

  Craig
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  Dia

  'I'm saved and you're not, na-na-na-na-na-na!'

  I think that's the good news for JWs.

  By the way, isn't that going to leave the world with an awful lot of very fat, well-fed birds - who happen to have really acquired a taste for human flesh?
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  UnDisfellowshipped

  Dia, I love that!

  HITCHCOCK!