It's quite evident that E-Watchman is none other than You Know, given the following comments at http://e-watchman.com/qa/mailbag/020903to021503/index.html . For those not entirely familiar with You Know, he has stated online that he is an "anointed one" and that he knows better than the Watchtower Society where "prophecy" is concerned. Check out these themes in the following material:
[quote]Paul went on say that God had seemingly assigned the apostles to be "last on exhibition as men appointed to death," so as to become a theatrical spectacle to the world and even to angels. He contrasted the apostles and the Corinthians, saying: "We are fools because of Christ, but you are discreet in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are in good repute, but we are in dishonor." Of course the apostles were not actually last on exhibition; that’s because the curtain has not yet come down on the theatrical spectacle. There is to be a grand finale.
Today, the very same scenario seems to be playing out, only with the roles reversed, so that [b]it is now the older anointed brothers who seem to be those who have their fill, who are occupying the place of those who seem to be ruling as kings in the organization[/b]. The Governing Body appear to be those who are "discreet," "strong," and "in good repute" in the organization, while [b]those who have been anointed in more recent times are typically viewed as "fools" and frauds by the brothers[/b].
Christ Jesus actually foretold that such a condition would exist among his anointed ones during the final phase of Christianity. In the 20th chapter of Matthew Jesus said: "But many that are first will be last and the last first." To explain what he meant, Jesus gave an illustration, likening the kingdom of the heavens to a man who owned a vineyard, who went out to hire men to work for him. They agreed on a day's wage and went off to work. Periodically during the day, the master continued to hire men to work his vineyard, even hiring up to the 11th hour of the day. At the end of the day, he paid the 11th hour hires the same wage as those who worked all day. That caused those who were hired first to complain that they had been cheated by such inequity. The master, though, explained to them that it was his right to be generous with his own funds. He told the complainers to take their wage and go. Jesus reiterated the same principle saying, again: "In this way [b]the last ones will be first, and the first ones last[/b]."
According to the Watchtower, as explained in the Greatest Man book, those hired in the early part of the day represent the Pharisees, while those hired in the 11th hour are the apostles. That explanation, though, does not take into account the fact that the illustration is in regards to the kingdom of the heavens. In the 23rd chapter of Matthew Jesus stated very plainly that the Pharisees did not enter into the kingdom and in fact, they tried to prevent others from doing so. Yet, in the illustration the master handed the discontented workers their denarius and said, "Take what is yours and go." But, we might ask in what way did the Pharisees receive a wage from Christ as kingdom workers alongside the apostles? The Watchtower does not say.
In view of such an inadequate and unsatisfactory explanation, it should be obvious that Christ’s illustration has not been properly understood by the Watchtower. The reason for such a lack of insight is because [b]the older anointed and the Governing Body are the very ones pictured in the prophetic parable[/b] as being hired in the early part of the day---who have "bore the burden of the day and the burning heat." Yes, true to the illustration, [b]the prevailing attitude in the organization is that those anointed more recently, comparable to the 11th-hour hired ones, are considered somehow less worthy of honor than the old timers[/b].
[b]The foretold attitude of resentment the Watchtower’s old-guard establishment displays has created a condition much like that which existed within the Corinthian congregation that Paul described, only instead of the apostles bearing the reproach, it is the young, anointed brothers and sisters--who are considered by most of Jehovah’s Witnesses to be nothing more than deluded, pitiable fools[/b]. So, that explains the "when," in that those hired during the 11th hour are simply unemployed loiterers who happen to be in the right place at the right time, as the saying goes. [b]Apparently, those who were hired first are those who have enjoyed many blessings in the organization as the "faithful and discreet slave." But, evidently they will be last to come to certain realizations regarding Christ’s presence and other aspects of unfolding prophecy; whereas, those who are chosen lastly are the first to receive the future blessings[/b].[/quote]
The last bolded statement is quintessentially "You Know".
AlanF
