I have not read a WT for many years, but a comment on JWN prompted me to check out this one Study Article #19. I was stunned, they addressed many observations I have made in the "Comments You Will Not Hear" over the years. This segment will contain comments on the section called WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW paragraphs 1 through 10. I will post WHAT WE DO KNOW” in another original post covering paragraphs 11 through 17”
1) Definition of "king of the south" and "king of the north." Many will remember how many times the WTS has changed the identity of these 2 entities. But no identification here. Why not? Last defined in May 2020 WT Study Article 20. “ While the identity has changed over time but now:
“Note why we can say that today the king of the north is Russia and its allies. (1) They have had a direct impact on God’s people, banning the preaching work and persecuting hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters who live in areas under their control. (2) Those actions show that they hate Jehovah and his people. (3) They have been competing with the king of the south, the Anglo-American World Power.”
“unprecedented scale” what the WTS means is by the WTS/jws because they are the “only true religion.”
2) “Jehovah continues to have a clearer understanding of major events that lie ahead.” Why does their god withhold information, a lie of omission. Are jws not entitled to the truth so they can make good life decisions? “There are some things that we just do not know the near future” but that does not stop the WTS saying, “the bible does not say, but”.
“Why we have reconsidered what we have said about some of those events.”
WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW
3) First big change: “In the past, we (through the GB) have said that once the great tribulation begins, no unbelievers (of the WTS teachings) will be able to take their stand for Jehovah and survive Armageddon. We (GB) came to that conclusion because we understood (evidently not from their god) that the account was a prophetic type (a teaching that has fallen by the wayside, a pet teaching of Fred Franz). For example, we (GB) reasoned that just as Jehovah shut the door of the ark prior to the start of the Flood, he would, at the beginning of the great tribulation, “shut the door” on Satan’s system of things, thus preventing any more people from being saved.”
How many of us remember that teaching?
· (What is the “prophetic type” teaching?) (1951: In all this David was a prophetic type of Christ.” But now the WTS uses this teaching less and less).
4) Another big change: “Should we (as defined by the GB) view the account of the Flood as a prophetic type? The answer is no (as defined now by the GB) Why? Because this is not direct Scriptural support for doing so…Jesus did not imply that the Flood was a prophetic type (but the GB did without any ‘direct Scriptural support’ (but the GB felt that indirect support was enough, their “interpretation”? “Nor did he say that the closing of the door of ark had a prophetic significance (but the GB did, “running ahead” of Jesus)
5) Another big change: “Peter called Noah “a preacher of righteousness.’” However, as discussed in the preceding article, we (GB) do not know whether Noah led a preaching campaign to reach everyone living on earth before the Flood…Still, try as we might, we cannot possibly reach everyone on earth with the good news before the end comes (GT or Armageddon?). Why not?
6) Another big change: “Consider what Jesus said…foretold that good news would be preached “in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations. That prophecy is being fulfilled today (is it?).
(Before paragraph 7, consider what the WTS considers “community responsibility, while not individually doing an evil, but others in the community has “Some people have caused human death willfully or through carelessness. Others have taken part in collective killing, perhaps persuaded by religious leaders that this was God’s will. Still others have persecuted and killed servants of God. Even if we have not done such things, though, we share community responsibility for the loss of human life because we did not know God’s law and will. We are like the unintentional manslayer ‘who killed his fellowman without knowing it and who did not hate him formerly.’ Such individuals ought to implore God for mercy and should run into the antitypical city of refuge. Otherwise, they will have a fatal meeting with the Avenger of blood. (WT 1995 November 15, paragraph 5)
7) However, Jesus also told his disciples that they would not “complete the circuit of the cities,” or preach to everyone, before he would come. (a point I have made many times before why?) GB comments: a) Millions of people today live in areas where preaching is severely restricted. b) In addition, hundreds of babies are born every minute. We do our best to reach people from “every nation and tribe and tongue” with the good news c) But the fact is that we will not be able to share the good news with each individual on earth before the end comes.
· (Compare to this from 2010 WT 9/15 paragraph 12) (12. Of what may we be certain?
12 We recognize that the end could come at any time; Jehovah’s timing is not contingent on our giving a personal witness to every individual on the planet. (Matt. 10:23)
8) Next big change: “What about those who may not have a chance to hear the good news before the great tribulation strikes. How will Jehovah and his Son, whom he has entrusted to do the judging (not jws), deal with them?...”Jehovah does not desire anyone to be destroyed..all to attain to repentance.
“Must acknowledge that Jehovah us has not yet revealed to us (through the GB) what he will do in answer to the question.”
And finally, “We (GB) must acknowledge that Jehovah not yet revealed…not obligated to tell us (GB through) anything about what he has done or will do.” WOW
9) Another big change: The Bible tells us (through the GB) some of things he will do…raises other big questions:
10 Other big changes: a) Will all who die during the events of the great tribulation be destroyed forever with no hope of resurrection? The Scriptures (through GB) make it clear that outright opposers (including mentally diseased jws who leave) who Jehovah and his forces (heavenly only, not jws on earth) at Armageddon will not be resurrected.
b) But what about others, for example who may die from natural causes, from accidents, or at the hand of other humans? (I have brought up this question many times. (Buried in a publication they mentioned jws who were diabetic and could not get insulin. Also, if they did die, it was not by direct execution by “Jehovah and his (heavenly) forces. Thus, no can use the death of a jw during this time as evidence of their eternal destruction.)
(Continued on a future Original Post, WHAT WE DO KNOW, paragraphs 11-17)