COMMENTS YOU WILL NOT HEAR AT THE 9-21-03 WT STUDY Reviewer comments are in black and parentheses ()
WT article quotes are in
red and quotes ""Quotes from other WT publications are in
blue
JEHOVAH'S SERVANTSHAVE TRUE HOPE
"The remaining ones of Jacob must become in the midst of many peoples like dew from Jehovah…(like copious showers upon vegetation) that does not hope for man (or wait for the sons of earthling man). "-MICAH 5:7. (NWT)The remnant of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the LORD ,
like showers on the grass,
which do not wait for man
or linger for mankind.—Micah 5:7 (NIV)
(or find a translation you prefer: http://bible.gospelcom.net/bibles)
Opening CommentsAs I prepared the scripture for this review, I had to wonder again why the WTS has to drop phrases from the scriptures they use. Are those phrases unnecessary? If so, why did God have them recorded? Why so many snippets in the articles? Is it to save space or perhaps it is a deliberate omission? I have been learning recently in some other research I am doing, that a favorite technique of the WTS is to leave out information rather than tell an out and out lie. But a lie of omission is the same as a lie of commission in God’s eyes.
Do you look at the title and realize that the WTS means only baptized, dedicated JWs are "Jehovah’s Servants." And what is the hope that the WTS holds out: life forever on a paradise earth in health and happiness under God’s Kingdom their control. Is that the hope Jesus held out?
Another thing to notice in most articles lately, is the absence of Christ or Jesus in the equation of faith and salvation. It’s not amazing then that the public do not view JWs as Christians because Christ plays such a small part in their "hope." It is not until the last paragraph that Christ as King is mentioned and only in a secondary way.
Start of Article
Who are the present day "remaining ones of Jacob"? They are spiritual Israelites, the remnant of "the Israel of God." (Galatians 6:16)
Many today believe that this refers to literal Israelites. Charles Taze Russell and Joseph F. Rutherford did.
Proclaimers Book p.
141 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the TruthThe Bible Students were well aware of the many prophecies of restoration that were delivered to ancient Israel by God’s prophets. (Jer. 30:18; 31:8-10; Amos 9:14, 15; Rom. 11:25, 26) Down till 1932, they understood these to apply specifically to the natural Jews. Thus, they believed that God would show Israel favor again, gradually restoring the Jews to Palestine, opening their eyes to the truth regarding Jesus as Ransomer and Messianic King, and using them as an agency for extending blessings to all nations. With this understanding, Brother Russell spoke to large Jewish audiences in New York as well as in Europe on the subject "Zionism in Prophecy," and Brother Rutherford, in 1925, wrote the book Comfort for the Jews.
But Rutherford felt qualified to judge the Jews unworthy.
It was becoming increasingly obvious that as a people they had not changed their attitude. There was no repentance over the wrongful act committed by their forefathers. The return of some to Palestine was not motivated by any love for God or desire for his name to be magnified by fulfillment of his Word. This was clearly explained in the second volume of Vindication, which was published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1932. The correctness of this position was confirmed in 1949, when the State of Israel, then recently formed as a nation and as a homeland for the Jews, became a member of the United Nations, thus showing that its trust was not in Jehovah but in the political nations of the world.
Was the WTS participation in the UN different?
http://www.geocities.com/plowbitch69/ http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htmYes, anointed Christians today are a blessing from God to the people.
Notice that the nonanointed Christians are not included in this blessing. Do you like being omitted as unnecessary?
As Kingdom proclaimers, they are used by Jehovah to give the people his message of true hope.
From this, the WTS seems to indicate that only the anointed must proclaim the Kingdom.
It should come as no surprise that this world lacks true hope. Political instability, moral breakdown, crime, economic crisis, terrorism, warfare--we expect such things in a world dominated by Satan the Devil.
What about the crime of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, defrauding the elderly, and condoning lying to the right people, all things the WTS finds within its ranks and does nothing except cover it up?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/live_forums/2124808.stm http://www.silentlambs.org/As Jehovah's worshipers,
The WTS could have said "Jehovah’s Christian worshipers."
however, we (the anointed?) are not afraid, for we have a sure hope for the future
. It is a true hope because it is based on God's Word.A true hope that was supposed to come in 1914, 1925, 1975, 1984, 1994…
We have faith in Jehovah (where is faith in Jesus mentioned) and in his Word because what he says always comes true.
Evidently, God has not been speaking through the WTS because they have predicted the above dates as likely times for the true hope to be fulfilled.
And where is faith in Jesus?
John
2:11.--Jesus performed this in Ca´na of Gal´i·lee as [the] beginning of his signs, and he made his glory manifest; and his disciples put their faith in him.John
6:29.-- In answer Jesus said to them: "This is the work of God, that YOU exercise faith in him whom that One sent forth."Acts
20:21.-- But I thoroughly bore witness both to Jews and to Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.Romans
10:9.-- For if you publicly declare that ‘word in your own mouth,’ that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved.Galatians
3:26.-- YOU are all, in fact, sons of God through YOUR faith in Christ Jesus.The divinely inspired prophecy
of Micah strengthens us to walk in Jehovah's name (what about Jesus’ name?)John
20:31.--But these have been written down that YOU may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that, because of believing, YOU may have life by means of his name.Acts
2:38.-- Peter [said] to them: "Repent, and let each one of YOU be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of YOUR sins.How many realize that only in Matthew 28:19 is it mentioned to be baptized in the name of God, Christ and the holy spirit? All other references mention only in the name of Jesus.
Israel and Judah - and both were ignoring God's covenant. The result was moral breakdown, religious apostasy, and gross materialism.
However, the present-day situation is so much like that of Micah's time that his words also apply now. This will become evident as we consider some highlights.
What an Overview Reveals
Chapter 2 reveals that the wealthy and powerful are oppressing the weak and helpless (but cutting them off from friends and family through disfellowshipping).
Chapter 3 reports Jehovah's pronouncements against the national leaders and the delinquent prophets
. The leaders are perverting justice, and the prophets are uttering lies (did the end come in 1914, 1925 or 1975?).Chapter 4 foretells that in the final part of the days, all nations will come to the elevated mountain of the house of Jehovah to be instructed by him (but only through the self-proclaimed channel, the WTS).
Micah chapter 6 records Jehovah's accusations against his people in the form of a legal case…his requirements are very reasonable. He wants his worshipers to exercise justice and to be kind and modest as they walk with him.
Modest? Where elders are told by the COs that the elders are the "mighty men" and "princes in all the earth."
Micah denounces the wickedness of his contemporaries. He does not lose heart, however, for he is determined to "show a waiting attitude" for Jehovah.
Jehovah will have mercy on his people. History testifies that this hope was realized. In 537 B.C.E., when Jehovah's disciplining of his people was completed, he mercifully restored a remnant to their own land.
Regarding the date 537 BCE please check the following books:
The Gentile Times Reconsidered—Carl Olof Jonsson
Sign of the Last Days When—Carl Olof Jonsson, Herbest Wolfegang
http://www.commentarypress.com/The Sovereign Lord Jehovah Speaks
Indeed, they do capture your attention because Jehovah is speaking from his holy temple
(1919 CE tied into 1914 WTS interpretation of prophecy) and is addressing not only Israel and Judah but people everywhere.The same is true in our day. Revelation 14:18-20 shows that Jehovah is again communicating from his holy temple
(but not the one in Israel, there isn’t one in Israel any more, but the WTS does not explain). He will soon take decisive action, and momentous events will again rock mankind.The prophetic words of Micah 1:3,4 may remind you of another inspired prophecy foretelling disastrous events on earth. As recorded at 2 Peter 3:10…Similar to Micah's prophecy, Peter's words do not apply to the literal heavens and earth.
They refer to a great tribulation (began in 1914 and temporarily ended in 1918---corrected 1970) coming upon this ungodly system of things.Here’s another flip-flop doctrine as to the beginning of the great tribulation.
3/15/51 WT
p. 164When Christ was enthroned, in 1914, great tribulation was started
against Satan and his wicked world organization. If it had then proceeded to completion, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of human flesh that tribulation was shortened or cut short, to allow a period of time for men to take in and give out knowledge of the established heavenly kingdom, before that tribulation enters its climax of Armageddon. (Matt. 24:21, 22) This time period, known as the last days of Satan’s delinquent old world, will not stretch beyond this present generation. The precious time grows short. In 1970, brighter light shone:1/15/70 WT
p. 52Back in the year 1925 the suggestion was set out in the leading article of the Watch Tower issue of May 1, entitled "For the Elect’s Sake," that "those days" of the "great tribulation" were cut short in the middle. The explanation was given that the "great tribulation" had begun in 1914 C.E. and that it was not allowed to run its full course then but God stopped World War I in November of 1918.
This explanation sounded good and reasonable back there in 1925
, just seven years after World War I and fourteen years before the unexpected World War II, a conflict four times as bad as World War I. But even World War II did not merge into the "war of the great day of God the Almighty" at Armageddon, as some had expected it to do.p.
53However, in order to correspond with the events of the first century, from the time of Jesus’ departure by ascending to heaven in 33 C.E. to Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 C.E., the antitypical "great tribulation" did not begin in 1914 C.E. Rather, what took place upon Jerusalem’s modern antitype in 1914-1918 was merely "a beginning of pangs of distress" for her and her political allies. The "great tribulation" such as will not occur again is yet ahead, for it means the destruction of the world empire of false religion (including Christendom) followed by the "war of the great day of God the Almighty" at Armageddon against the political allies of Babylonish false religion.
Our hope for the future will be certain if we cultivate an obedient heart and make sure that our conduct is holy and our life is filled with deeds of godly devotion. To make our hope secure, we must also remember that Jehovah's day will definitely come.
This definitely shows that many JWs are not remembering that. Wicked Practices Abound Micah 2:1, 2: "Woe to those who are scheming what is harmful, and to those practicing what is bad, upon their beds!…They have defrauded an able-bodied man and his household, a man and his hereditary possession."Greedy individuals lie awake at night scheming how to seize their neighbors' fields and houses.
They ignore the words of Leviticus 19:18, which says: "You must love your fellow as yourself."
Scheming what is harmful…trying to catch you doing something wrong and making up something if they can’t; defrauded many of their families and good reputations; practicing what is bad by protecting child abusers and spiritually abusing victims that come forward.
Love your fellow as yourself…there are a lot of masochistic JWs out there then. This shows what can happen when people who claim to serve God lose sight of spiritual goals and seek first material things. Not enough JWs are donating to the WTS!
However, the hope of those who trust in Jehovah will not be disappointed. Jehovah is faithful to his covenants with Abraham and David . For the sake of upright ones, there will be a restoration in God's due time. In the WTS due time. That happens in 537 B.C.E., after Babylon falls and when a remnant of Jews return to their homeland. Please do look at those 2 books mentioned earlier by Carl Olof Jonsson. Also, who remembers the "absolute date" of 539 BCE that the WTS also held out as proof of the veracity of their chronology? It hasn’t been mentioned as such since 1968. Why not? Read CO Jonsson’s books and find out.Striking Parallels in Our Day As we considered the first two chapters of Micah, were you struck by how much things are the same today? Yes, it reminded me of the "loving" elders in the congregation. The few elders who are loving get beat down by the ones who aren’t. No wonder Christendom will soon come to her end along with the rest of "Babylon the Great," the world empire of false religion!
In 1919 , faithful anointed Christians made a final break with Christendom. If 1914 is not valid then 1919 is not valid and then the WTS is not God’s spokesman. Their hope is, not in this system of things, but in God's Kingdom, which will shortly lead to an earthly paradise. Amazing how in the beginning of the article the anointed are the only focus of the Kingdom but now an earthly paradise will "shortly" be here.
Do you see yourself in that triumphal procession, following your King, Jesus Christ, with Jehovah himself at the head?
Finally, Christ gets a mention.
Concluding Comments Omission of facts.—If you had not been a JW between 1925 and 1970, would you have known of the new light on the beginning of the great tribulation? Has the WTS told its members that if you had believed that the GT had not started in 1914 and temporarily stopped in 1918 to begin again later, that you would have been an apostate.
How many know the WTS taught that Babylon was destroyed in 606 BCE? If you had believed 607 BCE before then, would you have been an apostate. w52 5/1 p. 260 1914 a Marked Year! It was in 1877 that Charles T. Russell, the first president of the Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s witnesses, as a coauthor of the book The Three Worlds, explained in this book the Bible chronology of this date. "The seventy years’ captivity ended in the first year of Cyrus, which was B.C. 536. They therefore commenced seventy years before, or B.C. 606. Hence, it was in B.C. 606, that God’s kingdom ended, the diadem was removed, and all the earth given up to the Gentiles. 2,520 years from B.C. 606 will end in 1914. . . . ‘Jerusalem must be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,’ (Luke 21:24) hence, trodden down until A.D. 1914 when the resurrection and return of the ‘whole house of Israel’ is due."—Pp. 83, 165.
If you were teaching today that 539 BCE was an "absolute date" would you be in harmony with the WTS teaching? (From an "absolute date" in 1968—5/1/68 p. 271 to a "pivotal date" in 1988—Insight Book Volume 1 p. 458)
Do you remember when the WTS stopped teaching that creative days were 7,000 years long and are now an ambiguous "thousands" of years long?
Did the WTS omit telling you? What other omissions are there?
Blondie (on vacation)