Before JWs existed?

by Neophulis 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Neophulis

  I have a not-so simple question...

  What would or have JWs explained about any existence prior to Charles Taze Russell's "epiphany" that he had discovered Jehovah and the absolute truth surrounding Jehovah.

  The thing that I'm really picking at is I don't think many JWs realize that their religion was formed by a mere mortal. A human being who considered himself a prophet. If such a man was to declare himself a prophet post-JW startup, JWs would consider him part of "Babylon" or manifestations of "Satan himself!"

  What did mankind have to hope for prior to the WT and are only the few that would gather to share in the WT's organization be saved thus eliminating hundreds and thousands of years worth of generations that have lived and who obviously could not be saved since the WT was created in the late 1800s and that would eliminate a large number of people of receiving God's blessing for this eternal paradise that he has planned for us. I know they can say that the dead will be resurrected but were they too supposed to prepare themselves for the final days leading to Armageddon or is it only NOW that mankind must prepare because the WT has come to claim those who are indeed ready to commit themselves for everlasting life.

  I'm not sure if JWs realize that their religion was started by a human being and if so, what spiritual scripture supports that one final prophet will arrive to claim the final group which will be saved from the mighty wrath of Jehovah. I thought there was supposed to be a drastic change in our society caused by an Anti-Christ before Armageddon is to occur.

  Could Russell be fullfilling this prophesy? Hmmm...
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  minimus

  Throughout the centuries, God has used certain ones to lead His people. Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Jesus, Peter, Paul and Mary.....Bible prophecies indicate in the last days, "certain ones" would guide God's people into heaven and a new world. Since there is unmistakable evidence that we are living in the last days, especially since around the early 20th century, Charles Taze Russell fits the bill as the man Jehovah used to get things going......Unmistaken evidence, I say!
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  codeblue

  Welcome Neo

  What a great question....I have been thinking about that same topic lately. Why would there be so many years where there were no faithful prophets??? I find this topic very interesting. Could it be because Jesus fulfilled what those named prophets started to accomplish???

  Anybody can claim to have God's spirit. Even the Mormons claim their leader was inspired and received the "final scrolls" to complete the Bible that Constantine threw together......(I meant to say, Constantine decided which books were to be in the Bible we now read)

  CodeBlue
• 

  blondie

  Actually to be fair to the Bible Students, JWs did not come into existence until 1931. It is better to refer to the Watchtower Society which unofficially began in 1879 and officially in 1884 when it was incorporated.

  Believe me the people that listened to Russell back then are very little like the adherents of the WTS today.
• 

  Neophulis

  With that said, do they ever acknowledge the origin of the WT and Russell's ideas in which became the current WTBTS. I'd rather call it WT=BS but hey, that's a different story.

  My point is do they ever discuss it or give a warped example of how the WT originated to "erase" the past with which would prove that the JW faith is a walking, talking contradition.

  "He who controls the past, controls the future; and he
  who controls the present, controls the past.".

  --George Orwell "1984"

  Thanks!!!
• 

  JustTickledPink

  It's all about the light, that God saw fit to let the light get brighter. And give them "food at the proper time" that all through the dark ages, it was literally spritually dark and no one knew the "truth" until Jesus was about to be crowned King (invisible) and people needed to know.

  I often asked that question too, like for thousands of years between Jesus and now, God didn't think anyone was worth revealing the truth to? Surely there had to be at least 1 person along the way. Doesn't make a lick of sense.
• 

  garybuss

  Which came first? The publishing company? Or Jehovah's Witnesses? Who is using who? :-)
  
  To understand the movement I learned most by reading volume three of Studies In The Scriptures and Zion's Watch Tower pre 1917.
  
  I like the Bible Students. I think Witnesses suck.
  
  
  
  
• 

  M.J.

  Supposedly, even before Russell, there have always been "true servants of Jehovah" somewhere, somehow. Although the WTS or JWs you speak to can not identify any people in history who even remotely shared their beliefs. There was a previous topic regarding their feeble attempt to claim some guy from the early 1800s who advocated the use of the name "Jehovah", but from what I remember a closer look revealed that he also embraced all the mainstream church teachings like Trinity, Hell, etc. The WTBS is historically bankrupt.
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  justhuman

  Before JW's existed there was the Christian Church that stands for 2000 years, and needs no false prophet made in U.S.A to tell us what do the scriptures say. Specially the New Testament that was written in Greek.

  In order to JW's to exist they had to accept the Bible Canon that was accepted by several Orthodox Bishops in Synodos. So if they accept the Canon so they must accept those who set the Bible Canon
• 

  roybatty

  The Society points to certain people throughout history who didn't follow "false" teachings (i.e. trinity, hell fire, etc) as "unoffical" JW's. They point to the Bible and use Paul and John's writings about the great apostacy as an excuse for there not being this huge group of true Christians. I remember reading in the pages of the WT some reference to an obscure group of people who existed in Europe some 600 or so years ago and the WT stating that they didn't believe in hell fire or some other group from the middle east that existed 1,500 years ago and didn't believe in the trinity. As we all know, they are good at taking partial information and using it to their advantage. I believe Martin Luther has even been cited a couple of times. It's really not too difficult for them to find SOME group of people who believed something differnt and say "Ah-HA! these people were pretty darn close to believing the truth."

  What I feel is an even better question to ask them is "who was the faithful and descreet slave" class after the last apostle died? The WT states that in the first century as well as today it's the anointed on earth who are responsible with dispensing Jehovah's spiritual food. What happened to this group after the apostle John died? Did Jehovah let Satan rub out this group for 1,800 years until Russell came on to the scene?