Posts by bennyk

15

144,000 before 1935?

by nolongerconfused in

i've always thought about this but have never received an answer on how the wbts explaiend the phenomenon.... to my understanding, every member of the wbts had the heavenly hope...however, by 2 classes were created...the heavenly, and earthly hope.... does anyone know the number of jw's as of that famous assembly of 1935 where the earthly hope was revealed and imposed?.

what is the wbts explanation for the thousands of jw's who had heavenly hope now all of a sudden have the earthly hope?.

this leads me to one conclusion...how dare this or any other organization determine what your hope or believe should be...shame on them.

bennyk

The Watch Tower Society taught until 1935 that the "Great Crowd" was a second class of Christians with a heavenly hope.

The 144 000 were the Bride-class, the Great Multitude (Crowd) an attendant class ('Brides-maids').

The increasing numbers of Bible Students affiliated with the Watch Tower Society did not force the change in doctrine. The teaching allowed for large numbers of heaven-bound Christians. The Watch Tower Society taught the following in the 1917 publication The Finished Mystery on page 103:

FM103
Was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands

.— The number of the
Great Company will apparently exceed one
hundred millions. Num. 4:46-48 and Ex. 28:1
indicate but one priest to each 2,860 Levites,
which would make the number of the Great
Company approximate 411,840,000.— T118,
119; Dan. 7:10. 5:12

Currently, belief that more than 144 000 will receive a heavenly reward will result in Disfellowshipping. (w 01. April 1986 QfR)

94

14 months after printing the "Steve and Selma" article, guess what the Society's latest Awake is about...

by cedars in

you guessed it.... .

http://www.jw.org/download/?fileformat=pdf&issue=201304&output=html&pub=g&langwritten=e&option=trgchlzrqvnyvrxf&txtcmslang=e.

cedars.

bennyk

It sounds to me as though the Witnesses are in an abusive relationship:

(One only needs to alter a few words...)

Why do some Witnesses choose to remain with a soul-destroying cult? A common reason is that they fear things will get worse if they leave. The Watch Tower Society has threatened that God will harm or even kill them and their minor children if they tried to escape. Others have hesitated to leave because they fear that their friends and relatives would turn against them. For example, Isabel, whose experience is referred to at the outset of this article, left her religion. She states:"The entire congregation shunned me, and I was forced to move away with my children.”

Still other reasons why some disgruntled Witnesses choose to stay are:

They want their children to grow up with both parents, fearing the "faithful" mate will divorce them.
They worry about being able to support themselves and their children if they lose their Witness-related employment.
They erroneously believe that they are "murmurers".
They are ashamed to admit that they have been and are being spiritually abused.
They hope the situation will improve.

21

A treacherous heart might decieve a Christian making him unable to see that his family is actually, Moloch.

by Theocratic Sedition in

jw
friends

from this week's congregation bible study, the first 8 paragraphs of chapter 4 in the jeremiah book.

page 44 as follows.. in our case, we certainly do not think of ourselves as worshippers of idol gods.

however, under the heading of "god", one dictionary says: a person or thing of supreme value.

bennyk

“However easily one might start to minimize the wise, balanced advice from the faithful and discreet slave class about additional education and start to miss meetings!”

I wonder: Would this "wise, balanced advice" be from the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" when it was the entire faithful remnant of Anointed Christians worldwide, or is it only from the responsible Members of the Governing Body when serving as a group?

"Hence , how might we be misled?"

Well, I suppose we could take the screeds of the so-called "Faithful and Discreet Slave" seriously...

14

Archive Of DO & CO Talks

by theopug in

found this site: http://www.centralprint.net/jwtalks/covisits/docovisits.html.

large collection of do and co talks.

.

bennyk

Huh...

I wonder why Charles Sinutko's talk "Serving With Everlasting Life in View" seems to be missing...

51

Any Elders comments on latest idea about Sisters

by truthlover in

jw
friends

just finished our 2 day and one of the talks by the do indicated that single sisters in the congregation are to be subservient to all male brothers in the hall..as well a widow too is of the same "status".

is this a new thought or just now an open secret?.

personally, i dont think that is good - after all there are many elders who although, supposedly appointed by hs, can be personally involved with porn behind closed doors or nasty with his wife and family.. i personally know of two like that .... why should i listen to a "stranger" about my life?

bennyk

According to the Watch Tower Society, Sisters are not "subservient to all male brothers in the hall":

"Single Sisters, not having a human head to consult with and confide in, may be apt to 'throw their burdens upon Jehovah." (Watchtower, 15. October 1996, p.13, paragraph 19)

23

Shunning supported by 2 Jo 9-10

by Splash in

(2 john 9,10) 9 everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the christ does not have god.

he that does remain in this teaching is the one that has both the father and the son.

10 if anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.. .

bennyk

You need to consider the context.

Verse seven indicates that the writer has in mind persons "not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the anti-christ."

The verse emphatically does not require the shunning of individuals who reject the unscriptural teachings of the Watch Tower Society. Indeed, it may be necessary to reject the Society's doctrines in order to "remain in the teaching of the Christ."

40

January 2013 Watchtower - HAVE JEHOVAHS WITNESSES GIVEN INCORRECT DATES FOR THE END?

by TheStumbler in

i was just on the new jw.org site and i have to say, they've done a good job.

it looks pretty sleek and is easy to navigate.

the production values of their magazines (in particular the photos) seems to have improved since i last spent much time on the site.

bennyk

Why, then, do we continue to highlight the nearness of the end? Because we take seriously Jesus’ words: “Keep looking, keep awake.” The alternative, to be found “sleeping” by Jesus, would prevent us from gaining his favor. (The Watchtower, 01.01.2012, p.8)

Jesus said: "Keep looking, keep awake." He did not say: 'Continue prophesying falsely' as though that were the only alternative to "sleeping"(!)

Furthermore, because of their erroneous beliefs, in 1914 the affiliates of the Watch Tower Society were the only Body of believers who did not "keep looking" for the Parousia to begin. (They believed it had already begun in 1874).

36

How do I disprove "New Light"?

by DarkFireWolf in

i currently am a jw and my parents are too.they seem either confused or dislike it when i raise questions and recently, when i questioned them about 1925 and 1975, i've been told it's changed due to "new light.

" i don't remember nor do i have very much knowledge of "new light.".

this "new light" just dosen't sit with me and neither do the false prophecies.new light first of all, breaks a scripture in deut.

bennyk

I like to quote the earlier Watch Tower's:

All truth is in harmony, whether old or new. What

was true at any time in the past must be true yet....

and if it is not true now, instead of being advanced

light then it was terrible darkness. [...] We have

sometimes been accused by unbelievers for teaching

that the true way to advance was to displace the

truth we learned yesterday by new truth learned to-

day; but we utterly repudiate the absurd charge. To

grow in knowledge is to retain the truth we have

and add to our stock.

(Zion’s Watch Tower July 1880 WTR p. 119)

If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be

different with us; undoubtedly one human idea

would contradict another and that which was light

one or two or six years ago would be regarded as

darkness now: But with God there is no

variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is

with truth; any knowledge or light coming from

God must be like its author. A new view of truth

never can contradict a former truth. "New light"

never extinguishes older "light," but adds to it. If

you were lighting up a building containing seven

gas jets you would not extinguish one every time

you lighted another, but would add one light to

another and they would be in harmony and thus give

increase of light: So is it with the light of truth; the

true increase is by adding to, not by substituting one

for another.

(Zion's Watch Tower February 1881 WTR p. 188)

40

January 2013 Watchtower - HAVE JEHOVAHS WITNESSES GIVEN INCORRECT DATES FOR THE END?

by TheStumbler in

i was just on the new jw.org site and i have to say, they've done a good job.

it looks pretty sleek and is easy to navigate.

the production values of their magazines (in particular the photos) seems to have improved since i last spent much time on the site.

bennyk

(recycled old post [19.10.2012]):

[A]ny mistaken expectations about the end do not alter the unmistakable features identifying these as “the last days.”—2 Timothy 3:1. (The Watchtower, 01.01.2013, p.7)

Alrighty, then. Russell's 37 year prophecy regarding the End coming in 1914 did not alter the unmistakable (and indisputable) features identifying those as part of "the last days" (which [according to the Watch Tower Society] ran from A.D. 1799 - 1914).

THE ''Time of the End," a period of one hundred and fifteen (115) years,
from A. D. I 7 9 9 to A. D. 1914, is particularly marked in the Scriptures.
(Thy Kingdom Come, p. 23)

THE careful student will have observed that the period
designated "The Time of the End " is very appropriately
named, since not only does the Gospel age close in it,
but in it, also, all prophecies relating to the close of this age
terminate, reaching their fulfilments. The same class of
readers will have noticed, too, the special importance of
the last 40 of those 115 years (1874-1914), called "The
End" or "Harvest." (Thy Kingdom Come, p. 121)

Could someone please ask the Writing Department to do some thinking before printing?!?!

44

I think I stumbled onto the eventual plan for the governing body teaching today.....

by EndofMysteries in

on the jw.org site, look at the 2/1/2012 public wt, page 27 of the pdf...section 4"how are jehovah's witnesses organized today".

if anybody noticed, i mentioned i thought that no mention of 'faithful and discreet slave' possibly since 2010 in the public placed wt's.

i've read all of them backtracking to 2/1/2012 so far, and so far, my suspicion has proven true, no mention.

bennyk

BluesBrother --

According to Stephen Lett: "F&DS – Small group of anointed Christians, living at Head Quarters, during Christ’s presence, who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food. Note--- Individual members are not F&DS. Only when they work as a body are they such!"

(But, of course, this teaching is subject to change.)