Carla
Oops - it ddn't post. Perhaps too lengthy. Here is an edidted vesion:
WATCHTOWER 2000 May 1 p. 15 Hear What the Spirit Has to Say ***
the Bible admonishes us: “Keep testing whether you are in the faith, keep proving what you yourselves are.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) If we are to continue hearing what the spirit says, we should heed the counsel to read God’s Word daily.—Psalm 1:2………
… Another avenue that Jehovah uses to speak to us today is identified by Jesus at Matthew 24:45-47. There he spoke of the spirit-anointed Christian congregation—“the faithful and discreet slave” appointed to provide spiritual “food at the proper time.”
WATCHTOWER 1994 Jan 15 pp. 16-17 Shepherds and Sheep in a Theocracy ***
Jesus said that during his royal presence, he would identify a faithful body of followers, a “faithful and discreet slave,” and would appoint it over all his belongings. (Matthew 24:45-47; Isaiah 43:10) In 1919 that slave was identified as the remnant of anointed Christians. Since then, as represented by the Governing Body
Knowledge chap. 17 p. 161 Find Security Among God’s People ***
4 Jesus said that at the time of his presence in Kingdom power, “the faithful and discreet slave” would be found providing “food at the proper time” for His followers. (Matthew 24:45-47) When Jesus was installed as heavenly King in 1914, who did this “slave” prove to be? …. But proper and timely spiritual food was being dispensed by the group of true Christians who were anointed by God’s holy spirit …
God’s Kingdom Has Approached
chap. 17 pp. 349-357 The “Slave” Who Lived to See the “Sign” ***
TIME OF INSPECTION BY THE SLAVE’S MASTER
38 Without a question of doubt, it was a real time for inspection of the Master’s “slave” class. All the facts of the case argue that the Master came for the work of inspection at the time. …Had his appointed slave done as he was assigned to do, namely, give to the “domestics” their “food at the proper time”? The master needed to make an inspection.
40 The serving of food, the right sort of food, at the proper time was the issue. It had to be according to this that a decision must be rendered by the returned master….Down to 1919 C.E. they had endeavored to give “food at the proper time”…. Not only was the regularity in serving the spiritual food a problem, but the quality of the food itself was to be considered….
….three and a half years after the close of the Gentile Times and Christ’s enthronement in the heavens in 1914 C.E., there came the annual celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Tuesday, March 26, 1918…
....And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: ‘All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.’”—Matthew 28:16-20.
46 The Lord Jesus explained why the state of the “faithful and discreet slave” was a happy one, for Jesus said: “Happy is that slave if his master on arriving [Greek: elthòn] finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings.”—Matthew 24:46, 47; Luke 12:42-44.
APPOINTED OVER ALL THE MASTER’S BELONGINGS
….. When he returned to his “household staff” in 1919 to make an inspection of all his “domestics,” he did so in a royal capacity ….
51 On inspecting the remnant of his anointed disciples in the year 1919 C.E., the reigning King Jesus Christ did find the appointed “slave” faithful and discreet in the feeding of his “domestics.” Accordingly, he appointed this “slave” class over all his belongings. Their enlarged responsible position now was that of serving in fulfillment of the now due Kingdom prophecies. All through the centuries the “faithful and discreet slave” class has been made up of those who are “ambassadors substituting for Christ,
And with what a spiritual table of Scriptural food they have been fed! The disposing of any remaining stocks of the Studies in the Scriptures by C. T. Russell and of The Finished Mystery in the year 1927 produced no shortage of spiritual food for these “domestics.” New and up-to-date bound books and booklets and tracts have continued to be published since the book The Harp of God in 1921. Yes, in October of 1919 a companion to The Watch Tower was published in the form of the magazine The Golden Age (now entitled “Awake!”).
PROCLAIMERS*** jv chap. 5 p. 47 Proclaiming the Lord’s Return (1870-1914) ***
Barbour succeeded in convincing Russell that Christ’s invisible presence had begun in 1874.
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 10 pp. 133-134 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth ***
Russell also came to be persuaded that Christ’s invisible presence had begun in 1874. Attention was later drawn to this by the subtitle “Herald of Christ’s Presence,” which appeared on the cover of
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 10 p. 133 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth ***
A clearer understanding of Biblical chronology was published in 1943, in the book “The Truth Shall Make You Free,”
WATCHTOWER wt dec 1 1984 p14
So when Christ’s invisible presence began in 1914, happy were these Christians to have been found watching!
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 5 p. 47 Proclaiming the Lord’s Return (1870-1914) ***
C. T. Russell was a man of positive convictions. Convinced that Christ’s invisible presence had begun, he was determined to proclaim it to others. He later said: “The knowledge of the fact that we were already in the harvest period gave to me an impetus to spread the Truth such as I never had before. I therefore at once resolved upon a vigorous campaign for the Truth.” Russell now decided to curtail his business interests so as to devote himself to preaching.
To counteract wrong views regarding the Lord’s return, Russell wrote the pamphlet The Object and Manner of Our Lord’s Return. It was published in 1877. That same year Barbour and Russell jointly published Three Worlds, and the Harvest of This World. This 196-page book discussed the subjects of restitution and Biblical time prophecies. Though each subject had been treated by others before, in Russell’s view this book was “the first to combine the idea of restitution with time-prophecy.” It presented the view that Jesus Christ’s invisible presence dated from the autumn of 1874.
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 10 p. 142 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth ***
Thus, in the October-November 1881 issue of the magazine, C. T. Russell stated: “We believe that every member of this body of Christ is engaged in the blessed work, either directly or indirectly, of giving meat in due season to the household of faith.
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 10 p. 143 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth ***
Over a decade later, however, Brother Russell’s wife publicly expressed the idea that Russell himself was the faithful and wise servant. The view that she
voiced concerning the identity of the ‘faithful servant’ came to be generally held by the Bible Students for some 30 years. Brother Russell did not reject their view,
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 22 p. 425 Part 2—Witnesses to the Most Distant Part of the Earth ***
What an exciting message they proclaimed—“Millions now living will never die!” Brother Rutherford had given a discourse on this subject in 1918. It was also the title of a 128-page booklet published in 1920. From 1920 through 1925, that same subject was featured again and again around the world in public meetings in all areas
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 22 p. 425 Part 2—Witnesses to the Most Distant Part of the Earth ***
And it expressed the conviction that the time for the realization of that hope was very near.
Newspaper notices and billboards were used to advertise the lectures. The subject was intriguing.
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 28 pp. 631-632 Testing and Sifting From Within ***
Calculations based on this cycle of years led to the conclusion that perhaps a greater Jubilee for all the earth had begun in the autumn of 1874, that evidently the Lord had returned in that year and was invisibly present, and that “the times of restitution of all things” had arrived.—Acts 3:19-21, KJ.
Based on the premise that events of the first century might find parallels in related events later, they also concluded that if Jesus’ baptism and anointing in the autumn of 29 C.E. paralleled the beginning of an invisible presence in 1874, then his riding into Jerusalem as King in the spring of 33 C.E. would point to the spring of 1878 as the time when he would assume his power as heavenly King. They also thought they would be given their heavenly reward at that time. When that did not occur, they concluded that since Jesus’ anointed followers were to share with him in the Kingdom, the resurrection to spirit life of those already sleeping in death began then. It was also reasoned that the end of God’s special favor to natural down to 36 C.E. might point to 1881 as the time when the special opportunity to become part of spiritual would close.
In the lecture “Millions Now Living Will Never Die,” delivered by J. F. Rutherford on March 21, 1920, at the Hippodrome in , attention was directed to the year 1925. On what basis was it thought to be significant? In a booklet published in that same year, 1920, it was pointed out that if 70 full Jubilees were calculated from what was understood to be the date when Israel entered the Promised Land (instead of starting after the last typical Jubilee before the Babylonian exile and then counting to the beginning of the Jubilee year at the end of the 50th cycle), this could point to the year 1925. On the basis of what was said there, many hoped that perhaps the remaining ones of the little flock would receive their heavenly reward by 1925. This year also was associated with expectations for resurrection of faithful pre-Christian servants of God with a view to their serving on earth as princely representatives of the heavenly Kingdom. If that really occurred, it would mean that mankind had entered an era in which death would cease to be master, and millions then living could have the hope of never dying off the earth. What a happy prospect! Though mistaken, they eagerly shared it with others.
PROCLAIMERS *** jv chap. 14 p. 200 “They Are No Part of the World” ***
Practices That Have Been Abandoned
This Christmas celebration at Brooklyn Bethel in 1926 was their last. The Bible Students gradually came to appreciate that neither the origin of this holiday nor the practices associated with it honored God
For years, Bible Students wore a cross and crown as a badge of identification, and this symbol was on the front cover of the “” from 1891 to 1931. But in 1928 it was emphasized that not a decorative symbol but one’s activity as a witness showed he was a Christian. In 1936 it was pointed out that the evidence indicates that Christ died on a stake, not a two-beamed cross
In their “Daily Manna” book, Bible Students kept a list of birthdays. But after they quit celebrating Christmas and when they realized that birthday celebrations were giving undue honor to creatures (one reason that early Christians never celebrated birthdays), the Bible Students quit this practice too
For some 35 years, Pastor Russell thought that the Great Pyramid of Gizeh was God’s stone witness, corroborating Biblical time periods. (Isa. 19:19) But Jehovah’s Witnesses have abandoned the idea that an Egyptian pyramid has anything to do with true worship. (See “Watchtower” issues of November 15 and December 1, 1928)
