Posts by Doug Mason

14

The Evidence / Proof That Jehovah Witnesses / I.B.S.A. Have NEVER Been Gods Spirit Directed Organisation .

by smiddy in

this is a topic i think every ex jw should have oppurtunity to contribute toward .. it has been 144 years since c.t.russell first published "zions watchtower and herald of christs presence" in 1879 .. red flag 1 " zions watchtower " ?

obviously c.t.russell had sympathy with the zionist movement of the day.. "christs presence" in 1879 ?

that is right and armageddon was to occur in 1914.. when that did not occur 1916-18 was promoted.

Doug Mason

What Russell wrote in The Watch Tower magazine of November 1914 shows his focus:

Gradually the Jewish people have been emerging from their down-trodden condition—persecuted for eighteen centuries. The time is here when the message has been and is still being delivered to them, as recorded in Isaiah 40:1, 2: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.–Isaiah 40:1, 2. This prophecy was fulfilled, as pointed out in the STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, in the year 1878; and ever since that time, the star of Judaism has been rising; the Jews have become more prosperous ever since, as they themselves realize. Nowhere have they been so prosperous as in these United States, where they have received their greatest blessing; while in Russia and Germany they have been persecuted to some extent, but not in the same degree as formerly.

JERUSALEM NO LONGER DOWNTRODDEN

The treading down of the Jews has stopped. All over the world the Jews are now free—even in Russia. On September 5, the Czar of Russia issued a proclamation to all the Jews of the Russian Empire; and this was before the times of the Gentiles had expired. It stated that the Jews might have access to the highest rank in the Russian army, and that the Jewish religion was to have the same freedom as any other religion in Russia. Where are the Jews being trodden down now? Where are they being subjected to scorn? At present they are receiving no persecution whatever. We believe that the treading down of Jerusalem has ceased, because the time for the Gentiles to tread down Israel has ended. (The Watch Tower and herald of Christ’s Presence, November 1, 1914, reprints page 5567)

14

The Evidence / Proof That Jehovah Witnesses / I.B.S.A. Have NEVER Been Gods Spirit Directed Organisation .

by smiddy in

this is a topic i think every ex jw should have oppurtunity to contribute toward .. it has been 144 years since c.t.russell first published "zions watchtower and herald of christs presence" in 1879 .. red flag 1 " zions watchtower " ?

obviously c.t.russell had sympathy with the zionist movement of the day.. "christs presence" in 1879 ?

that is right and armageddon was to occur in 1914.. when that did not occur 1916-18 was promoted.

Doug Mason

Russell was a Zionist before Herzl came on the scene. If you want detailed information, I suggest: "Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An early American Christian Zionist" by David Horowitz.

Russell's position was that Leviticus 26 showed that Jerusalem and the Jews would be downtrodden for 7 "times" ending in 1914, at which time God would return Jerusalem and Jews to favor. In parallel, the madness of Nebuchadnezzar at Daniel 4 showed the "mad" state of the Gentiles, which would also end in 1914. These were two parallel periods.

Russell also said that the Church (his people) would be "changed" to the High Calling before the Jews became the dominant power on earth. He thus saw two parallel salvations: one for his followers, the other for the Jews.

Rutherford said that the return of Jews to Palestine was a sign of the 1874 Presence. He ditched the idea in 1931, at the same time that he said the Anointed were to be known as "Jehovah's witnesses". It took another 15 years before the name "Jehovah's witnesses" was extended to the "great multitude".

Doug

21

the age of adam when he died, anyone know?

by brandnew in

jw
friends

and if so, does this mean that adam had already invented a timetable, and calendar?

Doug Mason

He is the only man without a navel.

3

I am looking for a book

by Doug Mason in

hi,i would like to locate a book that is referred to several times on the www:holman linear bible with watchtower study helps (published in 1901)thanks,doug

Doug Mason

Hi,

I would like to locate a book that is referred to several times on the www:

Holman Linear Bible with Watchtower Study Helps (published in 1901)

Thanks,

Doug

2

I do not charge for my Studies

by Doug Mason in

jw
friends

as a visit to my site shows, i do not charge for my studies, and i never shall.. http://www.jwstudies.com/.

while conducting a search on the www, i came across a site that provides a wide range of material.

searching that site for terms such as "watchtower" i was shocked and disappointed to see that they are charging a cost for some of my studies.. i assure everyone that i do not know who these people are, nor do i receive any money from them.. the site is: http://theclassics.us/.

Doug Mason

As a visit to my site shows, I do not charge for my Studies, and I never shall.

http://www.jwstudies.com/

While conducting a search on the www, I came across a site that provides a wide range of material. Searching that site for terms such as "Watchtower" I was shocked and disappointed to see that they are charging a cost for some of my Studies.

I assure everyone that I do not know who these people are, nor do I receive any money from them.

the site is: http://theclassics.us/

Doug

53

Ties at the Kingdom Hall

by CloseTheDoor in

couple of weeks ago an elder took a young man aside and crawled all over him after the tms for wearing a "skinny" tie.

it was one of those 2 inch wide ties.

nothing bright or scandalous about.

Doug Mason

Next we'll have pictures in The Watchtower mag showing Jesus and Jehovah wearing wide ties.

Doug

5

Jeroboam Vs Man of God

by John Aquila in

jeroboam built high places for calve worship, created his own priests, created his own sacred day of worship, and was just all around a bad man.

1 kings chapter 12.

man of god did not engage in false worship, did not have tons of money, did not have a harem of beautiful women, and did not have the power of a kingdom.

Doug Mason

To understand the story, which I have not studied, approach it for what it was originally intended - propaganda produced at the time of the neo-Babylonian exile. 1 Kings is part of the series of writings they produced, starting with Deuteronomy.

The people who wrote these accounts decided what and who was "good" or "bad" according to their own religious political views. Thus a king was "bad" (such as those of the Northern kingdom of Israel) when he did not support the political ambitions of the priests who wanted Jerusalem to be the centre of worship.

So if this is a parable, it needs to be understood in the light of the times, where barely anyone could read and even fewer could write, normally the scribes, so a shrivelled hand could easily have had a meaning to them in that context. Who knows? I am only guessing.

Doug

12

Christ in You The Hope of Glory:Being Realized

by hopeofglory in

the mystery of the ages was revealed to the gentiles 2000 years ago.

the mystery is "christ in you, the hope of glory" (colossians 1:27).

the churches do not and never will teach this even though it was revealed to the gentiles.

Doug Mason

The concept of "Christ in you" drove Russell's ideas. He believed this meant that the Head (Jesus) and all the body members constituted "The Christ", making them all joint-heirs to everything - from power and authority, through being the Mediator, to having the divine nature.

For Russell, this meant that the Christ and all that this meant stretched over 1900 years.

Today, the term "The Christ" has been given its English equivalent of "The Anointed", and there are some alive today who discreetly boast they are one of those.

Doug

7

An earlier date when the "great multitude/crowd" was first named: "Jehovah's witnesses"

by Doug Mason in

unlike the fonz, i can and do get things wrong..

the 1946 book let god be true ascribed the name jehovahs witnesses to the great multitude:.

page 232 of the 1952 edition.

Doug Mason

When Isa 43:10 speaks of "you are my witnesses", it is saying to Judah and Israel that they had witnessed YHWH. They had seen him in action. The complete context shows that despite having witnessed him, Judah and Israel had gone against his will, and for that very reason, he was going to destroy them.

I will not go into the detail here, as this motivates me to put finger to keyboard and eyeballs onto computer screen. Almost every single Bible scholar says that chapter 40 of Isaiah and on was written during the Babylonian Captivity, which gives the meaningful context to chapter 43. Read the whole chapter, forgetting the WTS's ridiculous idea that this is an eschatological prediction about them.

In 1931, Rutherford said that the name "Jehovah's witnesses" was introduced to differentiate them from the other sects that also claimed allegiance to Russell.

Doug

7

An earlier date when the "great multitude/crowd" was first named: "Jehovah's witnesses"

by Doug Mason in

unlike the fonz, i can and do get things wrong..

the 1946 book let god be true ascribed the name jehovahs witnesses to the great multitude:.

page 232 of the 1952 edition.

Doug Mason

Unlike “The Fonz”, I can and do get things wrong.

In my recent Study, “The Great Crowd before 1935 and Since”, I incorrectly stated that the name “Jehovah’s witnesses” was first extended to the “other sheep” class in 1948.

After trawling through more source material, I now believe this took place in 1946. I have amended my study accordingly. See pages 18 and 19 of the Study at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/The_Great_Crowd_before_1935_and_since.pdf

The amended text is provided below.

Doug

===========

Whenever the Watchtower Society says that the name “Jehovah’s witnesses” originated in 1931, it does not explicitly state that this referred exclusively to the Anointed, those of the “little flock”. Nor does it trumpet the particular moment when the name “Jehovah’s witnesses” was first extended to the great multitude (crowd).

Without fanfare, the name “Jehovah’s witnesses” was first applied to the “other sheep” in The Watchtower magazine of January 15, 1946.

"Not all the above-reported number of Jehovah’s witnesses are members of the remnant of Zion’s spiritual children. The vast majority of the number of active Jehovah’s witnesses reporting in 1945 was made up of consecrated persons of good-will, the Lord’s 'other sheep'”. (The Watchtower announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom, January 15, 1946, page 22)

This was not followed up in immediately subsequent issues of The Watchtower, although it was explained that in 1931 only the “remnant” were given the name “Jehovah’s witnesses”.

"… the summer of 1931. Then at the time … the remnant of the ‘‘little flock” declared themselves to the world as being 'Jehovah’s witnesses'”. (The Watchtower announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom, May 15, 1946, page 156)

"It was the remnant of consecrated Christians who obeyed the word of the Greater Cyrus, Christ Jesus, and who are today known the world over as 'Jehovah’s witnesses'”. (The Watchtower announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom, July 15, 1946, page 214)

The 1946 book Let God Be True ascribed the name “Jehovah’s witnesses” to the “great multitude”:

"An unnumbered multitude of faithful persons now working as Jehovah’s witnesses." (Let God Be True, page 223 (1946). Page 231 of the 1952 edition amends “multitude” to “crowd”)

"They do not expect to go to heaven. They have been promised life everlasting upon earth. … They, as Jehovah’s witnesses. …" (Let God Be True, page 223 (1946). Page 231 of the 1952 edition amends “life everlasting upon” to “everlasting life on”)

"Jonadabs are Jehovah’s witnesses, even though they are not of the remnant of the 'body of Christ'”. (Let God Be True, page 223 (1946). For some reason, page 231 of the 1952 edition omits “Jehovah’s”.)

"His “other sheep” or Jonadabs, too, are Jehovah’s witnesses." (Let God Be True, page 223 (1946). Page 232 of the 1952 edition.)