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/.
As a visit to my site shows, I do not charge for my Studies, and I never shall.
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
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.
Next we'll have pictures in The Watchtower mag showing Jesus and Jehovah wearing wide ties.
Doug
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.)
does the following paragraph on page 22 of the june 15, 2015 watchtower magazine provide an accurate assessment of charles taze russell?
does this paragraph contain mistakes and omissions?.
when the time approached for gods kingdom in the hands of jesus to start ruling from heaven, jehovah helped his people to understand the timing of events.
Does the following paragraph on page 22 of the June 15, 2015 Watchtower magazine provide an accurate assessment of Charles Taze Russell? Does this paragraph contain mistakes and omissions?
“When the time approached for God’s Kingdom in the hands of Jesus to start ruling from heaven, Jehovah helped his people to understand the timing of events. In 1876, an article written by Charles Taze Russell was published in the magazine Bible Examiner. That article, ‘Gentile Times: When Do They End?,’ pointed to 1914 as a significant year. The article linked the ‘seven times’ of Daniel’s prophecy with ‘the appointed times of the nations’ spoken of by Jesus.—Dan. 4:16; Luke 21:24.”
My response is at:
http://www.jwstudies.com/How_Many_Mistakes_in_one_Paragraph.pdf
Doug
PS. Did you catch up with my recent Study,"The Great Crowd before 1935 and since"?
http://www.jwstudies.com/The_Great_Crowd_before_1935_and_since.pdf
if this has been posted up before, then i missed it...... they call this organization "the truth" so we might expect it to be accurate .
they themselves they have previously championed honesty :.
live with jehovahs day in mind (2006) p115 par 9.
BluesBrother,
That para in the June 15 Watchtower caught my eye as well. So you know what I did. I am about to check my short response, which I have named, "How Many Mistakes in One Paragraph?".
Just as a clarification of Russell's article, and the position he consistently held to: he saw two parallel "seven times". One was "Treading of Jerusalem" depicted at Lev 26; the other was the "Time of Gentiles" domination, as pictured by the beastly state of Nebuchadnezzar.
I will start another thread when I am satisfied with my short response. Please give me a couple of hours.
Doug
what was the seismic shift in thinking that rutherford required when he created the great multitude in 1935?
when did the great multitude, or the great crowd as it is now known, become jehovahs witnesses?.
http://www.jwstudies.com/the_great_crowd_before_1935_and_since.pdf.
Thanks Village,
You will note the reference on page 11 of my Study where I cite a passage from a 1918 Watchtower that corroborates you regarding the four classes.
Inasmuch as "Finished Mystery" and the 1918 Watchtower post-date Russell's death, the idea presumably came from Rutherford,
In my Study, I set out the quotations chronologically but I am certain there are others which I did not locate that will joint the dots. Should you find anything, please let me know. If you do not mind, you can always email me (address in all my Studies) in complete confidence.
Doug
what was the seismic shift in thinking that rutherford required when he created the great multitude in 1935?
when did the great multitude, or the great crowd as it is now known, become jehovahs witnesses?.
http://www.jwstudies.com/the_great_crowd_before_1935_and_since.pdf.
Hi Phizzy,
To me, these quotations from The Watchtower magazines show them making things up on the run - thought bubbles. It is a pattern that continues to this day, where one thought bubble creates an unintended consequence that has to be patched up, all under the guise of "added light".
Do you have any suggestions where I might go next? As you would gather, I am not interested simply repeating what others have already thoroughly worked on.
Doug
