The first place we will see official stats is the 2011 Yearbook, which should be available soon and will include Memorial numbers. But it is my understanding, from years past, that at the Annual Meeting they give the numbers for the previous service year. Looks like they need to hide something -- just like they no longer print the monthly numbers in the KM every month -- only "highlights".
Ultimate Reality
JoinedPosts by Ultimate Reality
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A difference between 2009 Annual Report and 2010 Annual Report
by Gayle inin 2009 annual meeting report, the report was given of these stats:.
u.s. 7/09 new peak in pubs and again in 8/09 land mark of 1,154,275 pubs.
making a 4% increase over last year.
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JC meeting - Someone Explain Kingdom established on Pentecost
by In inat one point in the jc recording, the "apostate" (i think his name is rick) states that the kingdom was established on pentecost, based on mark 9 where jesus says "i tell you some standing here will not taste death until they see the kingdom coming.".
the elders say this was the transfiguration.
rick states jesus didn't say it would be a vision; the transfiguration was a vision.. can someone please elaborate on this idea with scriptures?.
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Ultimate Reality
This is not without controversy. Some view this to mean that Christ was due to return within that generation (such as at 70 CE). Check the Greek Interlinear, using the word "Accordingly" to link the statement to the event may not be justified.
The statement by Jesus seems to suggest that some would be dead, but not all -- otherwise why say such a thing?
Paul also wrote at 1 Thess 4 (NIV):
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
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DMCA Complaint from The WatchTower for links to KS-10 'Shepherding' book
by Simon inyes, that's right, they really do not like people being able to read that book so they wanted links to it removed (it appears they have also been going after the hosts of the content itself as well).. unfortunately, i had to removed the links (which were dead anyway when i checked) and i'd ask that people don't re-post them (sorry).
i'm sure there are lots of alternative ways for those with the information to get it to those who need it.. here are the discussions on the book:.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/200524/1/ks10-chapter-one-discussion.
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Ultimate Reality
Send copies to attorneys and prosecutors dealing with child abuse and human rights issues -- the organization's legal standing is the GB's #1 concern.
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DMCA Complaint from The WatchTower for links to KS-10 'Shepherding' book
by Simon inyes, that's right, they really do not like people being able to read that book so they wanted links to it removed (it appears they have also been going after the hosts of the content itself as well).. unfortunately, i had to removed the links (which were dead anyway when i checked) and i'd ask that people don't re-post them (sorry).
i'm sure there are lots of alternative ways for those with the information to get it to those who need it.. here are the discussions on the book:.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/200524/1/ks10-chapter-one-discussion.
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Ultimate Reality
As usual, they attack symptoms rather than looking at themselves.
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SHOCKING Fred Franz Talk
by brotherdan ini'm sure many of you have heard this (i have the entire talk, btw), but breaking it up into these clips makes it even more shocking.. this is from the filthy harlots own mouth!.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmkdwk5svxm.
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Ultimate Reality
This is the info missing from the new DVD, from the horse's mouth.
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Talked to hubby about Jesus being the Mediator for only 144,000 he said it made total sense
by life is to short inok so my husband and i sat down and i told him that i never totally got it that we as jehovah's witnesses believe that jesus died only for the 144,000. i showed him 1 tim 2:5, john 6:40, john 20:31, gal 1:4, gal 2:20 where it clearly says he died for everyone.
he said jesus died because we need a new covenant and he gave me jeremiah 31:31 then he went to heb 8:6-9 where we need a new covenant and the ended at luke 22:28 where jesus is talking to his disciples and they were part of the 144,000 so clearly jesus was meaning the new covenant was intended for the 144,000. jesus did give is life clearly for all of us as long as we are in contact with his chosen 144,000. if we ever stop believing in the anointed we are toast.
now my husband has been in the "truth" since 1972 and was an elder for 32 years.
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Ultimate Reality
I love how at one moment the NT is written to First Century contemporaries, and then, arbitrarily, it's written 'for our day' -- like 2 Tim 3.
The Society's teaching about the mediator cannot be scripturally defended. Use the tactic they teach in Pioneer School -- make him defend his belief using the Bible beacuse his response is simply a mindless regurgitation of poorly thought-out WT 'reasoning' with unproven premises.
The Watchtower of November 15, 1979, page 26, made this comment:
“What, then, is Christ’s role in this program of salvation? Paul proceeds to say: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men [not, all men], a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all.”—1 Tim. 2:5, 6.
The insertion "[not, all men]" is the Society blatantly changing the meaning of the Bible.
This issue was raised in a 1989 Questions From Readers (w 8/15/89 p 30-31):
“Is Jesus the Mediator only for spirit-anointed Christians or for all mankind, since 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 speaks of him as the “mediator” who “gave himself a corresponding ransom for all”?”
The Watchtower answer to this question on the mediator centers on the following legal concept:
“The Greek word me·si′tes, used for “mediator,” means ‘one who finds himself between two bodies or parties.’ It was a ‘many-sided technical term of Hellenistic legal language.’ Professor Albrecht Oepke (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) says that me·si′tes was “one of the most varied technical terms in the vocabulary of Hellen[istic] law. ” (w 8/15/89 p 30-31)
So, it is a "many-sided technical" term. But they never bother to define what it means! Nor do they cite the source.
To put this 'legal word' non-sense to rest, here is how should we legally define the word mediator as used by Paul:
“[Paul] calls him the mediator, the mesities. Mesities comes from mesos, which, in this case, means in the middle. A mesities is, therefore, one who stands in the middle between two people and brings them together. When Job is desperately anxious that somehow he should be able to put his case to God, he cries out hopelessly: 'There is no umpire [mesities] between us' (Job 9:33). Paul calls Moses the mesities (Galations 3;19) in that he was the one between, who brought the law from God to the people. In Athens in classical times, there was a body of men - all citizens in their sixtieth year - who could be called upon to act as mediators when there was a dispute between two citizens, and their first duty was to bring about a reconciliation. In Rome, there were arbitri. The judge settled points of law; but the arbitri settled matters of what was fair and just; and it was their duty to bring disputes to an end. Further, in legal Greek, a mesities was a sponsor, a guarantor or a surety. He put up a bail for a friend who was on trial; he guaranteed a debt or an overdraft. The mesities was someone who was willing to pay a friend's debt to make things right again.”
- William Barclay (1907-1978), Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism Glasgow University in Scotland, Letter to the Hebrews, p. 106.
So, according to Paul, did Jesus -- as a mesities -- only 'bail out' a small, limited number of people? Is the payment of the 'debt of sin' only applied to the 144,000?
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Randy Watters -- WT admits 144,000 may not be the limit
by FatFreek 2005 ini, along with many others, received our latest freeminds email.
i was shocked at the following underlined statement.. the second thing they are emphasizing is that those who claim to be of the "anointed" (now that they have admitted the number may not be limited to 144,000) not only have no say into what goes into the watchtower magazine, and have no special knowledge or place in jehovah's organization, so don't look to them for answers.
the governing body is the faithful and discreet slave as far as the jws are to be concerned.
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Ultimate Reality
BP: I am sorry for any confusion. My statement about it being a figurative number is how one might interpret the meaning of the first post. This is not how I understood the post and the Society has not changed the 144,000 from literal to figurative. However, in application there is a problem since it seems the 144,000 limited has been exceeded. The Society has acknowledged this but now makes a distinction between genuine and non-genuine partakers/anointed. Therefore, we can conclude that the Society has admitted that the number of partakers/claimed anointed over time has exceeded the limit of 144,000.
And thank you for demanding verification and clarification of claims!
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Randy Watters -- WT admits 144,000 may not be the limit
by FatFreek 2005 ini, along with many others, received our latest freeminds email.
i was shocked at the following underlined statement.. the second thing they are emphasizing is that those who claim to be of the "anointed" (now that they have admitted the number may not be limited to 144,000) not only have no say into what goes into the watchtower magazine, and have no special knowledge or place in jehovah's organization, so don't look to them for answers.
the governing body is the faithful and discreet slave as far as the jws are to be concerned.
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Ultimate Reality
BP: What's written at the beginning of this post is technically accurate, but I see where different meanings can be reached. Language is always slippery. The WT has acknowledged that the 144,000 limit (and the calling ending in 1935) no longer applies. One can conclude this means they have changed the limit and made the 144,000 figurative. Or that what is in print leads us to the conclusion that we should not expect those who claim to be anointed are limited to 144,000. The latter being how I understood the opening post. The WT, rather than dealing with this issue directly, has changed the status of the players.
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Randy Watters -- WT admits 144,000 may not be the limit
by FatFreek 2005 ini, along with many others, received our latest freeminds email.
i was shocked at the following underlined statement.. the second thing they are emphasizing is that those who claim to be of the "anointed" (now that they have admitted the number may not be limited to 144,000) not only have no say into what goes into the watchtower magazine, and have no special knowledge or place in jehovah's organization, so don't look to them for answers.
the governing body is the faithful and discreet slave as far as the jws are to be concerned.
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Ultimate Reality
Broken Promises, I agree. No where has the society changed the 144,000 from literal to figurative. If that is what Randy is claiming, I don't know of any evidence. However, the 144,000 limit does not match with history and the Society's own numbers -- and they were forced to acknowledge this in the 2007 QFR. So, they are shifting attention from the fact that the number has been and will continue to be exceeded. It no longer matters to them anymore.
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Randy Watters -- WT admits 144,000 may not be the limit
by FatFreek 2005 ini, along with many others, received our latest freeminds email.
i was shocked at the following underlined statement.. the second thing they are emphasizing is that those who claim to be of the "anointed" (now that they have admitted the number may not be limited to 144,000) not only have no say into what goes into the watchtower magazine, and have no special knowledge or place in jehovah's organization, so don't look to them for answers.
the governing body is the faithful and discreet slave as far as the jws are to be concerned.
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Ultimate Reality
Randy's conclusion appears to be accurate.
The Society is typically passive-agressive in how they address their own sensitive 'issues'. Further, I think it's obvious we are in the midst of a transition in certain teachings, largely because of failed dates and other numbers. Questions of the anointed and the GB's authority (and credibility) are at stake, so they have been making some changes over the last few years. So, we have to read between the lines over a period of time to see what has really happened.
First, in 1984, the Society was still defending the 1935 anointed-to-great crowd cutoff / transition 'calling' date:
5 The countdown that has proceeded for some six millenniums now nears its zero hour. So close is it that people who were alive in 1914, and who are now well along in years, will not all pass off the scene before the thrilling events marking the vindication of Jehovah’s sovereignty come to pass.—Mark 13:30.
6 Other loyal servants of God, too, will be on hand to witness the events of that great day. Especially beginning in 1935, when the identity of the “great multitude,” or “great crowd,” was clearly understood, large numbers of these began to manifest themselves. At first there were hundreds, then thousands, later hundreds of thousands, and now there are millions spread around the globe. God’s infallible Word depicts this group as ‘coming out of the great tribulation,’ being survivors of it, living right on into God’s New Order without ever having to die. (Revelation 7:9, 10, 14; John 11:26) The early members of this group are now in their 60’s or 70’s or older. Jehovah did not allow the ingathering of this group to begin too soon. The “great crowd,” including many of the earliest members thereof, will survive into the “new earth.” - Survival, p. 185
In 2007, they addressed the issue of the obvious 'continued' calling of new anointed members and said that the calling, evidently, did not stop in 1935. But gave the following qualification on the matter of those claiming to be anointed (note, there are also now genuine anointed):
How should a person be viewed who has determined in his heart that he is now anointed and begins to partake of the emblems at the Memorial? He should not be judged. The matter is between him and Jehovah. (Romans 14:12) However, genuine anointed Christians do not demand special attention. They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special “insights,” beyond what even some experienced members of the great crowd may have. They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the other sheep have; nor do they expect special treatment or claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation. They humbly remember that some anointed men in the first century did not qualify to serve as elders or ministerial servants. (1 Timothy 3:1-10, 12, 13; Titus 1:5-9; James 3:1) Some anointed Christians were even spiritually weak. (1 Thessalonians 5:14) And sisters, although anointed, did not teach in the congregation.—1 Timothy 2:11, 12. - w07 5/1 p.31
A major article that gives evidence of a transition is the June 2009 study article on the Faithful Steward and its Governing Body. It seems they are transitioning from the slave/steward is a group to the slave/steward is the GB with the 'claimed' anointed as the 'domestics' and the great crowd covering everyone else. The anointed domestics and the great crowd are on the same, 'non-insightful' plane, whereas the GB is' spirit-directed':
On the other hand, how should other Christians view a person who claims to have received this anointing and begins to partake of the emblems at the Memorial? He or she should not be judged. The matter is between this person and Jehovah. (Rom. 14:12) However, Christians who have truly received this anointing do not demand special attention. They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special insights beyond what even some experienced members of the “great crowd” may have. (Rev. 7:9) They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the “other sheep” have. (John 10:16) They do not expect special treatment; nor do they claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation.
...today a limited number of anointed men have the responsibility of representing the slave class. They make up the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. These spirit-anointed men oversee the Kingdom work and the spiritual feeding program. As in the first century, though, the Governing Body does not consult with each individual member of the slave class before making decisions. (Read Acts 16:4, 5.) However, all anointed Witnesses are deeply involved in the vital harvest work that is now taking place. As a class, “the faithful and discreet slave” is one body, but as individuals, they have various work assignments.—1 Cor. 12:19-26.
-w09 6/15 p24
and the final paragraph...Whether we are “domestics,” who are part of the anointed remnant, or we are members of the great crowd, let it be our determination to cooperate fully with the faithful steward and its Governing Body. May each of us “keep on the watch” and prove ourselves faithful until the end.—Matt. 24:13, 42.
-w09 6/15 p23-24
Moving forward to this year, the Governing Body gets more praise. The fact that the 'anointed' 144,000 have gone beyond this limit, no longer matters:
The apostles and the elders of the Jerusalem congregation acted as a governing body. Christ used this instrument to lead the entire group of his anointed “brothers” on earth. (Heb. 2:11; Acts 16:4, 5) In this time of the end, Christ has committed “all his belongings”— all the earthly interests of the Kingdom—to his “faithful and discreet slave” and its representative Governing Body, a group of anointed Christian men. (Matt. 24:45-47) The anointed and their other sheep companions recognize that by following the lead of the modern-day Governing Body, they are in fact following their Leader, Christ. - w2010 9/15 page 23
Notice the wording in the above paragraph. BOTH the anointed AND the other sheep follow the Governing Body. The GB is really the Faithful Steward, so being anointed (genuine or non-genuine) doesn't count for anything, they are in the same boat as the great crowd. Further, the 'genuine' distinction made earlier gets them around the number issue. Witnesses will ignore this numbering failure and trust that many are partaking that are not actually anointed. Further, they can look at anyone that claims to be anointed in local congregations as the same as everyone else. All attention goes to the GB and their authority.