Jehovah’s Witnesses have been instructed to avoid representing themselves as agents or representatives of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Articles such as Our Kingdom Ministry from February 1989 on pages 3 & 4, under the article ‘Our Identification as Jehovah’s Witnesses’ emphasizes this matter:
“As ministers of the good news, we are known publicly as Jehovah's Witnesses. Our voluntary participation in the field service is motivated by love of God and neighbor. It is not carried on at the insistence of any man or organization but is according to our God-given commission to preach the "good news" and make disciples. (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20) Therefore, publishers do well to avoid representing themselves as agents or representatives of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., or any other corporation used by "the faithful and discreet slave" to advance Kingdom interests.-Matt. 24:45-47.
In case of an accident or an emergency or if problems are encountered while working trailer parks, apartments, or certain other territory, publishers may need some form of personal identification beyond giving their name along with a brief Scriptural explanation of the nature of our religious work. If questioned, or when asked for credentials, baptized publishers may use the identification card (S-65) signed by the presiding overseer, which shows one is preaching the good news of the Kingdom in association with the local congregation named on the card.
A supply of identification cards (S-65), which may be issued to baptized publishers when there is a need, will be included with the annual shipment of congregation forms. If any publishers use a personal name card in connection with their field service activities, they should not print thereon that they are representatives of the Watchtower Society.”
The reality of taking such a position is Jehovah’s Witnesses are to use the magazines and other publications of the Watchtower Society organization; they are to advance their understanding and teachings of matters as presented in the Watchtower Society’s publications and talks; they are to preach to others the interpretation and message as presented in the Watchtower Society organization’s publications; but despite all of this, they are suppose to avoid mentioning the organization when questioned or describing the source of their activities.
This is further suspect, when throughout the organization's history they have stated that Jehovah’s Witnesses indeed, represent the organization. For instance, the Watchtower, January 15, 1950 issue on page 30 regarding United States District Assemblies of 1949 states:
"Each of the Witnesses believes himself or herself to be personally a witness in truth to God. They look to see the world regenerated. There must be no bar against a personal relationship with their God. In convention they seemed to have been led by representatives of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. They were told to put on their armor of God and go forth and preach the gospel as Jesus and His disciples did. They accept this command."
The July 22, 1984 Awake! article, ‘I Started Out A Warbird But Ended Up A Dove’, states on page 22:
"The year 1969 found our son married and my mother well taken care of. Mary Ann and I widened out in our ministry. We became traveling representatives of the Watchtower Society. I started out in my first assignment as circuit overseer-North Dakota Circuit Number One. My brother and his wife, Robert and Lee, entered the circuit work too."
Perhaps, this “avoid representing themselves as agents or representatives” of the organization is new light. After all, both of the above quotes are taking from writings prior to the February 1989 Kingdom Ministry.
That is far from the case as The Watchtower Society has also stated the following in their publications…
Watchtower, December 1, 2005, page 25, paragraph 10, ‘People "out of All the Languages" Hear the Good News’:
"Indeed, Jesus' command to "make disciples of people of all the nations" is being carried out! (Matthew 28:19) Eagerly embracing that commission, Jehovah's Witnesses are active in 235 lands, distributing literature in more than 400 languages. While Jehovah's organization provides the material needed to reach the people, the individual Kingdom publisher must take the initiative to convey the Bible's message to "people of all sorts" in the language they can best understand. (John 1:7) This united effort enables millions of people of various language groups to benefit from the good news"
Watchtower, March 1, 2006, page 16, ‘Knowing What Is Right and Doing It’:
"In 1959, Jehovah's organization instituted the Kingdom Ministry School. This worldwide training program helped circuit overseers, special pioneers, missionaries, and congregation elders to carry out their Scriptural responsibilities more effectively."
Watchtower, July 1, 2006, page 17, ‘They Delight to Do God's Will’:
"Chris and Leslie, a couple assigned to serve as missionaries in Bolivia, put it this way: "Since we have disowned ourselves, we want to make ourselves available to do anything in association with Jehovah's organization." (Mark 8:34) Jason and Chere, assigned to Albania, add: "Every assignment that we have received from Jehovah's organization has had its challenges."
Watchtower, November 15, 2006, page 11, ‘A School Whose Graduates Benefit People Worldwide’:
"In a number of cases, Witnesses who asked for time away from work were told that they would have no employment upon their return. They chose to receive training from Jehovah's organization, even though it meant losing their jobs..."
Watchtower, April 1, 2007, page 16, ‘The Disciple-Making Work Has Shaped My Life’:
"Then, unexpectedly, welcome provisions came from Jehovah's organization. Since September 2001, Our Kingdom Ministry has provided suggestions for presenting the magazines in addition to ideas for offering books and brochures to people of diverse religious persuasions."
Watchtower, September 15, 2007, page 19, ‘Jonathan-"It Was With God That He Worked"’:
"You may need courage to undertake some privilege of service within Jehovah's organization, such as expanding your ministry, accepting new privileges, or moving to serve where the need for Kingdom proclaimers is greater."
The Watchtower Society has learned to apply “Jehovah’s” before “organization” as an appeal to authority and to further indoctrinate the notion of what they claim and state is the will and purpose of God. Indeed the phrase, “Jehovah’s organization” has a much greater impact on a Jehovah’s Witness, rather than just stating “organization” or the “Watchtower Society”.
Make no mistake about it. Jehovah’s Witnesses represent the Watchtower Society organization. When they are knocking on doors and placing literature from the Watchtower Society organization, they are doing so in part, as instructed by that organization and that organization’s interpretation and instruction from their version of the Bible. The Watchtower Society keeps Jehovah’s Witnesses in a constant treadmill of activities in support of their organization.
The reason the Watchtower Society does not want Jehovah’s Witnesses to mention the organization when questioned is due to the legal ramifications. The Watchtower Society organization wields its power and control over its members yet does not want to be held accountable or responsible for the consequences and horrific impact some of its suggestions, teachings, and doctrine can and does have on its members.
Showing posts with label interpretation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interpretation. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Interpretation of Prophecy…Angels? Jehovah? Jesus?
Some Jehovah’s Witnesses when presented with the fact that the Watchtower Society, specifically the Governing Body members who are a part of a faithful and discreet slave “class” are false prophets, may try to provide the argument that they’re not false prophets, they just misinterpreted prophecy.
Although such an argument holds no water as the Bible itself provides the definition of a false prophet, which is simply someone who claims to be representative of or speaking by authority of God and states something will happen in the future and it does not occur. Remember, Deuteronomy 18:20-22 clearly tells us:
"However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: 'How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?' when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him."
The Watchtower has done this on numerous occasions inclusive of but not exclusive of Armageddon starting in 1914, 1925, in the 1940’s and 1975. However, we will give the benefit of the doubt, and not state for the sake of this argument that the Watchtower Society, which entails the Governing Body was a false prophet, but merely interpreted prophecy incorrectly.
Do their teachings agree with such an argument?
The Watchtower Society has provided a variety of explanation for how information including this so-called ‘interpretation of prophecy’ is given to the Anointed; which in reality again is the man or small group of men making up the doctrine and teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses – The Governing Body.
The September 1, 1930 Watchtower on page 203 states:
“But it seems certain that when Jesus came to his temple and began his work of judgment he would direct his holy angels to take the necessary action to cause the separation of the disapproved from approved ones, and would use his angels to bear messages to them to direct the approved ones as to what to do.”
According to the Watchtower Society, Jesus has been using angels in carrying his directions to the “approved ones” (aka The Faithful and Discrete Slave “Class”) so they know what to do.
Volume III of Vindication published in 1931, on page 250 provides the following claim:
"It was in the spring of 1918 that the Lord Jesus, as the representative of Jehovah, appeared at the temple, and from that time forward the glory of Jehovah has been here. 'And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.' (Ezek. 43:6) When Ezekiel heard the Lord speaking to him the man stood by him. 'The man' was the heavenly messengers or angels of the Lord now used by the Lord in behalf of the remnant. These angels are invisible to human eyes and are there to carry out the orders of the Lord. No doubt they first hear the instructions which the Lord issues to his remnant and then these invisible messengers pass such instructions on the remnant. The facts show that the angels of the Lord with Him at His temple have been thus rendering service unto the remnant since 1919."
The above stresses how starting in 1918 and specifically since 1919, the angels of the Lord Jesus, have been taking his messages to the remnant (The Faithful and Discreet Slave "Class").
The understanding of prophecy, indeed the interpretation of prophecy does not come from man according to the Watchtower Society.
In their publication Preparation on page 28 it indicates:
"This is proof that the interpretation of prophecy does not proceed from man, but that the Lord Jesus, the chief one in Jehovah's organization, sends the necessary information to his people by and through his holy angels."
The same publication makes the following claims on pages 36-37:
“Certain duties and kingdom interests have been committed by the Lord to his angels, which include the transmission of information to God's anointed people on the earth for their aid and comfort. Even though we cannot understand how the angels transmit this information, we know that they do it; and the Scriptures and the facts show that it is done.”
Page 64 states:
“Enlightenment proceeds from Jehovah by and through Christ Jesus and is given to the faithful anointed on earth at the temple, and brings great peace and consolation to them. Again Zechariah talked with the angel of the Lord, which shows that the remnant are instructed by the angels of the Lord. The remnant do not hear audible sounds, because such is not necessary. Jehovah has provided his own good way to convey thoughts to the minds of his anointed ones.”
When the faithful and discrete slave does not know something, the Lord provides the answers, according to page 67:
“Those of the remnant, being honest and true, must say, We do not know; and the Lord enlightens them, sending his angels for that very purpose.”
Again, man does not interpret prophecy according to the Watchtower Society.
The Watchtower February 15, 1936 issue on page 52 states:
"No man can properly interpret prophecy, and the Lord sends his angels to transmit correct information to his people."
Additionally, it has been emphasized that the Watchtower does not contain man’s opinion.
The Watchtower from November 1, 1931 on page 327 states:
“The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of any of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in the Watchtower.”
Furthermore, according to the Watchtower Society, it is God, the great author of the Bible who provided the interpretation of prophecy found in the Watchtower magazine.
The Watchtower, April 15, 1943 issue on page 127 provides these details:
"The Watchtower is a magazine without equal in the earth, and is conceded this rank by all that have been faithful readers thereof during its more than sixty years of publications.... This is not giving any credit to the magazines publishers, but is due to the great author of the Bible with its truths and prophecies, and who now interprets its prophecies. He it is that makes possible the material that is published in the columns of this magazine and who give promise that it shall continue to publish the advancing truths as long as it continues to exist for the service of the interests of his Theocratic Government.”
To sum up a few of the Society’s teachings at various times quoted above:
-Jesus uses angels to direct the Anointed.
-Interpretation does not come from man, but Jesus sends the necessary information via angels.
-The Lord sends information to angels who transmit the information to the Anointed, but we don’t know how.
-Enlightenment comes from Jehovah thru Jesus transmitted to the minds of the Anointed.
-When the Anointed do not know something the Lord enlightens them by sending angels.
-The Lord sends his angels to transmit correct information to his people.
-No man’s opinion is expressed in the Watchtower.
-The great author of the Bible interprets prophecy and is credited for what is printed in the Watchtower.
So how does all or any of it account for the false prophecies or in giving the benefit of the doubt at the very least, the false interpretation of prophecy by the Watchtower Society?
Were the angels deceiving the Faithful and Discrete Slave Class? Did the angels provide false information? Perhaps, Jesus sent the wrong information? Was Jehovah providing the wrong interpretation of prophecy and then allowing it to print in the Watchtower?
Or is this just once again clear evidence of an organization run by a bunch of men without any sort of divine backing and direction? Review the facts and decide for yourself.
Although such an argument holds no water as the Bible itself provides the definition of a false prophet, which is simply someone who claims to be representative of or speaking by authority of God and states something will happen in the future and it does not occur. Remember, Deuteronomy 18:20-22 clearly tells us:
"However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: 'How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?' when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him."
The Watchtower has done this on numerous occasions inclusive of but not exclusive of Armageddon starting in 1914, 1925, in the 1940’s and 1975. However, we will give the benefit of the doubt, and not state for the sake of this argument that the Watchtower Society, which entails the Governing Body was a false prophet, but merely interpreted prophecy incorrectly.
Do their teachings agree with such an argument?
The Watchtower Society has provided a variety of explanation for how information including this so-called ‘interpretation of prophecy’ is given to the Anointed; which in reality again is the man or small group of men making up the doctrine and teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses – The Governing Body.
The September 1, 1930 Watchtower on page 203 states:
“But it seems certain that when Jesus came to his temple and began his work of judgment he would direct his holy angels to take the necessary action to cause the separation of the disapproved from approved ones, and would use his angels to bear messages to them to direct the approved ones as to what to do.”
According to the Watchtower Society, Jesus has been using angels in carrying his directions to the “approved ones” (aka The Faithful and Discrete Slave “Class”) so they know what to do.
Volume III of Vindication published in 1931, on page 250 provides the following claim:
"It was in the spring of 1918 that the Lord Jesus, as the representative of Jehovah, appeared at the temple, and from that time forward the glory of Jehovah has been here. 'And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.' (Ezek. 43:6) When Ezekiel heard the Lord speaking to him the man stood by him. 'The man' was the heavenly messengers or angels of the Lord now used by the Lord in behalf of the remnant. These angels are invisible to human eyes and are there to carry out the orders of the Lord. No doubt they first hear the instructions which the Lord issues to his remnant and then these invisible messengers pass such instructions on the remnant. The facts show that the angels of the Lord with Him at His temple have been thus rendering service unto the remnant since 1919."
The above stresses how starting in 1918 and specifically since 1919, the angels of the Lord Jesus, have been taking his messages to the remnant (The Faithful and Discreet Slave "Class").
The understanding of prophecy, indeed the interpretation of prophecy does not come from man according to the Watchtower Society.
In their publication Preparation on page 28 it indicates:
"This is proof that the interpretation of prophecy does not proceed from man, but that the Lord Jesus, the chief one in Jehovah's organization, sends the necessary information to his people by and through his holy angels."
The same publication makes the following claims on pages 36-37:
“Certain duties and kingdom interests have been committed by the Lord to his angels, which include the transmission of information to God's anointed people on the earth for their aid and comfort. Even though we cannot understand how the angels transmit this information, we know that they do it; and the Scriptures and the facts show that it is done.”
Page 64 states:
“Enlightenment proceeds from Jehovah by and through Christ Jesus and is given to the faithful anointed on earth at the temple, and brings great peace and consolation to them. Again Zechariah talked with the angel of the Lord, which shows that the remnant are instructed by the angels of the Lord. The remnant do not hear audible sounds, because such is not necessary. Jehovah has provided his own good way to convey thoughts to the minds of his anointed ones.”
When the faithful and discrete slave does not know something, the Lord provides the answers, according to page 67:
“Those of the remnant, being honest and true, must say, We do not know; and the Lord enlightens them, sending his angels for that very purpose.”
Again, man does not interpret prophecy according to the Watchtower Society.
The Watchtower February 15, 1936 issue on page 52 states:
"No man can properly interpret prophecy, and the Lord sends his angels to transmit correct information to his people."
Additionally, it has been emphasized that the Watchtower does not contain man’s opinion.
The Watchtower from November 1, 1931 on page 327 states:
“The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of any of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in the Watchtower.”
Furthermore, according to the Watchtower Society, it is God, the great author of the Bible who provided the interpretation of prophecy found in the Watchtower magazine.
The Watchtower, April 15, 1943 issue on page 127 provides these details:
"The Watchtower is a magazine without equal in the earth, and is conceded this rank by all that have been faithful readers thereof during its more than sixty years of publications.... This is not giving any credit to the magazines publishers, but is due to the great author of the Bible with its truths and prophecies, and who now interprets its prophecies. He it is that makes possible the material that is published in the columns of this magazine and who give promise that it shall continue to publish the advancing truths as long as it continues to exist for the service of the interests of his Theocratic Government.”
To sum up a few of the Society’s teachings at various times quoted above:
-Jesus uses angels to direct the Anointed.
-Interpretation does not come from man, but Jesus sends the necessary information via angels.
-The Lord sends information to angels who transmit the information to the Anointed, but we don’t know how.
-Enlightenment comes from Jehovah thru Jesus transmitted to the minds of the Anointed.
-When the Anointed do not know something the Lord enlightens them by sending angels.
-The Lord sends his angels to transmit correct information to his people.
-No man’s opinion is expressed in the Watchtower.
-The great author of the Bible interprets prophecy and is credited for what is printed in the Watchtower.
So how does all or any of it account for the false prophecies or in giving the benefit of the doubt at the very least, the false interpretation of prophecy by the Watchtower Society?
Were the angels deceiving the Faithful and Discrete Slave Class? Did the angels provide false information? Perhaps, Jesus sent the wrong information? Was Jehovah providing the wrong interpretation of prophecy and then allowing it to print in the Watchtower?
Or is this just once again clear evidence of an organization run by a bunch of men without any sort of divine backing and direction? Review the facts and decide for yourself.
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