by integ 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I just found a copy of the book "Paradise" by Jf Rutherford at a garage sale yesterday. On the ifrst page he says the book is for the "Jonadabs".
Can someone tell me who they are and how they fit in to the great witness scheme of things?
Thank You very much,
Integ.
Jonadab is a religious term used by Jehovah's Witnesses.Witnesses believe that 144,000 men and women will reign with Jesus Christ in heaven. Of all the Christians who have lived and died since the Crucifixion and Resurrection, only 144,000 will be chosen. These are the anointed ones.
Witnesses believe that places are reserved in heaven for living Witnesses, and that the last place was taken in 1935. These assured-of-heaven Witnesses are known as the Mordecai-Naomi class. Any Witness who has converted since 1935 will have a place in heaven only if one of the Mordecai-Naomi class apostasizes and loses his/her place in heaven. These people are known as the Ruth-Esther class of the anointed.
However, Witnesses who believe that they have no hope of joining the anointed can still hope to live an eternity in an earthly paradise. These Witnesses are called Jonadabs or the great crowd. The great crowd is the term currently preferred. The terms Jehonadab, other sheep, and perishable are also used.
The Jehovah's Witness leadership apparently does not keep a register of the living anointed. Individual believers can declare themselves to be anointed, and their claims will be given credence in proportion to the evident holiness of their lives. Some people who are too humble to put themselves forward as anointed may truly be so, while some who claim to be anointed may actually not be.
There are some 8000 elderly Witnesses who believe that they are among the anointed. When the Witnesses hold their annual "Lord's supper" or eucharistic communion, these Witnesses take communion. The other Witnesses, the Jonadabs, merely watch.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonadabs
That sums it up the Jonadabs are the unfortunate JWs that can not participate in the New Covenent of the Christ and thus have a strange status, no one knows where they really belong. They can not be adopted sons of God since they can not have the Holy Spirit.
Are jonadubs simply the jw religion version of "saints" ?
Jonadabs = anyone who has an earthly hope (instead of going to heaven).
"Jonadabs" is now an obsolete term replaced by "the great crowd" or "other sheep".
Thus most of the current 6 million JWs (minus about 8500 heavenly hopefuls) are "Jonadabs"
Thank you all for your comments and explanation. This book should be an interesting read. If i can get through it.
-Integ.
Severus is correct that "Jonadabs" is an obsolete word among the JWs. It has been obolete for decades!
Many people who had became Witnesses during the last 20 or 30 years wouldn't know what was being talked about if "Jonadabs" was used in conversation with them.
Unless they had read the older books, or had paid special attention the few times the word has been used in the more recent literature, they would be clueless as to the meaning of the word.
--VM44
Is it me or does jonadabs kinda sound like gonads?
This book should be an interesting read. If i can get through it. -Integ.
I'm almost sure that if you call the loco Kingdom Hall someone will offer to study it with you or, perhaps offer a more up-to-date publication that reflects 'New Light' from God's only true organization.
