Here's how the Society can get out of the "anointed" dilemma

by sir82 20 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  sir82

  There's been several posts the past few days about the issues raised when the Society dropped the "1935 as the end of the selection of the anointed" doctrine in May 2007 and reinforced the teaching with the 1/15/08 WT.

  Many ideas have been thrown out regarding how the Society will be able to "spin" the almost assured large jump in Memorial partakers this year and in following years.

  It suddenly hit me how they can do it, and come out smelling like a rose:

  (Warning: speculation ahead!)

  Go back to the "2 class" heavenly calling!

  In the days of Russell, the doctrine was that all Christians were anointed, there would be 144,000 rulers with Christ in heaven, other Christians would also go to heaven but not be "kings and priests", and there would be millions of unbelieving, but not thoroughly wicked, survivors of Armageddon to live in a paradise earth.

  By the 1930's this idea was transformed - there would be only 1 heavenly class, and the earthly paradise would be inhabited by Christians who were not part of the 144,000. The vast majortity (99% +) of mankind would be destroyed at Armageddon.

  Now, of course, the numbers of Memorial partakers is almost assuredly going to jump -- perhaps dramatically. How does that jive with only 144,000 going to heaven?

  Here's how to fix it (new light):

  A future WT article will state that there will be 3 classes of Christians, rather than just the current 2. There will be (1) anointed JW Christians, an unlimited number of them, who will go to heaven. Of that unlimited number, (2) a subset, 144,000 of them, will serve as "kings & priests" & rule with Christ for the 1000 years. And there will be (3) another group of JW Christians, those without a "strong desire" to go to heaven, who will live on the paradise earth.

  So, they'll say, those who begin partaking of the emblems now will likely be of that "secondary" heavenly group. In fact, they'll say, there have been members of that "secondary" heavenly group all along. And the number of the 144,000 has not been completely filled until just now, or very near in the future.

  The "new light" article will encourage JWs to look "deep inside" themselves and see if they feel a "spirit-anointing" - is their destiny in heaven or on earth?

  This way, (1) who cares how many partake of the emblems? they won't be of the "144,000" anyway, and (2) the "specialness" of the GB can be reinforced. "These guys aren't just spirit-anointed, they are the best of the best of the spirit anointed".

  And those who have their heart set on petting lions and picking grapes, well, they can still do that - just elect to remain among the "other sheep".

  Whaddaya think?
• 

  lovelylil

  you may have just given the WT some new light. Lilly
• 

  mad max

  They will then have to reinstate me - long time ago I chatted to this so-called annointed and said "I feel that i have the Spirit of God in me" and asked him how he knew he was of the annointed class and he gave me this baby answer (like they all do - everyone of them - as they are sheep anywa) he said "just like you know you are a women and I know I am a man, that is how I know" They are so shallow he could not even give me a spiritual answer. The light gets brighter and brighter - that is what they will use ONCE AGAIN - and yes as you said - everyone will be happy - those who think they might feel a stiring inside and those who want to lie down with the sheeeeeeeep and the lions etc etc snakes and all the animals and make the earth pretty again, once they have picked up all the bones. So we might after all only get a hand full on earth because who in their right minds wants to pick up bones and dig graves. Prehaps that is what the Apostalbe Paul meant when he said "I was caught up to the third heaven"
• 

  lovelylil

  max,

  Romans chapter 8 explains how you know you are living a life by the spirit of God, and how God's spirit testifies this fact to you. Also if you truly have God's spirit on you, you will gradually become more Christ like and show the "fruitage of the spirit" of Galatians chapter 5.

  The problem in the org. I had with the so-called "anointed" is that virtually none of them I knew had any of the characteristics of truly being spirit begotten.

  The other thing is this; Christ promises that ALL who ask him and believe in him will recieve the gift of the spirit, but the WT says only 144,000 will?

  Peace, Lilly
• 

  snowbird

  The only way they can get out of their "dilemma" is to repent of their blasphemous course and admit that ALL Christians are anointed.

  It is Christ who sets them in the Body as He sees fit, not the WBTS.

  Sylvia
• 

  ColdRedRain

  But do you have scriptual backing for your 3 classes? If you do, then you'll be onto something.
• 

  WingCommander

  I have to say that I think that's a really great guess.......even if speculative. I mean, that's almost exactly how I see it happening in reality anyway.

  Doesn't Revelations state that the Great Crowd is in heaven, singing and bowing before God's Throne? It's a little read verse in JW land, but it's there. And I could totally relate to this and accept it. I think if they went back to this light, made the Memorial truly like a "communion service," people would not be so repulsed by the JW's. My worldy wife was totally aghast and repulsed by the Memorial I took her to, she was totally repulsed by the idea of "passing" the emblems instead of partaking of them as Jesus instructed. I'm hearing much the same on here about others whom have visited during the Memorial. Not partaking is what is known as a "denial of Christ," or so my research has told me.

  Also, there seems to be alot of "regressive", "Old Light", being brought back and made "New Light." If the WT were to reinstate the old Russell idea of a 2-class heavenly kingdom and also the Paradise Earth, I think it would be pretty neat and also more believe as well as more main stream. I could find no fault with that reasoning to be honest. I have no problem with their being a literal 144,000 heavenly priests either. Big deal? Their are myriads upon myriads of legions of angels, so what's 144,000 ruling over a Paradise Earth with the Great Crowd observing and worshiping? Makes sense.

  Good call, and good speculation. You may be ahead of them!!

  - Regards,

  Wing Commander
• 

  sir82

  But do you have scriptual backing for your 3 classes?

  Bwaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!

  "Scriptural backing"! Priceless!

  These guys take 3 verses (Matt. 24: 45-47) from an obscure parable of Jesus and twist it into a justification of all the authority they exert over 6.5 million followers, and you think they'll have trouble finding "Scriptural backing" for any other stupid idea they come up with ?

  How about this:

  Let's say all the NT books written prior to Revelation described the bigger, more comprehensive "heavenly anointed class". Nothing else was revealed - it wasn't "God's time" to do so. Then comes the year 96 AD (or whatever), and Revelation, the last book in the NT, is written. As a sort of "parting shot", Jesus gives John the final pieces of the puzzle: The "anointed" will have a subset of themselves reserved for ruling as "kings and priests", and there will even be a non-heavenly group ("great crowd") with Jehovah's approval.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  But do you have scriptual backing for your 3 classes?

  The Bible is full of references to "the Heaven of Heavens"
  Heaven is most often plural- The Heavens.

  There is a "New Heavens and a New Earth" that we are
  awaiting- so I am sure they could work something out with
  those scriptures.

  There's "Third Heaven"
  (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) 12 I have to boast. It is not beneficial; but I shall pass on to supernatural visions and revelations of [the] Lord. 2 I know a man in union with Christ who, fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows—was caught away as such to the third heaven. 3 Yes, I know such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know, God knows— 4 that he was caught away into paradise and heard unutterable words which it is not lawful for a man to speak.

  ***

  it-1p. 1065 Heaven***

  Third

  Heaven. At 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 the apostle Paul describes one who was "caught away . . . to the third heaven" and "into paradise." Since there is no mention in the Scriptures of any other person having had such an experience, it seems likely that this was the apostle’s own experience. Whereas some have endeavored to relate Paul’s reference to the third heaven to the early rabbinic view that there were stages of heaven, even a total of "seven heavens," this view finds no support in the Scriptures. As we have seen, the heavens are not referred to specifically as if divided into platforms or stages, but, rather, the context must be relied upon to determine whether reference is to the heavens within earth’s atmospheric expanse, the heavens of outer space, the spiritual heavens, or something else. It therefore appears that the reference to "the third heaven" indicates the superlative degree of the rapture in which this vision was seen. Note the way words and expressions are repeated three times at Isaiah 6:3; Ezekiel 21:27; John 21:15-17; Revelation 4:8, evidently for the purpose of expressing an intensification of the quality or idea.
• 

  stillajwexelder

  But do you have scriptual backing for your 3 classes? If you do, then you'll be onto something. Since when have the WTS worried about scriptural backing?