99.99% Jehovah's Witnesses AREN'T Jehovah's Witnesses!

sacolton

Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT really Jehovah's Witnesses! How is this so?

First it is important to understand why the Watchtower Society calls their followers "Jehovah's Witnesses". The average JW will tell you that this is because Isaiah 43:10 is speaking about them when it says:
Isaiah 43:10, NWT
“YOU are my witnesses,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “even my servant whom I have chosen, in order that YOU may know and have faith in me, and that YOU may understand that I am the same One.
It was the second president of the Watchtower Society, Joseph Rutherford who in 1931, unilaterally decided that because of this Bible passage, the "International Bible Students" should be renamed to the "Jehovah's Witnesses."

But here is the problem that most JW's are totally unaware of: The Watchtower Society has always taught that this passage applies to what they refer to as "spiritual Israel", or the "Israel of God", as shown below:
*** w98 2/1 p. 17 Greater Blessings Through the New Covenant ***

16 Israel not only was a kingdom but also had an anointed priesthood. In 33 C.E., the Israel of God replaced fleshly Israel and became Jehovah’s “servant,” his “witnesses.” (Isaiah 43:10) Jehovah’s words to Israel recorded at Isaiah 43:21 and Exodus 19:5, 6 henceforth applied to the spiritual Israel of God. God’s new spiritual nation was now “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession,” responsible for ‘declaring abroad Jehovah’s excellencies.’ (1 Peter 2:9) All in the Israel of God, men and women, form a collective priesthood. (Galatians 3:28, 29) As the subsidiary part of the seed of Abraham, they now say: “Be glad, you nations, with his people.” (Deuteronomy 32:43) Those of spiritual Israel still remaining on earth make up “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45-47) Only in association with them can acceptable sacred service be rendered to God.

*** w75 1/15 p. 46 How Are Christians Spiritually Fed? ***

The Christian congregation was made up of the people who walked orderly by that rule regarding a “new creation.” As a united congregation it thus was God’s “servant,” just as Israel of old had been. Therefore, the passage at Isaiah 43:10 could be directed in a spiritual way to the congregation as the “Israel of God”: “‘You are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘even my servant.’”

*** w64 2/15 p. 114 Part Two ***

Hence God’s name Jehovah is called upon the Gentile Christians as well as the natural-born Jewish Christians, and for this reason Isaiah 43:10-12 is directed to Gentile Christians who belong to spiritual Israel as well as to Jews who are converted to discipleship of Jesus Christ.
But who is "spiritual Israel"? As anyone who has studied the JW religion knows, this term refers ONLY to the "anointed" class (also known as the "John class", the "Jehu class", or simply the "144,000").
*** re chap. 19 p. 118 Sealing the Israel of God ***

The Israel of God Today

14 Interestingly, the first president of the Watch Tower Society, Charles T. Russell, recognized the 144,000 to be a literal number of individuals making up a spiritual Israel. In The New Creation, Volume VI of his Studies in the Scriptures, published in 1904, he wrote: “We have every reason to believe that the definite, fixed number of the elect [chosen anointed ones] is that several times stated in Revelation (7:4; 14:1); namely, 144,000 ‘redeemed from amongst men.’” In Light, Book One, published in 1930 by the Watch Tower Society’s second president, J. F. Rutherford, it was likewise stated: “The 144,000 members of the body of Christ are thus in the assembly shown as selected and anointed, or sealed.” Jehovah’s Witnesses have consistently held to the view that literally 144,000 anointed Christians make up spiritual Israel.
The first quote is regarding Isaiah 43:10-12, which the Watchtower Society has already said applies to spiritual Israel (the 144,000).

The second quote is regarding Hebrews 12:1, which says:
So, then, because we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us...
The witnesses in this passage are witnesses of "us" and "we" (the runners in the race), not "Jehovah".

The second quote also references where Jesus said, "you will be witnesses of me". I can see using this passage, if and only if you believe Jesus is Jehovah.

The third quote states that Jehovah's Witnesses are "ordained ministers". It does not deal with the question at hand, nor does it provide any biblical support for the title "Jehovah's Witnesses."

So, once again, in what way are the "other sheep" witnesses of Jehovah, since Isaiah 43:10-12 applies to spiritual Israel? So what does this mean for the 6 million members of the Watchtower organization today who proudly call themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses"? The unfortunate truth is that according to their own leaders, their namesake which they are so proud of does not belong to them. They have all been lied to, in that they are told at the Kingdom Hall that they are "Jehovah's Witnesses", but the official Watchtower documentation clearly says that they are NOT. At best, they can only hope to be spared at Armageddon by "closely associating" with the 144,000 REAL Jehovah's Witnesses, of which there are only 8,000 left on earth!

So if you come across a JW who tries to explain why they are called "Jehovah's Witnesses", simply ask them if they are a member of fleshly Israel. If they say no, then ask them if they are of the "anointed". If they say no again, then guess what? They are NOT one of Jehovah's witnesses!

God bless,
KC

Taken from the CARM forum. Very interesting!

Awakened at Gilead

Not to worry, Sacolton.... The WT society opened up the door to heaven again in May of 2007. Get with the program... anyone can be anointed now, lol!

sacolton

Ah, yes, but they don't ALL partake in the emblems. Only those who are of the anointed class (144,000) are REAL Jehovah's Witnesses.

Hecy yeah A@G!!! i have been saying we all need to go and partake next year just to cover our asses!!! I will everyone in the hall would want to just to see the look on the stupid elders faces for running out of bread and ripple!!!............oompa

Satanus

Yup, and their baptism is a contract strictly w the wt corporations. It makes them secular servants of the wt corp w no recourse.

S

sacolton

It clearly shows that ONLY THE ANOINTED are considered "Jehovah's Witnesses". The "other sheep" are, if anything, only associates.

Jeremy C

Those are some good points. However, the Watchtower organization can tap dance their way around these points by highlighting the fact that they are now officially called "Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses", and that all members thereof, give a public witness regarding Jehovah God and His rulership. As surogates to the "John Class", they are assisting in delivering a "witness" or testimony regarding Jehovah's purposes for mankind. Unfortunately, rank and file JWs do not really give this area of doctrine the depth of consideration and Biblical analysis that they should. They are satisfied to repeat the Watchtower's talking points.

Rutherford's selection of the name Jehovah's Witnesses was indeed arbitrary; and based upon a self-serving desire to distinguish themselves from all other Christians. In the book of Matthew, Christ stated that his disciples would be "witnesses of me"; not witnesses of Yahweh. He also stated that "where two or three are gathered in my name, their I will be in their midst." Again, he gave no injunction to gather in the name of Yahweh; or Jehovah. To simply identify oneself as a "Christian", was more than sufficient. Even when apostasy crept into various congregations in the first century, the Apostles did not see any need to branch off and make a "name change" to those following the "true teachings". There was no evidence to suggest that any congregation changed it's identification (from Christian to Yahwah Witness) whether it be Phillipi, Galatia, Antioch, Rome, or Corinth. There was also no need for a religious organization 1,900 years later to expand on or clarify Jesus' words by making a name change.

Russell himself had initially taught that the Bible Students should simply identify themselves as Christians without attempting to form another sect or exclusive organization. But this line of thinking soon fell out of fashion, particularly after the failures of 1914, 1918, and 1925 caused many of the Bible Students to split off from the Watchtower corporation and meet independently of the leadership in Brooklyn.

The name Jehovah's Witnesses served the purpose of separating themselves from all other "false Christians", the disaffected Bible Students who repudiated the Watchtower leadership, and to bolster their exclusivistic claims. The name change had more to do with self-serving grandiosity and a cynical pragmaticism than it did with any Scriptural foundation.

blondie

Jonadab was taken up into the chariot with Jehu and rode with him,

70

and this shows that Jonadab becomes a companion of and walks with the anointed followers of Christ Jesus, the remnant, Jehovah's witnesses now on the earth

(Salvation, 1939)

The Jonadabs must have and exercise the same faith and obedience as that required and exhibited by the "elect" "servant" class, the "little flock". (Isaiah 42:1) For this reason it is now seen that the anointed remnant, that is, the little flock on the earth who are Jehovah's witnesses, and those who form the company known as the Jonadabs must become and have become companions in service, and they go on together in peace and in harmony, serving God and his kingdom.

http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/salvation/salvationtitles.html

MissingLink

Interresting. It's not so great to be in the "great crowd".

WTWizard

The fact is, they are Jehovah's Witlesses.

99.99% Jehovah's Witnesses AREN'T Jehovah's Witnesses!

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