by snowbird 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
It struck me as I was reading this thread that Rutherford had to be an agent of Satan.
He claimed that the anointed weren't sufficiently enlightened until the Lord (Jesus) came to His temple in 1918!
When at the KH, we used to sing "Let The Light Shine," I had no idea that the stanza, "From God's holy temple, lightnings flash and shine ... That we may be guided by His light divine" ... was a carryover from his warped views!
Many and varied are the things we learn on this forum!
Sylvia
Here's several remarks along those lines:
*** w29 11/1 p. 323 The Day of His Preparation ***
JEHOVAH’s lightnings now make it plain that the periods of time mentioned in the Scriptures as "the day of his preparation" and the time of "preparing the way before the Lord" are not the same. In his own due time God sends his beloved Messenger to prepare the way before him. (Mal. 3:1) That period of time began about 1878 and continued until 1918, and there ended. Thereafter the period of time designated "the day of preparation", as described by another prophet, began, and is still in progress. (Nah. 2:3)
*** w30 1/1 pp. 6-7 Sing Unto Jehovah ***
Prior to 1915 certain of the purposes of Jehovah unfolded and matured, and exactly on time. Some who had made a covenant with the Lord induced themselves to believe that the "faithful and wise servant" of Jehovah was one man, and they take an unwise course accordingly. In consequence they stumble into the error that no truth has been revealed by Jehovah to his people since 1916. Such have not seen the revealed truths that have been given to God's anointed during the past few years and do not now understand present truth...
Former things concerning God’s purposes that did come to pass were understood after the Lord came to his temple and the lightnings of Jehovah illuminated his Word. This same class then see new things which God has declared. In the light of prophecy in the course of fulfilment, and of the further illumination thereof by Jehovah, the remnant class is permitted to see other things that are shortly to follow.
*** w30 8/1 pp. 229-230 A Great Image — Part 1 ***
More than fifty years ago some good, honest Christian people who were called Adventists published an interpretation of the foregoing prophecy of Daniel which in substance states that the terrible image that Daniel saw represented the successive world powers, to wit, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome; that the golden head of the image represented Babylon, the breast of silver represented or pictured the Medo-Persian empire; that the copper (mistranslated brass) pictured the Grecian world power; and the legs of iron pictured the Pagan Roman world power; and the feet composed of iron and clay pictured Papal Rome or what is otherwise called the "Holy Roman Empire". The Watch Tower publications, having no better explanation, practically adopted the forgoing interpretation. There are some good reasons why the above interpretation of the prophecy is not correct...
[T]he true meaning of the terrible image could not be understood by any of those whom Daniel represented until after the coming of the Lord to his temple. The foregoing interpretation having been made long before the coming of the Lord to his temple, it is hardly likely that it would be correct. That would not mean that any criticism is leveled against any of those who thus interpreted it. Without doubt God was pleased with them because they sought the truth. Daniel's prophecy says: "This secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation." And furthermore that 'the God of heaven revealeth secrets of what shall be in the latter days'. (Dan. 2:28, 30) These "latter days" must refer to the "day of the Lord", which means the time beginning when God places his King upon his holy hill in Zion. (Ps. 2:6) That event occurred in 1914, and surely then the understanding could not be had until after that time. It was after the Lord came to his temple in 1918 that his anointed people began to have a better understanding of the prophecies, because the temple in heaven was opened. (Rev. 11:19)
What is ironic about the last comment is that the old pre-1918 view is the one that the Society today teaches; they have abandoned the "new light" that Rutherford here presents as superior to what previously was taught (i.e. Rutherford claimed that the head of gold corresponds to Satan, the silver chest corresponds to Satan's chief angels, the copper corresponds to the lower echlons of angels in Satan's organization, and the legs of iron correspond to the earthly kingdoms of the earth). And then in 1935, Rutherford claimed that this new understanding of Nebuchadnezzar's dream was not due to any human interpretation of scripture, but was revealed directly by Jehovah through the angels, like an "automaton to give utterance to what God had caused to be injected into his mind" (15 February 1935 Watchtower, pp. 51-52). In reality, the whole "Lord coming to his temple in 1918" doctrine was a convenient device to discredit the Russellite teachings he wanted to replace. What is interesting is that in many cases (such as also the "superior authorities" teaching), the "faithful and discreet slave" afterwards went right back to those pre-1918 beliefs that Rutherford replaced. So much for God implanting the new understandings of prophecy in Rutherford's mind.
EXACTLY Leo!!
This is why I don't even try to understand any new doctrinal spew in the litterature.
I am actually embarrassed to think how I once argued with a Minister of a church that his interpretation of the "sheep and goats" was wrong - yet this is now exactly what the WT now say it is.
As we came away from his door the Guy I was with remarked how stubborn Satan makes his minions.
Sigh ...
HB
*double sigh*
Sylvia
I began to think of Rutherfraud as an agent of Satan after I found out that he taught that the Holy Spirit was no longer operating over him or the WT. He claimed that angels were transmitting information to him.
By his spirit, the holy spirit, Jehovah God guides or leads his people up to a certain point of time, and thus he did until the time when "the comforter" was taken away, which would necessarily occur when Jesus, the Head of his organization, came to the temple and gathered unto himself those whom he found faithful when he, as the great Judge, began his judgment, in 1918. Preservation, Rutherford, 1932, p.193-194.
With the coming of the Lord to his temple and the gathering together unto himself of the chosen ones (2 Thess. 2:1) the holy spirit would there cease to function as a paraclete or advocate for the church. -ibid., p. 46.
Jehovah has made the necessary arrangements within his organization to instruct his people, and all recognize that for some years The Watchtower has been the means of communicating information to God's people. That does not mean that those who prepare the manuscript for The Watchtower are inspired, but rather it means that the Lord through his angels sees to it that the information is given to his people in due time, and he brings to pass the events in fulfillment of his prophecy and then invites those devoted to him to see the same. Riches, Rutherford, 1936, p. 316.
*triple sigh*
Sylvia
When the evil go to Hell, they will stand in the court of the Drunken Judge.
BTS
LOL.
Sylvia
Sorry to sound critical, but this reeks of crackpotic make-it-up-as-you-go-along nonsensical gibberish. One who is required to stand at someones door and pass it off as anything rational is to be pitied.
