The Watchtower is NOT a false prophet (page 10)

TTWSYF

What a topic. 5 pages in no time. My topics barely get a reply.....but I digress.... After reading all of these posts, I haven't read anyone mention about a group of prophets. What I mean to ask is this-

Is there any time in history when a group of people were considered prophets? I ask because my understanding is that there were many prophets who proclaimed God's will as related to them personally. The WTS states that they are a group proclaiming God's will. Has there ever been such a thing in the scriptures or anywhere else?

dc

wasblind

The WTS always compare themselves to the apostles when they try to point out that they are not false prophets

" Jehovah's witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets. they have made mistakes. Like the apostlse of Jesus christ they have at times had some wrong expectations."________ Luke 19: 11 : Acts 1 :6_________reasoning book page 136

Big Fail, The apostles did not teach the things they imagined or thought

therefore they had nothin' to retract

Ding

Let's see.

The WTS claims to be Jehovah's channel of communication to mankind in these last days -- his only channel.

Russell published that 1914 would be the farthest rule of human beings on the earth. It wasn't.

Russell published that the dates he proclaimed were God's dates, not his. They weren't.

Rutherford published that we could confidently expect the resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in 1925 and that because of that "fact" millions then living would never die. He was flat wrong.

But, of course, they're not false prophets... ???

The GB always has it both ways with JWs.

They speak for Jehovah so JWs have to believe everything they say.

But when what they say Jehovah's Word reveals will happen on a particular date doesn't come to pass, they are not false prophets.

No, no.

They are just humble, imperfect men whose mistakes are caused by their godly zeal to see Jehovah's kingdom established.

Miracle wheat, anyone?

wasblind

OH NO !!!! Not the miracle wheat.

I've relayed many things to my family bout the witnesses

I can't recall ever tellin' them bout the miracle wheat I read about

I'm too ashamed

designs

Be sure and get your facts right on the Wheat sale or it will blow up in your faces like Russell being a Mason.

wasblind

I have the kingdom proclaimers book that's where I get my facts from, history book of the WTS

I get all my fact bout the WTS from their very own literature my butt is covered ;)

when provin' the WTS to be a fluke, I'm dressed better than the Emperor

outsmartthesystem

"The generation that saw 1914, taking into account the new understanding of an overlapping generation being a better interpretation, hasn't passed away yet. If it does, then the WT will have been proven to be a false prophet."

To the OP - This is a typical rhetorical fallacy. The society uses "increased light" - which...by the way (Proverbs 4:18)....is a scripture taken grossly out of context that allows them to make whatever interpretations and predictions they want to, knowing they can always change it again later if they want to......as a safety net for false teachings.

With the use of Proverbs 4:18, the society has, does and will change teachings on a whim and say that "new light has been shed on the matter". This explanation prevents them from ever having to own up to past false falsehoods. Seriously, try to be objective here. Think about what you wrote (that I quoted) above. Their interpretation of what constitutes a generation (70 to 80 years) and how it relates to the year 1914 FAILED. It wasn't until AFTER the failure that they re-worked their definition.....and then another 15 years after that, that we ended up with the "overlapping generation" definition. The "overlapping generation" explanation was the result of the FAILURE of their previous explanation.

Do you really think that 50 years from now.....when the overlapping generation explanation proves to be false.....that will be it? Do you really think the society will say "well.....we were wrong. Darn it!" Be reasonable! There will be a brand new explanation that makes the current understanding "old light". And all the witnesses will go on believing the new understanding while echoing your sentiments.....saying "see? it wasn't a failed prophecy....it was increased light!!!!! Aren't we thankful for Jehovah's progressive light?" You see.....there will always be a new explanation to take the place of the immediate past one that failed. As such......there will never be an admission to prophecy failure.

If the society can chalk past failures of their predictions up to old light.......then can't anyone?

I once predicted that Hillary Clinton would become President 2008. As it turns out....she didn't. But was I wrong? No! The statistics I had and the information I was relying on was "old light". The old light caused me to have "premature expectations". New light was quickly shed and Obama was given the democratic nomination. Ever thankful for increasing light....I revised my estimation and said that Barack Obama would be president. And Look! I was right! It is clear that Jehovah directed it.

If I use the same reasoning that you allow the society to use.....then I've never been wrong in my life. I've just had a few "unrealized expectations" that were cleared up once "new light" was shed on the matter.

Band on the Run

I sat as a young teenager when Freddie Franz spoke of 1975 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It was very tedious, harder to follow than usual, with many assumptions held just b/c Freddie thought so. When he announced the end was expected in 1975, the entire convention suddenly paid his talk a lot more attention. People were riveted. 1975 was in the near future. Freddie did warn the crowd not to discuss outside the Witnesses, however, b/c the time was not due for the Gentiles to know.

Whatever the precise legalistic word formulation, almost everyone went home both full of fear of Armageddon and rejoicing that the end was near. The same end that Paul and early Christians believed would come before their deaths. I find it bizarre that the WTBTS did not know the interpretation the Witnesses gave his talk. Everyone in my KH heard 1975 will be the end. No debate. Only how to prepare and get as many converts before that date.

My mom's family had been active since Russell's days. I was terrified of 1975 b/c I had to be dragged against my will to JW events. My mom pulled out old literature and showed me a couple of date certain pronouncements. It was easy to laugh at the Society b/c they were in the distant past. 1975 was in the near future. Family friends had sold all their property, ascended some hill, and descended broken.

A false prophet is what a reputable dictionary defines. You showed nothing that indicates that some odd verse in Deuteromony controls the discussion.

Perhaps by words in a WT, the Society had wiggle room. Nevertheless, a pattern emerged of the Society knowing people believed 1975 was definite in the rank and file's mind, I heard no contradictions from my KH, people sold assets. A one or two sentence statement from Bethel could have stopped this assumption. Simply issuing a scriptural reference(s) to where Jesus says no man knows the time of the SEcond Coming would be sufficient.

Thank you to the person who reformatted the op.

TTWSYF

The WTS always compare themselves to the apostles when they try to point out that they are not false prophets

Interesting. Are there examples of the apostles giving prophesy as a group? I know there was the Jerusalem council, but I am unaware of the group of apostles prophesizing as a group like the WTS.

wasblind

I can't recall group of prophets I only gave you what was printed in the WT literature on how they compare themselves to the group of apostles

Again, the apostles , unlike the Jehovah's witnesses, did not go out teaching things they had to retract there is no comparision

The Watchtower is NOT a false prophet

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