What were the "anointed" doing from John to Russell?

by Ding 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Ding

  In Watchtower teaching, what were the "anointed remnant" doing between the death of the apostle John and the coming of Pastor Russell?

  During all those centuries, there was no visible organization publishing Watchtower literature so as to enable people to understand the Bible. There was no organized worldwide door-to-door preaching work being done (who assigned territories and kept track of time records, for example?). There was no organized religion emphasizing the importance of the name "Jehovah." There was no organization predicting a coming "invisible presence." (Pastor Russell never predicted or taught a 1914 invisible presence. He taught that it had already happened in 1874, and he got that from the Adventists. The Adventists came up with the idea of an invisible presence only in retrospect – after Jesus failed to return visibly on the date they had predicted.)

  So what exactly were the "anointed remnant" doing all those centuries?

  If Jehovah's Witnesses claim that since the days of the apostles there always WAS exactly one historic Christian organization led by the "anointed remnant," then where was their earthly headquarters and who was on the governing body between the death of the apostle John and the arrival of Pastor Russell?

  If there was such an organization, why didn't Pastor Russell join that organization and submit to its authority? He must not have known about it! Given that, how could the Watchtower Society that developed from his work be that one true historic Christian organization?
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  Yan Bibiyan

  Ding, excellent points.

  Unfortunatelly, your train of thought requires LINEAR reasoning.

  Whereas, any droned JW would be inculcated, repeatedly forcefed, mercilessly gangraped and often suffocated to near death with CIRCULAR reasoning.
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  dark angle

  well, witnesses think that the wheat class survived during those poriods. However, they are vague as to thier identity and the work they were doing.

  However, i think this is just another superstition or speculation they invented. we can't prove it nor disprove such claims.
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  Knowsnothing

  Well, here is the problem. http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/219900/1/WT-Mar-15th-2012-144-000-no-longer-a-literal-number

  If they drop this, and the R&F believe it, which they will, then there is no problem. Your question vanishes and is of no significance.

  This religion isn't about truth, facts, reality, etc. They have 7.5 million adherents that unquestioningly obey the Governing Body. When the Governing Body clears things up with New Light, the rank and file will fall in line.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AOfbnGkuGc
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  james_woods

  Actually, from the current trend of JW teaching - ordinary "anointed" are not inspired by holy spirit anyway, so it would not technically matter what they were doind. At least, not matter any more than what ordinary people were doing. Not until the Governing Body came was anybody special like the 12 apostles of antiquity.

  I was always a little amazed that they did not consider bible publisher Gutenberg as an annointed ancient - or perhaps reformist Martin Luther.

  But no - nothing really mattered to them until Zions Watchtower.
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  truth_b_known

  This question is a very good one, but it is too dangerous for Jehovah's Witnesses to answer. The Watch Tower tells people that Charles Taze Russell was the first true christian since the first century congregations. This implies that for some 1,800 years there were no true christians acceptable to Jehovah.

  To say that there were christians acceptable to Jehovah between these two time periods is to imply that Jehovah found non-Witnesses acceptable. This would further imply that you could be acceptable to Jehovah without being one of Jehovah's Witnesses or being part of an earthly organization. So, this question presents a catch-22 scenario.

  The Watch Tower Society usually sees such questions as a "trap" to be avoided because, what ever the answer is, it will expose their false teachings. So, rather than answer it, they will make a statement like: "Isn't more important to considered what we need to do now to gain salvation?" It's a smoke-and-mirrors approach to the bait-and-switch.
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  reslight2

  Russell himself never taught much of the things that are now being proclaimed by the Jehovah's Witnesses, although many of these things are often wrongfully presented as though Russell taught them. He did not believe in an organization such as the Jehovah's Witnesses.

  Nevertheless, I do wish to correct a common error that many have thought.

  Russell did indeed, in 1876, accept Barbour's teachings that Christ had returned in 1874. However, Russell had already concluded before that time that Christ would not return in the flesh, since he had sacrificed his flesh forever, so the idea that Christ would return invisibly was not new to him in 1876.

  Nor did Russell believe in separating fellow consecrated Christians into "anointed" versus "non-anointed" classes. Once a question came up as to whether one who is consecrated, but who remains in a denominational church should be considered of the great multitude, but Russell stated that we cannot judge such. To Russell, however, the great multitude was also to receive life in heaven, not on the earth. But, unlike Rutherford, and some others, he refused to become judge of who was of which class, nor did he ever claim that the great multitude were not "anointed".
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  No Room For George

  The crazy part, to me at least is, if not for other established faiths and their work and research, and proselytizing, there wouldn't be any WT or JWs. If not for the Protestants, there wouldn't be any Baptists. If not for the Baptists, there wouldn't be any Millerites. If not for the Millerites, there wouldn't be any Adventists. If not for the Adventists, there wouldn't be any Charles Russell or Bible Students. If not for the Bible Students, there wouldn't be any Watchtower or any of the other offshoots which resulted from the power vacuum left after Russell croaked.

  The WT is the result of several other denominations history of proselytizing. To say that there has always a faithful and discreet slave, or organization present on the earth, yet purposely play dumb so as to avoid coming clean about their own history being dependent upon the very religions they criticise, is just plain dishonest.
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  dontplaceliterature

  They will blame it on "The Great Apostacy". Next question, please.