Yadda yadda 2, thanks for the update on the "new light" 1995! I honestly did not know they changed their views on the seperation work of the wheat and weeds. My agreement with JWs was, WHEN the seperation works occurs in the ANGELS separate the FULLY MATURED (harvest) Christians, and they no longer need "FEEDING" (as per the WbTS) since they are grown and FULLY MaTURED !
Judgment of sheep and goats is future but we are now living in the hour of judgment??
by yadda yadda 2 15 Replies latest watchtower bible
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yadda yadda 2
Pterist, no its only the separation of the sheep and the goats that they changed their mind about in 1995. The separation of the wheat and the weeds is still taught by the Watchtower Society as ongoing from 1914, which is yet another glaring contradiction amongst the Watchtower Society's complete eschatalogical shambles revolving around 1914.
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Finkelstein
If thats the case, the WTS. is definitely identified as being goat, an evil organization, a commercialized false prophet .
JWS were never witnesses for Jehovah and his son they were witnesses for the Watchtower Corporation though.
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Mum
My issue with the parable of the sheep and goats is that it associates the left hand with evil. It is time to let go of the superstitions related to irrelevant factors, such as left-handedness. Some of the best people I know are left-handed.
Regards,
SandraC
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Bobcat
Yadda Yadda 2:
I was meaning to get back to this thread. That's why I bumped it earlier.
Here is the WT paragraph you posted (with some deletions to save space):
The prophecy vividly describes events that would occur in "the Lord's day," which began when Christ was enthroned in heaven in 1914. (Revelation 1:10) Revelation alerts us to an angel who has been entrusted with "everlasting good news to declare." He proclaims in a loud voice: "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of the judgment by him has arrived." (Revelation 14:6, 7) That "hour" of judgment is a brief period; it includes both the pronouncement and the execution of the judgments that are depicted in that prophecy. We are now living in that period." - (Watchtower 2005 10/1 pp. 21-25)
I highlighted two areas that are exegetically problematic:
"The Lord's Day" - I think most scholars are agreed that this is not the same as "The Day of the Lord." Rather, as the ISBE says, "The Lord's Day" was, by 150 AD, a common term for the first day of the week. Corresponding to the day Jesus was resurrected. The NWT rendering of Rev. 1:10 is contrary to basically all other renderings of the verse and makes the subject of the verb ("came to be"), "the Lord's day," when the subject should be, "under inspiration" (literally "in the spirit").
Circumstantial evidence that "the Lord's day" does not refer to a future time of Christ's ruling can be seen in John's description of Jesus in Rev 1:12-16. Something significant is missing from Jesus' head. (Compare Rev 10:1,2 which the Society identifies as Jesus - and the "angel" has the scroll in his hand which was earlier taken by the Lamb in chapter 5; But, contrast Rev 6:1, 2; 14:14; 19:11, 12 which all detail the crown on his head.)
The second area is the phrase:
"The hour of the judgment." The paragraph is describing "the hour of" as "a brief period." This represents either a failure to research or an ameteur effort at forcing an idea out an expression meant to convey something else. Robertson's Word Pictures points out that John's use of "hour" in Rev 14:6 is idiomatic: "(he hora elthen [literally, "the hour has come"]). Second aorist (prophetic use) active indicative of erchomai. Common idiom in John's Gospel (Joh 2:4; Joh 4:21, Joh 4:23; Joh 5:25, Joh 5:28; Joh 7:30, etc.)."
In other words, "the hour has arrived" is the same as our English expression, "the time has arrived." It has no reference to how long (or "brief") the period in question will be. Only that the "time " for it has come. "One hour" in Rev 17:12 and 18:10, 17, 19 would refer to "a brief period."
The other problematic aspect of this phrase is, "The judgment by Him (God)." The angel isn't warning about "a brief judgment." This is "THE judgment by [God]." The judgment by Him" represents the ". . .day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. . ." (Acts 17:31) He uses Jesus who is "destined to judge the living and the dead." (Acts 10:42; 2Tim 4:1)
The Society can't let this "judgment" be the same as the one in Acts 17:31 because they have said that it only occurs during the 1000 years. That is why, according to the WT, the judgment in 14:6, 7 has to be a seperate, "brief" one.
With those things pointed out, the scene described in Mt 25:31-46 corresponds closely with the judgment in Rev 14:6, 7. And both would correspond with Jesus' judging of "the living" in Acts 10:42 and 2 Tim 4:1.
In Mt 25, all the nations are gathered for judgment. In Rev 14, it is "every nation and tribe and tongue and people," which is descriptive of the same thing as "all the nations" in Mt 25.
And to get back to your original post, on several points, the Society's old explanation of the judging in Matthew 25 is more accurate than their "new light" explanation in 1995 since the old explanation more closely matches the judging in Rev 14.
The "old explanation has problems (especially with the ID of 'Christ's brothers'). But the "new" explanation represents a definite step backwards in understanding.
Take Care
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Think About It
My issue with the parable of the sheep and goats is that it associates the left hand with evil. It is time to let go of the superstitions related to irrelevant factors, such as left-handedness. Some of the best people I know are left-handed.
I agree.......however, I still think people with 6 toes are scary.