by noonehome 55 Replies latest jw friends
If they GB must all be together to be the faithful slave than it follows they must all be together to be the evil slave...
If one on their own can be the evil slave, then one on their own can be the faithful slave...
which way is it GB?
Oz
oh, i forgot...it is whichever way suits your ends...
Aussie oz - excellent point indeed. The faithful and discrete slave is a group but the evil slave could potentially be an individual. Talk about an interpretation that caters primarily to the status quo. Still, that's the stock in trade for any organizaed religious group, huh!
I thought that their earlier understanding that the evil slave represented "apostates" has now been weakened - since Rutherford's time, they have milked the verses about the evil slave for all they were worth to highlight the "Evil" nature of apostates.
Now they're saying it ain't a class or group at all.
Mind you, I daresay older JWs will continue to refer to apostates as an "evil slave class" which underscores many witnesses failure - or disinterest? - in adjusting to new truths and to continue believing pretty much what they have always believed. Would you believe some JWs still insist that the end will come before those who were alive in 1914 and at an age of reason pass away. Watch out for the dwindling number of centenarians from the early 1900s!
Sometimes I wonder if in the same manner that even something unappetizing will be snarfed down by elitists just because it has a fancy sounding name is how some of the jw's will swallow anything as long as it is called new understanding or new light?
Mr Franz made an observation in his second book that was termed "apostate" then, now it is the "new light".
"With this, they have made Ray Franz "The Evil Slave" post-humuously. Anyone quoting, talking, reading, or even thinking similar to Ray Franz's books is now dining at the table of "The Evil Slave", and up for automatic DF'ing."
And yet in his second book he made the EXACT same argument that the GB is now making for only them being the FDS. I wonder why that would be?
Haha I predicted this 4 years ago...
Praise Be ! a true Prophet cometh out of Gilead !
Well done Lance, in future can you pick my lottery numbers ? thanks.
in the second article the mention Rusell being like John the Baptist, so i guess that mean the F&DS are christ themselves???? Wonder if any rank and file will pick up on this?
And according to WT Theology, John the Baptist is not of the anointed and will not go to heaven. So does that mean Russel was not of the anointed? It gets murkier and murkier. Or is it a case of giving themselves enough rope.... to hang themselves.
[EDIT TO EARLIER POST:]
I would just like to clarify my earlier post (Web page two herein) where I stated the following:
“ • “The appointment over ‘all the belongings’ is when the Governing Body arrive in heaven, and after the start of the great tribulation.”
From this, as I see it, it seems that the Governing Body are now giving themselves a “get-out-of-trouble-free card”: the domestics (anointed and other sheep) are the ones who can be scrutinized because they are the ones who have been around (“appointed”) since 1919 to be able to be scrutinized; however, the Governing Body hasn’t even been formally “appointed,” and won’t be, until after they arrive in heaven, and after the start of the great tribulation. ”
==========
Actually, in the above I was responding to a specific post. The part of the post I was responding to in the above bullet point was, in fact, technically correct; however, specifically it only relates to the appointment of the Governing Body over “all the belongings,” which appointment is, in fact, to be “in heaven, and after the start of the great tribulation” – BUT, this is apparently to be their second appointment. Their first appointment has apparently already been made in 1919, with that past appointment being over the “domestics” (wheat class) here on earth.
I was relying solely on a specific part of a particular post, and I have since read all the study articles in the upcoming July 15, 2013 Watchtower magazine so I am now able to clarify the above. I apologize for any confusion in not waiting until I could flesh out that point in more detail.
So, just to recap: according to that upcoming Watchtower, the Governing Body is given two appointments; one appointment in 1919 over the earthly “domestics,” and the other appointment to be in heaven over all the belongings after the start of the great tribulation.
Still, it seems that the Governing Body hasn’t yet been completely formally appointed in the fullest sense – they have been given a “limited” appointment over all the earthly domestics (anointed and other sheep), but their second future appointment in heaven is to be over all of the belongings, including those in heaven itself! As paragraph 17 on page 24 of that July 15, 2013 Watchtower states, “What do ‘all [Jesus’] belongings’ include? Jesus did not qualify the word ‘all,’ as if to limit his belongings to earthly things. In fact, Jesus has vast heavenly authority. . . . His belongings now include the Messianic Kingdom . . . which he will share with his anointed followers.”
When I first read that, it almost sounded to me like a kind of “secondary heavenly class” (which sort of reminded me of Raymond Franz’s idea), with those who last represented the Governing Body as a whole becoming a kind of special, elitist group in heaven over the rest of the anointed “Twenty-Four Elders” in Revelation (kind of like how it is now here on earth, except here on earth all the rest of the anointed, which comprise the Faithful and Discreet Slave Class, have been completely demoted). However, such is apparently not the case, as paragraph 19 states, “Does the faithful slave receive a greater reward in heaven than the rest of the anointed? No. A reward promised to a small group in one setting may ultimately be shared by others. . . . He [Jesus] indicated that all of the 144,000 will sit on thrones and share his rulership.” (Although, mind you, they’re certainly always being rewarded with glory from people down here.)
It’s all rather confusing, and no doubt this will all be changed/tweaked again. All well. The constant spate of diarrheic concoctions continues, I guess.
Thanks for the clarification SANS.
Could I just give a response to your statement
"Their first appointment has apparently already been made in 1919, with that past appointment being over the “domestics” (wheat class) here on earth"
They have included both the anointed and the other sheep as 'domestics'. As far as the parable talking about the wheat class, they maintain that the wheat class are only the anointed. From the July 15 2013 Watchtower -
The events taking place in that farmer’s field illustrate how and when Jesus would gather out of mankind the entire wheat class—anointed Christians who will rule with him in his Kingdom.
This means that in the parable of the wheat and the weeds. The weeds (imitation christians) are destroyed and the wheat (anointed christians) are saved. Since the other sheep are not anointed then they are not going to be saved. And since only anointed christians can be the wheat then non-anointed christians (other sheep) could only be considered as imitation christians because all others professing themselves to be christians, but are considered as imitation christians, would also be non-anointed be default.
Their explanation as to their idea that the seperating of the wheat and the weeds began in 1914 is just as confusing and they state that Russell was the current day messanger just as John the Baptist was originally.
