Doug,
The following is from a thread or two I had copied a while back.
"On arriving to inspect the 'slave' in 1918, Christ found a spirit-anointed remnant of faithful disciples who since 1879 had been using this journal and other Bible-based publications to provide spiritual 'food at the proper time.' He acknowledged them as his collective instrument, or 'slave,' and in 1919 entrusted them with the management of all his earthly belongings." - WT April 4, 2007 p. 22 par. 5
Interesting that they refer to the SLAVE as a "spirit-anointed remnant" and as a "collective instrument" when the truth is that in 1918-1919 CT Russell was believed to the "FDS" all by his little, ol' lonesome self. No others need apply. Nothing like a little revisionist history!
Watchtower May 15, 1951 page 303
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Failed Inspection
Actual text: During the years of the first world war, 1914 to 1918, the remnant of spiritual Israel came under Jehovah’s displeasure . His kingdom by his Christ had been born in the heavens in 1914, at the end of the “appointed times of the nations” that year; but, under the great stress of persecution, oppression and international opposition during those war years reaching a climax in 1918, God’s anointed witnesses failed and their organization experienced a breakup and they came under captivity to the world system of modern Babylon.
Watchtower November 1,1955 page 633
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Passed Inspection
Actual Text: Since coming into his kingdom in 1914 and since coming to the temple in 1918 for the judgment first of the “house of God,” he has found this remnant of dedicated, anointed Christians doing what they were appointed to do . So he has done to them what he promised: “Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings.”—Matt. 24:45-47, NW.
Watchtower January 15, 1960 page 47
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Passed Inspection
Actual Text: This slave is quite unlike the watchmen of Christendom that love to slumber. (Isa. 56:10) The “slave ,” namely, the composite body of the remnant of Jehovah’s anointed, dedicated sons on earth today, is wide-awake to his Kingdom privileges, and diligently obeys his Master, Christ Jesus. He happily greeted the Master when he arrived in 1918 to judge professing Christians. It was at this time of inspection that the Master declared: “Well done, good and faithful slave ! You were faithful over a few things. I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt. 25:21)
Watchtower February 1, 1972 page 79
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Failed Inspection
Actual text: The Naomi remnant came into a condition like that, particularly in the year 1918 , when they were, in a sense, exiled from Jehovah God’s favor. In that year Jehovah God came to his temple suddenly, accompanied by the messenger of the covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ. He examined the remnant here upon earth; he was displeased with them . (Mal. 3:1, 2) For a time they were not fully accepting the challenge of Jehovah’s Kingdom service that had opened up to them. They were holding back, through fear of man and were not properly keeping themselves “unspotted from the world.” (Jas. 1:27, Authorized Version) Therefore Jehovah let them go into bondage to Babylon the Great and her political associates.
God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached (1973) page 231
Inspection year : 1919 Result : Failed Inspection
Actual Text: The parable of the “talents” pictured that when the traveller returned from abroad he would settle accounts with them. This meant an inspection of them. Quite logically, with that turn of events in the spring of 1919 , it would be the due time for the heavenly “master of those slaves” to inspect them . But what account could they render with respect to his “talents” that had been committed to the slave class? Any increase that they may have gained prior to the climax of wartime persecution in 1918 seemed to have been wiped out . They were as if they had no figurative “talents” in their possession at all .
Yearbook 1975 page 87
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Failed Inspection
Actual Text: Jehovah and his “messenger of the covenant,” Jesus Christ, came to inspect the spiritual temple in 1918 C.E. Judgment then began with the “house of God” and a period of refining and cleansing commenced .
Watchtower September 15, 1983 page 20
Inspection year : 1919 Result : Passed Inspection
Actual Text: Since the “master” found the remaining ones of this body faithfully and discreetly giving out “food supplies” when he arrived for inspection in 1919 , he appointed them “over all his belongings.”
Watchtower March 15, 1990 page 14
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Passed Inspection
Actual Text: In 1918, when Jesus Christ inspected those claiming to be his slaves, he found an international group of Christians publishing Bible truths for use both inside the congregation and outside in the preaching work.
Watchtower May 1, 1993 page 17
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Passed Inspection
Actual Text: From the time Christ’s presence began and down to 1918, the slave class , despite unpopularity, persecution, and even some confusion, had been seeking to give timely food to the domestics . This is what the Master found when his inspection began .
Isaiah’s Prophecy II (2001) page 396
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Failed Inspection
Actual Text: In the modern-day fulfillment of these prophecies, there was an important spiritual development in 1918 in connection with Jehovah’s worship. Jehovah and Jesus evidently made an inspection of all of those claiming to represent pure worship. That inspection led to the final casting off of corrupt Christendom. For Christ’s anointed followers , the inspection meant a brief period of refinement followed by a swift spiritual restoration in 1919.—1 Peter 4:17.
Watchtower March 1, 2004 page 17
Inspection year : 1918 & 1919 Result : Passed Inspection
Actual Text: Of course, the majority of those who were to become Christ’s anointed slaves during the time of the end were not yet serving Jehovah when Jesus began his inspection in 1918. Did they miss out on the inspection? Not at all. The inspection process only began in 1918/ 19 when the faithful and discreet slave as a class passed the test.
Watchtower January 15, 2008 page 24
Inspection year : 1918 Result : Passed Inspection
Actual Text: When Christ inspected the “slave” in 1918, he found those anointed ones on earth to be faithful in providing spiritual “food at the proper time .” Hence, Jesus, the Master, was pleased thereafter to appoint them “over all his belongings.” (Read Matthew 24:45-47.)
Note: Regarding the references above where the Watchtower failed Jesus' inspection, it’s important to keep in mind that no “refinement” or “cleansing” o even “displeasure from Jehovah” is even remotely mentioned in the references where the Watchtower is shown to have passed this so-called inspection (by supposedly “publishing Bible Truths” or “doing what they were appointed to do”).
The whole point of this thread is to simply show any lurkers out there that the so-called “Faithful & Discreet Slave” has a very long history of making things up as they go along. In fact, there is absolutely no Biblical basis for this whole concocted notion that the WT was somehow chosen after a divine examination of all religious denominations
