Bible Students

by lambsbottom 31 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  lambsbottom

  Hi everyone,

  So I have made contact with the Bible Students (Russell's followers). Nice people. Teachings seem a lot more reasonable than JWs.

  They believe that Jesus died for all (Hebrews 2:9). They believe that armageddon is not where any are destroyed, but when the wicked clergy & governments are removed. Pretty much everyone is pardoned their sin due to Christ's sacrifice.

  Then, during the 1,000 year reign, everyone learns about God and chooses whether they want to serve him. Sounds very merciful.

  Then the wicked, along with Satan, undergo second death (death forever).

  They also believe the 144K are a special group of ones called from Earth that obtain a special prize. The "great crowd" is also Christians in heaven, though they constitute a mercy class. These ones missed the special prize to become one of the 144K, but God allows a place for them in Heaven.

  I think that if most JWs knew these teachings, they would bail out of WT!

  Any thoughts?
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  ptt7000

  Hello I bailed 5 years ago. I was a Bible Student for first 12years of life then a witness for the next 50 years. I knew the doctrine was different. Now the witnesses are trying to assume that name. I get most of my info post from this site, JWN to make announcements on the Bible Student site where I am one of the administration. www.friendsofjehovahswitnesses.com. I am Ask Jacqueline.

  They are 98% different in doctrine. Rutherford changed everything and yes we believe that Adam was ransomed because he had no experience with sin. It was an act of mercy. So Eve and everything that came from Adam is RANSOMED! This is not the age for world conversion but just to make known the Kingdom and finish the Church then during Millennium ALL will come back because of the ransom for all. Even those that die at armagedddon is not being killed or judged. They will be fighting Israel and will come back to accept Israel and Christ.
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  LostGeneration

  I think that if most JWs knew these teachings, they would bail out of WT!

  I never knew that the Bible Students continued on for the first 35 years of my life as a JW. That being said, once I started reviewing their teachings, I found them to be just as nutty as JWs. I think 99.9% of JWs would view them as apostates that splintered from the WTBTS, even though it is the other way around.
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  All for show

  So this scary horrific Great Tribulation we are waiting for isn't what We have learned my whole life? Scared to death as a kid, this horrific event we waited for Isn't going to be as I grew up fearing. Henice the Revelation book. Count me in.

  I have lived in fear my whole life and hated we lived in the 'last days' where meeting and service meant our salvation.

  can you explain why when Russell died and most people left.... Why do current JWs not see, maybe another branch was correct and Rutherford went astray?
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  ptt7000

  All for show, the society knew they existed because they printed the purple Greek interlieyr for Dawn many moons ago. Why they lied and said they were dead is beyond me. But now they are changing or rebranding saying they are the Bible Students and there is no evil slave class as that would have to be them. There is no org.and each ecclias is autonomous and meet in homes like Raymond Franz. We have lots of conventions and adobe connect for them all and one big General and the international was this year. It is more like the very old days but they know some bible.

  No just doctrine, they really go deep. No control, you can have different thoughts and they express it. Very, very loving and gossip or evil speaking isn't done. So different from the witnesses.
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  Apognophos

  It's easy for JWs to believe they are in the "true" branch of the religion because (1) they don't know how much Rutherford changed things from Russell's time, and (2) The Watch Tower Society was taken over by Rutherford. Ergo the Watchtower magazine continued to be printed by him. So from a superficial standpoint only the Witnesses could be the true branch because, look, they have all the printing presses and are still publishing Studies in the Scriptures, etc.!

  P.S.: I posted some of the details of how Rutherford took over here. It's a long read but it's 1,000th the length of the original material from around 1917 that I read through to create that summary.
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  lambsbottom

  @ ptt7000:

  You left the BS to become a JW? Why the heck did you do that? Were you convinced by something particularly? Because hell, the whole ransom for all strikes me as making complete sense. Again, why would faithful JWs make it through tribulation just to be tested again at 1,000 years?
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  ptt7000

  Lambsbottom, I was a child. My grandparents and mother were BS. My mother left in the deep south when the society was able to take over the congregations during de-segregation. They built a kingdom hall for the black brothers and appointed a Company Servant and quite a few left and refused to be under the organization. Their takeover was slow in the south in the black communities.

  Apognophos: You said the society prints the Studies in the Scriptures.

  That is the Chicago Bible Students, Dawn Bible and the Texas, Ohio presses that print the studies in the scriptures.

  I have so much old Bible Student talks etc if anyone wants some I live in Indiana but when the BS dies family brings stuff free to conventions. !800 and back. Also the APP. Christien resources have old talks if you search by convention, proving the Bible students were alive and well way back but we were told not to look at TV religious shows or read other literature. Otherwise we would have seen them.

  There is an armageddon section on the left that shows what Br. Russell and early Bible Student movements Brothers believed. It will shock the average witness.

  www.friendsofjehovahswitnesses.com under armageddon on left side.
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  lambsbottom

  ptt7000:

  Wow! Ok. So your saying you were young and naive and left the BS because of your parents/grandparents?

  Can you direct me towards information Revelation 19 being figurative? It speaks of the birds gorging themselves on the flesh of free and slave, large and small. It seems most mainstream Christians believe this is literal and is when Jah will kill everyone not faithful.

  Love your site!
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  Apognophos

  ptt7000, you're right, my post was not worded the way I meant it to be. The comment "look, they have all the printing presses and are still publishing Studies in the Scriptures, etc.!" was meant to refer to the Society back when Russell took it over. I know the Society has long since stopped printing those.