Hello everyone,
Among various current ‘ideas/opinions ‘ and WTBS Inc. teaching ,
I would like to comment on this recent material:
From the book : “Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for all Mankind” vol. II (pub. 2001)
(material included in the Congregation's book study for the week of April 7 th 2003)
*** ip-2 chap. 15 pp. 228-229 The Barren Woman Rejoices ***
23 Verse 13 of Isaiah chapter 54 provides the key—all will be “taught by Jehovah.” Jesus himself applied the words of this verse to his anointed followers. (John 6:45)
The prophet Daniel foretold that during this “time of the end,” the anointed would be blessed with an abundance of true knowledge and spiritual insight. (Daniel 12:3, 4)
Such insight has enabled them to spearhead the greatest educational campaign in history, spreading divine teaching in all the earth. (Matthew 24:14) At the same time, such insight has helped them to see the difference between true religion and false. Isaiah 54:12 mentions “boundaries of delightsome stones.” Since 1919, Jehovah has given the anointed an ever clearer understanding of the boundaries—the lines of spiritual demarcation—setting them apart from false religion and ungodly elements of the world. ( Ezekiel 44:23; John 17:14; James 1:27 )
They are thus set apart as God’s own people.—1 Peter 2:9.
24 Thus, each of us does well to ask himself, ‘Am I being taught by Jehovah?’ We do not receive such teaching automatically. We must put forth effort. If we read God’s Word regularly and meditate upon it and if we take in instruction by reading the Bible-based literature published by “the faithful and discreet slave” and by preparing for and attending Christian meetings, we will indeed be taught by Jehovah. (Matthew 24:45-47) If we endeavor to apply what we learn and remain spiritually awake and watchful, divine teaching will set us apart as different from those in this godless world. (1 Peter 5:8, 9) Better still, it will help us “draw close to God.”—James 1:22-25; 4:8.
N.B. These are the supporting scriptures:
John 6:45 "It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by Jehovah.’ Everyone that has heard from the Father and has learned comes to me."
***I don't see any mention of " anointed followers"
but rather …" e v e r y o n e .."
Daniel 12:3,4 “And the ones having insight will shine like the brightness of the expanse; and those who are bringing the many to righteousness, like the stars to time indefinite, even forever. And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of [the] end. Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge will become abundant.”
***Where is it written by Daniel that : ” …the anointed would be blessed with an abundance of true knowledge and spiritual insight.."???
I'm sorry but what I can read is : “…And the ones having insight…"
and "…those who are bringing the many.." . and "Many will rove about.."
Ezekiel 44:23; “And my people they should instruct in the difference between a holy thing and a profane thing; and the difference between what is unclean and what is clean they should cause them to know.”
John 17:14; “ I have given your word to them, but the world has hated them, because they are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world “
James 1:27 “ The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.”
How is it possible that the 3 above quoted scriptures, support the idea that :
"Since 1919, Jehovah has given the anointed an ever clearer understanding …"???
The confusion is not finished yet. Take a look and compare with material published on “The Watchtower” February 15, 2003 pages 20-21, paragraph 16:
“ Why Mistaken Assumptions:
“ Some have concluded that they have the heavenly calling
because they have acquired considerable Bible knowledge.
But spirit anointing does not bring extraordinary understanding, for Paul had to instruct and counsel certain
anointed ones. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:11-14)
God has an arrangement for providing spiritual food for
all his people. (Matthew 24:45-47). So nobody should think
that being an anointed Christian gives him wisdom superior
to that of those having the earthly hope ." Spirit anointing is not
indicated by proficiency in answering Scriptural questions, witnessing,
or giving Bible talks.”
More light or more darkness?? If the above is true , how can we renconcile all these other statements?
a) "The Watchtower" 1931 June 1 st , page 160
"Jehovah God has made known to his anointed
ones in advance what these scriptures mean."
b) "The Watchtower" 1933 August 15 th , page 247
"Enlightenment proceeds from Jehovah by and
through Christ Jesus and is given to the faithful
anointed on earth at the temple, and brings peace
and consolation to them."
c) "The Watchtower" 1952 April 15 th , page 253
Aids for Understanding Prophecy
19 When may prophecies be understood? The Lord
said to Daniel, "O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal
the book, even to the time of the end." (Dan. 12:4, AS)
This indicates that the further fulfillments of the prophecies
are sealed until the physical facts appear that begin to fulfill
them. So the rule seems to be reasonable and certain that
prophecies cannot be understood until they are in the course
of fulfillment or until they have been fulfilled. Jehovah as
the great Interpreter makes known the meaning of his
revelations in his due time, and speculation by men cannot
bring to light the true meaning of prophecy before time.
Jehovah has provided a channel, the "faithful and
discreet slave" class, who are given spiritual
"food at the proper time",and this spiritual food
includes among other things the
understandings of the prophecies
in the course of their fulfillments .
(Matt. 24:45, NW) Jehovah's witnesses themselves are
not nor can they be interpreters of prophecies.
But as fast as the "superior authorities"
Jehovah and Christ Jesus reveal the
interpretations through their provided channel
that fast do God's people publish them the world over to
strengthen the faith of all lovers of righteousness.
d) "The Watchtower" 1952 April 15 th , page 253
PROPHESYING TODAY
20 Since Joel 2:28, which has its complete fulfillment after 1919,
foretells that God will pour out his spirit upon people of all
kinds and "your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall s
ee visions", in what sense then do Jehovah's witnesses
prophesy today? Jehovah's people confess no powers
of inspiration today. However, they do pray continually
for more of God's holy spirit to understand the many
prophecies already uttered and preserved for the final
preaching work which Jehovah's witnesses are now
undertaking. They know that the inspired infallible
Scriptures of prophecy will be fulfilled toward them
correctly. They diligently study the visions and dreams
of God's faithful men of old. They can quote and copy
the Scriptures of God's inspired men and can apply them
according to the facts. They can observe how God
interprets them by Christ Jesus through the events and
facts that he causes to appear. They are then
faithful in publishing and preaching
the revealed prophecies to the
utter ends of the earth. The twentieth-century preaching
prophets of Jehovah are the ones who are running to and
fro over the Bible to gain knowledge of the divine
pronouncements which is on the increase.-Dan. 12:4.
e) "The Watchtower " 1960 July 15 th , ppages 438-9
Staying Awake with the "Faithful and Discreet Slave"
2 How is this divine will to be made known and brought to
the attention of the worthy multitudes of men of good will
toward Jehovah? Again the awake world-watchman, the
"slave" class, must undertake another world educational
campaign following their restoration as witnesses after 1919.
Such a global work has now been under way for more than
forty years and is reaching its fruitful culmination. The
facts show that during this time and up to the present hour
the "slave" class has served as God's sole
collective channel for the flow of Biblical truth
to men on earth. Just as theearly Christian congregation
collectively served as the channel of
communication from heaven
to earth, so in our time. (Eph. 3:10)
Abundant spiritual food and amazing
details as to the doing of God's will have been
flowingthrough this unique channel actually as
a miraculous evidence of the operation of holy spirit. "
e) "The Watchtower " 1964 May 1 st , page 277-8
Building a Firm Foundation in Christ
8 God's Word is the basis of our faith .
Why, though, is such emphasis placed on "accurate" knowledge?
Why should such care be exercised in our study of the columns
of The Watchtower, and of our application of the Scripture texts to
the material under consideration? It is through the columns
of The Watchtower that Jehovah provides direction
and constant Scriptural counsel to his people,
and it requires careful study and attention to details in order to apply
this information, to get a full understanding of the principles involved,
and to assure ourselves of right thinking on these matters."
f) "The Watchtower " 1967 October 1 st , page 590
Finding Freedom with Jehovah's Visible Organization
Jehovah poured out his spirit upon them and assigned them
the responsibility of serving as his sole visible channel,
through whom alone spiritual instruction was
to come. Those whorecognize Jehovah's visible theocratic
organization, therefore,must recognize and accept this
appointment of the "faithful and discreet slave" and be submissive to it."
g) " The Watchtower "1972 August 1 st , page 460
Loving Oversight of the Congregation of God
18 Each week the principal Bible study aid published by
Jehovah's witnesses, the Watchtower magazine, is studied by
the congregation as a whole. This is done in the form of a
question-and-answer discussion. For this meeting the entire
congregation usually meets in one place. Through the columns
of The Watchtower comes increased light on God's
Word as Jehovah makes it known. "
h) "The Watchtower " 1981 December 1 st , page 27
The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter
Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization,
his "faithful and discreet slave," made up of spirit-anointed ones ...
Unless we are in touch with this channel of
communication that God is using, we will
not progress along the road to life, no matter how much
Bible reading we do."
i) "The Watchtower" 2001 August 1 st , page
How to Make Your Advancement Manifest
8 First, since “oneness” is to be observed, a mature Christian
must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far
as faith and knowledge are concerned. He does not advocate
or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it
comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete
confidence in the truth as it is revealed by
Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus
Christ , and “the faithful and discreet slave. "
l) " Our Kingdom Ministry " September 2002
(Edition f or Britain) page 8
5 God's Appointed Channel: Bear in mind that
our heavenly
Father has an appointed channel of communication,
"the faithful and discreet slave." That "slave" has the responsibility
to determine what information is made available to the household
of faith, as well as "the proper time" for it to be dispensed . This
spiritual food is available only through the theocratic
organization. We should always look to God's appointed
channel for reliable information, not to a network
of Internet users. -- Matt.24:45."
Please note that , three particular expressions come quite often:
1) "anointed ";
2) "(God's ) channel of communication" ;
3) "faithful and discreet slave"
To clarify any possible misunderstanding, let's ask the WTBS Inc.,
what they mean and include in these ' terms' . What better way to get
an 'accurate and reliable answer ' then to read from an article
published in "The Watchtower" , in the year 1995:
*** w95 2/1 12-13 A Great Crowd of True Worshipers
-From Where Have They Come? ***
15 In that discourse in 1923, an effort was made to identify
those who fit the Lord’s description of the sheep and of the
goats, but other matters needed to be understood before the
full import of the parable would be clear. During the following
years, Jehovah progressively drew these
important details to the attention of his servants.
These included clearly understanding, in 1927,
that “the faithful and discreet
slave”is the entire body
of spirit-anointed Christians
on earth ;
also appreciating, in 1932, the need to identify oneself
fearlessly with Jehovah’s anointed servants, as Jonadab
did with Jehu. (Matthew 24:45; 2 Kings 10:15).-
and also this one
"The Watchtower" November 1 st , 2001 pages 28-29
"The Blessing of Jehovah—That Is What Makes Rich"
Through Jesus Christ and "the faithful and discreet slave ," Jehovah has provided a bountiful supply of spiritual food that helps us to remain on "the road leading off into life."
Finally, on the evidence of a 'few ' examples of the WTBS Inc.'s
repeated claims, published in the last 72 years, how can they still
write and teach publicly and even schedule a worldwide study of this
kind of …conflicting material in the… same month of April 2003… at
24, 48 hours intervals , wich contains such claims:
"…spirit anointing does not bring extraordinary
understanding, …"
and :
"… nobody should think that being an anointed
Christian gives him wisdom superior to that of
those having the earthly hope."
**** Material from the " The Watchtower” February 15, 2003 pages 20-21, paragraph 16)
-for Congregation's Watchtower study , on Sunday April 6 th , 2003 -
and :
"The prophet Daniel foretold that during this “time of the end,
” the anointed would be blessed with an abundance
of true knowledge and spiritual insight.
(Daniel 12:3, 4);
"…Since 1919, Jehovah has given the
anointed an ever clearer understanding …"
**** From the book : “Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for all Mankind” vol. II (pub. 2001)
*ip-2 chap. 15 pp. 228-229 The Barren Woman Rejoices
- material inlcuded in the Congregation's book study for the week of April 7 th 2003 -
Well, I do hope any reading of this post has not been a waste of time.
Comments ... will be greatly appreciated.
Greetings, James Charles MacHislopp
"Epistula non erubescit" (Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares)