Hi OHD.....nice post! You ALMOST have it right but not quite..... Just since you have paid attention to these details, I'll give you the other side of things, take it or leave it, but...
Our Master Jesus said 'Eat, drink, all of you.' But a group of men in Brooklyn has established a tradition that invalidates this, since the majority of those observing the Memorial will only do just that: Observe. They won't be eating or drinking, because of some half-baked classicism that unscripturally separates Christians into different "classes," anointed and non-anointed, "remnant" and "other sheep."
Actually, they don't know of this doctrine specifically, but the "classism" is Biblical and pertains to them. It's referenced in the VINEYARD prophecy where Christ hires workers at the first through 11th hours, but the 3rd through the 11th-hour workers are not told in advance of what they will earn and Christ says, "whatever is fair". Thus this establishes two classes; i.e. those who know they will get the "penny" up front and those who are settling for less. This is the situation of two classes beginning in 1935 which would recognize the appearance of these "third-hour workers".
The chronology is very interesting as well. Per Revelation a "half hour" is 3.5 years so an "hour" is 7 years. 11 hours is 77 years. From that we know that from 1914 to 1991, 77 years, the work would continue, and Christ would pay the workers, from last to first, presumably over the next "hour" or 7 years ffrom 1991-1998. However, more pertient is how 1935 relates to the third hour workers. At 7 years for each hour, the end of the 3rd hour would be 21 years after 1914 which is 1935!
So Biblically, there was prophesied to be two classes within this organization. And technically, even though ALL the workers would get the penny in the end, they are not told about it until after the work is done, after 1991 when the payment starts after the master returns after receiving "kingdom power". When they are assigned the work, the Lord is not yet a king. Not to hard to follow.
IN PRACTICE, therefore, up until the Messiah actually arrived, it was appropriate for only those who knew in advance they would get the "penny" the heavenly hope, that is only the first ones in the organization who considered themselves "anointed" for the heavenly hope, to partake. It's interesting how holy spirit confirms for those who think they are "anointed" and in a way is absent from those who understand they were of the "earthly class" even though they do get invited later.
BUT THEY STILL DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT: However, things are different after 1992 which fulfills when the Messiah is supposed to arrive, kick Satan out of heaven and thus provide a place for sealing his anointed ones in "heaven". Because Christ specifically said to do it UNTIL he arrives and then they wouldn't do it any more. So the Memorial is to be celebrated only while he is away and the first year of his return and then no more. Since he arrived in 1992 (even though they think he arrived in 1914 and should have stopped then!) there is no further need for anyone to partake of the emblems. So in that way, it is still a farce.
But your MAIN point is correct, that Christ invites EVERYONE to have a chance to be int he kingdom in the end. Thus I tell anyone who is thinking they might be feeling as though they belong to the heavenly class not to resist that feeling and to accept (open the door) the anointing (and let the Lord in). But you must be AWAKE to do this and understand that many will be invited at the last minute to be part of the heavenly class. That is, many (ALL) who are awake of the "earthly class" could get sealed into the heavenly class after 1992. So in that sense, Christ is not discriminatory, EVERYONE gets invited. But it turns out many will be sleep, HALF of the ten virgins in fact, that means HALF off all the anonited and presumably HALF of everyone in the organization, therefore, since they will be sleep and not paying attention to God's word.
In a practical sense, that means that possibly half the witnesses will get anointed into the heavenly class but the other half will be rejected from the heavenly class. But that doesn't mean they are not still eligible for the earthly class. There are some punished with "few strokes" and some punished with "many strokes". So some, though missing the heavenly class ("few strokes") will still be eligible for the earthly class, but others who are not worthy at all for either class ("many strokes") will be condemned and miss out totally.
So, millions will attend the Memorial of Christ's death only to violate Christ's commands.
Actually, again, no since they were only supposed to do it until Christ returned, that's either 1914 or 1992, either way, past dates. So the true anointed are not partaking since 1992 basically.
There is no mention of "observer" status in the New Testament, only of partakers! Why does the Bible make no provision for a future condition that would have merely "observers"? Because the whole concept is unscriptural! Biblically speaking, Christians should honor the Memorial by participating in it, not just looking on.
Well...I won't give a sermon here but there is an "observer class". Remember the anointed are KINGS AND PRIESTS. If EVERYBODY was a king-priest then who would they serve? Thus the anointed class is limited, a limited number, represented by the symbolic number of 144,000 which is probably x 10, earthly completeness and thus 1,440,000 in actual figurative count. These serve the greater majority of mankind who will be part of the "earthly class". These serve as kings and priests over those who survive Amrageddon.
There is only one Bible for all Christians. If God meant for Christians to be divided into different classes, he would have caused a "Bible" to be written for each group. As it now stands, if the New Testament was written for the anointed, or written with the heavenly "class" in view, as we are told, then it is irrelevant for those who do not have a heavenly hope. And it is quite obvious that the New Testament does focus on the heavenly hope.
I understand your sentiment, but actually you should think of it in terms first and second prize. EVERYBODY is invited but not all prove worthy and show up for the banquet. Thus there is an elimination process with two other chances. First prize is the heavenly class, which is a limited number, the symbolic 144k(1,440,000). If you are nodding and not paying attention and not like the "wise virgins" who heed everything in the Bible including parables, chronology, symbolic cycles, then you might miss out. But if beyond that you're generally "righteous" then you will be offered life on the Paradise Earth. If it turns out that perhaps there was some willful sin involved or a bad heart condition toward God or whatever and you end up being condemned, then that's door #3, the lake of fire. So in that sense, the Bible has something for everyone and do address each group; there is no need for three Bibles.
So, where is the "Bible" for the "other sheep"? Or, perhaps there are no "other sheep," and all Christians are one in the Body of Christ.
Actually, the witnesses have misapplied the "other sheep" to the earthly class. The "other sheep" are those who are gathered into the anointed outside the Watchtower Society organization, even though the WTS is the temple organization assigned to preach the good news and do other special work. This organization becomes corrupted early on with weeds and thus when Christ comes he separates out the wheat from the weeds from this organization. This is the same refererence to separating the fine fish from the bad fish and the sheep from the goats. When he identifies these fine fish, sheep and wheat out of this organization, then he inducts them into the larger fold he takes out of other religions and this is what he calls the "other sheep, not of this fold". Please note, in passing that the organization is like the DRAGNET. The SEA is Christendom. The net takes out fish from the sea and brings them on shore. The shore represents God's organization, the net the preaching work. But after one comes into the organization, then there is another separation work. All the fish are like the "10 virgins" with only 5 of the 10 making the final grade. Thus the fish WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION are separated, with the true anointed ones being chosen as fine fish and the others being thrown back. But frankly, if you're worried about not being of the anointed YOU PROBABLY ARE!!! READ over the Vineyard parable and realize that some get in at the 11th hour! You don't need a specific understanding of this other than this does not fit the WTS idea of who the anointed are. They are out of it. You must 'LEAVE THE BROAD ROAD" and go downt he narrow, individual road, like you already are!! I suspect you wouldn't be concerned about these things unless holy spirit was causing you to reflect on this. Anyway, the GB has been "disfellowshipped" and are in spiritual darkness, so if you are of the anointed don't expect to "coordinate" that with the WTS. If you choose to or need to out of convenience stay an active witness then do so but I don't suggest partaking if you understand you're of the anointed which might cause problems even though some in individual situations do. But basically, after Christ arrives there is no need to publicly reflect on his having left, so you can be of the secret anointed and not public anointed. If you think you're of the anointed or feel "left out", then get off the "other sheep" doctrine of the WTS or at least realize that if the 3rd-11th workers are the other sheep class in the organization then they ALL get invited into the kingdom!!!! That means YOU! But you must accept this invitation, so ALL must consider themselves POTENTIALLY anointed. Now I'm not guaranteeing you're of the anointed, but as long as you reject the anointing/sealing because you think "this isn't right, I'm of the earthly class" then Christ will leave your door and you won't get in. You must ACCEPT, that means open the door and Let the Lrod in...if he's knocking!!! J.C.
