As the avove scripure shows the kingdom does not circle around real aloofed 144000 kings in a distinct place,
its not a REAL (ABsolutistic) GOVERNMENT with obeying members, but is a kingdom of the LEAST ones., a kingdom of love for the least ones.
after 1975, the vast majority remained as though nothing has happened.
but some left the organization.
however, there arose a third category who did not leave the organization, but brought a new view into their heart: jws are right in their core cause (gods kingdom as the solution to mankinds problems) but may or may not be right in their supplementary teachings, hence are not bothered about changes happening in this unimportant area..
As the avove scripure shows the kingdom does not circle around real aloofed 144000 kings in a distinct place,
its not a REAL (ABsolutistic) GOVERNMENT with obeying members, but is a kingdom of the LEAST ones., a kingdom of love for the least ones.
after 1975, the vast majority remained as though nothing has happened.
but some left the organization.
however, there arose a third category who did not leave the organization, but brought a new view into their heart: jws are right in their core cause (gods kingdom as the solution to mankinds problems) but may or may not be right in their supplementary teachings, hence are not bothered about changes happening in this unimportant area..
The kingdom should be a own thread, but additional it is interesting that the israel kings were anointed by usage of an anointing oil, crysam oil, the imageof the oil was clear :
The king was anointed to bring the people comfort, consolidation the comfort of God and alwyays the people should be more important than the king, the king should represent God and be his minister in comfort (theologically)
This anointement crysam oil is even used today during the confirmation rite of young girsl and boys in the church.
The Domain of God =kingdom of God is only a spiritual meaning about comfort and consolidation, as the anointing oil symbolically represents, it is completely not a matter of a real government as JW think.
The anointment with crysam oil is a spiritual comfort,
the anointed one = Messiah is a comforter and thus
the kingdom is a spiritual one,
which brings comfort to the people of all mankind,
over human engament, love among each other,
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
after 1975, the vast majority remained as though nothing has happened.
but some left the organization.
however, there arose a third category who did not leave the organization, but brought a new view into their heart: jws are right in their core cause (gods kingdom as the solution to mankinds problems) but may or may not be right in their supplementary teachings, hence are not bothered about changes happening in this unimportant area..
I appreciate the information that you give about us about your relaxed attitude to the JW system, you are courageous because you risk all the time to be discovered for your free and disobedient views you can never be sure that somebody wont report you to the elders if a person doesnt like you. You are in a difficult situation, establishing sects is strongly against the thought of unity.
You are concerned about the kingdom, but the kingdom was already misunderstood in Jesus times, im not so sure what the kdm is as you seem to be about.
A similiar point of view is hold by modern catolic theologians.. that kindom of god is not limited to the church but includes all people of good will.
The pictures of the kingdom with god king,absolutistic might, thrones on which kings sit, crown, jwhw or jesus holding a scepter are only shadows of the reality, images of the meant thought, that the kindom is a spiritual domain, rather than any humanlike society order, like the british kindom or an antique kindom.
The biblewriters and rabbis used the known pictures of kings and kingdom like david or salomon to express a theological thought about gods kingndom.
But the prophet had critized if ancient kings reigned over israel, not as they should do as anointed =messiah, namely as ministers and representatives of TheEternal.
so indicating that the human form of rulership is always unimportant symbol but the spirit of ministry and sacrifice for the people was important, a messiah king (= anointed one king) has to be a minister andnot abusive king, so the bible relatives the image of what a king is, and of whst a kingdom is.
The mercy and love that jesus revealed about god was early connected by first christian as fulfillment of Jesus being an anointed king in anew form of kindom, gods domain of love.
antipapal propaganda, 1522 a.d., the whore with papal diara sitting on the 7-headed drake..
The judgment of the great whore.—Papacy, the “beast.”—Rev. 19:2.
And I saw a woman.—The Roman Catholic Church.
Sit upon a scarlet colored beast.—Pagan Rome, and its successors.
With the wine of her fornication.—The mixed doctrines, part truth and part error, that originally led to the union of church and state,—the spiritual harlotry.—Jer. 51:7; Rev. 2:20; 17:5; 18:3; 19:2.
did the church ever have Part truth if it was always a harlot?
___
Cathlee A. Koenig, Eternal Word Television Netword:
"Charles T.Russel published a six-volume series entitled Millennial Dawn (later called Studies in the
Scriptures) which, in a fit of hubris, he declared to be "practically the Bible topically arranged." It outlined doctrines which the Witnesses still hold today, including Jesus' pre-existence as Michael the Archangel and the idea that the Catholic Church is the primary component of the "Whore of Babylon."
The book also embraced some ideas now rejected by the Watchtower Society, such as support for Zionism and the curious belief that the Great Pyramid at Giza corroborated biblical prophecy."
antipapal propaganda, 1522 a.d., the whore with papal diara sitting on the 7-headed drake..
In the Finished Mistery, 1917, chapter 13, the Pope and the Protestant Beast is described by Russel
and followers as fulfillment of the Revelation of John
The Text is taken from the good readable free E-Book "The finished Mystery"
by the gutenberg project
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46016/46016-h/46016-h.html
Page 259: The judgment of the great whore.—Papacy, the “beast.”—Rev. 19:2.
Comment to Rev. 19.2: "Which did corrupt the earth with her fornication.—Her illicit union with worldly governments.And hath avenged the blood of [His] HER servants at her hand.—The millions who have perished in the Great War have been the servants of Babylon. The direct cause of their slaughter is the doctrine of the Divine right of the clergy. These have maintained the kings of Europe on their thrones, falsely telling them they are ruling as part of Christ's Kingdom. This position has led to the death of all these millions, and their blood will be required at Babylon's hand."For Russel the fornication consists mainly in the connection with the worldly governments and the resulting bloodguiltiness...
Comment to Revelation 12:12 "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens.—Catholic heavens—popes, bishops and prelates."
antipapal propaganda, 1522 a.d., the whore with papal diara sitting on the 7-headed drake..
Because of WT-copyright restrictions we cannot upload an image of the Whore in The Revelation book at the moment.
antipapal propaganda, 1522 a.d., the whore with papal diara sitting on the 7-headed drake..
Next picture from Luther bible, 1545 A.D. A beautiful whore with papal crown riding the beast.
In the middle age the whore Babylon was used as allegory for the failure of the church.
The church history is full of human failure, so much that all could understand
well Dante Alighieri's (1265-1321) vision of the whore babylon sitting in the
church carriage, an image he used in his Comedy condemning the corrupt RC Church.
The tremendous words of William of Auvergne who said in view of the
imbrutement of the church, that everyone who saw it, would have to freeze of horror.
"This is no bride anymore, but a beast of terrible monstrous form and ferocity".
antipapal propaganda, 1522 a.d., the whore with papal diara sitting on the 7-headed drake..
Antipapal propaganda, 1522 A.D., The whore with papal diara sitting on the 7-headed drake.
it is evident that the w.t has recently re-branded itself, and has become fairly modern in its marketing techniques.
so the organisation is in that respect forward thinking, and the former way of doing things has past.. .
but this rebranding has been done by marketing experts, who maybe realise progress is progress, and that with modernisation many bethelites " even as free volunteers" are possibly no longer required.
for the kids:-.
so yesterday in accordance with my boys wish, we put the christmas tree and decorations up.
ridiculously early i know, but it made him happy, and even i found decorating the tree fun.. the rebel..