|
? SAID
What follows is a reply to a post on another forum. Long story but I wrote it and ended up not posting it all. I thought everyone here might find it helpful.
There is no new info here, however it is simple and clear and uses the scriptures.
I have to agree with the poster above who said that the proof is on the FDS to prove that they are who they claim to be. I don’t believe anyone can say for a certainty who the FDS is now for two reasons.
I do not believe the Bible identifies the slave. Even Christ asked it as a rhetorical question.
The slave is chosen on the masters (Christ’s) return. That has not happened yet.
I know he has not returned yet because the following has not happened:
(Matthew 24:30) And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(Revelation 1:7) Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.
There are other scriptures along these lines as well but those two should be sufficient.
I can however prove SCRIPTURALLY that the WTBTS is NOT the “faithful slave”
First of all lets look at this clear and simple command that Jesus gave his followers:
(Luke 21: He said: “Look out that YOU are not misled; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time has approached.’ Do not go after them.
Notice this COMMAND? “Do not go after them.”. Pretty clear to me
(1 John 4:1) Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.
(Mark 13:21-23) “Then, too, if anyone says to YOU, ‘See! Here is the Christ,’ ‘See! There he is,’ do not believe [it]. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones. 23 YOU, then, watch out; I have told YOU all things beforehand.
Now the question is did the WTBTS say “The due time has approached”?
Of course. So many times it has almost become their mantra. Here are just two or three of the many many times they been guilty of this. (Both before and after they claim Jesus chose them for being faithful and discrete)
"The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the "time of the end" began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874." Watchtower 1922 Mar 1 p.73
"The date of the close of that "battle" is definitely marked in Scripture as October 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874." Zion's Watch Tower 1892 January 15 p.23
The Spring of 1918 will bring upon Christendom a spasm of anguish greater even than that experienced in the Fall of 1914.... The travail that is coming is to be upon nominal Zion- "Christendom" … "Babylon"; and it will be a great and sore affliction- "A Time of Trouble such as was not since there was a nation." (The Finished Mystery p. 62 [stated to be the "Posthumous Work of Pastor Russell" on p. 2])
Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by million, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of Christianity. (The Finished Mystery, 1917 edition, p. 485)
"Surely there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874." (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1924, p5)
"The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914." Watchtower 1924 p.211
This warning that the “appointed time has come” is a regular hobby for the FDS. Christ also gave us another warning about false prophets where he compared them to fruit trees and said we would know them by their fruit. What is the fruit of a false prophet? False prophecy. How do we know if prophecy is false? Simple:
(Deuteronomy 18:20-23)
20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’
These scriptures alone show without the shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ could never have chosen a group of false prophets to represent him. He specifically told his followers NOT to follow false prophets. So even if he had returned in 1914 (which he didn’t) he STILL would never have chosen them. And EVEN if he did and you write off all the false prophecy before 1918, what did they turn around and do after they supposedly entered into an “approved condition”
*** ws chap. 8 p. 67 par. 5 Sharing in “the Joy” of the “Prince of Peace” ***
In 1919 the anointed disciples of the reigning King, Jesus Christ, did enter into an approved condition, and this was attended with immense joy on their part.
They didn’t even slow down on the false prophecy. They had the nerve to continue to insist that Christ presence started in 1874:
"Surely there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874." (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1924, p5)
None of this is even taking into account that the date 1914 is simply wrong. It is easy to prove that scripturally as well. Of course historians (and anyone with any sense) knows that Jerusalem fell in 587. However to prove that you need to go into a deeper study that most witnesses just can’t follow. To simply prove 1914 wrong by the scriptures all you have to do is read
(Jeremiah 25:12) 12 “‘And it must occur that when seventy years have been fulfilled I shall call to account against the king of Babylon and against that nation,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘their error, even against the land of the Chal·de′ans, and I will make it desolate wastes to time indefinite.
The Governing Body agrees with all historians that Jerusalem fell in 589. They count 70 years back from 587 to come up with 607. But that is clearly wrong. Notice what the scripture above says: “when seventy years have been fulfilled”. That means that Jehovah would call into account Belshazzar AFTER the seventy years are complete. He can’t do that 2 years AFTER the King is dead, after all the dead are “conscience of nothing at all”. So unless the WTBTS wants to say Jehovah was lying they are definitely 2 years off on 1914. That is clear, simple and based on scripture. The fact is they are 20 years off but it really does not matter because we really don’t need to know when that time is:
(Acts 1:7) He said to them: “It does not belong to YOU to get knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction;
With all the above I believe I have moved any perceived burden of “scriptural proof” squarely on your shoulders to show the following (using scriptures as I did)
Prove Christ has arrived
Prove he chose the WTBTS in 1918-1919
Not possible. Period.
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
