Treasures from Gods Word – The Watchman’s heavy responsibility.

Ezekiel 33:7 – Jehovah appointed Ezekiel as a watchman (it-2 1172 para 2)

The reference correctly states that the prophet/watchman had to warn people otherwise he was blood guilty.

But what about the prophet/watchman who gave false warnings?

There is a fable (ascribed to Aesop) about the little boy who cried wolf too often. When the wolf finally came, people ignored the warning and as a result, the sheep died. In this, the little boy was complicit in the death of the sheep because of his false warnings.

Do we have a modern-day equivalent?

See for yourself: Starting with 1914, then 1925, then 1975, and more recently, before the end of the twentieth century, the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses cried wolf, the arrival of Armageddon.  As each deadline passed, the story was revised. The current pronouncement is ‘it is imminent’, and ‘we are living in the last day of the last days’.

What has been the result of this ‘crying wolf’?

Many sheep have lost their faith in God as a result. There have been large exoduses of Witness’s after each of the dates past, and there is increasing evidence of one such large exodus being under way at present. When the wolf finally comes (a.k.a Armageddon), in God’s due time, rather than the time foretold by the Organization, many sheep may lose their lives as a result. As the story concludes: “Nobody believes a liar … even when he is telling the truth!”

Only God’s anointed true prophets gave true prophecies and warnings. (See Deuteronomy 13:2; 19:22.) So in the Organization’s own words (last sentence of reference) they are ‘about as useless as a blind watchman or a voiceless dog’.

Digging for Spiritual Gems

Ezekiel 33:33

Ezekiel wrote “and when it comes true, … they will have to know that a prophet has been among them”, by extension, when it fails to come true, they will know that a false prophet has been among them.

Video – Avoid What Erodes Loyalty – Fear of Man

Early in the video, which is set in the future, a scenario according to the Organization’s view of the future, is portrayed. Whether such a scenario will play out remains to be seen.

For instance, the sister mentions ‘When our message changed from the good news to a judgement message’.

Where in the Scriptures does Jesus (or indeed the apostles) say that there will come a time when the message will be changed from that of good news to a judgment message?

In fact, if you search the WT Library for PC’s you will find very little about this phrase anywhere.

One reference is w2015 7/15 p. 16 par. 8, 9 which says about the great tribulation, Although we do not fully understand all that will happen during that time of test, we can expect that it will involve some measure of sacrifice…This will not be the time to preach the “good news of the Kingdom.” That time will have passed. The time for “the end” will have come! (Matt. 24:14) No doubt God’s people will proclaim a hard-hitting judgment message. This may well involve a declaration announcing that Satan’s wicked world is about to come to its complete end.”  The only scriptural backing given for this is Revelation 16:21 where they interpret hailstones as a message of judgment. The only other references  to this phrase (going back to 1999 in the publications) all refer to past messages of judgment by his prophets or to the fact that witnesses preach the good news along with the warning message of judgment currently.

What message does the Bible contain on this subject?

2 Thessalonians 2:2 says we should not be shaken from our reason to the effect that the day of the Lord is here. Galatians 1:6-9 is even stronger saying “even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed”. If to declare other good news is to be accursed, what will happen to those who change the good news into a message of judgment?

The one warning message is one for the Organization to heed, as it claims to be the house of God. 1 Peter 4:17 warns that ‘it is the appointed time for judgment to start with the house of God’. Even in Revelation 14:6,7 when the hour of judgment arrives there is an ‘angel flying in mid heaven’  who will have ‘everlasting good news to declare to those who dwell on the earth..’.

Therefore there is no authorization or scriptural basis to change from a message of good news to one of judgment.

So maybe the real scenario is the brother who no longer was with them in the bunker rather than being disloyal to the Organization because of fear of man, had researched his bible and realized that preaching a message of judgment not supported by the Scriptures was wrong and, preferring to remain loyal to his God and to Christ his Savior, he declined to play any further part in the Organization’s activities.

Congregation Book Study (kr chap. 16 para 6-17)

Paragraph 7 shows how the number and format of meeting arrangements came about. There is no scriptural basis for the number, days and format. It all came from suggestions of various prominent witnesses at one time or another.

Paragraph 9 informs us that the public talk outlines were restricted to outlines supplied by the Organization in 1982. Just by coincidence though—which they omit to mention—is that this tighter control coincided with the unscriptural disfellowshipping of former Governing Body member Ray Franz and his friends in that same year.

Paragraphs 10-12 inform us that the Watchtower study meeting started 1922, and for many years had no questions. The conductor asked for questions from the audience, which would then be answered by other members of the audience. This at least would be much better than today’s carefully crafted questions, which avoid any in-depth discussion of the material and the Scriptures.

Paragraphs 13-14 discuss the Congregation Book study. How we would enjoy modern Berean Circles for Bible Study, with the Bible as the textbook,[1] as opposed to a congregation book study of a book containing rewritten, incorrect history and the like, such as the Kingdom Rules book.

Paragraph 15 mentions the then Theocratic Ministry School, the one meeting that has had a long term benefit on all participants and attendees. Now sadly replaced by a glorified meeting for field service, called ‘Apply yourself to the Christian Ministry’, whose material and training is a shadow of the former Theocratic Ministry School. Why was the format of this meeting changed so dramatically a few years ago? We are not told. It couldn’t possibly be because schools in many countries now have to have the teachers vetted for a criminal record particularly relating to children, could it? So scrapping the TMS would avoid this scrutiny of elder bodies and possible revelations about how some paedophiles are serving as appointed men.

Addendum

References for 20th Century end-of-world predictions:

g61 2/22 p. 5 “…a war of God against all wickedness, followed by a paradise earth without death…all will be realized in the twentieth century.”
km Dec. 1967 p. 1 “‘this good news of the kingdom,’ a work he [Fred Franz] described as ‘a startling feature of ony this twentieth century.'”
kj chap. 12 p. 216 par. 9 “Shortly, within our twentieth century, the “battle in the day of Jehovah” will begin against the modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom.”
w84 3/1 pp. 18-19 par. 12 “Some of that “generation” could survive until the end of the century. But there are many indications that “the end” is much closer than that.”

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[1] If this is what you truly desire, fell free to contact this site, and join with others to meet online and discuss the bible with like minded Christians.

Tadua

Articles by Tadua.
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