I got an advance notification of some “new light”.i It won’t be new to most of you. We actually revealed this “new light” almost two years ago. (This is no credit to me either, as I was hardly the first to come to this understanding.) Before giving you the lowdown on this “new light”, I wanted to share with you something one of my fellow elders challenged me with a while back. While trying to make a point of Scripture, he asked: “Do you think you know more than the Governing Body?”
This is a common challenge; one intended to silence the dissenter, for if he answers “No”, the response would be, “Then why are you challenging their teaching.” On the other hand, if he answers “Yes”, he leaves himself open to charges of presumptuousness and a proud spirit.
Of course, we would never rephrase this question to ask: “Do you think you know more than the Catholic Pope?” Sure we do! We go door-to-door contradicting the Pope’s teachings on a daily basis.
The way to answer this question is with another question. “Are you suggesting that the Governing Body knows more than everyone else on earth?” Turnabout is, after all, fair play.
A better, less confrontational way to answer it is: “Before I answer that, answer me this. Do you believe the Governing Body knows more than Jesus Christ.” If they answer, as they likely will, “Of course not.” You can reply, “Then let me show you what Jesus—not I—has to say on the question we’re discussing.”
Of course, the quiet and mild spirit will answer this way while the man we are within—the weak man of flesh—wants to grab the questioner by the shoulders and shake him senseless, screaming, “How can you even ask me that after all the mistakes you’ve seen them make over the years? Are you blind?!”
But we do not give in to such urges. We take a deep breath and try to reach the heart.
Actually, this frequently voiced challenge brings to mind another similar challenge made when an ancient authority was being put in a bad light.
(John 7:48, 49) . . .Not one of the rulers or of the Pharisees has put faith in him, has he? 49 But this crowd who do not know the Law are accursed people.”
They were convinced their reasoning was unassailable. How could these lowly, accursed people know the deep things of God? Was that not the sole providence of the wise and intellectual ones, the leaders of the Jewish people? Why, from time immemorial, they had been Jehovah’s Appointed Channel of Communication and Revelation.
Jesus knew otherwise and said so:
(Matthew 11:25, 26) . . .“I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children. 26 Yes, O Father, because this is the way you approved.
Since the way approved of by God to reveal hidden things is through babes—the foolish things of this system—the current belief of Jehovah’s Witnesses that all truth comes through the exalted office of the Governing Body must be wrong. Or has Jehovah changed his mind and his way of doing things?
I submit as evidence the “Question from Readers” in the August 15, Watchtower. You will soon be able to read it for yourselves off jw.org. It deals with the question of whether the resurrected will marry. (Luke 20:34-36) At long last—after many decades—we are seeing reason. If you want to read what we had to say about this subject on Beroean Pickets back in June of 2012, check out Can the Resurrected Marry? Actually, that post merely put into words what I had believed for decades. The fact that these truths were evident to good-for-nothing slaves like Apollos and yours truly, and countless others besides, surely proves that the Governing Body cannot be Jehovah’s Appointed Channel of Communication. Jehovah reveals his truth to babes. It is the possession of all of us, not of a select few.
There are likely many sincere brothers and sisters reading this who might be reasoning that we are running ahead; that we should have kept quiet; that only now is the time for Jehovah to reveal this new truth, and so we should have been waiting on him all along. According to the Governing Body, I and others like me have been sinning for decades by testing Jehovah in our heart just for holding to this contrary, albeit correct belief.
It is true that Jehovah has progressively revealed truth. For instance, the nature and person of the Messiah was part of a sacred secret kept hidden for four thousand years. However—and this is the key point—once Jehovah reveals a hidden truth, he does so to all. There is no small elect group that holds the secrets of divine wisdom; no tiny cadre of privileged ones with special knowledge. True, divine knowledge is not the possession of all, but that is by their wish, not God’s. (2 Peter 3:5) He makes his truth available to all. His holy spirit operates on people not institutions or organization—on people, individuals. Truth is revealed to all genuinely thirsting for it. Once you have it, you have a divinely mandated obligation to share it with others. There is no sitting on it while waiting for a group of men who are self-admittedly not inspired to give us the go-ahead. (Matthew 5:15, 16)
Since we are speaking of presumptuousness, just how presumptuous has it been for us all these decades—since 1954 at least—to audaciously claim we know how Jehovah is going to deal with the thorny question of marriage among resurrected ones on earth? There you have a truth whose time to be revealed has not yet come. Who’s running ahead now?
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Comment by Chris on 2014-05-10 08:11:04
I so agree with this. I was speaking to a sister the other day and asked her "So many people in different churches have come off of drugs and turned their lives around and become great people. This is done with the Holy Spirit and Gods help. So why would god help these individuals and then destroy them in Armageddon? Because they don't believe that the dead are asleep, or we don't go to heaven?" Those are so frivolous in the scheme of thing. We say that in the millennium that we will teach the resurrected the truth. Buy aren't most of the truths that we believe frivolous in the new system such as the resurrection, where are the dead, what happens when we die, do we go to heaven". All pointless in the resurrection. So what will we teach them? Makes me wonder what truth we think we have are so much better than other Christians. I was reading my friends notes the other day from her church. They say the exact same thing we do so what makes us better than them. I feel like when I logic from the bible with people and they speak what they feel I feel like a Pharisee quoting scriptures. Just doesn't feel right. The bIble says that he who exalts himself will be humbled.
Comment by Chris on 2014-05-10 08:15:56
I often ask JWs what makes us true Christians. They lost off things like we don't believe in the trinity, Christmas and multiple other things. But those in the Restored Church of God or Christadelphians believe the same thing. So why Would they be considered false Christians. They after direct me to the faithful and discreet slave and organization. I say why would God pick me of someone who believes as we do and is in another church reject them? Because they don't belong to the watchtower? Jehovah didn't design Christianity so I can come to the watchtower. He died for all
Comment by JB on 2014-05-10 08:25:12
Meleti, I've had a look at the article about resurrection you referred, as it's one of the interesting points for me.
Here's something that I find hard to explain. The statement about being "like angels" which exclude them from marrying and consequently having descendance seem to be conflicting with the Nephilim accounts and the very point about Jesus' birth itself. The common point being that it all was, somehow, through non-human causes.
So the possibility for any non-human to be involved with humans in a similar area seems to be a point to consider based on these accounts.
We do have a desire to see our better half when we think about resurrection and the idea of reuniting may be a dear thought for many. I don't think our instincts and desires would have to change. This said, Paul mentioned widows could marry again, which is followed by quite a number of people.
My conviction is that no matter what happens, it'll make sense to us, and we won't suffer from it, but here is a thought.
Our today's view of a union between a man and woman has an important aspect that is very exclusive which is the intimacy and having children. Although the emotions are tied to this, it's mostly a survival instinct.
In our today's life expectancy, spending a 100 years without such "closeness" between man and woman would erase humanity from the surface of the earth. This is our guarantee for sustaining the human race, and it's an "urge" to maintain such a focus.
When in the long run, without this urge for sustaining the human race, would our instincts, and our view of life, family and unions change ? That's probably to be seen. Without being a scientific expert, I think that other than all emotional and physical reasons, this long held survivial instinct makes such exclusive unions and eventually, sex such a focus point. I'm not sure to know what the picture would look like when such conditions are no longer in application and what the effects would be, in the long run, upon our instincts and our way of seeing different things in life.Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2014-05-10 10:37:18
HI JB,
All we can say for sure is that those resurrected to heavenly life will not marry. That is clear because it is what Jesus has expressly stated. As to how humans will marry in the new order, we can only speculate. We have only one marriage performed during times of perfection to go by. That was an arranged marriage. Would subsequent marriages have been arranged? Speculation. Who knows.
Comment by Katrina on 2014-05-10 09:57:53
I know for discussing this point with other sisters for many years they never believed the GB interpretation of the resurrected and marriage, but of course they would not discuss this with elders.
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2014-05-10 10:34:21
What you say illustrates something I've come to believe. The Holy Spirit speaks through faithful ones, not a small group of leaders. Such ones hold the truth in their heart, so when the GB belatedly comes to the realization that they've been wrong and publishes "new light" on the subject, there is quiet acceptance because the majority knew that truth all along and are now happy that big brother is finally up to speed.
Comment by MakeSureOfAllThings on 2014-05-10 19:19:03
Reblogged this on Make Sure of All Things.
Comment by GodsWordIsTruth on 2014-05-11 13:17:48
My COBE ruined the consideration of this WT. He turned every single paragraph into a local needs part.(Some people don't show up for the meetings unless they are giving a talk, We need more volunteers to clean the assembly hall, turn in FS reports on time , arrange time to take the CO next week etc. )
This WT contains good counsel and a beautiful underlying message. I wish he would have stuck to the script.
Comment by GodsWordIsTruth on 2014-05-11 13:18:44
My comment belongs on the self sacrifice WT thread :/
Comment by GodsWordIsTruth on 2014-05-11 13:34:32
Personally, who cares that they are wrong from time to time. I'm wrong. So what they misunderstood this particular scripture?
The problem is that they demand obedience that belongs only to Jehovah. They want us to be loyal to their wrong teachings. Why??? The nerve! Why can't they be humble enough to accept direction and teaching from all the capable brothers in our organization? I am coming to believe that they are missing out on the untapped potential this organization.
Meleti ,Apollos and the other brothers on the DTT site are glaring examples of the potential (pearls)that they are willing to throw away because of their haughtiness.Reply by search4truth on 2014-05-12 17:24:48
It's same story as was it back then. They demand unity and obedience. One sister told week ago, obedience is what Jehova wants from us and if we are told to wear red shoes next meeting we should do it. (Welsh Trial 1954) Q. It was promulgated as a matter which must be believed by all members of Jehovah's witnesses that the Lord's Second Coming took place in 1874?
(A short discussion of evidence given by Fred W Franz about 1874 takes place here.)
Q. That was the publication of false prophecy?
A. That was the publication of a false prophecy, it was a false statement or an erroneous statement in fulfillment of a prophecy that was false or erroneous.Q. And that had to be believed by the whole of Jehovah's Witnesses?
A. Yes, because you must understand, we must have unity, we cannot have disunity with a lot of people going every way, an army is supposed to march in step.
Q. Back to the point now, a false prophecy was promulgated? A. I agree to that.Q. It had to be accepted by Jehovah's witnesses?
A. That is correct.Q. If a member of Jehovah's witnesses took the view himself that that prophecy was wrong, and said so, would he be disfellowshipped?
A. Yes, if he said so, and kept on persisting in creating trouble, because if the whole organisation believes one thing, even though it be erroneous, and somebody else starts on his own trying to put his ideas across, then there is a disunity and trouble, there cannot be harmony, there cannot be marching ...... Our purpose is to haveunity. Q. Unity at all costs?
A. Unity at all costs, because we believe and are sure that Jehovah God is using our organisation,the governing body of our organisation, to direct it, even though mistakes are made from time to time. Q. A unity based on an enforced acceptance of false prophecy? A. That is conceded to be true.
Q. And the person who expresses his view, as you say, that it was wrong, and was disfellowshipped, would be in breach of the covenant, if he was baptised?
A. That is correct.Q. And as you said yesterday expressly, would be worthy of death?
A. I think....
Q. Would you say yes or no?
A. I will answer yes, unhesitatingly.Q. Do you call that religion?
A. It certainly is.Q. Do you call that Christianity?
A. I certainly do.
Comment by Katrina on 2014-05-11 19:32:34
GWIT wrote
"Meleti ,Apollos and the other brothers on the DTT site are glaring examples of the potential (pearls)that they are willing to throw away because of their haughtiness."
So very true, I have found the articles written by these brothers and others I have read on the net are outstanding spiritual meaty and full of scriptures that show sound meaning and logic.
It is a shame that the GB are so self obsessed with their position of authority, sadly they to are missing out on being feed with excellent spiritual food, may be they are in fear and who knows could possibly be jealous.
One should not think of the org as Gods people but rather the Christian congregation, what does Jehovah have to do with lawyers, and other secular things.
http://perimeno.ca/Sacred_and_Secular.htm
Comment by Nick O. on 2014-05-15 14:43:34
The article is online now for viewing...
It's beginning to be a rarity to have an issue without a "Korah" article. This August 15 issue again has another Korah mention: "the rebels made independent arrangements to worship Jehovah. How did Jehovah respond? He executed them."Reply by GodsWordIsTruth on 2014-05-16 12:10:03
"How did Jehovah respond? He executed them.”
This wording so unnecessary and clearly an attempt to fear monger. I get so annoyed when people say that Jehovah murders, kills or executes humans. Jehovah doesn’t execute or kill like a imperfect human does . It is divine judgment not capital punishment. Jehovah is not a bloodthirsty God killing people who do not side with Him . GB would have us believe that Jehovah is going to kill us if we disagree with their false and/or misguided teachings .
Comment by Dolo on 2015-08-16 15:18:52
I hope everybody can marry. I hurt if someone could not get marry and sometimes I feel anxiety because I think God perhaps doesn´t leave some people marry. I think It wuoldn't be just if someone who died couldn't get marry because that person dind't decide to die and didn't have fault to born so much years ago and not to live in this times. The purpose of God was every man and every woman could marry and I believe It will be like this. This hope is my last chance to live in paradise and without this hope I wouldn't have motivation to fight to get eternal life.