Bible Study – Chapter 2 Par. 1-12
The question for the opening two paragraphs of this week’s study asks: “What was the greatest event ever to occur in world history…?” While this is a highly subjective question, one might well excuse a Christian for answering: The Coming of the Messiah!
However, that is not the answer the paragraph is looking for. The correct answer apparently is the invisible establishment of the kingdom of Christ in 1914.
Let’s think about this for a moment from the viewpoint of JW theology. Last week we learned that Christ began ruling as king in 33 C.E. when he went to heaven to sit at God’s right hand waiting for his Father to subdue his enemies for him. (Ps 110:1-2; He 10:12-13) However, according to the publications of the Society, that rule was only over the congregation. Then, in 1914, the kingdom was “established” in the heavens and Christ began ruling over the world. However, his enemies have not been subdued. In fact, they are largely unaware of this “greatest event ever to occur in world history.” False religion still rules the world. The nations are far more powerful than ever before, capable now of eradicating all life on the planet in a matter of hours.
One might well ask, “What has changed since 33 C.E.? What exactly did Jehovah do in 1914 that would qualify as “establishing the kingdom” that hadn’t already been accomplished in the first century? Where are the visible manifestations of the "greatest event of human history"? It would seem it was a fizzle!
The publications like to talk about 1914 as the year in which the kingdom was “established”. The first definition for the word “establish” is “to set up (an organization, system, or set of rules) on a firm or permanent basis.” From what Hebrews 10:12-13 says, it appears that the kingdom was established in 33 C. E. Was there another organization, system, or set of rules firmly established in heaven in 1914? Consider this: Is there a higher position in all the universe than to sit at the right hand of God? Can any King, President, or Emperor claim more power and status than the King who sits at God’s right hand? That happened to Jesus and it happened in 33 C.E.
So is it not both reasonable and scriptural to say that Jesus began ruling as king in the first century? That the nations would be allowed to continue ruling for a time during his kingship is confirmed by Hebrews 10:13.
The sequence is: 1) Our King sits at God’s right hand waiting for his enemies to be subdued, and 2) his enemies are eventually subdued so that his rule can fill the earth. There are just two steps or phases. This is confirmed by Daniel the Prophet.
“You looked on until a stone was cut out, not by hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and of clay and crushed them. 35 At that time the iron, the clay, the copper, the silver, and the gold were, all together, crushed and became like the chaff from the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a large mountain, and it filled the whole earth.” (Da 2:34, 35)
The first two verses we are considering describe Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. There are two events of significance: 1) a stone was cut out of the mountain, and 2) it destroys the statue.
“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever, 45 just as you saw that out of the mountain a stone was cut not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the copper, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The Grand God has made known to the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.” (Da 2:44, 45)
These next two verses provide us with the interpretation of the dream described in verses 34 and 35: 1) The stone represents the establishment of God’s kingdom during the time that the kings represented by the various elements of the statue are still in existence; and 2) God’s kingdom destroys all of those kings at some point in time after it is set up or “established”.
In Psalm 110, Hebrews 10, and Daniel 2, only two events are described. There is no room for a third event. However, between the first century establishment of the Kingdom and the final war with the nations, Jehovah’s Witnesses try to sandwich in a third event—a sort of enhanced establishment of the kingdom. Kingdom 2.0 in modern parlance.
“My Messenger . . . Will Clear Up a Way Before Me”
For paragraphs 3-5, the questions to be answered are:
- “Who was “the messenger of the covenant” mentioned in Malachi 3:1?”
- “What would happen before “the messenger of the covenant” would come to the temple?”
Now if you are a real Bible student, you’d likely use the cross references found in the NWT and other Bibles to will take you to Matthew 11:10. There Jesus is speaking of John the Baptist. He says, “This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Look! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way ahead of you!’”
Jesus is quoting from Malachi 3:1, so you can safely answer the (b) question by saying "John the Baptist". Alas, the conductor is not likely to accept that as the right answer, at least not according to the book God’s Kingdom Rules.
Notice that in Malachi 3:1, Jehovah is speaking of three distinct roles: 1) the messenger sent to clear the way before the appearance of 2) the true Lord, and 3) the messenger of the covenant. Since Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was the messenger sent to clear the way, it follows that Jesus is the true Lord. (Re 17:14; 1Co 8:6) However, Jesus also bears the role of the messenger of the covenant. (Luke 1:68-73; 1Co 11:25) So Jesus fills both the second and third roles foretold by Malachi.
As we look at the rest of Malachi’s prophecy, it becomes obvious to any student of Bible history that Jesus fulfilled all these words by his work during his 3½ year ministry. He did indeed come to the temple – the literal temple, not some fictional "earthly courtyard" – and as Malachi prophesied, he did indeed perform a cleansing work of the sons of Levi. He brought about a new covenant and as a result of his cleansing work, a new priestly class was brought into existence, the spiritual sons of Levi, or as Paul puts it to the Galatians, “the Israel of God.” (Ga 6:16)
Lamentably, none of this benefits an Organization looking for scriptural justification of its own existence. They seek a Bible endorsement for their ‘their place and their nation.’ (John 11:48) So they have come up with a secondary fulfillment—a now-disavowed antitypical fulfillment—not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.[i] In this fulfillment, the temple isn’t really the temple, but a part never mentioned in the Bible, the “earthly courtyard”. Also, though Jehovah is speaking about the true Lord, he’s not referring to Jesus, but to himself. Jesus is left as the messenger of the covenant, having had his “true Lord” status revoked by Watchtower doctrine. Instead, we are to believe that the messenger who prepares the way is C. T. Russell and his associates.
The rest of the study is devoted to “proving” that Russell and his close associates fulfill the alleged secondary fulfillment of Malachi’s words concerning the messenger that clears the way. This is based on the belief that by freeing the Bible students of the false belief in the Trinity, the immortality of the human soul, and Hell Fire, these men were preparing the way for the true Lord, Jehovah, and the messenger of the covenant, Jesus Christ, to inspect the earthly courtyard of the temple following 1914.
Most witnesses reading this will come to believe that only the Bible students were freed of these doctrines. A simple internet search will reveal a list of Christian denominations which reject some or all of these doctrines as well. Be that as it may, if we are to accept the premise that freeing oneself from false doctrine constitutes a fulfillment of Malachi 3:1, then Russell cannot be our man.
John the Baptist was undeniably the messenger that cleared the way, based on Jesus’ own words at Matthew 11:10. He was also the greatest man of his age. (Mt 11:11) Was Russell a fitting modern-day counterpart to John the Baptist? Admittedly, he started out well. As a young man, he was influenced by Adventist ministers George Storrs and George Stetson and from his early studies with a group of dedicated Bible students, he freed himself of such false doctrines as a triune God, eternal torment in Hell, and the immortal human soul. It seems he also rejected prophetic chronology in his early years. If he had stayed that course, who knows what might have resulted. That a faithful course of adherence to the truth would constitute a secondary fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 is another question entirely, but even allowing for such an interpretation, Russell and associates did not fit the bill. Why can we say that with such confidence? Because we have the record of history to go by.
Here is a quote from the 1910 edition of Studies in the Scriptures Vol 3. Regarding the pyramid of Giza, which Russell called “the Bible in Stone”, we read:
“So, then, if we measure backward down the “First Ascending Passage” to its junction with the “Entrance Passage,” we shall have a fixed date to mark upon the downward passage. This measure is 1542 inches, and indicates the year BC 1542, as the date at that point. Then measuring down the “Entrance Passage” from that point, to find the distance to the entrance of the “Pit,” representing the great trouble and destruction with which this age is to close, when evil will be overthrown from power, we find it to be 3457 inches, symbolizing 3457 years from the above date, BC 1542. This calculation shows AD. 1915 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble; for 1542 years BC plus 1915 years AD. equals 3457 years. Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation — no, nor ever shall be afterward. And thus it will be noted that this “Witness” fully corroborates the’ Bible testimony on this subject…”
Besides the ludicrous idea that God encoded Bible chronology into the fabrication of an Egyptian pyramid, we have the outrageous teaching that a nation steeped in paganism should be the source of divine revelation. Russell's unbroken chain of failed chronological predictions would be enough to discredit him and associates as the modern-day John the Baptist, but should any doubt remain, surely their dalliance into paganism—the sun-god Horus symbol festoons the cover of Studies in the Scriptures—should be more than enough for us to see that the Governing Body’s interpretation of Malachi 3:1 is bunk.
Sure of itself, the book continues saying:
“As its full title suggested, the journal Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence was deeply concerned with prophecies pertaining to Christ’s presence. The faithful anointed writers who contributed to that journal saw that Daniel’s prophecy regarding the “seven times” had a bearing on the timing of the fulfillment of God’s purposes regarding the Messianic Kingdom. As early as the 1870’s, they pointed to 1914 as the year when those seven times would end. (Dan. 4:25; Luke 21:24) Although our brothers of that era did not yet grasp the full significance of that marked year, they proclaimed what they knew far and wide, with long-lasting effects.” – par. 10
All but a tiny minority of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world are going to read this paragraph and understand it to mean that Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence was heralding the 1914 invisible presence of Christ. In truth, the magazine was heralding a presence they thought had already begun in 1874. The article, 1914 in Context, demonstrates that the so-called Bible-based chronology of the Bible Students upon which so much of our current doctrine is based is a long succession of failed fictional interpretation. To say, as the paragraph does, that “our brothers of that era did not yet grasp the full significance of that marked year” is like saying that the Catholic Church of the middle ages did not yet grasp the full significance of their teaching that the earth is the center of the universe. Truly, we can now say that the full significance of the Bible Students belief in 1914 as a marked year is that their entire belief system is based on a fiction for which there is no basis in Scripture.
What makes this all the worse is that they claim Jehovah God is responsible for it all.
“Above all, he [Russell] gave credit to Jehovah God, the one responsible for teaching His people what they need to know when they need to know it.” – par. 11
Are we to believe that Jehovah taught his people the fiction of the 1874 presence of Christ because that’s what they needed to know then? Are we to believe that he deceived them with the false teaching that 1914 would be the start of the great tribulation—a teaching that was only abandoned in 1969—because they needed to know that fiction? Does Jehovah mislead his children? Does the Almighty lie to his little ones?
What a horrible thing to claim, yet we are left with that conclusion if we are to accept what paragraph 11 says.
How should we feel about such things? Should we just slough it off as the failings of imperfect men? Should we “not make a big deal about it”? Paul said, “Who is not stumbled, and I am not incensed?” We should be angry about these things. Deception on a massive scale leading men astray! When some realize the extent of the deception, what will they do? Many will leave God entirely; become stumbled. This is not speculation. A quick scan of internet forums shows that there are many thousands who have fallen by the wayside at the realization that they’ve been misled all their lives. These ones incorrectly blame God, but is that not because they’ve been told God is responsible for all these teachings?
It would appear that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg in the past two studies. We will see what next week brings us.
_______________________________________________
[i] In summing up our new position on the use of types and antitypes, David Splane stated at the 2014 Annual Meeting Program:
“Who is to decide if a person or an event is a type if the word of God doesn’t say anything about it? Who is qualified to do that? Our answer? We can do no better than to quote our beloved brother Albert Schroeder who said, “We need to exercise great care when applying accounts in the Hebrew Scriptures as prophetic patterns or types if these accounts are not applied in the Scriptures themselves.” Wasn’t that a beautiful statement? We agree with it.” (See 2:13 mark of video)
Then, around the 2:18 mark, Splane gives the example of one brother Arch W. Smith who loved the belief we once held in the significance of pyramids. However, then the 1928 Watchtower nullified that doctrine, he accepted the change because, to quote Splane, “he let reason win out over emotion.” Splane then continues to say, “In recent times, the trend in our publications has been to look for the practical application of events and not for types where the Scriptures themselves do not clearly identify them as such. We simply cannot go beyond what is written.”
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Comment by vinman on 2016-10-03 22:31:54
Another awesome article! The chapter you reviewed, played a key role when I began to wake up. Malachi 3:1 application to Russell and associates, just sounded freaky when I read it. I knew immediately that it was not true and it angered me. Maybe like you alluded to, some will wake up because of this. Your quote of Russell's words concerning the pyramid and 1914 was interesting. So it seems the Watchtower twisted scripture later, in the book of Daniel, to make it fit the pyramid explanation that was given prior. Is that correct? If so, that is just weird.?
Reply by apollos0fAlexandria on 2016-10-04 08:00:24
Hi Vinman,
The application of Daniel was already in play well before Russell and his pyramidology.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Disappointment#/media/File:Millerite_1843_chart_2.jpg
The starting dates were adjusted after William Miller's "Great Disappointment", but essentially this was the framework that Russell ran with. He seemed to see the great pyramid as corroborating evidence rather than primary evidence.
All nonsense from top to bottom of course, but I think that's the way it came about.
Apollos
.Reply by Rufus on 2016-10-06 10:01:38
Perhaps we should call this meeting by its full name: OCLAMR!
Then review the source material for the discussion of the "greater fulfillment" of Mal. 3:1, by
looking at the July 15, 2013 WT Study Article "Look! I am With You All The Days"
A MESSENGER ‘CLEARS UP A WAY’
5. How was Malachi’s prophecy fulfilled in the first century?
5 Centuries before Jesus gave the illustration of the wheat and the weeds, Jehovah inspired his prophet Malachi to foretell events that are reflected in Jesus’ illustration. (Read Malachi 3:1-4.) John the Baptizer was the ‘messenger who cleared up the way.’ (Matt. 11:10, 11) When he came in 29 C.E., a time of judgment for the nation of Israel had drawn close. Jesus was the second messenger. He cleansed the temple in Jerusalem twice—first at the start of his ministry and second toward the end. (Matt. 21:12, 13; John 2:14-17) Hence, Jesus’ cleansing work involved a period of time.
6. (a) What is the larger fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy? (b) During what time period did Jesus inspect the spiritual temple? (See also endnote.)
6 What is the larger fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy? During the decades leading up to 1914, C. T. Russell and his close associates did a work like that of John the Baptizer. That vital work involved restoring Bible truths. The Bible Students taught the true meaning of Christ’s ransom sacrifice, exposed the hellfire lie, and proclaimed the coming end of the Gentile Times. Still, there were numerous religious groups who claimed to be Christ’s followers. So a crucial question needed to be answered: Who among those groups were the wheat? To settle that question, Jesus began to inspect the spiritual temple in 1914. That inspection and cleansing work involved a period of time—from 1914 to the early part of 1919.*
YEARS OF INSPECTION AND CLEANSING
7. When Jesus began his inspection in 1914, what did he find?
7 When Jesus began his inspection, what did he find? A small group of zealous Bible Students who for well over 30 years had given their strength and fortunes to pursue a vigorous preaching campaign.* What a joy it must have been for Jesus and the angels to find that those relatively few but sturdy wheat stalks had not been choked by Satan’s weeds! Still, there arose a need to “cleanse the sons of Levi,” the anointed ones. (Mal. 3:2, 3; 1 Pet. 4:17) Why so?
8. What developments took place after 1914?
8 In late 1914, some Bible Students were disheartened because they had not gone to heaven. During 1915 and 1916, opposition from outside the organization slowed down the preaching work. Worse, after Brother Russell’s death in October 1916, opposition arose from inside the organization. Four of the seven directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society rebelled against the decision to have Brother Rutherford take the lead. They tried to cause division among the brothers, but in August 1917, they left Bethel—a cleansing indeed! Also, some Bible Students gave in to the fear of man. Still, as a whole they willingly responded to Jesus’ cleansing work and made the needed changes. Hence, Jesus judged them to be true Christian wheat, but he rejected all imitation Christians, including all of those found within the churches of Christendom. (Mal. 3:5; 2 Tim. 2:19) found within the churches of Christendom. (Mal. 3:5; 2 Tim. 2:19)
[End WT citation]
These four paragraphs alone provide a wealth of mis-direction, and grounds for fruitful mediation and clarifying research.
In the meeting, there is a review question, "Who fulfilled the prophecy of Mal. 3:1?"
I boldly answered "John the Baptist."
I regret that I cannot share the face of the conductor. However, my 40 plus years of eldership knowledge were brushed aside with a shrug and then a scowl, and then a child was called on to give the correct answer, "Charles Taze Russell." The child was rewarded with warm approbation from the conductor.
Now, granted, there is a certain parallel. John the Baptist was thought to be the messiah by many at the time. But he proved to the one "crying in the wilderness." He "cleared the way" in the sense that he taught and performed a baptism of repentance, a necessary preparatory condition for accepting the ransom sacrifice of the Christ, yet to be carried out on the cross, er, stake.
So if we take the longer view, Russell and the JW movement for the 100 years following his death on Oct 31, 1916 in a rail car in Pampa Texas (pictured in the meeting graphic), are engaged in a work of preparing a people for the Kingdom. Shall we celebrate a century of this work three weeks from Monday? (Happy Birthday, new century?)
But what is that preparation? Like John repentance, "Jehovah's People" must repent, all 8 million, from their rejection of their invitation by spirit to join in brotherhood with Christ and the opportunity they pass by each year to partake in the "freedom of the sons of God."
Reply by tyhik on 2016-10-04 10:51:29
vinman: "The chapter you reviewed, played a key role when I began to wake up."
Yeah, choosing this book for study was an arrogant move by the GB. Some of those who have eyes, might start seeing now. This is the only, but important, positive side of their choice.
Comment by kyaecker on 2016-10-04 00:22:48
Amazing how far it is going. Thank you for the discussion on this book, it really help tremendously.
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-10-04 07:49:18
My pleasure, and welcome Kyaecher.
Comment by apollos0fAlexandria on 2016-10-04 07:41:02
A great analysis Meleti, and a very clear explanation of the Malachi 3 prophecy.
It's hard not to look at that picture of the Bible at the bottom of the pile of Russell's books as being somewhat symbolic of his pride.
"If the 6 volumes of 'Scripture Studies' are practically the Bible topically arranged, with Bible proof-texts given, we might not improperly name the volumes- 'The Bible' in an arranged form. That is to say, they are not merely comments on the Bible, but they are practically the Bible itself...Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible itself, but we see also that if anyone lays the 'Scripture Studies' ... after he has read them for 10 years-if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone...our experience shows that within 2 years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he has merely read the 'S.S.' with their references, and had not read a page of the Bible, as such, he would be in the light at the end of the two years." (Watchtower, Sept 15, 1910)Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-10-04 07:48:31
What an amazingly arrogant quote that is. Thanks for sharing, Apollos.
Comment by Leonardo Josephus on 2016-10-04 10:12:07
Excellent article, Meliti. Love the final quote "We simply cannot go beyond what is written". What you have failed to point out is that the expression probably misses the words "in our publications". If only WT would stick by what they meant, not going beyond what is written in the Bible. Oh, and mean it.
Do keep up your excellent work.
Comment by lazarus on 2016-10-04 16:04:42
Nice article Meleti, again breaking down the wall, one brick at a time. A bit like Babylon the Great, it can be done.
Do you inspect a house, or several homes before you purchase or rent and settle? This inspection process can go on for months and sometimes years. Likewise, this spiritual inspection has been going on since 1874, no 1914, sorry typo error. So, We're saying there was no Organisation that God or Christ was using, fine. But there was one (brother Russell), who was a member of the Presbyterian Church at 13 years old, he joined the Congregational Church. So, he was a voice crying out in the wilderness, repent! To the members of the Congregational church. No, He started his own Bible study group , to be called IBSA, okay! So, Where's the pattern. Well , John the Baptist was part of the True Religion, and prepared the way for the Lord, but we're saying non such like, true worshippers existed. Yes/No maybe. In the words of Bro T Morris" you can't make this stuff up."
As for the rest, of mal 3 does it fit. You explained it just right I believe.
Well, how does our history, especially since 1914, fit into this passage of prophesy, By counting of the 42 months 31/2 years in Rev 13, I think.
So, Satan is cast down in Oct 1, no I think it was oct 4/5 1914
Jesus inspection then comes;
Oct 1915 = 1 year
Oct 1916 = 2 years
Oct 1917 = 3 years
Apr 1918 = 3 1/2 years
How does it become 1919 rather than 1918?
1919, the Matt 24:45-47 (F & D Slave=GB) got the official, handshake, they were officially elected as Refined and ready to dispense, Christ's spiritual food.
Also you have the wheat and the weeds, sheep and goats, whatever happened to the Evil slave, his become a figment of ones imagination, the inspection of gods house, Peter talked about, in fact how does the whole arrival fit in to this period of time, and a handful of bible students observed his return globally?theres the problem, the organisation is trying to squash , squeeze the square peg in the round hole. And 100 years later we're still being refined, we're still preaching and we're not in paradise.
I know 2 Peter 3:9.
Well by claiming that Jesus has already come inspected, chose the IBSA, and as the refiner -all this is the GB's claim is a boast , that is not founded on any tangible evidence from our Master he inspected and refined them. This claim is based on pure distortion of scriptural application. It's there own boast that this was the team picked. Yet no one asked the coach if that was true. How could they he is invisible ( parousia).
Yes true, things went on in Bethel, please Check yearbook of 1975, has some interesting going ons in Bethel. Ok.
Well then, studies in the scriptures should be our Go to book, seeing Bro Russell was named the Laodicean Messenger, or a type of Messenger like John the Baptist, but no , it doesn't even get mentioned and most JW!s would not even consider study them or
know they exist. Why Not?
I wrote this whilst doing some cardio, I hope it makes sense.
Comment by Leonardo Josephus on 2016-10-05 06:37:03
Thank you Meleti. I read the article before the meeting and left my comments. I now realise why I struggled to work out what the Kingdom book was saying about the true Lord being Jehovah. Thank you for your attempts to explain the verses in Malachi.
Comment by william on 2016-10-06 12:59:44
Mileti, you mentioned that you know that other denominations reject hell-fire. I know a little, but not all, of the history of the hellfire controversy. So the information below might interest somebody. Or it might be more than you want to know.
I found a copy of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose online. That book also gives the impression that the Russellites were the original “No-hellers.” It says: “This so aroused the anger of some prominent religious leaders and evangelists that these early Witnesses were often derisively called “No-hellers.” There is no credit given to George Campbell or the Univeralists.
The Universalists rejected hell-fire because they believed in universal salvation. Notice the use of the expression “no-heller” in a Universalist sermon from 1845 below, from the Universalist Union, Saturday, July 5, 1845. Volume X, page 534, in an article called Occasional Sermon, Delivered before the Pennsylania convention of Universalists, at Montrose, Pa. June 11, 1845.:
"... 1. As we have already said, our way, so far has been a way of conflict and defence; and from the position we have occupied, much of our preaching has been to show that the bible does not each endless wo. This style of preaching may be well adapted to draw men out of the house of bondage, but it will not give them that freedom they desire. It make them no-hellers, or anti-orthodox; but it will not make them christians. Its necessity we think has, in a great measure passed away, and it is now time to preach what the Bible does teach - christianity - Universalism.”
Apparently as early as 1789, George Campbell had published an analysis of the Biblical words for hell in a Dissertation VI, Part II “Αιδης AND Γεεννα” (beginning on page 168 in Volume I of The Four Gospels. (I found an 1839 printing of the book on Google Advanced Book Search.) Walter Balfour, a Universalist, was inspired by George Campbell to write “An Inquiry into the Scriptural Import of the Words Sheol, Hades, Tartarus, Gehenna, All Translated Hell in the Common English Version,” the 1st edition of which was published in 1824, the 2nd in 1825, the 3rd in 1832. There were other Universalists books besides Balfour's against hellfire.
Comment by lazarus on 2016-10-06 15:34:24
Last night at our meeting, I went up to a older, elder and jokingly said to him" so the laodecian messenger, has a place in bible prophecy" he then said, "yes & it said his associates" ok I just smiled. He then said they need to scrap the Revelation commentary book. I agreed.
Then another older brother overheard our conversation, he came up and said, I thought the John the Baptist was a forunner to Jesus , so I agreed with him. Interesting.
So I decided to answer , I quoted 1 Peter 4:7- mal 3:1 , that judgment starts first in the house of God, but never tied that to anytime period.
So, the brother had to ask additional questions, lol.
Comment by mailman on 2016-10-07 02:32:40
I just read the book as we will be attending tonight's mid-week meeting. What can I say? Thanks Meleti for another enlightening article.
I was surprised why the Society did not even mention the original and true application of Mal. 3:1 and bypassed everything to the modern era to make it appear that the bible students were all set to be God's new anointed and chosen nation?
If I remember it correctly, WT publishers are known for stating first the original fulfillment of the scriptures (e.g. prophecy) and 2nd fulfillment (anti-type). By disregarding the original and true fulfillment, it made appear that this current interpretation is the sole application of the verse notwithstanding the evidence to the contrary, including scriptures that well support Meleti's view.
What happened now to our practice of letting the Bible interpret itself? Aren't other related and supporting scriptures supposed to justify another scripture for clearer bible understanding? Why force Russel & co. into the picture when the real meaning can just be gleaned from other supporting scriptures?
Comment by 2017, March 27-April 2 – Our Christian Life and Ministry | Beroean Pickets - JW.org Reviewer on 2017-03-27 18:06:13
[…] For a discussion of the messenger of the covenant, the proper application of Malachi 3 and a review of the Watchtower application, see the CLAM review of Oct 3-9, 2016. […]