[From ws1/16 p. 17 for March 14-21]
“The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.”—Rom. 8:16
With this article and the next, the Governing Body is attempting to reaffirm the interpretation that Judge Rutherford made in the August 1 and 15 Watchtower to the effect that only 144,000 Christians are spirit anointed.[i] As a consequence of this interpretation, on March 23rd of this year, millions of faithful Christians will sit quietly by while the emblems that represent Christ’s life-saving sacrifice are passed in front of them. They will not partake. They will only observe. They will do this out of obedience.
The question is: Obedience to whom? To Jesus? Or to men?
When our Lord instituted what has come to be called “The Last Supper”, or as Witnesses prefer, “The Lord’s Evening Meal”, he passed the bread and the wine, giving his disciples the command to “keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Lu 22:19) Paul imparted additional information about this occasion when writing to the Corinthians:
“. . .and after giving thanks, he broke it and said: “This means my body, which is in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” 25 He did the same with the cup also, after they had the evening meal, saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he comes.” (1Co 11:24-26)
Keep doing what? Observing? Respectfully declining to participate? Paul clarifies when he says:
“For whenever you eat this loaf and drink this cup.…”
Clearly, it is the act of participating, of eating this loaf and drinking this cup which results in a proclaiming of the Lord’s death until he comes. Neither Jesus, nor Paul, nor any other Christian writer makes a provision for the vast majority of Christians to abstain.
The King of Kings has given us a command to partake of the emblems. Do we have to understand the why and wherefore before agreeing to obey? No chance! The King commands and we jump. Nevertheless our loving King has given us the reason for obedience and it is of surpassing goodness.
“So Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day;” (John 6:53, 54)
So given the above, why would anyone decline to partake of the emblems which symbolize eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood for everlasting life?
Yet millions do.
The reason is that they’ve been convinced that partaking would amount to disobedience; that this command is only for a select few, and to partake would be to sin against God.
The first time that someone suggested to a human that it was okay to disobey God, that there were exceptions to the rule, was in Eden. If you have a clearly expressed command from God and someone tells you it doesn’t apply to you, he had better have overwhelming proof; otherwise, you could be following in the footsteps of Eve.
Eve tried to blame the serpent but that didn't do her much good. We should never disobey a command of our Lord. Doing so under the excuse that men in authority told us it was okay, or because we are afraid of men and the reproach that might ensue for a faithful stand will just not cut it. When Jesus gave the illustration of the four slaves, one was faithful and discreet, and one was evil, but there were two more.
“Then that slave who understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do what he asked will be beaten with many strokes. 48 But the one who did not understand and yet did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few.” (Lu 12:47, 48)
Evidently, even if we disobey out of ignorance, we still get punished. Therefore, it is in our best interest to let the Governing Body make its point. If those men can prove their interpretation, then we can obey. On the other hand, if they do not provide any proof, then we have a decision to make. If we continue to refuse to partake, we must understand that we are no longer doing so in ignorance. Now we are like the slave who “understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do what he was asked.” His punishment is more severe.
Of course, we will not accept any argument based solely on the authority of men. We believe only what the Scriptures teach us, so the argument of the Governing Body must be Scriptural. Let us see.
The Governing Body’s Premise
The whole of the Governing Body’s support for Rutherford’s interpretation stems from the belief that there are only 144,000 slots to be filled and that Romans 8:16 is depicting some sort of “personal calling” that only a select group of people within the Christian congregation receive. These get a “special invitation” which is denied the rest. Only these are to be called the adopted children of God.
Based on the four review texts which will be used to summarize the article’s main points, we can see their position is:
- 2Co 1:21, 22 – God seals this elite class of anointed with a token, his spirit.
- 1:10, 11 – These are chosen and called to gain entrance to the kingdom.
- Ro 8:15, 16 – The spirit bears witness that these ones are God’s children.
- 1Jo 2:20, 27 – These have innate knowledge that they alone are called.
Let’s not stop at the verses quoted. Let’s review the context of these four “proof” texts.
Read the context of 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 and ask yourself if Paul is saying that only some of the Corinthians—or by extension, only some Christians throughout time—are being sealed with a spirit token.
Read the context of 2 Peter 1:10-11 and ask yourself if Peter is suggesting that certain Christians—then or now—are chosen from within the larger community to gain entrance into the kingdom while others are excluded.[ii]
Read the context of Romans 8:15-16 and ask yourself if Paul is speaking of two groups or three. He refers to following the flesh or following the spirit. One or the other. Do you see reference to a third group? A group that doesn’t follow the flesh, but also doesn’t receive the spirit?
Read the context of 1 John 2:20, 27 and ask yourself if John is suggesting that the knowledge of the spirit within us is the property of only some Christians.
Starting Off without a Premise
Jehovah’s Witnesses start with the belief that all have the hope of life eternal on Earth. This is the default position. We never question it. I never did. We want life on earth. We want to have beautiful bodies, to be eternally young, to have all the riches of the earth as our bounty. Who wouldn’t?
But wanting doesn’t make it so. What Jehovah wants for us as Christians should be what we want. So let’s not enter this discussion with preconceptions and personal desires. Let’s clear our minds and learn what the Bible actually teaches.
We’ll let the Governing Body make their case.
Paragraphs 2-4
These discuss the first outpouring of Holy Spirit at Pentecost and how 3,000 more were baptized that day and immediately all received the Spirit. The Governing Body teaches that nobody gets the Holy Spirit at baptism anymore. How will they get around this apparent contradiction with what the Scriptures show?
Before making the attempt, they first reinforce the idea of two hopes with this statement:
“So whether it is our hope to make our home in heaven with Jesus or to live forever on a paradise earth, our lives are deeply affected by the events of that day!” (Par. 4)
You will notice that no proof texts are provided—because there are none. Nevertheless, they know they are preaching to the choir for the most part, so simply restating the belief is enough to reinforce it in the minds of the faithful.
Paragraph 5
The first Christians got the spirit upon baptism. That doesn’t happen anymore, says the Governing Body. Here is where they try to provide Scriptural proof for this new teaching.
They point to the Samaritans who only got the spirit sometime after they were baptized. Then they show how the first Gentile converts got the spirit before baptism.[iii] (Acts 8:14-17; 10:44-48)
Does this show that God’s way of anointing Christians has changed in our day? No, not at all. The reason for this apparent disparity had to do with something Jesus foretold.
“Also, I say to you: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my congregation, and the gates of the Grave will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you may bind on earth will already be bound in the heavens, and whatever you may loosen on earth will already be loosened in the heavens.” (Mt 16:18, 19)
Peter was given the “keys of the Kingdom”. It was Peter who preached at Pentecost (the first key) when the first Jewish converts got the spirit. It was Peter who went to the baptized Samaritans (distant relatives of the Jews from the 10-tribe kingdom) to open the door for the outpouring of the spirit to them (the second key). And it was Peter who was divinely summoned to the household of Cornelius (the third key).
Why did the spirit come on those Gentiles before baptism? Likely to overcome the prejudice of Jewish indoctrination that would have otherwise made it difficult for Peter and those accompanying him to baptize Gentiles.
So the Governing Body is using the special case of the “keys of the kingdom”—Peter opening of the doors for the spirit to come in to these three groups—as proof that their teaching is Scriptural. Let us not get distracted. The question isn’t about when the spirit comes upon a Christian, but that it does—and to all. In the foregoing cases, no Christians were excluded from receiving the spirit.
The process is explained in these Scriptures:
“Did you receive holy spirit when YOU became believers?” They said to him: “Why, we have never heard whether there is a holy spirit.” 3 And he said: “In what, then, were YOU baptized?” They said: “In John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said: “John baptized with the baptism [in symbol] of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they got baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the holy spirit came upon them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 All together, there were about twelve men.” (Ac 19:2-7)
“By means of him also, after YOU believed, YOU were sealed with the promised holy spirit,” (Eph 1:13)
The process therefore is: 1) You believe, 2) you get baptized in Christ, 3) you receive the spirit. There is no process such as the Governing Body describes: 1) You believe, 2) you get baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 3) you get the spirit in one out of a thousand cases, but only after years of faithful service.
Paragraph 6
“So not all are anointed in exactly the same manner. Some may have had a rather sudden realization of their calling, while others experienced a more gradual realization.”
A “gradual realization”!? Based on the Governing Body’s teaching, God calls you directly. He sends his spirit and makes you aware that you have been touched by him in a special way, with a special realization of your upward calling. God’s calls do not experience technical difficulties. If he wants you to know something, you will know it. Does not a statement like this indicate that they are just making this up as they go along, trying to explain away situations that are the result of an unscriptural teaching? Where is there any Scriptural support for a gradual realization that God is communicating to you?
As proof of this sudden or gradual realization, they quote Eph. 1:13-14 which we just read above as proof that all get the spirit immediately after baptism. They would have us believe that encompassed in the word "after" is all the fullness of their teaching. Therefore, "after" means years or decades after and even then only in very rare cases.
Next, the Governing Body’s teaches: “Before receiving this personal witness from God’s spirit, these Christians cherished an earthly hope.” (Par. 13)
That certainly wasn’t the case in the first century. There is no evidence whatsoever of first century Christians entertaining the hope of life on earth. So why would we think that suddenly in 1934 all that changed?
Paragraph 7
“Does the Christian who receives this token have a guaranteed future in heaven?”
If you have not engaged your thinking ability, you may fall prey to this technique of asking a question based on an unproven premise. By answering the question, you are tacitly accepting its premise.
The article has not proven that only certain Christians receive this token. Their so-called proof texts (already cited) actually show that all Christians get this token. Hoping we haven’t noticed that, they would have us adopt the mindset that we are here only talking about a small group within the Christian congregation.
Paragraph 8 & 9
“The vast majority of God’s servants today may find this anointing process difficult to comprehend, and rightly so.” (Par. 8)
Do you find the Trinity doctrine difficult to comprehend? I do, and rightly so. Why? Because it originates from men, and therefore does not make sense scripturally. Actually, once one is freed from the indoctrination of decades, it becomes very easy to understand the anointing process. I am speaking from personal experience. Once I realized there was no mystical calling, but rather just the simple awareness of God’s purpose revealed clearly in Scripture, all the pieces fell into place. From e-mails I've received, this is a common occurrence.
After quoting Romans 8:15-16, the article next states:
“Simply put, by means of his holy spirit, God makes it clear to that person that he is invited to become a future heir in the Kingdom arrangement.” (Par. 9)
Before accepting this assertion blindly, please read all of chapter 8 of Romans. You will see that Paul’s purpose is to contrast two possible courses of action for Christians.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, on the things of the spirit.” (Ro 8:5)
How does that make sense if there are Christians that do not have the anointing of the spirit? What do they set their minds on? Paul gives us no third option.
“For setting the mind on the flesh means death, but setting the mind on the spirit means life and peace” (Ro 8:6)
Either we focus on the spirit or we focus on the flesh. Either we live in the spirit, or we die in the flesh. There is no provision for a class of Christian in whom the spirit does not dwell, and yet who is saved from the death that is owed to a minding of the flesh.
“However, you are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in you. But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him.” (Ro 8:9)
We can only be in harmony with the spirit if it dwells in us. Without it, we cannot belong to Christ. So what then of this so-called non-anointed class of Christian? Are we to believe they have the spirit, but are just not anointed with it? Where in the Bible is such a strange concept to be found?
“For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons.” (Ro 8:14)
We do not follow the flesh, do we? We follow the spirit. It leads us. Then according to this verse—just one verse before the so-called JW proof text—we learn that we are God’s children. How then can the next two verses be excluding us from this inheritance of sons?
It makes no sense.
The Governing Body, following Rutherford’s lead, would have us accept their interpretation of some mystical calling, some innate awareness that God plants only in the hearts of some. If you haven’t heard it, then you haven’t received it. By default then, you have an earthly hope.
“The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Ro 8:16)
How then does the spirit bear witness. Why not let the Bible tell us.
“When the helper arrives that I will send YOU from the Father, the spirit of the truth, which proceeds from the Father, that one will bear witness about me; 27 and YOU, in turn, are to bear witness, because YOU have been with me from when I began.” (Joh 15:26, 27)
“However, when that one comes, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own initiative, but what he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things to come.” (Joh 16:13)
“Moreover, the holy spirit also bears witness to us, for after it has said: 16 “‘This is the covenant that I shall covenant toward them after those days,’ says Jehovah. ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds I shall write them,’” 17 [it says afterwards:] “And I shall by no means call their sins and their lawless deeds to mind anymore.”” (Heb 10:15-17)
From these verses, we can see that God uses his spirit to open up our minds and hearts so that we can understand the truth already there in his word. It brings us into union with him. It shows us the mind of Christ. (1Co 2:14-16) This bearing witness is not a one time event, a "special invitation", nor is it a conviction. The spirit affects everything we do and think.
If the Holy Spirit’s bearing witness is restricted to a tiny group within the Christian community, then only those ones are guided into all the truth. Only those have God’s law written on their minds and hearts. Only those can understand the Christ. That puts them in a position of Lordship over the rest, which was apparently Rutherford’s intention.
“Be it noted that the obligation is laid upon the priestly class to do the leading or reading of the law of instruction to the people. Therefore, where there is a company of Jehovah’s witnesses…the leader of a study should be selected from amongst the anointed, and likewise those of the service committee should be taken from the anointed….Jonadab was there as one to learn, and not one who was to teach….The official organization of Jehovah on earth consists of his anointed remnant, and the Jonadabs [other sheep] who walk with the anointed are to be taught, but not to be leaders. This appearing to be God’s arrangement, all should gladly abide thereby.” (w34 8/15 p. 250 par. 32)
This priestly class was further restricted in 2012 to just the Governing Body, they being the sole channel God uses to communicate today with his servants.
Paragraph 10
“Those who have received this special invitation from God do not need another witness from any other source. They do not need someone else to verify what has happened to them. Jehovah leaves no doubt whatsoever in their minds and hearts. The apostle John tells such anointed Christians: “You have an anointing from the holy one, and all of you have knowledge.” He further states: “As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to be teaching you; but the anointing from him is teaching you about all things and is true and is no lie. Just as it has taught you, remain in union with him.” (1 John 2:20, 27)
So all those anointed by the spirit have knowledge. This is in line with Paul’s words about the spiritual man examining all things. Additionally, the spirit teaches us about all things, and we don’t need anyone to be teaching us.
Oops! This doesn’t fit with the JW paradigm that the spirit comes down through the Governing Body to us. As the JW saying goes: “They instruct us. We don’t instruct them.” According to John’s words, “the anointing from him is teaching you about all things”. This means that anyone who is anointed doesn’t need instruction from the Governing Body or any other religious authority. That will never do. Therefore, they try to defuse the teaching of John by saying:
“These ones need spiritual instruction just like everyone else. But they do not need anyone to validate their anointing. The most powerful force in the universe has given them this conviction!” (Par. 10)
To claim that the knowledge John speaks of is only the conviction that these ones are anointed is just plain silly, because all were anointed. It's like saying that they needed the spirit to tell them they were Christians. Witnesses who do not think of that will be content with this explanation because it seems to work in our modern situation. Obviously, to support the notion that only 1 in a 1,000 is going to be chosen by God, we need some mechanism to explain away the incongruity. But John wasn’t writing to Jehovah’s Witnesses. His audience were all anointed Christians. In the context of 1 John 2, he was speaking about antichrists that were trying to deceive the chosen ones. These were men who came into the congregation telling the brothers that they needed “spiritual instruction” from others. That is why John says:
“20 And you have an anointing from the holy one, and all of you have knowledge…26 I write you these things about those who are trying to mislead you. 27 And as for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to be teaching you; but the anointing from him is teaching you about all things and is true and is no lie. Just as it has taught you, remain in union with him. 28 So now, little children, remain in union with him, so that when he is made manifest we may have freeness of speech and not shrink away from him in shame at his presence.”
Jehovah's Witnesses who will read John's words as if we were writing directly to the members of the Organization will benefit greatly.
A Pause for Thought
To this point, has the Governing Body made its case? Can you honestly say you’ve read a single Scripture that proves that only some Christians are spirit anointed? Have you seen a single Scripture that supports the idea of an earthly hope for Christians?
Remember, we’re not saying that the Bible teaches that everyone goes to heaven. After all, Christians are going to judge the world. (1Co 6:2) There has to be somebody to judge. What we are saying is that to believe in a special hope for Christians that involved life on earth apart from the billions of unrighteous ones who will be resurrected on earth requires some Scriptural evidence. Where is it? Certainly, it is not to be found in this week’s Study article.
Paragraph 11 – 14
“Clearly, it is impossible to explain fully this personal calling to those who have not experienced it.” (Par. 11)
“Those who have been invited in such a manner may wonder…” (Par. 12)
“Before receiving this personal witness from God’s spirit, these Christians cherished an earthly hope.” (Par. 13)
The writer obviously assumes he has made his point and we have all accepted it. Without giving us a single proof text, he is attempting to get us to buy into the teaching that a tiny but select group of Jehovah’s Witnesses get some kind of “personal calling” or “special invitation”.
Paragraph 11 would have us believe that only these ones are born again. Again, no proof is given to show that only some Christians are born again.
What about the proof from paragraph 13, you might ask?
“They longed for the time when Jehovah would cleanse this earth, and they wanted to be part of that blessed future. Perhaps they even pictured themselves welcoming back their loved ones from the grave. They looked forward to living in the homes that they built and eating the fruitage of trees that they planted. (Isa. 65:21-23)”
Again, there is nothing in the Bible that teaches us that Christians start out with an earthly hope, and then—only for some—change to a heavenly one. The Christians that Paul, Peter and John wrote to all knew of the prophecy of Isaiah 65. So why is no mention made of it in relation to the Christian hope?
This prophecy shares similarities with prophecies in Revelation. It speaks of the fulfillment of God’s purpose to reconcile all humankind to himself. However—and here’s the rub—if this prophecy were depicting the hope held out to Christians specifically and not the world of humankind in general, then wouldn’t it be included in the message of the Christian hope, the Good News which Jesus preached? Wouldn’t the Bible writers be speaking about Christians building homes and planting fig trees? It’s hard to pick up a publication of the Organization without finding some reference to eternal life on earth, a paradise home for mankind together with pictures showing the material benefits of living under God’s kingdom. Yet, such thoughts and images are altogether absent from the message of the Good News imparted by Jesus and the Christian writers. Why?
Simply put, because the images from Isaiah 65 applied to the Jewish restoration, and if we can allow for a secondary application because of the parallel with Revelation, we find that we are still talking about the restoration of humankind to the family of God. This is accomplished only because the Christian hope of being with Christ as kings and priests is introduced first. Without the Christian hope, there can be no restored paradise.
Paragraph 15 – 18
Now we come to what the article is really about.
The number of partakers of the emblems at the JW Memorial has been rising steadily. In 2005, there were 8,524 partakers. The number should have declined over the past decade as these old ones died off, but something disturbing from the perspective of the Governing Body has been happening since that year. The numbers have been steadily increasing. This past year the number has risen to 15,177. This is troubling because it means more and more are quietly rejecting the dogma of an “other sheep” class of secondary Christians. The hold which the Governing Body has over the flock appears to be slipping.
“This means that the majority of the 144,000 chosen ones have already died faithfully.” (Par. 17)
We can’t have 15,000 new anointed ones this late in the game—with that number continuing to rise—and still have the JW-fixed number of 144,000 work. Something has to give.
Rutherford was faced with a similar dilemma back in the 30s. He taught a literal number (144,000) of anointed. With the growing number of Witnesses back then, most of whom were partakers, he had two choices. Abandon his personal interpretation or come up with a new one to support it. Of course, the humble thing would have been to admit he got it wrong and that 144,000 was a symbolic number. Instead, as this article shows, he chose the latter. What he came up with was an entirely new interpretation of who the other sheep of John 10:16 were. He based this entirely on typical/antitypical prophetic dramas. These were fabricated. They are not found in Scripture. Of interest is the fact that just last year, such man-made typical/antitypical applications have been disavowed by the Governing Body as going beyond what is written. However, it seems that pre-existing ones, like the Other Sheep doctrine, have been grandfathered into JW theology.
The article ends with a lead-in to next week’s study:
“So, then, how should those with an earthly hope view anyone who claims to have the heavenly hope? If someone in your congregation starts to partake of the emblems at the Lord’s Evening Meal, how should you react? Should you be concerned with any increase in the number of those who claim to have the heavenly calling? These questions will be answered in the next article.” (Par. 18)
Given the total lack of evidence that the Good News Jesus preached contained an earthly hope for his disciples, and given that the JW Other Sheep doctrine is based entirely on types and antitypes that are not applied in Scripture, and given that we have formally disavowed the use of such antitypes, and finally, given that the entire basis for this doctrine is the unprovable supposition that the 144,000 is a literal number, it is hard for someone who loves truth to understand why the Governing Body is sticking to its guns.
The Governing Body loves to point to Pr 4:18 to explain its frequent reinterpretations of Scripture, but I would suggest that what we are seeing these days can best be explained by the next verse.
______________________________________________
[i] For a full Scriptural analysis of Rutherford’s reasoning, see “Going Beyond What Is Written”.
[ii] It is true that Christians are referred to as the chosen ones, but as the Bible shows, it is a choosing from out of the world into the Christian Congregation. There are simply no Scriptures which speak of another choosing from out of the larger Christian community into a smaller, elite class. (John 15:19; 1 Corinthians 1:27; Ephesians 1:4; James 2:5)
[iii] It appears the “gifts of the spirit”, such as miraculous healings and speaking in tongues, only occurred at the hands of the apostles, but our subject isn’t about miraculous gifts; it is about the Holy Spirit which God imparts to all Christians.
Archived Comments
We have moved to the Disqus commenting system. To post a new comment, go to the bottom of this page.
Comment by william on 2016-03-15 22:12:04
I think you are right. And I think the cup is a communion drink whereby Christians publicly affirm together they are Christians, i.e. part of the new covenant, as opposed to the old covenant: Luke 22:20: "And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for you." So, I think that if you reject the cup, you are unintentionally publicly rejecting the new covenant, and rejecting Jesus's blood.
Comment by 1984 on 2016-03-15 22:52:47
Absolutely brilliant Meleti. Thank you.
Comment by Awakening on 2016-03-16 00:42:43
Once again thank you from the deepest place of my heart. As my family and I approach this memorial, things are very different, and this time very clear. When I first came to Beroean Pickets I avoided certain articles, ones about the memorial were some of them. But I started to use another Bible as my go to and started to see something that got louder and louder. So I read the articles. I read the contest of all the cited scriptures.and then I just started reading the new testament. Then Bam!!! My husband also on his own did something similar.This year my whole family will celebrate the memorial and partake of the emblems.A great peace is settling upon us. I know that Jehovah was already bringing us here but I want to thank you for you part in helping us to be here now.
Comment by Yehorakam on 2016-03-16 04:27:20
Meleti, I think that you've given a very clear explanation to the issue at hand, that of what invitation Jesus extended to his followers. Excellent explanation of 1 John as to how the spirit really "teaches" us. Jesus only concentrated on one hope. He only encouraged his disciples to think of that one hope. His preaching was focused on obtaining those who would reign with him. His preaching to make disciples had no hope given except that. He gave us instructions to preach with the same purpose in mind. If there was to be secondary hope given because the first was full, I'm sure it would have come as an inspired book/a direct command from Jesus that would be understood by ALL Christians around the world, not just an assembly program attended by a few thousand Jehovah's Witnesses. It would have been written into the Bible so that any person around the world having a Bible (not just a WT) would understand the new secondary hope so clearly and change his focus accordingly.
The fact remains that ALL of the disciple making done by Jehovah's Witnesses since 1935 has essentially been to gather "other sheep" to live on earth. Proof: If you are a Witness, have you every heard a fellow Witness go to the door and say: "We're sharing with our neighbours with an encouraging thought that they can be anointed with spirit and resurrected to heaven."? Have you ever heard a brother giving an assembly part encouraging the brothers and sisters young and old to reach out to be anointed? Essentially, the results of that assembly with Rutherford in 1935 was that the only hope preached about by Witnesses and therefore laid out before others was an earthly hope. There was an expression that Russell put the "hose on hell." That was a good thing. Well, Rutherford put the "hose on the heavenly hope." That was a bad thing. From that date on, Witnesses stopped telling new disciples about the possibility of being with Christ in heaven. If the Governing Body agrees that the heavenly calling didn't STOP in 1935, then why haven't they encouraged Christians young and old to reach out and attain "a better resurrection?" Why haven't they encouraged the 'kingdom of the heavens as the (better) goal for which to press forward?' (Mat. 11:12) If they stopped preaching with that objective back then, then I have strong feelings that they have fallen into the category of Matthew 7:21 where "not everyone saying Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but ONLY the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will." The will of the Father and the Son is that the anointed be gathered FIRST. When that number is filled, then the great tribulation will begin, the first resurrection will follow and shortly thereafter Christ can begin to rule over the earth. So, everything hinges on the anointed being gathered. The "full number" must come in. Jesus will not rule without his anointed followers....period! The direction from Rutherford and the GB thereafter has only served to slow down the process of the gathering of the anointed. It has gone against Christ's will. I cringe to think of the heavy responsibility they bear for not doing anything to make their talent produce in the last 70 years.
Of course, Jesus will have his anointed, regardless of certain ones hindering others from entering into the kingdom. The scriptures indicate that in God's foreknowledge, he has already determined who they will be. Note what Ephesians 1:3-5 says: "Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in union with Christ, as HE CHOSE US to be in union with him BEFORE THE FOUNDING OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and unblemished before him in love. For HE FOREORDAINED US to be adopted as his own sons through Jesus Christ, according to his good pleasure and will." This clearly shows that God and his Christ will get what they want, despite the efforts of Satan to slow things down. Isaiah 60:22 speaks of the 'little one becoming a thousand' and 'Jehovah speeding things up' ALL in the context of the "woman," a spiritual nation, "Zion." So, with the time remaining running out, we should expect to see an increase of Christians everywhere who realize they have been called to be part of this spiritual nation. The statistics collected just among the Witnesses alone actually supports that. As an example of anointed ones being foreordained, you can read in Psalm 89 where Jehovah prophesies that he will make a covenant with one of his anointed ones, king David. This Psalm was composed by Ethan, brother of Heman, the grandsons of Judah and it was written about 400 years before David was born. YUP! Just as Jehovah could predict that his servant Cyrus would free his people 200 years before he was born, he predicted that "a chosen one from among the people" David, would be anointed and be the recipient of a special covenant long before he was born. That covenant that would guarantee a kingship for the greater David to come. Jehovah has a history of predicting who he would use before they were born. This should only come as a surprise to those that have been taught that Jehovah doesn't predetermine things ahead of time. Maybe not everything, but he does it A LOT when it has to do with his purpose to form a nation of kings and priests.
Perhaps a thing that many have not understood, is that anointed ones have been chosen to rule in heaven since the founding of the world, NOT just since Christ set foot on this earth. Hebrews 11:8-10 clearly states that Abraham (and his sons who were heirs of the same promise) was "awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is God." Verse 13 continues that those on that short list of anointed ones in chap 11 welcomed the promise of God and publicly declared that they were TEMPORARY RESIDENTS on the earth. Ask any Witness to tell us who would better fit the description of a "temporary resident on earth" ...the anointed or (their version) of the other sheep? They would say "the anointed" could righty be classified as temporary residents on earth without batting an eye. So, Hebrews 11 clearly shows that pre-Christian servants of God that had extremely strong faith and trusted in God's promises looked forward to being part of the kingdom. They considered their time on earth a temporary one. To quote Hebrews 11:16 directly: "they are reaching out for a better place, that is, one belonging to HEAVEN!" Abraham had that faith and it was counted to him as righteousness, in the exact same way as it was counted righteousness for first century Christians (All of Romans 4, but especialy vss 23-25). For that reason Hebrews 11:17 finishes the point that "God has prepared a city for them." That's another reason why Jesus said at Matthew 8:11,12 that "many...will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob IN THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS." Where? In the kingdom of the HEAVENS, not on earth. Luke 13:28-30 adds that all the prophets will be in the Kingdom of God too. It repeats they will be reclining "AT THE TABLE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD." How is that any different that what Jesus said at the last supper? He said at Luke 22:28-30: “However, you are the ones who have stuck with me in my trials; and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, SO THAT YOU MAY EAT AND DRINK AT MY TABLE IN MY KINGDOM, and sit on thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel." If you read Matthew 22:1-14, you will understand that the invitation to the marriage feast (of Christ) was first to the slaves, then to those "outside." If you understand that, then you will know that the specific invitation to rule in the kingdom as kings and priests was extended to Abraham and his descendants long before Christ. This was not just an invitation to be kings or priest on earth. Most were "unwillingly" but not all as shown in Hebrews 11. Because of the general unwillingness, the invitation was extended to those "outside." But the invitation was there long before and a number accepted it.
I know that this might be an "eye-opener" for some, especially for those that have spent decades "in the truth." Well, if those texts all are making sense now, then be thankful for letting God's word speak to you. Stay away from the fault the writers of the WT make by taking an assumption based on previous but erroneous understanding, and then searching the scriptures to find any text that if "stretched" really far will prove their point. Hebrews 11, Matthew 8 and Luke 11 show that pre-Christian servants of God will be in HEAVEN. Read your Bible. The GB will have to write a new Bible to change the fact that every translation out there says that pre-Christian servants will be reclining at the table in HEAVEN, in the kingdom of God. HEAVEN is HEAVEN. It has no other translation or meaning. It's as clear as day, yet for many that are blind, they will not be able to see it. And in case the blind that lead the blind say that "Abraham represents Jehovah," Hebrews 11 was not speaking of Abraham as representing God. Neither was Jesus speaking of Abraham as representing God in Matthew 8/Luke 11. Abraham represents Jehovah in other parts of the scriptures, but NOT in those parts. Abraham is Abraham. Heaven is heaven. Pray about it. Think about it.
With regards to the number of 144,000, I am waiting for the "spirit to teach me" what that really means. I'm sure some out there have got it right and I feel a little stupid I'm behind the times. I'll just have to wait so as to know exactly what the inspired writers meant by that number.
In conclusion, Meleti has done a great job of letting many people out there know about the invitation that is still open. May he be blessed for trying to "multiply talents" and cooperate with the will of God and his Christ. It is a Christian responsibility to use what Christ has given us and share it. I hope my additional (and long) comments might contribute to the light of truth shining brighter too.
Much love
ps. I think the Pentecost falling on a "Sunday" is not so much an error by the WT writers or GB as it is just probably a case of the simplified version of the Watchtower using "Sunday" instead of "Sabbath" to avoid having to explain what a Sabbath is to those that have English as a second language.
Comment by Maria on 2016-03-16 12:43:44
Thank you Meleti for a marvelous article!!!
Comment by Joshua on 2016-03-16 18:10:26
I find that I cannot agree with the statement in the third footnote "...the Holy Spirit which God imparts to all Christians."
Ninety-nine percent of all Christians believe in the Trinity. Either the Holy Spirit is not with them or it is not with Christians who do not believe Christ and the Holy Spirit are Gods equal and co-eternal with the Father.
The Holy Spirit teaches truth and there is only one truth about the One God.
JoshuaReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-03-16 22:46:34
I would answer this by using a phrase my late father was fond of: I can stick a feather in my cap, and flap my arms, but that doesn't make me a bird.
:)Reply by katrina on 2016-03-17 04:30:07
Excellent article. But what to do, do we go and partake even if its not the right date, or just go and ignore the emblems and partake at home on the right date, or does it really matter where does it say to partake once a year?
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-03-17 11:55:57
The exact date isn't really the issue, so partaking at home on the 22nd of March, or at the Kingdom Hall on the 23rd shouldn't be the determining factor. For that matter, April 22nd or 23rd are also viable dates for the reasons Rufus brought out in his article. What does matter is that we do keep the memorial. Some do it only at home, others only at the hall, and some both.
Reply by Menrov on 2016-03-17 06:45:34
Hi Josua, you state: "Ninety-nine percent of all Christians believe in the Trinity".
I noticed this item comes up almost every time in relation to the HS and truth. May be the topic of the Trinity deserves an in-depth discussion on DTT as I believe that most people who say they "believe" that the doctrine of the trinity is true, hardly knows what it is / stands for.
Further, I am not sure that one can say that if one believes in a false/wrong/partly correct doctrine (regardless which doctrine) you can conclude the HS is not with that person. I am convinced that not one person in the world knows all the truth. Only Jesus was without fault although also He had to learn what it meant to suffer as a human and remain obedient: Heb. 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. 9 And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Even the Apostles did not understand it all and acted on their limited knowledge (ref. the discussion about seniority or restoration of the kingdom).
The fact that Adam and Eve decided not to obey the instructions, does this mean the HS was not with them? Did they not know the "truth"? I guess they knew. However, the HS is not used to enforce behavior or a way of thinking. If the person allows, the HS can produce good things in that person. But even then, the person will not be without sin or failure. By the way, TRUTH is not what the HS produces:
Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
CheersReply by Joshua on 2016-03-17 16:03:22
Menrov,
The holy spirit emanates from God. When angels come down from heaven to deliver a message, or do God's will, they do so by the power of God's holy spirit. When Nebuchadnezzar had his dream it came by means of God's holy spirit. John the Baptist was energized in the womb by holy spirit. The spirit of God has in various ways been active in Bible times.
It is by all means reasonable to conclude that God's holy spirit has continued to be active on earth whether by angelic help, or political influence, or men gifted by the spirit, and other ways.. Many today are unaware of God's help in their efforts to do good. Christians are among those who have been blessed by God's spirit in this way.
But the subject at hand is not about the ways God's holy spirit has been involved in the affairs of men but rather the anointing of God's spirit. The calling of God, the invitation of God, to enter an intimate relationship with Him, a son/daughter relationship.
The question is then: Does Jehovah God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, call sons and daughters into his bosom who do not know him? Christians who put before His face an invented god. A god which does not exist. A man-made god. A cursory reading of the Bible quickly answers, no.
As an example let's say that a sincere young man who all his life having faithfully attended and practiced his Catholic faith finds himself drawn to the priesthood. He prays to Jesus about it, he prays to the Virgin Mother, he faithfully and dutifully carries out and obeys every religious minutia his church requires. He has even experienced what he believes are miraculous evidences of God's blessing and leadings. Finally his heart's desire is fulfilled he becomes a Catholic priest. This fine and sincere Catholic priest may have a good heart, he may help many, he may even truly experience God's help, but has he been anointed as a son of God?
Only a follower of Jesus Christ can be anointed as a son of God. There is no caveat to that, no exception. Does the Catholic Church follow Jesus Christ in all things? No. Does the Catholic Church teach their members the true Jesus as he himself taught? No. Has the Catholic Church added to, and subtracted from, the plain reading of Christ's teachings? Yes. Does then the Catholic Church put their members in line to become anointed sons and daughters of Jehovah God? No.
Does God's holy spirit call as sons and daughters Christians who do not follow Jesus Christ? No. Can the holy spirit anoint a Catholic who follows Jesus Christ in all things though still associating with the Catholic Church? Yes. Would God's holy spirit cause such a man to leave association with the Catholic Church? Yes.
Yes, because they will know the truth and be set free.
JoshuaReply by Dajo on 2016-03-17 23:07:18
Hello Joshua,
I'm new here. On observation, Meleti has written a specific article on an important topic.
Your view on the trinity seems to undermine this articles theme.
Wouldn't it be more appropriate, as suggested to open up a discussion on "discuss the truth" forum?
From what I have learned about this unique site already, is that the topic has been well covered.
thanks. and kind regards to you.
Dajo.Reply by Joshua on 2016-03-18 14:32:57
Dajo,
I'm not talking Trinity but rather Christian anointing.
Christian baptism today does not automatically result in anointing, this is quite obvious. Jesus himself said there would be those who would claim to have done works in his name yet he said he did not know them. The first step to being a son of God is to KNOW him. Trinatarian churches obscure God. (To be clear there are many ways a Christian can show himself as likely unknown to Christ whether he is trinatarian or non-trinatarian.)
Meleti has been gracious enough to allow my posts on this thread and I thank him for it.
JoshuaReply by Dajo on 2016-03-18 20:58:00
yes, I misunderstood way it seemrd to be going and just "dived right in".
apologies,
Dajo.Reply by Joshua on 2016-03-19 14:02:23
No problem, Dajo.
Comment by leaving_quietly on 2016-03-17 22:55:55
Sadly, JWs miss the entire point of partaking of the bread and the wine. It has morphed into the self-claiming motivation of "here's the proof of my anointing and heavenly calling" instead of what it was meant for. 1 Cor 11:26 explains the real purposed: "For whenever you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he comes." It truly is as simple as that.
Reply by mailman on 2016-03-18 14:03:41
It is indeed sad to realize that after 25 years as a baptized witness, a current Ministerial Servant, who have been appointed as server for so many years, the true essence of the Memorial, let alone the primary activity which is partaking of the bread and wine, is missing every time we celebrate it.
What seemed to be more important is the activity of inviting people by giving away invitations, wearing formal and vibrant attires that attract attention. While the former is not bad per se, it drives attention away from the more important aspect of the event.Reply by Joshua on 2016-03-18 15:47:47
An invitation to a meal where the right wine is served and the bread is made just right (JW Broadcasting has a new video on Memorial bread making), but if the children eat they are marked.
Other than Christians prancing around a pagan fire I can think of no more insulting thing to do to Jesus Christ.
Who is pleased with this but Satan?
In the first century all Christians partook of the bread and wine. From Apostle to new convert, all celebrated the remembrance of the Passover Lamb's death.
In ancient Israel all celebrated the Passover. From priest to farmer, all celebrated the Passover.
All Jehovah's Witnesses should also in memorial celebrate the death of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ the Son of God.
JoshuaReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-03-18 15:59:54
Absolutely!!
Reply by Dajo on 2016-03-18 21:09:38
Again this year I am a server, passing bread and wine along the rows, sitting up the front etc. This will be Memorial number 35 for me.
It in some ways reminds me of my Roman Catholic days the formalism of the servers sitting at the front and then sort of "serving themselves" etc
Something has never felt right about passing the bread and wine along rows of people and not eating/drinking it.
DajoReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-03-18 21:17:01
I agree. The formalism and ceremony seems to grow year by year. It's like the Catholic taking the object lesson of Jesus watching the disciples' feet and turning it into a yearly ritual. That I was a part of it, and more, formally supported it causes me no end of shame now.
Reply by Maria on 2016-03-19 11:37:54
When you knew better, you did better . That is all Jehovah and Jesus asks us to do. To better ourselves on a daily basis. You have helped so many brothers and sisters with your well written and understandable articles about the Memorial and so much more. No need for shame Meleti.
Reply by Joshua on 2016-03-18 22:06:45
I agree, Dajo.
The situation at the Memorial gives rise to something Jesus had to repeatedly work against, the question among his disciples as to who was greatest.
Luke 22:24 And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.
Memorial partakers are viewed by many as taking an honor upon themselves when in reality they are simply trying to do as Jesus directed. Thus listening to Jesus and partaking is mistakenly turned into a haughty act of superiority in the minds of many non-partakers.
During the Memorial it is the brother, or sister, who humbly listens to MEN that is considered by most to be the greatest.
A sad state of affairs indeed.
Joshua
Comment by Yehorakam on 2016-03-22 01:10:29
I just saw some of the new comments. Very nice. I certainly like what Joshua and Meleti have said. Joshua, I think you have a point that most of us would want to agree with...that for someone to be anointed, they should have some basic knowledge of who they are serving. Yet, there are examples like Rahab and Cornelius that show that God chose them in a state of very limited knowledge in comparison to what you and I might think they should have. How much did Rahab know about Jehovah and his requirements? What did Cornelius, a Roman polytheist know about God, Christ, the kingdom and the holy spirit? And I think that is the point. We are not the ones to fix the criteria and therefore cannot be categorical. God and his Christ are the ones that decide. In some exceptional circumstances, they might chose to anoint someone before they are born. With others, they anoint them with limited knowledge. In other circumstances, they anoint someone who has known them the correct way for a very long time. I think the determining factor is the heart condition. Certainly, "not the way man sees is the way God sees." For those that have been anointed after having known God and Christ for so long, why so long a wait? Why not earlier? In many cases, the God-desired heart condition was not yet present. I can certainly say that just a few years ago I was a very different person than I am today. Having to very humbly rely on Christ to sustain my very life created a change within my heart. That has resulted in more blessings. Perhaps those blessings might never have come without having a change in heart condition. So, I think it would be an error on my part to say that God or Christ could not chose someone who did not know them well. That would be their choice and as the scriptures say: "The gifts and the calling of God are not things he will regret." That is said in the context of how God decided to anoint from those in Israel, then those of the nations, and then some from Israel again. I have asked myself, after a total rejection of his son, why would God chose to graft them back in at a later date? But, again Paul and the spirit respond: "O the depth of God's riches and wisdom and knowledge. How unsearchable his judgments are and beyond tracing out his ways are! For "who has come to know Jehovah's mind, or who has become his adviser?" Yes, God and Christ's ways are very often too marvelous. They very often do what we never even thought of doing! They call "the things that are not as though they are." (Rom 4:17) That is the main reason I have eliminated any pre-conceived ideas as to who they would chose. I think that is the safe option considering it is their choice.
And Joshua, I am totally with you that the GB, by their writings, have turned the partaking into a reason for reproach. It's just sad. Many anointed that don't have 'grey hair' have been afraid to partake. They KNOW that what follows will be an interrogation by the elders, a slow removal of congregational privileges, a negative gossip and even scorn by others that assume that they are partaking to bring attention to themselves. They are partaking out of obedience and humility to Christ's and his father's will, knowing that rather than receiving any encouragement, they will be looked at suspiciously and reproached in private conversations. The GB has created and taught erroneous preconceptions about partaking that results in some of Christ's anointed followers being sidelined and reproached. It is a relief that some within the congregations do not judge, look down or doubt the calling of these ones. But, what a sadness Christ must have as he considers that many do. May he use the HS to lovingly sustain all his brothers and sisters who are receiving reproach for his name as they partake this time of year.
Much love.
Comment by PoetryofProvidence on 2016-03-28 23:04:20
excellent article , missed my reading while away . In my case altho I was baptized ( at least three times at 7 in the baptist church , at 17 as a Jesus people and in my 20's as a JW ) I had never fully realized or had "repented" of my sins , it was not until a full cognizant realization of my status before God and Christ Jesus and a final understanding of the impact of sin and self serving ideology had on myself and all those around me did I receive the promised holy spirit , and it was a fearful and dreadful comprehension of a life wasted of goodness . The washing away of the years accumulations of being so lost in tradition , lies , and the deceit which lays everywhere and is absorbed like a sponge was finally cleared fully away . I can remember all those years of these articles and wondering what they were trying to accomplish with them ...but truly it is to keep "authority" in the hands "of the few" when truly there is only one authority to whom we must answer ..Freedom to follow what Christ Jesus taught also gives us the power to fully instill those things we have so learned to love in the preeminent example given us to copy by God alone , The Beloved One Christ Jesus
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-03-31 12:01:09
Good to have you with us as always, PoetryofProvidence.