As I was sitting through yesterday’s Watchtower study, something struck me as odd. Since we deal with incipient apostasy so swiftly and decisively, why make statements like:
“Some Christians may have questioned why such individuals were allowed to remain in the congregation. Faithful ones might have wondered whether Jehovah really distinguishes between their resolute loyalty to him and the hypocritical worship of apostates.” (par. 10)
Another odd one is from paragraph 11:
“In effect, Paul was saying that even though there were counterfeit Christians in their midst, Jehovah would recognize those who really belonged to him, just as he did in the days of Moses.”
These statements give the impression that there may be apostates in the congregation spreading their message and causing sincere Christians to wonder why Jehovah puts up with them; that such ones will be tolerated until Jehovah in his own good time puts them out of our misery.
This is simply not the case, and never has been. Any hint at apostate thinking (which includes just questioning the scriptural nature of some GB teaching) is dealt with summarily. There are no situations such as those depicted in the illustration on page 9. The Circuit Overseers have just received the power to delete and appoint elders because they are likened to Timothy who was thus empowered by Paul. These so-called modern-day Timothy’s would not imitate their ancient role model by putting up with someone like the elder depicted in the illustration. In our day, he would be stripped of his “privilege of service” and likely be standing before a judicial committee faster than he could unfurl his scroll. The way we deal with any hint of dissent has everything in common with the way the Pharisees and Jewish priests dealt with it. It has nothing in common with first century congregation procedures.
So the whole thrust of the article makes no sense given the true climate in the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
This makes me wonder if this might be the JW-equivalent of High Priest Caiaphas’ temporary about face. (John 11:49-51) What he said, he did not say because he believed it, but because the holy spirit made him. I believe that there are faithful ones at all levels of the Organization. Sometimes one gets the impression that certain articles are written in a code intended for true believers. If you look at this article from the viewpoint of a genuine Christian, one who is “sighing and groaning over the detestable things that are being done in” Jerusalem, then it fits. (Ez 9:4) We ask, “Why are those who promote false teaching allowed to continue, even rising to exalted positions? Why does Jehovah not deal with those who are apostasizing by sidelining Jesus and replacing his teachings with their own?” If you feel that way, then you will find that key portions of the article are most encouraging.
This is only an impression of mine. I welcome your thoughts.
PS: Before leaving a comment, please check out mine by clicking here.
Leave a Reply
41 Comments on "WT Study: "Jehovah Knows Those Who Belong to Him" – Addendum"
Hello, I just wanted to know if any overall review on the article “Renounce Unrighteousness” was posted here on this blog.
I would have a number of remarks, some of them very disturbing to me. I just wouldn’t like to make a duplicate comment, if any review exists and those points were raised, and I’d be interested in reading your review if you posted it.
Thank you
Hi Andy,
Here’s the link to the article/post you’re interested in. http://meletivivlon.com/2014/09/07/wt-study-jehovahs-people-renounce-unrighteousness/
Thanks for your encouragement, Meleti. Now, I sit in the hall and cringe as I listen to the brothers, (especially the young go-getters, bless their hearts), rely more on what the GB says than on what the Christ says.
Excellent quotes Johnamos. I suspect though that the WT is applying quotes like these to other religions.
Thank you so much, JohnAmos for compiling this list of WT publication references. It will come in handy when helping well-meaning, but deluded friends to see the truth.
I never showed up, I couldn’t handle it, the whole article was commanding and self indulgent.
I could not really withstand some of the paragraphs that I literally left the Kingdom hall midway, drove our car to a nearby gas station to load up gas, inflate the tires and had the engine oil checked. When I was back, only 3 paragraphs left. It was a relief study session was about to finish 🙂
I felt the same way, Mailman. Everything in the study is carefully scripted, leaving little or no room for God’s spirit to influence a brother os sister to say anything truly meaningful. I once thoguth about how refreshing it would be if the WT Study Conductor one day said, “Brothers, put away your magazines, and let’s just use the Bible to consider the theme we have for today.” I think the friends would offer their expressions more honestly and openly. Spiritual spontaneuos combustion! Of course, that’s never going to happen. Thank the Master, Jesus, for the Bible Highlights!
““Brothers, put away your magazines, and let’s just use the Bible to consider the theme we have for today.” I think the friends would offer their expressions more honestly and openly. Spiritual spontaneuos combustion!”
Oh Yes!
I wonder why there were very few hands, 1-2 brothers in our local congregation, raising their hands on paragraphs dealing with apostates? Either they thought it was such a sensitive matter that they don’t want to get involved in, or they felt uneasy to answer because they do not agree in full, or they simply didn’t understand. 🙂
I can see the other side of the coin, and accept that these things may be possible.
Maybe such messages were conveyed in the material, and our congregation is just a particularly “tough nut to crack”.
I know brothers who believe the Watchtower is on a par with the scriptures because it comes from Jehovah’s “channel of communication”. Every so often I try to bring additional reference material, (Vines Expository Dictionary; Keil & Delitzsch Commentay, etc), into my comments during the WT, but always feel the brothers don’t respect the references because the information doesn’t come from the FDS. Very frustrating, but I keep trying.
Well, I guess they don’t describe people who don’t believe in some dogma like 1914 openly, but people who say e.g. the field service report is unbiblical or making people dress like in early 1900s and damning everyone who doesn’t would be unbiblical. The more trivial things when you compare it to real Biblical issues.
On the other hand: You can believe that 1914, paradise earth for most Christians etc. is unbiblical and still remain in the congegration without any “privileges”. So maybe both kind of people are meant.
Alex. I take it you mean anointedjw.org? Notice I used the words ‘apparently’, ‘if’ and ‘may’. I agree, it needs verification from an independent source. I guess though, we all live in hope that the winds of change may happen at HQ someday.
Apparently 3 people from the Writing Dept have ‘resigned’ recently. Probably doublespeak for df’d and kicked out of HQ. Also, a witch hunt is underway against a former DO who has spoken to some at HQ questioning the 2 tiered hope. The GB who are unwilling to soil their hands directly, has been trying to appoint a committee to handle the matter, but those asked have declined to be involved.
If all these details are correct, it indicates that Meleti’s comments may be true.
I’m yet to see a shred of evidence for these wild stories made by ‘that’ site. If anyone else can back up any of their story Id be inclined to believe it, but despite extensive searching I couldn’t find another independent source. This is just like the time they claimed to have reporters inside the bombed mall in Kenya. Really?
“How do brothers become Society members or for that matter how do the GB appoint another ‘pope’ to their hierarchy?”
While I am not an expert on these matters, I am a third generation Witness. On my father’s side my grandmother and her sisters were all Bible Students but left because of Rutherford’s shenanigans. Ahem.
All of my life I have heard about the “good ol’ boys club.” I’ve taken that to mean they were company men who knew some higher ups “in the club.” Maybe I should be stoned for this, but I still believe that’s how it works.
If I may add a thought, I find that brothers will often seek out help from a former elder bypassing the currently appointed ones. In my former congregation, no one went to the COBE for anything. So as far as being a shepherd, he was a lame duck. (Forgive the mixed metaphor) Whatever justification we may have for appointing some men while passing over others, the sheep are led by the spirit to those who can and will help them in times of need.
I did understand your article as well. I guess that it can be possible.as with most organisations where eventually a.split will occur, it.starts with a few who.object,.slightly a first.and.depart./.split.eventually. Thats what happened.with reformist movement.and the many denominations that nowadays exist but have their origins in mainstream christian organisation like the catholic church.
However, personally I think the article was as meant : refrain (avoid) from anything that is not ine line with or does not come from GB teachings.
Meleti
Just to clarify my own comment in the light of that – I did understand you just as you’ve presented it there. Maybe I’m just a pessimist, but I don’t think anybody in the writing department was somehow hoping people would get a more subtle message about Korah. I think it was full frontal. Nevertheless it seems will also depend how the material came across on a local level.
Apollos
On the other hand, a message could only slip by if it was worded very subtle…
“Sometimes one gets the impression that certain articles are written in a code intended for true believers.” How many true believers would be able to work out the code – not many I should think. If a Christian has something that important to say, then IMHO, he should have the courage to stand up and say it, for all true believers to hear.
The article never gave a real defintion of “apostate”, so I think most of the friends took it to imply any disagreement with the GB. I made the comment that we have to understand what apostasy means. I said it doesn’t mean a difference of opinion over how a scripture may be interpreted, neither does it mean speculating about what the future may hold, because we all do that. Some of the brothers and sisters expressed appreciation for my having made that distiction.
“The point I got from this article is “be suspicious, be VERY suspicious…just don’t show it.”
Dorcas
You’ve nailed it. That’s exactly the way it came across to us.
And yes, much was made about the artists illustration of Timothy and many were eager to explain in great detail his thought processes on the basis of that picture, again completely absent of any scriptural support.
Apollos
It’s one of my ‘bug-bears’ how manufactured pictures can become factual representations of what really happened, and how statements such as ‘ Timothy was LIKELY perturbed’ gets turned into the question ‘how DID the actions of apostates affect faithful ones in Paul’s day?’. It’s very clever but I despair at the lack of resistance to mind control by most…. Unless they’re just playing along for safety’s sake?