Posted by Kent [KENT] on October 25, 1999 at 04:07:27 {DjTI9F5X/YOJikFWJ7tMBSwZlMEBKg}:
First: Let us take a look at the Watchtowers definition of INSPIRATION:
*** gh 14 2 Making the Book of Good News ***
9 It was because they did not write of their own impulse, but were inspired by God. What is here meant by the word “inspired”? It means that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, moved these men by his spirit or invisible empowering force, putting into their minds what they should write down as his “word,” or message, for mankind.
*** it-2 691 Prophecy ***
The Source of all true prophecy is Jehovah God. He transmits it by means of his holy spirit or, occasionally, by spirit-directed angelic messengers.
Here the definition is quite clear. If God “move” anyone by his spirit, or transmits messages by means of his holy spirit or by angels, we are talking about inspiration. Let us then take a look at the Watchtowers claims about themselves:
*** w72 4/1 197 'They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them' ***
So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come?
IDENTIFYING THE “PROPHET”
These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? . . . This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. . . Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a “prophet” of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?
*** w69 1/15 51 Are You Ready for the Responsibilities of a Baptized Witness? ***
Jesus foretold that among his people there would be a “faithful and discreet slave” class who would be providing the spiritual food to God’s family of devoted servants on earth, acting as his channel of communication and overseeing the carrying out of the Kingdom interests world wide. (Matt. 24:45-47)
So, God is using this “channel of communication” – and this “prophet” can “declare things to come”. The Watchtower tells us that the only way to prove if this prophet is not a false prophet, is to review the record – and we all knows what happens then. I believe the Watchtower and the Jehovah’s Witnesses should read this passage from the Bible extremely careful:
*** Rbi8 Deuteronomy 18:20-22 ***
20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’
And why should they do so? Because they claim to be talking in the name of God. Let us investigate their bold claims:
*** w73 7/1 402 Praise Jehovah with His People ***
For example, Zion’s Watch Tower of March 1880 had declared: “‘The Times of the Gentiles’ extend to 1914, and the heavenly kingdom will not have full sway till then.” Only God by his holy spirit could have revealed this to those early Bible students so far in advance.
*** w73 7/1 402 Praise Jehovah with His People ***
5 Direction by God’s spirit enables Jehovah’s servants to have divine light in a world of spiritual darkness.
*** w73 7/1 405 Praise Jehovah with His People ***
God’s holy spirit and angelic direction also played their part in the preaching work done by the apostle Peter at the home of the Gentile Cornelius.—Acts chapter 10.
20 That same holy spirit and angelic direction still affect the preaching activities of Christian ministers.
*** Vindication III, page 250
These angels are invisible to human eyes and are there to carry out the orders of the Lord. No doubt they first hear the instruction which the Lord issues to his remnant and then these invisible messengers pass such instruction on to the remnant.
*** Yearbook 1935 page 52
It is announced with confidence that the Lord uses the columns of the Watchtower to transmit to his consecrated people things that he reveals to them and provides for them to know. It is the privilege of The Watchtower to publish explanations of the prophecies, which explanation is based upon the physical facts that exactly fit the prophecy and show that the explanation is correct. There is no attempt on the part of The Watchtower to interpret prophecy, for the reason that no human creature can interpret prophecy. Prophecy is of divine origin, and it can be understood only when in course of fulfillment or after having been fulfilled. Long centuries ago God caused holy men to write the prophecies, and now it pleases him to unfold them that his faithful witnesses on earth at the present time may be assured that they are in the right way, and that their hope may be strong.
*** The Watchtower 6/1/21, p. 182
The truth comes forth from the storehouse as fast as the Lord sees it is necessary, but no faster, and nothing can prevent it from coming forth when it is due to come forth. . . in due time the Lord of the harvest would open up the truths as they were needed by the household of the faith.
*** The Golden Age, 8/17/32, p. 727
Men Do Not Interpret Scripture
Men do not interpret Scripture; the church does not interpret Scripture, angels do not interpret Scripture; Christ Himself does not interpret Scripture, except as that interpretation is given to Him by His Father. (Rev. 1:1) The only One who interprets Scripture, in the last analysis, is the One who gave it in the first place. Obviously, until He furnishes the key to a passage it can never be unlocked.
That the angels are not authorized to unfold the Scriptures, but that God reserves it to Himself to unfold them in His own good time. . .
There can be no question about it. The Watchtower claims inspiration, and they claim the only way to salvation is through their manmade organization. They claim the Bible is written for them – for the Organization, and that they have the power to save people! Naturally, their slaves must have restricted freedom:
*** w68 10/1 605 Keep Free to Follow Our Fine Shepherd ***
Christian freedom also needs to be relative because Christians are members of God’s organization. Every organization has certain requirements that must be met by those belonging to it. Otherwise, instead of a common harmonious effort to realize the purpose of the organization, there would be confusion and a frustrating of purposes. Most fittingly, the Bible is an organizational book.
*** w67 10/1 586 Finding Freedom with Jehovah's Visible Organization ***
THE BIBLE IS AN ORGANIZATIONAL BOOK
7 The Bible itself is an organizational book.
*** w67 10/1 587 Finding Freedom with Jehovah's Visible Organization ***
Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind.
*** w85 6/1 19-20 Walk With Confidence in Jehovah's Leadership ***
15 We must not lose sight of the fact that God is directing his organization, although walking with confidence in Jehovah’s leadership may not be easy at times.
*** w85 6/1 20 Walk With Confidence in Jehovah's Leadership ***
To turn away from Jehovah and his organization, to spurn the direction of “the faithful and discreet slave,” and to rely simply on personal Bible reading and interpretation is to become like a solitary tree in a parched land.
*** w80 3/15 17-18 Choosing the Best Way of Life ***
5 In modern times such eagerness, commendable in itself, has led to attempts at setting dates for the desired liberation from the suffering and troubles that are the lot of persons throughout the earth. With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of man’s existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated.
6 In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our sights on a certain date, stated: “If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.” In saying “anyone,” The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah’s Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date.
*** w57 5/1 274 Show Respect for Jehovah's Organization ***
The world is full of Bibles, which Book contains the commandments of God. Why, then, do the people not know which way to go? Because they do not also have the teaching or law of the mother, which is light.
*** w57 5/1 274 Show Respect for Jehovah's Organization ***
If we are to walk in the light of truth we must recognize not only Jehovah God as our Father but his organization as our mother.
And, if anyone does not bow knees fast enough, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are instructed to let go. Don’t care about such people (they belong to the Devil anyhow), because there is not enough TIME left.
*** w69 5/15 312 Have You Been Studying for Six Months? ***
In view of the short time left in which to do their work, Jehovah’s witnesses do not continue to study the Bible with any who fail to respond to its urgent message within six months. The nearness of this system’s end compels them to use their time in the most effective way possible. So they feel obligated to spend their time calling on someone else who might respond by attending meetings at the Kingdom Hall and by speaking to others about the Bible truths learned.
Well, this was written in 1969, and as usual it seems they did have more than enough time. Judge Rutherford once told the Jehovah’s Witnesses that it was no time to have children. The end was so near.
Kent