Posted by 3rd-hour worker [Bibleman] on November 06, 1999 at 00:01:42 {p8g/8h8r5QMSSTtTA17sslyACFuF8c}:
Here's one for anyone leaving the organization. I know there is a fear that by leaving one is actually cutting themselves off from Jehovah's arrangement. But you can escape from that indoctrination by proving in the Bible that the GB doesn't understand the Bible and is thus lacking Jehovah's spirit. The "third-hour" workers argument is one good way to prove this.
First of all, anyone leaving because of JW hypocrisy are going to have a heightened awareness and they will thus be able to see this objectively.
This involves Matthew 20 where basically you have the parable of the Vineyard. The master calls various persons in the vineyard to work. Only the first-hour workers have an agreed wage for the day, however. But at the end of the day all get the same wage, a "penny" which represents their invitation to heavenly life.
But the way the WTS explains it is that the "anointed remnant" of Jehovah's witnesses make up the last-hour workers. And they claim that the first-hour workers, who murmured, represent Christendom since they got into the work first.
But note this doesn't work! Why? Because what about the "third-hour workers"? They worked for a shorter time and in the end were rewarded the "penny" for a full days wage, that is, was invited to heaven. So why is it their "penny" can't be cashed in?
If the 11th-hour workers are the "anointed remnant" which is an exclusive group who believe only they are going to heaven, and their being granted the "penny" is an indication of that, then that means that all other workers are condemned, from the first-hour workers through the 9th-hour workers!
Yet each group of workers ALL get the penny! How is it then that the last hour workers are the only ones whose penny means anything? Why is this an illustration of everybody getting paid a penny and only the last-hour workers get to go to heaven?
Let's face it. IT DOESN'T WORK! It doesn't work because the WTS doesn't know what this illustration is about and they have made the wrong assignments. This proves they are just guessing about this.
The actual fulfillment, however, does involve the witness organization who serve as the "temple class".
This represents those first coming into the organization, all of whom knew and considered themselves to be of the heavenly class. That means, they were expecting a penny. But beginning with the third-hour workers, they were just working for "whatever was fair" and thus presumably less. These represent what the witnesses call the "other sheep" class.
But when applied properly, this parable shows that many of the other sheep get the penny as well and in the end, they get to be of the anointed! Even some who only spent as little as one hour in the vineyard.
This illustration takes place during the last generation. Note that the first-hour workers are still around when the payment begins. So some of the first-hour workers must survive until the end of the day.
Also note that this is a total surprise to the first-hour workers. So they would not know about this inclusion of many of the other sheep into the anointed until it actually happens. Thus this was kept from the Governing Body and the original anointed ones who were associated when the organization first got started.
So that is what the murmuring is really about. They don't understand this. At any rate, do they lose their position in the kingdom? NO! They still get their penny, along with a little rebuke and along with the "last place" in the kingdom. Still, last place is better than being out.
The very fact that the WTS' GB though, has an explanation that excludes everybody who receives the penny from heavenly life while they claim they are the last-hour workers, simply because they are so martyr-centric, shows they don't understand this nor have holy spirit.
And just as the scriptures say about being "faithful in little" understanding this parable leads one to understand correctly the others which obviously are misapplied as well.
Sometimes cornering witnesses on doctrinal issues you know are wrong is difficult. Such as the blood issue.
But in this case, anybody can see that everybody who receives the penny must be part of the heavenly class and so making the heavenly class exclusively the last-hour workers doesn't work. So this, along with a few other doctrines such as Jesus' death on Nisan 20th instead of Nisan 14th help to clarify completely absolutely wrong teachings which can be shown to be false Biblically.
These false teachings like this are good to know since it will make witnesses pretending they have "light" from their GB become embarassed since anybody can see this is the wrong interpretation.
The third-hour workers who receive a penny and don't murmur don't go to heaven? Their penny means nothing?
Give me a break!
That is wrong and it will always be wrong. The WTS is out to lunch and out-of-touch on this one.
Cheers,
Bibleman