Posted by Money [GLamotta] on March 31, 1999 at 03:30:42 {ohFII14TUcMSSTtTA17sboLUiPtahc}:
Because the JW org. is god's representative "temple" organization, many of the scriptures in the Bible are fulfilled by them specifically. Pertinently, the pattern of fleshly Israel is duplicated with spiritual Israel, thus since the Jewish nation was set aside for a special purpose through which the Messiah was to come, likewise, the modern-day Messiah would come through this organization. But one prophecy in particular has been fulfilled quite well by the Witnesses in modern times. It's the prophecy of the Vineyard.
Basically, Matthew 20 talks about a vineyard and a master who hired workers. The first-hour workers were engaged for a specific amount of money, a "denarius" to work all day, but other workers were hired later in the day, up to the 11th hour who were not told what they would receive.
This typifies the prophetic, so-called "two-class system" or "two-group" arrangement among Jehovah's Witnesses who are divided basically into the "anointed remnant" and the "other sheep" or "great crowd" group. The basic difference is that the "anointed remnant" are looking forward to going to Heaven and the "other sheep" group are looking forward to living forever on the earth.
This relates directly to the parable since it is the first-hour workers, that is, those who first are associated with this special work that understand they will receive the denarius which is representative of the Heavenly calling. Thus, among Witnesses, the anointed remnant are the original founders of the organization.
The beginning of the second group appears with the third-hour workers. Thus here we have some great modern chronology which we can extrapolate from. That's because it is clear, for one thing, that the first-hour workers are present during the entire time of the workday and actually work for one hour with the 11th-hour workers. This would limit this period to a single generation, at the same time imply that that "generation" in this case, is not just 40 years, but 80 years.
At any rate, when the Messiah comes, he pays the workers. Usually the Messiah's coming is associated with a week's activity, that is, of 7 years. It is this concept of 7 years per hour that we find great compatibility with the Witness organization. How so?
Because those who started to believe they were of another group, not of the "anointed" appeared in 1935, and in the parable this group who were hired for whatever was fair was the "third-hour" workers.
We we assign one week of seven years per figurature hour, and begin this vineyard work in 1914, then the hourly workers breaks down as follows:
1914-1921 1st hour workers
1921-1928 2nd hour workers
1928-1935 3RD HOUR WORKERS
As you can see, the third-hour workers would have started to appear from 1928 to 1935 and that's when it was determined there were two classes among the witnesses. So that was fulfilled.
Furthermore, the 11 hours of work would amount to
77 years (11x7) and that means that from 1914-15 the 77 years of work would end in 1991-1992. Thus the
12th hour and the hour in which the vineyard workers would start to get paid, that is, begin to get sealed into the kingdom would begin in 1992. Of course, that is the date the kingdom was actually set up in heaven, on December 26,
1992.
It would seem that the 12th hour, if it lasted 7 years as well in some sense, would continue from 1992-3 through 1999-2000.
One other interesting aspect of this parable is the fact that the first-hour workers did not know and were surprised others would be invited into the heavenly arrangement. They did murmur a bit, but their denarius was not taken away from them.
This demonstrates that this information would be hidden from the faithful anointed remnant until the last moment. Furthermore, these anointed remnant would be the last sealed into the kingdom, thus "the first would be last and the last would be first."
These anointed remnant ones, who are typified elsewhere in other parables sometimes as the "older brother" would remain outside the secret spiritual arrangement for the most part during the initial gathering of the anointed ones. This is demonstrated in the parable of the "Prodigal Son" where the older brother, again, murmurs and complains, and is left outside of the spiritual banquet for the anointed son, who is the prodigal son returned, and the Father, Jehovah, must come to comfort them, assuring them that "what is mine is yours" and that they are not outside of his favor.
So in the end, the two-class arrangement sort of continues, with newly anointed ones remaining in the secret organization and the public anointed ones remaining outside, and who are lastly sealed, perhaps, late during that hour.
The Bible doesn't indicate whether or not before the millennium, the two groups will become united and become wholly public, or wholly private....
We'll have to wait and see.
M.