Posted by Jeffery M. Schwehm [JefferyMSchwehm] on April 01, 1999 at 12:26:05 {feW1wc1uNQ7mGcjg8rgIMdud7girzQ}:
Hi-
I just finished reading the May 1, 1999 Watchtower.
The most humorous quote from the magazine is the following:
"Do you know and understand Jesus' answer? Professor D.A. Carson states: "Few chapters of the Bible have called forth more disagreement among interpreters than Matthew 24 and its parallels in Mark 13 and Luke 21." He [Carson] then gives his own opinion-just another of the conflicting human views."-5/1/99 Watchtower page 8
I laughed when I read this. I guess this means that the views expressed in the following articles that interpret Matthew 24 were not written by humans. I wonder if the boys in writing have been using monkeys to write these things. But I digress.
One of the things that struck me was the lack of commentary on Matthew 24:31 which says;
"And he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet sound, and they will gather his chosen ones together from the four winds, from one extremity of the heavens to their other.
The New World Translation Study Bible cross-references Revelation 7:3 with regard to the phrase "chosen one". Revelation 7:3 says:
"saying: "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until after we have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads."
So, it appears that the Society believes that these chosen ones are those remaining ones of the 144,000, those with the heavenly calling.
The Proclaimers book states the following:
*** jv 549 24 By Human Power? Or by God's Spirit? ***
A Role Foretold for the Angels of God
In describing the events that would take place during the conclusion of this system of things, Jesus showed that it would
not only be his followers on earth who would share in the gathering of lovers of righteousness. At Matthew 24:31, he said that he would "send forth his angels with a great trumpet sound" to gather the "chosen ones," the final members of
the 144,000, who would share with Christ in the heavenly Kingdom. These would be gathered "from the four winds," from all quarters of the globe. (Compare Luke 12:32; 2 Timothy 2:10; Revelation 14:1-4.) Has this actually occurred?
Indeed
it has! Although the Bible Students numbered only a few thousand as the world entered its last days in 1914, the Kingdom message that they preached quickly encircled the globe. In the Orient, in countries of Europe, Africa, and the
Americas, and in the islands, individuals embraced the opportunity to serve the interests of God's Kingdom and were gathered into one united organization."
So, evidently the Society believed that this gathering of the final members of the 144,000 began in 1914 shortly after the beginning of the Parousia and that these ones were united in one organization.
This contradicts the current view that the May 1, 1999 Watchtower explains when it refers to the events in Matthew 24:29-31 as future events. (See 5/1/99 Watchtower pages 12 and 13)
My point is the following:
If the final members of the 144,000 class will not be gathered together until after the great tribulation, then this means that they were not gathered together during the Parousia. This also means that the final members of the 144,000 are still scattered and that there is no organization that contains the remaining ones of the 144,000. Futhermore, this would also mean that there is no faithful and discreet slave class as has been defined by the Society.
Now the 2/15/94 Watchtower apparently realized this difficulty so it attempts to fix this problem in the following way:
*** w94 2/15 21 "Tell Us,
When Will These Things Be?" ***
23 Jesus' prophecy goes on to say, at Mark 13:27: "Then [to'te] he will send forth the angels and will gather his chosen ones together from the four winds, from earth's extremity to heaven's extremity."
Jesus here focuses on the remnant of the 144,000 "chosen ones" still alive on earth. Early in the conclusion of the system of things, these anointed disciples of Jesus were brought into theocratic unity. However, according to the sequence
employed, Mark 13:27 and Matthew 24:31 describe something else. "With a great trumpet sound," the remaining "chosen ones" will be gathered from the ends of the earth. How will they be gathered? Unquestionably, they will be "sealed" and
clearly identified by Jehovah as part of "those called and chosen and faithful." And at God's designated time, they will be gathered up to heaven to be king-priests. This will bring joy to them and to their faithful companions, the "great
crowd," who will themselves be marked for 'coming out of the great tribulation' to enjoy blessings on a paradise earth.-Matthew 24:22; Revelation 7:3, 4, 9-17; 17:14; 20:6; Ezekiel 9:4, 6.
The comment that "Early in the conclusion of the system of things, these anointed disciples of Jesus were brought into theocratic unity" is interesting. You see, the organization needs to believe this if its claims of being appointed as God's spokesperson during the Parousia as they define it are to remain valid. However, I submit that there is no proof scriptural or otherwise that this is so. They then admit that the actual choosing of the chosen ones by God has to occur after the great tribulation.
Interestingly the May 1, 1999 Watchtower does not mention the gathering of the chosen ones or the remaining ones of the 144,000 but ties in Matthew 24:31 to Matthew 25: 31-46 which is the parable of the separation of the sheep from the goats. While it admits that the separating of the sheep from the goats must also take place after the great tribulation it still insists that only those individuals who treat the remaining of ones of the 144,000 as Christ's spiritual brothers will be classified as sheep. So, it is the actions of these sheep during the Parousia as regards how they treat the remaining ones of the 144,000 that will save them in the separating work after the great tribulation.
So, what we have here is the fact that the members of the great crowd will not be allowed to survive the great tribulation without first identifying the remaining ones of the 144,000 and being nice to them *before* God has revealed to the world the identity of the remaining ones of the 144,000. This seems very unfair to me.
What do you guys think?
Jeff S.