JW Insider

Biblical marriage arrangement is a good term to use, otherwise people will start marrying their couches.

I guess the first point I could address is how someone with serious unresolved questions and concerns about a couple of our teachings could still participate in promoting our publications and our meetings to interested persons. Won't those persons be faced with unresolved questions too?
This gets to the claim by some that 85 percent of what we present is not worth it, and 15 percent is worth it, but that 15 percent is valuable enough to ignore the 85 percent.
If those were the real numbers then making a convert would be very hard to justify. And in any case we would always have to spend a lot of time telling our Bible students that there are a lot of things we don't understand ourselves. 
But the numbers aren't that bad, because we really don't spend the amount of time on the areas where more people have unresolved questions. For example, let's just look at the two magazines that were common to many of the carts today. One is the Watchtower No.3 2019, and the other is the Awake! No.2 2019.
The Awake! has the cover is "Six Lessons Children Need to Learn." There are short articles on Self-Control, Humility, Resilience, Responsibility, Adult Guidance, and the Need for Moral Values. I am critical of a lot of things, but I found every single word to be well written and useful. It makes a nicely presented way to discuss such important topics with children. Or it just makes it simple to keep a prioritized list of ideas in a parent's mind to remember as they come up. And all of it leads to the fact that Bible principles are the foundation of these lessons, even if might seem at first like mundane lessons about the amount of time spent on entertainment media.
So on to the Watchtower. The basic questions that religion should answer are the same questions that people ask all over the world. They are the questions that don't really overlap with science, and although they might overlap a bit with "philosophy" it's really the place of true religion to show why the Bible's view gives the best and most satisfying answers. 
These are the questions of "What is the meaning of life?" "Is God to blame for suffering?" "What happens when we die?"
Those are the same questions called "Life's Big Questions" on the back of the Awake!
So the Watchtower starts out with an article on "The Sad Reality of Death." Nothing questionable or inappropriate here. Science is mentioned as a possible source of answers, here, and in the next article "The Search For Long Life." The idea is clear and obvious, that "We are Designed to Live" just as the next article shows. Again, I see nothing that any naysayer, except atheists, might find wrong or questionable. In fact, up to this point, atheists might still be following along, too.  After all, it does not overwhelm with scriptures, but uses them in unobtrusive ways.
Now the question of "Why Do We Grow Old And Die" gets into the Biblical aspects, on page 8 of 15. It's all clearly the correct Biblical answer, however. Granted, some religious and science-oriented religious persons can take Adam & Eve as allegorical in some way, which is common. But even so, the rest of the Bible clearly uses the exact example as the explanation about death on earth.
And therefore page 10 begins discussing the hope, when death is conquered. There is a very clear explanation of the Ransom here. Using Scriptures throughout this article. There is a paragraph or two on "When" but it is not done with the idea that "we know something about the date that no one else knows." Someone might wonder why it only mentions "millions" being resurrected, but this isn't said in such a way that we are telling people that it won't be billions, or thousands; it's just presented as a way of stating a happy hope in the resurrection. It mentions the "last days" but exactly the way the scriptures use the expression.
In detailing "How Can You Have More Than This Life?" on page 12, the appeal is to those who want to see a better earth, and who would like to live forever under much better conditions. It's an invitation to learn more. And the next article shows how the road to that better life will produce side effects of contentment, more satisfying priorities, better marriages, and even better health (overall) in this life.
I find BOTH of these entire magazines to be 100 percent valuable, well written, and they touch on no unresolved or unresolvable questions. And we all know that some of our talks and other publications cover this same material exactly as these articles do, sometimes with more examples, more verses, more detail -- but the same ideas.
We are offering exactly what people should be looking for, satisfactory answers to important questions.
When an interested person gets to all the meetings, they will soon discover that time is spent on the meaning of Ezekiel, for example, the history of the organization, and a lot of emphasis on urgency in preaching on account of the times we're living in, and the overall timing of Jehovah's purpose. Some of this material will likely result in questions that they will find ways to resolve, or else just accept and wait for a resolution in time.
But it's not the gist of our preaching and disciple-making. I think most people who come into the organization will remember the Big Questions, and that those were the primary reasons they joined with us. Those questions are answered in a more appealing and satisfying way than other religions are answering them. And we back up our answers with the Bible. Our teachings regarding war, neutrality, Trinity, hellfire, paradise earth, the challenge to Jehovah's sovereignty, etc., will make even more sense to interested persons when they remember that the first attraction was to the way the Bible answered those big questions. Those were the questions that build a primary foundation around the teaching of God's Purpose, Eternal Life, the Ransom, the Resurrection, etc.
So even if chronology and some of the specific prophetic interpretations can result in unresolved questions, for now, it's not like this needs to be such a big part of Witness thinking. We can participate in every major aspect of our worship with joy and without being overly concerned with these unresolved questions. And when they finally are resolved, I'm sure we'll see them as relatively unimportant compared to the big things.

Most Witnesses are quite satisfied with a midweek meeting, a weekend meeting, and meetings for service, a study night with the spouse or family, and some additional time for talk preparation, additional personal study, prayer, meditation and contemplation. For many, due to various circumstances, it's hard enough to keep up even a minimum in each area mentioned.
But for others, it's obvious that they (we) spend quite a bit of time on this forum, too. And for some, I'm guessing, they spend some time here, and even seek out other places, too, where Witnesses talk or are talked about. It's pretty obvious that when it comes to how we spend our free time, there are much more fruitful pursuits. We could be visiting sick or shut-in brothers and sisters, or just doing something loving for someone else, perhaps even taking on some additional employment to able to help out those who are having financial difficulties. And not to judge anyone of course, because it's likely that many of us already engage in such additional activities, and yet we still find ourselves coming to a forum such as this.
I don't think anyone of us would think we are "witnessing" here, at least not in the typical sense of how we define sacred service. I do think that some think they are "witnessing" when they defend the status quo against those who might raise questions. And some non-JWs and ex-JWs likely think they are "witnessing" by exposing the real truth about the truth, as some would call it. However, when JWs, defenders of JWs, or even non-JWs find they are not resolving questions in their defense of a certain position, there is often a lot of anger that gets shown, and the focus of anger gets all the attention instead of the unresolved question. (Of course, that's probably a tactic for some who would rather not admit that some questions are still unresolved.)
I won't try to address the reasons that other people might be here, but I can repeat my own reasons.
I have unresolved questions of the type that would not be addressed by others in the congregation, nor by the ones responsible for  "creating" those unresolved questions in the first place. JW.ORG is not going to include a "questions and comments" section any time soon, and if they did it would become a complete mess in a hurry. So I use this site as a kind of substitute for a JW.ORG questions and comments section.
Because of that kind of utilization of this forum, I don't include a lot of comments about the areas of agreement because I have no question about them, no issue, and these are the areas where we can comment and speak up freely at the Hall, or to anyone around us who's interested in talking about such things. If this is our situation, however, that kind of skews the impression we might give to others about the Witnesses, why we believe, why we share our beliefs, and how much we appreciate our association with a world-wide brotherhood of fellow believers.
Speaking for myself, I know we've done a bit of this on the JW Closed forum, but perhaps it's a good idea now and then to share our positive public views on this part of the forum, too. When I get a chance, I'll add something more specific to my next post.
 

"The typical JW online profile is incredible for its ineffectiveness. “Hi. I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Do you have a question about the origin of the cross? Ask me.” "  - TrueTomHarley
Never saw that online approach. Agree it is not effective.
Also like your deliberation on the times we approach people.  I keep saying to people in the service that evening is more productive.  When I go out in morning, I find I am getting to the age where I no longer wish to go back out in the evening to a certain Bible study, but push myself to do so. When I get there I realize it is really the right time, no interruptions as when I do in the morning. The lady suggested I come evening, but I was trying still to get her to study in the morning. She also runs a business. 

Oh, I probably bump it up a notch, as I do most things. Maybe it is not “typical.” But I have seen it. And the ones “atypical” often do not stray too far from it.
It is not effective because it gives the impression that we are one-dimensional people who eat “Bible sandwiches.” For some of us, that is not too far from the truth. Don’t misunderstand—it is not such a terrible thing to be that way, but it does limit one’s range in the ministry.

Years ago, I sent my family to an assembly somewhere,  and they were gone four days (which cost me about $600) and when they came back they said I REALLY REALLY should have gone with them
They were excited, and I asked them what they learned that was so great (that took 4 days, and $600 to learn ... but I didn't say that out loud ...).
They said that that they learned that what we USED to believe about Nebuchadnezzer's Image in the book of Daniel was all wrong, and the TOES, which used to mean something completely different ... NOW mean something NEW that is completely different.  They were as excited as a puppy with a pork chop about this.
Somehow, I was less than enthused, and visualized six, one hundred dollar bills with wings, flying South for the winter, never to be seen again.
I suspect that revelation could have been put on one side of a post card, and still would not be worth the postage.
 

Did you make this up?

I thought these were all excellent ideas. And I have to agree with them, especially the one where you mentioned me. 😄
I thought an excellent opportunity arose in advance of the Love Never Fails theme for the conventions.
(1 Corinthians 13:8-13) 8 Love never fails. But if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For we have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially, 10 but when what is complete comes, what is partial will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, to think as a child, to reason as a child; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a child. 12 For now we see in hazy outline by means of a metal mirror, but then it will be face-to-face. At present I know partially, but then I will know accurately, just as I am accurately known. 13 Now, however, these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love.
For me, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the exact context of that verse, and develop a theme about ways in which the Governing Body can show that they are now reducing all the emphasis on attempted prophecy. (What will happen next before the end? A more pointed judgment message? Anointed "raptured"? Babylon the Great fallen? "Other Sheep" replacing the Governing Body? Cries of Peace and Security? An attack on Jehovah's Witnesses corresponding to touching Jehovah's eyeball? Gog/Magog? The order of the earthly resurrection? Who will teach whom? What happens at the end of the thousand years?)
1914, 1919, 1922, the 1260 days, the 1290 days, the 1335 days, the 2300 evenings and mornings, the 7 times, etc. These can all be de-emphasized now and replaced with a new message about ways we can show love to one another. This could include caring for aging parents, new counsel about caring for our families materially, caring for the sick and poor among us, even caring for disfellowshipped ones at our own discretion of personal conscience. Becoming known as a group who shows the greatest love among ourselves would be our new "calling card." Preaching could still have a "last days" theme, but it would always be about the sort of persons we ought to be in showing love for one another, knowing that the end could happen at any time, or that our own end could happen at any time. Our hope, and our faith in that hope are still a big part of the good news, but our love right now is the greatest theme of the good news.

Did you make this up?

Thanks Ann, for confirmation of this. I was trying to give Allen the benefit of the doubt, because who knows how consistent these colors were? (I suspect they were very consistent, from what I have read about supposed German precision during WWII, but who can really say?) 
 
I was referring to another picture taken at just slightly to the right of the same spot [photographer's POV]  but with a different set of prisoners in that front row. The man in the foreground of that picture appears to have both yellow and pink. Looking at photos of the different colors can help to identify more of the colors and rule out certain colors. 

 
At any rate, I don't think any of us need a physical artifact or photograph to know that there were many faithful Jehovah's Witnesses in the concentration camps. Their faith was amazing considering what they went through.

Lol, yes, I had looked at all the various depictions of Jesus in other cultures. They all make him look like one of their own. What I meant was that God's organization should have known better than to make him look like a 40's all American boy from California 😂

It occurs to me that the GB's original belief about Armageddon and the 1,000 year reign was not so different than the belief from some other denominations that say that the 1,000 year reign started in the first century (some would say 70 CE).
Being a figurative time period, they say this thousand year reign is the one we are already in, and that might actually last for two thousand or even three thousand years after the first century. Then when Christ's worldwide "Parousia/Synteleia" occurs (Judgment Day/Armageddon), the rest of the dead come to life at that time, which is same as the the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, in time for "Judgment Day." They say that this is how "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him."  And of course it allows for Revelation to say the following WITHOUT parentheses in the way that the NWT has added. (Biblehub, not the NWT, is shown below.)
4Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection!
But this common solution is not really a better solution, because those of the first resurrection have come back to rule with Christ in his thousand year reign, which is then interpreted as lasting forever. It's illogical to have it mean both a limited time and an eternal reign. Adding the parentheses, as done in the NWT, is actually one of the simplest solutions, except that it effectively allows for TWO judgment days, one at Armageddon and one at the end of the 1,000 years of literal reign. (Although we do believe that they continue to reign forever, not just for a thousand-year reign, the 1,000 years has a special purpose of bringing "the rest of the dead back to life." This can include those resurrected during the period and the rest of those who may have never physically died, but who gain unending life due to 'passing the test' at the end of a literal 1,000 year period.)

Under the definition, what would be the difference?

It occurs to me that the GB's original belief about Armageddon and the 1,000 year reign was not so different than the belief from some other denominations that say that the 1,000 year reign started in the first century (some would say 70 CE).
Being a figurative time period, they say this thousand year reign is the one we are already in, and that might actually last for two thousand or even three thousand years after the first century. Then when Christ's worldwide "Parousia/Synteleia" occurs (Judgment Day/Armageddon), the rest of the dead come to life at that time, which is same as the the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, in time for "Judgment Day." They say that this is how "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him."  And of course it allows for Revelation to say the following WITHOUT parentheses in the way that the NWT has added. (Biblehub, not the NWT, is shown below.)
4Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection!
But this common solution is not really a better solution, because those of the first resurrection have come back to rule with Christ in his thousand year reign, which is then interpreted as lasting forever. It's illogical to have it mean both a limited time and an eternal reign. Adding the parentheses, as done in the NWT, is actually one of the simplest solutions, except that it effectively allows for TWO judgment days, one at Armageddon and one at the end of the 1,000 years of literal reign. (Although we do believe that they continue to reign forever, not just for a thousand-year reign, the 1,000 years has a special purpose of bringing "the rest of the dead back to life." This can include those resurrected during the period and the rest of those who may have never physically died, but who gain unending life due to 'passing the test' at the end of a literal 1,000 year period.)

It's interesting to look at how this teaching has changed over the years according to the Watchtower. Back in 1919, when we say that Jesus picked the top Watch Tower Society's leaders to be the Governing Body that made up the entire "Faithful and Discreet Slave" at the time, they taught a very different version of this.
Back then, and for several more years, the Governing Body taught that they were already in the thousand year reign. By the mid-1920's, the Watchtower was teaching that the millennium had started more than half a century earlier, and therefore had only about 950 years to go. By the mid 1920's, a resurrection would begin of all the persons worthy of a resurrection to earthly life, starting with the "ancient worthies" of Bible renown. 
"The year 1926 would therefore begin about October first, 1925.... We should, therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the awakening of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Melchisedec, Job, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews." The Way to Paradise p. 224 "That among those who will be thus the faithful representatives and visible governors of the world will be David, who was once King of Israel; and Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, and Jepthai, and Joseph, formerly ruler of Egypt, and Samuel the prophet and other faithful men named with approval in the Bible at Hebrews 11th chapter." -- Public Records Deed to the San Diego Property, Beth Sarim Remember that these men were not Christians (prior to John the Baptist) and Russell had long taught that all Christians (including the Great Crowd) will go to heaven, but that all persons prior to John the Baptist could be resurrected to life on earth. (The Great Crowd were anointed Christians, and were going to heaven because they were Christians.) Russell had taught that 144,000 of those anointed Christians had an even higher calling to be Christ's Bride. The other millions of Christians in heaven would not be part of Christ's Bride. 
But the resurrection of ancient worthies, starting about one Jubilee (50 years) into the 1,000-year reign, was only a start. Since we were in the millennium, it was also true that more and more people would be resurrected over the next 950 years, and that MILLIONS more persons would stop dying. MILLIONS of non-"Bible Students" (non-"JWs") would begin to live forever, or at least another 950 years before the next big test around the year 2873 or 2874.
(The "Millions Now Living Who Would NEVER Die" would also NEVER be part of the Great Crowd according to that teaching.)
If the WT/GB had kept that belief, we would now be nearly 145 years into the thousand year reign, with only 855 years to go. And more and more people would be added to those MILLIONS living in 1925 who would never die. The rest of the dead, including those who continued to die along with those of us already enjoying long lives, would come to life in resurrections at later times during the 1,000 years. (This part I don't have a consistent answer on yet, as to what we taught exactly about when people would stop dying, and when the resurrections might be considered complete.) By now, however, if the old teaching had held, there could be people still alive who had been born, for example, in 1825 (100 years old in 1925) and therefore already approaching their 200th birthday.
There was also the idea that Armageddon was already starting back then, more than 100 years ago, based on the clashes between workers and management, socialists and capitalists, etc. The solution was to change this to a different kind of Armageddon to happen in the future, not so much "among the nations" but at God's hands. And the 1,000-year reign would start immediately after Armageddon was finished.
We should keep in mind that Revelation is the kind of book that has always allowed for a variety of interpretations, and we currently teach that the above interpretation was not so far off so as to move Jesus to reject or disqualify the "faithful slave" for serving that as spiritual food.

It occurs to me that the GB's original belief about Armageddon and the 1,000 year reign was not so different than the belief from some other denominations that say that the 1,000 year reign started in the first century (some would say 70 CE).
Being a figurative time period, they say this thousand year reign is the one we are already in, and that might actually last for two thousand or even three thousand years after the first century. Then when Christ's worldwide "Parousia/Synteleia" occurs (Judgment Day/Armageddon), the rest of the dead come to life at that time, which is same as the the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, in time for "Judgment Day." They say that this is how "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him."  And of course it allows for Revelation to say the following WITHOUT parentheses in the way that the NWT has added. (Biblehub, not the NWT, is shown below.)
4Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection!
But this common solution is not really a better solution, because those of the first resurrection have come back to rule with Christ in his thousand year reign, which is then interpreted as lasting forever. It's illogical to have it mean both a limited time and an eternal reign. Adding the parentheses, as done in the NWT, is actually one of the simplest solutions, except that it effectively allows for TWO judgment days, one at Armageddon and one at the end of the 1,000 years of literal reign. (Although we do believe that they continue to reign forever, not just for a thousand-year reign, the 1,000 years has a special purpose of bringing "the rest of the dead back to life." This can include those resurrected during the period and the rest of those who may have never physically died, but who gain unending life due to 'passing the test' at the end of a literal 1,000 year period.)

It's interesting to look at how this teaching has changed over the years according to the Watchtower. Back in 1919, when we say that Jesus picked the top Watch Tower Society's leaders to be the Governing Body that made up the entire "Faithful and Discreet Slave" at the time, they taught a very different version of this.
Back then, and for several more years, the Governing Body taught that they were already in the thousand year reign. By the mid-1920's, the Watchtower was teaching that the millennium had started more than half a century earlier, and therefore had only about 950 years to go. By the mid 1920's, a resurrection would begin of all the persons worthy of a resurrection to earthly life, starting with the "ancient worthies" of Bible renown. 
"The year 1926 would therefore begin about October first, 1925.... We should, therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the awakening of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Melchisedec, Job, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews." The Way to Paradise p. 224 "That among those who will be thus the faithful representatives and visible governors of the world will be David, who was once King of Israel; and Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, and Jepthai, and Joseph, formerly ruler of Egypt, and Samuel the prophet and other faithful men named with approval in the Bible at Hebrews 11th chapter." -- Public Records Deed to the San Diego Property, Beth Sarim Remember that these men were not Christians (prior to John the Baptist) and Russell had long taught that all Christians (including the Great Crowd) will go to heaven, but that all persons prior to John the Baptist could be resurrected to life on earth. (The Great Crowd were anointed Christians, and were going to heaven because they were Christians.) Russell had taught that 144,000 of those anointed Christians had an even higher calling to be Christ's Bride. The other millions of Christians in heaven would not be part of Christ's Bride. 
But the resurrection of ancient worthies, starting about one Jubilee (50 years) into the 1,000-year reign, was only a start. Since we were in the millennium, it was also true that more and more people would be resurrected over the next 950 years, and that MILLIONS more persons would stop dying. MILLIONS of non-"Bible Students" (non-"JWs") would begin to live forever, or at least another 950 years before the next big test around the year 2873 or 2874.
(The "Millions Now Living Who Would NEVER Die" would also NEVER be part of the Great Crowd according to that teaching.)
If the WT/GB had kept that belief, we would now be nearly 145 years into the thousand year reign, with only 855 years to go. And more and more people would be added to those MILLIONS living in 1925 who would never die. The rest of the dead, including those who continued to die along with those of us already enjoying long lives, would come to life in resurrections at later times during the 1,000 years. (This part I don't have a consistent answer on yet, as to what we taught exactly about when people would stop dying, and when the resurrections might be considered complete.) By now, however, if the old teaching had held, there could be people still alive who had been born, for example, in 1825 (100 years old in 1925) and therefore already approaching their 200th birthday.
There was also the idea that Armageddon was already starting back then, more than 100 years ago, based on the clashes between workers and management, socialists and capitalists, etc. The solution was to change this to a different kind of Armageddon to happen in the future, not so much "among the nations" but at God's hands. And the 1,000-year reign would start immediately after Armageddon was finished.
We should keep in mind that Revelation is the kind of book that has always allowed for a variety of interpretations, and we currently teach that the above interpretation was not so far off so as to move Jesus to reject or disqualify the "faithful slave" for serving that as spiritual food.

It's interesting to look at how this teaching has changed over the years according to the Watchtower. Back in 1919, when we say that Jesus picked the top Watch Tower Society's leaders to be the Governing Body that made up the entire "Faithful and Discreet Slave" at the time, they taught a very different version of this.
Back then, and for several more years, the Governing Body taught that they were already in the thousand year reign. By the mid-1920's, the Watchtower was teaching that the millennium had started more than half a century earlier, and therefore had only about 950 years to go. By the mid 1920's, a resurrection would begin of all the persons worthy of a resurrection to earthly life, starting with the "ancient worthies" of Bible renown. 
"The year 1926 would therefore begin about October first, 1925.... We should, therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the awakening of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Melchisedec, Job, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews." The Way to Paradise p. 224 "That among those who will be thus the faithful representatives and visible governors of the world will be David, who was once King of Israel; and Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, and Jepthai, and Joseph, formerly ruler of Egypt, and Samuel the prophet and other faithful men named with approval in the Bible at Hebrews 11th chapter." -- Public Records Deed to the San Diego Property, Beth Sarim Remember that these men were not Christians (prior to John the Baptist) and Russell had long taught that all Christians (including the Great Crowd) will go to heaven, but that all persons prior to John the Baptist could be resurrected to life on earth. (The Great Crowd were anointed Christians, and were going to heaven because they were Christians.) Russell had taught that 144,000 of those anointed Christians had an even higher calling to be Christ's Bride. The other millions of Christians in heaven would not be part of Christ's Bride. 
But the resurrection of ancient worthies, starting about one Jubilee (50 years) into the 1,000-year reign, was only a start. Since we were in the millennium, it was also true that more and more people would be resurrected over the next 950 years, and that MILLIONS more persons would stop dying. MILLIONS of non-"Bible Students" (non-"JWs") would begin to live forever, or at least another 950 years before the next big test around the year 2873 or 2874.
(The "Millions Now Living Who Would NEVER Die" would also NEVER be part of the Great Crowd according to that teaching.)
If the WT/GB had kept that belief, we would now be nearly 145 years into the thousand year reign, with only 855 years to go. And more and more people would be added to those MILLIONS living in 1925 who would never die. The rest of the dead, including those who continued to die along with those of us already enjoying long lives, would come to life in resurrections at later times during the 1,000 years. (This part I don't have a consistent answer on yet, as to what we taught exactly about when people would stop dying, and when the resurrections might be considered complete.) By now, however, if the old teaching had held, there could be people still alive who had been born, for example, in 1825 (100 years old in 1925) and therefore already approaching their 200th birthday.
There was also the idea that Armageddon was already starting back then, more than 100 years ago, based on the clashes between workers and management, socialists and capitalists, etc. The solution was to change this to a different kind of Armageddon to happen in the future, not so much "among the nations" but at God's hands. And the 1,000-year reign would start immediately after Armageddon was finished.
We should keep in mind that Revelation is the kind of book that has always allowed for a variety of interpretations, and we currently teach that the above interpretation was not so far off so as to move Jesus to reject or disqualify the "faithful slave" for serving that as spiritual food.

The Bluetooth keyboard won’t connect. The printer won’t print. As though in a conspiracy to infuriate me, they both rebel at the same time. So as to thwart them, I will deal with them just one at a time.
The pre-installed batteries that power the keyboard couldn’t possibly be bad. I know this because all the online reviews say that they last four years—essentially, the life of the iPad—and I have only had this thing for 6 months. Besides, when I ask the geek at the store whether it is the batteries, he says “no”—it is the keyboard itself. “You think so?” I ask. “I know so,” he says. 
He must know what he is talking about. The online reviews tell me the same—the batteries are supposed to last 4 years, not 6 months. It must be the Slim Folio keyboard. I buy another—the are not too expensive. When I get it home, I discover (so I thought) what was wrong with the first one. There is a Bluetooth key on the upper row. When I hit it, it makes a connection. I didn’t know there was such a key. It must also have been preset. I must have switched it off by mistake. 
I take the purchased keyboard back to the Best Buy. Do I have the receipt? No. The clerk with the tattoos hadn’t given me one, and I didn’t say anything because I know that they send receipts by email these days. They searched and couldn’t find it. Why not? Because they had on file the old Juno email account that I haven’t used since Jesus was born, and for whatever reason, can’t get into anymore. I think I changed the once-simple password to something more intricate and then forgot it. As I recall, retrieval proved near impossible due to an archaic interface and a since-replaced laptop that crashed if you looked at it wrong.* At last, the salesperson finds it and the return is made.
Back home, I find that my fix—the Bluetooth key—was just a red herring. Yes, I did get more life out of it for a few minutes, but it presently started to act up as before. It’s going to be embarrassing buying the keyboard again, and I am starting to think that maybe I should try batteries before I spring for a new board after all. They are the little coin-like batteries that I never use, and another reason that I just bought a new keyboard—now returned—is that I figured they probably cost as much as a Prius battery. 
Amazon can get me the batteries I need, also the printer ink, but it will take two days. I want them both now. I want the keyboard battery so that I can type on my iPad, not on my laptop as though a caveman. My wife wants the printer to work so that she can print out a letter from an expert saying that another refurbishing job that she paid through the nose for is no good and that she should get her money back. 
The Best Buy has those particular coin-type batteries, but only in a package of eight. They are not nearly as pricey as I thought—I found that out via Amazon—but I don’t need a 20 year supply of them. Wasn’t there a Steve Martin movie featuring him being hauled to the police station because, thinking that the world was out to get him, he had torn open either a hot dog package or a hot dog roll package so as to buy only the matching number of each that he wanted? And batteries are more expensive that hot dogs or hot dog rolls!
If Best Buy doesn’t have them, with all of the electronics that they sell, there is no way that Target will have them. But the Target is right next door—it is silly not to at least check. Target does have them, and in just the number (2) that I need. The battery display says $4.60, only a dollar more than Amazon, and I can get them right now, even though I may not need them and have no other use for them should that be the case. The self-service kiosk rings it up for $6.99. I must have picked up the wrong pack, I suppose, and I go fetch another one. No, I did not pick up the wrong pack. It, too, rings up for $6.99. I return to the display. It turns out that the battery is being re-introduced in a new package alongside the old and both are ringing up at the new price that only the new one is supposed to ring up at. I don’t want the new. I want the old, and the old price. 
You wouldn’t think that one could get paralyzed over two dollars. But it is not two dollars paralyzing me—it is the thought of being played for a chump. “Forget it!” I mutter after a few trips back and forth to the register kiosk. I can get it through Amazon—why don’t I use them all the time, since aggravations like this so frequently happen?—and in the meantime I can make do with the laptop. I mean, for years and years I typed on the laptop, perfectly content. I can do it again for two days. Upon making this resolution, I leave to pick up some groceries at Aldies. The batteries might not solve the problem anyway—the geek told me they would not solve the problem—so if I am going to chance just throwing money away, it should be as little as possible, not the $6.99 Target wants just because they put them in a fancier package.
After grocery shopping, I return to Target. In the greater overall scheme of life, two dollars is not the end of the world, and it is worth two dollars to use my iPad today and not my laptop because, long ago, I ripped the laptop cord from the laptop one too many times while removing it from my lap, and it will now only stay connected if I firmly tape the cord in place with duct tape. The repair will cost over $200! Forget it. Taping the way I now do is enough to power it, but not enough to keep its battery (another battery!) recharged, so I have acquiesced to the laptop being no more portable than a desktop, because if I even look at the thing wrong, the cord connection breaks even with the duct tape and, having no battery, the machine crashes and I lose anything I have not saved—the only benefit being that I have learned to save after virtually every sentence. So I want to use my iPad, which is portable, and I will pay two extra dollars to do that. 
Still, I grumble at the self-service line over the two dollars. “Do you want me to look it up for you?” the attendant who oversees four of these kiosks asks. I tell her no—it is just a price change, that I know this sort of thing happens—it is irritating but it is not her fault—why make trouble for her? Still, she can look it up if she likes, I tell her, mostly just so that she will get out of my hair and let me get on with shelling out the $6.99 that heaven has decreed I must before I change my mind again. 
She DOES look it up. She scans my package with her phone. She has software (I think) that permits her to see the display, and she sees the original price. Nah—that can’t be—still, she somehow figures the original price. She changes it for me right there at the kiosk, punching in some codes—using her powers. Finally! A hero in a world of villains! When she is busy doing something else, I double back to tell her that she truly made my day, that she didn’t have to do it at all, that I never expected her to, and that she would never know how much such a gesture of service meant unless I told her, which is why I did.
At home, I put in the new batteries and the old keyboard works good as new. Even though the geek had said he KNEW that batteries were not the problem! Even though the online reviews said it, too, with batteries supposedly lasting the life of the iPad! (To be sure, I use it a lot.)
One problem down—only one more to go: the printer that won’t print. I know it is not out of ink because it has an icon that keeps track of ink, discoverable in several different ways, albeit with effort, and each of those ways returns the same result—there is still 3/8 of a tank left. So I spend three years pouring over online documentation as to how to fix the sullen thing. Cleaning the heads does nothing. The store geek who does not know a dead battery from a keyboard is not going to try his hand at my printer—I refuse to even think of taking it there—even if he will do it for less than a million dollars. As a last ditch attempt before escalation, even though gauges say that there is no way that is it out of ink, I buy some more ink. Of course, I buy the wrong package, a package number that came up when I searched the printer model on Amazon. 
Why has not someone taken a stand on the biggest scam of all time—printer ink? Why are there dozens and dozens of printers, each one of which will take only a single specific pricey cartridge out of the dozens and dozens available? It is as though every single can of Campbells soup is unique and you will die if you eat any other than one out of 100. The politician that runs his platform on blowing the lid off this scam wins, as far as I am concerned.
Funny, the printer model itself is not on the cartridge package that Amazon says should work, I note at the Best Buy, though every other model on the planet is. “Ah, well, if it is not the right one, I can always take it back,” I say, and indeed I do take it back the next day. I pop the new cartridge into the machine that insisted it did not need one, and it immediately prints like the New York Times running down Trump.
Total price in money? Twenty six dollars
Total price in time? Twenty six years
Total price in aggravation? Twenty six thousand grey hairs.
Total number of heroes? One—the kiosk monitor at Target.
(Best Buy emerges from this post with a mild black eye, so I should point out that I have nothing against them. Their sales associates are polite, not pushy, and invariably will answer whatever you ask them. The point I am making instead is that tech is complicated and nobody knows everything. It was even a Best Buy sales associate who answered to my satisfaction why Microsoft gives me so much trouble (I have had updates that take hours) whereas Apple does not (I don’t think I have ever had an update lasting more that a minute or three). Microsoft is much more ambitious in the scope of what they offer, she told me, plus they have low price points that Apple does not. That satisfied me. 
It is annoying, though, that when you grouse about Microsoft online, thieves immediately show up insisting that they are them and ask for all sorts of access so that they can help you, and when they follow up with a phone call later, their English is indecipherable. One would think that Microsoft would shut them down, since it tarnishes their reputation. Later, I read that Microsoft did shut them down—it was an operation out of India—but later I saw that they had resurfaced—it is probably next to impossible to eliminate. Some less scrupulous companies have been known to kneecap scoundrels who tarnish their good name, but Microsoft is apparently too ethical to do that.)
—————-
*The old laptop: Modified from my book: “No Fake News but Plenty of Hogwash”—the most autobiographical of them all:
 
“The stupid thing is always pestering me that is nearly out of disk space. How can that be? It’s new—and I haven’t used it for anything other than writing this book! [Tom Irregardless and Me] The suggested tool to handle the error message launches into a circus of undiscovered galaxies! It’s like that Black Friday netbook I bought last year - another scoundrel! It harangued me unceasingly about loading Windows 10. Finally, I said ‘All right all right’ - load the stupid thing!’ It wheeled and cranked and whirred like Dr. Who’s spaceship, only to declare at last: ‘You don’t have enough disk space!’ and then launched a tool which took me to another planet! 
***~~~***
“Just puttering along editing my document. Save a tweak and I get the message: ‘A file error has occurred.’ So? There’s no clue what to do about it. Or the consequences. Will a bomb detonate with the next keystroke? Or is just some tiny worthless snippet of software somewhere that feels it has to speak up from time to time so as to justify its existence? Aha! Close the document. Then re-open. I have saved every tweak up to that point, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. But when I reopen it, the changes I have saved have not been saved! No wonder people go mad! Before closing, it says a temporary file will be available! Where? On Jupiter? Open Word from scratch – it’s nowhere to be found! I have to re-treat the whole chapter! 
***~~~***
“Okay, it doesn’t exist. That reassuring fix they were cooing about last night? That ‘solve-all’ dialogue box? It doesn’t exist! Or rather, it probably does, but only inside the 3rd module of the 15th lobe of the program designers brain. It’s impossible to find! Sure, I could find it in three days, possibly, but I don’t want to do that! I could have fixed the chapter by now by just writing it again! And I knew that’s what I should have done, I knew it! But, noooo – here’s some fine instructions – let’s follow them! See where it gets me!
***~~~***
“I have one book to write on my new laptop. Just one book! So I didn’t buy the $14,000 model. I bought the basic model, the cheap one. I’m not gaming with it. I’m not putting movies on it, or music, or photos, or even tweets! Just one book! One! And that’s not even on the hard drive, it’s in the cloud, and on thumb drive updates every two seconds, because you can’t trust this ‘Save’ feature as far as you can Spit! So why does it tell me every two seconds my hard drive is getting full? It just wants to make me mad! It didn’t say ‘Sucker Model’ at the store. It didn’t say ‘Gotcha’ Model. I asked the clerk if there were electronics inside the case, and he said there were! ‘Are you sure it’s not just gerbil cage shavings inside?’ I asked. He said he was sure! What a liar!”
(Originally posted on my own blog)

Well hello there everybody, hope you are having a great weekend!
 

Some other pictures make this clearer:




The language is "Hebrew" and the writing is still using the"Paleo-Hebrew" letters that are associated with Phoenician and "pre-Hebrew" Mycenaean alphabets. Hebrew could have been much older as a spoken language, but in written form, Hebrew characters developed from earlier Mycenaean/Phoenician alphabets. In 10th century (BC) documents this is the alphabet still used, and over time the Hebrew characters began dropping some of these close association with Mycenaean. It might make one wonder what the alphabet on the stones of the 10 commandments looked like, perhaps half-a-millennium earlier. 
Also note that many of the actual items harvested (grapes, wheat, olives) are never actually mentioned, only assumed. The way this actually shortens the verses makes me think (maybe) that this might have been lyrics to a song.
It's also interesting that the plural word for month is apparently used as a "dual." You get 12 months total, only if the word "months" must always mean TWO months. [Although consider the Hebrew leap year, of 13 months] Also of interest is that the Bible usually uses the word CHODESH for month, and the word used here is YERAHH (YERACH). An interesting development in the different uses is found here. But the Biblical plural for YERACH is YERACHIM. The plural (likley limited to dual) in the calendar is YRCHW (unknown pronunciation).
 

Some other pictures make this clearer:




The language is "Hebrew" and the writing is still using the"Paleo-Hebrew" letters that are associated with Phoenician and "pre-Hebrew" Mycenaean alphabets. Hebrew could have been much older as a spoken language, but in written form, Hebrew characters developed from earlier Mycenaean/Phoenician alphabets. In 10th century (BC) documents this is the alphabet still used, and over time the Hebrew characters began dropping some of these close association with Mycenaean. It might make one wonder what the alphabet on the stones of the 10 commandments looked like, perhaps half-a-millennium earlier. 
Also note that many of the actual items harvested (grapes, wheat, olives) are never actually mentioned, only assumed. The way this actually shortens the verses makes me think (maybe) that this might have been lyrics to a song.
It's also interesting that the plural word for month is apparently used as a "dual." You get 12 months total, only if the word "months" must always mean TWO months. [Although consider the Hebrew leap year, of 13 months] Also of interest is that the Bible usually uses the word CHODESH for month, and the word used here is YERAHH (YERACH). An interesting development in the different uses is found here. But the Biblical plural for YERACH is YERACHIM. The plural (likley limited to dual) in the calendar is YRCHW (unknown pronunciation).
 

Some other pictures make this clearer:




The language is "Hebrew" and the writing is still using the"Paleo-Hebrew" letters that are associated with Phoenician and "pre-Hebrew" Mycenaean alphabets. Hebrew could have been much older as a spoken language, but in written form, Hebrew characters developed from earlier Mycenaean/Phoenician alphabets. In 10th century (BC) documents this is the alphabet still used, and over time the Hebrew characters began dropping some of these close association with Mycenaean. It might make one wonder what the alphabet on the stones of the 10 commandments looked like, perhaps half-a-millennium earlier. 
Also note that many of the actual items harvested (grapes, wheat, olives) are never actually mentioned, only assumed. The way this actually shortens the verses makes me think (maybe) that this might have been lyrics to a song.
It's also interesting that the plural word for month is apparently used as a "dual." You get 12 months total, only if the word "months" must always mean TWO months. [Although consider the Hebrew leap year, of 13 months] Also of interest is that the Bible usually uses the word CHODESH for month, and the word used here is YERAHH (YERACH). An interesting development in the different uses is found here. But the Biblical plural for YERACH is YERACHIM. The plural (likley limited to dual) in the calendar is YRCHW (unknown pronunciation).
 

A Year in “the Good Land”
In 1908 an exciting discovery was made at the site of the Biblical city of Gezer, which lies toward the coastal plain west of Jerusalem: a small limestone plaque, or tablet, believed to be from the tenth century B.C.E. On it, in ancient Hebrew script, was found what is thought to be a simplified version of an agricultural year, or cycle, with its various operations. This tablet has come to be known as the Gezer Calendar.
The tablet bears a signature: Abijah. Though not all archaeologists agree, many consider it to be a schoolboy’s exercise set in verse.*(see footnote below) Would you like to see the passing of seasons through the eyes of a boy who lived back then? Doing so might help you to recall some Bible events. 

 

Two Months of Ingathering
The writer of this ancient calendar began with the general ingathering. While it was listed first in this calendar, you can understand why the Israelites considered this ingathering to be the climax, or the end, of the major part of the agricultural year. The month of Ethanim (later called Tishri) corresponds to September/October on our present calendar. With the bulk of the harvesting finished, this was a particularly festive time that would have involved young Abijah. Imagine his excitement while helping his father make the booth that would become their home for a week as they joyfully thanked Jehovah for the fruitage of their fields!—Deuteronomy 16:13-15.
About this time, the olives were nearly ready for Abijah’s family to harvest them by beating the tree branches, a job that may have been too hard for young Abijah but fun to watch. (Deuteronomy 24:20) They would then pick up the olives and take them to the nearest stone press to make oil. Or a family might obtain some oil by a simpler method—that of placing beaten or cracked olives in water and scooping up any oil that floated to the surface. In any case, this precious liquid provided more than food. It was also used as fuel for lamps and to treat bruises and wounds, such as a lad like Abijah might get while playing.

Two Months of Sowing
When the early rains began, Abijah might have been happy to feel the cool shower on his skin. His father probably told him how important rain is for the land. (Deuteronomy 11:14) The soil, baked hard for months by the sun, would soften and become ready for plowing. The ancient plowman skillfully guided a wooden plow, perhaps one having a metal tip, as an animal pulled it along. The goal was to make straight furrows in the soil. The land was precious, so Israelite farmers even made use of small plots, including slopes. But there they might have to use handheld implements. Once the softened soil was plowed, wheat and barley could be sown. Interestingly, the next entry in the Gezer Calendar refers to two months of such planting. The sower might carry the grain in a fold in his clothes and spread the seed with a wide sweeping movement of his arm.

Two Months of Late Sowing
“The good land” never ceased producing food. (Deuteronomy 3:25) During December, the rainfall reached its peak and the land became green. It was the time for a late sowing of legumes, such as peas and chickpeas, as well as other vegetables. (Amos 7:1, 2) On the tablet, Abijah called this the “spring pasture” or, according to another rendering, the “late planting,” a time of delicious dishes made with many vegetables from this period. As the somewhat cold season warmed up, the almond tree, a harbinger of spring, blossomed with white and pink flowers. This could start at the slightest warming, as early as January.—Jeremiah 1:11, 12.

One Month of Cutting Flax
Abijah next mentioned flax. That might call to your mind an episode that happened centuries before Abijah’s time on the east side of the Judean hills. In the city of Jericho, Rahab hid two spies “among stalks of flax laid in rows” that had been put out to dry on her roof. (Joshua 2:6) Flax played an important part in the Israelites’ lives. To release the flax fibers, the plant material first had to rot. This would take place slowly with the dew or more rapidly by placing the flax in a pond or a stream. Once separated, the flax fibers were used to produce linen, which was then made into sails, tents, and clothes. Flax was also used for lamp wicks.
Some object to the idea that flax was grown in the Gezer area, where water was somewhat scarce. Others maintain that flax was grown only later in the year. That is why some hold that in the Gezer Calendar, the word “flax” was a synonym for fodder “grass.”

One Month of Barley Harvest
Each year, close to the spring equinox, Abijah observed the green ears of barley, the crop he mentioned next on his calendar. The corresponding month in Hebrew is Abib, meaning “Green Ears,” possibly referring to the stage when the ears are ripe but still soft. Jehovah commanded: “Let there be an observing of the month of Abib, and you must celebrate the passover to Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 16:1) Abib (later called Nisan) corresponds to parts of today’s March and April. The time of the ripening of barley may have played a role in determining the start of this month. Even today, Karaite Jews observe this ripening to establish their new year. In any case, barley firstfruits had to be waved before Jehovah on the 16th of Abib.—Leviticus 23:10, 11. Barley had a very important place in the everyday life of most Israelites. Cheaper than wheat, barley was often preferred for making bread, particularly by the poor.—Ezekiel 4:12.

One Month of Harvest and Measure
If you think back to Abijah’s time, you can imagine that early one morning he might have noticed the heavy clouds dissipating—no more rain for a while. The plants of the good land were now dependent on the dew. (Genesis 27:28; Zechariah 8:12) Israelite farmers were aware that many crops harvested during the sunniest months of the year needed a subtle balance of winds until Pentecost. The cold, wet wind coming from the north might have benefited developing cereals, but such were damaging to fruit trees once they blossomed. The hot, dry wind from the south helped the blossoms to open and pollinate.—Proverbs 25:23; Song of Solomon 4:16.
Jehovah, the Master of the elements, had set in motion a finely tuned ecological system. In Abijah’s day, Israel was really “a land of wheat and barley and vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil olives and honey.” (Deuteronomy 8:8) Abijah’s grandfather may have told him about the extraordinary period of abundance under wise King Solomon’s rule—clear evidence of Jehovah’s blessing.—1 Kings 4:20.
After mentioning harvesting, the calendar contained a word that some take to mean “measuring.” That might refer to measuring the harvest to give portions to the owners of the field and to the workers or even to pay as a tax. However, other scholars understand the Hebrew word to be “feasting” and see in this an allusion to the Festival of Weeks, which fell in the month of Sivan (May/June).—Exodus 34:22.

Two Months of Leaf Plucking
Abijah next wrote about two months of tending vines. Might he have helped to pluck the abundant foliage off the vines to allow the sun to reach the grapes? (Isaiah 18:5) Then came the time to gather the grapes, an exciting period for a youth back then. How delicious the first ripe grapes were! Abijah had likely heard about the 12 spies sent into the Promised Land by Moses. They went in the days of the first ripe fruits of the grapes to see how good the land was. On that occasion, one bunch of grapes was so large that it took two men to carry it!—Numbers 13:20, 23.

One Month of Summer Fruit
The last entry on Abijah’s calendar referred to summer fruit. In the ancient Middle East, summer was the part of the agricultural year that focused on fruit. After Abijah’s time, Jehovah used the expression “a basket of summer fruit” to illustrate that ‘the end had come to his people Israel,’ using a wordplay with “summer fruit” and “end” in Hebrew. (Amos 8:2) This should have reminded unfaithful Israel that it had reached its end and that Jehovah’s judgment was due. Figs were no doubt among the summer fruits that Abijah was referring to. Summer figs might be pressed into cakes to eat or used as a poultice for boils.—2 Kings 20:7.

The Gezer Calendar and You
Young Abijah was likely in direct contact with the agricultural life of the country. Farm activities were widespread among the Israelites in those days. Even if you are not in close contact with agricultural activities, the references in this tablet from Gezer can help to bring your Bible reading to life, making it more understandable and meaningful.

*[Footnote]
There is not full agreement about the correspondency between the list on the Gezer Calendar and the months generally followed in the Bible. Furthermore, some agricultural operations could take place at slightly different times in the various areas of the Promised Land.
photos & info are from pgs 8-12 of the 06/15/07 Watchtower.