Witness

1 Thess 5:1-3

Well, he was pushed into a corner and had to borrow some old light.  That's the way the ball bounces.🙂

- obedient and submissive - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1989685
WTJWorg spreads teachings how members must doing exactly this before Elders and GB.
Paul said; NO, you DON'T HAVE TO be OBEDIENT AND SUBMISSIVE to human leaders in "Jerusalem" or in your congregation!
 

1 Thess 5:1-3

Well, he was pushed into a corner and had to borrow some old light.  That's the way the ball bounces.🙂

This would have been when they were teaching the 7,000 year Creative days. And the 6,000th year of God's Rest day.  And dare i say teaching 1975 as the coming Armageddon. 

Now is come to be clear from where S. Lett borrow his words about final part of last days, or last days of last days, or ... :)) it doesn't matter.
It seems how S. Lett reads very old WT publications and than get some ideas for new light, clarification and so on :))

Sadly, they are put in a corner, over and over again.  This photo is spreading like wildfire.  Its  words were taught as FACT, as TRUTH.  It is amazing that truth can be viewed as a rubber ball bouncing high, then low, then high again, and in many different directions.
"You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should REMAIN; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you."  John 15:16
One must ask, if the WT leaders have prayed for scriptural understanding, but produce fruit that rots, are they being deceived by a another spirit?  (1 John 4:1; 2 Cor 11:4)  Jesus didn't make false promises.  If he said the Father would give understanding to his disciples, we have full belief that He would...to those fully devoted to Him (and not to an organization built with wood and stone)
Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
    be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
13 for My people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me,
    the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
    broken cisterns that can hold no water.  Jer 2:12,13
 
https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/11/generation.html
 
 

Sadly, they are put in a corner, over and over again.  This photo is spreading like wildfire.  Its  words were taught as FACT, as TRUTH.  It is amazing that truth can be viewed as a rubber ball bouncing high, then low, then high again, and in many different directions.
"You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should REMAIN; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you."  John 15:16
One must ask, if the WT leaders have prayed for scriptural understanding, but produce fruit that rots, are they being deceived by a another spirit?  (1 John 4:1; 2 Cor 11:4)  Jesus didn't make false promises.  If he said the Father would give understanding to his disciples, we have full belief that He would...to those fully devoted to Him (and not to an organization built with wood and stone)
Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
    be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
13 for My people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me,
    the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
    broken cisterns that can hold no water.  Jer 2:12,13
 
https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/11/generation.html
 
 

This is err premise. Sorry.
What was built from the start (my start was in 1975) WT publication teaches how generation is 70-80 in length and is literally connected with the year 1914 as start point to be able to count when "signs" will culminate in Armageddon. 
Because of that JW's are/was put in "corner" with this. "Overlapping" invention is just try how to get out of the corner. 
 

Question for JW members.
What are GB anointed with?
1) With oil ?
2) With hands of another JW member ? 
3) With holy spirit ?
 

This full situation always reminds me of this:
(Mark 9:38-40) 38 John said to him: “Teacher, we saw someone expelling demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said: “Do not try to prevent him, for there is no one who will do a powerful work on the basis of my name who will quickly be able to say anything bad about me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us.
I think this shows that a person does not have to be a JW to serve God through Christ. 
As for the GB being likened to the Sanhedrin, wasn't it them that had Jesus put to death? So yes i can see a similarity. 
And as for the 1st Century 'group of men in Jerusalem' that made decisions, weren't they inspired by God's Holy Spirit ?  Whereas this GB admits to not being so. 
And wasn't it the Apostle Paul that wrote to the congregations, not those men in Jerusalem ?
 And wasn't the Apostle Paul chosen and directed by Jesus Christ personally ? And wasn't Paul inspired of God's Holy Spirit. 
And didn't those men of the 1st Century PROVE that they were inspired by their WORKS. 
And Now :- The Watchtower dated (top right corner) March 2020.  Study articles May 4- 31 2020
Page 6 paragraph 16. from part way down, reads. (I have paper copy supplied by an elder)
" Jesus has appointed a small group of anointed men to take the lead in organising the work that he wants done today. Jesus referred to this group of men as 'the faithful and discreet slave' and they take seriously their responsibility to feed and protect you spiritually. "
What hogwash ! Complete lies or deliberate deceit.
Firstly the GB say they are not inspired, so how would they have been 'appointed' ?
 ALL anointed remnant are anointed of God's Holy spirit hence they know they are anointed. 
All of those of the Anointed remnant were seen as being the F&DS at one time, so when did Jesus suddenly decide to change this ? 
So how was / is this special appointing done ? 
Secondly. Jesus did not refer to these men as the F&DS 
Jesus asked a question ???? He did not make a  statement, and he certainly didn't say who they were.  
But many JW's just want their ears tickled, and many JWs are brainwashed enough to just accept everything written in the Watchtower. 
 

Good thing these literal, timely "prophesies" are flexible.  

Interesting.  Which is truly scriptural, the elder arrangement today, or the elimination of the elder arrangement in Rutherford's day?  Is God so fickle that He would approve of both the elimination AND the re-installment of the elder body in the 70's?  Of course, Rutherford wanted total power.  Yet, he refers to scripture to prove his point, just as scripture was used to verify the elder arrangement in 1970-71.  
"Therefore be it resolved that there is no Scriptural authority for the existence of the elective office of elders in the church and that henceforth we will not elect any person to the office of elder; that all of the anointed of God are elders, as that term is defined by the Scriptures, and all are servants of the Most High. . . . A service director who shall be nominated by us and confirmed by the Society’s executive or manager, and which service director shall be a member of the service committee of this company.
"This Resolution was adopted by congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the earth. The announcement in the Watchtower magazine of October 15, 1932, at the end of 2,300 evenings and mornings was the official notification made by Jehovah through his visible channel of communication that his sanctuary of anointed “living stones” had been cleansed, vindicated and justified. It had been restored to its rightful state as regards the elimination of democratically elected “elders” and as regards the theocratic appointing of the congregational overseer. Certainly the twenty-four elderly persons whom the apostle John saw in his heavenly vision crowned and seated on thrones around the throne of the Most High God were not “elders” democratically elected by the congregations on earth below. They were “elders” chosen by the Sovereign of the universe because of their full Christian growth and proved integrity. Certainly, too, the “seven stars” whom John saw upon the right hand of the glorified Jesus Christ and who pictured the “angels” or overseers of the congregations of Jehovah’s anointed sanctuary class were full-grown “elders” chosen and controlled, not by the congregations after the democratic procedure of the seventh world power, but by the Supreme Head of the theocratic organization through Jesus Christ. (Rev. 1:16, 20; 2:1; 4:4, 10, 11) Rightly the remnant of the sanctuary class on earth was brought into accord with this theocratic rule in Jehovah’s due time."
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1959723#h=17
 
 
 

Good thing these literal, timely "prophesies" are flexible.  

Interesting.  Which is truly scriptural, the elder arrangement today, or the elimination of the elder arrangement in Rutherford's day?  Is God so fickle that He would approve of both the elimination AND the re-installment of the elder body in the 70's?  Of course, Rutherford wanted total power.  Yet, he refers to scripture to prove his point, just as scripture was used to verify the elder arrangement in 1970-71.  
"Therefore be it resolved that there is no Scriptural authority for the existence of the elective office of elders in the church and that henceforth we will not elect any person to the office of elder; that all of the anointed of God are elders, as that term is defined by the Scriptures, and all are servants of the Most High. . . . A service director who shall be nominated by us and confirmed by the Society’s executive or manager, and which service director shall be a member of the service committee of this company.
"This Resolution was adopted by congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the earth. The announcement in the Watchtower magazine of October 15, 1932, at the end of 2,300 evenings and mornings was the official notification made by Jehovah through his visible channel of communication that his sanctuary of anointed “living stones” had been cleansed, vindicated and justified. It had been restored to its rightful state as regards the elimination of democratically elected “elders” and as regards the theocratic appointing of the congregational overseer. Certainly the twenty-four elderly persons whom the apostle John saw in his heavenly vision crowned and seated on thrones around the throne of the Most High God were not “elders” democratically elected by the congregations on earth below. They were “elders” chosen by the Sovereign of the universe because of their full Christian growth and proved integrity. Certainly, too, the “seven stars” whom John saw upon the right hand of the glorified Jesus Christ and who pictured the “angels” or overseers of the congregations of Jehovah’s anointed sanctuary class were full-grown “elders” chosen and controlled, not by the congregations after the democratic procedure of the seventh world power, but by the Supreme Head of the theocratic organization through Jesus Christ. (Rev. 1:16, 20; 2:1; 4:4, 10, 11) Rightly the remnant of the sanctuary class on earth was brought into accord with this theocratic rule in Jehovah’s due time."
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1959723#h=17
 
 
 

The understanding of the Elder arrangement had already been spelled out in the November 1, 1944 Watchtower (evidently written by Fred Franz). But the idea was not brought up again seriously until around 1969 when the Aid Book article on "Elder" needed to be approved. The understanding of problems with 1914 were known since well before COJ. And yes, by members of the Bethel family, including several persons on the GB, and several in Writing. Also at least one in the Service Dept, who was later transferred to Writing after 1982. I can guess that there were (and are) many more that I didn't know about at the time
You might be right here. It's also another point where Furuli and R.Franz intersect in their thinking. Both of them have written that they recognize that the Watchtower never had a real Governing Body in any spiritual sense like the supposed Jerusalem Council. Or even like a Sanhedrin. Not back in 1919 or before, and not really until 1975. There never was a body of "governing" elders involved in real decision-making until after the GB vote in December 1975. And it was Ray Franz' proposal that spear-headed a GB that acted like a council. Like a kind of Sanhedrin. In his book he tries to minimize his involvement in pushing for that decision, but at the time I think he knew his 64-page proposal, if approved, would likely result in a real GB like the one today. And it did, even with the same committee structure he had proposed.
I think these are all good points. I think it's almost inevitable that a Governing Body of some sort will develop. And if it is scriptural to have a presbytery, or body of elders, in the congregations, then why not some similar kind of leadership over multiple congregations. (Timothy and Titus were previous examples)
And as the work becomes more international, the most efficient version of the body of elders, is a body of elders who can make decisions appropriate to the logistics and efforts and distribution requirements of a worldwide congregation.
I think what made both R.Franz and R.Furuli uncomfortable is when they realized it didn't work out to their own expectations.

Interesting.  Which is truly scriptural, the elder arrangement today, or the elimination of the elder arrangement in Rutherford's day?  Is God so fickle that He would approve of both the elimination AND the re-installment of the elder body in the 70's?  Of course, Rutherford wanted total power.  Yet, he refers to scripture to prove his point, just as scripture was used to verify the elder arrangement in 1970-71.  
"Therefore be it resolved that there is no Scriptural authority for the existence of the elective office of elders in the church and that henceforth we will not elect any person to the office of elder; that all of the anointed of God are elders, as that term is defined by the Scriptures, and all are servants of the Most High. . . . A service director who shall be nominated by us and confirmed by the Society’s executive or manager, and which service director shall be a member of the service committee of this company.
"This Resolution was adopted by congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the earth. The announcement in the Watchtower magazine of October 15, 1932, at the end of 2,300 evenings and mornings was the official notification made by Jehovah through his visible channel of communication that his sanctuary of anointed “living stones” had been cleansed, vindicated and justified. It had been restored to its rightful state as regards the elimination of democratically elected “elders” and as regards the theocratic appointing of the congregational overseer. Certainly the twenty-four elderly persons whom the apostle John saw in his heavenly vision crowned and seated on thrones around the throne of the Most High God were not “elders” democratically elected by the congregations on earth below. They were “elders” chosen by the Sovereign of the universe because of their full Christian growth and proved integrity. Certainly, too, the “seven stars” whom John saw upon the right hand of the glorified Jesus Christ and who pictured the “angels” or overseers of the congregations of Jehovah’s anointed sanctuary class were full-grown “elders” chosen and controlled, not by the congregations after the democratic procedure of the seventh world power, but by the Supreme Head of the theocratic organization through Jesus Christ. (Rev. 1:16, 20; 2:1; 4:4, 10, 11) Rightly the remnant of the sanctuary class on earth was brought into accord with this theocratic rule in Jehovah’s due time."
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1959723#h=17
 
 
 

"A man has made great progress in cunning when he does not seem too clever to others." ~ Jean de la Bruyere
2 Cor 11:13

"A man has made great progress in cunning when he does not seem too clever to others." ~ Jean de la Bruyere
2 Cor 11:13

It’s amazing how many WT publications are written to warn of apostasy and bad influence within the congregation itself, fake brothers, elders and fake apostles who are like wolves, ...... but completely rule out the possibility of GB + Helpers being in that category.
Cognitive Dissonance or OCD sleeps in WT articles ? :)))

No, sorry. We need to separate education as knowledge about life and nature, and "education" as tool for directing people to particular ideology aka manipulation.
Let say this: All science and people lived in knowledge how sun turns around the Earth, for very long time. Perhaps old Jew's as God's nation did the same. This knowledge we would normally call was part of educational system in past times. Later, some individuals and science said opposite. Well, now we have educational system that teaches differently about this.
Both was sort of knowledge. On first part, we can agree how general "knowledge" does earth turns or sun turns is of less or even non influence on daily human activity. But, if you had lived then and said you didn’t believe in a geocentric system, they would have burned you at the stake. That is point when "education and knowledge" is not just educational system. It is ideology... that can you cost your health and life if Inquisition found how you are "apostate". 
When WTJWorg and GB+Helpers using own system of "(higher) spiritual education" and "persecute" all who don't agree with their "education" about this and that. Such (religious) "educational system" is not part of mere knowledge, true or false, but part of IDEOLOGY that is ready to shun and dfd all those who reject their "higher" educational system. 

Rutherford devised the name, “Jehovah’s Witnesses” and instigated "Jehovah's organization".
So, what happened with the organization’s leaders?  How did they slip so far from Jesus’ teachings spoken through the apostles? 
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”  Acts 1:7
I don’t recall a teacher in my elementary school teaching me lies about math and reading fundamentals.
 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not collapse, because its foundation was laid on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed, and its fall was great.”  Matt 7:24-27
 

These days a lot of people who do not have the time, money or wherewithal to become scholars, scientists, journalists, or specialists will still tend to find some vicarious thrill in presenting themselves as "scholars" because they love the actual scholarship of another person. Similarly, some consider themselves vicarious "journalists" (or at least "specialists") on many topics because they have found journalists, or more often "journalistic entertainers," who support their ideologies. (In the USA, this would include persons like Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, Anderson Cooper, Alex Jones, Chris Cuomo, etc.) The "vicarious thrill" happens especially when a well-known professional scholar, scientist, politician, journalist or entertainer agrees with our own personal ideology or beliefs.
The thrill is slightly higher when it's an unexpected source, as when a climate scientist admits a failure in the climate beliefs of the opposing ideology. Or when a respected academic source, or even "fundamentalist Christian" scholar admits that the Trinity was not a first century Christian belief.
Over the past few years @scholar JW and "Allen Smith"/"Billy The Kid" aka @César Chávez have praised Rolf Furuli to such an extent that I was not the only one who wondered if both "scholar" and "Cesar" were not also enjoying a kind of vicarious thrill of being able to call their own ideological position "scholarly" because an actual academic scholar like Furuli gave them that foundation. And it no doubt appealed to the Watch Tower Society to find a person like Furuli for the same reasons and present his unique take on one of the neo-Babylonian astronomical tablets.
And I would have to admit that for me personally I have sometimes been thrilled to discover that many archaeologists have uncovered items of interest to Bible believers that help indicate the historical accuracy of the Bible in the face of nay-sayers. And when it was first pointed out to me why the doctrine of the "1914 generation" was not supported Biblically, I was thrilled to discover that two members of the GB would admit right in front of me that they also didn't fully support it, and that at least 3 additional GB members had said similar things in writing or told to persons I trusted about that topic. And when it turns out that a Greg Stafford, or a Gerard Gertoux, also agrees in many ways about the 1914 doctrine, it could be seen as adding "authority" to my own beliefs. So, I am definitely not immune to the "argument from authority" which can often turn out to be a logical fallacy. But what happens when Gerard Gertoux is rejected as a scholar due to a position on 1914, or a person like Greg Stafford defends JWs very well for years, but then leaves or rejects the Witnesses altogether?
In the past few years, both "scholar JW" and "Cesar" have been asked what they would do if Furuli stopped believing as he did. Neither answered that question. But both of them, on this forum, seem to have been as supportive as possible of Furuli, up to a point. I don't think "scholar JW" will come back now that he has been asked this question directly, this time by Ann O'Maly. "Cesar" has been slowly weakening in his supportive position, as I'm sure he is discovering that some of the words he thought were being misrepresented were actually a very good representation of Furuli's actual words.
Fortunately, for "scholar" and "Cesar," Furuli has not yet changed his position on 1914, and "scholar JW" immediately found that fact to be advantageous - because Furuli is finally (suddenly) an independent scholar. "Cesar" also still uses vague language to protect and defend Furuli. I believe it's because Furuli's scholarship on 1914 must be protected from his new theological reputation.
As expected, this is not so different from what is done especially by ex-JWs and perhaps even some JWs for R.Franz and C.O.Jonsson for those who agree with their takes on theology or chronology, respectively. Some persons tend to want to overly protect the reputations of those men when it shouldn't matter in the long run. I think that some persons get overly involved in trying to make them out to be great Christians, when they never knew them, and only see through their own eyes "vicariously" through the books those men authored.
This becomes more interesting with Furuli because 1914 is so tied up with the belief in the FDS who were recently identified with the GB (such as it was) back during that same 1914 time period. I don't expect Furuli to weaken any time soon on the 1914 doctrine because he invested his entire reputation on 1914 and scholarship, and it is his own reputation he is apparently trying to salvage among his fellow brothers and sisters. He wants it to be clear that he has never left the religion and that if he is kicked out it was only because some imperfect but sincere men did not like an important anomaly in his theology. The "optics" of that perspective might even save him from being officially kicked out in any formal or public way.
But Furuli is rejecting what has seemed to become the most re-emphaisized "touchstone" of the modern theological themes in the Watch Tower publications: that of obedience to the FDS. It's an old theme but necessarily returning because it's now so much more tangible. Previously, the "obedience" to the FDS was a spiritual obedience through appreciation of an entire spiritual "process" that was intangible. The FDS was a world-wide living remnant of the 144,000 who were somehow (spiritually) supporting a small group of representatives of themselves through the largely unknown (and idealized) teaching and writing and decision-making processes at the Watch Tower's headquarters in NY. The "obedience" of the 144,000 to a core group of anointed, centered around NY Bethel, became a model that the rest of us appreciated, largely for the intangible spiritual factors. (It was even suggested that members of the 144,000 who had died, were still communicating with this small group of representatives of the FDS.)
But then it became more tangible when it was adjusted so that this appointed slave became "8 men" that you could watch and judge for yourselves on your "TV" or internet screens. You can watch them make mistakes right in front of you. You can watch them say questionable things and realize more easily than ever that they themselves are struggling with some issues (finances, legal challenges, "overlapping" generation, changing doctrines). This begins to take away the once intangible spiritual sheen, even though most of what they say is still very much appreciated and there is no need to question it.

Rutherford devised the name, “Jehovah’s Witnesses” and instigated "Jehovah's organization".
So, what happened with the organization’s leaders?  How did they slip so far from Jesus’ teachings spoken through the apostles? 
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”  Acts 1:7
I don’t recall a teacher in my elementary school teaching me lies about math and reading fundamentals.
 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not collapse, because its foundation was laid on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed, and its fall was great.”  Matt 7:24-27