I just recently understood the prophecy that tells that the "Shepards" among Jehovah's people will be dismissed by Jehovah God. I had for years wondered how that possibly was going to take place practically? I wondered how the elders would all around cease to be shepherds? But finally I have now connected that to other prophecies that explain in detail how that is going to happen. l must say I am thankful to Jehovah God that he prevented me to become a WT society elder. First here is the prophecy telling that all the elders will be dismissed by Jehovah God: Ezekiel 34:10 This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: ‘I am against the shepherds, and I will demand an accounting of them for my sheep,* and I will dismiss them from feeding* my sheep,+ and the shepherds will no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouth, and they will no longer be food for them.’†11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: “Here I am, and I myself will search for my sheep, and I will care for them. 23 I will raise up one shepherd over them,+ my servant David,+ and he will feed them. He himself will feed them and become their shepherd.+ 24 And I, Jehovah, will become their God,+ and my servant David a chieftain among them.+ I myself, Jehovah, have spoken. Because we know that "David" Jesus did not begin to rule in 1914, all this prophecy is referring to a future event. Simply said, the elders will be dismissed when 'the sanctuary will be prophaned, and the constant feature removed and the disgusting thing put in place on the holy place', the kingdomhalls. God's sheep that will refuse to worship the disgusting thing will flee. But those who act wickedly against the covenant will stay and worship the beast and its image. They will become apostates because they will engage in this kind of idolatry. Yes I think many elders will become such apostates, because already they do what ever they are told by the Governing Body. I have not seen that elders would let their conscience be lead by the Scriptures. Instead they have submitted themselves totally to whatever they are told by the Governing Body. And that will backfire one day. In fact if an elder would refuse to support a directive from the GB because of his conscience based on the scriptures, he would loose his privileges in the congregation. So that means all the elders have decided to support the GB no matter what the scriptures says. A simple prof of that is: you can not question any current GB doctrine with any elder. If you do that you are fired. The elders have no Bible based conscience, but their conscience is GB based. That situation must end, God's sheep deserve better. And that will end in a way prophecied in detail in Daniel 11. Instead it will be the local anointed that will step in to give spiritual food. "David" Jesus will use the local anointed to give knowledge and understanding to God's sheep. Here is what Daniel 11 says : 30“He will go back and hurl denunciations* against the holy covenant+ and act effectively; and he will go back and will give attention to those leaving the holy covenant. 31 And arms*[ footnote: armies] will stand up, proceeding from him; and they will profane the sanctuary,+ the fortress, and remove the constant feature.*+ “And they will put in place the disgusting thing that causes desolation.+ 32 “And those who act wickedly against the covenant, he will lead into apostasy by means of smooth words.* But the people who know their God will prevail and act effectively. 33 And those having insight+ among the people will impart understanding to the many. And they will be made to stumble by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plundering, for some days. Of course the local anointed will be persecuted and targeted by the king of the North as says the prophecy. And it is in this time Matthew 25 gets its fulfillment. There will be brothers and sisters that will help the local anointed in practical ways. They will get everlasting life. But then there will be brothers and sisters that will not bother to help local anointed and they will die. Matthew 25:44 Then they too will answer with the words: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying: ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of these least ones, you did not do it to me.’+ 46 These will depart into everlasting cutting-off,*+ but the righteous ones into everlasting life.â€+
Jesus said, “But he said to them: “Why are you so afraid, you with little faith?†(Mt 8:26 NWT) The Greek word translated as “afraid†is deilos =timid, fearful, coward. One with little faith. It is also used in Rev 21:8 they are grouped with murderers, liars, and immoral persons. They know that if they question the GB, they will be disfellowshipped. “Oh No, not that! Why I’ll lose me position of authority!†Check out their destination in the Revelation scripture. I became interested recently; how the WTB&TS arrived at the 2520 years to equate it with 1914. Then, I remembered my old copy of “Then Is Finished The Mystery Of God†book. Of course you will not find the publication on their website. It lists it, but there is no way to get a copy of it. But, Ah-ha, the old shell game with numbers. (Footnote Pg. 311) “For example, see the book entitled “Three Worlds, Or Plan of Redemption†(on front cover), as published by N. H. Barbour and C. T. Russell in 1877 at Rochester, N.Y. The two-page chart at the beginning of the book says in its second-last column: “ ‘Times of the Gentiles’ began B.C. 606 when Nebuchadnezzar received universal dominion. They continue during ‘seven times.’ Seven prophetic times is 7 multiplied by 360; or two thousand five hundred and twenty. And will therefore end forty years after A.D. 1874; that is, in A.D. 1914.†In confirmation of this, note, for instance, page 129, paragraph 3, under the page heading “The Harvest.†Then another footnote on page 315; “Since three and a half “times†equal 1,260 days, seven (2 x 3 1/2) “times†equal 2,520 days. Accordingly, the “seven times†for Gentile domination of the earth equal 2,520 units of time, that is, 2,520 symbolic “days,†or 2,520 years, from early autumn of the year 607 B.C.E. to the early autumn of the year 1914 C.E—Daniel 4:16, 23, 25; Luke 21:24. The number 2,520 is remarkable in that it is a multiple of any one of the numerical digits from 1 to 9, and, of course, is thus divisible by any one of them, and also by ten (10).†- (“Then Is Finished The Mystery Of Godâ€, 1969) The Hebrew words used at Dan. 4:16, 23, 25 is `iddan (Aramaic) id-dawn' = time, time (of duration), year. It is from a root corresponding to that of ‘ed (ayd) = menstruation, a filthy rag, stained garment (fig. of best deeds of guilty people). This is also from an unused root meaning to set a period. At these scriptures in Daniel, the Septuagint uses the Greek kairos (kahee-ros') = of uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. set or proper time:--X always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season, (due, short, while) time, a while. Considering the statement of “ ‘Times of the Gentiles’ began B.C. 606 when Nebuchadnezzar received universal dominion. They continue during ‘seven times.’ Seven prophetic times is 7 multiplied by 360; or two thousand five hundred and twenty.â€, is absurd. Which hat did they pull that one out of? Or, properly said, it may not be a hat that they pulled it out of! The WTB&TS go back to ancient Israel’s punishment from Jehovah where it says; “According to the number of the days that you spied out the land, 40 days, a day for a year, a day for a year, you will answer for your errors 40 years, for you will know what it means to oppose me.†(Num 14:34 NWT) There is a problem with the way the WTB&TS translates this verse from the original Hebrew. It should be; “According to the number of the days that you spied out the land, 40 days, for every day you will answer for your error a year, even 40 years, and you will know my opposition.†The only reason for a repetition of the “day for a year†is to add emphasis to their argument for interpretation of Daniel 4:16, 23, 25 which says “let seven times pass over it.†It appears to be a long stretch to add the 7 times to the 2,520 symbolic “days,†as the time in Numbers is not symbolic, but real time. It was an actual 40 years, not symbolic, that the Israelites spent in the wilderness. (Num 14) The Hebrew and Greek words used as to sense of time, according to Strong’s: Present The present tense represents a simple statement of fact or reality viewed as occurring in actual time. In most cases this corresponds directly with the English present tense. Some phrases which might be rendered as past tense in English will often occur in the present tense in Greek. These are termed “historical presents,†and such occurrences dramatize the event described as if the reader were there watching the event occur. Some English translations render such historical presents in the English past tense, while others permit the tense to remain in the present. No Tense or Voice Stated In a number of places certain verbs are cited in Perschbacher’s “The New Analytical Greek Lexicon†which do not have any tense or voice directly stated. In almost all of these cases, one can assume that the tense is Present and the voice is Active, especially when the sense is that of a command (Imperative). Imperative The imperative mood corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding. Thus, Jesus’ phrase, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel†(Mk.1:15) is not at all an “invitation,†but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers. A few questions for the WTB&TS; Why are the older publications like “Then Is Finished The Mystery Of God†not available on your website? Why is “Three Worlds, Or Plan of Redemption†not available on your website? Why are none of the older publication not on your website? When are the elders going to get some backbone and stand up to the lies?
I remember Knorr ( I think it was him and not Rutherford ) saying he had made an Ass of himself over that book... much like our Revelation book that we had to do numerous times and each time we had to be given a paper with the changes and new light..and write them in the book before we studied it again. In all fairness to the society a few years ago they did write an apology for getting things wrong in one of their magazines and once from the platform at a big assembly. and at one of our two days assemblies a CO said there was a lot wrong with the org and he didn't think it would all get fixed up before the end came, but they were trying. These apologies were small and should have been a main talk or a main article..not little statements as they were. They were insipid attempts.... There are still good elders out there...at the moment our cong has them...after decades of tyranny from the older ones. At the regional assemblie they put out a call for men to step up and take more responsibility in the congs. There is a big shortage of elders and MS...and if any brother watched all of the ARC...they would definitely not reach out for such a thing... These good ones will need help as time goes on..when it crumbles and they have to make hard decisions....that's why I stay....silly old me might be able to share with them one little scripture that shows all this was foretold and not to lose hope.... thinking