Apparitions Guided The 1914 Doctrine?

Historically, the Watchtower has always said that the resurrection of some of the 144,000 happened many years ago. Up until 1927, that resurrection had happened in 1878. This is why in 1916 after Russell died, the Watchtower claimed for many years that Russell was communicating with the Watchtower Society and was continuing to run every phase of the work “from beyond the veil.”The Watchtower defended this position against a charge of spiritism on the grounds that Russell was still alive. (Of course, he would still be a spirit, so I don’t know how well that argument worked.)

In 1927, the date for the resurrection of all the previously deceased members of the 144,000 up to that point was changed from 1878 to 1918. Up until less than 10 years ago, our official position was that the apostle Paul, for example, was resurrected in 1918. This was taught, not just as a guess, but an established fact. But then in 2007 we got a very interesting Watchtower article:

*** w07 1/1 p. 27 par. 9 “The First Resurrection”—Now Under Way! ***
Reasonably, then, anointed ones who die before Armageddon are resurrected sometime between 1914 and Armageddon. *** end of quote ***

This opened up a whole new range of possibility, including the possibility that NONE of the 144,000 have been resurrected yet. And this is still a possibility based on the updated view of the rapture in the May 15, 2015 Watchtower.

However, the old 1918 resurrection is not completely dismissed as a possibility, it’s only that it has been downgraded from an established fact to “an interesting possibility”

*** w07 1/1 p. 27 par. 10 “The First Resurrection”—Now Under Way! ***
Can we say more precisely when the first resurrection begins?
. . .
It seems that resurrected ones of the 24-elders group may be involved in the communicating of divine truths today. Why is that important? Because the correct identity of the great crowd was revealed to God’s anointed servants on earth in 1935. If one of the 24 elders was used to convey that important truth, he would have had to be resurrected to heaven by 1935 at the latest. That would indicate that the first resurrection began sometime between 1914 and 1935.
. . .
Could it, then, be reasoned that since Jesus was enthroned in the fall of 1914, the resurrection of his faithful anointed followers began three and a half years later, in the spring of 1918? That is an interesting possibility. Although this cannot be directly confirmed in the Bible, it is not out of harmony with other scriptures that indicate that the first resurrection got under way soon after Christ’s presence began.
*** end of quote ***

Just noticed that I referenced the May 15, 2015 about the “rapture.” I meant the July 15, 2015 issue. In fact, that’s most likely the very issue where the question comes up about whether the 144,000 are all in heaven just before the Great Tribulation starts, or just after it starts. Paragraphs 15 and 16 of the “rapture” article becomes just a bit vague at exactly that point.

http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20150715/rapture-anointed-great-tribulation/

Just another curiosity on the 2007 issue quoted above.There are now about three different NEW problems with the 1918 date we used to teach.

1918 used to be mentioned as much or more than 1919. But in the last couple decades we had already stopped mentioning it for many years with reference to ANY current doctrine. Also, the Governing Body as the Faithful and Discreet Slave didn’t exist until 1919 in our new understanding. So as of the July 15, 2013 issue of the Watchtower, we officially dropped the last teachings related to 1918. We used to teach that the “spiritual temple” was inspected in 1918, and also that great tribulation started in 1914 and was interrupted in 1918, and that it would start up again just before Armageddon. Note:

*** w13 7/15 p. 3 par. 3 “Tell Us, When Will These Things Be?” ***
For a number of years, we thought that the great tribulation began in 1914 with World War I and that “those days were cut short” by Jehovah in 1918 when the war ended so that the remnant would have the opportunity to preach the good news to all nations.
*** end of quote ***

*** w13 7/15 p. 11 “Look! I Am With You All the Days” ***
Paragraph 6: This is an adjustment in understanding. Previously, we thought that Jesus’ inspection took place in 1918.
*** end of quote ***

So 1918 is no longer important to any other doctrine.

Another problem with it is that the 2007 article ends with the idea that “although this cannot be directly confirmed in the Bible, it is not out of harmony with other scriptures that indicate the first resurrection got under way soon after Christ’s presence began.” The problem here is that the only scriptural example is the verse in Thessalonians 4:13 which is not that directly supportive of the claim that this resurrection happens EARLY during the presence. If anything the emphasis is on how close together the timing of the resurrection aligns with the raising of the final LIVING survivors at the end.

Also, a third problem is the idea that we kept the “spiritism” idea as the way of supposedly narrowing down the time of the first resurrection between 1914 and 1935. The article said: “If one of the 24 elders was used to convey that important truth, he would have had to be resurrected to heaven by 1935 at the latest.” (24 elders is still identified as another term for the 144,000.)

The real problem is that we used to say that although 1935 was not found through Scripture, it didn’t matter because it was revealed as “lightning flashes” going forth into the “spiritual temple.” Rutherford used this expression a lot as if it was a form of either angelic inspiration or communication with those who had already passed beyond the veil. (The idea survived for many decades in our songbooks with the words “In God’s holy temple / Lightnings flash and shine / That we may be guided / By his light divine.) The problem is that 1935 is no longer considered to have any specific significance anymore. Now, it is just a time when the Watchtower began teaching something different and therefore clarifying or identifying the hope of a class who had seemed, for many years prior, not to know exactly what there hope was.

Another consideration is not included above because it hasn’t been commented upon yet in the Watchtower with reference to the first resurrection:

(2 Timothy 2:18 ) These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some.

Satan keeps transforming himself into an Angel of Light. It seems Bethel's Clowns have fallen for the bait.

 

Hi BreakTheWalls

I remember the day we studied this Watchtower issue. I noticed that the brother who was assigned to reading, shook his head after he read these paragraphs.

A number of brothers/sisters in the audience looked at each other sideways with a "Huh" expression on their faces.

Me - I wore a "Huh" expression on my face and then muttered "Curl my hair!" under my breath.

 

I always thought it was "figurative" but after reading some more, there is no way it isn't figurative. hence the spirit directed moniker.

 

In 1920, Rutherford revealed his interest in the occult bywriting the tracts "Can the Living Talk With the Dead" and "Talking with the Dead." Rutherford believed his spiritual information came exclusively from angels, because the holy spirit had ceased in 1918. According to him, angels channel led information into his mind from a god living on the Star Alceyone in the Pleiades. All the Jehovah's Witness work was directed by him and these angels. A close associate of Russell, wrote a book Seola. which was advertized and sold by the Watchtower Society during the 1920s under the name Angels and Women. According to the book, demons could repent and work out their salvation. Rutherford wrote in yet another book Angels, p.6, about fallen angels "there is some hope of their recovery."

Rutherford believed demons could work out their salvation. A primary job of the angels is to bring information from God. Since Rutherford received false prophecies from these angels, it would be scriptural that the angels that channelled messages through him were demons!

Rutherford had predicted in his book Millions Now
Living Will Never Die that in 1925 Armageddon would occur, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would come back to earth three days before the Magdeburg, Germany Convention of International Bible Students in May, 1925 the head of the Watchtower Society, Joseph Rutherford, Robert Martin, C.C. Binkley, Paul Balzareit, the heads of the German branch, met at the Hotel Magdeburger Hof. Jessey Hemery, Vice-Pres. of the I.B.S.A. was supposed to translate but failed to make it. A 20 yr. old Bible Student, William Schnell, was pressed into the service of translator. William Schnell was shocked at the conversation he had to translate. Their conversation was about their plans on how to handle the repercussions from their prophecy which they knew beforehand was false. Robert Martin said, "I propose we go completely into mass production of books and printed matter and FORCE all brethren who will let themselves be impressed into witnessing with books. Occupy them and they will forget failures and soon we can use these disappointments like a jilted lover who has been left at the door by his bride-to-be and who finds quickly another lover." So Rutherford as a leader was far less sincerely motivated than Russell. For Rutherford it was a greedy scam for power.

The Radioclast "Oija board" gadget that Rutherford
promoted for thirty years is remarkably akin to the
Rosicrucian ideas about the healing power of vibrations and the force of altruism.

 

At my previous job, one of my workmates was chatting to me during a quiet moment at work. I don't remember how we got on to the subject of religion (was a long time ago) but they said to me: "Oh, you're one of Jehovah's Witnesses - you people believe that Jehovah lives in the Pleiades Constellation in the heavens."

So I just politely responded that: "No, I didn't believe that and I'm not sure where you might have read that, but that isn't taught at the meetings."

The workmate just said: "Oh, ok....it was just something I heard." A few days later, I checked it out on Google.

I went back to the workmate and told him that I checked it out on the internet

 

I wonder how this esoteric information is widely known to people not named Jehovah's Witnesses, he wasn't even an exjw, he would have no reason to research that.

 

Hi BreakTheWalls

Sorry had a blank moment and forgot to include the person's background.

He was a mature-aged staff member and he said that his grandparents were Bible Students. His father was raised as a Witness but stopped going to meetings later on. The staff member said that he hadn't seen the publications but he had heard through his father about some of the subject material.

I suspected he was "testing the waters" with me to see how much I knew about the Watchtower Society. So I told him I knew about the child abuse issues and the UN NGO issue as well. He was aware of those things as well.

I knew that the Watchtower Society had admitted that it had celebrated Christmas in the past. But here was a piece of information from the Watchtower Society's history that I had never heard of before. At that point in time, it seemed to me that there were some parts of the Watchtower's history that I knew and some that I didn't.

I'm surprised at what I continue to learn from other people and they come from all walks of life.