Post by Alexander Winslow on Jun 18, 2013 20:26:17 GMT -5
Jehovah’s Witnesses
[Who? & When?]
Abraham was about seventy-five years old when Almighty God informed him that like the starts in the heavens, so his ‘seed’ would become. This was a long-range prophecy which spanned many generations which began with his son Isaac and later through his grandson Jacob who was eventually re-named Israel. Jacob’s twelve sons formed the twelve tribes of natural Israel who later under their King Solomon completed the magnificent Temple in which the Most Holy contained the Shekinah Light which denoted the presence of Almighty God Jehovah and confirmed that his protective hand was on these people and that as a nation they ere now his witnesses to all the nations around and would become a restraint on them. (Isaiah 43:12)
From then on, this status continued until in 607 B.C.E. Jehovah removed his protective hand, the Shekinah Light disappeared and the nation was led into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. Then in 539 B.C.E. as prophesied, out of the East and out of the sun-rising a bird of prey in the person of Cyrus the Great, Jehovah’s anointed-one; crushed the Babylonian Empire and released the Israelite nation. By his permission, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild their Temple but the Shekinah Light never returned. (Isaiah 44:27, 28; 45:1-7) This is why when Shiloh the Messiah arrived at the appointed time, now bestowed with the name of Jesus; he declared: “I am the light of the world.” With this statement he confirmed that he was indeed the greater Shekinah with Almighty God’s full approval while declaring to the Pharisees and the Sadducees: “Look! Your house is abandoned to you!” (Matthew 23:38) From then on they sought to kill him.
This is why Christ Jesus declared that as the greater Shekinah, his is indeed the light of the world. (John 14:6) Also he is the ‘way’ back from Adamic death [death without a resurrection] and the ‘way’ forward to the Sabbath Millennium of which he is ‘Lord of’ by means of his ransom sacrifice and the hope of a ‘second chance’ of everlasting life on earth as perfect humans for ‘all’ mankind by way of the resurrection of the body. Because he is ‘The Way’ by which all this will be accomplished, his apostles, disciples and all other followers became known as followers of ‘The Way’. The individuals who formed the first century congregation [church] were identified as the followers of ‘The Way’ (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14). Later at Antioch, those ‘followers’ who were also of the ‘anointed’ [Little Flock], were by divine providence called Christians [Anointed-ones] (Acts 11:26). These ones were called Christians because like Jesus the ‘Anointed-one’ [Messiah], they too were also ‘anointed ones’ [The only ones other than Christ Jesus who will receive a heavenly resurrection (John 3:13)] and as such; they followed Christ Jesus who stated “I am the way.” (John 1:23, 14:6.) This is the original and only Christian movement recorded in the whole of the Bible.
So Jehovah’s Witnesses by the hand of God began with the nation of Israel and ended in 607 B.C.E. From then on, they enjoyed their natural status as a nation but without the Hand of God until the arrival of the promised Messiah who set forth the Good News of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14) and the hope of the ‘second chance’ for ‘all’ mankind by way of the resurrection. (Acts 24:15) The new Christian movement of ‘The Way’ then moved forward.
The anointed heavenly ‘little flock’ (Luke 12:32) would now be gathered throughout the next two thousand years until the door closed in 1945 C.E. One of the last of these was Charles Taze Russell who through the evidence of his knowledge and insight into the scriptures and his foundational book The Divine Plan of the Ages, has provided all those who seek an understanding of God’s will and purpose to also acquire an accurate knowledge of the truth.
Charles Taze Russell began by teaching the hope of the Sabbath Millennium of the Christ and it provision of a second chance for all mankind of everlasting life on the earth as perfect hums, which was the original purpose of Almighty God when Adam and Eve were first created. Realizing that today we are almost at the dawn of the Millennium, his movement became know as ‘Millennial Dawnists’. His magazine was called The Watch Tower.
In July 1916 a difference of opinion arose between Charles Taze Russell and is colleague J.F. Rutherford, and because it could not be resolved; Rutherford was dismissed and went his own way. Then on October 31st 1916, on a railroad train eastward bound through Texas, Pastor Charles Taze Russell, familiarly known to thousands of his brethren in Christ the world over as "Brother" Russell, passed away. The news of his death spread rapidly, and for a time those who knew and loved him for his work’s sake could think and speak of little else as they met one another except that "Brother Russell is dead."
On hearing of Russell’s death, Rutherford hurried back and immediately took control of things. For a short while, things seemed to run smoothly until changes it the original teaching and other alterations gradually appeared. The first change involved the application of the period of the prophecy of the ‘sheep and goats’ from during and at the end of the Sabbath Millennium to this the Gospel Age! This immediately changed the faith of this wonderful hope to a faith of fear! “Become a sheep now or lose-out on the chance of entering the Sabbath Millennium.” This is still applies today. As more changes took place, the faithful ones still loyal to Russell’s teachings, left the new organization.
On Sunday July 26th 1931 at 4 O’clock at a convention in Columbus Ohio, the organization was given a new name; “Jehovah’s Witnesses” based on the scripture at Isaiah 43:12. As a Millennial Dawnist and a teacher of the ‘second chance’, Charles Taze Russell would never have adopted this title which was given exclusively to the nation of Israel while under the ‘hand God’.
The grandchildren of those who were once part of Charles Taze Russell’s original movement have formed into individual groups, rather like the congregations of the first century; yet still holding faithful to the teaching of Jesus and the apostles regarding the ‘second chance’ of everlasting life as perfect humans on earth by way of the ‘ransom’.
Charles Taze Russell has provided us with spiritual food at the right time and left us a legacy, just like the first century Christians.
*************************************
A man is measured by his faith and his faith is measured by his belief, his belief therefore determines what he stands for!
*************************************
Alexander Winslow
N.B.
Latest reports indicate that there is a lot of controversy and argument at the Brooklyn and other Bethels regarding who is of the anointed and who is not. If any of them were, they would already rectified the incorrect teachings as out-lined in this article.
[Who? & When?]
Abraham was about seventy-five years old when Almighty God informed him that like the starts in the heavens, so his ‘seed’ would become. This was a long-range prophecy which spanned many generations which began with his son Isaac and later through his grandson Jacob who was eventually re-named Israel. Jacob’s twelve sons formed the twelve tribes of natural Israel who later under their King Solomon completed the magnificent Temple in which the Most Holy contained the Shekinah Light which denoted the presence of Almighty God Jehovah and confirmed that his protective hand was on these people and that as a nation they ere now his witnesses to all the nations around and would become a restraint on them. (Isaiah 43:12)
From then on, this status continued until in 607 B.C.E. Jehovah removed his protective hand, the Shekinah Light disappeared and the nation was led into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. Then in 539 B.C.E. as prophesied, out of the East and out of the sun-rising a bird of prey in the person of Cyrus the Great, Jehovah’s anointed-one; crushed the Babylonian Empire and released the Israelite nation. By his permission, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild their Temple but the Shekinah Light never returned. (Isaiah 44:27, 28; 45:1-7) This is why when Shiloh the Messiah arrived at the appointed time, now bestowed with the name of Jesus; he declared: “I am the light of the world.” With this statement he confirmed that he was indeed the greater Shekinah with Almighty God’s full approval while declaring to the Pharisees and the Sadducees: “Look! Your house is abandoned to you!” (Matthew 23:38) From then on they sought to kill him.
This is why Christ Jesus declared that as the greater Shekinah, his is indeed the light of the world. (John 14:6) Also he is the ‘way’ back from Adamic death [death without a resurrection] and the ‘way’ forward to the Sabbath Millennium of which he is ‘Lord of’ by means of his ransom sacrifice and the hope of a ‘second chance’ of everlasting life on earth as perfect humans for ‘all’ mankind by way of the resurrection of the body. Because he is ‘The Way’ by which all this will be accomplished, his apostles, disciples and all other followers became known as followers of ‘The Way’. The individuals who formed the first century congregation [church] were identified as the followers of ‘The Way’ (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14). Later at Antioch, those ‘followers’ who were also of the ‘anointed’ [Little Flock], were by divine providence called Christians [Anointed-ones] (Acts 11:26). These ones were called Christians because like Jesus the ‘Anointed-one’ [Messiah], they too were also ‘anointed ones’ [The only ones other than Christ Jesus who will receive a heavenly resurrection (John 3:13)] and as such; they followed Christ Jesus who stated “I am the way.” (John 1:23, 14:6.) This is the original and only Christian movement recorded in the whole of the Bible.
So Jehovah’s Witnesses by the hand of God began with the nation of Israel and ended in 607 B.C.E. From then on, they enjoyed their natural status as a nation but without the Hand of God until the arrival of the promised Messiah who set forth the Good News of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14) and the hope of the ‘second chance’ for ‘all’ mankind by way of the resurrection. (Acts 24:15) The new Christian movement of ‘The Way’ then moved forward.
The anointed heavenly ‘little flock’ (Luke 12:32) would now be gathered throughout the next two thousand years until the door closed in 1945 C.E. One of the last of these was Charles Taze Russell who through the evidence of his knowledge and insight into the scriptures and his foundational book The Divine Plan of the Ages, has provided all those who seek an understanding of God’s will and purpose to also acquire an accurate knowledge of the truth.
Charles Taze Russell began by teaching the hope of the Sabbath Millennium of the Christ and it provision of a second chance for all mankind of everlasting life on the earth as perfect hums, which was the original purpose of Almighty God when Adam and Eve were first created. Realizing that today we are almost at the dawn of the Millennium, his movement became know as ‘Millennial Dawnists’. His magazine was called The Watch Tower.
In July 1916 a difference of opinion arose between Charles Taze Russell and is colleague J.F. Rutherford, and because it could not be resolved; Rutherford was dismissed and went his own way. Then on October 31st 1916, on a railroad train eastward bound through Texas, Pastor Charles Taze Russell, familiarly known to thousands of his brethren in Christ the world over as "Brother" Russell, passed away. The news of his death spread rapidly, and for a time those who knew and loved him for his work’s sake could think and speak of little else as they met one another except that "Brother Russell is dead."
On hearing of Russell’s death, Rutherford hurried back and immediately took control of things. For a short while, things seemed to run smoothly until changes it the original teaching and other alterations gradually appeared. The first change involved the application of the period of the prophecy of the ‘sheep and goats’ from during and at the end of the Sabbath Millennium to this the Gospel Age! This immediately changed the faith of this wonderful hope to a faith of fear! “Become a sheep now or lose-out on the chance of entering the Sabbath Millennium.” This is still applies today. As more changes took place, the faithful ones still loyal to Russell’s teachings, left the new organization.
On Sunday July 26th 1931 at 4 O’clock at a convention in Columbus Ohio, the organization was given a new name; “Jehovah’s Witnesses” based on the scripture at Isaiah 43:12. As a Millennial Dawnist and a teacher of the ‘second chance’, Charles Taze Russell would never have adopted this title which was given exclusively to the nation of Israel while under the ‘hand God’.
The grandchildren of those who were once part of Charles Taze Russell’s original movement have formed into individual groups, rather like the congregations of the first century; yet still holding faithful to the teaching of Jesus and the apostles regarding the ‘second chance’ of everlasting life as perfect humans on earth by way of the ‘ransom’.
Charles Taze Russell has provided us with spiritual food at the right time and left us a legacy, just like the first century Christians.
*************************************
A man is measured by his faith and his faith is measured by his belief, his belief therefore determines what he stands for!
*************************************
Alexander Winslow
N.B.
Latest reports indicate that there is a lot of controversy and argument at the Brooklyn and other Bethels regarding who is of the anointed and who is not. If any of them were, they would already rectified the incorrect teachings as out-lined in this article.
