A common quote from JW’s is, “JWs do not claim, and *never* have, to be inspired of God or infallible.” http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylc=X3oDM...
Has the Watchtower ever said that it “gives food at the proper time” meaning it passes on God’s word, in season to the "other sheep".
How could the Watchtower claim to pass on the word of God if it has never been “Inspired” or not be infallible if they are speaking for God by passing on His food for the “Other Sheep”?
I cannot see how God’s word, this “Food” could not be inspired if it comes from God.
If the word they pass on is from uninspired men or from Satan and nothing to do with God, then I can understand the statement.
How can the Watchtower be a “Channel of God” if the product of that “channel” is not inspired?
Are they saying that God’s word is uninspiring?
Update:Thank you @purrrr fect for your definition of "Channeling"
Update 3:@בַר אֱנָשׁ (bar_enosh) says NO! And @BAR-ANERGES says YES, seems like even the elders of the JW’s cannot make make-up their minds on the teachings of the JW’s
Update 5:@בַר אֱנָשׁ (bar_enosh) says NO! And @BAR-ANERGES says YES, seems like even the elders of the JW’s cannot make make-up their minds on the teachings of the JW’s
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
The WTS claims to be God’s inspired prophet WT, 4-1-1972, 197, but its prophecies are false.
WTS predictions:
1889 "The ‘battle of the great day of God almighty’ which will end in AD 1914" Studies, Vol. 2, 1908, 101.
1891 "With the end of AD 1914 Babylon and Christendom, will have passed away" Studies, Vol. 3, 153.
1894 "The end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble" WT Reprints, 1-1-1894, 1605 and 1677.
1897 "Our Lord is now present, since October 1874 AD" Studies, Vol. 4, 621.
1916 "The six great 1000 year days beginning with Adam are ended, and the 1000 years of Christ’s reign began in 1873" Studies, Vol. 2, p. 2 of foreword.
1917 "Scriptures prove that the Lord’s Second Advent occurred in the fall of 1874" Studies, Vol. 7, 68.
1918 "Therefore, we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the faithful prophets of old" Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 89.
1922 "The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the scriptures than 1914" WT, 9-1-1922, 262.
1923 "1925 is definitely settled by the scriptures. The Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah to base his faith in a coming deluge" WT, 4-1-1923, 106.
1925 "The year of 1925 is here. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year" WT, 1-1-1925, 3.
1931 "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the dates 1914, 1918, & 1925 and they also learned to quit fixing dates" Vindication, 388, 389.
1939 "The disaster of Armageddon is just ahead" Salvation, 361.
1941 "Armageddon is surely near, soon, within a few years" Children, 10.
1946 "Armageddon should come sometime before 1972" They Have Found a Faith, 44.
1966 "Six thousand years from man’s creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975" Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 29.
1968 "The end of the six thousand years of man’s history 1975 is a certain date" WT, 1-1-1968, 271.
The men of Sodom will be resurrected WT, 7-1879, 7-8.
" " will not be resurrected WT, 6-1-1952, 338.
" " will be resurrected WT 8-1-1965, 479.
" " will not be resurrected WT 6-1-1988, 31.
" " will be resurrected Live Forever, early ed., 179.
" " will not be resurrected Live Forever, later ed., 179.
" " will be resurrected Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, 985.
" " will not be resurrected Revelation: Its Grand Climax at Hand! 273.
JWs teach that Jesus is the archangel Michael in the OT and that Jesus is a created being.
.
JWs teach that only 144,000 JWs will be in Heaven. The rest of them will live on paradise earth. The Bible speaks of a multitude that is too large to be counted from every tribe, nation, etc.
JWs believe only in Jehovah
The Bible says that Jesus died on a cross, but because one man was put on a stake they say that Jesus died on a torture stake. There are first century drawings of Jesus on the cross.
The Holy Spirit is an impersonal force, power emanating from heaven.The Holy Spirit can be grieved, so He is a member of the Trinity.
JWs work for their salvation.
JWs do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas, salute the flag, serve in the military, or vote, and they teach that the war dead will not be resurrected.
The WTO claims to be a prophet in the April 1, 1972 copy of the WT.
Deut18-22 "A prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say,or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." You may say "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. This prophet has spoken presumptously. Do not be afraid of him.
JW false prophesies:
1.1972
2. 1889
3.1916
4.1920
5.1897
6.1922
7. 1923
8. 1925
9. Sept. 1925
10. 1931
11.1931
12.1941
13.1968
JWs teach that "Hell is the grave". But Jesus taught:
Matt 5:22 "in danger of hellfire"
Matt 5:29 "body cast into hell"
Matt 10:28 "destroy both body and soul in hell"
Matt11:23 "brought down to hell"
Matt16:18 "gates of hell"
Matt 23:15 "child of hell"
Matt 23:33 "the damnation of hell"
Luke 16:23 "Being in torment in Hades"
Col 1:15-Jesus has the rights of a firstborn as far as inheritance. The eldest son received a double portion. If a man had nine sons he divided his wealth by ten and gave the eldest son twice as much. This scripture means nothing concerning being born, or created, but means that Jesus has the right of the eldest son to inherit twice as much..
Source(s):
Source(s):
Kingdom of the cults, Ready answers for Jehovah's Witnesses questions. Christianity, Cults, and Religions
JW’s, has your organization ever claimed to speak for God? YES
http://www.jwfacts.com/images/prophet-w72.gif
In 1972, the Watchtower described itself as "the modern-day "prophet"".
"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come?
IDENTIFYING THE "PROPHET"
These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? ... This "prophet" was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian witnesses. ... Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a "prophet" of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record. Thus this group of anointed followers of Jesus Christ, doing a work in Christendom paralleling Ezekiel's work among the Jews, were manifestly the modern-day Ezekiel, the "prophet" commissioned by Jehovah to declare the good news of God's Messianic kingdom and to give warning to Christendom." Watchtower 1972 Apr 1 pp.197-199 'They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them'
No.
Making known what God has spoken in His Word is different from "speaking for God." And Jehovah's Witnesses do not have to be "inspired" to make known what God has spoken in His Word.
" NO SUCH INSPIRATION TODAY
This pouring out of God's spirit upon the flesh of all his faithful anointed witnesses does not mean those now serving as Jehovah's witnesses are inspired. It does not mean that the writings in this magazine The Watchtower are inspired and infallible and without mistakes. It does not mean that the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is inspired and infallible, although enemies falsely charge us with believing so. We leave it for the pope of Vatican City to claim infallibility, and therefore divine inspiration, in matters of Roman Catholic faith and doctrine according to his decree of A.D. 1870. But we confess with the Scriptures that the day of such inspiration passed long before 1870, as the apostle Paul showed it would... Inspired speaking and writing passed away with the last of the twelve apostles, by whom the gifts of the spirit were imparted to others.
"While confessing no inspiration for today for anyone on earth, we do have the privilege of praying to God for more of his holy spirit and guidance for us by the bestowal of his spirit through Jesus Christ. We know the inspired infallible Scriptures of prophecy will be fulfilled toward us correctly, although we do not have, expect or hope for direct visions or inspired dreams from the Lord, we can study the visions and dreams of his faithful mean of old. We can watch how God by Christ Jesus has fulfilled or is in course of fulfilling them, and then can safeguard ourselves from the false dreams and vain visions of the religionists of Christendom. While none of us can produce inspired speech and writings, God has committed his inspired Bible to us and we can govern ourselves by its inspired commandments, teachings and instructions. We can quote and copy the Scriptures of God's inspired men and can apply them according to the facts. We can observe how God Interprets them by Christ Jesus through the events and facts that he causes to appear." --
Watchtower, May 15, 1947, pp. 157, 158
Hear them...they have never claimed to be inspired. ?. they do not know the past history of the men they follow.
so now...they follow uninspired men. with an uninspired bible.
they don't even know their past history. Ignorant.
indeed they are inspired... of a serpent. They refuse to research this. Turning a blind eye to facts.
may they be drawn to Jesus who will open their eyes.
We have never claimed to be inspired of God.
I do not think you have the proper definition of giving food at the proper time.
All Christians are representatives of God. I am sure you believe you are born again and represent your trinity man-god. When you teach others about your trinity man-god, you are a channel of your perverted truths. Are you inspired of God? Is what you teach about hellfire, the trinity man-god and the never dying spirit/soul inspired of your trinity man-god or is it your false god the holy spirit teaching/guiding you?
We search for those looking for Jehovah and teach, coach and train those who are interested to be Christians. We do not need to be inspired of God to do this.
The Watchtower Bible Tract Society prepares lessons for us from God's word that is appropriate for our times.
Why would you be interested in entering into a dialogue with Jehovah's
Witnesses?
These people have clearly been demented by their religious beliefs.
How can you have a useful conversation with people whose cognition
is so clearly impaired?
(Yes, the same objection applies to anyone of faith, but Witnesses
are in a class by themselves.)
Greetings,
There is no contradiction between being "led" by Holy Spirit and not being directly "inspired" by Holy Spirit. You are confusing two different things because of your theological prejudices.
But, you have unknowingly answered your own question by your comments. Christians do not have to be “inspired” nor “infallible” to “pass on God’s Word.” Since direct inspiration ceased with the Apostles, God's people on earth do not transmit inspired messages from God outside of what is already written in the Bible. Being "God's earthly channel of communication" simply means that Christians are teaching God's thoughts as it has been already presented in His written Word.
"Inspiration" is a direct and inerrant communication from God. Witnesses believe that the direction we receive from holy spirit is indirect. We believe that the Bible is the sole basis for any direction by Holy spirit.
Jehovah's Witnesses carry out the "Great Commission" given by Jesus to all Christians (Mt.28:19,20). So they only pass on the words of God as found in the Bible.
The fact is that ANY religion which does not say they “speak for God” cannot be truly Christian. This is because the Bible clearly states that True Christians as a congregation were to be God's messengers and are actually speaking for God as ambassadors for Christ (2Cor.5:20 cf. 1Cor.2:6-13).
Any castigation of the Witnesses in this regard is invalid since this is something many religious writers recognize:
"We glorify God by being channels through which the Holy Spirit can communicate."-Richard's Expository Dict.
"We are ambassadors for Christ,...Our message is to be regarded as the message of God. It is God who speaks. What we say to you is said in his name and on his authority, and should be received with the respect which is due to a message directly from God."–Barnes' Notes; 2Cor.5:20
With just a little honest effort you would see many scholars which say that Christians speak with the Holy Spirit's direction, were "God's mouthpiece," and "God's voice" and claimed to proclaim a message "directly" and "immediately from God." However, they were not implying that they were inspired. They were simply declaring the same thing that JWs do: Christians “speak for God” when they teach God's Word.
I don't think that anyone would deny that the Apostles were God’s “channel” of instruction and had Holy Spirit directing them. Yet, they still had incorrect understandings of prophecy even after Christ's resurrection (Lk.19:11; 24:21; Ac.1:6).
Christ said the HS would "guide" or "lead" them into increased knowledge (Jn.16:13). It was not always an instantaneous revelation of *direct* inspiration.
Paul's words at 1Cor.13:12 show that there will continue to be corrections even after they receive the heavenly reward (cf. Rev 21:23; 22:1-5).
So would it be any surprise that true Christians would make mistakes in understanding prophecy?
The Bible shows that God allows his servants to gradually understand (Pro. 4:18; Jn 16:12). So the fact that early Witnesses did not have a "complete knowledge" due to ignorance does not exclude them from being chosen by Christ. Indeed any such requirement would exclude the Apostles from being God's channel of truth.
While "direct inspiration" ended with the death of the Apostles, Jehovah's Witnesses prove that they are that present day organization of Christians by their strictly following Scriptural truth and by their fruitage (Mat.7:16-19; Jn.13:34,35; Gal.5:19-22).
While Witnesses reject unscriptural beliefs, other religions continue to teach doctrines which even their own scholars admit are not taught in Scripture. Even more, religions have moved even further away from the Bible's requirements and teachings. Their record is of bloodthirsty wars, immorality, sectarian violence and factional splits (Mt.7:21- 23; 2Tim3:5; Gal.5:19-23).
The worldwide work of Jehovah's Witnesses gives evidence that they are the means God has chosen to dispense Biblical truth. JWs are engaged in the greatest Bible education work ever done in all human history (Mt.24:14; 28:18-20). Every one of them are imitating Christ in preaching, teaching, and living according to Christian standards (1Pt.2:21; Jn.13:34,35; Mt 5:44; Gal.5:19ff).
Jehovah's Witnesses are the ONLY religious which can present solid scriptural evidence that they are the True Christian Congregation.
Yours,
BAR-ANERGES
EDIT:
The problem is not with our answers, it’s with your question. “Speak for God” is a ambiguous term which could refer to direct inspiration or just passing on His written word. Bar Enosh simply responded to YOUR insinuation that it refer to inspiration. I forced you to see how we “speak for God” exactly like other religious scholars understand it–as teaching God’s Word.
TOO LONG, DIDN'T READ