Wednesday, September 4 2024 Jehovah’s Witnesses – A People for his Name?

[PJ54]

​

Wednesday, September 4 2024​

A book of remembrance was written before him for those fearing Jehovah.—Mal. 3:16.

For thousands of years, Jehovah has been writing a special book. This book consists of a list of names, beginning with the name of the first faithful witness, Abel. (Luke 11:50, 51) Down through the centuries, Jehovah has added names to the book, and today it contains millions of names. In the Bible, that book is called “a book of remembrance,” “the book of life,” and “the scroll of life.” (Mal. 3:16; Rev. 3:5; 17:8) This special book contains the names of all those who worship Jehovah with fear, or awe, and who treasure his name. They are in line to receive everlasting life. Today we can have our name written in that book if we develop a close, personal relationship with Jehovah based on the ransom sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16, 36) All of us want our name to be found in that book—whether we hope to live in heaven or on the earth. w22.09 14 ¶1-2
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2024​

Jehovah’s Witnesses – A People for his Name?

What’s in a name, you ask? Everything— that is, if the name happens to be the personal name of God. While scholars may debate the exact pronunciation of YHWH until the world ends, the simple fact of scripture remains: The biblical deity whom we call Jehovah in English, emphatically states in...

e-watchman.com

What’s in a name, you ask? Everything— that is, if the name happens to be the personal name of God. While scholars may debate the exact pronunciation of YHWH until the world ends, the simple fact of scripture remains: The biblical deity whom we call Jehovah in English, emphatically states in his word that he will have his personal name declared in all the earth and that he will produce a people who not only call on his name but who themselves are called by his distinctive name.

The question is: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses the people? Before answering that question, let us first consider some of the objections to the idea that Jehovah’s Witnesses are fulfilling the patterns and prophecies by being a people for God’s name.

Ironically, perhaps the most vigorous objection comes from a former Jehovah’s Witness and Governing Body member, Ray Franz (now deceased). In his book entitled In Search of Christian Freedom, an entire chapter devoted to the question of whether Jehovah’s Witnesses are “a people for his name,” as the Watchtower teaches. According to Franz there is only one acceptable biblical designation for Christians —Christians.

While it is true that the Bible says it was by “divine providence” that the followers of Christ came to be known as Christians in the first century; nevertheless, the apostles recognized that people of the nations were also designated by prophecy to be a people for the name of YHWH as well.

The 15th chapter of Acts is a record of how the apostles and older men finally resolved the circumcision issue. On that occasion the apostles issued a public statement based upon the Prophets, quoting specifically from the prophecy of Amos, saying: “Men, brothers, hear me. Symeon has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, known from of old.’”

For anyone willing to reason on the matter, it is apparent that Jesus was not “known from of old” in the 1st century. Jesus Christ was a newcomer on the earthly scene back then. However, Jehovah was not unknown! Jehovah was the historical God of the Jews—“known from of old.” Furthermore, God revealed to Moses that the name of Jehovah was a memorial to him forever—“to generation after generation.”

(Those who imagine that YHWH changed his name to Jesus or that God has more than one personal name are simply deluded.)

Still, though, there is no evidence that the original Christians were actually called by the personal name of God in any form of the Tetragrammaton. Yet, the prophecy of Amos indisputably applies the unique name of God to the followers of Christ. How might this apparent discrepancy be resolved? What should be of the utmost interest to us is that the prophecy of Amos lends itself to an application in another time. Because of the importance of this topic, let us now consider the original prophecy more closely.

“In that day I shall raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and I shall certainly repair their breaches. And its ruins I shall raise up, and I shall certainly build it up as in the days of long ago, to the end that they may take possession of what is left remaining of Edom, and all the nations upon whom my name has been called,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, who is doing this.”

The Assyrian empire originally destroyed the 10-tribe kingdom of Israel and later the Judean kingdom was also brought to ruin by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian kingdom. Eventually, Jehovah restored all of the scattered tribes of Israel to their ancestral homeland. But the so-called booth of David was not restored when the repatriated Jews rebuilt Jerusalem. In fact, David’s kingdom was never restored to earthly Jerusalem. That is why the apostles once asked Jesus if he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel at that time. The answer was obviously “no.” However, the booth of David is simply another way of saying the house of David, which is to say the kingdom of David. And since Jesus was a son of David and a rightful heir to the Davidic throne, the booth of David is actually Christ’s kingdom.

Since the apostles applied that prophecy to the newly formed international Christian congregation then, it is apparent that the prophecies that were originally directed to Israel and Judah were at that time transferred so as to apply to a spiritual Israel. That being the case, the ruination and restoration of the booth of David has to do with Christ’s kingdom.

The prophecy of Amos is in harmony with all other prophecies that call for God to judge his organization, effecting a final sifting to remove the faithless and refine the faithful. Amos 9:9 reads:“For, look! I am commanding, and I will jiggle the house of Israel among all the nations, just as one jiggles the sieve, so that not a pebble falls to the earth. By the sword they will die—all the sinners of my people, those who are saying: ‘The calamity will not come near or reach as far as us.’”

However, according to Ray Franz, it is wrong for Jehovah’s Witnesses to suppose that Jehovah has any interest in setting matters straight in the organization today. As for the supposed scriptural backing for his assertion, on page 523 of his In Search of Christian Freedom, Franz writes of the ancient Jews, saying:

No people on earth were more intimately connected with the name represented by the Tetragrammaton (Yahweh or Jehovah) than the Israelite nation, those to whom the words, “You are my witnesses,” were originally addressed. Yet God did not “straighten out” that nation, nor did his Son do so.

Of course, anyone who has ever read the Bible knows that God most definitely did “straighten out that nation,” on numerous occasions. That is why Jehovah disciplined and destroyed Israel and Jerusalem in order to straighten out his erring people. In fact, the very verse in Isaiah Franz cites, where Jehovah says, “You are my witnesses,” has to do with God calling his people to be witnesses of his discipline and subsequent mercies. And, of course, the opening chapter of Isaiah states God’s purpose: ‘“Come, now, you people, and let us set matters straight between us,’ says Jehovah.”

Franz speculates further, saying:

God’s ‘taking out a people for his name’ thus has far greater depth of meaning than merely the application of a nominative word, and our demonstrating ourselves to be among those sanctifying and proclaiming God’s name calls for far more from us than simply the repetitive use of Yahweh or Jehovah or any other single term.

What Franz says is true—being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses does involve far more than just parroting God’s name. But Franz would apparently have the credulous reader believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses merely call upon the name of Jehovah as if it were some Hindu mantra. The truth is – as Franz himself well knows seeing that he helped produce the encyclopedic Aid to Bible Understanding— from the very beginning the Watchtower has always emphasized the character and purposes of the person of Jehovah and not merely his personal name.

One example of how Jehovah’s Witnesses have proclaimed and sanctified God’s name is by overturning the blasphemous Catholic doctrine of eternal damnation in hellfire. Franz insists, however, that Jehovah’s Witnesses have done no more to make God’s name and character known than has the Catholic Church.

In truth anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses have a unique relationship with Jehovah God, both personally and as a congregation because of being in the new covenant. However, as with our Jewish forerunners, being in a covenant with Jehovah God brings with it accountability. For example, the 36th chapter of Ezekiel reads:

“Not for your sakes am I doing it, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have come in. And I shall certainly sanctify my great name, which was being profaned among the nations, which you profaned in the midst of them; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘when I am sanctified among you before their eyes. And I will take you out of the nations and collect you together out of all the lands and bring you in upon your soil.”’

The house of Israel profaned God’s great name by practicing false religion. But their idolatry obligated Jehovah to severely punish his people, which he did by allowing Israel and later Judah to be conquered by the nations. This also caused God’s name to be profaned because it gave the appearance that Jehovah was powerless to protect his people from the idol-worshipping nations. So, after punishing his people Jehovah took action against the nations in order to sanctify his name from their reproach.

Some may be inclined to dismiss prophecies as applying only to the ancient nation of Israel. However, the context of Ezekiel’s prophecy goes on to indicate that it actually applies to Christians living during the return of Christ and the end of the world—what Ezekiel 38:16 calls “the final part of the days.” For instance, Ezekiel 37:25 says that “David” will be the chieftain over God’s regathered people. As mentioned previously, the repatriated Jews never had a descendant of David as their ruler. It is apparent, then, that the prophecy refers to Christians who are under the leadership of Christ, who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David.” (Rev 5:5) In one of the last verses in Revelation, Christ says of himself: “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.”

Clearly, the detailed judgments in the prophecy of Ezekiel apply to Christians during the time of Christ’s return. Therefore, it is the anointed Christian congregation that “will have to know that I am Jehovah” in a very special way. It is in connection with Christ’s judgment upon the spiritual house of God and the ultimate establishment of spiritual paradise that Jehovah says “you are my witnesses.”

For many reasons it is evident that the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses fit the prophetic profile of a people who have profaned the name of Jehovah. This brings us back to the question posed at the onset: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses fulfilling the prophecy of Amos today by serving as a people for Gods name? The answer is no—at least not yet. According to Amos, the people who are called by God’s name are those who become such after the ‘jiggling’ takes place. The jiggling is when Jehovah rocks all the nations during the oncoming tribulation.

The prophecy of Joel similarly foretells of a great earth-wide catastrophe, where we read: “And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun itself will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah.”

Our faith in the saving power of the name of Jehovah will become paramount at that time, as the survivors of the oncoming holocaust will be those who call upon the name of Jehovah. “And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors, whom Jehovah is calling.”

The prophecy of Malachi likewise foretells how a distinction will be made between the righteous and the wicked; emphasizing the importance of the name of Jehovah in our salvation: “At that time those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name. ‘And they will certainly become mine,’ Jehovah of armies has said, ‘at the day when I am producing a special property. And I will show compassion upon them, just as a man shows compassion upon his son who is serving him. And you people will again certainly see the distinction between a righteous one and a wicked one, between one serving God and one who has not served him.”

Let the reader please take note of the fact that the prophecy indicates that those who fear the name of Jehovah and who are “thinking upon his name” become the “special property” of Jehovah at thattime. Again, when does that occur? The very next verse in Malachi indicates that Jehovah produces a special property composed of those who fear his name during the tribulation. Malachi 4:1 reads: ‘“For, look! the day is coming that is burning like the furnace, and all the presumptuous ones and all those doing wickedness must become as stubble. And the day that is coming will certainly devour them,’ Jehovah of armies has said, ‘so that it will not leave to them either root or bough. And to you who are in fear of my name the sun of righteousness will certainly shine forth, with healing in its wings; and you will actually go forth and paw the ground like fattened calves.”

So, while the religion known as Jehovah’s Witnesses is not fulfilling the prophecies by being “a people for his name” at this particular time, undoubtedly the core of Jehovah’s Witnesses are in line to become the people for his name in the very near future. Jehovah’s Witnesses have, though, unquestionably served a vital function by laying the groundwork for the judgments soon to follow.

The Scriptures even hint that the nominal name of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” will be discarded and replaced by another name; perhaps based upon God’s own revelation of the exact pronunciation of YHWH. Speaking of his wife-like organization, Isaiah 62:2 foretells: “And you will actually be called by a new name, which the very mouth of Jehovah will designate.”

Be that as it may, the 43rd chapter of Isaiah reveals that those who are destined to be scattered during the tribulation and yet repurchased and gathered from the ends of the earth by the angels, are called by God’s name: ‘“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. From the sunrising I shall bring your seed, and from the sunset I shall collect you together. I shall say to the north, ‘Give up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not keep back. Bring my sons from far off, and my daughters from the extremity of the earth, everyone that is called by my name and that I have created for my own glory, that I have formed, yes, that I have made.’”
October 23rd, 2007

 

[MickHewitt]

Jehovah’s Witnesses – A People for his Name?

What’s in a name, you ask? Everything— that is, if the name happens to be the personal name of God. While scholars may debate the exact pronunciation of YHWH until the world ends, the simple fact of scripture remains: The biblical deity whom we call Jehovah in English, emphatically states in...

e-watchman.com

View attachment 7135
What’s in a name, you ask? Everything— that is, if the name happens to be the personal name of God. While scholars may debate the exact pronunciation of YHWH until the world ends, the simple fact of scripture remains: The biblical deity whom we call Jehovah in English, emphatically states in his word that he will have his personal name declared in all the earth and that he will produce a people who not only call on his name but who themselves are called by his distinctive name.

The question is: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses the people? Before answering that question, let us first consider some of the objections to the idea that Jehovah’s Witnesses are fulfilling the patterns and prophecies by being a people for God’s name.

Ironically, perhaps the most vigorous objection comes from a former Jehovah’s Witness and Governing Body member, Ray Franz (now deceased). In his book entitled In Search of Christian Freedom, an entire chapter devoted to the question of whether Jehovah’s Witnesses are “a people for his name,” as the Watchtower teaches. According to Franz there is only one acceptable biblical designation for Christians —Christians.

While it is true that the Bible says it was by “divine providence” that the followers of Christ came to be known as Christians in the first century; nevertheless, the apostles recognized that people of the nations were also designated by prophecy to be a people for the name of YHWH as well.

The 15th chapter of Acts is a record of how the apostles and older men finally resolved the circumcision issue. On that occasion the apostles issued a public statement based upon the Prophets, quoting specifically from the prophecy of Amos, saying: “Men, brothers, hear me. Symeon has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, known from of old.’”

For anyone willing to reason on the matter, it is apparent that Jesus was not “known from of old” in the 1st century. Jesus Christ was a newcomer on the earthly scene back then. However, Jehovah was not unknown! Jehovah was the historical God of the Jews—“known from of old.” Furthermore, God revealed to Moses that the name of Jehovah was a memorial to him forever—“to generation after generation.”

(Those who imagine that YHWH changed his name to Jesus or that God has more than one personal name are simply deluded.)

Still, though, there is no evidence that the original Christians were actually called by the personal name of God in any form of the Tetragrammaton. Yet, the prophecy of Amos indisputably applies the unique name of God to the followers of Christ. How might this apparent discrepancy be resolved? What should be of the utmost interest to us is that the prophecy of Amos lends itself to an application in another time. Because of the importance of this topic, let us now consider the original prophecy more closely.

“In that day I shall raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and I shall certainly repair their breaches. And its ruins I shall raise up, and I shall certainly build it up as in the days of long ago, to the end that they may take possession of what is left remaining of Edom, and all the nations upon whom my name has been called,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, who is doing this.”

The Assyrian empire originally destroyed the 10-tribe kingdom of Israel and later the Judean kingdom was also brought to ruin by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian kingdom. Eventually, Jehovah restored all of the scattered tribes of Israel to their ancestral homeland. But the so-called booth of David was not restored when the repatriated Jews rebuilt Jerusalem. In fact, David’s kingdom was never restored to earthly Jerusalem. That is why the apostles once asked Jesus if he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel at that time. The answer was obviously “no.” However, the booth of David is simply another way of saying the house of David, which is to say the kingdom of David. And since Jesus was a son of David and a rightful heir to the Davidic throne, the booth of David is actually Christ’s kingdom.

Since the apostles applied that prophecy to the newly formed international Christian congregation then, it is apparent that the prophecies that were originally directed to Israel and Judah were at that time transferred so as to apply to a spiritual Israel. That being the case, the ruination and restoration of the booth of David has to do with Christ’s kingdom.

The prophecy of Amos is in harmony with all other prophecies that call for God to judge his organization, effecting a final sifting to remove the faithless and refine the faithful. Amos 9:9 reads:“For, look! I am commanding, and I will jiggle the house of Israel among all the nations, just as one jiggles the sieve, so that not a pebble falls to the earth. By the sword they will die—all the sinners of my people, those who are saying: ‘The calamity will not come near or reach as far as us.’”

However, according to Ray Franz, it is wrong for Jehovah’s Witnesses to suppose that Jehovah has any interest in setting matters straight in the organization today. As for the supposed scriptural backing for his assertion, on page 523 of his In Search of Christian Freedom, Franz writes of the ancient Jews, saying:


Of course, anyone who has ever read the Bible knows that God most definitely did “straighten out that nation,” on numerous occasions. That is why Jehovah disciplined and destroyed Israel and Jerusalem in order to straighten out his erring people. In fact, the very verse in Isaiah Franz cites, where Jehovah says, “You are my witnesses,” has to do with God calling his people to be witnesses of his discipline and subsequent mercies. And, of course, the opening chapter of Isaiah states God’s purpose: ‘“Come, now, you people, and let us set matters straight between us,’ says Jehovah.”

Franz speculates further, saying:


What Franz says is true—being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses does involve far more than just parroting God’s name. But Franz would apparently have the credulous reader believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses merely call upon the name of Jehovah as if it were some Hindu mantra. The truth is – as Franz himself well knows seeing that he helped produce the encyclopedic Aid to Bible Understanding— from the very beginning the Watchtower has always emphasized the character and purposes of the person of Jehovah and not merely his personal name.

One example of how Jehovah’s Witnesses have proclaimed and sanctified God’s name is by overturning the blasphemous Catholic doctrine of eternal damnation in hellfire. Franz insists, however, that Jehovah’s Witnesses have done no more to make God’s name and character known than has the Catholic Church.

In truth anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses have a unique relationship with Jehovah God, both personally and as a congregation because of being in the new covenant. However, as with our Jewish forerunners, being in a covenant with Jehovah God brings with it accountability. For example, the 36th chapter of Ezekiel reads:

“Not for your sakes am I doing it, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have come in. And I shall certainly sanctify my great name, which was being profaned among the nations, which you profaned in the midst of them; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘when I am sanctified among you before their eyes. And I will take you out of the nations and collect you together out of all the lands and bring you in upon your soil.”’

The house of Israel profaned God’s great name by practicing false religion. But their idolatry obligated Jehovah to severely punish his people, which he did by allowing Israel and later Judah to be conquered by the nations. This also caused God’s name to be profaned because it gave the appearance that Jehovah was powerless to protect his people from the idol-worshipping nations. So, after punishing his people Jehovah took action against the nations in order to sanctify his name from their reproach.

Some may be inclined to dismiss prophecies as applying only to the ancient nation of Israel. However, the context of Ezekiel’s prophecy goes on to indicate that it actually applies to Christians living during the return of Christ and the end of the world—what Ezekiel 38:16 calls “the final part of the days.” For instance, Ezekiel 37:25 says that “David” will be the chieftain over God’s regathered people. As mentioned previously, the repatriated Jews never had a descendant of David as their ruler. It is apparent, then, that the prophecy refers to Christians who are under the leadership of Christ, who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David.” (Rev 5:5) In one of the last verses in Revelation, Christ says of himself: “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.”

Clearly, the detailed judgments in the prophecy of Ezekiel apply to Christians during the time of Christ’s return. Therefore, it is the anointed Christian congregation that “will have to know that I am Jehovah” in a very special way. It is in connection with Christ’s judgment upon the spiritual house of God and the ultimate establishment of spiritual paradise that Jehovah says “you are my witnesses.”

For many reasons it is evident that the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses fit the prophetic profile of a people who have profaned the name of Jehovah. This brings us back to the question posed at the onset: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses fulfilling the prophecy of Amos today by serving as a people for Gods name? The answer is no—at least not yet. According to Amos, the people who are called by God’s name are those who become such after the ‘jiggling’ takes place. The jiggling is when Jehovah rocks all the nations during the oncoming tribulation.

The prophecy of Joel similarly foretells of a great earth-wide catastrophe, where we read: “And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun itself will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah.”

Our faith in the saving power of the name of Jehovah will become paramount at that time, as the survivors of the oncoming holocaust will be those who call upon the name of Jehovah. “And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors, whom Jehovah is calling.”

The prophecy of Malachi likewise foretells how a distinction will be made between the righteous and the wicked; emphasizing the importance of the name of Jehovah in our salvation: “At that time those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name. ‘And they will certainly become mine,’ Jehovah of armies has said, ‘at the day when I am producing a special property. And I will show compassion upon them, just as a man shows compassion upon his son who is serving him. And you people will again certainly see the distinction between a righteous one and a wicked one, between one serving God and one who has not served him.”

Let the reader please take note of the fact that the prophecy indicates that those who fear the name of Jehovah and who are “thinking upon his name” become the “special property” of Jehovah at thattime. Again, when does that occur? The very next verse in Malachi indicates that Jehovah produces a special property composed of those who fear his name during the tribulation. Malachi 4:1 reads: ‘“For, look! the day is coming that is burning like the furnace, and all the presumptuous ones and all those doing wickedness must become as stubble. And the day that is coming will certainly devour them,’ Jehovah of armies has said, ‘so that it will not leave to them either root or bough. And to you who are in fear of my name the sun of righteousness will certainly shine forth, with healing in its wings; and you will actually go forth and paw the ground like fattened calves.”

So, while the religion known as Jehovah’s Witnesses is not fulfilling the prophecies by being “a people for his name” at this particular time, undoubtedly the core of Jehovah’s Witnesses are in line to become the people for his name in the very near future. Jehovah’s Witnesses have, though, unquestionably served a vital function by laying the groundwork for the judgments soon to follow.

The Scriptures even hint that the nominal name of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” will be discarded and replaced by another name; perhaps based upon God’s own revelation of the exact pronunciation of YHWH. Speaking of his wife-like organization, Isaiah 62:2 foretells: “And you will actually be called by a new name, which the very mouth of Jehovah will designate.”

Be that as it may, the 43rd chapter of Isaiah reveals that those who are destined to be scattered during the tribulation and yet repurchased and gathered from the ends of the earth by the angels, are called by God’s name: ‘“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. From the sunrising I shall bring your seed, and from the sunset I shall collect you together. I shall say to the north, ‘Give up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not keep back. Bring my sons from far off, and my daughters from the extremity of the earth, everyone that is called by my name and that I have created for my own glory, that I have formed, yes, that I have made.’”
October 23rd, 2007

Thankyou: Now that's what you call truth! Wonderful encouragement and I didn't have to put on a suit and go to a Kingdom Hall. Just had to spark up the old laptop while in my dressing gown and slippers. Coming here is like being at the foot hills of Zion you can see the Mountain ahead of you!

 

[Ana]

Que privilegio más grande que Jehová te elija el nombre!!! Apocalip. 2:17-El que tiene oído, oiga lo que el Espíritu dice a las congregaciones. Al vencedor le daré del maná escondido y le daré una piedrecita blanca, y grabado en la piedrecita un nombre nuevo, el cual nadie conoce sino aquel que lo recibe”». Eso significa la victoria!!! Que podamos compartir con Jehová su merecida victoria!!

 

[Watchman]

The Watchtower is changing in many ways. And not for the better. The light is getting dimmer and dimmer even as we are assured that it is getting brighter and brighter. This is what gaslighting is. Malachi is speaking of an event in the future. The "book of remembrance" has not been opened. No one has their names written in it yet, not even in pencil.

We know that God remembers in detail every person who has ever lived and died, dating back to the first man and woman Jehovah created in the Garden of Eden. Because God has unlimited cloud storage, so to speak, He can remember the exact chromosomal makeup of every single soul and bring back and reanimate the precise person. Jesus said the day will come when all of those in the memorial tombs will hear the voice of the Son of man and come out. Further, the apostle Paul said there is to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. To be sure, Revelation informs us that after the Devil and his demons are put away, the sea and the Grave will give up all of the dead in them. Except for a relative few who have already received the sentence of the second death, virtually all of mankind will be brought back from nothingness during the 1,000-year-long reign of Christ and the 144,000. So, there is no need for a special book of remembrance to distinguish the righteous from the unrighteous.

So what, exactly, is the "book of remembrance"? Details are important. Context is important too, especially when it comes to understanding the message contained in the Bible. Here is the 16th verse in its entirety: "At that time those who fear Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance was written before him for those fearing Jehovah and for those meditating on his name."

Please take note of the expression "at that time." Contrary to the Watchtower's statement that the "book of remembrance" has always been open, the verse in question clearly indicates a unique moment when a symbolic book of remembrance will be opened. The names of every individual who fears Jehovah will be recognized and written down, as it were, "at that time."

The question then is when is "that time"? The third chapter explains it. Remember, context is important. Here is the context: “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will clear up a way before me. And suddenly the true Lord, whom you are seeking, will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant will come, in whom you take delight. Look! He will certainly come,” says Jehovah of armies. “But who will endure the day of his coming, and who will be able to stand when he appears?"

Because the Watchtower wields a powerful deluding influence over Jehovah's Witnesses, everyone who accepts the Watchtower as the only source of authentic truth is compelled to believe that the true Lord appeared in 1914, invisibly, of course. Essentially, the Watchtower has already answered the rhetorical question: "Who will be able to stand when he appears." They answer that the Bible Students, who have all died off, were able to stand up in the judgment when Christ appeared over 100 years ago. No wonder the 4th chapter of Malachi opens with these words: “For look! the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the presumptuous ones and all those practicing wickedness will become like stubble. The coming day will certainly devour them,” says Jehovah of armies, “and it will leave them neither root nor branch. But on you who honor my name, the sun of righteousness will shine, with healing in its rays; and you will skip about like fattened calves.”

Is it not presumptuous to claim that a faithful slave passed the test back in 19...whenever, and that God has no issues or controversy with the captains of the spiritual temple? The day burning like a furnace is when Christ sends forth his angels to remove the wicked from his Kingdom, his congregation, before the approved ones are sealed and given their crowns. Jesus likened the Devil's seed to weeds planted in his wheat field. Jesus said they would be uprooted, bundled, and pitched into the fiery furnace. "There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be."

By the way, not coincidentally, when discussing the fate of the evil slave who was appointed to feed Christ's sheep but who becomes friends with the drunkards of Satan's world, Jesus said: "But if ever that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and he starts to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and he will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his place with the hypocrites. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be."

As regards the judgment of the evil slave, the Watchtower naturally claims this is merely a hypothetical "what if?" But at least now, since the publication of the first edition of Jehovah Himself Has Become King, the Governing Body recognizes that the master has not come and the faithful slave has not received the second appointment over all the master's belongings. That being the case, why are Jehovah's Witnesses still compelled to believe that the weeds were uprooted in 1918 and that the millions of parishioners of Christendom, who have long since passed away and been replenished by more false worshippers, were made to weep and gnash their teeth? Are the hundreds of millions of Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Lutherans, and every member of every "Christian" sect and cult weeping and gnashing their teeth? Or have they already been bundled up and pitched into the firey furnace? Do you see the insurmountable difficulties that come with embracing an artfully contrived false story as if it were the truth?

On the other hand, have we experienced the shining forth of the sun of righteousness? No. Jesus spoke about that, too, in the illustration of the wheat and the weeds. After the Devil's seed is removed, the chosen ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. What will be the source of their shining? Jesus, the bright morning star, will shine upon them. How? By appearing to them. That is why Malachi says, "when he appears."

Did you know that the word the WT translates as "manifestation" is drawn from the Greek word epiphaneia, which literally means an appearance? Jesus was manifest in the flesh as a man. That much is true. But when the messenger of the (new) covenant appears, it will be in the spirit. It is interesting that the old King James translates "epiphaneia" as "the brightness of his coming." I like that. For example, concerning the man of lawlessness, the KJV says: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."

Now, as regards the "book of remembrance: "At that time" is after the great tribulation is cut short. That is when the four angels standing at the four corners of the earth will be commanded to hold back the four winds of destruction. Why? So that the slaves of God might be sealed and the great crowd gathered. After the tribulation in those days, the scarlet-colored beast will arise from the abyss. Civilization will arise from the ashes of nuclear war, which God Almighty will have cut short on account of the chosen ones. The revived beast will demand our allegiance. It will kill those who do not worship it. Those who do worship it will receive the 666 mark of doom. They will not have their names written in the "book of remembrance."

Why can Jehovah's Witnesses not understand these things? Because Jehovah has poured out a deep sleep upon the prophets and visionaries. It will take a nuclear blast to awaken them.

I think I might as well post this article on e-Watchman so it gets translated into Dutch, German, Slovak, and Spanish

 

[Ana]

The Watchtower is changing in many ways. And not for the better. The light is getting dimmer and dimmer even as we are assured that it is getting brighter and brighter. This is what gaslighting is. Malachi is speaking of an event in the future. The "book of remembrance" has not been opened. No one has their names written in it yet, not even in pencil.

We know that God remembers in detail every person who has ever lived and died, dating back to the first man and woman Jehovah created in the Garden of Eden. Because God has unlimited cloud storage, so to speak, He can remember the exact chromosomal makeup of every single soul and bring back and reanimate the precise person. Jesus said the day will come when all of those in the memorial tombs will hear the voice of the Son of man and come out. Further, the apostle Paul said there is to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. To be sure, Revelation informs us that after the Devil and his demons are put away, the sea and the Grave will give up all of the dead in them. Except for a relative few who have already received the sentence of the second death, virtually all of mankind will be brought back from nothingness during the 1,000-year-long reign of Christ and the 144,000. So, there is no need for a special book of remembrance to distinguish the righteous from the unrighteous.

So what, exactly, is the "book of remembrance"? Details are important. Context is important too, especially when it comes to understanding the message contained in the Bible. Here is the 16th verse in its entirety: "At that time those who fear Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance was written before him for those fearing Jehovah and for those meditating on his name."

Please take note of the expression "at that time." Contrary to the Watchtower's statement that the "book of remembrance" has always been open, the verse in question clearly indicates a unique moment when a symbolic book of remembrance will be opened. The names of every individual who fears Jehovah will be recognized and written down, as it were, "at that time."

The question then is when is "that time"? The third chapter explains it. Remember, context is important. Here is the context: “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will clear up a way before me. And suddenly the true Lord, whom you are seeking, will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant will come, in whom you take delight. Look! He will certainly come,” says Jehovah of armies. “But who will endure the day of his coming, and who will be able to stand when he appears?"

Because the Watchtower wields a powerful deluding influence over Jehovah's Witnesses, everyone who accepts the Watchtower as the only source of authentic truth is compelled to believe that the true Lord appeared in 1914, invisibly, of course. Essentially, the Watchtower has already answered the rhetorical question: "Who will be able to stand when he appears." They answer that the Bible Students, who have all died off, were able to stand up in the judgment when Christ appeared over 100 years ago. No wonder the 4th chapter of Malachi opens with these words: “For look! the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the presumptuous ones and all those practicing wickedness will become like stubble. The coming day will certainly devour them,” says Jehovah of armies, “and it will leave them neither root nor branch. But on you who honor my name, the sun of righteousness will shine, with healing in its rays; and you will skip about like fattened calves.”

Is it not presumptuous to claim that a faithful slave passed the test back in 19...whenever, and that God has no issues or controversy with the captains of the spiritual temple? The day burning like a furnace is when Christ sends forth his angels to remove the wicked from his Kingdom, his congregation, before the approved ones are sealed and given their crowns. Jesus likened the Devil's seed to weeds planted in his wheat field. Jesus said they would be uprooted, bundled, and pitched into the fiery furnace. "There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be."

By the way, not coincidentally, when discussing the fate of the evil slave who was appointed to feed Christ's sheep but who becomes friends with the drunkards of Satan's world, Jesus said: "But if ever that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and he starts to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and he will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his place with the hypocrites. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be."

As regards the judgment of the evil slave, the Watchtower naturally claims this is merely a hypothetical "what if?" But at least now, since the publication of the first edition of Jehovah Himself Has Become King, the Governing Body recognizes that the master has not come and the faithful slave has not received the second appointment over all the master's belongings. That being the case, why are Jehovah's Witnesses still compelled to believe that the weeds were uprooted in 1918 and that the millions of parishioners of Christendom, who have long since passed away and been replenished by more false worshippers, were made to weep and gnash their teeth? Are the hundreds of millions of Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Lutherans, and every member of every "Christian" sect and cult weeping and gnashing their teeth? Or have they already been bundled up and pitched into the firey furnace? Do you see the insurmountable difficulties that come with embracing an artfully contrived false story as if it were the truth?

On the other hand, have we experienced the shining forth of the sun of righteousness? No. Jesus spoke about that, too, in the illustration of the wheat and the weeds. After the Devil's seed is removed, the chosen ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. What will be the source of their shining? Jesus, the bright morning star, will shine upon them. How? By appearing to them. That is why Malachi says, "when he appears."

Did you know that the word the WT translates as "manifestation" is drawn from the Greek word epiphaneia, which literally means an appearance? Jesus was manifest in the flesh as a man. That much is true. But when the messenger of the (new) covenant appears, it will be in the spirit. It is interesting that the old King James translates "epiphaneia" as "the brightness of his coming." I like that. For example, concerning the man of lawlessness, the KJV says: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."

Now, as regards the "book of remembrance: "At that time" is after the great tribulation is cut short. That is when the four angels standing at the four corners of the earth will be commanded to hold back the four winds of destruction. Why? So that the slaves of God might be sealed and the great crowd gathered. After the tribulation in those days, the scarlet-colored beast will arise from the abyss. Civilization will arise from the ashes of nuclear war, which God Almighty will have cut short on account of the chosen ones. The revived beast will demand our allegiance. It will kill those who do not worship it. Those who do worship it will receive the 666 mark of doom. They will not have their names written in the "book of remembrance."

Why can Jehovah's Witnesses not understand these things? Because Jehovah has poured out a deep sleep upon the prophets and visionaries. It will take a nuclear blast to awaken them.

I think I might as well post this article on e-Watchman so it gets translated into Dutch, German, Slovak, and Spanish

Adelante!

 

[Watchman]

Posted a slightly revised version on e-watchman

A Book of Remembrance Was Written Before Him

Although I have posted my commentaries on the Watchtower's daily text on the forum for the past two and a half years, I decided to post this article here so it will be translated for non-English readers. Wednesday, September 4th A

e-watchman.com

 

[Melinda Riling]

Posted a slightly revised version on e-watchman

A Book of Remembrance Was Written Before Him

Although I have posted my commentaries on the Watchtower's daily text on the forum for the past two and a half years, I decided to post this article here so it will be translated for non-English readers. Wednesday, September 4th A

e-watchman.com

This article is exceptional....I just forwarded this to 4 JW friends

 

[Chloe]

So if virtually all mankind will be resurrected, but judgement comes after the tribulation. Does the statement that I often heard at the Kingdom Hall, that it is better to die before Tribulation/Armageddon, and receive a resurrection, hold true? Or have I missed something?

 

[MickHewitt]

The Watchtower is changing in many ways. And not for the better. The light is getting dimmer and dimmer

Thanks Watchman you have cleared the mist and fog of Watchtowers false 1914 and allowed us to see the true return of Christ and Zion.

 

[Watchman]

So if virtually all mankind will be resurrected, but judgement comes after the tribulation. Does the statement that I often heard at the Kingdom Hall, that it is better to die before Tribulation/Armageddon, and receive a resurrection, hold true? Or have I missed something?

For unbelievers, that is true and that is why JWs say that.

 

[Serenity]

We know that God remembers in detail every person who has ever lived and died, dating back to the first man and woman Jehovah created in the Garden of Eden. Because God has unlimited cloud storage, so to speak, He can remember the exact chromosomal makeup of every single soul and bring back and reanimate the precise person.

This amazing ability of Jehovah's to remember everything, every detail, is something that we can relate to because even some people, imperfect humans, have a photographic memory ability, or "total recall", and can recall even the weather of every day of their past concious memory as well as other things. The human mind is amazing, Jehovah's mind is beyond amazing.

"For “who has come to know the mind of Jehovah, so that he may instruct him?” But we do have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16

 

[SusanB]

I love this thread and the subject matter and these scriptures:

Malalchi 3:16-18: “At that time those who fear Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance was written before him for those fearing Jehovah and for those meditating on his name. “And they will be mine,” says Jehovah of armies, “in the day when I produce a special property. I will show them compassion, just as a man shows compassion to his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between a righteous person and a wicked person, between one serving God and one not serving him.”

Contrast to considering Jehovah’s name is to forget his name.

Deuteronomy 8:11: “Be careful not to forget Jehovah your God by failing to keep his commandments, his judicial decisions, and his statutes that I am commanding you today.”

Psalm 103:2: “Let me praise Jehovah; May I never forget all that he has done.”

Isaiah 51:13-14: “Why do you forget Jehovah your Maker, The One who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth? And all day long you were in constant fear of the rage of the oppressor, As though he were in a position to bring you to ruin. Where, now, is the rage of the oppressor? The one bent over in chains will soon be set free; He will not die and go into the pit, Nor will his bread be lacking.”

Jeremiah 23;25-27: “I have heard the prophets who are prophesying lies in my name say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the heart of the prophets, to prophesy lies? They are prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They intend to make my people forget my name by the dreams they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot my name because of Baʹal.”

 

[MickHewitt]

I love this thread and the subject matter and these scriptures:

Malalchi 3:16-18: “At that time those who fear Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance was written before him for those fearing Jehovah and for those meditating on his name. “And they will be mine,” says Jehovah of armies, “in the day when I produce a special property. I will show them compassion, just as a man shows compassion to his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between a righteous person and a wicked person, between one serving God and one not serving him.”

Contrast to considering Jehovah’s name is to forget his name.

Deuteronomy 8:11: “Be careful not to forget Jehovah your God by failing to keep his commandments, his judicial decisions, and his statutes that I am commanding you today.”

Psalm 103:2: “Let me praise Jehovah; May I never forget all that he has done.”

Isaiah 51:13-14: “Why do you forget Jehovah your Maker, The One who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth? And all day long you were in constant fear of the rage of the oppressor, As though he were in a position to bring you to ruin. Where, now, is the rage of the oppressor? The one bent over in chains will soon be set free; He will not die and go into the pit, Nor will his bread be lacking.”

Jeremiah 23z;25-27: “I have heard the prophets who are prophesying lies in my name say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the heart of the prophets, to prophesy lies? They are prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They intend to make my people forget my name by the dreams they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot my name because of Baʹal.”

What a privilege to be in receipt of scripture that pertains to our day, the eve of our moment! Even if we don't see it we know it is imminent!

 

[Chloe]

There are many people in the last four years that have proved themselves to be courageous, non Witnesses. Outspoken for truth though not knowing Jehovah. If they had been in Watchtower their testimonials would likely not have happened. It seems to me that many people have their place in Jehovah’s purpose, so wise to judge no one. An interesting lesson to learn after decades of indoctrination.

 

[Jerry&Phyllis]

Details are important. Context is important too, especially when it comes to understanding the message contained in the Bible.

According to Wikipedia, "The devil is in the details" is an idiom alluding to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details; it indicates that "something may seem simple,
but in fact the details are complicated and likely to cause problems". (Wikipedia)
Apparently, the "details" are coming back to bite WT in the backside and look at the mess they find themselves in with no credible way out.

CBS News "How little lies lead to bigger lies" October 25, 2016
"Telling little fibs leads down a slippery slope to bigger lies - and our brains adapt to escalating dishonesty, which makes deceit easier, a new study shows."

 

[Brother potato]

Jehovah’s Witnesses – A People for his Name?

What’s in a name, you ask? Everything— that is, if the name happens to be the personal name of God. While scholars may debate the exact pronunciation of YHWH until the world ends, the simple fact of scripture remains: The biblical deity whom we call Jehovah in English, emphatically states in...

e-watchman.com

View attachment 7135
What’s in a name, you ask? Everything— that is, if the name happens to be the personal name of God. While scholars may debate the exact pronunciation of YHWH until the world ends, the simple fact of scripture remains: The biblical deity whom we call Jehovah in English, emphatically states in his word that he will have his personal name declared in all the earth and that he will produce a people who not only call on his name but who themselves are called by his distinctive name.

The question is: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses the people? Before answering that question, let us first consider some of the objections to the idea that Jehovah’s Witnesses are fulfilling the patterns and prophecies by being a people for God’s name.

Ironically, perhaps the most vigorous objection comes from a former Jehovah’s Witness and Governing Body member, Ray Franz (now deceased). In his book entitled In Search of Christian Freedom, an entire chapter devoted to the question of whether Jehovah’s Witnesses are “a people for his name,” as the Watchtower teaches. According to Franz there is only one acceptable biblical designation for Christians —Christians.

While it is true that the Bible says it was by “divine providence” that the followers of Christ came to be known as Christians in the first century; nevertheless, the apostles recognized that people of the nations were also designated by prophecy to be a people for the name of YHWH as well.

The 15th chapter of Acts is a record of how the apostles and older men finally resolved the circumcision issue. On that occasion the apostles issued a public statement based upon the Prophets, quoting specifically from the prophecy of Amos, saying: “Men, brothers, hear me. Symeon has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, known from of old.’”

For anyone willing to reason on the matter, it is apparent that Jesus was not “known from of old” in the 1st century. Jesus Christ was a newcomer on the earthly scene back then. However, Jehovah was not unknown! Jehovah was the historical God of the Jews—“known from of old.” Furthermore, God revealed to Moses that the name of Jehovah was a memorial to him forever—“to generation after generation.”

(Those who imagine that YHWH changed his name to Jesus or that God has more than one personal name are simply deluded.)

Still, though, there is no evidence that the original Christians were actually called by the personal name of God in any form of the Tetragrammaton. Yet, the prophecy of Amos indisputably applies the unique name of God to the followers of Christ. How might this apparent discrepancy be resolved? What should be of the utmost interest to us is that the prophecy of Amos lends itself to an application in another time. Because of the importance of this topic, let us now consider the original prophecy more closely.

“In that day I shall raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and I shall certainly repair their breaches. And its ruins I shall raise up, and I shall certainly build it up as in the days of long ago, to the end that they may take possession of what is left remaining of Edom, and all the nations upon whom my name has been called,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, who is doing this.”

The Assyrian empire originally destroyed the 10-tribe kingdom of Israel and later the Judean kingdom was also brought to ruin by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian kingdom. Eventually, Jehovah restored all of the scattered tribes of Israel to their ancestral homeland. But the so-called booth of David was not restored when the repatriated Jews rebuilt Jerusalem. In fact, David’s kingdom was never restored to earthly Jerusalem. That is why the apostles once asked Jesus if he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel at that time. The answer was obviously “no.” However, the booth of David is simply another way of saying the house of David, which is to say the kingdom of David. And since Jesus was a son of David and a rightful heir to the Davidic throne, the booth of David is actually Christ’s kingdom.

Since the apostles applied that prophecy to the newly formed international Christian congregation then, it is apparent that the prophecies that were originally directed to Israel and Judah were at that time transferred so as to apply to a spiritual Israel. That being the case, the ruination and restoration of the booth of David has to do with Christ’s kingdom.

The prophecy of Amos is in harmony with all other prophecies that call for God to judge his organization, effecting a final sifting to remove the faithless and refine the faithful. Amos 9:9 reads:“For, look! I am commanding, and I will jiggle the house of Israel among all the nations, just as one jiggles the sieve, so that not a pebble falls to the earth. By the sword they will die—all the sinners of my people, those who are saying: ‘The calamity will not come near or reach as far as us.’”

However, according to Ray Franz, it is wrong for Jehovah’s Witnesses to suppose that Jehovah has any interest in setting matters straight in the organization today. As for the supposed scriptural backing for his assertion, on page 523 of his In Search of Christian Freedom, Franz writes of the ancient Jews, saying:


Of course, anyone who has ever read the Bible knows that God most definitely did “straighten out that nation,” on numerous occasions. That is why Jehovah disciplined and destroyed Israel and Jerusalem in order to straighten out his erring people. In fact, the very verse in Isaiah Franz cites, where Jehovah says, “You are my witnesses,” has to do with God calling his people to be witnesses of his discipline and subsequent mercies. And, of course, the opening chapter of Isaiah states God’s purpose: ‘“Come, now, you people, and let us set matters straight between us,’ says Jehovah.”

Franz speculates further, saying:


What Franz says is true—being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses does involve far more than just parroting God’s name. But Franz would apparently have the credulous reader believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses merely call upon the name of Jehovah as if it were some Hindu mantra. The truth is – as Franz himself well knows seeing that he helped produce the encyclopedic Aid to Bible Understanding— from the very beginning the Watchtower has always emphasized the character and purposes of the person of Jehovah and not merely his personal name.

One example of how Jehovah’s Witnesses have proclaimed and sanctified God’s name is by overturning the blasphemous Catholic doctrine of eternal damnation in hellfire. Franz insists, however, that Jehovah’s Witnesses have done no more to make God’s name and character known than has the Catholic Church.

In truth anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses have a unique relationship with Jehovah God, both personally and as a congregation because of being in the new covenant. However, as with our Jewish forerunners, being in a covenant with Jehovah God brings with it accountability. For example, the 36th chapter of Ezekiel reads:

“Not for your sakes am I doing it, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have come in. And I shall certainly sanctify my great name, which was being profaned among the nations, which you profaned in the midst of them; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘when I am sanctified among you before their eyes. And I will take you out of the nations and collect you together out of all the lands and bring you in upon your soil.”’

The house of Israel profaned God’s great name by practicing false religion. But their idolatry obligated Jehovah to severely punish his people, which he did by allowing Israel and later Judah to be conquered by the nations. This also caused God’s name to be profaned because it gave the appearance that Jehovah was powerless to protect his people from the idol-worshipping nations. So, after punishing his people Jehovah took action against the nations in order to sanctify his name from their reproach.

Some may be inclined to dismiss prophecies as applying only to the ancient nation of Israel. However, the context of Ezekiel’s prophecy goes on to indicate that it actually applies to Christians living during the return of Christ and the end of the world—what Ezekiel 38:16 calls “the final part of the days.” For instance, Ezekiel 37:25 says that “David” will be the chieftain over God’s regathered people. As mentioned previously, the repatriated Jews never had a descendant of David as their ruler. It is apparent, then, that the prophecy refers to Christians who are under the leadership of Christ, who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David.” (Rev 5:5) In one of the last verses in Revelation, Christ says of himself: “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.”

Clearly, the detailed judgments in the prophecy of Ezekiel apply to Christians during the time of Christ’s return. Therefore, it is the anointed Christian congregation that “will have to know that I am Jehovah” in a very special way. It is in connection with Christ’s judgment upon the spiritual house of God and the ultimate establishment of spiritual paradise that Jehovah says “you are my witnesses.”

For many reasons it is evident that the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses fit the prophetic profile of a people who have profaned the name of Jehovah. This brings us back to the question posed at the onset: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses fulfilling the prophecy of Amos today by serving as a people for Gods name? The answer is no—at least not yet. According to Amos, the people who are called by God’s name are those who become such after the ‘jiggling’ takes place. The jiggling is when Jehovah rocks all the nations during the oncoming tribulation.

The prophecy of Joel similarly foretells of a great earth-wide catastrophe, where we read: “And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun itself will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah.”

Our faith in the saving power of the name of Jehovah will become paramount at that time, as the survivors of the oncoming holocaust will be those who call upon the name of Jehovah. “And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors, whom Jehovah is calling.”

The prophecy of Malachi likewise foretells how a distinction will be made between the righteous and the wicked; emphasizing the importance of the name of Jehovah in our salvation: “At that time those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name. ‘And they will certainly become mine,’ Jehovah of armies has said, ‘at the day when I am producing a special property. And I will show compassion upon them, just as a man shows compassion upon his son who is serving him. And you people will again certainly see the distinction between a righteous one and a wicked one, between one serving God and one who has not served him.”

Let the reader please take note of the fact that the prophecy indicates that those who fear the name of Jehovah and who are “thinking upon his name” become the “special property” of Jehovah at thattime. Again, when does that occur? The very next verse in Malachi indicates that Jehovah produces a special property composed of those who fear his name during the tribulation. Malachi 4:1 reads: ‘“For, look! the day is coming that is burning like the furnace, and all the presumptuous ones and all those doing wickedness must become as stubble. And the day that is coming will certainly devour them,’ Jehovah of armies has said, ‘so that it will not leave to them either root or bough. And to you who are in fear of my name the sun of righteousness will certainly shine forth, with healing in its wings; and you will actually go forth and paw the ground like fattened calves.”

So, while the religion known as Jehovah’s Witnesses is not fulfilling the prophecies by being “a people for his name” at this particular time, undoubtedly the core of Jehovah’s Witnesses are in line to become the people for his name in the very near future. Jehovah’s Witnesses have, though, unquestionably served a vital function by laying the groundwork for the judgments soon to follow.

The Scriptures even hint that the nominal name of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” will be discarded and replaced by another name; perhaps based upon God’s own revelation of the exact pronunciation of YHWH. Speaking of his wife-like organization, Isaiah 62:2 foretells: “And you will actually be called by a new name, which the very mouth of Jehovah will designate.”

Be that as it may, the 43rd chapter of Isaiah reveals that those who are destined to be scattered during the tribulation and yet repurchased and gathered from the ends of the earth by the angels, are called by God’s name: ‘“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. From the sunrising I shall bring your seed, and from the sunset I shall collect you together. I shall say to the north, ‘Give up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not keep back. Bring my sons from far off, and my daughters from the extremity of the earth, everyone that is called by my name and that I have created for my own glory, that I have formed, yes, that I have made.’”
October 23rd, 2007

There is some meat on the bone in this article.

 

[Ms_ladyblue]

Que privilegio más grande que Jehová te elija el nombre!!! Apocalip. 2:17-El que tiene oído, oiga lo que el Espíritu dice a las congregaciones. Al vencedor le daré del maná escondido y le daré una piedrecita blanca, y grabado en la piedrecita un nombre nuevo, el cual nadie conoce sino aquel que lo recibe”». Eso significa la victoria!!! Que podamos compartir con Jehová su merecida victoria!!

Translation: What a great privilege that Jehovah chooses your name!!! Apocalip. 2:17-He who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the congregations. I will give the winner of the hidden manna and I will give him a white pebble, and engraved on the stone a new name, which no one knows but the one who receives it." That means victory!!! May we share with Jehovah his deserved victory!!

 

[Revvzone]

"Except for a relative few who have already received the sentence of the second death, virtually all of mankind will be brought back from nothingness during the 1,000-year-long reign of Christ and the 144,000".

What number would be considered " "A relative few" gets a resurrection? Please consider an excerpt from research from the ancient world.
It's unknown the exact population of pre-flood however.

'The language in the Genesis record indicates a tremendously rapid expansion. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that the flood was designed to destroy living creatures of the entire globe (Gen. 7:19, 22).

Based upon a rather conservative rate of human reproduction, in 1961 John Whitcomb and Henry Morris estimated that the population of the earth at the time of the flood was approximately one billion people (1961).

However, when Henry Morris wrote his book, The Genesis Record, in 1976, he opined that the earth’s population at the time of the deluge was in the neighborhood of seven billion (144). Obviously he somewhat expanded the figures on which the earlier estimate had been based."
As of late the WT has back peddled on the idea those who perished in the flood may be possible to receive a resurrection... According to Genesis chapter 6. reveals All flesh was corrupted except for Noah and his sons..God's judgment on that wicked world does not support a resurrection for those who were cut off in death even the book of 2 Peter 2:4-5 makes clear when one is directly judged by Almighty God its a closed case.. for convenience

2.Peter 2: 4 Certainly God did not refrain from punishing the angels who sinned, but threw them into Tarʹta·rus, putting them in chains

of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment. 5 And he did not refrain from punishing an ancient world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven othersl when he brought a flood upon a world of ungodly people 6 And by reducing the cities of Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah to ashes, he condemned them, setting a pattern for ungodly people of things to come. 7 And he rescued righteous Lot,who was greatly distressed by the brazen conduct
of the lawless people— 8 for day after day that righteous man was tormenting his righteous soul
over the lawless deeds that he saw and heard while dwelling among them. 9 So, then, Jehovah
knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial,q but to reserve unrighteous people to be destroyed on the day of judgment, 10 especially those who seek to defile the flesh of otherss and who despise authority"
Conclusion. Whatever the population was at the time, being "Condemned" is straight up being "judged" These people saw angels transform into humans, they saw the Cherubim guarding the entrances of Eden, they saw Noah preaching while he and his sons built the ark...even the book of describes
Jude 1:6-7
both the these groups became animalistic, morally bankrupt .. This proves that anyone who thinks practically everyone will get a resurrection isn't in the cards. All I can say is, according to scripture, that ain't happening..​

 

[Watchman]

"Except for a relative few who have already received the sentence of the second death, virtually all of mankind will be brought back from nothingness during the 1,000-year-long reign of Christ and the 144,000".

What number would be considered " "A relative few" gets a resurrection? Please consider an excerpt from research from the ancient world.
It's unknown the exact population of pre-flood however.

I am not going to get into speculating whether or not people who drowned in the Flood will be resurrected. I meant it is a relative few who have blasphemed the holy spirit, such as some of the Pharisees in Jesus' day.

 

[Revvzone]

Blasphemy against the holy spirit is a good question.
One might ask, how could Adam or Judas, even some of the Pharisees have sinned against the holy spirit since it had not yet been imparted to the apostles? The book of Mathew chapter 12 brings out an interesting note..25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand
28 But if it is by" the Spirit of God" that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 (Anyone) who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but (anyone) who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
The chapter goes on to reveal "A tree can be made to produce both good and bad fruit" and that "every word" spoken, a person will either be acquitted or condemned by them...

it's apparent prior to the holy spirit being imparted, that any deliberate activity against the workings of Jehovahs spirit is an act of blasphemy or working against it..The book of genesis states the God's spirit was moving to and fro in the activities of creation of both heaven and earth, it would most certainly be a matter of fact, that anyone trying to hinder it would undoubtedly be guilty.. It could said that the intentional thinking would be viewed as abuse or sin against the spirit, since Jesus could read thier hearts.. that's exactly what jehovah had done pre-flood and also with those incinerated in Sodom and Gomorrah...The point is, even though the holy spirit that was imparted after Jesus death was on a different level than what the Pharisees and the High Priest had, it was nonetheless something they were intentionally working against by the way Jesus responded to what the state of Jehovah's Temple had become.. This really brings home how Jehovah and christ view anyone working against his/ their purpose..As Christ said, it is a dreadful thing for one to fall nto hand of the Almighty.. And that's exactly where both those in the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah found themselves and anyone both before or after them or those to come.. it seems like a great many have done so . With that said, once one becomes guilty of doing so can in no way be redeemed, basically the relationship is over.. Respectfully
.