Lorrie MacGregor is one of the foremost experts on the WTBTS. The following
article contains useful and reliable information.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
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The Watchtower Society -- Devoid of the Holy Spirit
by Lorri MacGregor
Many persons today would agree that the Watchtower Society of Jehovah's
Witnesses is devoid of the Holy Spirit. They cite their wrong doctrines,
missed prophecies, and tragic quirks like refusing blood transfusions as
evidence that they do not have the leading of the holy spirit. We would
agree. However, we wonder how many readers know that the holy spirit was
dismissed from the Organization, as no longer required, in 1918? (Their
holy
spirit is not God, but an active force, so is deliberately not
capitalized.)
Still, to dismiss the Holy Spirit is a serious matter, one would think.
Sadly, this is true. This came to light in 1930, when Rutherford, the
Society's second president began to teach that God removed the holy spirit
from the remnant in 1918. In his book Salvation, published in 1939, on
pages
216-217, Rutherford, referring to 1918, said this: "...in that year the
Lord
Jesus came to the temple of Jehovah God. The holy spirit that had been the
guide of God's people, having performed its functions, was taken away.."
In the 1931 Yearbook in the comments for November 2nd, he stated, "With
the
Lord's coming to his temple there was no further need for the
administration
of the holy spirit as a comforter or advocate" (See also Watchtower,
10/01/30).
Some may wonder at the wording of Rutherford that Jesus returned to his
"temple" in 1918. He explains this in the 1941 booklet, "Theocracy," page
32: "In 1918 the Lord Jesus came to the temple of Jehovah, that is to say,
to the body of consecrated Christians."
Since the body of Christ was identified by Rutherford as this "temple of
the
holy spirit" that meant that the holy spirit was removed from the body of
Christ! A shocking development!
Rutherford removed himself shortly thereafter by dying, and Nathan Knorr
took over the Presidency in 1942. He quickly did away with Rutherford's
strange teachings by saying in the Watchtower of August 15, 1944 on page
252, "However, the holy spirit is not removed or taken away from the
remnant."
You may well wonder how Rutherford felt he could lead the organization
minus
the holy spirit, come 1918. It is all tied to their false prophecy that
Christ returned, invisibly, in 1914 and was reigning from the heavens.
Since
Christ was "present," He could lead them directly! He explained this in
the
book "Jehovah," published in 1934, on page 311: "...the faithful ones
receive knowledge and understanding from the Word of God revealed to them
through the Head of the temple organization" [meaning Jesus].
If you read last month's article, you will know that at this same time,
Rutherford was claiming that angels were running the organization in the
absence of the holy spirit, as he said in the book "Preservation,"
published
1932, on page 51: "After the holy spirit as an advocate or paraclete
ceased
to function in behalf of the consecrated, then the angels are employed in
behalf of those who are being made ready for the kingdom."
He believed angels transmitted correct interpretation of scriptures into
the
minds of those at headquarters, the "consecrated."
To this day, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that their organization is under
"angelic direction." The Watchtower of April 1, 1972, page 200 said this:
"....Jehovah's witnesses today make their declaration of the good news of
the Kingdom under angelic direction and sup****t.."
It requires a lot of faith to swallow way-out doctrines and teachings, but
members are required to believe this statement: "...angels are delegated
by
the Lord to convey his instructions to the members of his organization on
earth. Just how this is done is not necessary for us to understand"
(Watchtower 1/1/33 p. 364).
Members are to obey, no questions asked. How is one to question God and
angels? What about the major misses by the Society, like the 1925 date
which
was to mark the start of the millennium? Rutherford had an explanation for
these boo-boos too: "...if the instructions sent out are wrong, then the
responsibility is to the Lord and not to the local service committee."
Prophecy misses? No problem. It's all the angels' fault, never those at
headquarters! "...No man can properly interpret prophecy, and the Lord
sends
his angels to transmit correct information to his people" (Watchtower
8/8/33
p. 231).
So, there you have the hodgepodge of claims regarding the Watchtower
Society. It has the holy spirit, it doesn't have the holy spirit; it is
directed by angels, it receives information directly from Jesus; it is a
prophet, it is not a prophet;... and the list goes on. Who would not ask
honest-hearted questions of the organization in light of this information?
Asking questions is always the first step out of the Watchtower
Organization. Why not step out into the fresh air?
We didn't discuss doctrine, but the holy spirit of the Watchtower is not
the
Holy Spirit of the Bible. The holy spirit of the Jehovah's Witnesses is
just
an "active force," whereas the Holy Spirit of the Bible is a Person and is
called God. No wonder the holy spirit of the Jehovah's Witnesses can be
dismissed and reinstated at the whim of a group of men-it is a bogus holy
spirit!
Since it is the work of the true Holy Spirit that convicts us of our sin
and
leads us into salvation by grace through Jesus Christ, you can see why
Jehovah's Witnesses remain unsaved. Sadly they have the wrong Holy Spirit,
the wrong Jesus Christ, resulting in wrong "salvation."
Christians, we hope you will educate yourselves so you can share the true
Christ with the Jehovah's Witnesses who come to your door. Those on your
doorstep are not deliberate deceivers, but are victims of an organization
that has deceived them.
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