Srecko Sostar

Do you recommending "silence"? Silently disagree with some official teachings and stay (or go out) without warning others about dangerous of such teachings? That is against principles WT Society use itself,  to warn people about some dangerous that you see it exist and can harm people. (Ezekiel book)

@JW Insider  It looks to me, in your last comment, that you are saying that the GB and JW Org teach false teachings by misusing scriptures.  They teach 'Signs of the times' which in truth are not signs of the times, but are things NOT TO USE as signs of the times.  Most JW congregants it would seem, believe that they ARE signs of the times, BECAUSE that is JW teachings.
Quoting from your above comment. 
" But no one should be able to excite us with the idea that the day of the Lord is already here. (Yet, we have claimed that the day of the Lord already started, in 1914.)
This is why the idea of a Governing Body believing they are the embodiment of the Faithful Slave can be so dangerous.
Should also note that the Watchtower publications teach us that Kingdom was BORN in 1914, so all these birth pangs should have been in the years leading up to 1914.
That's supposed to be 1914. So we have the birth pangs starting after the child is born. "
I've said that I would not go door to door to teach lies. And I would not advise people to have a 'Bible Study' as it is not a true BIBLE study, but it is a book study, from a JW publication. What you have shown above proves my point exactly. 
@TrueTomHarley says he does the preaching work of God. But if he teaches from W/t publications and does a study from a JW publication it will have the lies / mistakes you have mentioned. 
SO, is it better to preach lies, or not to preach at all, until one knows truth. 
I know that I'm harsh. Jesus was also harsh. The things he called those Pharisees and other Jewish religious leaders. Whitewashed graves, hypocrites, sons of Vipers ? John 8 v  4  ( Jesus said )
 You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father
So, although i do not compare myself to Jesus, I do think i have good reason to be harsh. I am looking for truth. 

@Arauna  wrore: "If they were truly anointed they would not want to single themselves out and get their own following.  True humility does not mean you create your own club."
But according to Jesus it should not be a problem for anointed to privately study the bible without WT guidance. Jesus promised that he would be with them.
Matthew 18:19 Again I tell you truly, if two of you on earth agree concerning anything of importance that they should request, it will take place for them on account of my Father in heaven.+20  For where there are two or three gathered together in my name,+ there I am in their midst.”

Your whole idea of another 10 years is irrelevant. Jesus was telling them that in the time period between the question and the fulfillment (turned out to be about 34 to 37 years) that it would be too late to try to prepare based on a sign. They should not start getting all excited about a war here, or a war there, an earthquake here or there, or a famine here or there, and to think that these might be signs of the END. So many of these things, even GREAT earthquakes, for example, might scare them half to death, might even kill some of them. But, stiil, they should not get all excited or alarmed into thinking it's a sign of the END, because there will be no sign of the end. At least not until it's too late to prepare, when the "strikingly visible" sign is already obvious in the skies -- and it's immediately after that point when the end of the age (synteleia of the aion) is upon them. 
The application for the end of that age was pretty obvious, that it would NOT be heralded by signs. And the application for the end of this age should be just as obvious, that it would NOT be heralded by signs. No one should get excited even by a publication from an apostle or an angel, that the end is near due to some sign someone thinks they are seeing. Because it could come at any time as a surprise. It needs no signs. There are certain things expected to happen that we shouldn't get too excited about, and wars, earthquakes are included. Even a letter from an apostle saying the end is upon us, should not get us too excited or alarmed that the end is upon us.
There have already been many times in history when Christians were killed by earthquakes, wars, and persecutions, and it was not a time to go off into the mountains to start waiting. Remember what Paul said:
(1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2) . . .Now as for the times and the seasons, brothers, you need nothing to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night.
(2 Thessalonians 1:7-2:3)  But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10 at the time when he comes to be glorified in connection with his holy ones and to be regarded in that day with wonder among all those who exercised faith, because the witness we gave met with faith among you. 11 To that very end we always pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling and with his power perform completely all the good that he pleases and every work of faith. 12 This is so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in union with him, according to the undeserved kindness of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 However, brothers, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you 2 not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be alarmed either by an inspired statement or by a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. 3 Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.
(2 Peter 3:10-12) 10 But Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, consider what sort of people you ought to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion, 12 as you await and keep close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which the heavens will be destroyed in flames and the elements will melt in the intense heat!
Translating 2 Peter 3 and 2 Thess 2:2 as "day of Jehovah" instead of "day of the Lord" has resulted in a conflict that produces some confusion to explain away. Note:
*** w94 2/15 p. 21 par. 24 “Tell Us, When Will These Things Be?” ***
That day of Jehovah, when he executes vengeance, will come as a grand finale to the conclusion of the system of things that has marked the day of the Lord Jesus from 1914 onward.
We now have TWO different "days of the Lord." (There was no evidence that the word "Lord" in 2 Peter 3:12 should have been changed to "Jehovah." This is especially true of 2 Thess 2:2 where the context identified that day of the Lord, as the "the revelation of the Lord Jesus." ) Worse than that, it gives us TWO different "parousias." One "parousia" starts in 1914, and the "parousia of the day of Jehovah" in 2 Peter 3:12 hasn't started yet.
Notice that the day of the Lord, his presence, is the time when the heavens are destroyed and the elements will melt. In other words, it's a time of unmistakable destruction of the age. It's also the time when the living holy ones are taken up and the time when those holy ones who had died are taken up.
Also, these writings indicate that the apostles took Jesus words to mean that the end of the entire world system (age) would come as a thief just like the end of the Jewish age. But no one should be able to excite us with the idea that the day of the Lord is already here. (Yet, we have claimed that the day of the Lord already started, in 1914.) If it were already here it would be too late to prepare. Thus Christians are always prepared so they are not overtaken. We should never try to prepare based on a sign someone claims is already upon us. Jesus knew that this produces a kind of false Christianity and even the temptation to "lord it over" one another because we can imagine that we live in a time when "the Master is delaying" and we think that we should be something MORE than just a servant who continues to do things the way we did when the Master was here with us.
This is why the idea of a Governing Body believing they are the embodiment of the Faithful Slave can be so dangerous. It can be the same as falling into the temptation to say "my master is delaying" and try to become a "leader" or "rabbi" who can claim they know things that Jesus never claimed. If it was never OK to try to set oneself up as a leader or rabbi when Jesus was on earth, then why would it be OK to do that when he is "delaying."
 
Should also note that the Watchtower publications teach us that Kingdom was BORN in 1914, so all these birth pangs should have been in the years leading up to 1914.
(Revelation 12:1, 2) 12 Then a great sign was seen in heaven: A woman was arrayed with the sun, and the moon was beneath her feet, and on her head was a crown of 12 stars, 2 and she was pregnant. And she was crying out in her pains and in her agony to give birth.
That's supposed to be 1914. So we have the birth pangs starting after the child is born.

It is more easier and with less repercussions if you question the Bible. But to question GB ... :))) 
How will ordinary "rank and file" know who "anointed" is? By watching JWorg broadcasting? :))

The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction. In fact, the Watch Tower Publications Index includes the heading “Beliefs Clarified,” which lists adjustments in our Scriptural understanding since 1870. Of course, Jesus did not tell us that his faithful slave would produce perfect spiritual food.  WT 17/2  p. 26,27
 
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him—this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and dries up, and they gather them and throw them  into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you bear much fruit, and prove to be my disciples.” John 15:5-8
 “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”  Matt 24:24
“And by his planning he will make a success of deceit by his hand, and in his mind he will boast, and in their ease he will destroy many, and even against the prince of princes (Isa 9:6) he will rise up, and he will be broken, but not by human hands.”  Dan 8:25
 “Now we ask you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to him, 2 that you not be easily shaken from your composure, nor be troubled either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter alleged to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has arrived. (1914)  3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and who exalts himself over every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God.”  2 Thess 2:1-4
 
 
 
 

Quote @Anna  "Many JW's don't think beyond what is black and white, and need everything not only served up, but already digested." 
Yes, this is why the GB and Writing Dept' et al are so dangerous. Because JW boots on the ground have stopped thinking and just serve the GB and It's Org. You seem to admit it but when I put it in words you they deny it. You are kinda funny Anna.  
Quote "This is why many, like you, are under the wrong impression that the GB are supposed to make no mistakes, and cannot be questioned. "
In my opinion, if God through Christ was guiding the GB then the GB would get things right. Why? Well firstly, it seems that in the  eyes of the GB et al, Armageddon is 'so close'.  So there is no time to loose. The preaching work and the congregation should therefore be spot on / almost perfect, so as not to stumble anyone. Why? Because it is PEOPLE'S LIVES AT RISK. It would seem that JW teaching is that if a person dies at Armageddon they do not get a second chance. Hence if a person is stumbled by GB /JW Org teachings, or by Elders in congregations then Luke 17 v 1 & 2 comes into play.
 Then he said to his disciples: “It is unavoidable that causes for stumbling should come. Nevertheless, woe to the one through whom they come! 2  It would be more advantageous for him if a millstone were hung from his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to stumble one of these little ones.
Secondly. You know what would happen if a congregant started questioning the GB's 'guidance'. If a congregant started talking to others in their congregation, suggesting that the GB were giving false information. The said person would firstly be warned, secondly be disfellowshipped for 'causing a division in the congregation'. 
So how does one 'question the GB' ? Would they give me a personal invitation to visit them to question them ? I think not. (Apart from which i could never afford the air fare anyway).  I am talking about questioning the GB not writing to Bethel, as the later does no good at all. 
Quote " What do you think the identifying mark of these "real anointed" is? "
Zechariah 8 v 23
“This is what Jehovah of armies says, ‘In those days ten men out of all the languages of the nationsj will take hold, yes, they will take firm hold of the robe of a Jew, saying: “We want to go with you, for we have heard that God is with you people.”
So how will those 'ten men' know exactly who that 'Jew' is ?  
Quote "The anointed of those days were baptized with holy spirit, the HS helped them to speak languages they never knew before, it helped them to perform miracles. All that was finished and done when the last of them died, and wasn't going to happen again."
Are you sure it won't happen again ? Are not the Anointed today 'baptised' with Holy Spirit ? Are they not inspired of God ? How then, in fact, do they know they are the Anointed ?  You of little faith.
BUT your GB treads them down. Your GB slyly suggests that they might be 'mentally ill' and then to those that are Anointed it tells them they do not need to contact each other or to study God's word together.
Why would your GB do that ? Why would your GB say that only they, those 8 men, are the F&DS ? 
Would not truly anointed ones actually want to meet together ? Would not a true F&DS want to gather all the Anointed (via internet / telephone / letter / etc) so as to confer / discuss / build up and share thoughts and blessings from God through Christ ? 
Quote Anna " b4ucuhear hit the nail on the head when he said regarding those taking the lead: "
So I'll quote him " Also, that way we won't be stumbled when Jesus apparently gets dates and teachings wrong and has to back-track on what he directed/controlled before.
You think JESUS gets it wrong ? Seriously ?  So now you are prepared to blame Jesus for the faults of your GB.
No hope it seems for those that put the GB and JW Org above God and Christ. 
Have a good day Anna. 
 
 

Yesterday my wife reading this book .....and then go to week meeting ....??? I wonder why and want to comment on her reading, but i didn't.  

Yes. That's the proposition here. It's found in many commentaries of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 and it fits the idea that Jesus always warned about when he said not to look for any advance signs. A lot of people don't realize it was also C.T.Russell's take on those verses.
But we need to be careful, too, about thinking it has no significance for a larger event than the one on Jerusalem. We know that Jesus was answering their question about the Parousia/Synteleia of the Aion for Jerusalem and the Temple especially. (The word Parousia here refers to a Royal Visitation, not an invisible presence. The word Synteleia refers to a Destructive Judgment Event, an "End of Things Together" not a conclusion leading up to the actual conclusion.)
Jesus invisible presence was not part of the question, and that invisible presence never ended from the time he said "Look! I am with you all the days until the Synteleia of the Age.
Yes, the disciples sincerely wanted to know if they could get a sign to warn them in advance of the Temple Judgment Jesus had just described to them. This is natural.
Surely, if Jesus told you in 1970 that the World Trade Center in New York City was going to be turned into a pile of rubble someday, you would definitely want to know if you could get an advance sign to warn others in time. Now imagine that you asked for such a sign and the first words out of Jesus' mouth were "DO NOT BE MISLED. Many will try to convince you that they have special knowledge about the time this will happen, but DO NOT BE MISLED. You are going to hear of wars, reports of wars, earthquakes, and pestilences and famines between now and then. But these do NOT mean the END. If anything, these things will just be a BEGINNING, as things might get worse and worse between now and then. But in the end, people will be surprised, as if there had been no warning at all. It will come like a thief in the night. There will be no time to respond. The only SIGN will be the one you see in the SKY as these things are happening.
That's a very common reading of the verses, and it's the one that almost all Witnesses believe and make use of. It can make sense that way, too, but it makes more sense with the rest of the Bible if we look carefully at EACH word Jesus used here.

@Arauna Please check statistics for population growth and figure out why the world's population did not grow nearly so fast before as the past 100 years.
And you think people did not die so much before. Please check history. 
Even in the Bible there are written about battles when in one day hundreds of thousands died in one day.
I don't believe Satan was cast down around 1914. But imagine how it will be when he really is cast down to earth.

I think it's pretty obvious the world "changed" because of WWI around 1914 to 1918. Many things changed for the better and many things changed for the worse. Historians always look for, and try to explain certain historical turning points to mark off which eras of history their specific chapters will cover, and sometimes the eras that their entire books will cover. A book on US history, for example, will nearly always cover the colonial period up to 1776 (the War), then from that war up to 1861 (the War), then from that war up until 1914-1918 (the War), then from that war up until WWII, then from that war up until the Vietnam War, Iraq, etc.
Therefore it should not be hard to find as many quotes about 1914 as there are books about historical periods that touch on WWI. And all of them should defend how this era marked a change. When writers talk about the "Civil War" in the US, they often discuss how it was the first war where technology (aircraft/balloons, submarines, iron battleships, Gattling guns) REALLY began to replace hand-to-hand combat (although arrows, canons, firearms and dynamite) had similar effects on war for many years before.
Still, you can't argue against the fact that these technologies had their first major effects around the world until around WWI, just as historians will argue the first major effects of nuclear technology around WWII.
It is no surprise then that --when looking for a sign-- that people are going to do exactly what Jesus said they would do. In Matthew 24, Jesus said that people would be looking at war and earthquakes and famines and pestilence and MISTAKING these things for signs. In fact, C.T.Russell appeared to be exactly correct when he indicated that such things would NOT be signs, but would be the kinds of things that people have suffered for these past 18 centuries (now nearly 20 centuries) since Jesus told us not to be FOOLED into thinking such things are signs.
Jesus' warning about the kinds of things we should not get fooled by, seems ever more apt now that technology has brought war and rumors of war to nearly every continent on earth.
But we should also note how, in trying to prove 1914, we are so "happy" that there was a great war in that year, that we have been very sloppy about how we read Matthew 24, and we give not a thought to the idea that Russell and many other Bible commentaries indicated. 
Also, we have to admit, what would be happening right now if the Watchtower had KEPT the dates 1915, 1918, or 1925 as the replacement dates for events once predicted in 1914  that failed to come true. Only after all those other dates also failed for the events expected for 1914, the Watchtower turned back all its emphasis on 1914 again, emphasizing the "war" part of the sign. But if it hadn't gone back to that date for the "sign" it's easy to realize that we would right now be arguing for why things actually changed in the world in 1918, for example, and we (Witnesses) would be arguing against 1914. We might even be talking about how all those secular historians were wrong and blinded by their constant quotes about 1914, when persons with eyes of faith realized that the Bible had pointed to 1918 all along. (We might even make fun of them for how they had truly missed the sign in Matthew that was so obvious when it was 1918 that saw both WAR, and FAMINE, and PESTILENCE (Spanish Influenza) and an 8.3 EARTHQUAKE in the Philippines, just months after an 8.5 in Samoa and just months before an 8.1 in Tonga.)
And if the false chronology we depended on for 1914 had been seen in advance to give us 1934 or 1944 or 1954, you can be sure that we would be now be arguing for those years instead.
But of course a focus on 1918 (or 1954) would be just another way to ignore Jesus' warning about being misled. It is because 1914 was a really truly pivotal date in modern history that we have been so easily misled. It's the very reason we have usually ignored Jesus' warning not to be misled when we see wars, earthquakes, pestilence, persecution, etc.
We forget that Jesus' disciples asked him for a sign so they would know WHEN the impending judgment day on Jerusalem's temple would be ABOUT to occur. (Not as a sign to know when something had invisibly occurred in the past.)
Jesus' answer indicated that impostors and false prophets would be going around declaring that a sign had already occurred and he indicated that people might mistakenly point to wars, earthquakes, and famines as their evidence. People might say they know it happened even though it was invisible to the people they were trying to convince, claiming Jesus had returned to an inner room somewhere, or it was over here, or over there. But Jesus said that it would be easy to know that these people were wrong because the parousia/synteleia (judgment day) would be as unmistakable as a lightning strike that instantly crosses from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. There would be no advance warning signs, because it had to come as a thief in the night. Thieves don't give advance warning signs. Only after it was too late to prepare, THEN THE SIGN WOULD APPEAR IN THE HEAVENS. 

Does it look like I am suggesting that? Just look at the fine use I am putting my iPad to right now.

When someone uses a stone instead of their hands, and instead of stone he uses a bronze sword and instead of a bronze sword he uses an iron sword .... this is the advancement of technology and causes wonder in the eyes of the beholder.
If Bible (and prophecies and events in the past) speaks in this manner, than all in this world are "unusual events" aka miracles from the very beginning and not only after 1914. (especially if individual see something for the first time)
By the way, first murder, first rape, first slavery ...etc.  were also unusual events when happened for the first time. And now these are everyday events for thousands of years already.

Do you suggest, with this quote, how people would live in more peace if technology (materialistic) progress did not happen?   

When someone uses a stone instead of their hands, and instead of stone he uses a bronze sword and instead of a bronze sword he uses an iron sword .... this is the advancement of technology and causes wonder in the eyes of the beholder.
If Bible (and prophecies and events in the past) speaks in this manner, than all in this world are "unusual events" aka miracles from the very beginning and not only after 1914. (especially if individual see something for the first time)
By the way, first murder, first rape, first slavery ...etc.  were also unusual events when happened for the first time. And now these are everyday events for thousands of years already.

From what I remember, your statement was,
"Please provide some evidence that Christ was enthroned in the 1st century."
I gave you many scriptures to prove that he was.   If you’re asking for evidence that Christ is viewed as King in Revelation, let me first give more evidence of kingship even while one earth:
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”  Luke 18:37
A king “conquers”:
"Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
"and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world."  John 12:31; 16:11,33
Just as Jesus conquered Satan and his accusations against him, while on earth, every anointed one must also conquer him.
John 14:30 "I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me.”
“I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God's word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.”  1 John 2:14
Conquering Satan is conquering death.  That is only possible by turning to Christ in full obedience.  We receive life through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, only if we obey his teachings.  John 14:21   
 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”
56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:55-57
This is during the “thousand year kingdom” that began in the first century:
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”  Col 1:13
 
Revelation:
 “John, to the seven churches in Asia: grace to you and peace from the one who is and the one who was and the one who is coming, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”  Rev 1:4-6
To be ruler over the “kings of the earth” – HIS faithful kings -  He also must be a ruling King:
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and the one seated on it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justicehe judges and makes war.  And out of his mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it he could strike the nations. And he will shepherd them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the wine of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. 16 And he has a name written on his outer garment and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Rev 19:11,15,16
 “ And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and of the living creatures and of the elders, and their number was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands times thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered
    to receive power and riches
    and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”
13 And I heard every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and everything in them saying,
“To the one who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise and honor and glory and power
    forever and ever.”
14 And the four living creatures were saying, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.  Rev 5:11-14
 
Christ's “thousand year” kingdom is to bring to nothing, Satan’s world.  This culminates when death is destroyed in Armageddon. (1 Cor 15:24-26; Rev 20:10)   For 2,000 years, he has been building the tried and cleansed “administration” of priests/kings/Bride who will serve God and Christ, reign and teach in Gods Kingdom. Eph 1:9-11
As I said, Satan was “abyssed” in the first century.  The abyss is not a “place of inactivity” as the WT claims , but a point of altered perception, the state of “not perceiving”.   Hades, Tartarus, hell, abyss all refer to a state of “not perceiving”. A place of darkness.  (Jer 13:16; Rom 10:7; 2; 2 Pet 2:4;Jude 1:6; Col 1:13)
 Hádēs (from 1 /A "not" and idein/eidō, "see/perceive/know") = not knowing/not understanding/not perceiving.
When Satan is released from the abyss, his focus becomes clearly bent on destroying the “remaining ones of the woman’s seed.” Rev 12:4  He formulates “Gog and Magog”, the Beasts of Revelation. (2 Thess 2:3,4; 9-12; Rev 13:1,2,5-7,11,12; 20:7-10)
Jesus, who conquered death, has a key to the abyss, (Rev 1:18) as does Satan, who is “King” of the abyss. Rev 9:11  To utilize it, Satan must have willing subjects who submit to his offers. Luke 4:7   This is how the two Beasts of Revelation develop, through the “key” given a “fallen star” – fallen anointed whom he manipulates to carry out his plan against the anointed of God.   (Dan 12:3; Phil 2:15; Jude 1:11-13; Rev 9:1-3; 8:10,11; Heb 12:15; Rev 13:1,2) 
My label as an “apostate” by the organization, does not apply to “apostate” that scriptures refer to. I have not rejected God, Christ, or truth in the scriptures.  I have rejected the organization and its falsehoods. 
Is 1975…TRUTH? How about the “generation” teaching, which one of those over the years, is truth? What about the teaching of a bloody slaughter during Armageddon committed by God and Christ, when you don't believe in hellfire. This is a hypocritical teaching.  
"Because they have forsaken me, and they have defaced this place, and they have made smoke offerings in it to other gods whom they have not known, they, nor their ancestors, nor the kings of Judah, and they have filled up this place with the blood of the innocent, 5 and they have built the high places of Baal, to burn their children in the fire, burnt offerings to Baal, which I commanded not, and I ordered not, and it did not come to my mind."  Jer 19:4-5
 
"And they built the high places of Baal that are in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to present as offerings their sons and their daughters to Molech, which I had not commanded them, and it had not come to my mind to do this detestable thing in order to cause Judah to sin.”  Jer 32:35
So...why do JWs look forward to WT's version of Armageddon?
  I know of a faithful anointed, who would never use the label of “faithful and discreet slave” to pull anyone in, because that one knows Christ decides who is faithful to him or not. Matt 25:21  This one relies on Christ and Holy Spirit to dispense truth, not on “helpers”, writers, committees, buildings, money, but solely on the Father and Christ.  Zech 4:2-6,11-14; Rev 111-3
I believe I am, but I will  never again dispense so-called “truth” in harmony with a wicked slave.  Been there, done that.
I don’t look for followers.  I look to expose lies and reveal truth about the conditions of God’s people today, and about the Christ.    The “good news” at the end of the days is the “restoration of Jacob”.  Matt 17:3,11; Luke 1:16,17; Mal 4:6; Isa 49:6,8,9,12
All of us, should question what doctrines are taught in the organization.  Our lives depend on obeying scripture.  Should we ever conform to lies?

It's easy to understand why you wouldn't care. In the overall stream of things I do not care either. I know you might not have been directing your comments at me, but in defense of the person who brought it up here, he seemed to think it was important, and I respect his reason for making the point. Believe it or not, this is NOT a teaching from our past. The Watchtower considers it relevant to our CURRENT teachings, and it has been repeated several times in the last few years. The importance of this point to the CURRENT Watchtower teachings is the reason I wanted to make sure we knew whether this current teaching is based on facts.
Note this very recent Watchtower, where the teaching about what Russell discerned in 1914 was important enough to repeat here and in many other places in our publications:
*** w17 February p. 25 par. 8 Who Is Leading God’s People Today? ***
To help them disseminate Bible truth in various languages, Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was legally incorporated in 1884, with Brother Russell as president. . . . He discerned that Christ would return invisibly and that “the appointed times of the nations” would end in 1914.
Also note how this is current teaching from another perspective:
*** w14 1/15 p. 31 par. 15 “Let Your Kingdom Come”—But When? ***
In his detailed prophecy about the conclusion of this system of things, Jesus said: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen.” (Read Matthew 24:33-35.) We understand that in mentioning “this generation,” Jesus was referring to two groups of anointed Christians. The first group was on hand in 1914, and they readily discerned the sign of Christ’s presence in that year.
*** w10 6/15 p. 5 United in Love—Annual Meeting Report ***
How comforting it is to know that the younger anointed contemporaries of those older anointed ones who discerned the sign when it became evident beginning in 1914 will not die off before the great tribulation starts!
You do not think it is important, and I agree. I was only dealing with the fact that the Watch Tower publications indicate that the GB believes it is something we should currently care about.
Also, when Cesar Chavez brought this up, it was likely primarily in the context of defending this current teaching.
And we know that the Watchtower CURRENTLY teaches that this idea refers especially to Russell and his associates. (See the books "God's Kingdom Rules" and "Pure Worship.")
Of course, Cesar may also have had in mind a parallel discussion here about whether it is still "FAITH" when it leads us into a false teaching, a false doctrine.
*** sl chap. 16 p. 287 par. 12 Awaiting the “New Heavens and a New Earth” ***
Russell calculated that Christ’s “presence” had begun in the year 1874 C.E., unseen to human eyes and seen only by the eye of faith.
The implication from the above article is that it is OK to have FAITH in a false teaching, or false doctrine. As long as the false teaching also contains some important element of truth. This topic might not interest you, and that's OK. But I just wanted to explain why he seemed to have brought it up and why I responded for any who might be taking the topic seriously.
For me, as I've said, there is also a matter of "making sure of ALL things" and the need to pay attention to ourselves and to our teaching. This is because we all need to HONEST teachers with nothing to be ashamed of. And I agree with you, that this "shame" should have nothing to do with past teachings, but is about our CURRENT teachings.
Here's where the issue of honesty comes in. Almost every one of these statements about what was discerned "decades in advance" is almost always written ambiguously in such a way that it could give us, or our Bible students, the impression that Russell had actually had faith and insight, sometime before 1914 that Jesus would return invisibly in 1914. In fact, we know that Russell didn't even have faith or discernment that Jesus would EVER return invisibly at any date in the near future, because when Russell accepted this teaching, it included the "fact" that Jesus had ALREADY returned invisibly in the PAST, not that he would return invisibly in the future.
If we were not aware of the way almost all these statements are made ambiguously, then how easy it would be to give our Bible students the impression that something like the following was true.
*** w98 9/15 p. 15 par. 1 Waiting in “Eager Expectation” ***
By linking the “seven times” of Daniel 4:25 with “the times of the Gentiles,” they anticipated that Christ would receive Kingdom power in 1914.
This is very obviously a false statement, since they did NOT believe Christ would receive Kingdom power in 1914. Christ had already received Kingdom power in 1878, and 1914 was the time for the Jews to receive Kingdom power in Jerusalem, and the time for a resurrection, not of any Christians, but beginning with Jewish, faithful men of old. Most statements have been more careful to provide just enough ambiguity to imply what that quote states without making a false statement. But several false statements have still slipped through. Use the Watchtower Library and look up the term "decades in advance" or "decades before 1914" (adding the quotation marks) and you should see several examples of this.
*** yb75 p. 37 Part 1—United States of America ***
Russell said: “The seven times will end in A.D. 1914.” He had correctly linked the Gentile Times with the “seven times” mentioned in the book of Daniel. (Dan. 4:16, 23, 25, 32) True to such calculations, 1914 did mark the end of those times and the birth of God’s kingdom in heaven with Christ Jesus as king.
Notice how the same false implication is there, but it was worded ambiguously so that it only implies that Russell correctly calculated the birth of God's kingdom in heaven.
*** w13 2/15 p. 18 par. 4 Stay in Jehovah’s Valley of Protection ***
Decades before 1914, Jehovah’s worshippers declared to the nations that the end of “the appointed times of the nations” would come in that year and that the world would enter into an unequaled period of trouble.
Here's another recent teaching which states that decades before 1914, we taught that the world would enter into an unequaled time of trouble. What would you do if you had a Bible study who believed this statement. Would you correct him or her? Should you? In truth, decades before 1914, Jehovah's worshippers declared that the world would finally enter an unequaled period of peace, because the time of trouble would END in October 1914: Decades in advance, Russell said in Studies in the Scriptures, V.5, p.604:
". . . the time of trouble, or “day of wrath” which began October 1874 and will end October 1914."
 

I did, with plenty of scripture. I’m surprised that not even Ps 110:2  clicked.   Maybe you should go back and read them?  But, here’s another one:
“And also, corresponding to this, baptism now saves you, not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him.” 1 Pet 3:21,22
What power did Jesus say he possessed when on the earth?
“Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”
What did he tell his apostles?
"Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you.”  Luke 10:19
This gives evidence that Jesus began his kingdom rule even when on the earth, starting with this given authority that produced results, when sharing it with his apostles.
Why did he take those actions?  To set the groundwork for the Kingdom to come, which required a complete Temple of “living stones” built on his body, to be proven worthy to rule with him in God’s Kingdom.  (John 2:20-22; 1 Pet 2:5,9; 1 Cor 3:16,17; Eph 2:20-22; Rev 5:9,10) A ruler is not given authority and power over others who are in subjection to him, without utilizing that authority and power, which we see that Jesus did utilize his authority. 
 
And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“Now the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God
    and the authority of his Christ have come,
because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down,
    the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
Who is being continually accused by Satan?  Each individual anointed one, a "brother" of Christ, beginning with those in the first century, who is tested just as Jesus was through slander against them, and deceit to mislead them.   (Luke 22:31; John 16:20,22,33; Eph 6:12)
Read further –
Rev 12:11 – “And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives until death.”
Each anointed must “conquer” Satan by their testimony to truth.  This is what the battle is about – conquering Satan’s lies with Christ’s truth.  During the last days, the remaining remnant of anointed ones have the most difficult deception inspired by Satan, placed before them.  2 Thess 2:9-12; Rev 13:1,2,11,12,14-17; 12:17; 9:5,9; 6:9-11 
To believe that there is a literal 1000 years after Armageddon and that Satan is let loose then to cause destruction and death, would be charging Jesus Christ as having “no hurry to cleanse the Earth of the haters of God”. As if during his time in heaven since his resurrection he was completely ineffective even through Armageddon, of putting enemies under his feet. 
“But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.”  1 Cor 15:23-27a”
Death is destroyed in the end - at the end of Armageddon.  Death is not resurrected a thousand literal years after Armageddon.
Since Jesus began ruling in the first century, his symbolic reign of a “thousand years” also began.   We have obvious scriptures that tell us that a thousand years can be symbolic. (Ps 90:4; 2 Pet 3:8)   And since the symbolic book of Revelation uses it (Rev 20:2,3,7), we should see that it can’t be a literal time period.    As I believe I’ve pointed out here in the past, the scripture’s use of a “1,000” can mean a reached fullness, perfection. Researching the frequent use of a “1,000” in scriptures supports this.  
And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 So he said to them, “I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you the authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will ever harm you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are inscribed in heaven.”  Luke 10:17-20
This gives evidence that Satan was “abyssed” or restricted in using his full powers against the anointed until the last days, when he is “let loose”…to DECEIVE THE SAINTS. 
Your organization teaches you a confused rendition of the identities of Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:7,8. Simply, they are the two Beasts of Revelation. (Rev 13)  Your leaders tell you Gog and Magog appear during Armageddon, and even after Armageddon.  I don’t see anything in God’s Word that supports two Gogs and two Magogs, one pair to appear now and one later.   This confusion is because of their teaching of a thousand years to come after Armageddon, and all is based on the falsehood of 1914, where Jesus is found to be languishing in heaven until 1914. 
Rev 20:9,10 states that the “saints”/anointed are surrounded by “Gog and Magog” at the end of the symbolic thousand years to be deceived by the devil, the beast and the false prophet.  (Rev 16:13,14; Rev 13:1,2,11,12)   If this was to occur when the saints are ruling with Christ on the other side of Armageddon, they can’t be surrounded if they have received a “kingdom”.  They will have conquered Satan and his lies well before then.  They will have been found victorious over the Beast/organization.  Rev 15:2 
So, where are the anointed today?  What “surrounds” them?  The walls of the organization and the false teachings of 1914, a “thousand years” to come, the need for an earthly organization, and many more lies that they must individually conquer, even if it means being “killed” for rejecting them, and giving testimony to Christ’s truth.  Matt 16:25; Rev 13:15; 11:3,7
 
The signs are spiritual, not physical although Satan will lead you to believe they all take place in the realm of the physical earth and the world; and he can make it physically happen.  Job 1:16-19
The “kings”/”nations” that are at war are Jesus’ “kings of the earth”; the faithful against the unfaithful.  Rev 1:5; 5:9,10; 16:14; 17:1,2
“food shortages”, the result of an “evil steward” ruling of the House of God, cutting off all supply of spiritual provisions that the entire household of anointed priests should contribute to.   Luke 16:1,2; Amos 8:11; 2 Chron 15:3; Rev 2:9. 
“earthquakes”, Heb 12:26; Isa 13:13; Luke 23:30; Isa 2:19,21; Hos 10:8
 If you read through Matt 24, who are warned not to be deceived in the last days, and by whom?
 Within the last say, 4-5 years, I and other anointed ones have learned that “Jehovah” is not appropriate to use when referring to God.
A declaration of YHWH/YHVH to my lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 YHWH will send out your mighty scepter from Zion;
rule in the midst of your enemies.  Ps 110:1,2
Although, if you notice that Jesus never did refer to God as “Jehovah”; nor YHWH, but always, “Father”. The WT has taken bold liberty to insert “Jehovah” into its NWT of the Greek scriptures. But, look at Matt 22:41-46, read from Watchtower’s Kingdom Interlinear:
“Having been lead together but of the Pharisees inquired upon them the Jesus saying What to you does it seem about the Christ?  Who’s son is he?  They are saying to him Of the David   He is saying to them How therefore David in spirit is calling him Lord saying    Said Lord to the lord of me   Be sitting out of right-hand [parts] of me until likely I should put the enemies of you beneath the feet of you?    If David is calling him Lord how Son of him is he?”
Your NWT rejected their own Interlinear rendering and inserted “Jehovah”, and I believe you will not find an Interlinear using “Jehovah” in these scriptures.   
 
Again:
Ps 110:2 - The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
Do you see it? God is telling Christ when he sat down at His right hand,  to RULE!
"RULE" - 
רָדָה râdâh, raw-daw'; a primitive root; to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically, to crumble off:—(come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r, over), take.
"REIGN IN THE MIDST OF YOUR ENEMIES"!
 
 
Pearl Doxsey, "The Sign of the End" 4womaninthewilderness
 
 

For in Him all things were created, thing in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. - Coll 1
 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen. - Romans 9 -
It seems how this individual here have been always in position to be over, above all thrones and rulers and authorities. According to this he has everything. 

@the Sower of Seed The problem with 1914 is that according to Revelation 12 after Satan is thrown down to earth he will be for a short time here raging. 106 years is way long. And longer than any generation. 
It surely started ill with WW1 and then soon WW2. But why did it calm down seriously after that for more than 70 years? Many people have experienced a much better life since then. And the world's population has been able to grow as never before. In 1914 world's population was about 1,8 billion. Now it is 100 years later 7,7 billions. That is more than 4 times. That is thanks to better living conditions. 
It does not seem that Satan was permanently thrown down to earth around 1914. Looks like he made an extra effort to disturb life on earth from 1914 to 1945. But then it has been very prosperous times until recently. 
So instead I believe Satan will be cast down to earth just a few years before the end of this system of things.
Then it can be said that he will have a short period of time as says Revelation 12.

The “war” began in Genesis:
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”  Gen 3:15
Jesus has been ruling since the first century.  To say he hasn’t, reflects a greater perceived power to be attributed to Satan, than to Christ.  And who would mislead us with the lie that Jesus’ power was inert until 1914, if not Satan and his ministers? 2 Cor 11:12-15  Who can manipulate the world’s actions to create a counterfeit fulfillment of scripture, misleading God’s people in this war of truth against lies?  Satan is the master of deceit!  1 John 5:19; Matt 24:24; Luke 21:8; 2 Cor 11:3,4; Col 2:8; 2 Thess 2:3,9; Rev 16:13,14
 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”  Matt 28:18 
“So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”  Mar 16:19 
The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!  Ps 110:1,2 
For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 1 Cor 15:25
Fabrication. Zion includes the “144,000”. 
“The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!”  Ps 110:2
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels”  Heb 12:22
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,  who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”   Phil 3:20,21 
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”  Eph 6:10-17 
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”  2 Cor 10:3-5
“by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left”  2 Cor 6:7
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”  Rom 13:12
 
These early priests of God were standing with Christ in this war, during their physical life time and in Spirit once they died.  Each faithful anointed in Christ since, has fought the same war during their fleshly time on the earth and once in heaven. 
“If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.”  2 Tim 2:12
 
 

I believe how the order is always similar: First you thanks God, and Second blame the people. Almost always works this way
That makes another problem. Do you by "unusual events" mean "miracles"? If yes, we both shall be disappointed. WT Society said, miracles stopped in 1 Century. 
"we have witnessed many unusual events"
Obviously you speaking about "signs": wars, famine, crimes .... But, all what was described not belong to "unusual events". Bible said how nothing new is happening under Earth. In that context, wars, famine, earthquakes, crimes .... can't be considered  as "unusual"  for humankind, these are not "miracles". But everyday process in life of people and Earth. Even "preaching" is not a miracle, but repeated history.

I would like to emphasize the contrast between the two things that WT separate when explaining items from Luke 12: 42 and 44.
1) give food allowance at the proper time (from 1919 to nowadays)
2) in charge of all his possessions (from some future point)
If we look again how WT Society explained what is meaning of subject 1) and what of subject 2) we see this:  
subject 1)
1. What is the primary ingredient in the food that Jehovah provides? ... the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
1a. What role do our publications play in providing spiritual food? Through the publications, Jehovah’s servants are given an abundant supply of spiritual things to eat and drink. - https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/w20140815/receiving-food-at-proper-time/
subject 2) 
These “belongings” include the growing “great crowd” ... supervision of the material facilities...oversees spiritually upbuilding programs...supervision of the all-important work of preaching...and making “disciples ....
-----------------------------------
On subject 1): JW members already know how GB not writing enough material for daily production. Perhaps some or many of GB members writing nothing at all. Perhaps Helpers, or for sure, somebody else doing that work. This make question: What GB really doing in purpose, as goal, to prepare and provide "food"?  Bible versions already exist and there is no special need for NWT Translation. And publications? Does people really need so much articles that are repeated (with corrections of incorrect teachings, of course) but been put on new paper and new design? Bible itself, as perfect and inspired word of God should be sufficient, if we compare with err and uninspired magazines? 
About subject 2): We are able to see how this work looks much more hard and intensive to accomplish. It seems how this tasks are so important and more complicated to work. Is it really how GB has not any influence on this subject 2)?  Whose tasks are these now?  Is there a transition takeover period?
 
 

not only this but Divine Habitation is where the great crowd is according to Revelation 7:15. "in His temple" 

TTH:

Your opinion that "If you do not  know and understand  history, you are doomed to repeat it.", is a "load of manure" really surprises me. Up until now I knew you did not pay much attention to detail, but I thought you were smarter than THAT.
You have to know and understand history .... and learn from it ... not to fall into the same trap that has ensnared so many others, and perhaps even one's self
That is what EXPERIENCE IS !!!
LEARNING FROM HISTORY.!!!
To learn from it, you have to know IN DETAIL what has gone on around you before you stumbled on the scene. and understand what it really means.  OFTEN it's not what we know that makes a difference ... but what we know that IS NOT WRONG.
Details make the difference !
And now, for a musical interlude to lighten things up, with your very own introduction, illustrating my point that you are NOT a detail oriented person.

... and for those in Rio Linda ... it's "Beachwood 4-5789".
 

The Marvelettes - Beechwood 4-5789.mp4 On an old rotary phone, circa 1960, you would dial BE4-5789, in the United States.