Srecko Sostar

justice, mercy, love, humility, etc.
This beautiful things you mentioned ... for sure are something that is effect, output (or in Bible terminology Fruit of Spirit) of Inspiration made by Spirit on Human. And also it  is something that can Inspire people around you or around somebody who shine with this beautiful wealth/richness.
And as i mentioned before, we can look, I am looking, on this in two way.
One is: Divine Inspiration in Direct way and in Real time moment made by Power Above.
Another is: Divine Inspiration that already Existing in us, in our blood in our cells, from long time ago and waiting for our permission, our will,  the right moment of our readiness in our deep soul, to be expressed and to be seen on day light. 

... and the WHOLE 1914 Generations thingy can be resolved by writing down an HONEST answer to the ONE question:
" When Jesus was talking eyeball to eyeball with the Apostles and others, when he said "This generation will not pass away until all these things occur ...", how did THEY understand what Jesus was talking about?"
... ALL ELSE is delusional theological fantasy.
 

I like that BTK recognises this :  Quote BTK  Not understanding scripture is no excuse before God.
Thank you Billy you have just condemned the GB and the Watchtower Soc' and JW ORG. 
With your own words you say it. Remember how misused the scriptures relating to the 'Superior Authorities', and 'This Generation' ?
Remember how the Bible Students / JW org said Armageddon was coming in 1914 and even printed magazines to show it 
 
What Watchtower said 
prior to 1914 What Watchtower claims it said 
prior to 1914 "The year A.D. 1878 … clearly marks the time for the actual assuming of power as King of kings, by our present, spiritual, invisible Lord - …" The Time is At Hand (1911 ed) p.239 "The Watchtower has consistently presented evidence to honesthearted students of Bible prophecy that Jesus’ presence in heavenly Kingdom power began in 1914." Watchtower1993 Jan 15 p.5 "But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble. Zion's Watch Tower 1894 Jul 15 p.226 "Jehovah's witnesses pointed to the year 1914, decades in advance, as marking the start of "the conclusion of the system of things." Awake! 1973 Jan 22 p.8  
For many decades, it was plainly stated that Armageddon would come whilst people born prior to 1914 were still alive.

You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (1982) p.154
At the 2010 annual meeting, John Barr presented another new understanding of the generation. 97 year old Barr was an apt choice to deliver this talk, being the last of the Governing Body born before 1914. He explained the generation is now to include 2 groups whose lives "overlap" since 1914:
If it is truth that a generation includes an "overlap" with those born in 1914, why did Jehovah allow the Watchtower to teach for decades that a generation would end within the lifetime of a person born prior to 1914? Why allow it to introduce several new and contradictory teachings since 1995? Surely this proves Watchtower teachings are not directed by God.

You made comparison of this kind: He didn’t need to (learn in schools), just like we don’t need to.
Well, let put subject again: Because, according to your words, JW's in general and especially all elders with GB as Top Management not need formal education in religious matters, because as you made statement, this people is like Jesus already equipped with needed credentials, questions are: Does this way of getting knowledge, understanding and good fruits is because that all was been result of Inspiration by spirit OR is it result of 3 step model (empowered by spirit? assisted by angels? guided by God’s Word?) ?
Because, WTJWORG explains that this two is not the same. And here you said how  Jesus and JW's archived all this spiritual quality and quantity in the same manner/same way.
I found this view, if it is yours too, as wrong. Was Jesus "Empowered" or "Guided" or "Inspired" by holy spirit. In fact, because Jesus came to Earth from Above as Firstborn who already have ALL Power and Authority and All Spirit, in fact He can spread that Spirit as holy spirit onto, into, on others around Him.
What is difference when WT magazine say: empowered by spirit and guided by Word? But  also using terminology "we are not Inspired by spirit but we are Guided by spirit?!  
Who or What doing what  ??? influence on GB? Somehow, according to explanation they made, to Them, sometimes inspired and guided have different meaning, sometimes the same. And in this WT magazine they put new terminology - empowered.
Very confusing, but perhaps they have such intention to confuse people.  :)))
 

Not lying. Mistaken. Mistaken for almost the same reason that any of us --either currently, or in the past-- have believed the GB are a small group of men. When I believed it, I was not lying. It was just a mistake I was making at the time. I would guess that there are easily hundreds or thousands of Witnesses who notice the same thing in their Bible reading as they went through the illustrations of Jesus in context, and have reached through many of Paul's letters. Perhaps others will have already noticed that a leading member of this same Governing Body, F.W.Franz, once argued very coherently and scripturally that we should NOT see the Governing Body as a small council or committee like those apostles and older men in Jerusalem.
I don't think I have more insight than the GB, I was convinced by the Scriptural argument of F.W.Franz. But there's a good reason why it would not be plain to them. Long before the Governing Body was defined in 1971, the 7 officers of the Watch Tower Society already realized that they were responsible to represent the entire remnant of the anointed on earth, and found themselves soon leading hundreds of thousands of Witnesses and interested persons. No matter what you think, there IS something special about this particular religion. It is unique as a teaching organization in many ways. I've gone into the specifics in the past, but for now, I'm just making a statement of opinion shared by millions of other JWs too.
The GB who find themselves in positions of great responsibility for an organization that is believed to be specifically prophesied about in the Bible, would surely expect that their own position of responsibility must therefore also be prophesied in some way. This doesn't mean that they think they are inspired, only that God's inspiration must have foreseen, not only the fact of this organization, but also some special guidance for its leadership, too. They could have found this in "apostolic succession" as some other religions do. They could have found it in some special new "inspired" prophet as some religions have. They could have decided that a leader was the "angel to the church in Laodicea." They could have seen it in the "the Jew" with 10 men grasping their hem. But they see it in an illustration about servants feeding other servants. Compared to the ways many religions look to give "authority" to a select few, this is actually commendably low-key. But it's still a misuse of the verse. It's an inconsistency based on the March 15, 2015 Watchtower that shows why it is wrong to turn a parable into a prophecy.

Encourage is intended to be a broad term. But it is not separate from "Religious Matters." We humans often tend to be foolish and think that turning doctrines into some philosophical/exegetical  exercise is somehow more important to Jehovah than justice, mercy, love, humility, etc. The specifics of certain complex teachings or prophetic interpretations are far down on the list of what is important. For the most part those things are not even "religious."
As James said: "True religion means looking after orphans and widows in their troubles, and not being like the rest of the world." (James 1:27 - paraphrase)
(1 Corinthians 12:29-13:9) . . .Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform powerful works, do they? 30 Not all have gifts of healings, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they? Not all are interpreters, are they? 31 But keep striving for the greater gifts. And yet I will show you a surpassing way. 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy and understand all the sacred secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all the faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my belongings to feed others, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I do not benefit at all. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

Explain, how God has exalted YOU to a position of great responsibility, that YOU will ultimately be judged by God more severely for leading people astray, by making your own definitive claim of superiority and righteousness over everyone else on this forum...that God Himself has not granted YOU by your own actions and behavior.  
Please.  Enlighten me on this marvel.  
You can live with Watchtower's sins.  Many of us cannot.   
Don’t envy the evil
or desire to be with them,
 for their hearts plan violence,
and their words stir up trouble.  Prov 24:1
 

and by whose standards.
By God's standards and they are the only standards that matter. And I never said 'everyone' I said some people. 
God has granted us all the ability to reason and to judge, otherwise we would be robots. We all make judgements every day I would imagine. We might call them decisions but those decisions arrive by our making judgements on matters or even judgements on people. 
I had to make a judgement when I was deciding to leave the JW Org. Three months research, not three minutes. So it was a judgement i made, not in haste, but in taking time to think about, and pray about, my part in an organisation that i knew in my heart was wrong.  
Some people on this forum actually agree with me on some of my findings, and they even give me fresh information that i knew nothing about, but they prefer to stay inside the JW org. So 'God has not given me any more that he has given others' in this respect. Many people know about the GB's / JW Org's failings and deliberate lies, but some of those people prefer to be part of it. I know not why. 
you will ultimately be judged by God more severely more so for leading his children astray
It is your opinion that JW's are God's 'children', nothing more than your opinion. 
 

@Srecko Sostar You are right. The only research i did when i was a JW, was in JW books and magazines. It was like being brainwashed.  
What i cannot understand is some people on here know that the GB and the Watchtower / JW Org are wrong, but they stay in the JW org.  They must have their reasons for staying in but i could not do it. 
 

TEACHING BOX 16A - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102017945
Is Christendom the Antitypical Jerusalem?
In the past, our literature has referred to Christendom as the antitype of apostate Jerusalem. The conditions in unfaithful Jerusalem—including idolatry and widespread corruption—certainly remind us of what is happening in Christendom. However, in recent years our publications, including the one you are now reading, have not taken the type-antitype approach to prophecy except where the Bible provides a clear basis for doing so. Is there a solid Scriptural basis for referring to Christendom as the antitypical Jerusalem? No.
Consider the following: Jerusalem was at one time a center of pure worship; later, its inhabitants turned apostate. By contrast, Christendom has never practiced pure worship. Right from its inception in the fourth century C.E., Christendom has always taught false doctrine.
In addition, after Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, Jehovah restored the city to his favor and it again became the center of true worship. Christendom, on the other hand, has never had God’s favor, and once it is destroyed during the great tribulation, it will never rise again.
In view of the foregoing, what may we conclude? When we examine Bible prophecies that were fulfilled on unfaithful Jerusalem, we may say, ‘This or that reminds us of what we see in Christendom today.’ But there appears to be no Scriptural basis for referring to Christendom as the antitypical Jerusalem.
 
First, perhaps is about Lexicon, Vocabulary  in JW Culture. When JW Church and members talking about "Christendom" they refer firstly or mostly to Roman Catholic Church and all Churches and Denominations that believe In Jesus Christ...but in wrong, false and idolatrous way. But JW consider themselves to be Christians too, but not part of "Christendom" (by this they quote can be consider as Christendom.  "....we are Christians who do our best to follow the example set by Jesus Christ and to live by his teachings." -https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/are-jehovahs-witnesses-a-cult/
Why this linguistic distinction is so important to JW? To be, sometimes, called with name "Christians" but want to run miles away from word "Christendom"?
Christendom - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Christendom
 noun - English Language Learners Definition of Christendom
: people who are Christians
: the part of the world where most people are Christians
But another thing is of bigger importance. Do you remember how many articles and books and magazines taught you all, over such long period of decades, on so many meetings and congregations baked up with so many Bible verses and Study paragraphs about who is Jerusalem and who is Christendom and all that stuff??!!
And now they figured up, they rowed deep, Under Spirit Motivation and Guidance, to tell you how Now there is No Single One Solid Scriptural Basis to believe in that teaching, doctrine, dogma! 
Do You really believe how Church Leaders and Guardians of Doctrine in WTJWORG know what they are talking about , as those who watch for your souls?! 
  

We, ex JW's, were all been part of this, and told to people in preaching service things that we now consider untrue and in fact lies (no matter about motives of those who generate some teaching, doctrine, dogma, instruction). 
As to "make sure of all things". I think, at first thought, how this process in individual, personal work (study, deeper thinking, searching ...etc) about something, some religious subject, has been limited by/because of our exposure to WTJWORG influence, our naive trust in people who "knew more", our believe and too much confidence in interpretations made in publications. Well, in fact we are making our selves to be sure of - in all things presented in WT magazines and books :)))   
To do this "make sure" work, JW's should go in all directions for searching to answers and for pro et contra argumentation. It is Wrong Idea/Perspective, how JW already found The Truth, so Why going uselessly to spend time and effort in additional verification, when Bible Scholars already done research in Betel? So, when from platform they say, by quoting Bible verse - "make sure of all things", they don't encourage you to go for INDEPENDENT sources, but to reading more and more of WT publication.
Somehow, John, You and I, get out from this Circle. :)) and some other people here too, to not forget to tell. :))

@JW Insider  Just because they are not THE faithful and discreet slave of Matthew 24:45
So you agree that they are telling lies then ?  You agree that the GB are not the Faithful and discreet slave ? 
It has nothing to do with whether one is anointed or not.
I totally disagree with you on this. Those not anointed need to be 'clinging to the skirt / hem of a 'JEW' ' 
The JEW is spiritual of course, a class of people, the Anointed ones. 
Srecko has covered a lot of what i would say but i will add to it anyway. 
Also it's not correct to say that they claim only THEY can give instruction to God's people. Every publisher is allowed to present the good news of the Kingdom to those who may become God's people. Every speaker from a platform can be giving instruction to God's people.
The GB use a Writing Department to write the literature. The publishers might as well be just leaflet distributors. The 'carts' used to give away literature, only offer what the GB / Writing dept print.  Publishers are told not to have their own opinions. i know remember, I've been there, done that. So a publisher offers a pretend 'Bible study'. it's pretend because it is actually a study of a book written by the GB / Writing Dept, not a proper study of God's word.  ( At a later date this book will be banned and replaced by another book, with different lies in, when so called 'new light' appears ). 
The speakers from the platform are just puppets. They are given strict outlines written by the GB / Writing dept. So once again the GB rules over the congregations. 
The Elders are given a rule book 'Shepherd the Flock', which they must obey without question. Once again written by the GB / Writing dept.
 For most Witnesses, who prefer not to question, and not to make sure of all things,  it probably makes them more comfortable this way.
Yes, just puppets. They just push out the lies from the GB / Writing dept. They serve the GB and it's two 'orgs'.  The JW Org & the Watchtower.  These 'witnesses' are not God's witnesses, they are witnesses for the GB and those organisations. 
Doesn't God tell us through his word to, 'Make sure of all things' ?
 
 
 

You highlight very good, important thing.
If somebody truly believe in some idea, own idea or idea from other source, or if somebody "read particular idea" from other people words, statements, views and so on... then, if he individually spread such idea to other people in "good faith", he is not "lying", but he can be one in a chain of those who unknowingly/unconsciously spreading misleading/mistake. Because he thinking about that same (false) thing as truthful and real, as something good and worth to have.
What happened when this person repeatedly doing this "unconscious spreading" of same Principe (Principe of various errors in different time point, through his life time)? If he never come to flash of light and come to be "conscious" about such repeated (spiritual) behavioral pattern in himself and in other to whom he show respect and trust, than he is deceived and blind to see. 
But if source of errors and if the receiver of the errors continue to doing this, and in same moment something inside them/him sending warning signals, this is time to make A/The Stop (or simple to STOP). Because if he didn't ...it can be said how from that Point he/they begins to spread a lie, on purpose /even with various levels of power and strength of persuasion.         

Let's say that it's 1924 and you truly believe that there are many sound Biblical reasons to anticipate that the resurrection of the "Old Testament" faithful men of God will start in 1925. You begin to believe it so strongly that you say there is more evidence for it than there was for 1914, and that there is more evidence for it than Noah had that there would be a Flood. If you didn't truly believe it, why stick your neck out for the embarrassment you'd face in just a few more months? Why risk losing the entire organization you worked so hard to lead.
I'd say that Rutherford, the "chairman" and primary member of the "Governing Body" that had begun in 1919, must have truly believed in 1925. Similarly with several remaining mistakes --still based on a faulty set of chronology beliefs-- the current GB are not lying, they are mistaken.
Did you, John, never say something that was not true, because you really believed it was true at the time, and then found out later that it wasn't? Were you lying?
And for the second question, Yes, I agree that the GB are not the FDS. The members of the GB should be some of our best examples of faithful and discreet ministers. But there is no single group called the FDS. When Jesus said, "Who really is your neighbor?" he was not prophesying a class of people to be called the "Neighbor" or "The Good Samaritan." When Jesus gave an illustration about a man whose son asks for bread and the father gives him a stone, do you think he was prophesying a specific group of people who give stones for bread?
(Matthew 7:9, 10) 9 Indeed, which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will hand him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not hand him a serpent, will he?
Who really is the good father in this illustration, the one who gives the proper food his son asks for, or the one who gives him a stone or a serpent instead?
Who really is the judge who had no respect for God in the illustration of a judge who gets pestered again and again to give justice to a widow? Who is the widow? (Luke 18:1-7)
These illustrations are not so different from the one that includes the FDS. Who really is a faithful slave when the master goes away, and the servants don't know how long he'll be gone? Is it the one who keeps the household running smoothly, and continues to serve good food at the proper time, or the one who starts taking all the food for himself, and gets drunk on the wine?
Both illustrations are simple. One was about how Jehovah answers prayers, and one was about what sort of persons we ought to be while waiting for the parousia, even if it takes 1,000 years, or comes tomorrow:
(2 Peter 3:11-14) . . .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 [parousia] of the day of Jehovah, . . . 14 Therefore, beloved ones, since you are awaiting these things, do your utmost to be found finally by him spotless and unblemished and in peace.
It's not about whether we claim to be anointed or not, it's about being faithful until the end. Most of the FDS illustration was about what happens to unfaithful slaves of different classes, not what happens to faithful slaves, so we know it was really a lesson to warn all of us, "everyone," about the kinds of problems that Jesus' parousia delay could cause, and the heavy responsibility to "watch ourselves."
(Luke 12:45-48) . . .But if ever that slave should say in his heart, ‘My master delays coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day that he is not expecting him and at an hour that he does not know, and he will punish him with the greatest severity and assign him a part with the unfaithful ones. 47 Then that slave who understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do what he asked will be beaten with many strokes. 48 But the one who did not understand and yet did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few. Indeed, everyone to whom much was given, much will be demanded of him, and the one who was put in charge of much will have more than usual demanded of him.
Who says this didn't already happen when Jesus walked the earth, or when Peter spoke at Pentecost and began to open up the hope to people of all languges, or when Peter and then Paul (Jews) began to preach to the nations, and the word was spread 10-fold, then 100-fold, then 1000-fold and more? Paul explained how the Jewish beginnings of Christianity were important to the transition that leads to Christianity for the nations. This was a wonderful fulfillment that has occurred and continues to occur. We need not wait for a specific new fulfillment, imo.
 

Also it's not correct to say that they claim only THEY can give instruction to God's people.
If you allow me to say, somehow it can be correct to say that THEY thinking how only THEY can give Life Saving Instructions, and no one else but THEY. :))
 
Every publisher is allowed to present the good news of the Kingdom to those who may become God's people. Every speaker from a platform can be giving instruction to God's people.
Yes, they can present, but inside boarders that is Authorized by THEY.
 
Every older sister who encourages a younger sister, every younger brother who encourages an older brother, etc. All the congregation feeds one another by building one another up and encouraging one another.
"Encourage" is broad term. In relation to Religious Matters, and what is said previously, perhaps this specific sort of "encouraging" you mentioned, is about encouraging To Stay Firm in Temporary Teachings, until some of this temporary dogmas would not be changed by THEY.
:)) In the end, it is not question about who is inspired, but who is Guided by THEY. 

Inside WTJWRG Institution one thing is of crucial importance. Who are those people who have authorization to govern, rule, lead this organization and people who are members/believers? Who are those people who represent JHVH and Jesus and their Will?
In this WT article authors tried to explain history of this.  https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-study-february-2017/who-is-leading-gods-people-today/
Why this article is interesting (again) in connection to topic? Here is some quotes from pages of this article:
CAN YOU EXPLAIN?
In the first century and today, how have those taking the lead among God’s people been . . .
empowered by holy spirit?
assisted by angels?
guided by God’s Word?
.... Jesus had given his followers a commission: “You will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) How could they possibly complete that assignment? True, Jesus had assured them that they would soon receive holy spirit. (Acts 1:5) Still, an international preaching campaign required direction and organization. To direct and organize his people in ancient times, Jehovah used visible representatives.
Famous paragraph 12:  The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. 
As we can see from box in WT magazine under question Can you explain? author AVOID to use direct word "Inspired" and instead this explicit sort of spirit manifestation as it is commonly viewed while reading Bible (for example, to write holy scriptures, to tell something as prophecy or command from God, to heal the sick....etc) author put word - empowered by HS. And now author give factual example from 1 century:  
Holy spirit was poured out on all anointed Christians, but it specifically enabled the apostles and other elders in Jerusalem to fulfill their role as overseers. For example, in 49 C.E., holy spirit guided the governing body to make a decision regarding the issue of circumcision. 
Author highlights 2 things. First is ROLE of OVERSEEING. And second is about MAKING DECISIONS. In contrast or continuation to this  1 century example, author of article later emphasized this:  
In 1919, three years after Brother Russell’s death, Jesus appointed “the faithful and discreet slave.” For what purpose? To give his domestics “food at the proper time.” (Matt. 24:45)......
Evidence of holy spirit. The holy spirit has helped the Governing Body to grasp Scriptural truths not previously understood. For example, reflect on the list of beliefs clarified that was referred to in the preceding paragraph. Surely, no human deserves credit for discovering and explaining these “deep things of God”! (Read 1 Corinthians 2:10.)
Here we have just statements of author who firmly say that FDS aka GB been appointed by Jesus in 1919. But another thing is something what call on more alarm. As Evidence of holy spirit is, situation when this Body grasp something as Truth under holy spirit helping or empowering. 
In this explanation one thing is very questionable and somehow danger. In period from 1919 (we shall not talking about 1 century GB or about Angel Assistance today) this entity who "share" food under title: Bible Truth, with supposed help of holy spirit, in fact they had  spread "Fake Truths", they later changed into "Real Truths".  Some doctrines they  produced in few steps as yes-no-yes ... truths. Here we comes to possible conclusion how reason for that errors, according to this article, was not in Human Representatives of Jesus here on Earth. No, reason and cause for that is in holy spirit who has "empowered" them in that confusing way and direction.
Because other two elements in this equation (assisted by angels +  guided by God’s Word) was not been sufficient and powerful enough to correct wrong direction made by empowering influence of holy spirit. :)))) 
Here we see how "blame" for errors and imperfect food can be found in the same reasons why food can be good and eatable too, after some period of time (in refrigerator :))), of course. The way how this article try to prove the credibility of GB for task of sharing the food,  becomes nonsensical.
But, pay attention to this: 
empowered =
having the official authority or freedom to do something  https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/empowered
having the knowledge, confidence, means, or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself                       https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empowered 
Here we see how this definition changed our view on issue and article. Why they used word EMPOWERED in connection to spiritual food? In fact, according to Dictionaries, WT magazine talk about Power of GB Over People. Here it is not ISSUE about Food Quality, Truth or Lie, Perfection or Imperfection. IT IS ALL ABOUT CONTROL.  

TEACHING BOX 16A - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102017945
Is Christendom the Antitypical Jerusalem?
In the past, our literature has referred to Christendom as the antitype of apostate Jerusalem. The conditions in unfaithful Jerusalem—including idolatry and widespread corruption—certainly remind us of what is happening in Christendom. However, in recent years our publications, including the one you are now reading, have not taken the type-antitype approach to prophecy except where the Bible provides a clear basis for doing so. Is there a solid Scriptural basis for referring to Christendom as the antitypical Jerusalem? No.
Consider the following: Jerusalem was at one time a center of pure worship; later, its inhabitants turned apostate. By contrast, Christendom has never practiced pure worship. Right from its inception in the fourth century C.E., Christendom has always taught false doctrine.
In addition, after Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, Jehovah restored the city to his favor and it again became the center of true worship. Christendom, on the other hand, has never had God’s favor, and once it is destroyed during the great tribulation, it will never rise again.
In view of the foregoing, what may we conclude? When we examine Bible prophecies that were fulfilled on unfaithful Jerusalem, we may say, ‘This or that reminds us of what we see in Christendom today.’ But there appears to be no Scriptural basis for referring to Christendom as the antitypical Jerusalem.
 
First, perhaps is about Lexicon, Vocabulary  in JW Culture. When JW Church and members talking about "Christendom" they refer firstly or mostly to Roman Catholic Church and all Churches and Denominations that believe In Jesus Christ...but in wrong, false and idolatrous way. But JW consider themselves to be Christians too, but not part of "Christendom" (by this they quote can be consider as Christendom.  "....we are Christians who do our best to follow the example set by Jesus Christ and to live by his teachings." -https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/are-jehovahs-witnesses-a-cult/
Why this linguistic distinction is so important to JW? To be, sometimes, called with name "Christians" but want to run miles away from word "Christendom"?
Christendom - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Christendom
 noun - English Language Learners Definition of Christendom
: people who are Christians
: the part of the world where most people are Christians
But another thing is of bigger importance. Do you remember how many articles and books and magazines taught you all, over such long period of decades, on so many meetings and congregations baked up with so many Bible verses and Study paragraphs about who is Jerusalem and who is Christendom and all that stuff??!!
And now they figured up, they rowed deep, Under Spirit Motivation and Guidance, to tell you how Now there is No Single One Solid Scriptural Basis to believe in that teaching, doctrine, dogma! 
Do You really believe how Church Leaders and Guardians of Doctrine in WTJWORG know what they are talking about , as those who watch for your souls?! 
  

It is very significant that numbers 6 and 66 are numbers in relation to Bible. Because Bible said how 6, 66 and 666 are numbers in context to something evil, something that is in opposition to God. Who inspired or what inspired people who put 66 letters, books as parts of Bible? 
The Catholic Bible has 73 Books. (7 more than the Protestant Bible) The Protestant Bible has 66 Books. GB decide to accept Protestant Bible. Were GB inspired, sorry, i mean - were GB guided by spirit  in this decision?

Wow! Is there something holding you back from saying what's really on your mind?
My father and grandfather attended KM school in Pittsburgh back in the early 70's about a year apart from each other. So I would often hear them compare notes as to what Bro. Schroeder had said on a topic. Schroeder was still of the "Rutherford" school when it came to how the entire world was "inspired" of Satan, which influenced his speech about who would die at Armageddon and why we don't celebrate Christmas, Easter, etc.
As part of their training, Brother Schroeder would give them questions that the "Press" might ask them, so elders could practice answers that were "cautious as serpents yet innocent as doves" so to speak. For example:
Question: Do you think the Pope will be destroyed at Armageddon?
This gets lots of snickers, and a few brothers willing to say, 'Of course he will be destroyed!.' So Brother Schroeder says that, well, we all know the answer, but what do we tell the Press? He recommended saying:
Answer: "He'll get what he deserves!"
This gets uproarious laughter, and must have been treated as if Jesus had just said "Pay back Caesar's things to Caesar." It becomes kind of a joke between my father and grandfather, so that they only needed to say: "He'll get what he deserves!" when hearing about other infamous happenings in the world (e.g., Watergate, Nixon Impeachment, US Supreme Court on Roe v. Wade, Spiro Agnew).
I don't know whether Schroeder himself mentioned people with Christmas trees, but I remember being a bit taken aback that my father and grandfather even applied it for a while to people with Christmas trees, people singing Christmas carols on TV, etc., even though they started to say it in a kind of joking way, knowing that the phrase was getting old.
When you mentioned that the Society knew that Christmas was wrong before 1900 but kept celebrating until the late 1920's it reminded me of this. Imagine if Armageddon had actually come in 1915, or 1918, or 1925, as they sometimes expected. In effect, my father and grandfather were saying that Rutherford and all the people in the entire Watch Tower Society would have been destroyed. I can imagine how we, as an organization, would have felt if we knew that certain people or groups who had already stopped celebrating Christmas were looking at the Watch Tower Society at the time and saying "They'll get what they deserve at Armageddon."
When it comes to all this judgmental speech, here in this forum, I try to remember to test it by thinking what we would say if we were guests in a Mormon forum, or a Catholic forum. Would you, for example, go into a Mormon-centric forum right now and say that 15 million Mormons (LDS) are all inspired by Satan. (And yes they have had trouble with child sexual abuse and cover-ups.) And because a high percentage of Catholics support the Pope, would you go into a Catholic-centric forum and say that 1 billion Catholics are inspired by Satan.
To me, it seems a bit over the top, even though you could probably find a near equivalent problem in the Mormon Church or the Catholic Church for every problem you see among Jehovah's Witnesses.
I'm not one to tell you to stop saying whatever you want to say, as you probably feel like a good part of your life was wasted among Jehovah's Witnesses, and I'm sure this drives a lot of the "tone." I am reminded of the "tone" that Rutherford took against the clergy, especially the Catholic hierarchy, and he could rationalize that he was protecting the world from Catholicism -- just as you probably think you are trying to protect the world from Jehovah's Witnesses, or at least to protect a few other Jehovah's Witnesses from themselves.

It is very significant that numbers 6 and 66 are numbers in relation to Bible. Because Bible said how 6, 66 and 666 are numbers in context to something evil, something that is in opposition to God. Who inspired or what inspired people who put 66 letters, books as parts of Bible? 
The Catholic Bible has 73 Books. (7 more than the Protestant Bible) The Protestant Bible has 66 Books. GB decide to accept Protestant Bible. Were GB inspired, sorry, i mean - were GB guided by spirit  in this decision?

Can people be inspired to do the devils work? Certainly! 
Yes, you only have to look at the GB of the Watchtower / JW Org, and their lawyers and their wicked Elders and others that commit Child Sexual Abuse. You only have to watch those stupid videos too, to see they are not inspired of God. 
And then read how many times they change scriptural meanings. And how they actually change words in their Bible to suit their own purpose. 
Oh yes, the GB are inspired by the Devil. Calling themselves the 'Faithful and Discreet slave' and telling other Anointed that they do not need to contact each other or have a personal opinion on scripture.   
And it seems that 8 million others are also inspired by the devil to support such goings on. 
Tell me, were the Nation of Israel inspired by the Devil when they offered their children to Molech in the fire ? 

He is from "everlasting to everlasting" which can only happen in a universe that has no beginning, and where time happens all at once.
Well I presume God created time as we know it. It is only 'as we know it' because 'man' has divided it and subdivided it, but before man started measuring it, it was happening. It's quite strange to think that before time, before Earth etc, there was God, the Word, the Angels living in another dimension. 

Certainly there is free will ... all you can manage in whatever its is that is your hearts desire .... for good .... for evil ... or for misadventure.
I used to jump out of perfectly good aircraft, KNOWING in less that two minutes I could be dead .... but I did it anyway.
EVERYONE has freedom of will .... if they can manage it.
NOBODY has freedom of consequences, unless it is pure, dumb luck.

I am just doing this from memory, but if memory serves ... Satan was cast down to the VICINITY of the Earth.
Jehovah does not live in this Universe, current best guess being about 30 billion light years in diameter, and expanding.
Simply put ... Jehovah lives in a non-"arrow of time" Universe on the "other side" of the Big Bang.
He is from "everlasting to everlasting" which can only happen in a universe that has no beginning, and where time happens all at once.
That means that "Earth" is to be thought of as "dirt", or physical things, as found on a Periodic Table, not the planet.
EVERYTHING you see in the night sky, and everything that can be seen, is "Earth", where we do or someday MIGHT live.
Jehovah lives in "Heaven", which has a completely different set of physics.
Time operates completely different on the other side of the "Big Bang".  OTHERWISE ... Jehovah had a beginning.
A good thought experiment is this:  If mankind had bases on Jupiter's moons, or had mining operations in the Asteroid Belt ... would they be out of Satan's sphere of influence?
Obviously not ... and mankind has already been to the Moon, many times, and we have about 9 robots running around on Mars.
Notice I base these arguments on reason and logic, and solid reality .... in order not to get into a "dueling banjos/dueling scriptures" scenario where a rebuttal would tour the Multiverses, but not address what is actually being said, here by me.

One more thing makes this Authorization and Transfer of Power complex.  
In Romans we have:  For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.              In Colossians we have: For in Him all things were created, things 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.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 
By this verses, and perhaps some more, we see how He, Jesus Already has ALL Power and Authority from some far point in the past time ( Day One or similar) much before (long ago) any sort of rebellion described in Scriptures. 
Well here arise another question about voluntarily made decision of giving up of Own Authority (from The Word  aka First Born, Jesus) and His permission that His Power, Authority over All Things will be given to The Third in Hierarchy (i guess third) even in limited scale.