The suggested answers provided to all questions below are based on and in harmony with the views of the original Watchtower Bible and Tract Society when under the guidance of Pastor Charles Taze Russell. Comments will often include a link to Pastor Russell’s own explanation. However, in any case, we leave your conclusions to your own personal study, prayer, conscience and the influence of the Holy Spirit.
- Who are the Friends of Jehovah’s Witnesses who have created this website?
- Why have the Friends of Jehovah’s Witnesses set up this site? What is your purpose?
- Should we really want to be on earth rather than heaven? Does the Bible give us that option?
- Are the Great Crowd the same as all the people in Paradise Earth?
- What is the role of the Great Crowd on Paradise Earth?
- Is the Great Crowd to be in heaven or on earth?
- Who are the “other sheep” of John 10:16?
- What happens to Anointed who do not make the 144,000
- As the Path Shines Brighter, does the Truth Change?
- Why does God Permit Evil and Human Suffering?
- What is the future mission of the Anointed for which they are now being prepared?
- Will Present Unbelievers Serve and Worship Jehovah on Paradise Earth?
- Will Everyone Be Resurrected from the Dead?
- Have People Received Final Judgment for the Past 6,000 or will they have an Opportunity for Judgment and Restitution on Paradise Earth?
- Will the wicked get an opportunity to repent in Paradise earth?
- Who will occupy the land of Israel in Paradise earth?
- Who does Jehovah make the New Covenant with?
- What prophecies regarding Israel’s regathering have already been or are being fulfilled?
If there is anyone on here that’s interested in having a personal Bible study, based on the the SITS volumes, let me know, I can assist you. We could do it by e-mail,IM or even by phone.
Does anyone have door to door experiences as a Bible student placing literature?
Brother Ken, Bible Students don’t go door to door like JWs. However, they look for opportunities to witness spontaneously. They have tracs, I know for sure. In fact, I had at least opportunities to do 2 or 3 tracs yesterday and was very disappointed not to have any. I’m going to look around some of the Bible Students sites and see if I can find any so I won’t be without the next time. I got in a good “witness,” but nothing to leave them with and I was really saddened with my lack.
Hi Sharon,I know the BS don’t use the door to door means as their primary way of witnessing, I was just curious. Good for you in getting in “a good witness”! I have several tracts and booklets I keep with me for that purpose,btw, you can get a “grab bag” of various tracts for free from Dawn Bible students. dawnbible.com
Ken I can tell you the results of a couple of BS results from coming to your home (actually my office) Sr. Lois Talley and Sr. Burns (I think) came to my office and I had another witness there for that purpose. They answered all our questions even skeptical ones they answered with scripture. We were impressed with their love in wading thru kindly as they answered. Sr Lois came again when I was sick to bring me the next two series of the books written by John Class, she knew I liked the first. Sr. burns sent them. They left me other books also. The first sister from Chgo. Bible 1800-Gods Plan talked to me for almost 3 hrs until a storm cut us off. I attended my first convention on only what she taught me in those first 3 hours. Sr Megacz took over at the actual convention that day and I stuck to her like glue. Br. Roger contantly called every other day to impart spiritual food to me. He also helped Henry progress
!Cor: 3:5-9 comes to mind that some plant some water but it is God that makes it grow. The BS have persons come back over and over again at the faigrounds in Indianapolis every year to learn more. So you see Ken we are products of their witnessing. Also Jeff is an offshoot as we told him of what we had found. Bible Students do the work they have been assigned then just keep on rolling. They don’t turn in time slips. They let Jesus keep tract of the good works and let it go on with them after death.
I will tell of the results of my experience last night with a run-a way Amish, and the the pioneer sister and her ministerial servant husband. The Amish lady spent the night and we continued today until she left for her home 3 hours away. There is a lot being done without going door to door. We are hitting the target market. Going to lunch now. See you later.
Thanks for the experiences Jacqueline…very encouraging!I feel so free and happy when I preach/teach and place literature with people without having to worry about the “time slip” thing:)My wife thinks the Jw’s are the only ones that preach and use the name Jehovah 🙂
I had a dear loving relative ask me why the BS do things like us? This was in answer to her question if I would be attending memorial. I told her Thursday April 5th. She was shocked. But now she says she knows who the BS are. She read the proclaimers book. Some progress from last memorial. Also the Sunday after Memorial I think there will be a letter read about downsizing the mag to 16 pages and making an interactive webpage. It will say the cost of ink is making them use the tool of the devil, “The Internet”. One should never compromise with the devil. Now what about all those times saying not to go on the internet and facebook etc. I could never obey and trust such wishy washy organizational men.
Remember how they used to brag about Christians being the ones on the cutting edge of communications technology when it was the codex? I would imagine it will be framed more in that manner than using the Devil’s tool.
Yeah I remember that Dupin!
Downsizing the watchtower to 16 pages….will this be the study edition only? Is this just rumor?
Go to the link and read. I have seen the actual letter, but it could be rumor.
Ah,ok…..I’ll be listening on Sunday to see if it’s true. Thanks Jacqueline!
A news guy in printing says the ink situation is really expensive now. So I think even with the current gasoline problem, many are struggling. I can’t say for sure but my thought is that Daniel 12: offered hope for those that would be looking for comfort. I am glad I didn’t listen and went on the internet. I am so happy spiritually now.
Amen Jacqueline!
According to the sources the study edition would remain the same, but the public edition would be cut in halve; also the awake… But I’m also waiting to see the truthfullness.
Yes, a few months back there was a series about facebook in the watchtower, and a lot of JW I knew in the day were suddenly gone from facebook. :s
Personally I’m glad I’m free to think and to preach in a manner who fits me.
I feel exactly the same way Zeno!
I don’t.
I hate to find myself contradicting a couple of sisters but there are a few who do on occasion go door-to-door, but they are few from what I understand. I know one of them, though I don’t know if he’s been all that recently. That being said the emphasis is on sharing the message whatever way works best for the person and their circumstances. If door-to -door is something one likes to do and they are effective at it, by all means.
However, not so public measn actuially work best for most. so bible Students more often than not share the Gospel message with those they may encounter through the day, if the circumstance permit. They certainly share it with friends and close acquaintances, workmate if allowed, through the mail and by the internet. the Bible Students were quick to realize the potential of the internet for reaching far more than they could even if they went out and knocked on doors until they dropped. And they jumped on the opportunities it presented.
That’s how most of us ex-JWs found them and got involved. God gives us our talents and it’s up to us how we fulfill the great commission. All those parables about talents make that crystal clear. They also make it clear that God will accept our efforts, however mean and humble they are as long as they are our best effort.
Hi Dupin, You are so right. Wherever there are people we should seize the opportunity to tell about Jehovah’s loving provision of the Ransom for all of mankind. With a bad economy more persons are home now and witnesses will probably see more results. But with the price of gasoline the internet is a loving and a Godsend way to associate. Our Wednesday nite internet group are very close. We care about each other and talk on phone to help and encourage each other during the week. The sisters in the Chgo group said they went door to door and store to store to pass our invitation for a spanish video event
Here is the link to one of the websites that have printed the lketter alledged to be read on Sunday after the special talk. http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/223750/1/SECRET-LETTER-of-Watchtower-Media-Changes. I remember when the Co demonized the internet as a tool of the devil and in KM the society spoke very negatively. Now they are the last to see it is effective. Camping believed the world was ending and the whole world found out about it, so I guess they feel use his methods. I also now realize how every literal eye can see Jesus with our technology. There is absolutely nothing man can’t do when they crack the language barrier and work together. Jehovah slowed them down a little until his timetable. LOL
My local group will not be traveling to an isolated group this year so I will attend right here 15 minutes away from me.
Memorial pre-recording: I’ve tried to find a memorial recording(just the prayer for the passing of the emblems) on this site but have been unsucessful,anybody know where I might find it.
Last night while at a Jw meeting the speaker gave reference to new info. regarding armageddon and judgement, he was encouraging us not to get discouraged and give up because of this “new light”……anybody else heard of this?
I have gotten a hint from my brother. He said all of my beliefs were still in tack except for the twist on armageddon. I told him to check studies in the scriptures and write the society. He simply says okay you are ahead of the society. So he no doubt got some kind of answer. Many of us have written them telling them armageddon is used like hellfire, that there will be survivors not just witnesses. Maybe they will change now. But who knows?
Did he say what the new light was?
Apparerently I’m in the dark about this, because he made it sound as if everyone should know about it, the info. is probably in one of the newer watchtowers.
I had a meeting with my tax person yesterday and while waiting for the appointment I placed a BS booklet among several other magazines….it took only min. before it caught the attention of someone, I felt pretty good about it. Anyone else have similar experience?
Ken that’s great. I have put them at truck stops but have not actually seen one picked up. A Bible Student driver used to put them in my book rack and he would come and refill it. Sometimes driver would just come in and pick books and tracts from our rack JW and BS. At the time a pioneer sister wanted the BS lit. removed although I didn’t know who they were I left it so my client would have choices. She told on me and the brothers said since I owned the business I had control. So I removed the entire rack from my front entrance many drivers asked about the free book rack.
Wow the nerve of the sister to demand that BS lit. be removed from your OWN rack!!Have any Jw’s that you know of ever read any BS lit. and commented on them to you?
I do have persons here in my neighborhood cong. That have actually tuned in to Chicago meeting on Sunday to hear the armageddon talk. It is a big family and they have been on the Chicagobible.org website. One sis. gave info to at least 3 of her relatives that left the witnesses but see a spiritual need. Another Br. that is a client attend our wednesday skype class on a regular basis, he had gone back to the Catholic church that has a special ministry to help former JW as they are getting a lot fleeing. In one cong. I visited last summer I left as much literature as I had plus special requests Br. Peter had sent. They were sucking up all things Br.Russell. One elder was a collector and all the cong visits to see his many books. I got a call today from a sister that visited this site at beginning and another brother from facebook, both are in their classes and David got baptized in January. I have no problem when I say I am with the original BS from Br. Russell. If you mention Br. Russell witnesses will not shun you in my experience. BTW I didn’t know it was BS lit. The brother was just so nice when he asked and the rack had all free stuff. Clients got CD, and other digital reading material and didn’t know why I took it down. I refused to just decriminate against what I now know is a BS. Hid name is Roger and lives right near me. He used to be a witness but left. In fact I was shocked to see him at my first convention. So good things are happenning. We don’t hear because they don’t want to lose their families.
Oh, and an Amish family that escaped while I was escaping will be here tommorrow, she drives a long way and she has BS literature. She and I were ecah others lifeline for about 4yrs until we made our complete break. Her parents are coming around now and not shunning her as much (Amish). Her husband”s Amish family is very hardline and says he will burn in Hell. But they visited Monday also. They drive 2hrs to get to me.
Wow Jacqueline, sounds like the BS movement is bcoming more popular!
My family would have said something to me. Ken, I am going out on a limb here but since they are selling all properties in New York. This is an excellent time for them to make the congregations autonomous again. They really are now if you sue the cong it will stop there only. It is just most JW don’t listen and think deeply on what the society has written lately. When I was there the circuit overseer kept saying the congregations are autonomous, but the majority don’t understand. They also said don’t call them to make decisions on your own. Brothers still shun, when in writing they say not to shun family.
I can see a time when the BS and JW will come together and make peace. The org. I believe went into disfavor for forming the GB. Israel (10 tribe) went down and the remaining remnant went to Judah (2) tribe. One was large but the little one became a thousand in the end.
I was thinking the same thing the other day, about the Jw’s and BS uniting someday, it certainly would be great! One of the Bible students that I know says the “Dawn” Bible students are branching off into their own thing,do you know anything about that?
No, I don’t. BS are autonomous yet very unified. I like the fact they are not so judgemental as groups. Individuals however can be like man in general, we tend to judge anything different and sometimes consider different as a threat instead of anoither point of view. No religion, BS or JW have fully cracked the vast secrets and understanding of all scripture. That;s why we keep digging and change when we see we are on the wrong path.
Hi Ken!
My wife and I were shopping at Ikea on Sunday and bumped into some Romanian Christians. Since I am always curious about folks from other countries I introduced myself and my wife (who is from Romania) and we ended up being able to sit down at one of the little resteraunts in the store and chatted about the Scriptures for over an hour. We spoke much on Israel but also on salvation and God’s opportunity for all people, not just for those who believe. They appeared to be of the British-Israelite line of thought in that they saw the prophecies about the ten lost tribes applied literally and were probably in relation to the Christians of today. The salvation opportunity topic did not seem to phase them much. They saw the difference between what other churches had told them (they said they were truth seekers), and what we were saying, but it wasn’t what they were looking for I guess. I gave them my phone number and hopefully they’ll give us a call as they live nearby.
Hi Jeff, nice to hear from you it’s been awhile. Well at least you tried, were you able to leave any literature? I usually have some with me at all times.Oh, I have a question for you: do you know which BS books are equivalent to the JW’s “All scriptures inspired of God” book and also their “Reasonong on the Scriptures” book?
As for the Dawn doing their ‘own thing,’ I’m not sure what this other person may be referring to… but I doubt it.
We had literature in the car. I didn’t take any in since our ‘mission’ was to get in and out as quickly as possible with what we needed as we are under a time constraint to finish some work at home. If I needed some literature and I thought they would be willing I would have gone to the car and brought some back.
The Bible Students have some equivalents to what you are asking.
The Reasoning book is like “Thy Word is Truth”. This is a reprint of two books (“Thy Word is Truth” and “Features of the Plan of God”) from Br. Russell’s day). You can order this literature through the Chicago Bible Students Literature Distribution Service (www.chicagobible.org).
Chicago printed a book called “Harvest Truth Topical Comments” which would be a much more expanded version than the “Reasoning Book.”
The “All Scripture is Inspired” book is like the Dawn books, Book of Books, or People of the Bible. These books are older than the JWs ones. I wonder if thats where they got the idea from? Anyway …you can order them from the Dawn Bible site.
…or you could come to the Chicago Convention in May! Or come this Sunday and visit with Jacqueline (are you going to be there Jacqueline?) my Father and my family. My Father is speaking in Chicago this weekend.
Ken, give me a call some time after 4pm weeknights. It would be good to catch up.
Jeff I will have a house full of JW relatives here this Sunday. If they go to the KH I will slip over there for a bit. I am on a wait and see. If I don’t come Br. Henry says he will go. I might have to put it on my droid and in my ear. I will play it by ear, but hope to see you and your family there if God willing.
Thanks for the info. Jeff. I won’t be able to make it to the convention this time around.I’ll give you a call soon……..
Has anyone here ever had a personal Bible study with someone using Bible student literature? If so, which ones?
Do Bible students celebrate Birthdays and Holidays?
Ken – With Bible Students, it is a matter of Christian Liberty and Conscience. I respect that the Christmas tree has pagan origins, however I also appreciate that a Christian may have Christian ornaments on their tree and make no conscious connection with it’s pagan origians. I believe there is the danger of making a mountain out of a molehill. We can think we are being faithfull to Jehovah by insisting on an insignificant point, yet missing the greatest commandment, to love God, our neighbor as ourselves and even our enemy. Matt 23 (Weymouth) says “23 “Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the Law–just judgement, mercy, and faithful dealing. These things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone. 24 You blind guides, straining out the gnat while you gulp down the camel!” There are practices today from pagan customs, like the wedding wring, flowers on a grave, the days of the week, etc. But we don’t attach these things to pagan worship and so I think these matters should be left to individaul conscience.
That makes sense Pete,it’s like……where does one draw the line on such matters.During my years as a witness, I’ve seen both extremes, some won’t do ANYTHING that involves pagan and others dip into about everything pagan e.g.;having a family get together on thanksgiving(eating turkey too) and calling it “turkey day” others do special things on birthdays and say “happy born day” etc; So,in essence,the GB is enforcing their conscious on the members.
Ken – Maybe these scriptures will help.
Col 3:16 (NASV) “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.”
Romans 14 (NKJV) “1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things…
5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind … 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother?… 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”
1 Corinthians 8 (NKJV) “4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God… 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. 9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.”
If it is okay to eat meat offered to idols as long as you don not stumble your brother, would not the same apply to Turkey and Thanksgiving day?
Excellent Peter, Amen!! Makes perfect sense!
Ken, how things got so off is beyond me. What Br. Peter quoted is very plainly stated in the Bible. Early Christians had the same concerns as us. So much family time has been missed because of the concious of another. I am trying to reach out to my non witness relatives to apologize for our family cruelty to them over the decades.
Peter, I only brought up Mat 24 to point out to you that your quote of Mat 13 does not apply in this case since Jesus is talking to his apostles and not the populous.
Hi all, yesterday my wife caught me with some BS literature in my coat pocket and she asked why I had them, I told her because I was placing them where ever I could, after expressing her disapproval,I said: “why don’t you read them and see what they’re about?” She said she didn’t want to merit Jehovah’s disapproval and that I’m going to be destroyed at armageddon doing that and for reading non Jw literature! What do you guys think of that?
Ken you are a good person. I would have too much respect for my husband, my mate to try and control him. I would never tell on him, that’s just me and my family loyalty. A perfect example of why the org. tries to keep families not so close so they will spy on each other. Most women would be appalled at that type of control of their husbands. You won’t like him if he has to ask you if he can do things. Most women want their husbands to be their own person. Freedom of religion is a God given right. I just believe religion is personal between a person and God. But then that is just my opinion. BTW, you know the elders didn’t want a fight. They know about you. They figure they have the upper hand. But you will have to come to some realizations for yourself. At any rate we got your back here!
Interestingly,during my reading of the SITS last night, I read an explaination of the “wise and foolish virgin” parable between the pages of 190 and 195 in the “Thy Kingdom Come” book(volume #3).To all whom have read it, let me know what you think about it.