This is offical logo of the Bible Students. I was created by Russell and is still used by the Bible Students Today.
THE ROOTS OF BIBLE STUDENTS & THE ROOTS OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
A common misconception and been promoted, which is that Charlse T.Russell was the one who founded Jehovah's Witnesses. The fact of the matter is that Charlse T. Russell DIED in 1916, while Jehovah's Witnesses did not form offically untill 1931 at a convention in Ohio when then president of the Watchtower Joseph R. Rutherford offically announced that name change from Bible Students to Jehovah's Witnesses. The Bible Students were founded by Pastor Russell while JW's was founded by Joseph Rutherford.
SCISISMS & ISMS
So what happned after Russell death in 1916? Rutherford became President of the Watchtower publishing house. But HOW did he become president? The Christian Bible Students Associations states: Following his [Russell's] death in 1916 Joseph Rutherford forcibly seized controll of the Watch Tower." The Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses states from their book: "Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimer's of God's Kingdom", on page# 66, pargraph# 4: "Opposition soon mounted. Four members of the board of directiors of the Society went so far as to wrest admiimistrative CONTROLL from Rutherford's HANDS." Now is it not interesting that BOTH sides CONFIRM that Rutherford somehow GAINED CONTROLL of The Watchtower publishing house? Why is this? Espeically when Russell place all these 4 board directors in their place? Infact, the JW's book here confirms this stating on page# 67, paragraph# 4: "It turned out that the four opposing directors HAD BEEN APPOINTED BY BROTHER RUSSELL." But the JW's claim in this book that even though they were appointed by Russell, the founder of the Bible Students, that these '4' board members were: "not legal." What does this mean? If Russell was the founder of the Watchtower publishing house and HE appointed these '4' board members then why were these '4' board members postions upon the board to be questioned?
HOW DID RUTHERFORD BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE WATCHTOWER? AND HOW & WHY WERE THE '4' ORIGINAL BOARD DIRECTORS THAT RUSSELL APPOINTED CAME TO BE FIRED
The Christian Bible Students Association writes: "He [Rutherford] dismissed the majority of the Board of Directors, began to instill a revisionist theology and established dictional authority." What what does the JW's Proclaimer's books have to say on this? The Proclaimer's book page# 68, paragraph# 2 states: "On August 8, the disgrunted ex-directors and their supporters left the Bethel family; they had been asked to leave because of the disturbance they had been creating." A..say what? A little vauge here, don't you think? I think they answer to this question can be found on page#66, paragraph#4 where it quotes:"Four board directors of the Society went so far as to endevor to WREST CONTROLL FROM RUTHERFORD'S HAND." To prove this simply check the JW's Proclaimers book yourself! The Christian Students Association writrs: "Aggressive promotions by Rutherford resulted in a large increase in new members but generated opposition from the Bible Students remaining from Pastor Russell's era. In response to this opposition Rutherford embarked on a campaign from the years 1925 to 1931 to purge Pastor Russell's followers. Thus, by 1931, over three quarters of those associated with the Bible Student movement in Pastor Russell's day separated from Rutherford to remain faithful to the teachings promulgated by Charles Russell."
ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JW'S & BIBLE STUDENTS IS JW'S TEACH A NARROW, 'MEMBERS-ONLY' SALVATION THEORY MUCH LIKE THE FUNDAMENTAL PROTESTANTS...WHILE BIBLE STUDENTS THAT JESUS DIED FOR ALL
One MAJOR doctrinal difference between the Bible students and Jehovah's Witnesses regards the belief in salvation. Shortly after Rutherford founded the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931, they developed a "narrow salvation" theology similar to that taught by evangelical Christians. Both of these groups teach that one must accept Jesus now (through the "window" of their doctrinal systems) or else be eternally lost. That means that comparatively few of the groaning billions of earth's humanity may expect to enjoy the salvation our God has provided in His son. This places the 'Born again' Evangelical/Fundamental Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses poles apart from Pastor Russell's and the Bible Students' "Broad Salvation" theology which will extend to all.
BIGOTRY SHOWN BY THE MAJORITY OF BIBLE STUDENTS TOWARDS THEIR BRETHERN WHO EXPRESS THEIR DESIRE TO LIVE UPON THE RENEWED EARTH FOREVER!
I don't know about you but this looks pretty darn good to me! Paradsie Earth Don't look like no boopy prize to me!
The following his taken from: "Glossolalia" Chapter 6 By: Bible Students Congregation of New Brunswick Subheading intitled: "CHRIST'S KINGDOM"
"One idea is clear throughout the Bible: God has not been attempting to convert the whole world since resurrection."
Ok this part is correct...As is this:
"The Scriptures speak of God dealing with only a Jesus' death and few for a specifice purpose. Christ's followers are spoken of as a little flock. "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32)
And I agree that the above about "The whole world is not to be expected to converted NOW," is indeed a fact that JW's don't get..but...
But the problem with the majority of Bible Students comes when they use this phrase:
"God is only calling a few; a representative of every type of the human race is being called into THE CHURCH of Christ."
When you Bible Students say: "THE CHURCH" you confuse the majority. Protestants and Catholics call their congergations "THE CHURCH", and this, to them, includes ALL who attend. These people do NOT believe in the Kingdom coming ON EARTH..as IT IS IN HEAVEN. They only have been taught to believe in ONE HOPE FOR HUMANKIND=HEAVEN. Secondly, Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT use the word "THE CHURCH" to discribe "The saints" for precisely the above reasons I just explained. And this on JW's part amkes MORE SENSE than Bible Students.
Also when Bible Students use this phrase:
"This sequence of the call of THE CHURCH, the establishment of the kingdom, then the blessing of the REMINDER OF MANKIND is also corroborated by Acts 15:14-17."
The Bible Students here thus give the impression that only heavenly-called ones UNDERSTAND NOW "God's Divine Plan for the future"..and thus you give NO impression at all to the reader that EARTH'S (ALREADY) 'MEEK' and "JUST", nor ANCIENT EARTHLY WORTHY ONES WHO ALSO "UNDERSOODD 'IN THEIR LIFE TIMES' THE LIGHT OF CHRIST"...And this phrase: "The REMAINDER of mankind" that follows when speaking next of the renewed earth hope gives the reader the idea that only meek-hearted but... spiritually UN-educated HEATHENS/UNBELIEVERS recieve eternal life ON the renewed EARTH and that 'ALL" TRUE Christians ( those that understand God's Plan NOW) MUST be heavenly-called! And as well here in these quotes:
"The "due time" for THE CHURCH CLASS TO LEARN OF THE RANSOM IS NOW... DURING THE CHRISTIAN AGE, but the "due time" for THE REST OF MANKIND TO UNDERSTAND THE RANSOM IS YET FUTURE."
Ok..WHERE do "THE ANCIENT EARTHLY WORTHLIES AS WELL AS THE "PRESENT EARTHLY 'MEEK' FIT INTO THIS? WHY are THEY NOT EVEN MENTIONED or EXPLAINED? and here AGAIN BELOW:
"John 5:28.Note again the same pattern of sequence we have seen in other Scriptures. All will be raised from the dead. First "THEY WHO HAVE DONE GOOD." THIS REFERS TO THE CHURCH CLASS. During Christ's return they will be raised to spiritual life and united with their heavenly Lord."
So what are they implying here? That 'ONLY" the heavenly-called class "has done good"? What of THE ANCIENT WORTHIES? Have THEY NOT "DONE GOOD"? WHAT OF US ALREADY SPIRITUALLY INFORMED OF GOD'G PLAN WHO HAVE THE EARTHLY DESIRE IN OUR HEARTS?
"Then will follow the resurrection of the EVIL class, ALL THE REMAINDER OF MEN." What?! By stating this they give the direct impression to the reader that 'ALL" those who are NOT called as saints to heaven are "EVIL"?!? Are "The Ancient Worthies" "EVIL"? Were The "Ancient Worthies" spiritually uneducated of God's plan when THEY DIED?
"They will come forth to a "resurrection of judgment."
WHO DOES? "The Ancient Worthies" Who are "The Princes of the Earth"? "Earth's (Already) 'MEEK'"? There is NO explaination of this whatsoever.
"The Crisis or trial for the church is in this present life, but the crisis or trial time of the remainder of mankind will be at the resurrection in the kingdom."
Here AGAIN I ASKED WHERE DOES "THE ANCIENT WORTHIES" and "THE PRESENT EARTH'S ALREADY MEEK" FIT INTO THIS STATEMENT???
"Why is the church class first selected to share with Christ in the kingdom work of blessing mankind? There are a number of reasons given in the scriptures. One can be illustrated by the noble work of Alcoholics Anonymous. An essential step of A. A. therapy is to assign a former alcoholic to each alcoholic that comes for help. The victim being driven by alcohol will not often accept help, sympathy, or advice from anyone. How can they know his agony, his depression, his desperation if they have not experienced it? But the alcoholic will accept help from a former alcoholic oftentimes because he knows this person can understand the agony he is going through, and this former alcoholic stands ready at anytime to come to his side with assistance. It requires an experienced person to help an alcohol. When mankind comes forth from the grave in Christ's Kingdom, they will be informed of their redemption and be made aware that they are now under the reign of Jesus Christ and his church. (1 Cor. 6:2) The church will know just how to enter into their problems! Why? Because they also were once sinners. The majority will gladly receive the instruction, the disciplining, the nurturing necessary to pass their trial for eternal life. And the restored world will gladly accept the invitation "to take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:1
This is true. But AGAIN, what of "THE ANCIENT WORTHIES"? serving as "THE PRINCES OF THE EARTH"? NO MENTION IS MADE OF THIS PART OF THE Kingdom's spiritual education. That FACT that these Bible Students of New Brunswick, as well as the majority of Bible Students group who do NOT calim the renewed earth hope as their destiny, who who opt for the heavenly calling instead make statements like these OVER and OVER AGAIN..send a VERY CLEAR MESSAGE.. By making such statements OVER and OVER AGAIN and PURPOSELY 'OMITTING' 'ANY' MENTION OF "THE ANCIENT EARTHLY WORTHIES" OR THE PRESENT ALREADY 'JUST' CLASS WHO'S HOPE IS UPON THE RENEWED EARTH...it seems clear to me that such BIBLE STUDENTS MUCH LIKE THEIR PROTESTANT cousins CLEARLY want to teach ONLY THE HEAVENLY THEME OF GOD'S KINGDOM. The only difference it seems to me between the Protestants and the majority of these Bible Students is that Protestant ERASE THE EARTHLY PHRASE OF GOD'S KINGDOM COMPLETELY..whereas..here with these Bible Students they merely REDUCE The Earthly phrase of God's Kingdom DOWN so that it appears that 'ONLY' the HEATHENS/UNBelievers and meek-hearted yet SPIRITUALLY Un-EDUCATED get eternal life upon the earth! I would ask: WAS ABRAHAM a "SPIRITUALLY UN-EDUCATED HEATHEN"???
WHO REALLY IS THE "WISE AND FAITHFUL SERVENT"? 'A' MAN EQUALS RUSSELL...OR ' GOVERNING BODY' OF MEN? WHO IS RIGHT? IN MY VIEW? NEITHER!
The JW's have long claimed that Bible Students revear and creature worship Pastor Russell because they call him,"The wise and faithful servent", who "Despensed the proper spiritual spiritual food at the proper time" by publishing his 6 volums books, The Divine Plan". Likewise, in turn Bible Students claim that JW's revear and creature worship their "organization" aka "The Governing Body" as this "faithful slave" and that they believe their Governing Body thus "despenses this spiritual food at the proper time" through their publishing house headquaders in New York city The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. So which is guilty of this? In my view, BOTH! JW's revear and creature worship their "organization' aka "Governing Body" aka "The Society"..and Bible students revear and creature worship their founder Pastor Russell. I will tell you truthfully that I have studied world beliefs for 15 years now and NEVER have I run across any other religions that make these claims that, "The Faithful and Discreet Slave" mentioned at Matthew MUST be either "a precise MAN", nor a "Governing Body" of men.
FOCUS ON JESUS AS 'THE MASTER' AND 'ONLY' MEDIATOR TO JAH...INSTEAD OF 'A MAN' OR 'AN ORGANIZATION' THE "FAITHFUL SERVANT
Indeed I appreciate the way JW's have mad epublications such as the New World Transaltion of The Holy scriptures that RESTORES Jah's name. I also appreciate the way Dawn Bible students have made some great tracts lately like, "Armagddon, The World Peace". Likewise, I also appreciate that fact that Haile Selassie spread the message of Jah's kingdom coming to restore this earth one day and reconizing Jah's Name and helping spread this to the African and Jamcaian people...but I do not 'revear' or worship any person nor "oranization" simply because they have helped "spread the spiritual food at the proper time" in these ways. To me, ALL who do these things fit the discription of a "faithful servent", who is sent out by "The Master." And I believe our focus should be on "The Master" and our Savior Jesus Christ, the One who should be our 'ONLY' meditor and leader to Jah Jehovah. 1 Timothy 2:5; Mathhew 23:10.
How about instead of focusing who,
