A Prophet Was NOT Among Them! Part 6

This will be my final installment in the series, "A Prophet Was NOT Among Them!" I am continuing to look at the WT efforts NOT to be identified as a False Prophet which I started in Part 5. I am going to look at the information the WT provides in their book, "Reasoning From the Scriptures," False Prophets, pages 132-137. WT material will be in BLUE.

The WT starts by giving a definition for "False Prophets." It reads, "Individuals and organizations proclaiming messages that they attribute to a superhuman source but that do not originate with the true God and are not in harmony with his revealed will."

No mention of the Biblical definition of a False Prophet found in Deuteronomy 18:21-22, (v. 21) "You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ (v. 22) When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken." In layman's terms, if you say you speak for God and what you say does not happen--YOU ARE A FALSE PROPHET.

After the WT's definition of a False Prophet, they then go on at length about identifying True and False Prophets (pages 132-136). What is interesting to note is that they quote, on page 133, Deuteronomy 18:18-20, cleverly leaving out verses 21-22, which as previously mentioned, clearly gives the test to identify a False Prophet.

On page 136 the WT asks the question, "Have not Jehovah's Witnesses made errors in their teachings?" Their answer: "Jehovah's Witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets."

The WT has in fact claimed to be a Prophet of God, "declaring things to come." This can be found in the WT of April 1, 1972. See below.

Back to page 136 of the Reasoning book, answering the question "have not Jehovah Witnesses made errors in their teachings." The answer, "They have made mistakes. Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations." Further on page 136, "It is true that the Witnesses have made mistakes in their understanding of what would occur at the end of certain time periods ," . . . "Matters on which corrections of viewpoint have been needed have been relatively minor . . ."

The WT, which claims to be a Prophet of God (remember the WT of April 1, 1972, see above), has admitted to making mistakes in their understanding of what would occur at the end of certain time periods. I named those time periods in Parts 1-4 (1878, 1914, 1925 and 1975). The WT would have you believe that these Predictions were Expectations. Predictions has one thinking, Prophecies and if those Predictions do not come about one thinks False Prophecy and False Prophet. This the WT wants to avoid, so they use the word Expectations.

The WT is great at understatement. "Matters on which corrections of viewpoint have been needed have been RELATIVELY MINOR." They have predicted the return, in the flesh, of the saints mentioned in Hebrews 11, the start of the battle of Armageddon, the end of human governments and the end of Christendom. These are their MINOR points that need correcting.  

Back to the Reasoning book page 137. At the bottom of the page the WT has a small section entitled: If Someone Says

My minister said that Jehovah's Witnesses are the false prophets' You might reply: "May I ask, Did he show you anything in the Bible that describes what we believe or do and says people of that sort would be false prophets? . . . May I show you how the Bible describes false prophets." (Then use one or more of the points outlined on pages 132-136)

By using pages 132-136 the JW will be avoiding anything about the Deuteronomy test for a false prophet. Instead, they want to talk about what they believe or practice.

Or you could say: "I'm sure you'll agree that specific evidence should back up such a serious charge. Did your minister mention any specific examples?"

The WT knows that the typical home owner will not have any copies of original documents showing the WT to be a False Prophet. Unless of course, that homeowner happened to have read any of my six blogs on, "A Prophet Was NOT Among Them!" and printed some of  the original documents I included.

Another possibility: "I'm sure that if someone accused you of something similar, you would welcome the opportunity at least to explain your position or point of view wouldn't you? . . . So may I show you from the Bible . . .?"

The JW is again looking for the opportunity to talk about what they believe or practice and to get you away from applying the Deuteronomy test for a False Prophet to the Watch Tower.

It is telling that the Reasoning book's section on "False Prophets" avoids the Biblical definition for a False Prophet found in Deuteronomy 18:21-22. The WT also does not have a problem with lying, namely "they have never claimed to be a Prophet." (see my blog H I J A C K E D and the word 'Lying' as defined by the WT which is here). 

Let the WT have the final word on False Prophets. "Their prophecies did not come true. Therefore, they are false prophets; and the people should no longer trust them as safe guides." (Watchtower, May 15, 1930, page 156. See below.)