The Dragnet

[Nambo]

Ive just started reading Roberts "Jehovah himself has become King"

Regarding the Kingdom of the heavens being like a dragnet in which the unsuitable fish are thrown in the fire. Robert says the Dragnet is illustrative upon the Kingdom of the Heavens, so it is a Judgement of the house of God, ie the Annointed JWs not Christendom in general which sounds good to me.

My question is, does this dragnet and other judgements of the House of God refer to the Annointed only as they are the house of God?, or will it also refer to the Great Crowd who are helping Jesus Brothers?

For surely it cannot occur that those of the Great Crowd who have turned to Jehovah in advance of the seperating of the Sheep from the Goats can come under a harsher Judgement than those who have never helped Jesus brothers during the era of the Watchtower society but who chose Gods Kingdom at the concluding Harvest?

[watchman]

Hi Nambo

The way I see it the harvest will involve the sons of the kingdom only. However, everyone associated with them will be impacted. That's because Jehovah's Witnesses are totally dependent on the Watchtower for direction. When the Tower goes down all of Jehovah's Witnesses will be affected. I believe that is what the prophecy of Joel is referring to where it says "Alas for the day; because the day of Jehovah is near, and like a despoiling from the Almighty One it will come! Has not food itself been cut off before our very eyes; from the house of our God, rejoicing and joyfulness? Dried figs have shriveled under their shovels. Storehouses have been laid desolate. Barns have been torn down, for the grain has dried up. O how the domestic animal has sighed! How the droves of cattle have wandered in confusion! For there is no pasturage for them. Also, the droves of the sheep have been the ones made to bear guilt."

The droves of sheep being made to bear guilt is in reference to God's sheep who are dependent upon being fed by the organizational shepherds. Food being cut off is in connection with the house of God, which is obviously referring to spiritual food, not literal food. Barns being torn down refers to the desolation of the organization, perhaps the shuddering of kingdom halls and Bethel itself. Just imagine the confusion that will reign among Jehovah's Witnesses if Bethel went out of business!
The test imposed will result in a massive sifting of all of Jehovah's Witnesses. Afterwards, though, Jehovah intervenes and pours out his spirit in a way never before experienced. Then the chastened sons of the kingdom re-emerge on the world scene and the sheep who survive the purge and who support the then-revealed sons of God are the ones who will be blessed by Jesus.

[Nambo]

I agree with what you write here Watchman and had also read your account on Joel.
What I am trying to asertian is, what is the advantage of a non-annointed person becoming a Jehovahs Witness and dedicating ones life to Jehovah and attending all those meetings etc, compared to somebody in the world?

From the Joel account it seems we will be cut off from spiritual food, (allthough that smewhat appears to be the case in the Watchtower society allready), but then we just become like the people of the world ready to accept, or reject "the chastened sons of the kingdom".

For sure our previous knowledge gained over the years with the society will help us to not be decieved.
But there are very very many people out there who know nothing of the Witness beliefs but who are aware of whats coming to the Earth, and more so than the Witnesses themselves.

The only advantage I see in having a prior relationship with Jehovah, is "that which corresponds to this, namely baptism", so I wonder how baptism affects the differance between those who accept the sons of the kingdom, and that Jehovah is not unrighteous to forget the Love you showed for his name.

Not to say my time as an active Witness wasnt the most precious thing of my life, to have a relationship with Jehovah and do the work Jesus left his disiples, but the doctrines of men part have pretty well mucked up the rest of my life.