Since the Jehovah's Witness organization did not exist until the late 1800s?

Question

How did people prior to that study the Bible? Was God with our a reliable organization or witness?

Answer 1

Obviously nobody can answer that question.



Yes, an organization absolutely is needed. How else would anyone possibly be able to carry out Jesus' command from Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19, 20 to carry out their preaching assignment throughout the earth UNLESS it was organized?

Answer 2

Looking at the answers you have received, it seems they have overlooked the fact that Russell believed Jesus should be worshipped, that Armageddon was supposed to have ended by the autumn of 1914 and all J.W's had a heavenly calling right up into the 1930's. The 'other sheep' or 'little flock' was a new idea (they were called the Jonadab class) - my parents became Jehovah's Witnesses at that time and were told heaven was already fully subscribed. But Jehovah's Witnesses have no interest in the history of their organisation - they keep looking forward and whenever a new teaching is introduced, or an old idea 'corrected' it's because the Governing Body has received 'new light'. You can be absolutely certain that when Armageddon fails to turn up before the generation who witnessed the events of 1914 all die, they will have come up with 'new light' and will move seamlessly forward, conveniently overlooking everything that was ever put into print by previous members of the Governing Body. They're already working on the 1914 generation 'problem' and are subtly changing the wording to extend the deadline to ensure all those faithful and obedient publishers keep on publishing. Don't they believe the word of God when it says that no man knows the day or the hour? That's the problem when people look to men rather than to Christ Jesus.

Answer 3

To elaborate on Nevada's answer...



So then an organization is needed. How else would the preaching work get done in an organized manner? How else would congregation judicial matters get handled?



An example of the need of such an organization can be found at Act chapter 15 where it begins: "And certain men came down from Ju‧de′a and began to teach the brothers: “Unless YOU get circumcised according to the custom of Moses, YOU cannot be saved.” 2 But when there had occurred no little dissension and disputing by Paul and Bar′na‧bas with them, they arranged for Paul and Bar′na‧bas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and older men in Jerusalem regarding this dispute."



So this dispute or disagreement had to be settled because as the scripture also says, "YOU should all speak in agreement". (1 Corinthians 1:10) If not for that then there would be no unity and we would be left with what we have had since the original apostasy set in after the apostles died, and their would be no fulfillment of Daniel 12:4. No, an organization is definitely needed because the scripture shows clearly that a faithful and discreet slave would be overseeeing the work in these last days. (see Luke 12 beginning with verse 42) 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "For God is [a God], not of disorder, but of peace." without an organization there would be no order and no unity. No "oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge". Ephesians 4:13



You might wonder why God allowed this apostasy to set in in the first place. Pretty much for the same reason he allows wickedness and allowed polygamy in Israel. This is Satan's world and God has allowed him [and man] a set period of time to rule to prove that only God's way of ruling is best. For him to interfere more than necessary would not prove anything. You can't say that God isn't giving man and Satan a fair chance at ruling the earth themselves.



Persons living prior to the time of the end will be resurrected both the righteous and the unrighteous and will be given the opportunity to bring their lives in harmony with God's will. Act 24:15 & John 5:28,29

Answer 4

There was a time when you could say that God may have been without a reliable organization or witness. When Adam and Eve sinned and there was no one else yet living would be one such time and just before the flood when only Noah and his immediate family were viewed as worthy of surviving that time period.



Before the modern day organization of Jehovah's witnesses existed there were people that had God;s favor. These persons would have been found in the religions of Christendom. The early members of the International Bible Students [as Jehovah's Witnesses were then known] recognized such ones. When they too began to associate with those Bible Students they did not get re-baptized. It was not until a later date that a need for that was determined.



The formation and progression of Jehovah's Witnesses over the years has been a gradual process. In the early years there were many things for instance that were not all that different from the rest of the religions claiming to be Christian.



God judges hearts and he can choose to overlook things or he can choose not to. It may depend on time and circumstance. For instance in ancient Israel he allowed for polygamy. That doesn't mean that it was something he approved of.

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Since God’s original standard for mankind was for the husband and wife to become one flesh, polygamy was not intended, and it is prohibited in the Christian congregation. Overseers and ministerial servants, who are to set the example for the congregation, are to be men having not more than one living wife. (1Ti 3:2, 12; Tit 1:5, 6) This is in harmony with what true marriage is used to picture, namely, the relationship of Jesus Christ and his congregation, the only wife possessed by Jesus.—Eph 5:21-33.



As was the case with divorce, polygamy, while not God’s original arrangement, was tolerated until the time of the Christian congregation. Polygamy had a start not long after Adam’s deflection. The first Bible mention of it is concerning a descendant of Cain, Lamech, of whom it says: “[He] proceeded to take two wives for himself.”



If you ask me, this practice was a direct example of haw man dominated woman as was mention at Genesis 3:16, "To the woman he said: “I shall greatly increase the pain of your pregnancy; in birth pangs you will bring forth children, and your craving will be for your husband, and he will dominate you.” It was not God's will than man should dominate woman but that the man should cherish his wife and treat her with honor but the scripture in Genesis shows that one of the results of sin would be that man would dominate woman. Thus you reap what you sow and polygamy was one of the ways woman was dominated by man.

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So too just as imperfect Israel was used for thousands of years to represent God's chosen people, all those who practiced some form of Christianity were similarly viewed as being within the fold so to speak. Yet just as the time came when Jehovah no longer recognized ancient Israel as his chosen people when they rejected Christ he no longer recognized the religions of Christendom after they rejected Jesus when he took kingdom power in 1914, which is the time that we believe God's kingdom was established in the heavens and Satan was thrown down to the earth. [See Revelation 12:12 & Acts 2:34]



The time came in this modern "time of the end" for God to take out of the nations a people for his name and to re-establish true worship. (Acts 15:14) Daniel 12:4 says,  “And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of [the] end. Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge will become abundant.”



So if what the Bible says is true and the true knowledge would become abundant in the time of the end then at that time God would hold people to a higher standard and they would be judged on whether or not they accepted or rejected the message connected with that true knowledge. We believe and are convinced that we have the truth so much so that we refer to our beliefs as "the truth" even as the first Christians referred to their way of living as "the way".

Answer 5

your answer is a very simple one, the true god of the bible is not with any church that preaches another Gospel ,and if you have read the bible which is the true gospel of christ ,you can pick out any person or organization,that preaches counterfeit christianity

i'll give you an example from the bible you can read with your own eyes in the first epistle of john

2:4 it says he who says he know me and doesn't obey my commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him! the churches have shortened the commandments of god,especially number 4 even the bible states that christ is the lord of the sabbath which has no meaning to non believers another point i will make is that because of counterfeit christianity is when christ was dying along width two others one told the other this man has doe nothing wrong and christ turned to him and said

today i tell you you will be with me in Paradise ,in the greek writing there is no comma after today

it was added in by the churches so it sounds like you are going to heaven,but this makes christ a liar because he told everyone the only sign given will be the sign of jona as he was in the belly of the great fish,so will the son of man be in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights to also back this up he was seen by mary after the 3rd day to which he replied ,don't touch me as i have not ascended

to my father,then he walked through a wall to the apostles who didn't reconise him to which he told thomas if it is not i place you fingers in the holes in my wrists.he was seen again on the beach wanting something to eat and he did not ascend to heaven until fifty days after he arose ,that is why true christians celebrate Pentecost not lint which is in remembrance of tamus son of astharoth or easter as she is called to easter, please don't believe me cause i could be making this up as most people do,but read your bible everything i have told you is there so you may argue with the word of god and not me ,many blessings from the god of the bible,always pray for knowledge and

stay away away away from pagan churches,nice people are just that nice but if you believe what they say you may lose your reward in the kingdom of god which will be on this earth!

if you have any questions feel free to contact me,don't believe everything you here make sure you read it with your own eyes and not somebodys reprinted version like the J W;s version

Answer 6

Jay - After the 2nd century C.E. the truth was twisted, distorted and lies added to it. The Bible was hidden from the common people.

*This is why it was called the Dark Ages.*

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@Jay - No. It wasn't.



The term "Dark Ages" was originally intended to denote the entire period between the fall of Rome (476CE - not the 2nd. century) and the Renaissance; the term "Middle Ages" has a similar motivation, implying an "intermediate" period between Classical Antiquity and the Modern era. In the 19th century scholars began to recognize the accomplishments made during the period, thereby challenging the image of the Middle Ages as a time of darkness and decay.[5] The term is now never used by scholars to refer to the entire medieval period;[7] when used, it is generally restricted to the Early Middle Ages.[1]



The rise of archaeology and other specialties in the 20th century has shed much light on the period and offered a more nuanced understanding of its positive developments.[9] Other terms of periodization have come to the fore: Late Antiquity, the Early Middle Ages, and the Great Migrations, depending on which aspects of culture are being emphasized. When modern scholarly study of the Middle Ages arose in the 19th century, the term "Dark Ages" was at first kept, with all its critical overtones. On the rare occasions when the term "Dark Ages" is used by historians today, it is intended to be neutral, namely, to express the idea that the events of the period often seem "dark" to us only because of the scarcity of artistic and cultural output,[10] including historical records, when compared with both earlier and later times.[7]

Answer 7

Man establish all organizations (Catholic through Jehovah's Witnesses). People go to Priests to do for them what they can do themselves: pray to God for forgiveness of their sins. Jesus even said that no one can talk to the Father in heaven, but through Him.



"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also." ( John 14:6-7) Christ said that.



And why do people call Catholic priests "father"?



"Call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father - the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah." ( Matthew 23:9) Christ said that.



As for Jehovah's Witnesses, why would they call themselves that, if they've never seen God?





Think about these things. Did God establish these things or are they commanded by God?

Answer 8

Prior to their introduction Bible study was actually slightly more reliable.

Answer 9

People just got burned at the stake or had priests say prayers whole sprinkling holy water on red hot tongs that were going to be used to rip off body appendages of victims.

Answer 10

After the 2nd century C.E. the truth was twisted, distorted and lies added to it. The Bible was hidden from the common people. Yet, there were a few who kept searching for the truth. Those people were often persecuted and put to death. Anyone challenging the Catholic church would have been dealt with severely.



This is why they called that era, the "Dark Ages"

Answer 11

Jay, any organization that makes the statement 'You need US plus Jesus to get to heaven'... is NOT from God. Jesus is enough.

Answer 12

theres no god!



why cant people just putthat trrough their heads



dont try to understand the bible or anything from them cos u wont theres no prove!! and the bible was invented in england! look deeper and ull see ....u just have to read and do lots of reseach

Answer 13

The JW'S have perverted the Bible in order to make it line up with their doctrine.

I did the opposite, I changed my beliefs to line up with the Bible.

Answer 14

Doesn't matter to them - they post-indoctrinate dead people.



Wierd eh?