A few things I don't understand about the bible (page 2)

Xena

Some of my issues with the prophecies are that we don't know FOR SURE when parts of the Bible were written. Were they ACTUALLY written in advance of the fact...as in the case of Cyrus being named as the one to overthrow Babylon...

Leander

Well from the little I do understand about prophecy you have the details of the King of the North and the South. This relates to the superworld powers that we have today.

Then there's the fortelling of famine and pestilence on a worldwide scale.

There's probably some others as well but thats all I can think of for now.

teenyuck

Leander-think about history. There has always been a super power. Remember the Romans? How about the Brits-
before we kicked their ass? What about Egypt? It was a super power for thousands of years.

As to famine and pestilence-WAKE UP! Humans have never been as healthy as they are today. With the changes in
sanitation and food prep, the rate of death has gone down. Have you notice many more people 100 years and older on
NBC in the morning with Willard Scott? We are eating better than ever. The world, for the most part is too fat! The few
countries that are in a famine are third world. However, without the help of the US and other countries, they would have
been wiped out.

You sound like you are trying to justify staying in the borg and using the age old reason of the prophecy to stay in. These
"prophecies" have been true for the 6000 years of recorded history we know of.

Satanus

Leander

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/6040/flood01.htm has a thorogh examination from the geological angle, of the evidence against a global flood. It's worth a read. Also, it shows the conflicts between the 2 flood accounts in genesis.

S

SixofNine

the details of the King of the North and the South. This relates to the superworld powers that we have today.

How so?

Then there's the fortelling of famine and pestilence on a worldwide scale.

You see any "worldwide" famine and pestilence? I don't. In fact, looking through non-JW lenses, I even see *gasp* progress in those areas. It's frustrating as hell that that progress isn't faster and more immediately helping those who really need it, but I think I see progress none the less. I do know that it would be unconscionable for anyone who had talents or means to help in that progress to instead chose to "wait on Jehovah".

Seeker4

Leander,

I'm afraid your examples of Bible "prophecies" that have or are coming true just doesn't cut it. Do you know how often the WTS itself has changed its explanation of these same prophecies? There are people in EVERY generation that see themselves as THE ONE that Bible prophecies point to.

To give you an idea of how absurd the "explanations" of these prophecies get, just take a look at how the WTS explained the prophecy of Rev. chapter 13. In 1917 they were teaching that the "woman" there was the true church of God, sort of buried inside the Roman Church at the time. They were also teaching that Michael was the Pope and his angels were the Bishops, and the Kingdom was the Roman Catholic Church (see Vol 7 of the Studies in the Scriptures, pgs 183-192). That changed a bit over the next few decades, eh????

And the WTS explanations of the King of the North and the King of the South have got to among the most pathetic going. Don't you realize that if you believe the WTS's explanation of this that the King of the North simply disappeared about a decade ago?? If you're basing your faith in the Bible on what you just said, you really need to take a much closer look at things.

I was a Witness for 35 years, served as an elder for a long time. Once I started really looking into the WTS and the Bible, I simply had to abandon any faith in either one. The Bible is a great book in certain ways - but it simply falls apart if you view it as inspired and unerring. Take a few days and read a simple discussion of it like the recently released "Don't Know Much About the Bible." Nice clear discussion of these "prophecies" you mention.

One of the things that also helped me to clearly see what the Bible meant in some verses that we say are talking about our time was when I compared the famous "last days...critical times" prophecy of 2 Tim 3 with Romans 1:28-32. In Romans the writer uses exactly the same words to describe what was happening then, in the 1st Century. And read verses 8-9 in Timothy. You quickly come to see that they weren't writing about some time 2000 years down the road, they were writing about what was happening right then and there. If you start reading the Bible from that perspective, that they were totally fixed on the fact that all of this stuff about the Kingdom, Christ's return, etc.
was going to happen then, the Greek scriptures make much more sense.

And of course, it didn't happen then, hasn't happened yet, and if you don't get the picture after 2000 years, I'll put it simply for you. It's never going to happen.

Sorry - you're idea that prophecy proves the Bible just doesn't hold up to any kind of a careful examination.

S4

JanH

Well from the little I do understand about prophecy you have the details of the King of the North and the South. This relates to the superworld powers that we have today.

Daniel, being written in the 2nd century BC, describes in quite some detail the events between Syria and Egypt up to the 160s BC, and does not at all match the events of the 20th century as misapplied by the WTS. Read the details for yourself, and you will see how you desperately have to jump in time, change powers in mid-sentence, etc, to make the "prophecy" fit anything in modern times.

- Jan
--
"Doctor how can you diagnose someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and then act like I had some choice about barging in here right now?" -- As Good As It Gets

LittleToe

I'm just going to thrown 2p in here (I hope that my memory serves me, since I have no references with me).

Daniel was included in the canon that was translated into the Greek Septuagint.
Work started on that during the 4th Cent. BC.
In addition, tradition states that Alexander the Great was shown scriptures that highlighted his arrival at the gates of Jerusalem.

I will happily stand corrected if it can be PROVED that the OT wasn't fixed by this time.

Therefore a reading of the Roman parts of Daniel make compelling reading (at least to me).

LT

LittleToe

Hi Jan, it looks as if we were writing at the same time.
Take care,

LT

concerned fiance

As someone who was never a witness, but who has been studying the Bible as my fiance is going through the same crisis that you, Leander are going through... (By the way take a look at your email. I have copied his post from a couple days ago, his first post here.)
Here are my thoughts...

If Noah's flood really happened, then that would mean that Noah would have had to make sure to get at least one of (but the bible says a pair) each animal that exists today, and that means down to every tick, flea, roach, frog, bird, dog, etc. Does that make sense? Could it even be possible that he was able to gather up all the animals that exist all over the earth today during that 40 days and 40 nights?

Doesn't the Bible say that you just have to believe in Jesus and that will bring everlasting life (I think its in the Book of John in the New Testament). If that is so, why would it be necessary to go out and try to convert others in order for God to love us. God gave us his son, Jesus, and Jesus died for our sins a "free gift" for each of us. Aren't we all witnessing here on this board, to our family and friends everyday. Does witnessing necessarily mean going door to door?

Just some thoughts I have had about these issues.

A few things I don't understand about the bible

Share this