What constitutes the Great Trib???? is this the poss coming war with Israel and gog of magog or???:
great tribulation
by ush419 21 Replies latest watchtower bible
-
-
Nathan Natas
No, no mere human war would rise to the level of the Great Tribulation, if Watchtower publications are to be believed on the subject.
The “Great Tribulation”
3 In 1914 this world entered its “last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13) We are now 83 years into that period and are nearing its end when, as Jesus foretold, the following will take place: “There will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.” (Matthew 24:21) Yes, worse than even World War II, when some 50 million lives were taken. What a world-shaking time is fast approaching!
4 The “great tribulation” will come with astounding suddenness, “in one hour.” (Revelation 18:10) Its outbreak will be marked by God’s execution of judgment on all false religion, which God’s Word calls “Babylon the Great.” (Revelation 17:1-6, 15) Ancient Babylon’s dominant feature was false religion. Modern Babylon is like her ancient counterpart and represents the world empire of false religion. She has played the harlot by compromising with the political elements. She has supported their wars and has blessed armies on opposing sides, resulting in people of the same religion slaughtering one another. (Matthew 26:51, 52; 1 John 4:20, 21) She has winked at the corrupt practices of her adherents and has persecuted true Christians.—Revelation 18:5, 24.
5 The “great tribulation” begins when the political elements suddenly turn on “Babylon the Great.” They “will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:16) Thereafter, her former supporters “will weep and beat themselves in grief over her.” (Revelation 18:9-19) But Jehovah’s servants have long expected this, and they will exclaim: “Praise Jah, . . . for he has executed judgment upon the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged the blood of his slaves at her hand.”—Revelation 19:1, 2.
God’s Servants Attacked
6 Having destroyed false religion, the political elements turn on Jehovah’s servants. Satan, “Gog of the land of Magog” in prophecy, says: “I shall come in upon those having no disturbance, dwelling in security.” Thinking that they are easy prey, he attacks them with “a numerous military force . . . , like clouds to cover the land.” (Ezekiel 38:2, 10-16) Jehovah’s people know that this attack will fail because they trust in Jehovah.
7 When Pharaoh and his armies felt that they had God’s servants trapped at the Red Sea, Jehovah miraculously delivered his people and destroyed Egypt’s armies. (Exodus 14:26-28) During the “great tribulation,” when the nations feel that they have Jehovah’s people trapped, he again miraculously comes to the rescue: “In that day . . . my rage will come up into my nose. And in my ardor, in the fire of my fury, I shall have to speak.” (Ezekiel 38:18, 19) The climax of the “great tribulation” will then be imminent!
8 At some point after the “great tribulation” begins, but before Jehovah executes his judgment upon the rest of this world, supernatural events will occur. Note the effect they will have. “Then the sign of the Son of man [Christ] will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29, 30) “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, . . . while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.”—Luke 21:25, 26.
- The WATCHTOWER, April 1, 1997, pages 14 & 15, "DELIVERANCE INTO A RIGHTEOUS NEW WORLD"
Of course, the BIG question is whether the Watchtowr is to be believed. I do not believe it is. I believe that Armageddon and the Great Tribulation and Paradise are a bunch of baloney.
-
Mum
Nathan's right. For most of us, the real "great tribulation" has been living the life of a JW, then taking all the crap some have to take for escaping.
-
ush419
Tks for yr answers., yes I too believe that part of the GT is having to put up with those boring mind numbing meetings it is so caustic to ones self worth and mental stability.
-
JCanon
There are TWO great tribulations. One that happens before the second coming and one that happens afterward. The one that happens afterwards leads into Armagddon.
But the one mentioned in Matthew, which is over before the second coming is a reference to the HOLCAUST.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
The other great tribulation is generally thought, including by JWs, to begin with the destruction of Babylon the great when the four winds of heaven are let loose. But this is not until the last anointed one is sealed. None of the sealing can take place until "a place is provided for them in heaven" which cannot occur until Satan is kicked out of heaven. Thus this tribulation occurs after the second coming and definitely not the one-time event focussed on the Jews that occurs before the second coming. So there are two.
Rev 7: 1 After this I saw four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding tight the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow upon the earth or upon the sea or upon any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the sunrising, having a seal of [the] living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying: “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until after we have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads.”
JC
-
JosephMalik
ush419,
This is a trap the WT uses to keep you serving them. They do not know what event is meant by it but they give it a false meaning as if they are smart. They apply their false resoning on Matthew's tribulaton with John's Great Tribulaion as if they know who John was talking about. They really do not know the intended event being described in either verse but they have a lot to say about them. Few notice that it is no longer great tribulation in Mark or Luke but no one notices. Does anyone study using the Bible in the WT? Just letting you know not to fall for their false applications on this expression.
Joseph
-
Nathan Natas
Perhaps you know J Canon by his other name: Oscar Mayer.
-
worf
"I believe that armageddon, the great tribulation, and paradise are a bunch of baloney".
Right on target Nathan. And the rest of the crap about jw's cleaning up the mess,antimatter being used by jehovah to destroy "some" of the mess, jw's searching for dead bodies and burying them for 7 years, the resurrection, hebrew becoming the only language, people being executed again "although a hundred years old" if they don't measure up, ( Ha! remember that one? ), man being brought to perfection, to the condition that adam and eve were at the beginning, all during the thousand year reign.
And then the capstone: satan and his demons are let out of the abyss to tempt mankind one last time so that men and women of all nations could prove their loyalty to the one and only jehovah god and his reigning son jesus christ. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
And those who rebelled were like the sands of the sea. And they and the devil and his demons were destroyed in the second death, everlasting destruction from which there is no return. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
Sounds like a science fiction story to me.
Worf
-
WTWizard
It's all a bunch of crap. You start with the Bible, which you are free to alter in any way you see fit to make it fit better. Then you take actual events in the world and within the organization, and make some specious argument to make that fit in with what the Bible says. And then you print out a magazine. Of course when time passes and nothing happens, you make up more specious statements and pass them off as "new light". All the while, you scare people into coming in without thinking about it and staying in.
-
Sarah Smiles
What constitutes the Great Trib???? is this the poss coming war with Israel and gog of magog or???:
I can only say that Ezekiel prophecy about Israel and Gog of Magog has not happened yet! It will be Jehovah going against God of Magog! Is their going to be a big quake in the land? Has their been quake in Israel? And after the war will Israel bury the dead ones in a place called Gog Crowd? or Magog Crowd? Ezekiel 38,39. Israelites will build a holy city, right? What about the holy city in Revelation where Satan has a camp around? so Babylon the Great has fallen is different because that represents all the earth whereas Gog and Magog does not. The earthly holy city in Revelation might be this Israel city in Ezekiel that will be built and prophecied by Ezekiel. So if Ezekiel prophecy has not unfolded yet, then the spiritual Iseralites Jehovah Witness are wrong because it is a fleshly Israelites. God forgives them after the 70 years of exile then he goes to war and punishes the nations, then he builds a Holy City and temple where his son the Prince will enter. Has not happen yet! Just another one of those lies by the WTBTS that they are the spiritual Isrealite class who are the 144,000! Good question! It kind of discounts the spiritual Israelite class of the WTBTS. I think the land of Israel and its people are important to Ezekiel's prophecy. Maybe the two witness who lay dead are part of this fullfillment!