Revelation Study this week – Christendom’s Waters Revealed to be Wormwood

by jgnat 9 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  jgnat

  Here's a start of my study. I might have time to come back and complete it. If not, can you help me? First, I respond to the chart in "Revelation, it's Grand Climax at Hand", "Christendom's Waters Revealed to be Wormood, on page, 139 of the latest edition. Second, I make my own chart of bitter doctrines that the Watchtower Society expects it's members to swallow.

  A general observation, all of Christendom is lumped together by the Witnesses, though various churches may hold to some of these beliefs. This is deceptive. All Orthodox churches subscribe to is the Nicene Creed. Of that creed, only the second point in this article in the book, "Revelation, it's Grand Climax at Hand", "God is a Trinity" is inferred. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed

  So it is very possible for someone to find a church that generally subscribes to the Witness beliefs listed here, aside from the Trinity doctrine.

  Beliefs and Attitudes of Christendom	What the Bible Really Says	JGnat’s Response
  God’s personal name is unimportant.	Jesus prayed that God’s name be sanctified.	Is rote repetition of the name that gives it power, or the actions on behalf of that name? An excerpt from Judaism 101: An act that causes God or Judaism to come into disrespect or a commandment to be disobeyed is often referred to as "chillul Ha-Shem," profanation of The Name. Clearly, we are not talking about a harm done to a word; we are talking about harm to a reputation. Likewise, any deed that increases the respect accorded to God or Judaism is referred to as "kiddush Ha-Shem," sanctification of The Name.
  God is a Trinity	The Bible says that Jehovah is greater than Jesus.	Does the Bible say that Jesus is less than the father? Why does the society insist so? John 10:30, 14:7
  The human soul is immortal.	Man is a soul.	The society must ignore the entire New Testament to hold on to this doctrine. Note only OT texts are given. For scriptures, do a word search in the NT for "soul".
  The wicked are punished after death in hell.	The wages of sin is death, not life in torment.	This is not a core doctrine of Christendom, but the Witnesses ignore some rather graphic scriptures in their keeping with their thoughts of the grave. For example, in Matthew 5:22, ghenna (hell) is paired with the Greek word for "fire". Also, Revelation 14:11, 12. I've yet to hear a satisfying answer from a Witness as to WHO are reserved for this particularly delicious punishment? I fail to see how the Witnesses' graphic portrayal of Armageddon is any less terrifying.
  The title Mediatrix is applied to Our Lady.	The only mediator between God and men is Jesus.	This doctrine is held by the oldest Catholic churches, and questioning of it began with the Reformation in 1517. Nearly all reformed churches from that date have discarded the doctrine. The Witnesses are not unique in this regard.
  Infants should be baptized.	Baptism is for those who have been made disciples…	I see the Witnesses fall short of suggesting that baptism should be the act of a consenting adult. How different is it to baptize a dependent youth? Again, infant baptism has been questioned beginning with the Anabaptists in the sixteenth century.
  Most churches are divided between laity and clergy.	All first-century Christians were ministers	Again, not a unique thought. Many churches teach today that everyone in the church are ministers. Why does the society limit religious leadership to men? What of Priscilla, Lydia, Phoebe, Dorcas and other first century women who were leaders in their community? Acts 9:36-42
  Images, icons, and crosses…	Christians must flee from every sort of idolatry…	What of the great popularity of Bethel tours? I can't think of any greater idolatry than to worship a group of imperfect men as being the only representers of Jehovah's truth.
  Church members are taught that God’s purposes will be accomplished through politics.	Jesus preached God’s Kingdom, not some political system, as the hope for mankind.	Again, a sector of Christendom is represented as the whole. Here's one sermon on a Christian's involvement on policital affairs, a little more balanced than the Witness view, IMO. I'm sick of hearing how "imperfect" political systems are responsible for the world's ills. The world has problems, people are imperfect, and good people do the best they can. Witnesses should be grateful that clean water comes out of their taps, roads are paved and public education is available for their children. When I see the petty infighting that goes on in a regular Kingdom Hall, I shudder what would happen if they were put in charge of a modern infrastructure .

  Part II - JGnat’s Study this Week – Watchtower Instructions a Bitter Pill to Swallow

  Watchtower Instruction	Bible Verses to Ponder
  Acts of charity are reserved for approved brothers and sisters.	Be generous in love and good works to all. Otherwise, you are no better than they are. Matthew 25:44, 45;Romans 5:7, 8
  Baptize your children so they will not die.	Anyone who witnesses creation have abundant evidence of God. Acts 17:23-31
  Defer hope to the paradise to come.	Hope is now. Matthew 6:19-24, Romans 5
  Field service is superior to higher education.	One gift or talent is not greather than the other. Luke was a doctor, Peter a fisherman, Paul educated and a tentmaker, Priscilla and Aquila makers of purple. None are condemned. 1 Corinthians 12.
  If you are a member of Christendom, you are following a condemned religion.	Condemned by who? For what? Matthew 23:13-16.
  If you are not a Jehovah’s Witness, you die.	A man's fate is between him and God. Revelation 5:2, 20:12.
  Magazine placement is superior to any other act of charity.	If we bless a hungry man but fail to feed him, we have failed both the man and God. Luke 10:30-36, Matthew 25:44, 45
  Materialism is bad.	Wealth is immaterial. <more>
  Outside the Truth, you die.	<more>
  Refuse promotions and deny secular ambitions in favor of "reaching out" for greater privileges in the congregation.	<more>
  Shunning is a kindness to encourage sinners to return.	<more>
  The anointing and presence of Christ is reserved for a select few.	<more>
  Informal gatherings of Witnesses for study are not allowed.	<more>
• 

  funkyderek

  jgnat:

  Good stuff. Some additional thoughts:

  Beliefs and Attitudes of Christendom	What the Bible Really Says	funkyderek’s Response
  God’s personal name is unimportant.	Jesus prayed that God’s name be sanctified.	Jesus never used the name (even in the NWT which inserts it spuriously at every opportunity) except when directly quoting from the OT.
  God is a Trinity	The Bible says that Jehovah is greater than Jesus.	Jesus is referred to as God in several places in the New Testament. While the Trinity is hardly explicit in the Bible, there are a lot of verses that are problematic for the Watchtower's interpretation.
  The human soul is immortal.	Man is a soul.	See below
  The wicked are punished after death in hell.	The wages of sin is death, not life in torment.	The parable of the rich man and Lazarus seems to indicate that good people can expect an afterlife in heaven with the patriarchs while bad people can expect eternal torture in a fiery hell.
  The title Mediatrix is applied to Our Lady.	The only mediator between God and men is Jesus.	The Watchtower actually holds that Jesus is strictly speaking, only the mediator for the 144,000 who themselves act as mediators for the rest of mankind.
  Infants should be baptized.	Baptism is for those who have been made disciples…	In Catholicism at least, a child gets the opportunity to confirm their baptism when they are old enough to do so. Until then, it represents the washing away of original sin. As far as I know, the New Testament only discusses the baptism of those who have become believers as adults. It says nothing about the process for baptising the children of believing parents.
  Most churches are divided between laity and clergy.	All first-century Christians were ministers	JWs have the same hierarchical divisions as most other churches. On the subject of preaching, there is no biblical reason to believe that all Christians were required to actively evangelise.
  Images, icons, and crosses…	Christians must flee from every sort of idolatry…	The Watchtower symbol is at least as idolatrous as the cross or fish used by Christians
  Church members are taught that God’s purposes will be accomplished through politics.	Jesus preached God’s Kingdom, not some political system, as the hope for mankind.	Jesus did not prohibit involvement in politics. Throughout the Bible, God used political leaders both Jewish and Gentile to accomplish his purposes.
• 

  jgnat

  Thanks, funkyderek. Yours, I think, is directly to point. Mine rambles a bit, as does my thinking at times.
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  tula
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  sweet pea

  Nice work, Jgnat - thanks for all your time and effort.
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  ozziepost

  tula: what do you mean?
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  tula

  The conventional explanation for the name Chernobyl has been that it means 'black grass' or 'black stalks'. In attempting to link the events of the nuclear accident to biblical prophesies, it has been claimed (see Schemann reference below) that the name of the city comes rather from a Ukrainian word chornobyl’, and that this word refers to the mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). Mugwort is a close relative of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). As a result, chornobyl’ has been translated by some to be the equivalent of the English name wormwood.

  This translation is a matter of extreme controversy, as are other aspects of the prophecy. Some may claim the bible is speaking metaphorically, whilst others do not see any connection whatsoever. Further analogies include the reference to a "star" as the equivalent of an "uncontrolled nuclear meltdown" like Chernobyl and "burning as a lamp" as an analogy for a relatively small contained nuclear reaction burning on Earth when compared with the "great stars" in heaven. Therefore, these analogies could be seen to link Chernobyl to a prophecy for some who read the bible. However, critics point out the partially far-fetched nature of said analogies, as there was no falling involved in the accident and above prophecy could as well point to ICBMs carrying nuclear warheads.

  The idea of a Chernobyl-wormwood link appears to have spread to the West with a New York Times article by Serge Schmemann ("Chernobyl Fallout: Apocalyptic Tale", July 25, 1986) in which an unnamed "prominent Russian writer" was quoted as claiming the Ukrainian word for wormwood was chernobyl.

  On the other hand, the word chornobyl’ does not appear in the Ukrainian bible. The original Greek (???????, apsinthos) is translated as polyn (?????), which refers to the the genus Artemisia, which includes both the mugwort (Ukrainian: polyn zvychaynyy 'common polyn', or chornobyl’), and the wormwood ( polyn hirkyy 'bitter polyn').

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_in_the_popular_consciousness

  Just some food for thought, Ozzie. Non-approved by wbts. Just interesting takes on the "wormwood" theory.
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  jwfacts

  Good work Jnat.

  Here is the history of the wormwood doctrine by the WTS, doesn't give the reader much confidence that they have any idea how to interpret Revelation.

  There have been three different versions of ‘God given light’ in the Watchtower publications so far;

  1. Calvin

  Studies in the Scriptures Series VII- The Finished Mystery p.151

  "Calvin is entitled to the honor of having at one time been a papal star .... Is called Wormwood. -- What an ideal name for the doctrine which has caused more bitterness against God than any other doctrine ever taught, and for the man who roasted Servetus at the stake"

  2. Satan

  Light I pp.126, 127

  "The 'great star' falling from heaven as a burning lamp was Satan .... The name of this star is called 'Wormwood', which means bitter. Being cast out of heaven Satan is in the 'gall of bitterness'"

  3. Clergy of Christedom

  Then is Finished the Mystery of God pp.224, 225

  “In view of these features about it. what religious class of people could this blazing, falling 'great star' picture but the apostate Christian clergy of Christendom, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant and otherwise sectarian? . . . But what should have been spiritual 'water' to sustain the spiritual life of the peoples, the apostate Christian clergy have turned into undrinkable, deadly, bitter wormwood waters…false, pagan, unchristian, unbiblical doctrines …“

  http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/revelation.htm
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  ozziepost

  tula:

  Just some food for thought, Ozzie

  If you're going to cut & paste huge chunks from somewhere else, please let us know whose erudition you're imitating. Thanks.
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  jgnat

  Here's an update on my second part.

  JGnat’s Study this Week – Watchtower Instructions a Bitter Pill to Swallow

  Watchtower Instruction	Bible Verses to Ponder
  Acts of charity are reserved for approved brothers and sisters. Magazine placement is superior to any other act of charity. If you are in need, go to the government first for assistance. "Giving that Pleases God", and other articles, Watchtower June 1, 2003	Be generous in love and good works to all. Otherwise, you are no better than they are. Matthew 25:44, 45;Romans 5:7, 8 If we bless a hungry man but fail to feed him, we have failed both the man and God. Luke 10:30-36, Matthew 25:44, 45 Stephen waited on tables and was filled with the spirit. Acts 6:1-8.
  Baptize your children so your priveleges wll not be removed. "Father and Elder—Fulfilling Both Roles" Watchtower October 15, 2006.	Anyone who witnesses creation have abundant evidence of God. Acts 17:23-31
  Defer hope to the paradise to come. "Hope—Vital Protection in a Dismal World" Watchtower April 15, 1993.	Hope is now. Matthew 6:19-24, Romans 5
  Field service is superior to higher education. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/32/77761/1.ashx	One gift or talent is not greather than the other. Luke was a doctor, Peter a fisherman, Paul educated and a tentmaker, Priscilla and Aquila makers of purple. None are condemned. 1 Corinthians 12.
  If you are a member of Christendom, you are following a condemned religion. "False Religion—Its Dramatic End Foreseen" Isaiah's Prophecy - Light for All Mankind - Vol. 2	Condemned by who? For what? Matthew 23:13-16. Also, keep in mind this prophetic interpretation is now over 100 years old.
  If you are not a Jehovah’s Witness, you die. Outside the Truth, you die.	A man's fate is between him and God. Revelation 5:2, 20:12. The society is not so exclusive. Jesus died for the whole world, not six million. John 12:46, 47. There will come a day when the whole earth will bow down to God. He's God, after all. Isaiah 45:22-23, Romans 14:11.
  Materialism is bad. "Benefit by Pursuing Spiritual Values" Watchtower October 15, 2004	Wealth is immaterial. Book of Job.
  Refuse promotions and deny secular ambitions in favor of "reaching out" for greater privileges in the congregation. Similarly, a newly baptized sister working for an oil company in Guam received a tempting offer. After climbing the corporate ladder for years, she was finally offered the opportunity to be the first female vice president in the company’s history. However, she had now dedicated her life to Jehovah. So after discussing matters with her husband, the new sister turned down the offer and instead arranged for part-time work so that she could progress toward being a full-time minister, a pioneer. Love for Jehovah moved her to want to serve him as a pioneer rather than to pursue the financial interests of this world. In fact, worldwide such love moved 805,205 to share in different features of the pioneer ministry during the 2000 service year. What an expression of love and faith those pioneers made! "Be Built Up by Love", Watchtower January 1, 2001	David - 1 Samuel. Job - Book of Job. Daniel - book of Daniel.
  Shunning is a kindness to encourage sinners to return. "Disfellowshipping—A Loving Provision?" Watchtower July 15, 1995	Forgive over and over and over, because God does for you. Matthew 18:21-35. The prodigal son was quickly taken in. Luke 15:20-32 The theif received instant grace Luke 23:43-44.
  The anointing and presence of Christ is reserved for a select few. This exclusion includes partaking in the Lord's evening meal. "The Lord’s Evening Meal—How Observed?" Watchtower March 15, 2004	The erasure of sins and the grace of God is offered to all. Romans 3:21-28. Ask God and He gives. Matthew 7:9-11.
  Informal gatherings of Witnesses for study are not allowed. September 2007 Kingdom Ministry - Question Box. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/142132/1.ashx	The first-Century Christians met informally and often. Luke 8:4, Acts 12:12, Acts 14:27..and more.