I don't get this! Does anyone?

by wannabe 14 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  wannabe

  I thought that Jehovah had his Worshippers on this earth today!

  Why does the Prophecy of Zephania make it look there'll be no survivors ar Armageddon? Doesn't that sound very strange to anyone? Why would Zephania word it in that manner? Maybe I'm not properly understanding this Prophecy! Can anyone else decipher the true meaning here? What is it, I'm not seeing?

  If, as it says; he'll make a complete horrifying end, of all the inhabitants of the earth; how could anyone come off as a survivor? According to this there would be no one left over as a survivor; from what I'm seeing here. How do you all read this?

  14 "The great Day of the LORD is near, near and rapidly approaching."Listen, the Day of the LORD—there the warrior's cry is bitter.

  15 That day is a day of wrath,
  a day of trouble and distress,
  a day of destruction and desolation,
  a day of darkness and gloom,
  a day of clouds and blackness,

  16 a day of trumpet [blast] and battle cry
  against the fortified cities,
  and against the high corner towers.

  17 I will bring distress on mankind,
  and they will walk like the blind
  because they have sinned against the LORD.
  Their blood will be poured out like dust
  and their flesh like dung.

  18 Their silver and their gold
  will not be able to rescue them
  on the day of the LORD's wrath.
  The whole earth will be consumed
  by the fire of His jealousy.
  For He will make a complete,
  yes, a horrifying end
  of all the inhabitants of the earth." {Zephaniah 1:14-18 HCSB}
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  Gopher

  That scripture does put a little fly in the "ointment" for the Watchtower when they say people will survive through Armageddon right on into a paradise new earth!

  I think some more orthodox Christians would say that this terrifying destruction on earth happens after the good people are safely raptured. After the destruction, the good people would be returned to a cleansed earth to start earthly society over again, sorta like Noah getting out of the ark.

  Caveat about my second paragraph: I haven't studied rapture theology closely, so I could be somewhat wrong. Also the Noah story was a fable meant to teach a lesson.
• 

  Chalam

  Hello wannabe

  I must read some of those books again. As your have found, some stuff can be difficult to get to grips with.

  That said, whatever you read you need the Spirit to teach you 1 Corinthians 2:14 , John 14:26, 1 John 2:27

  Anyhow, here is your answer, my citizenship is heaven like the rest who believe.

  Philippians 3:18-21 (New International Version)

  18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

  Blessings,

  Stephen
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  Nathan Natas

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnFZsrs32Co
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  metatron

  Hmmm...... that would be because of the misleading rendering of the New World translation. The word erertz means "land, earth". So, Zephaniah was talking about the land of Israel rather than our 21st century view of a planet.

  In fact, this is an almost continuous error of the Watchtower Society, in that they interpret and translate the Bible within the context of a modern technical- legalistic society and not within the context of the primitive world that caused it to be written.

  metatron
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  Leolaia

  There is no "Armageddon" in Zephaniah. That concept is from Revelation. But there too there is no concept that there would be survivors of the eschatological war. The logic is transparent: All those who refuse the mark of the Beast are killed by the Beast. All those who received the mark of the Beast (from great to small) are killed by Jesus Christ and his hordes. The great multitude in ch. 7 are in heaven for a reason. They're dead.
• 

  cameo-d

  Wannabe,

  Sometimes you can get a different perspective by reading various translations. The doom seems to be geared to those who are the inhabitants of the "fenced cities" and the "high towers". Sounds to me like people who are high and mighty and think they are secure.

  http://sacred-texts.com/bib/kjv/zep001.htm

  16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

  17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

  18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
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  Gopher

  That Watchtower rendering of "earth" where other translations say "land" in the Hebrew scriptures is a double-edged sword. They try to use Psalms 37:29 as if the whole earth were the realm of the promise. But that same translation appears to wipe out everybody on earth in Zephaniah.

  So if you're ever discussing Psalms 37:29 with a JW who insists it means earth, then just show them Zeph. 1:18. Case closed - it has to mean "land" not "earth".
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  EndofMysteries

  One theory of mine.......

  Too tired to list all the scriptures, but since your doing reading you may find them or I'll post some tomorrow. When reading Revelation and all the other scriptures, imagine if during the 1,000 year reign, just "prior" to that, many plagues and things happen which reduce the world population almost to nothing. Prior to those events, those who proved faithful and understanding and true seekers of God are the ones ruling as Kings and Priests for the 1,000 years. (whether in heaven or literal earth) During this time, man still continues to age and die, but the world is having it's "golden age", and there is a true people and priesthood. At the end of the thousand year reign, Satan is released and misleads most of the earth, and as they go and surround the camp of the holy ones, then at this time is earths destruction by fire, when God says the heaven and earth pass away, then there are literal new earth with no sea (since no great flood), and God resides there hence why no sunlight needed, etc.

  That's one theory from all the scriptures, in which possibly before thousand year reign their are survivors, but the scriptures about full destruction are at the end of it. Still a work in progress, still more reading and such to do, so I'm not 100% concluded.
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  fokyc

  Several years ago I was friendly with an 'elderly sister of the remnant'

  She was of the opinion that the world would be completely detroyed

  and JW's would be transported to a new earth by some means.

  fokyc

  PS She came from Canada!