I was reading this week the book of Jonah and it got me thinking. Was he a false prophet? He prophesied that Jehovah would destroy Nineveh and it did not come true. Was he a false or true prophet?
Jonah, was he a false prophet?
by HenryP 16 Replies latest jw friends
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25ashitaka25
I understand the paralell, though I don't agree with it. Jonah was one man who made one revisionist prophecy.....the WTBTS has made dozens.
Besides that, there are current doctrine and rules that are not so great. Some tainted history as well.
ashi
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Moxy
what are you talking about?? jonah was an amazing prophet. here was a city that was so bad, that every single man, woman and child without exception was deserving of execution! can you imagine a city so evil? and he came and did a little preaching and every single man, woman, and child without exception repented and was spared from death! thats incredible!
mox
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Mister Biggs
If one believes in the Bible then Jonah could not be a false prophet because he was sent by God Himself to proclaim what would happen to Nineveh.
Since Nineveh showed repentance, God decided not to act. God says in His Word (in the book of Jonah) that "when God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it."
Basically, Jonah did what God asked and God relented His own proclomation against Nineveh. -
TD
Was he a false or true prophet?
The account of the proclamation does not actually state “Only forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown unless of course, you change your ways”, but in the Bible, calling people to repentance is pretty much the purpose of Divine warnings isn’t it?
If the inhabitants of Nineveh had ridiculed Jonah, stoned him to death, and forty days later the city was still standing he would certainly have been a false prophet.
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dungbeetle
Henry P is exposed as a blatant and flagrant liar AS USUAL. He says:
>"I was reading this week the book of Jonah"<
and:
>He prophesied that Jehovah would destroy Nineveh<
And you allegedly read this WHERE? For here is what the New World Translation actually READS:
Jonah 1:1 And the word of Jehovah bagan to occur to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying:
2: "Get up, go to Ninevah the great city, and proclaim against her that their badness has come up before me."
Jonah 3:1 Then the word of Jehovah occurred to Jonah the second time saying
2: "Get up, go to Ninevah the great city, and proclaim to her the proclamation that I am speaking to you."Now mind you, the inhabitiants were worried that they might perish, but nowhere does the account state, at least in the New World Translation, that God was going to destroy them. In fact, the account goers on further to read that Jonah went and sat down to see what would happen to the city. Why would he do that if he knew the city was to be destroyed? Or not destroyed? Because God had not told him anything LIKE that.
In the bok of Matthew, Jesus is quoting the events concerning Jonah, and he also made no reference to God allegedly setting out to destroy Ninevah.
So again tell me, you read this WHERE?
In 1975 a crack team of publishers was sentenced to death by a judicial commiteee. They promptly escaped from the cult and now live life on the run. If you have a problem ... and if you can find them ... maybe you can contact the A--postate Team"
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HenryP
Henry P is exposed as a blatant and flagrant liar AS USUAL
Excuse me? When did this discussion turn into a personal attack? And where do you get the nerve to say "AS USUAL", where have I lied before?
Chapter 3 says "Only forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown". Understand that however you want, but the question I posted is still valid.
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AlanF
This little ditty from HenryP has been making the rounds with JW defenders for years. The idea is to try to show that men who make predictions that don't come true are not necessarily false prophets. The idea, obviously, is to deflect criticism from JW leaders, who are infamous for their 100% record of failed predictions.
Jonah was told to warn Nineveh of a coming destruction from God for the city's wickedness. (Jonah 1:2; 3:4, 10) When the Ninevites listened and repented, God relented. Thus according to the Bible, Jonah was not a false prophet because the prediction was implicitly conditional. The objective from the start was to get the Ninevites to change their ways, and when they did, God relented.
Thus, the story of Jonah cannot be used to defend JW leaders from the charge of being false prophets.
AlanF
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dungbeetle
it's not a personal attack, I don't know you. And I answered your sorry excuse for a valid point with valid Scriptural arguments.
And furthermore 'the city will be overthrown' doesn't mean that God was going to do it or had anything to do WITH it. It doesn't mean that anyone was going to die. And Jonah didn't say that God told him that.
You lied when you claimed that the 1934 yearbook quotes, when taken in context, would prove that certain claims would be invalid. You didn't count on Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing in the organization scrambling for their 1934 yearbooks and getting those scans up on the site and proving you oh-so-wrong. I think the Nazi collaberation claims were being a little over-generous to the Watchtower, myself.
The point I am making is that you need to read the Bible ITSELF, on your own, and have a little faith in your own intelligence and common sense. The God of the book of Jonah is not as bloodthirsty and vengeful as the Watchtower would have you believe. He certainly doesn't want rape and molestation survivors expelled and enforcedly shunned, nor minor children expelled and enforedly shunned in their own homes as the Watchtower AND YOU would have the world believe.
But I give you credit for sticking around, tho and answering back. Maybe there's hope for you yet.
Just becasue some group of old men in Brooklyn/New York/whereever says you can't read the Bible on your own doesn't make it so. Give yourself a break already.
In 1975 a crack team of publishers was sentenced to death by a judicial commiteee. They promptly escaped from the cult and now live life on the run. If you have a problem ... and if you can find them ... maybe you can contact the A--postate Team"
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HenryP
Allow me to correct you on several things. You obviously do not understand the sentence "the city will be overthrown". Look it up.
The context on another thread on the 1934 yearbook does prove my point that JWs were finding a common ground with the German Government so that they would stop their unfair treatment of JWs. Finding a common ground does not mean that one agrees with 100% of their ideals, but only some aspects. Obviously this was way before 1939 when WWII broke out and the holocaust began.
Also, do not call me a liar because I have an opinion of matters.
Mr. AlanF: I have not seen anywhere or anyone discussing Jonah as a prophet before. I was doing some reading and the question came to mind. Of course he was not a false prophet for Jehovah had sent him. Also I would like to add that Jonah showed lack of love and pride after Jehovah forgave the city, but still he is today considered a true prophet.