Posting guidelines: I have been told on this board that I am asking the same question as everyone else. WRONG; I maybe being irreligious, facetious, flippant or any number of silly things but asking questions isn't one of them. I have my answers.
My belief is not up for discussion, because it is MY BELIEF. I came to these conclusions after 43years of trial and tribulation, many of them involving the WBTS, though I was never in nor ever commenced a BSBS. I do however encourage your posts and look forward to reading your comments and may possibly comment myself from time to time; or not. I am an unlettered person having left school in Yr.8 so feel free to view me as an ass...speaking with the voice of a man. As the THAIS say that is "UP TO YOU"
Thank you Still & Snare from the bottom of my heart. Your thread and post respectively were the catalyst for starting this one.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
The WTBTS would like us all to believe they are doing the will of god spreading Jesus' central message of "THE KINGDOM of HEAVEN" to the four corners of the earth. This is my manifesto as to where, when, how and why all religions fall short.
As interperated by religion His exoteric message was one of a final climatic end to the world. His esoteric message however can be far more powerful in the long term. What then is this kingdom He came to tell us about? What is this central message, if not His only message to the world? What is this message never given before, with the probable exception of Buddah?
Simply, the kingdom Jesus spoke about in private(mentioned in scripture) - for it is doubtful it would have been spoken much of it in public- as under Roman law this would have been seen as heresy and fully deserving of the death penalty.
The kingdom he spoke about was obviously not an earthly kingdom ruled by men, He said as much before Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world,but an inward spiritual kingdom. A kingdom which is part of the great unknown spiritual world, ruled by heavenly bodies,and which can only be reached by the mind of man(and woman)-Behold; the kingdom of heaven is within".
This then would be a kingdom not dependant on a church,a minister,a book,a sect, or a set of rules. A kingdom which is inside all, irrespective of position or place in the world.
Let me begin by making one point quite clear; the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN & KINGDOM OF GOD are one and the same.
The writers of Matthew used the former expression thirty times and the latter only three. The writers of Mark & Luke use the latter term sixteen and thirty-nine times respectively, and do not use the phrase kingdom of heaven at all. Matthew's writers have Jesus saying,"It will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven". Mark and Luke's writers put it this way,"How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of god". So my reasoning says to me they ARE interchangable.
The kingdom of god is not a territory over which he rules supremely as earthly kings reign, it is a condition and state of being over which he has sovereignty. This then gives a completely new aspect to religion as it is known. It puts everything before it out of date,entering into a new dimension, hitherto unknown.
Not that the kingdom didn't exist before Jesus; it did, he testified as much when he said all of the prophets from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob are in the kingdom. So it would seem that even in their day it was possible to enter, therefore it was not necessary for Jesus to die for men to enter/know truth about themselves, as some would have us believe. It was no new thing.
After a close study of the new testamemt I have personally come to one inescapable conclusion which overrides anything else it may say on the kingdom and that is, that TO DO THE WILL OF GOD/FOLLOW OUR HIGHER SELF and TO BE IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; are one and the same thing. For if we are truly being ourselves, who we were desinged to be as indiviuals; we are at peace with ourselves and to me that is; truly heaven.
Jesus was not only a reformer, he was also a destroyer. He came to put an end to organised religion as it was known,to destroy the control the priests had over the people,to destroy their man made laws which were desinged to use and control the masses. He came to free us from the intolerable burdens imposed upon us by the priests. Jesus did not embark upon his mission to bring the people more religion, they were already wallowing in it,he came to free them & us fro the shackles of religion. He did not want man to look at icons(LOL), statues, gold embossed temples or so called spiritual teachers. It was not his intention to be the founder of some huge spiritual bureaucracy where the common man was nothin more than a pawn in the big game. Jesus came so that we may throw of the chains,get rid of the refuse of the past, and be free to seek the kingdom which is within everyone.
He was the first of the existentialists,those who see that everything is an extension of our inward self, and that we should look within, not without, to find the meaning of and within our lives.
Where and how did it all go so wrong. I suggest that Peter; the one who denied him three time before the cock crowed,Peter who was first bishop/pope of Rome and the Roman government just flatly refused to allow the truth be known,because of their own agenda; and it has been thus ever since.
So now, what I personally see as truth has indeed gone out, by binary code via satellite link to wherever the heck it wants to go. (LOL)
APPENDIX
Jesus said many things; These are the ones I find most relevant, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH & THE LIFE; FOLLOW ME.........
NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH ME.
"The way" as I understand it, is that He Followed his own higherself; and that we should too. That is the Truth and if we do this the Life, each one unique; that was given to us will surely follow. HIS meaning to me is Follow Me in this way/manner. The second quote means the same i.e. you cannot know God unless you follow me in the aforementioned manner.
Other scripture that has cemented my belief system is The Good Samritan in Luke. It was a lawyer who asked"Who can be saved". Jesus said ultimately that anyone who helped another in their distress with no thought of repayment would in deed be saved.
Also, NO ONE CAN SERVE BOTH MAN AND GOD; using the above analogy this would again seem to be the way. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE..... this is the truth that makes the most sense to me to set us free. Free to be ourselves, who we are.
The following is how I view chapter three of the second book of Timothy , v1-10 is specifically about the WBTS.
Just before I started school mum & dad took me down town to see what I would do with a small amount of money. There were a fish shop, an ice cream/lolly shop, a shop with a new fangled donut machine; dad loved these and a cafe with a new fangled juke box thingy. The rockers/bikies hangout.
We walked up and down a few times. Dad said"Well son, what do you want to buy" "I want to buy music dad" said I. "You'll have to go and do it youself. You'll have nothing to eat or drink and I wouldn't be game to go in there but if that's what you want here you" and gave me the money.
In I went, up to the jukebox; not a clue as to what to do. A woman came up,"You right darl, wanna play some music". "yes please"
To cut a long story short, she took my money, played some music, bought me my first ever coke and we went outside where her man was talkin to my parents. I cashed in the bottle and bougt mum a chocolate. Dad thought I would be ok with my tuckshop money.
My point is, is that that night even though I was with my parents, I knew I had found a part of myself. Rock 'n' roll & Motorcycles were in my living soul, I felt at ease and at home with these people. See2Timothy v14-15. It was at this point in my search for the truth I realized I no longer had to apologise or feel guilty about who I was or my way of life.
I think it is in Corinthians where we are told as gentiles that all we have to do to be saved is three things "TO REFRAIN FROM BLOOD" i.e. blood sacrifice because Christ has died for us and no blood is greater than His. "THINGS THAT ARE STRANGLED"i.e. Jesus' teachings as outlined here "SEXUAL IMMORALITY"i.e. lust, sex for the sake of sex with no real feelings for the other person.
Hebrews ch8 as I understand it from v10-12 extols our individuality and the truth re The Way. Some will say these sciptures are for the future; I think the future/new covenant arrived with the staking/ crucifixtion.