by losingit 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Oh, yes.... I would mention that I never read the NWT. I read the NIV, even during my study, that is the version I used. I was encouraged to do so, because the women studying with me were sure that there was nothing different between the versions. I think they learned otherwise from some parts during our study ; )
Peace,
tammy
Yes... it is what, ironically, made me start doubting seriously the WT... even using the NWT, even with severe blinders.
It was my interest in the Bible that led me to not buying the explanations from the WT, to starting to read Bible commentaries, to starting to read apostate websites, to here.
So yes... READ YOUR BIBLE EVERY DAY!!
ILTTATT
I read it twice cover to cover like I would a novel. First time with WT specs whilst recovering from a broken ankle and the second time 3 years ago and realised the little flock was Jews and the great crowd gentiles.
The other times my eyes passed had only passed over the words without really taking any of it in as it was to a weekly schedule half an hour before the meeting and not because I chose to or had the time it needed to absorb what I was reading.
I read it cover to cover 7 times.
When I read a page I mark the date on it.
Sometimes I would read it for an hour before bed or a hour when I got up.
It wasnt the JW bible.
Mostly the Life application bible, NIV version.
Wow! It's great to see so many people here who actually have read it. I actually found a copy of the NIV in my house. I should pick it up sometime :-) Even if all I am doing is confirming that it's either a bunch of garbage or a true treasure.
The books of the Bible are primarily divided by the type of literature.
For example, Genesis through Esther are primarily historical
Job through Song of Solomon are poetry
Isaiah through Malachi are prophecy.
Similarly, Matthew through Acts are historical
Romans through Jude are letters to churches or individuals
Revelation is prophecy.
The books within the Bible are in basic chronological order. For example, Isaiah's prophecies occurred before Jeremiah's prophesies.
I have never read the Bible cover to cover because I'm lazy and it is not in chronological order anyway The topical or subject matter method therefore works best , because you can't follow along like a single story book anyway
I read the bible cover to cover because I was raised in a cult then I escaped and wanted
to see what the book said without someone else telling me what it says.
Having been raised in a cult, I am somewhat interested in the bible. I end up talking about it.
I dont like to talk about something unless I know what I am talking about so I read it 7 times over 30 years.
I think having read the bible cover to cover 7 times is my major accomplishment in this life.
It does seem that most people who talk like they know about the bible have never read it cover to cover
they only read selected verses that appeal to them or their organization.
and the second time 3 years ago and realised the little flock was Jews and the great crowd gentiles.
Isn't that a kicker? Reading with an open mind, without the WT providing a framework and guidelines for how to interpret what we're reading, it's suddenly so obvious that Jesus (or more likely, a later writer legitimizing the ministry to the Gentiles) was referring to Jews and Gentiles. How could anything else have been intended?
I am a bit embarrassed to say that I never came close to reading the whole Bible. I don't think I ever did a single day of Bible reading. I liked the ideas in the Bible but I suppose I was too selfish with my free time to spend any of it actually reading the Bible.
I did it twice, at the beginning of my journey. I felt sick the first time I read it. I was looking for answers and wanted to know if yhwh or yeshua would help me. Realized that yhwh was a jealous, arrogant , angry , sadistic been and yeshua was an a-hole.
“Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.” ? Isaac Asimov Take care, Ismael
I originally thought that the old testament and especially up until the prophet books were just 'history'. I forced myself to start reading them though and learned it was far from it and reading and studying those books to be very worthwhile.
Genesis, Exodus, Duet, etc have a lot of prophecy in them, as well as the gospels.
For example Genesis 49:1, "Gather yourselves together that I may tell you what will happen to you in the final part of the days." - the whole chapter is prophetic.
Compare things about Joseph and what happened to him with Jesus, as well as the entire exodus.
Remember when Jesus foretold of the destruction of Jerusalem? It was in Deut 28 it spells out what would happen to Israel if they became disobedient and unfaithful, Duet 28:49-53 is talking about them in their fortified city in the land that Jehovah is giving them, and in vs 53 how the siege will be so bad they will take to cannibalism.
Eyewitnesses documented what happened during that and their words survived to today, such as the words of Josephus about women eating their children and babies. http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/desolation/josephus.html
In Revelation you hear about the "Song of Moses", it's also prophetic and in the entire chapter of Duet 32.
You may also learn some new things about who is Jehovah/YahWeh or who was actually the one interacting with the Israelites if you pay close attention when going over the OT. An interlinear bible such as http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Hebrew_Index.htm can help, because most english bibles translate too many different words into just Lord or God.
