BLONDIE’S COMMENTS YOU WILL NOT HEAR AT THE 07-05-2015 WT STUDY (SATAN)(MAY 15, 2015 ISSUE)
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/
The 4th of July in the US is mainly a misnomer. We have had fireworks from 6-27 through today. Too much competition for the named day. Due to the drought in many areas, personal fireworks have been discouraged. Last year many wildfires were due to partying idiots. In 1776 John Adams suggested celebrating with fireworks, rockets back then.
Perhaps many ex-jws are celebrating or recognizing their freedom from the WTS.
The WTS would like you to think that jws are the special target of Satan down to individual jws who have little status. Should they fear him or the wolves the bible says would infiltrate the Christian congregation? How better to be caught off guard then to be devoured by those appointed to protect you and be your only friends? How much better to take jws attention off the wolves inside the congregation than to point to a so-called invisible adversary.
The WTS sees Jesus’ words as applying outside their organization, but you and I know better from experience.
*** w78 11/15 p. 30 The Sermon on the Mount—“Go In Through the Narrow Gate” ***
“Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves.”—Matt. 7:15.
By “false prophets,” Jesus meant religious teachers who falsely claim to represent God. These deceivers would present themselves “in sheep’s covering.” By putting on a hypocritical display of gentleness, meekness and other sheeplike qualities, they would try to give the impression of being part of the “flock” of God’s worshipers. (See Psalms 78:52; 80:1; 100:3.) Inwardly, though, the false prophets would be “ravenous wolves,” that is, extremely covetous, grasping and eager to prey on others for personal gratification.
COMMENTS
How to identify Satan in older WTS publications:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/201779/does-watchtower-contain-photos-devil?page=3
Exactly where does the Bible say that Satan desired the worship of humans prior to Adam and Eve?
Not being able to make a direct quote, the WTS uses a scripture regarding Jesus and adds the word EVIDENTLY or APPARENTLY to make a connection the bible never does.
*** w11 1/1 p. 12 Why Would Satan Use a Serpent to Speak to Eve? ***
What, though, about Satan’s motive? What was he after? In Eden, he attempted to hide both his identity and his motive. But, in time, he revealed himself. When he tempted Jesus, he surely knew that disguises were of no use. So he directly urged Jesus: “Fall down and do an act of worship to me.” (Matthew 4:9) Evidently, Satan has long been driven by jealousy over the worship that goes to Jehovah God. He will go to any length to divert or pervert such worship. He loves to destroy integrity to God.
*** bh chap. 3 p. 29 par. 6 What Is God’s Purpose for the Earth? ***
This happened in the case of Satan the Devil. He apparently heard God tell Adam and Eve to have children and to fill the earth with their offspring. (Genesis 1:27, 28) ‘Why, all these humans could worship me rather than God!’ Satan evidently thought.
Has Satan been an enemy of God and humans? What proof do we have? All info used by the WTS is their interpretation of the bible (apparently, evidently).
When I first read the bible with unbiased eyes, I realized that the Israelite soldiers killed small children and pregnant women as well as soldiers. I wondered how the soldiers did it, with their swords, through their bellies, chopped off their heads. What crimes had they committed? When I realized that these kinds of young children died forever in the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and soon at Armageddon. I was about 10, with a non-jw father and a mother who no longer attended meetings. My brother and I were doomed to eternal death. This was a loving God? I tried to justify it saying that God knew what was in our hearts and that baptism as a jw was not necessary.
But what does the WTS say is the necessary mark at Ezekiel 9:4-6 for salvation?
*** w07 7/1 p. 13 par. 7 Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I ***
9:3-6. Acquiring the mark—the evidence that we are dedicated, baptized servants of God and that we have the Christian personality—is essential for surviving the “great tribulation.” (Matthew 24:21) Anointed Christians, represented by the man with the secretary’s inkhorn, are taking the lead in doing the marking work, that is, the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work. If we want to retain our mark, we must zealously help them in this work.
SATAN IS MORE POWERFUL THAN HUMANS
Can Satan read human minds?
*** w03 6/15 p. 30 Questions From Readers ***
Does Satan the Devil have the ability to read the human mind?
Although we cannot be dogmatic, it would appear that neither Satan nor his demons have the ability to read our thoughts…
The Bible does not say that Satan is able to search men’s hearts and minds. This is significant, inasmuch as the apostle Paul assures us that Christians “are not ignorant of [Satan’s] designs.” (2 Corinthians 2:11) So we need not fear that Satan has some extraordinary ability of which we are entirely unaware...Satan is a formidable foe. But we need not have a morbid fear of him or his demons. James 4:7 assures us: “Oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you.”
Can Satan manipulate matter, levitate it, etc.
Can Satan appear as a human to people?
*** w76 12/15 p. 756 par. 5 Gain the Promised Eternal Life—Exercise Faith! ***
The Dragon, Satan the Devil, and his demon army have been restrained from materializing visibly in the flesh in order to wage war on Jehovah’s Christian witnesses of today. Hence, they are obliged to use earthly agents under their unseen control, worldly persons, organizations and political governments.
Can Satan cause illness?
*** w02 8/1 p. 7 Do Superstitions Control Your Life? ***
The Bible shows that time and unforeseen events befall us all, whether we are superstitious or not. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) But Jehovah never tests us with bad things. (James 1:13) Death and imperfection are due to sin inherited from Adam. (Romans 5:12) On this account, everyone falls sick from time to time as well as makes mistakes that may lead to calamitous consequences. Therefore, it would be wrong to attribute all sickness or all setbacks to the workings of wicked spirits.
Why not per the WTS?
ABIMELECH, ABRAHAM, SARAH
A scheme of Satan? Did he succeed….did Abraham demonstrate trust in God to protect him from execution by Abimelech who wanted Sarah as wife? Instead Abraham lied to Abimelech and put Abimelech and his people at risk? Would it have been an adulterous marriage if Sarah was made a widow? (David should have killed Uriah first, then fathered a child with Bathsheba) Notice how the WTS makes Sarah the center of the possible failure of humans, that Sarah would be the betrayer, the adulteress. No mention of Abraham’s lack of trust in God. How did Abrraham lie and was it left out? Abraham said Sarah was his sister (half-sister, before the incest laws) and did not mention she was also his wife. Unless the jws read the scripture only cited, they will not know about Abraham’s cowardice.
(Genesis 20:1-7) 20 Now Abraham moved camp from there to the land of the Neg′eb and took up dwelling between Ka′desh and Shur and residing as an alien at Ge′rar. 2 And Abraham repeated concerning Sarah his wife: “She is my sister.” With that A·bim′e·lech king of Ge′rar sent and took Sarah. 3 Afterward God came to A·bim′e·lech in a dream by night and said to him: “Here you are as good as dead because of the woman whom you have taken, since she is owned by another owner as his wife.” 4 However, A·bim′e·lech had not gone near her. Hence he said: “Jehovah, will you kill a nation that is really righteous? 5 Did not he say to me, ‘She is my sister’? and she—did not she too say, ‘He is my brother’? In the honesty of my heart and with innocency of my hands I have done this.” 6 At that the [true] God said to him in the dream: “I too have known that in the honesty of your heart you have done this, and I was also holding you back from sinning against me. That is why I did not allow you to touch her. 7 But now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will make supplication for you. So keep living. But if you are not returning her, know that you will positively die, you and all who are yours.”
In another place (both sides of the mouth technique) the WTS said this:
*** w85 3/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***
Before these events took place, God told Abraham: “I shall make a great nation out of you and I shall bless you and I will make your name great; and prove yourself a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and him that calls down evil upon you I shall curse, and all the families of the ground will certainly bless themselves by means of you.” (Genesis 12:2, 3) Jehovah also indicated that the blessing depended on Abraham’s seed. (Genesis 12:7; compare Genesis 15:4, 5; 17:4-8; 22:15-18.) Hence, Abraham (and later Isaac) needed to stay alive to produce offspring.
This may well have moved Abraham and Isaac to represent their faithful wives as their sisters. If public knowledge that Abraham was the legal husband of desirable Sarah, and Isaac of lovely Rebekah, would endanger the line of the seed, these men of faith might have determined that it was prudent not to let such relationship be known while they were in dangerous territory.
Sarah is singled out as an example of faith and a woman who ‘hoped in God.’ (1 Peter 3:5, 6; Hebrews 11:11) She chose to accept the position taken by her family head and for a time did not publicize her married state. It would be kind to view this as being done out of selflessness, a subordinating of personal feelings and interests so that all mankind would have a blessing available.
YET here the WTS muddies Sarah’s reputation without biblical support
While Abraham and
Sarah were in Egypt, Pharaoh had Sarah
brought to his home—evidently so
that she could become his wife. However,
Jehovah intervened and saved Sarah
from this moral predicament. (Read
Genesis 12:14-20.) Shortly before the
birth of Isaac, a similar incident occurred
in Gerar. (Gen. 20:1-7) Was Satan
behind the scenes on those occasions?
Did he hope that Sarah, who left
prosperous Ur to dwell in tents, would
be seduced by the luxurious palaces
of Pharaoh and Abimelech? Was Satan
thinking that Sarah would betray
her husband—and Jehovah—and enter
an adulterous marriage? The Bible does
not say, but we have good reason to believe
that the Devil would have been delighted
to render Sarah unfit to bear
the promised offspring. Satan would
have suffered no pangs of guilt that
a good woman’s marriage, reputation,
and standing with Jehovah would have
been marred. How vicious Satan is!
Would Satan reason
that taking the life of a baby was going
too far? Would God? (see flood, S&G, Armageddon?)
Who protected all the children 2 and under in Bethelem? Hopefully they have not been consigned to Gehenna by the WTS.
It is evident that the Devil
places no value on human life. He certainly
does not have a soft spot for children
SATAN IS DECEPTIVE
Does not the WTS say it is not necessary to tell the truth to the undeserving. How many jws know that there is info sent to the BOE that is never read to the congregation. My husband as a new elder commented that was deceptive…boy did that rain down counsel on his head.
One of Satan’s greatest means of
deception is false religion
Until 1950 the WTS taught that all religion was false. Not until then did the WTS take on the mantel of being the only TRUE religion.
Has the WTS taught false things? What about all the new light, adjustments, and clarifications made over the years?
Example: Who are the “superior authorities” or “higher powers”?
1879 to 1929 secular governments
1929 to 1962 God and Jesus
1962 to present secular governments
*** w50 11/15 p. 441 par. 10 Subjection to the Higher Powers ***
But rather than being instructions by the apostle to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, Romans 13:1-7 has since 1929 been taken by Jehovah’s witnesses to be instructions on rendering to God what belongs to God. Why? Because the expression “the higher powers” is now understood to mean primarily the Most High God and his reigning Son Jesus Christ
*** w72 5/1 p. 272 par. 16 How Your View of Authority Affects Your Life ***
Sometimes persons speak against the understanding of certain Scriptural teachings that the Watch Tower Society has set forth. For example, there were those who had difficulty accepting the change of understanding regarding the “superior authorities” of Romans 13:1. Some even stumbled from their dedicated relationship to Jehovah over this matter. They did not have the proper view of the authority of Jehovah’s organization for providing spiritual “food at the proper time.” When some of the disciples had difficulty accepting what Jesus was teaching on one point, saying: “This speech is shocking; who can listen to it?” they “went off to the things behind and would no longer walk with him.” Peter, with the right view of Jesus’ teaching authority, realized there was no other place to go for truth and so remained in the way of life.—John 6:60, 66-69.
Have some jws recognized that the WTS does not speak the words of God? Have they like Jesus said to the organization, get behind me Satan?
Does the WTS leave non-jws ignorant to what they believe God’s designs are, to kill forever soon, all unbaptized (as jws) adults and responsible children on earth?
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Jws are more scared of the elders than Satan though he is trotted out again as the boogeyman. Why fear the unseeable when you see the elders twice at week at the meetings and maybe once a week in service.
Love, Blondie
