Encouraging scriptures for the day

by Kosonen 543 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Queequeg

  Hi Kosonen,

  I don't think I've been the only one disturbed by your copying JW style interpretation of the scriptures. Pioneershmioneer, Leathercrop and others have worded things much better than me about this (actually, I guess I've never said much directly to you. I've just quoted a lot of this and that, a bit for laughs and a bit to try to make you think about what and how you are saying things) . This site is filled with people who are trying to get away from the Governing Body, when you seem to be trying to copy the GB, well, I think many are put off by this. I'm pretty sure that you mean well by what you are doing, but the delivery hasn't been very palatable for a number of reasons (1 Corinthinans 9:19-23). I was the Theocratic Ministry School overseer for many years, lol, think about your audience!!!

  Yes, I work in construction in a rural area. I have my own business, and I can do all fazes of construction from the foundation to the roof. I don't do carpet and vinyl. I avoid roofing these days for various reasons ;) . Leaving JW world affected my ability to have a crew, so that has affected the size of my jobs. I have lots of stories of how often local JW break the labor laws etc. in the US. I'm currently working on interior unpainted wood trim around windows and doors. Also, for the last few years I've been consulting with people who want to do their own work but need to have a little bit of direction. At the moment, I'm helping a local professor build stairs and outside decks in to her new home. She's doing a great job!

  What kind of jobs do you do Kosonen? What is your favorite?
• 

  Kosonen

  “PioneerSchmioneer: am not trying to be mean. I just want you to reason with us. What are you trying to accomplish? “

  Hi brother, I am just trying to help people know the holy scriptures. Some teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses are biblical and some are not. I don’t believe in a lot of Jehovah’s Witnesses doctrines. For example I don’t believe what they teach about Armageddon, Babylon the Great, the King of the North, 1914, who can take of the emblems, women giving comments at meetings, about the attack of Gog, timing of the resurrection, marriage in resurrection, mark of the beast, worship of the beast, man of lawlessness, Covid vaccines, location of Mount Sinai, if remains of Noah’s ark are found, the true place where Israelites crossed the Red Sea, what the flight will be before the end, all about 1260, 1290, 1335 days and 42 months, and time, times and half a time and some more things.
• 

  Kosonen

  "Queequeg: What kind of jobs do you do Kosonen? What is your favorite?"

  Hi again brother Queequeg, thanks for sharing about your work. That was interesting to hear.

  Most of my time in construction I have been in building new apartment buildings as employed. During the last 10 years my jobs have been to do drywalls, install door frames and doors, to install bathroom interiors, baseboards and wardrobes.

  My back is quite weak, so I prefer jobs that are not heavy on my back. Now after a month of doing drywalls I’ve got problems with my back. But I was assigned as supervisor for 3 other workers so I can do other easier jobs while they install the plasterboards. Like today I’ve been cleaning and adjusting failed screws after other workers almost all day.

  Otherwise installing door frames and bathroom interior suits me well.
• 

  PioneerSchmioneer

  Kosonen:

  For example I don’t believe what they teach about Armageddon, Babylon the Great, the King of the North, 1914, who can take of the emblems, women giving comments at meetings, about the attack of Gog, timing of the resurrection, marriage in resurrection, mark of the beast, worship of the beast, man of lawlessness, Covid vaccines, location of Mount Sinai, if remains of Noah’s ark are found, the true place where Israelites crossed the Red Sea, what the flight will be before the end, all about 1260, 1290, 1335 days and 42 months, and time, times and half a time and some more things.

  And those are the things we want to hear about in depth, in great detail.

  You can even repeat the stuff again and again, but from new angles because there are always new people coming out from the Watchtower who need to hear why these Watchtower teachings are not true. Explain what you don't find right about them. Give us personal details on what you found out and what you are still learning as time goes on.

  But just posting a text from the Bible doesn't do much, especially if you give us some Watchtower teaching alongside of it. It even turns a lot of people off if you add that Jesus is the head of the JW congregation. You obviously can't believe this while disbelieving Watchtower doctrine. You can't have it both ways.

  Perhaps you can still make the Scriptures come alive for many in a manner they don't expect, showing that it can be a tool for helping them leave the Watchtower behind instead of it being a way to hang on to their past.
  
• 

  Kosonen

  The 7 headed beast in Revelation could appear quite soon. Contrary to WT teaching about it.

  https://banned.video/watch?id=6581d28d00a61c65e0b2367b
• 

  PioneerSchmioneer

  I think you may be missing the point. And I hope I am not bark up the wrong tree here--but so far it seems I have missed my target.

  The idea is to be objective in order to be considerate of the conscientious views of anyone who reads your writing. This would mean you have to leave your personal feelings, your personal ideas, and especially your personal beliefs out of what you post.

  This means you need to employ critical methodologies and often publish things you know are dependable and academically, even though the data isn’t what you believe.

  Why would you do this? Because if you decide to do this, you are being a teacher, and that is a big responsibility. You can’t just share what you feel is right. You have to offer what is scholarly sound.

  Thus you would have to employ the use of mainstream Bible translations, the critical-historical method, and use a methodology that doesn’t talk down to people or judge others who don't believe in the Bible or God. Many people who leave the Watchtower will choose not to believe in the Bible or will end up rejecting the notion of the supernatural, so your material should be useful to people who take this route after leaving the JWs.

  By telling people that the 7-headed beast in Revelation could appear soon, you are still just showing you agree with Watchtower theology, even if you differ slightly with your conclusions.

  The way you should have deal with this to help people leaving the Watchtower might something like the following:

  
  

  Q: Is the 7-headed beast in Revelation among us or coming soon like the Watchtower teaches?

  
  

  A: The book of Revelation is an apocalypse, a genre of Judeo-Christian that employed Jewish prophetic tropes and imagery to describe political intrigue and events that were current to the author(s).

  Various books in this genre are the Book of Daniel, 1 Enoch, 2 and 3 Baruch, 4 Ezra, the Shepherd of Hermas and the Apocalypse of Peter.

  Jehovah’s Witnesses use what Biblical scholarship labels as the “futurist view” of interpretation of Revelation, claiming that it is a book which foretells and forecasts events about Jehovah’s Witnesses and the world they will find themselves living in from 1914 onward. They also claim that only they will be able to understand its true meaning, thus slightly altering the “futurist view” to an exclusive one in favor of their religion.

  However most scholars and researchers agree that the book was written to be understood and used by the readers of its cultural and historical context. It does in fact open up with the words:

  
  

  Blessed is the one who reads the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.--Revelation 1:3, NRSVUE.

  
  

  The image of the seven-headed beast in Revelation 13 comes from Daniel chapter 7, another apocalypse. That itself was speaking about the Hellenistic empires which oppressed Israel and led to the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy, liberating the Temple. The animal features here likewise are talking about rulers contemporary to the author, animal features in company with imperial Rome.

  Unlike the teachings of the Watchtower, the Book of Revelation is not a forecast or prophecy of current world events.
• 

  PioneerSchmioneer

  I think I may be barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. I am exiting this thread at this point and finding more productive ground.

  ME===WALL

  No progress.
• 

  Kosonen

  The following is copied from https://www.bibleref.com/biblepassage/Printer?section=1_Peter_4:7&lang=en

  
  

  I liked the explanation:

  
  

  What does 1 Peter 4:7 mean?

  ESV: The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

  NIV: The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

  NASB: The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

  CSB: The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer.

  NLT: The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.

  KJV: But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

  Verse Commentary:

  Peter is writing to Christians who suffer for Jesus' sake, to those who have taken on Christ's attitude that hardships for God's cause are part of our purpose as His people. He now offers a perspective which is both encouraging and a warning: It's almost over.
  
  More specifically, Peter writes that the end of all things is near, or "draws near." Everything necessary for history to come to an end has already happened. Messiah has come, lived, died (1 Peter 3:18), been resurrected (1 Peter 3:21), and ascended back to His Father where He reigns now over the universe (1 Peter 3:22) and is ready right now to judge all who live and have ever lived (1 Peter 4:5). Along with the other New Testament writers, Peter affirms that we are now living in the last days or end times. True, by God's grace, it has been 2,000 years since Peter wrote these words (2 Peter 3:9). That span seems extremely long to short-lived humans (2 Peter 3:3–4), but the day continues to draw ever nearer. So, what is the right response to this awareness that the end of all things is near? Panic? Isolation? Indulgence in pleasure-seeking? Peter's answer is that the most rational response is to pray. And, that prayer requires strong and clear minds. This is yet another reason not to jump into the mindless pleasure-seeking described in prior verses. Instead, Peter writes, we must be self-controlled, or alert, or exercising sound judgment about our choices. And we should be sober-minded. In this context, "sober" means "serious." In other words, we should be careful about how we live. Our choices impact our ability to think clearly. It is better to be self-controlled, so that we can pray.
  
  How necessary is prayer for Christians? It is crucial. How concerned are we about keeping our minds nimble and focused for the purpose of praying? That's a harder question. What, if anything, is keeping us from thinking clearly and praying faithfully?
• 

  Kosonen

  Quite well said, only that a lot of prophecies in the Book of Revelation and other parts of the Bible must get their fulfillment first about the last years before God's kingdom takes over.
• 

  Kosonen

  Yeah, how can other religions be Babylon the Great when they are able to promote biblical things. Babylon the Great is to the contrary for example this according to Revelation 14:8 Another, a second angel, followed, saying: “She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen, she who made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality!”

  Here it’s not about just spiritual immortality but literal immorality that is promoted widely and openly in the world.