@EP
I was hoping you would answer:
Do you think if Paul were invited alone to the home of a pagan who was known to buy unbled meat from the shambles, that he would ask questions of conscience?
Do you believe God against organ transplants?
Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?
by Vanderhoven7 69 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
EasyPrompt
"Milk is not blood, but a mother's milk contains millions of white blood cells none the less."
If the white cells in milk are the same as the ones in blood, then maybe someone should tell the medical people so they can harvest white cells for transfusion from milk instead of blood.
"Do you think if Paul were invited alone to the home of a pagan who was known to buy unbled meat from the shambles, that he would ask questions of conscience?"
I think Paul knew the difference between obedience and disobedience. I am confident that he would answer appropriately.
"So what about organ transplants? Would God be against a Christian having a kidney transplant from a family member to save his or her life?"
"Keep yourself from what is strangled, and from blood." If you consider the cells in milk to be blood and the cells in an organ to be blood, it seems you already have an opinion on the matter. Why are you asking me?
But as far as the Bible goes, you already know...
Acts 15 wasn't originally written in English. The word "blood" in Greek didn't mean milk or a portion of milk. It didn't mean an organ that had been properly bled. The Jews had been eating animal organs with God's permission for a long time. The first century Christians knew what blood was. They knew what it meant to abstain from blood and things strangled.
If you have a cup of blood and take a drop out of it and put it in your mouth, you are not obeying the clear command to abstain from blood. If you have an organ with congealed blood in it and put it in your body, you are not obeying the clear command to abstain from things strangled and from blood.
If you drink milk, you are not disobeying the command to abstain from blood.
If you put an organ in your body that has been properly bled, you are not disobeying the command to abstain from things strangled and from blood.
"For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you except these necessary things: to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!"
Do you believe that Jesus is the head of the congregation and pours out the holy spirit to direct his congregation? Do you believe that we must obey Jesus' direction in order to be pleasing to God?
@Vanderhoven7, I know you believe.🙂💖
-
Vanderhoven7
Hi EP,
Yes, white blood cells in a mother's milk are the same as those in the blood stream.
By the way, there are 12 times as many white blood cells in organs as in the blood stream itself. These cannot be removed from the tissue of organs that are transplanted.
Why do you think Jews could eat animals found dead in their fields (unbled) with relative impunity. They would merely have to wash their clothes and be unclean until evening.
Levitcus 11:38,39 - "If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening. Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening." (see also Leviticus 17:15)
Do you think a Christian farmer today should wash and change his apparel if he eats the meat of a cow that died in his field?
Vander
PS: Cofty has a thorough study on the blood issue. I believe it is posted on this forum somewhere.
-
EasyPrompt
(If you ever invite me over for dinner, remind me to bring my own food...lol...🤪😆😁)
-
EasyPrompt
Vander, I know you love God and Jesus. The GB has muddied the waters by focusing on technicalities rather than obedience. The GB continues to mislead the flock, and it makes me angry that they claim to represent Jehovah and Jesus all the while they are clearly disobeying basic Bible commands. If they were really faithful and discreet and slaving for Christ and directed by holy spirit, they would know better. They have brought so much reproach on God's name by all their scripture twisting. He will clear up the matter eventually in time.
-
Vanderhoven7
On this we agree EP.
-
EasyPrompt
🙂💖
-
Vanderhoven7
Mark Jones writes about how Watchtower contradicts the Bible.
The bible:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:5–6
The Watchtower:
"…Jesus Christ, is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind. He is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members." - Worldwide Security Under the "Prince of Peace" (1986) pp.10-11
The bible:
“But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” - John 6:50–51
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.” - Matthew 26:27
The Watchtower:
Today there remains alive on earth only a small remnant of those chosen by God for heavenly life. Only such ones who are in “the new covenant” are authorized to partake of the emblems, the bread and the wine, during the annual Memorial celebration. Of course, all true Christians today who look forward to living forever on earth under Kingdom rulership know that this is possible by exercising faith in Jesus’ sacrifice. As Jesus told the crowd, he is “the living bread that came down from heaven.” Yet, that does not mean that those with the earthly hope ought to partake of the literal Memorial emblems, for they are not in “the new covenant,” nor are they in the covenant with Jesus to be ‘in his kingdom, sitting on thrones.’ - Watchtower 1 Feb 1988, page 30.
As a side note, remember what Jesus accused the Pharisee’s of in Matthew 23:13:
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”
The bible:
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? - Hebrews 1:5
The Watchtower:
Jesus has “an archangel’s voice” because he is the archangel, Michael.
Jesus and Michael, refer to the same person. - JW. org, Bible Questions Answered
For Christians, the question is a simple one: Who will you go with? The bible or the Watchtower society?
An “inspired book”? Or an uninspired magazine written by uninspired men who try to “explain” it?
This man…
Or this man…?
Footnotes
-
EasyPrompt
Hi, @Vanderhoven
You already know how I feel about the GB/FDS people, lol...I do agree with you that many of the Watchtower teachings "shut up the Kingdom" in a very Pharisaical way. However, as far as the "Jesus is Michael" teaching, the Bible is very clear on that one.
God told the Israelites through Moses: "I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you on the way and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. Pay attention to him, and obey his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, because my name is in him." (Exodus 23:20-21)
Only Jesus has authority from God to pardon our transgressions. "...in order for you to know that the Son of man has authority to forgive sins on earth..." (Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24)
God said to Moses: "Go now, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you. Look! My angel will go ahead of you..." (Exodus 32:34)
That chief angel was still "going ahead" of the nation when Moses died and is the same one mentioned by name in Jude...
"But when Miʹcha·el the archangel had a difference with the Devil and was disputing about Moses’ body..." (Jude 9)
That same angel was still with the nation in Joshua's time...
"I have come as prince of Jehovah’s army..." (Joshua 5:14)
And also in Daniel's time...
"During that time Miʹcha·el will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of your people..." (Daniel 12:1)
"...Miʹcha·el, your prince." (Daniel 10:21)
Since Michael is called "your prince" he is also the same one as Shiloh.
"The scepter will not depart from Judah, neither the commander’s staff from between his feet, until Shiʹloh comes, and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong." (Genesis 49:10)
Shiloh is Jesus.
A few other verses are mentioned here in context...
(Galatians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 19:17)
-
EasyPrompt
The progression of world powers leading up to the Kingdom with Jesus as King is depicted from slightly different angels at Daniel chapter 2, Daniel chapter 7, Daniel chapter 8, Daniel chapters 11-12, and Revelation chapter 19.
Here are some specific verses from those passages that mention the Kingdom with Jesus as King:
"“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever." (Daniel 2:44)
"I kept watching in the visions of the night, and look! with the clouds of the heavens, someone like a son of man was coming; and he gained access to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him up close before that One. And to him there were given rulership, honor, and a kingdom, that the peoples, nations, and language groups should all serve him. His rulership is an everlasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13,14)
"He [the last world power leader] will even stand up against the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human hand." (Daniel 8:25)
"During that time Miʹcha·el will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of your people." (Daniel 12:1)
"I saw heaven opened, and look! a white horse. And the one seated on it is called Faithful and True, and he judges and carries on war in righteousness. His eyes are a fiery flame, and on his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knows but he himself, and he is clothed with an outer garment stained with blood, and he is called by the name The Word of God. Also, the armies in heaven were following him on white horses, and they were clothed in white, clean, fine linen. And out of his mouth protrudes a sharp, long sword with which to strike the nations, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron. Moreover, he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his outer garment, yes, on his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." (Revelation 19:11-16)
When taken together, these parallel depictions of the Kingdom (and others in the scriptures) clearly show that Jesus is also known as Michael.
(Incidentally, the Watchtower completely overlooks these accounts where the timeline of the great tribulation is clearly laid out as the 3 1/2 years of the appointed times of the nations. Since the WTBT$ thinks the kingdom began in 1914, they completely miss the boat that "the appointed times of the nations" begins when religious institutions are attacked by the final world power the UN, which is made clear in those accounts in Daniel, Revelation, and the gospels.)