by MacHislopp 18 Replies latest watchtower bible
Hello everyone (again)
I'm sorry for the typo error.
I just wanted to say taht I'm glad about
the appreciative remarks about this selection
of quotes. I'm sure they'll come useful...!
sf : thanks for the link
refiners fire: I don't mind at all. I do believe that all
of us on this board, do contribute, each one on his/her
own way to add something useful.
Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
Thanks MacHislop for all the hard work that you've put into this thread, the quotes are very interesting and will be very useful.
Twink
macHislopp,
This research came at the right time for me. I will be sharing it with family and friends.
Thanks a million
francois I wondered about this too:
As a spirit creature, he cannot carry out his attack directly, but will use human agencies to do his deeds.
I recall from the bible one angel (a spirit creature) killing 185.000 men. But is God not a spirtit creature also? He killed -according to the bible- the entire human race save 8 people. Didn't demons -according to the bible- possess humans? Is that not a direct attack? So why can't satan attack directly? Sure it is not because he is a spirit creature...Since when do they need human agencies? Satan Inc.? C'mon!
Mac, Great research (as usual)!
Greven
Nice work Mac. One question: Since all of the cited references in the earlier WT publications portray the U.N. as destroyer of Bablyone the Great and not necessarily JWs, doen't the comment in the 06/01/03 WT referring to the threat to JWs as opposed those that have ``Babylon the Great" in their crosshairs? Or are there printed references in the WT to the wild beast, once having dispensed with the harlot then turning its ire on the WTBTS?
*** w81 11/15 19 'Stay Awake and Keep Your Senses' ***
*** w80 10/15 23 Execution of the "Great Harlot" Nears ***
21 Very soon now, the "great harlot" will be executed as a judgment of God against her. As with ancient Babylon, modern Babylon’s speedy overthrow will prove to be a great shock to the world. (Rev. 18:9-19) Her destruction is the event that will mark the beginning of the "great tribulation." Then, also, the anti-God elements will turn on Jehovah’s servants to try to crush them. (Ezek. 38:16) But Jehovah says to his loyal ones: "He that is touching you is touching my eyeball." (Zech. 2:8) This causes an immediate reaction from God. Jehovah says: "And it must occur in that day . . . that my rage will come up into my nose. And in my ardor, in the fire of my fury, I shall have to speak." (Ezek. 38:18, 19) Coming to the rescue of his loyal servants, God swiftly and with crushing force strikes the nations at the "war of the great day of God the Almighty," Armageddon. The enemies of God and his people are thus annihilated, cleansing the earth of all wickedness.—Rev. 16:14, 16; Prov. 2:22.
Much obliged, Blondie.... so it's a documented fact that in Brookyn's version of ``advancing light" we descend from sharp focus ( Watch out for the ``Scarlet-Colored Wild Beast!") to hazy ambiguity (``Who knows?").
Hello everyone,
Just a few more comments.
Twinkletoe: Thanks for the appreciation. I'm glad that you have
found the material useful.
Wannaexit: I do hope that …it will shed some "light "!
Let's us know of any outcome.
Greven and Francois:
A good point/reasoning indeed for many …visitors.
Furthermore it could develop into a 'biblical dilemma'
for the "story" writers at the WTBS' Inc. Headquarters,
for the simple reason that writing things such as:
"The Watchtower” June 1st, 2003 , page 20 § 11
STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF JEHOVAH!
"Take your position, stand still and see the salvation of Jehovah in your behalf."
--2 Chronicles 20:17.
…..
Who Will Lead Gog's Attack?
11: Gog of Magog is identified as Satan the Devil in his debased condition since 1914.
As a spirit creature, he cannot
carry out his attack directly,
but will use human agencies to do his deeds. "
goes against the testimony of the Bible, as we can all read in
*** Rbi8 Job 1:7-12
7 Then Jehovah said to Satan: “Where do you come from?” At that Satan answered
Jehovah and said: “From roving about in the earth and from walking about in it.”
8 And Jehovah went on to say to Satan: “Have you set your heart upon my servant
Job, that there is no one like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright,
fearing God and turning aside from bad?” 9 At that Satan answered Jehovah and
said: “Is it for nothing that Job has feared God? 10 Have not you yourself put up
a hedge about him and about his house and about everything that he has all
around? The work of his hands you have blessed, and his livestock itself has
spread abroad in the earth. 11 But, for a change, thrust out your hand, please,
and touch everything he has [and see] whether he will not curse you to your
very face.” 12 Accordingly Jehovah said to Satan: “Look! Everything that he
has is in your hand. Only against him himself do not thrust out your
hand!” So Satan went out away from the person of Jehovah."
It is clear that Satan went and attacked Job …but sparing his life.
This point is largely commented by the WTBS in:
*** it-2 81 Job
*** Job’s Integrity. Job’s integrity to Jehovah was challenged by Satan.
Then Jehovah, with confidence in that integrity and knowing His own
ability to recover and reward Job, permitted Satan to test Job’s
integrity to the limit, but he did not allow Satan to kill Job. Although
Satan, through various means, took away first Job’s livestock and
servants and then his children (Job 1:13-19), Job never charged
God with folly or wrongdoing. "
The WTBS Inc. also commented :
*** w76 12/15 756 Gain the Promised Eternal Life-Exercise Faith! ***
5 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. "
and this:
*** rs 388 Spiritism ***
Are wicked spirits able to take on human form?
In the days of Noah, disobedient angels did take on human form.
They actually married, and they fathered children. (Gen. 6:1-4)
However, when the Flood came, those angels were forced back
into the spirit realm. Regarding them, Jude 6 says: “The angels
that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper
dwelling place he has reserved with eternal bonds under dense
darkness for the judgment of the great day.” Not only did God
abase them from their former heavenly privileges and consign
them to dense darkness regarding Jehovah’s purposes, but the
reference to bonds indicates that he has restrained them. From
what? Evidently, from taking on physical bodies so they could
have relations with women, as they had done before the Flood.
The Bible reports that faithful angels, as messengers of God,
did materialize in the performance of their duties down until the
first century C.E. But following the Flood, those angels that had
misused their gifts were deprived of the ability to take on human form."
The WTBS Inc., also related « experiences « such as :
*** g82 10/22 22-3 "Why Did the Clock Stop When Grandpa Died?" ***
It is evident that these “wicked spirit forces” sometimes use the time
of a person’s death to upset and frighten relatives with unpleasant
experiences. A lady in Stockholm, Sweden, says: “After my husband’s
death I was repeatedly awakened at night by sharp bangs on the
floor of my bedroom. It was as if somebody were throwing steel balls.
You can see the round splintered dents there on the parquet flooring.
The TV-set was also bombarded in the same way. One night I was
awakened by some loud cracks in the air above my bed. I was extremely
frightened.”
Others have had pleasant experiences, however. For example, a
woman described how her recently deceased husband appeared to
her at night and talked to her. She said he looked very nice and wore
beautiful clothes.
A similar experience was told by another woman: “Soon after my husband’s
death he appeared in front of me in a room. One half of the room was dark
and the other half was bright. Seeing him there in the bright half of the room
playing the guitar convinced me that he was now living in a bright and pleasant place.”
A man told this experience: “I lived alone with my mother for many years.
She used to take care of the home and the cooking. One day after her
death when I was resting on a sofa, I heard her call from the kitchen: “Come
and eat! The meal is ready!” First I thought I had dreamed, but there was
a warm, well-prepared meal right on the table.”
The question arises: Can wicked agents of Satan engage in such pleasant
activities? God inspired the apostle Paul to give a very simple answer,
saying: “There is nothing surprising about that; Satan himself masquerades
as an angel of light. It is therefore a simple thing for his agents to masquerade
as agents of good.” (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15, New English Bible) To deceive
and mislead people, the demons often appear to be nice and helpful.—1 Timothy 4:1.
Freedom From ‘Wicked Forces’
Anyone with similar experiences who wants to be free from the influence of
‘wicked forces’ should turn to Jehovah God for help. Jesus Christ taught
his followers to pray to God: “Deliver us from the wicked one.” (Matthew 6:13)
God hears prayers that come from a pure heart. “The eyes of Jehovah are
upon the righteous ones, and his ears are toward their supplication.”
—1 Peter 3:12; Proverbs 15:29."
And :
*** g75 2/8 11 The Ouija Board-How Can It Affect You? ***
A Pennsylvania woman tells of an experience in her family as a result of
using a Ouija board:
“It told us many lies but it also told us many things which were true. . . .
Then one night when we were all in bed, my mother was having her usual
bedtime snack before turning in. All of a sudden we heard a crash, a yell
and a cat hissing and spitting and running like mad around the kitchen.
When we got up to see what was wrong, we found my mother on the floor,
tea spilled all over her and the cat half out of its mind.
“Immediately we got out the Ouija board . . . We asked, ‘What
happened?’ Answer: ‘I broke your mother’s chair and I scared the cat.’
‘Why?’ ‘For fun.’ ‘Who are you?’ Then this thing slowly spelled out ‘D-e-v-i-l.’ . . .
“It also (previously) made many indecent proposals to my sister, spelled
out filthy words, and scared her half to death!”
and finally this one…:
(from the book : "Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life"
published in 1995 )
*** kl 113-4 12 Resist Wicked Spirit Forces ***
FROM ATTRACTING TO ATTACKING
12 When you comply with the counsel of God’s Word regarding
spiritism, you spurn the bait of the demons. (Compare Psalm 141:9,
10; Romans 12:9.) Does this mean that wicked spirits will stop trying
to capture you? By no means! After tempting Jesus three times, Satan
“retired from him until another convenient time.” (Luke 4:13) Similarly,
obstinate spirits not only attract people but also attack them.
13 Recall our earlier consideration of Satan’s attack on God’s servant Job.
The Devil caused the loss of his livestock and the death of most of his servants.
Satan even killed Job’s children. Next, he struck Job himself with a painful
disease. But Job kept his integrity to God and was greatly blessed.
(Job 1:7-19; 2:7, 8; 42:12) Since then, the demons have made some
people speechless or blind and have continued to revel in the suffering
of humans. (Matthew 9:32, 33; 12:22; Mark 5:2-5) Today, reports show
that demons sexually harass some and drive others to insanity. They
incite still others to murder and suicide, which are sins against God.
(Deuteronomy 5:17; 1 John 3:15)"
I'm sure that the selected quotes…will provoke some
reasoning even from some …'permafrosted 'brains!
Greetings, J.C. MacHislopp
My brain isn't totally permafrosted yet, but I didn't make it thru all your quotes - but allow me a question, are you not confusing (although certain organizations MIGHT be SLIGHTLY more confusing in their utterings ....) the attack of the eighth world power against all organized religion, with the King of the North's attack specifically on the JW? According to standard procedure, these are two separate attacks, and so not knowing who will be the human agents of Satan refers to who will emerge as the new King of the North - which the said organization says it does not know, while the religion-crushing role of the UN and its so-called radical elements still is the organization's valid teaching ..... for the time being.
trying to formulate those sentences made me so tired I go for a little nap right now.
