by TerryWalstrom 23 Replies latest watchtower bible
Eye witness testimony tends to cross over to people of different beliefs so their witness to specific events are considered more reliable.
Not quite true when you consider that certain mythical ideological expressions morph from civilization to another as the to come or arrive savior Messiah.
Watch this video
Terry,
Thanks for an interesting topic!
Here are three scriptural quotes which put things into perspective about the never ending wait for the Lord's return
2 Peter 3: "For YOU know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep [in death], all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.”
The ridiculers and the ridiculed have been dead almost 2,000 years.
John 21:20-23 "Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
Jesus' apostle, whom he loved, has been dead almost 2,000 years
Revelation 22:12 says ""Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done."
He never came back. This verse was written almost 2,000 years ago.
Yes this is an interesting topic. I'm not of the opinion that the early church was in a total mess until 325AD, because those who knew Jesus were clear on his teachings and were the core individuals who taught and set up small groups. The apostle Paul didn't meet Jesus but did know those who did. He formed a huge number of groups during his missionary journeys and we know all of his teachings as recorded in the numerous letters he wrote which are now part of the NT. These are early works, and combined with records from those we call "early church fathers" we see consistency in belief, despite the splinter groups who were teaching heresies.
It isn't true, in my opinion, that 325 marked a huge apostasy, that is something Watchtower have jumped onto. I'd agree that the eventual formation of the Roman Catholic Church as we see it today *was* a corruption, but at Nicea the basics of the Christian belief system were simply recorded in order to address the issues of ambiguity.
On the resurrection, there is a lot of information out there, but this simple article gives a decent explanation. https://carm.org/did-jesus-rise-dead
The investigation launched by Papias indicates if nothing else, those who were eye and ear witnesses didn't have their stories straight. Or--if they did have their stories straight, those who passed along a corrupt version differed substantially from each other. Be that as it may, it didn't take long for definite factions to militate against one another's opinions, stories, interpretations, beliefs, and doctrines to the point it was deadly, chaotic and subsequently necessary for Superior Authority to step in and demand some document of agreement (Apostle's Creed.)
