New World Translation is not much different other translations

by Abraham1 53 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Abraham1

  Hi Smiddy3,

  Bible does ask us to choose between verses and accounts 1-thessalonians/5/19-23 which you can describe as “cherry picking.” I am doing only what Bible itself asks us to do in the above quoted Scripture.

  There is one more reason for me to do this:

  Jesus praised God, saying “At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants.” (Mathew 11:25)

  Let us contrast what scholars and children do.

  Scholars read John 20:17 where “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God,’” and they teach “Jesus is our God. Again, they read 1 Corinthians 9:5 which says: “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife,1 as do the other apostles and qthe brothers of the Lord and rCephas?” Thus Jesus’ contemporaries knew that all of Jesus’ apostles were married ones, yet scholars make celibacy mandatory for their ministers.

  Regarding children, Jesus “said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:14, 15) Children are known for accepting what mother reveals about father and accepting what their father says.

  Jesus who was taught by God (John 8:28) testifies about God: “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “ (Luke 6:35, 36) According to Jesus, God has only showed “kindness to the wicked” and asked his listeners “be kind to the wicked and thus be like God.” This statement is from Jesus about whom God said “Listen to him.” (Mathew 17:5) So, Jesus testifies that God has not killed, nor authorized anyone to kill enemies in the past. But human writers say “God ordered killing of innocent people” as reported in Numbers 31:17, 18. Thus when Jesus says one thing about God, and Bible writers say just opposite, I accept what Jesus said about God.

  When Jesus speaks of future events (such as pollution and sea-level rise—Revelation 11:18; Luke 21:25) it comes true. (https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5753573437603840/missed-opportunity-jehovahs-witnesses.) If so how much more should I believe him when he speaks about past?
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  punkofnice

  This has interested me for a few years now, I ask - How do we know Jesus existed? Just because an old book (collection of books), says something doesn't mean it's true, does it?

  When Jesus speaks of future events (such as pollution and sea-level rise—Revelation 11:18; Luke 21:25) it comes true.

  I'd be interested to know how you come to this conclusion. The verses seem rather vague. Don't you agree?
  
  
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  Abraham1

  Not vague. Translators thought ocean water will always remain stable, nothing is able to destabilize it.

  More careful Translations such as NIV put it: “roaring and tossing of the sea.” (https://biblehub.com/luke/21-25.htm) Word for “tossing” is σάλου (salou), from saino; i.e., billow,” (swell outwards). Thus underlying thought is like balloon swelling, or water flowing outwards, as though ready to roll over, thus points to the modern terminology “sea-level rise.” Biblos Interlinear Translation (INT:) translates it as “of [the] sea and rolling surge.” “Rolling Sea.” (A Greek Lexicon to the New Testament, Edward ROBINSON (D.D., page 416) (A Greek Lexicon to the New Testament on the basis of Dr. Robinson ... by C. Robson).

  Jesus’ original use of the wording “tossing of the sea” is another way of saying “sea-level would rise” as a result of pollution of air. (Revelation 11:18)

  The same word is used in the sense of being "shaken, unsettled" as happens during persecution. (https://biblehub.com/1_thessalonians/3-3.htm)

  That means sea-level rise was actually predicted, and was also being fulfilled in a monstrous way in our time. But "faithful and discreet slave" failed to discern it and thus to make use of it for their credit.

  If JWs had done this well in advance, they would have been even more famous than that of 1914 teaching.

  Now, there is no charm.
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  punkofnice

  . I find this interesting, so thanks for your replies thus far.Aby - I get what you're saying, and were I still a JW or religious, I'd probably agree with you. However, 'roaring and tossing sea' doesn't tell us anything that you state.

  How did you get 'air pollution' tagged on to the sea level? The chapter in Thess in context is dubious that you can equate it to this time period.

  Wouldn't you agree that there is absolutely no evidence in this scripture that it relates to this time period?

  I still maintain albeit respectfully, that scriptures are being used to fit a modern day agenda of doom.

  It seems the same way that Nostradamus is used with his vague words to fit a modern narrative.

  Sorry, I'm not convinced that the Bible is actually saying what you think it says. Also, I bet a pound (£) to a pinch of salt that other Christian denominations will interpret it all differently. Do you agree that they will? If so, who is correct?
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  Abraham1

  As the time passes by, meaning becomes clearer and clearer: "global warming could push the Antarctic ice sheet past a tipping point in as little as 10 years."

  (https://www.sciencealert.com/warming-events-could-destabilize-the-antarctic-ice-sheet-in-just-10-years )
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  lastmanstanding

  Check out how the actor, almost certainly a JW, quotes from memory the NWT in this movie.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWfWalDTs8c

  Check out the last 5 minutes first.
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  Abraham1

  Another problem with New World Translation of JWs:

  Jesus’ opening verse on the Sermon on the Mount was: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (matthew/5-3) Greek Test doesn’t allow it to be put it differently.

  But JWs translated it as “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the Kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.” (Mathew 5:3, https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/matthew/5/)

  This lacks the meaning because in Mathew 5:3 Jesus used Greek word pneuma (spirit) the same word He used to define God our Father. (John 4:24, https://biblehub.com/greek/strongs_4151.htm) Spirit has no need to be conscious of as its very nature is to overflow with good qualities such as “love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness …etc”—just like nature of Father the spirit is. (Galatians 5.22-23). It can be contrasted with its opposite—flesh—person focused on flesh doesn’t have to be conscious of such qualities as “anger, envy” etc which are naturally flowing from flesh and which are spoken as the disqualification for God’s Kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21; 1 John 2:15-17) Poor in spirit and being pure in spirit are one and the same as its fruits are same--being submissive to laws of God (James 3.17; Psalm/119:1). It's all has to do with quality, not quantity. (Mathew 16:24)
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  TTWSYF

  New World Translation is not much different other translations

  except that no scholarly council, college, university, board or organization considers the NWT a legitimate translation.
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  TD

  Out of curiosity, what language did you grow up speaking?
  
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  Abraham1

  Another mistake is Revelation 18:23, an important verse, that identifies Babylon The Great as an entity that misleads all the pagans (ἔθνη, ethnē) using “medication.” The word used is φαρμακείᾳ (pharmakeia) which means “Magic, sorcery, enchantment. From pharmakeus; medication, i.e. magic (Strong's 5331). It is from this word the modern word pharmacy comes.

  But NW Translation rendered it as “spiritistic practices.” (https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/18/) Since Revelation is all about signs and symbols, medication is also symbolic of what people consider to be solution—just like medicine is parallel force to our immunity. In other words, it is all about going in parallel to God’s will for man, as happened in original Babel. When God’s will was for people to spread out, they wanted to build a tower-like apartment that is as high as sky. Thus Babel or Babylon stands for anti-God attitude result of which is the murder of joy of others: “in her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones [the righteous] and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24) Thus religion is only a part of such attitude, not the whole.

  But, according to JWs, Babylon the Great is the world-wide empire of false religions of which Christendom is the dominant part. Thus they lost a great opportunity in the Last Days—especially in its peak stage in correctly identifying Babylon the Great. Revelation chapter 11 speaks about “ruination” or pollution of the earth’s environment [result of which is “tossing of the seas” or sea-level rise, Luke 21:25]. Revelation chapter 12 speaks of God’s organization being born and waiting for the climax of Last Days and “Restoration” of Paradise on earth. (Mathew 19:28; Acts 3:21) And Revelation 13 speaks of an unprecedented situation on earth where people can “not buy or sell.” (Revelation 13:17) Though it has its figurative fulfillment, we experience now even its literal fulfillment with the various forms of powerful enforcement on people in connection with pandemic. Such pandemic itself and also such enforcements brought a situation on inhabitants of earth that they find no more charm in Babylonian (or anti-God) attitude which means “Fall of Babylon the Great.” (Revelation 14:8) This happened so unexpectedly that Babylonian attitude suffered a great fall as though “in one hour.” (Revelation 18:10) Soon such attitude will be replaced with that of self-sacrificing attitude of the righteous. (Mathew 19:28-30)