Paul (who came along after Jesus' death) spoke and wrote first about him.
(1 Cor. 15:20)
Mankind, in God's eternal emergency plan (in view of Adam's failure) needed a proxy government to stand in on behalf of all future sinners descending from Eve and Adam's sexual union. It is in that frame we must read Paul's words.
Humans know they will die. They are the Walking Dead, as it were.
Media vita in morte sumus (Latin for "In the midst of life we are in death")
Humans are born when their mother gives birth.
(Counting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. the firstborn is literally born first. Duh.)
Only a dead person who returns to life can be said to be born from the dead.
Since Lazarus was resurrected by Jesus it is reasonable Jesus cannot be firstborn from literal death if Jesus dies and comes back to life AFTER Lazarus.
Jesus preached to these walking dead and chose from among them a selection of humans to rule with him in his future Kingdom.
It is among these select (elect) members Jesus will be the FIRST of that Kingdom to die and be brought back to life in celestial spirit form. The sacred secret, as it were, is the identity of those 144,000 harvested who shall rule for 1,000 years.
All OTHER Humans 'harvested' from death must stand up (anastasis) in a resurrection.
Presumably for further judgment. (I say 'further' because death itself manifests the judgment of God already.)
Two distinct resurrection categories would seem to apply in God's sacred secret.
1. The resurrected government (no further judgment)
2. The resurrected humanity who ARE further judged. (To fail that subsequent judgment requires the 'lake of fire' absolute obliteration.
Posts by Terry
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20Why did Paul call Jesus, “the firstborn from the dead”?
by Doug Mason in"jesus christ was resurrected on nisan 16, 33 c.e., the day when the jewish high priest offered up the firstfruits of the barley harvest.
this fits in accurately with jesus' being the "firstfruits" in the resurrection of the human dead.
(1 cor.
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Terry
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Second-Temple period mysteries and mysticisms
by Doug Mason ini don't know if anyone is interested in the subject of the mysteries and mysticisms of the second-temple period (including paul and the gospels) but if so:.
https://www.academia.edu/s/61773ba12f?source=link .
doug.
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Terry
Yes, Doug - better is best.
We glimpse what sort of people ACADEMIC writers are and the word is "constipated."
They cram too many shells in their pockets along the sandy beach of history and disfigure the outline.
The best popularizer of History I ever read was Isaac Asimov. He simply spoke to the reader as a fellow companion and it went down easy like a cold drink after a hard hot day.
Keep up the great work, Doug. -
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Second-Temple period mysteries and mysticisms
by Doug Mason ini don't know if anyone is interested in the subject of the mysteries and mysticisms of the second-temple period (including paul and the gospels) but if so:.
https://www.academia.edu/s/61773ba12f?source=link .
doug.
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Terry
Thank you Doug. Your lucubration is always interesting and informative.
If you compiled all your essays under one cover the book would be too heavy to lift!
Never a dull moment in the lot of them.
HOWEVER ...
These Academic long-run sentences nearly break my head!
To wit:
"In this God-intoxication, in which self and the world are alike forgotten, the subject knows himself to be in possession of the highest and fullest truth; but this truth is only possessed in the quite undeveloped, simple, and bare form of monotonous feeling; what truth the subject possesses is not filled up by any determination in which the simple unity might unfold itself, and it lacks therefore the clearness of knowledge, which is only attained when thought harmonizes differences with unity."
Wow!
I had to read this 3 times and I'm still a bit woozy.
Is this really necessary?
I'm known for long-winded writing - so pot is calling kettle 'black'.
Shorter sentences, please. Less abstract, please.
"...thought harmonizes differences with unity." I can't extract a sensible understanding of what that is saying. Is it just me?
"...this truth is only possessed in the quite undeveloped, simple, and bare form of monotonous feeling..."
I don't grok this either. I mean, I sort of get the gist of it ...but...?
If you are writing this for the 'average ex-JW" I don't think most of us will make it through the first few paragraphs.
I LOVE YOUR WORK , mind you - but must I swim so hard against the current only to drown in the riptide?
HELP! -
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A MYSTERIOUS (maybe romantic) LETTER arrives!
by Terry inmysterious romantic letter?.
my story begins at noon with the letter-carrier dropping off a mystery envelope.
(for my grandson severin (he was out walking his chihuahua.).
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Terry
I was playing chess on Roku while my grandson was busying himself pondering the peculiar letter or I imagine it would only have taken a flash glance at the insert. That artwork is telltale!
I wonder if being locked down for pandemic is sorting JW's into a divided group due to lack of fellowship??? -
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A MYSTERIOUS (maybe romantic) LETTER arrives!
by Terry inmysterious romantic letter?.
my story begins at noon with the letter-carrier dropping off a mystery envelope.
(for my grandson severin (he was out walking his chihuahua.).
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A MYSTERIOUS (maybe romantic) LETTER arrives!
by Terry inmysterious romantic letter?.
my story begins at noon with the letter-carrier dropping off a mystery envelope.
(for my grandson severin (he was out walking his chihuahua.).
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Terry
This throw-back to analog snail-mail is primitive but how can it be effective?
How do you hold a Covid-safe Bible study?
How do you invite a HH to the virtual Kingdom Hall and love bomb them?
No, I think this is to keep JW's busy with the ILLUSION they are engaged in witness work of importance.
Who would ever have predicted it would come to this feckless last-ditch travesty? -
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A MYSTERIOUS (maybe romantic) LETTER arrives!
by Terry inmysterious romantic letter?.
my story begins at noon with the letter-carrier dropping off a mystery envelope.
(for my grandson severin (he was out walking his chihuahua.).
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Terry
Mysterious Romantic Letter?My story begins at noon with the letter-carrier dropping off a mystery envelope(for my Grandson Severin (he was out walking his Chihuahua.)(age 28) Severin - not the dog.The return address gave the name "Lucia."Ahhhh…As far as I knew - there was no special love interest in his life.Or… was there?(Cue the music).I placed the mystery envelope in his room and when he returned, I asked, “Who is Lucia?”“I don’t know any Lucia - why?”I smiled. “She’s in your room waiting on you!”Severin gives me his “Grandpa needs professional help” look.(A familiar expression around here.)Shortly afterward, he returns from the bedroom to the living room grasping the hastily opened letter in his hand - and the most bewildered (but excited!) demeanor.I could read his face:there was hope in his eyes.There was a thrill coursing through his bloodstream.Eyes opened wide with expectation; he was panting like the Chihuahua.“What does Lucia have to say - and who the hell is she?” I queried eagerly.“I don’t know - I CAN’T READ SPANISH!”“Say Wha-a-a-at?”“I took 2 years of Spanish in school and I can’t read a word of it!”I could see how distressed he was and tried my best to calm him“You better translate it because the love of your life, your better half - the girl of your dreams Is out there reaching out to you and WAITING to hear from you!” I suggested placidly.For some reason this didn’t calm him.“There’s some clipping or something that came with the letter.”“What do you mean?”“It is in Spanish too. It looks like an invitation or - well - I just don’t know.”I rallied my resourceful side and instantly came up with a plan.“Take a photo of the letter and the invitation and send it to somebody you know who can read Spanish.”He was getting overtaken by the spirit of this romantic enterprise increasingly, minute by minute.“Whoever it is - “ he began, “she’s probably been admiring me from afar all this time”, he added - “only now getting up the courage to contact me - THE MAN OF HER DREAMS- to invite me to something special - some incredible date… or something.”That last word had an extra tremor inside, like a resonant bell after it has been rung.Finally, I twigged.“Let me see it!”Severin handed it over. Sure enough it was hand-printed carefully. A long letter like nobody his age even knows how to write anymore in this age of e-mail and text messages.This was motivated by strong feelings; it was plain to see (except for the not-understanding-one-damned-word part of it) - all those hand-crafted words had poured out of a kind heart brimful of hope, longing, and probable lust!I blurted out, “Your whole life changes from this moment forward! It was meant to be - it is heaven sent - the gods are crying out to you …”I suddenly broke off from my impassioned, eloquent speech because my eye caught sight of the insert; that ‘other’ thing from inside the envelope.It was like a little familiar pamphlet of some kind.A stirring welled up from the soles of my feet all the way up my spine like an unwinding anaconda.Somehow...someway...I intuited the images printed upon the paper.A closer look - eyes squinting - a dawning volcanic sudden comprehension smashed my brain like a brick through a plate glass window.(Ian Fleming had written that phrase in Dr. No referencing the Walther PPK .765 mm pistol.)I exclaimed aloud: “HOLY SHIT - this is a JEHOVAH’s WITNESS and she is trying to EVANGELIZE YOU!!It all came rushing back straightaway - the pandemic has restrained JW’s from going door to door in their ministry and the Watchtower leaders have admonished the Brothers and Sisters to copy in their own personal handwriting a message about JEHOVAH’s Kingdom!The insert is a Tract meant to propagandize my unsuspecting grandson and draw him into a web of culty craftiness!!I explained all this aloud to Severin and watched (like an ambulance driver) as the light of hope left his eyes and the flush of pinkish hue drained from his cheeks!Hopes dashed.Back to an empty world of isolation and solitude.Those insidious well-intentioned bastards!He crumpled the letter and tract into a wad and tossed it in the trash.I requested that he retrieve it so I could have something to write about and post here aboutThis temporary excitement.Oh well. It may have been a false alarm but at least neither of us got ahead of ourselves.Severin began to see the humor in the situation. In fact, he started laughing.I agree. It’s just a much needed break in a rather monotonous life in a chaotic world ofPandemic.And that’s the end of it. I have attached the photo of the telltale love letter.
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Terry
Yes. Did you watch the follow up program ABOUT Jehovah's Witnesses she did?
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Are We Now Living in a POST-Science world (at least politically?)
by Terry inif your sex is only what you say it is, without any reference to biological reality, .
your race can be only what you say it is, without any reference to biological reality.. .
is this repudiation of science?
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Terry
There is a literary series for kids called, "Choose your own adventure".
There are several continuations within each book,and the reader takes whatever path appeals.
Current generations seem to apply that template to everything in life.Truthis what they choose and there is no IS-ness to "is". (Right, Bill Clinton?) -
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Are We Now Living in a POST-Science world (at least politically?)
by Terry inif your sex is only what you say it is, without any reference to biological reality, .
your race can be only what you say it is, without any reference to biological reality.. .
is this repudiation of science?
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Terry
...and IDIOCRACY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clYwX8Z43zg&ab_channel=LuisMedeirosPereira