Use it as a tool for furture work with Bible commentaries, lexicons, and studies. Don't just say "Aha! The one side says THIS and the other says THAT!"
Otherwise you might as well sell it on ebay and get 30 bucks for it.
Posts by Cygnus
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21Okay, I got a Kingdom Interlinear Translation Bible.... Now what?
by hubert inwell, i was going to add to this, but hit the wrong button.
(duh)
so, how do i find nwt comparisons that are not exact changes in it?
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10
Parousia
by TheListener in.
has anyone done an exhausive research paper on parousia?
anything like what leolaia did for the words stauros and xulon.. any information would be useful.
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Cygnus
*** dp chap. 17 p. 289 Identifying True Worshipers in the Time of the End ***
It is evident that the angel was here pointing to a period of time specified elsewhere in Bible prophecy. Jesus called it his "presence" (Greek, pa·rou·si´a), when he would rule as King in heaven. (Matthew 24:37-39) This time period is also called "the last days" and "the time of the end." (2 Timothy 3:1; Daniel 12:4, 9) Ever since that period began in 1914, Michael has been standing as King in heaven.—Compare Isaiah 11:10; Revelation 12:7-9. When, though, does Michael "stand up"? When he rises up to take special action. This, Jesus will do in the future.
Does that clear it up for you?
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7
JOELBEAR - I am worried (BIGSTYLE)
by hamsterbait in.
joelbear is posting in a way that worries me.
he seems to have desperately low self-esteem, and not to care about living.. i can't do anything except implore him to find help, and assure him that i care as much as is possible.. i am seriously worried.. hb
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Cygnus
I think, from years of experience, that Joel will be okay. He just expresses his fears and moods, and good for him.
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19
Anointed Sealed...
by zeroday init has been over 70 years since the anointed number has been sealed.
assuming those anointed were of reasoning age when the number was sealed and the great crowd came into play, how long will the fds stick to this reasoning that the anointed still exist.
or will there be "new light" as in the 1914 understanding.
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Cygnus
*** re chap. 19 p. 115 Sealing the Israel of God ***
What is this sealing, and who are these slaves of God? The sealing began at Pentecost 33 C.E. when the first Jewish Christians were anointed with holy spirit.
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re chap. 38 p. 277 Praise Jah for His Judgments! ***the time must come when all remaining ones on earth of the 144,000 will have been sealed individually as belonging to Jehovah. (2 Timothy 2:19) This will be when the Lamb’s wife will have fully prepared herself—the great majority of the 144,000 having already received their heavenly reward and those still on earth having been finally approved and sealed as faithful ones.
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At this point in Jehovah’s timetable, when the sealing of the 144,000 has reached completion, the angels release the four winds of the great tribulation.***
w73 12/1 p. 730 Jehovah Brings ‘Sealing’ of His Chosen Ones to a Close ***The sealing that the angel does is a final sealing, a determination of the permanence of the initial sealing, so that "all [spiritual] Israel" is saved, the complete number of the 144,000 making the calling and choosing of themselves sure. (Rom. 11:26; 2 Pet. 1:10) Nearly all of these, if not all, were already sealed many years ago with the initial sealing. While it is true that some, before the sealing is permanent, may prove unfaithful and so others have to be sealed, there is no general ingathering of disciples being initially sealed at this late date. If those spiritual Israelites are to prove themselves true to God’s purpose for them, it is unlikely that God would initially seal new ones of this body of heavenly heirs at the ‘last minute.’
So, I think the teaching is those dead anointed have their reward, but the final sealing doesn't take place until the great tribulation or very shortly beforehand, at the marriage of the bride class (144000) and the groom (Jesus).
Wild and wacky stuph...
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19
Capital Punishment
by joelbear indon't many of us deserve to die for the way we have treated others during our life?
isn't it ridiculous to wait on the government to do this?
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Cygnus
Joel, my good friend, remember those old days in the AOL chat room? lol, they were a blast
Read a little about the Hedonistic Imperative. That'll either cheer you up or frighten you into sitting crumpled up in a corner for a week.
You've been reading a little too much Kurt Vonnegut lately, Joel. :) I don't think we're that bad. We're allowed to treat people like shit sometimes. That's human, man. Guilt is like a bag full of bricks. Who you carrying all those bricks around for, Joel?
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Quotes from the WT that piss off the WT
by Smiles inthere are many websites (like this one) that use quotes from wt publications, however, the wt has not filed a lawsuit against those websites... yet.. any ideas on what specific quotes at http://quotes.watchtower.ca pissed of the wt so that the wt has now filed a lawsuit?.
it has to be some specific quotes.
something that really embarrasses those wt bastards.
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Cygnus
All of them. There isnt one magazine, brochure, or book that the WTS or the IBS or the People's Pulpit hasn't published that doesn't contain something embarrassing to them in this day and age.
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New October 1 WT thoroughly, but ambiguously discourages college
by XBEHERE ini don't have the mag with me but i am fairly sure its the october 1 in the 2nd study article.
gives the same old reasoning they used to dish out i.e.
bad associations, promiscuity, drug and alcohol use, and essentially it is a waste of time.
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Cygnus
None of it makes any sense. By now a lot of JWs go through the motions with articles like this and do whatever they want anyway. I know of pioneers who quit pioneering in middle age and are now taking dance lessons or art schooling or other interests. Young JWs who may not go to college but they go on programs for their jobs to get promoted.
Funny, the WT needs at least a few good young men to pursue "higher education" to run their many facilities, serve as ambassadors, deal with legal issues, and write the damned books and magazines.
I'm 33 and feel like I'm 80, in part thanks to the WT drilling it into my head that I didn't need to go to college, the New System was right around the corner. I used brawn instead of brains to make a living, and now I'm about fuct. If I get over my emotional trauma (not just WT related) and can concentrate, I'll try to learn something [more] about business to earn my living.
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100
Does anyone who Left Jehovahs Organization, still......
by defd inread the bible daily?
honestly do you?
or is it collecting dust on a table or shelf somewhere?
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Cygnus
In 1997 following my exodus from the Watchtower psuedo-religion I did... I especially liked the Catholic Jerusalem Bible for easy reading, and I obtained over 40 different versions for study and resource. One of my favorites was the Jewish New Testament published by JPS, and Joseph Malik sent me a CDROM of the Online Bible which was great for study and comparison.
By now I feel comfortable enough with my knowledge that I don't read the Bible hardly at all. And I gain no "spiritual benefit" from it whatsoever. The Tao of Poo would serve that purpose just as well.
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43
WATCHTOWER PUBLICLY ADMITS HUMAN OPINION AND NOT GOD'S SPIRIT
by Terry incan any christian imagine jesus christ taking the pharisees to court and complaining to the sanhedrin:
"stop these men from quoting me accurately--it is embarassing!"?
the pharisees twisted words for their own benefit and opposed jesus publicly for exposing their errors as errors of men spouting human opinion and passing it off as god's authority.
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Cygnus
As an aside, I feel that if one wishes to understand the Watchtower Society's positions on their place in the world and relationship with other religions and how they viewed matters, as well as the schisms that resulted from Pastor Russell's death, the many Bible Students websites out there provide much accurate information regarding these matters (e.g. the Chicago Bible Students, Free Bible Students, Dawn Millenialists (?), and Associated Bible Students). Also, the Pastor Russell Anthology CD-ROM contains all of Russell's writings, debates and sermons, and particularly fascinating is the section: What Pastor Russell Said.
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TWO-FACED HYPOCRITES!
by Terry in.
http://home.c2i.net/norman/changes.htm
read this well-written description of watchtower hypocrites applying one standard to others it won't apply to itself.. .
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Cygnus
Norm Hovland has been a prolific author of such pieces exposing WT hypocrisy for at least 10 years on the internet. He was often associated with Kent Steinhaug who ran the huge anti-Watchtower website "Watchtower Observer", and with Jan S. Haugland who opened a critical website of WT policies, doctrines and practices called "All Along the Watchtower", opened in 1996. The latter two are defunct but the pages have been retained and exist somewhere. Timothy Campbell also operated a simple website that had a measure of popularity with ex-JWs or questioning JWs. Edited to add: "Hourglass2 Outpost" run by a fellow nicknamed Rick was the JWD of its time, circa August 1996 to app. April 2001. That board contained a tremendous amount of diversity, argument and debate, fellowship and downright fighting (but nothing nearly as nasty as what has evolved since). Its initial purpose was for current JWs to discuss reform issues regarding the organization with anonymity. It was run with antiquated software and took tremendous amounts of bandwidth when refreshed so Rick changed its software and format and that fatal mistake pretty much killed the essense of the board's uniqueness and "feel" and led to a mass exodus, with many coming here to JWD to post, including myself. Some of its most tenured and prolific posters were myself, COMF, Jan, Kent (who was banned a few times), AlanF, You Know, CoHeRent, Friend, even Shining One/Rex here. Lee Elder who runs www.ajwrb.org posted often in the early going, but by June of 1997 the idea of "reform" died by announcements of myself, COMF and others that we felt the organization was unreformable, or at least we would have nothing to do with it in good conscience any longer. Just some background for those who are newer to the exJW internet experience.