Posts by Cold Steel

43

How Will Armageddon Begin?

by Cold Steel in

and how long will it last?

and who will come after that, yahweh, as the old testament says or jesus, as the new testament says?

the scriptures say he'll come to the mount of olives, but surely that's a spiritual mount of olives.

Cold Steel

Peely » I believe the ultimate battle of Armageddon is one of judgment to come upon God’s Chosen kings, and the establishment of his Kingdom with those who have proved their loyalty to Christ – the King of kings – those who have retained their covenant with him in repentance and refinement. Those who choose to reside in darkness (lies), enter the covenant of death under Satan’s “Babylon” (confusion) at the hands of the two Beasts of Revelation. God’s anointed Chosen ones can fall. 1 John 2:19; 2 Thess 2:1-4; 2 Cor 11:1-4; Isa 28:5-15.

When Jesus returns, he will indeed judge the earth. The Old Testament says that it's Yahweh who will come in the clouds with glory, while the New Testament says it will be Jesus. The Old Testament also says Yahweh will judge the earth when he comes, indicating that Yahweh and Jesus are one and the same. Not only do they have the same titles, John tells us that the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). So yes, God comes with both salvation and judgment.

The prophets make it unmistakably clear that when he comes, he will come to the Jews in Jerusalem. In fact, the scriptures speak of the times of the gentiles ending and the times of the Jews beginning. Zechariah warns the survivors of those nations that came up against the Jews that if they don't mend their enmity with each other and the Jews and come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, that he will smite them with plague, drought and famine (see Zechariah 14) until they do. It will be tough, but the Muslims will have to repudiate many of their beliefs to conform with the will of the God of Israel. It will not be easy. According to Ezekiel, it will take seven years to bury the dead and to burn the implements of war. The nations of the Antichrist also will have to completely reevaluate their theology.

Judah also will have to reevaluate its theology and accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and the God of Israel. He will pass through the East Gate of the city and into the third temple, which is yet to be built.

43

How Will Armageddon Begin?

by Cold Steel in

and how long will it last?

and who will come after that, yahweh, as the old testament says or jesus, as the new testament says?

the scriptures say he'll come to the mount of olives, but surely that's a spiritual mount of olives.

Cold Steel

Prophecy taken from Ezekiel 38 shows this to be in our day:

8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10 Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

Ezekiel tells us that Armageddon will take place "in the latter years" (read "latter days") the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people." Prophetically, this is right on. In no other time has Judah ever been gathered out of many nations except for right now. And never has Israel ever dwelt safely "without walls" and "having neither bars nor gates" and "unwalled villages" except in our day. After World War II, the Jews (Judah) began gathering to Palestine out of many nations -- from both North and South America, Asia, Europe, the nations of Africa and the islands of the sea. How did Ezekiel know that Judah would be "the people that are gathered out of the nations" in the last days?

Ezekiel also identifies the nations that would be against Israel, and they include modern day Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia (all Muslim nations). Also, Islam has vowed to destroy Israel and will do so according to its own eschatology. Again, how did Ezekiel know hundreds of years before Jesus that Judah would be scattered throughout the nations of the earth, then miraculously gathered back to its ancestral homeland? And how did he know they would be threatened by their Islamic nations? Look at the Six Day War, where all the pundits predicted that Israel would be wiped off the map, yet Israel miraculously creamed its enemies and in just days increased its land possessions by several hundred percent!

Atheists and JWs fail to see the incredible fulfillment of prophecy that's going on before their eyes. And it's going to get much worse, then much better.

6

The Governing Body Individually Should Google Their Names

by Brokeback Watchtower in

google has a great search engine.

and gb member can find it a valuable aid to see what the world outside of jws thinks of them.

hey they should know what being said about them it would make them better gbs, it would give them a good view of their 'shadow' (jungian) and might make them more effective ceo of jehovah's chariot.if am3 typed in "anthony morris governing body" look at all the neat stuff he would find.. i know google is tailored to each individual but here's what comes up on my screen:.

Cold Steel

You gotta admit...the man looks happy!

One more thing. I'll betcha a million billion dollars they Google each other's names, too.

17

If Watchtower can use a non-sequitur to say that Jesus now knows the day and the hour, despite Matthew 24:36 ....

by Island Man in

... where's the good sense preventing them from again making a date prediction for the end and using a non-sequitur to justify their claim in the face of matthew 24:36?

"... but christ has been empowered in heaven to wage war against satan's world.

(rev 19:11-16) thus, it is reasonable to conclude that jesus now knows when armageddon will occur...." - watchtower july 2016, page 14, par.

Cold Steel

"... But Christ has been empowered in heaven to wage war against Satan's world. (Rev 19:11-16) Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus now knows when Armageddon will occur...." - Watchtower July 2016, page 14, par. 4.

Look, the writer was simply stating an opinion. And he or she may be right. If we accept that "all authority in Heaven and Earth" has been given to Jesus, it would stand to reason that he would now know the time of his coming. The biblical Armageddon will begin about three and a half years after the historic peace agreement with Gog/Antichrist. At that time the agreement will be negated and the Muslim nations surrounding Israel will attack in a war of annihilation. Two prophets will withstand the enemy for another three and a half years, but will ultimately be killed. Their bodies will lie on the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days. Then Jesus comes, destroys Gog, converts the Jews and restores the Temple, making Jerusalem a world capital.

My point is, that one the peace agreement is signed, anyone with a calendar will be able to accurately predict Christ's coming. Thus, what was once true no longer will hold true. In the Society's case, the writer simply states an opinion that may or may not be true.

If the GB is God's official channel, as the JWs believe, then such a statement might be an inspired utterance. But whether an opinion or declaration, the statement may actually be correct. But to me it just sounded like an opinion. Nothing more.

6

The Governing Body Individually Should Google Their Names

by Brokeback Watchtower in

google has a great search engine.

and gb member can find it a valuable aid to see what the world outside of jws thinks of them.

hey they should know what being said about them it would make them better gbs, it would give them a good view of their 'shadow' (jungian) and might make them more effective ceo of jehovah's chariot.if am3 typed in "anthony morris governing body" look at all the neat stuff he would find.. i know google is tailored to each individual but here's what comes up on my screen:.

Cold Steel

I guarantee you they Google their names.

I'll bet you a million billion dollars they Google their own names!

43

How Will Armageddon Begin?

by Cold Steel in

and how long will it last?

and who will come after that, yahweh, as the old testament says or jesus, as the new testament says?

the scriptures say he'll come to the mount of olives, but surely that's a spiritual mount of olives.

Cold Steel

Peely » This war is not fought with literal weapons used in literal war. The symbolism of Revelation and Joel helps define it as fought in the valley of “decision”.

John only refers to it in passing, Peely. The real meat of these prophecies is in Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 12, 14, and Psalm 83. And I guarantee you real weapons will be employed. Ezekiel tells us specifically what nations will be involved and about the personality known as Gog (the Beast). Every nation listed is a Muslim nation. Add to that that Islamic eschatology calls for a war of total destruction against the Jews -- only in their prophecies, they win and destroy the Jews.

When Jesus/Yahweh returns he will come to the Mount of Olives and scripture says his feet will touch the Mount, just as the angel predicted. One of the Jews will ask him, "What are these wounds in your hands?"

Jesus will destroy all but a sixth of Gog's forces. The Jews will finally be converted and Jerusalem will become a world capital. It's all there. But that's the biblical Armageddon. I'm not sure how the JWs came up with their concept, which is more like the Norse Ragnorak.

43

How Will Armageddon Begin?

by Cold Steel in

and how long will it last?

and who will come after that, yahweh, as the old testament says or jesus, as the new testament says?

the scriptures say he'll come to the mount of olives, but surely that's a spiritual mount of olives.

Cold Steel

Interesting.

I don't see the biblical teachings of Armageddon as a ridiculous religious fable at all. The book of Revelation was written after the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jews by the Romans, yet clearly they were convinced that Jerusalem would be restored. The things that are happening in the Middle East appear to be lining up for the old Jewish and Christian prophecies, but not the JW interpretation.

When apocalyptic literature speaks of the "entire earth" or "the whole earth," it more often than not is merely hyperbole. Joel Richardson quotes Gleason L. Archer Jr., "perhaps the chief apostle of the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy and a well-known translator and scholar of Biblical languages" as stating: "The whole earth (kol ‘ara`) refers, not to all known parts of the inhabited earth, but rather (as in general OT usage) to the entire territory of the Near and Middle East that in any way relates to the Holy Land. The word 'ara' (and its Hebrew equivalent ères) does not necessarily mean globe in the sense of 'the entire inhabited globe' but—depending on context—might mean a single country (ères yisra’el is 'the land of Israel') or a larger geographical unit, such as 'territory' or 'region.')"

The GB falls for the global scope of "the Beast" when according to Ezekiel, the nations are listed in chapter 38, and they're all Muslim countries. ISIS already is beheading people as John saw, and Islam is rich in its traditions of prophecy in attacking Jerusalem. But it will be a local event in the Middle East, not a global event as the JWs teach.

16

When GB Members Travel...Do They Stay With Members?

by Cold Steel in

or do they stay at hotels?

do most jws know who's on the governing body?

if one just showed up at church would he be immediately recognized?

Cold Steel

The whole "slave class" is total bullshit.

I'm fascinated by the JW's choice of the word of "slave" over the word "servant." A slave usually has no agency and is owned. A servant generally has more agency and responsibility than a slave. In fact, the NWT is the only bible translation that uses the word slave that I know of. Also, slaves also don't generally fly Business Class but are generally chained in the cargo hold!

Based on my reading, the Lord encourages us to think of Him as our Father and us as His Children, and John says that "when we see Him, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2) Certainly they will see this as the 144,000 John-class individuals, but still, this is hardly slave status!

In the past, the GB have said they're not leaders of the Society; they simply serve as a conduit of Jehovah's will. From God's mouth to their ears!

16

When GB Members Travel...Do They Stay With Members?

by Cold Steel in

or do they stay at hotels?

do most jws know who's on the governing body?

if one just showed up at church would he be immediately recognized?

Cold Steel

So you mean to say they stay in hotels, never with members? Didn't Jesus stay with friends and strangers? Look how he changed the lives of those he was with. And the GB members would have enormous opportunities to minister to the people. Not only by example, but to learn of their needs. Aren't we supposed to serve? In fact, aren't the greatest among us supposed to be the servants of all? And aren't they supposed to feed those in the household of God? The faithful and discreet servant...er...slave?

Where does it say Jesus ever stayed at the Jerusalem Marriott? (It's not in my Bible.)

These guys need to get with the program. But maybe Jesus being only an archangel, he's working under a different schedule. Think of the people these guys have the potential of inspiring or influencing -- people who put them in the same boat as the apostles themselves! The stories these people could pass down to their kids and grandkids! Anthony Morris III stayed with us one weekend! How cool would that be? But no, they're at the local Hilton writing snide comments in the Gideon Bibles!

Okay, I'm kidding, but you see where I'm going with this, right?

16

When GB Members Travel...Do They Stay With Members?

by Cold Steel in

or do they stay at hotels?

do most jws know who's on the governing body?

if one just showed up at church would he be immediately recognized?

Cold Steel

Or do they stay at hotels?

Do most JWs know who's on the Governing Body? If one just showed up at church would he be immediately recognized?

Are all members of the GB anointed (of the John class)? And when there's a vacancy, how do they fill the position? Are names submitted to them or do they choose people known to them? Also, what is the extent of their authority? Can a GB member override the decision of local leaders, or is each Kingdom Hall independent?

Finally, if one of these members had come to your KH one weekend (now if you're active or when you were active), would you have put them up for one or two nights? Do you know anyone who's done this?