Doug Mason

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Posts by Doug Mason

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  1

  Source material on "1935"

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  early watchtower sources dealing with the identification in 1935 of the great crowd:.

  http://www.jwstudies.com/1935_in_divine_purpose_and_contemporary_publications.pdf .

  doug.

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  10 years ago
• 

  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  Early Watchtower sources dealing with the identification in 1935 of the “Great Crowd”:
  

  http://www.jwstudies.com/1935_in_Divine_Purpose_and_contemporary_publications.pdf
  

  Doug
  
  

  Link
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  24

  Andromeda awaits the "Great Crowd of Other Sheep"

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  the great crowd, the other sheep will live forever on planet earth.. years will move from centuries, millennia, and millions of years to billions of years.

  after 4 billion years, the sky will fill as their milky way galaxy and its neighbouring andomeda galaxy collide, with amazing changes in gravitational forces.

  what an amazing sight!.

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  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  The Great Crowd, the Other Sheep will live forever on planet Earth.

  Years will move from centuries, millennia, and millions of years to billions of years. After 4 billion years, the sky will fill as their Milky Way galaxy and its neighbouring Andomeda galaxy collide, with amazing changes in gravitational forces. What an amazing sight!

  One billion years later, after surviving the collision of two galaxies, the Great Crowd of Other Sheep will experience the sun expand and self-destruct.

  What will the Watchtower magazines be saying at the time?

  Doug
  

  
  

  Link +1 / -0
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  10

  Apocalyptic 2 Esdras 2

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  await your shepherd; he will give you everlasting rest, because he who will come at the end of the age is close at hand.

  be ready for the rewards of the kingdom.

  ... receive what the lord has entrusted to you and be joyful, giving thanks to him who has called you to heavenly kingdoms..

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  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  EdenOne,

  As I research further, I now have doubts as to which was written first, and I likely need to retract my initial assumptions. The OT canons that contain 2 Esdras are from Christian sources (Epiphanius, Jerome, Council of Carthage, Alexandrinus, Some Orthodox, Latin Vulgate).
  

  Although tradition attributed it to Ezra, that is by no means reliable. As we know, the practice of false attribution extended to several of the NT writings  attributed to Paul and to Peter.

  So I will take a cold shower on that one.

  Doug
  

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  10

  Apocalyptic 2 Esdras 2

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  await your shepherd; he will give you everlasting rest, because he who will come at the end of the age is close at hand.

  be ready for the rewards of the kingdom.

  ... receive what the lord has entrusted to you and be joyful, giving thanks to him who has called you to heavenly kingdoms..

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  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  EdenOne,

  That is exactly the point I was hoping someone would observe.

  It indicates to me that the writers of Revelation did not have any of the claimed euphoric experiences, but they rewrote existing earlier Jewish material. (2 Esdras is included in some canons of the Hebrew Scriptures - OT.)
  

  Revelation makes little, if any, reference to contemporary Christian writings. That being the case, this contradicts the WTS's statement that certain NT passages in the Gospels, Acts and Epistles refer the 144,000.

  (The number 144 is significant in Hebrew gematria.)

  Doug
  

  Link
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  16

  Those who have not defiled themselves with women

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  i am seeking a copy of this article:.

  those who have not defiled themselves with women: revelation 14:4 and the book of enoch, daniel carl olson, catholic biblical quarterly, 59.3, 1997, pages 492-510, issn: 0008-7912.

  if someone is able to locate a copy, you will find my email address at:.

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  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  Radar!

  Thank you so very much for your amazing help.

  Deeply appreciated.

  Doug
  

  Link
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  16

  Those who have not defiled themselves with women

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  i am seeking a copy of this article:.

  those who have not defiled themselves with women: revelation 14:4 and the book of enoch, daniel carl olson, catholic biblical quarterly, 59.3, 1997, pages 492-510, issn: 0008-7912.

  if someone is able to locate a copy, you will find my email address at:.

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  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  Thanks Village I,
  

  I have followed up on your lead. As you say, we do have a Catholic University here in Melbourne, so I will take a trip to see them as well.

  Great help! Thanks,

  Doug
  

  Link
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  10

  Apocalyptic 2 Esdras 2

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  await your shepherd; he will give you everlasting rest, because he who will come at the end of the age is close at hand.

  be ready for the rewards of the kingdom.

  ... receive what the lord has entrusted to you and be joyful, giving thanks to him who has called you to heavenly kingdoms..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  Await your shepherd; he will give you everlasting rest, because he who will come at the end of the age is close at hand. Be ready for the rewards of the kingdom. … Receive what the Lord has entrusted to you and be joyful, giving thanks to him who has called you to heavenly kingdoms.

  Rise and stand, and see at the feast of the Lord the number of those who have been sealed. Those who have departed from the shadow of this age have received glorious garments from the Lord. Take again your full number, O Zion, and conclude the list of your people who are clothed in white, who have fulfilled the law of the Lord. …

  I, Ezra, saw on Mount Zion a great multitude, which I could not number, and they all were praising the Lord with songs. In their midst was a young man of great stature, taller than any of the others, and on the head of each of them he placed a crown, but he was more exalted than they.

  And I was held spellbound. Then I asked an angel, “Who are these, my lord?”

  He answered and said to me, “These are they who have put off mortal clothing and have put on the immortal, and they have confessed the name of God; now they are being crowned, and receive palms.”

  Then I said to the angel, “Who is that young man who places crowns on them and puts palms in their hands?” He answered and said to me, “He is the Son of God, whom they confessed in the world.”

  So I began to praise those who had stood valiantly for the name of the Lord. Then the angel said to me, “Go, tell my people how great and many are the wonders of the Lord God which you have seen.” (2 Esdras 2:34-48, RSV)

  Link
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  16

  Those who have not defiled themselves with women

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  i am seeking a copy of this article:.

  those who have not defiled themselves with women: revelation 14:4 and the book of enoch, daniel carl olson, catholic biblical quarterly, 59.3, 1997, pages 492-510, issn: 0008-7912.

  if someone is able to locate a copy, you will find my email address at:.

  1. 
  2. 
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  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  There is no doubt that the writer(s) of Revelation were mysoginists (as was the anonymous writer of 1 Peter).

  For the book of Revelation, good men are virgins and therefore are pure and undefiled, whereas the women are portrayed as harlots. In the Mosaic Law, people who engaged in sexual activity were deemed unclean for a time.

  The people who wrote this stuff came from a different culture, from a different time, with different standards and understandings. This is not an excuse, but an observation.

  Doug
  

  Link
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  16

  Those who have not defiled themselves with women

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  i am seeking a copy of this article:.

  those who have not defiled themselves with women: revelation 14:4 and the book of enoch, daniel carl olson, catholic biblical quarterly, 59.3, 1997, pages 492-510, issn: 0008-7912.

  if someone is able to locate a copy, you will find my email address at:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  10 years ago
• 

  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  I am seeking a copy of this article:

  “Those Who Have Not Defiled Themselves with Women”: Revelation 14:4 and the Book of Enoch, Daniel Carl Olson, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 59.3, 1997, pages 492-510, ISSN: 0008-7912

  If someone is able to locate a copy, you will find my email address at:
  

  http://www.jwstudies.com/contact_me.html

  Thanks,

  Doug
  

  Link
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  6

  Virgins and the Bride?

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10 years ago

  i know that a parable must never be made to walk on all four legs, that many of its elements are there to act as "fillers".. nevertheless, i wonder if i have missed something with the watchtower's "explanation" of the parable of the ten virgins.

  they state that the parable relates to their anointed class.

  but the wts also says that the 144,000 are the "bride".. so are the "anointed" part of the wedding party that is waiting outside as well as being the "bride" waiting inside?.

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  10 years ago
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  Doug Mason 10 years ago

  Hi Phizzy,

  In my estimation, terms such as "spiritual  virgins", "spirit-anointed" and the like are offspring whose parents never knew one another. I am sure we could think of more of these.

  Doug
  

  Link