in the last year or so, many bible passages that i used to strongly and confidently apply to non-jws, began to seem to apply to jws.
this change in my thinking was shocking and disturbing.
i can best describe the feeling by comparing it to the feeling i got in 1981 when i watched the movie dead and buried starring james farentino.. in that movie there are murders committed in a small town by dead people reanimated by a doctor doing experiments.
Here is another scripture that fits the Jehovah's Witnesses:
Romans 9:26
and in the place where it was said to them, ‘YOU are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’"
[Name of person] is no longer a Jehovah's Witness ----> ‘YOU are not my people,’
(see page 154 of the book; "Organized to do Jehovah's Will")
abe
Able - Did you know "gullible" is not in the dictionary?
Cofty,
JWs are being excluded (disfellowshipped) from their congregation by their brothers, through the use of God's actual name:
Isaiah said it would happen:
Isaiah 66:5
Hear the word of Jehovah, YOU men who are trembling at his word: "YOUR brothers that are hating YOU, that are excluding YOU by reason of my name, said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part, and they are the ones that will be put to shame."
"[Name of person] is no longer a Jehovah's Witness" (announcement made from platform when a brother is disfellowshipped)
The Apostle Paul and Hosea said this would happen:
Romans 9:25-26
It is as he says also in Ho·se´a: "Those not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved ‘beloved’; 26 and in the place where it was said to them, ‘YOU are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’"
"[Name of person] is no longer a Jehovah's Witness" ==== ‘YOU are not my people,’
Also remember that Jesus Christ said it would happen:
John 16:1-4
"I have spoken these things to YOU that YOU may not be stumbled. 2 Men will expel YOU from the synagogue. In fact, the hour is coming when everyone that kills YOU will imagine he has rendered a sacred service to God. 3 But they will do these things because they have not come to know either the Father or me. 4 Nevertheless, I have spoken these things to YOU that, when the hour for them arrives, YOU may remember I told them to YOU.
As you can see from many comments in this thread some brothers have indeed stumbled and lost faith even when Jesus Christ asked us to "remember".
So what Jesus Christ said would happen, is really happening!
Leaving the JWs should reduce a persons faith only because what he said would happen, is happening!
Why would a person need faith that something would happen, when it is already happening?
From a spiritual point of view, leaving the JWs is the most amazing thing.
But hey, its not just about being disfellowshipped, everything else Jesus Christ said would happen, is also happening!
Jesus Christ is awesome!
abe
You really fell for that one didn't you?
1 - Make outrageous and risible predictions (there will always be a few who want to believe)
2 - Tell your followers to proclaim your predictions everywhere
3 - Make a further prediction that your followers will ridiculed and this will be evidence that you are a real prophet
It's called a self-fulfilling prophecy Abe.
Wake up!
He predicted his parousia would happen in the lifetime of his first followers. He was a liar &/or a delusional egomaniac.
Cofty,
You have important work to do in this forum which is guaranteed to have some small success.
Its happening exactly the way it is supposed to happen!
11:33-35
. 34 But when they are made to stumble they will be helped with a little help; and many will certainly join themselves to them by means of smoothness. 35 And some of those having insight will be made to stumble, in order to do a refining work because of them and to do a cleansing and to do a whitening, until the time of [the] end; because it is yet for the time appointed.
If you and others refrained from your activity here I would need to question my own convictions.
It's all good!
abe
What church do you now go to- Baptist?
I do not go to a church.
It is my conviction that many of my brothers are here.
Like me, they are also being hated!
Romans 9:25-26
It is as he says also in Ho·se´a: "Those not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved ‘beloved’; 26 and in the place where it was said to them, ‘YOU are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’"
[Name of person] is no longer a Jehovah's Witness ----> ‘[YOU] are not my people,’
At the present time this forum and others like it are the closest thing to a gathering of brothers which, exists.
There is NO Church that can even come close!
This is it!
abe
"pointing that out"- but only if you spread that opinion causing divisions.
Would sending a snail mail letter to each and every member of the congregation with my convictions explained, fit your criteria?
since we WOULDN'T be baptised if we thought this WASN'T the real Christian Brotherhood.
Is the real temple of God in false religion?
Consider what Paul said in 2nd Thessalonians.
Does Satan have spectacular success at undermining false religion or "the real Christian Brotherhood" immediately before Jesus Christ's return?
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called "god" or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.
Do you now see the paradox which eludes the JW's?
I am asking because your comment above suggests that this is something new to you.
Yes, it is my conviction that IT IS "the real Christian Brotherhood"
Which is why they hate me even more!
Isaiah 66:5
Hear the word of Jehovah, YOU men who are trembling at his word: "YOUR brothers that are hating YOU, that are excluding YOU by reason of my name, said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part, and they are the ones that will be put to shame."
abe
the oldest in tact bible found is the codex voronicus, (miss spelled) and the oldest writings ever found were the greek septuagint written by jews in alexandria.
both of these collections of writings included the apocryphal and other writings like chapters and other verses of daniel not included in the jw bible.
so the question one must ask, is if your a bible believer how can you just throw out these writings, because reading these additional writings will change your understanding of what you have learned?.
I read as much of those early writings as possible.
So far this is one of the most profound things I have found, (in the Epistle of Barnabus (codex sinaiticus)):
CHAPTER 11
11:1 Let us inquire, therefore, if the Lord cared to
show us beforehand concerning the water and concerning
the cross. Concerning the water it is written, with
respect to Israel, how that they will not receive the
baptism that bringeth remission of sins, but will
establish one for themselves.
That is exactly what the JWs have done!
Invented a baptism for themselves.
Barnabus however, is quoting yet another text because he says above; "Concerning the water it is written".
Does anyone know what text he is quoting?
Need some help with this.
abe
...did you also toss your Faith as well?
I was disfellowshipped because of pointing out that a vow to; "God's Spirit Directed Organization" showed a reprehensible disregard for Jesus Christs baptismal commandment and his authority.
Tried to help them understand that to have the audacity to change his baptismal command they must therefore think they are better than him. They had lifted themselves up above a god and were publicly showing themselves to be gods.
I took a stand for Jesus Christ.
Now they hate me, reproach me and lyingly say wicked things about me.
Matthew 5:11-12
"Happy are YOU when people reproach YOU and persecute YOU and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against YOU for my sake. 12 Rejoice and leap for joy, since YOUR reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to YOU.
Isaiah 66:5
Hear the word of Jehovah, YOU men who are trembling at his word: "YOUR brothers that are hating YOU, that are excluding YOU by reason of my name, said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part, and they are the ones that will be put to shame."
[Name of person] is no longer a Jehovah's Witness.
Everything Jesus Christ said would happen, is really happening!
Why would a believer become an unbeliever when the things he had faith in are now really happening!
abe
a hypothetical question.. at a minimum, what evidence would it take to prove that the society is trying to quietly shed publishers?.
now, i don't think we have evidence of this yet but that doesn't mean it could never happen.
we must consider where the trends of magazine/literature cuts, branch office sales, coerced contributions, bethel/do layoffs, and emphasis on jw.org lead us.. otoh, you might argue that there would never be a deliberate move to get rid of them, just moves that discreetly abandon them.
The "harlot" consists of those anointed partakers in the Kingdom Halls around the world.
The "waters" are the people in those congregations.
The ten kings (governing body) and the wild beast (God's spirit directed organization) hate the "harlot"!
But why?
The answer is here:
Revelation 17:15-17
And he says to me: "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is sitting, mean peoples and crowds and nations and tongues. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire. 17 For God put [it] into their hearts to carry out his thought, even to carry out [their] one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished.
abe
i seriously don't get it.. some people truly hate`jews.. and it's not just jews.... gays, christians, blacks, mexicans, etc.
are on the list.. intolerance is a terrible thing..
Luke 21:24
and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.
Everything Jesus Christ said would happen, is really happening!
abe
i came across this lecture at 3am not being able to sleep by dan baker.
it details his transition from christian fundamentalist to atheist and the various shades in-between.
he realises that every denomination of christian can open the bible and prove to you that they have the right interpretation and everyone else is wrong.
Yes not one of them can answer even the most basic and fundamental of questions. All you see is that same gleeful and conceited self satisfaction. It's quite sickening.
Everything that Jesus Christ said would happen, is really happening!
I'm happy!
Matthew 5:11-12
"Happy are YOU when people reproach YOU and persecute YOU and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against YOU for my sake. 12 Rejoice and leap for joy, since YOUR reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to YOU.
abe
