my biggest question about jw is regarding the 144,000 from revelations.
how could john know exactly how many people were there?
how did he know that they were representing the 12 tribes of israel?
You Know wrote: "Too, the fact that Rev. mentions that 12,000 are taken from each of the 12 tribes, as it were, also verifies that an actual number is involved."
Will you accept, then, that it is the literal number of 12 tribes, with 12,000 from each tribe? No, you will say that is also symbolic!
subject: love your enemies.
example: matthew 5:45.
"for god makes it rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous".
So the Bible says it rains upon all men and the sun shines upon all men and attributes the source to God. Now whether you believe in God or not, it does rain upon all men and rain is needed for crops to grow and refill reservoirs to supply drinking water, etc. And the sun does shine upon all and doesn't ask you any questions nor withholds its light from anyone. Everything is fine, until there is too much rain (causing floods) and too much sun (causing droughts) and subsequent famines, etc. So just take God out of the picture. How do non-Bible advocates explain why there is too much rain or too much sun? If it just happens that still doesn't explain evil. How does no God and no Bible explain evil any better?
my biggest question about jw is regarding the 144,000 from revelations.
how could john know exactly how many people were there?
how did he know that they were representing the 12 tribes of israel?
Let's look at Rev. 14. Oh, yes, "Mount Zion," that's symbolic.
"A Lamb," that's symbolic. 144,000--now that's literal according to JW's. "Name written on foreheads," that's symbolic. "Four animals," that's symbolic. "The elders," that's symbolic. "Not been defiled with women," that's symbolic.
If all else is symbolic, why not the number 144,000?
this is something i've been puzzling over recently.
just for argument's sake, let's say that jesus did exist - was he murdered on a stake or on a cross?
this is puzzling me, because the only real research i've ever read on the subject was in wtbts publications, and since this is obviously a highly questionable source of documentation, i'd love it if someone here could point me to a scientific resource for finding out the truth about this...thx.... the earlier in the forenoon you take the sun bath, the greater will be the beneficial effect, because you get more of the ultra-violet rays, which are healing.
In 1945 two ossuaries (receptacles for bones) were found in the vicinity of Jerusalem. These ossuaries were found in a tomb used before A.D. 50. Graffiti contained the words "Jesous iou" and "Jesous aloth." Also present were four crosses.
The Jewish historian Josephus (37-100?) in his Antiquities of the Jews, 18.3.3 gave a brief description of Jesus and his mission, wherein he writes: "...and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross..." Notice, he speaks of a cross and not a torture stake. Also, immediately after the time of Christ, several non-Christian groups flourished in loose connection with the church. One of the more successful were known as Gnostics. In the second-century they wrote about Jesus that "He was nailed to a tree; he published the edict of the Father on the cross..." It is clearly seen, then from the earliest times, it was understood that crucifixion took place on a cross and not on a stake as so often maintained by JWs. Nor is the cross an invention of Constantine, for it was already there when he came on the scene.
on the back cover of the april 8 issue of awake!
is a little story about two teenagers 'caught' praying at macdonalds.
apparently the two teenagers felt the need to explain to an onlooker that they were praying to a 'different' god, or in the words of the article "not just any god".. i'm curious, which god was this?
Scourges, invading armies, floods, etc. still are with us today.
And I'm sure people still see Jehovah as the source. But is that what Jehovah really does? Or is that man's perception of what they think Jehovah does? Doesn't modern man still have the same viewpoint as the Old Testament writers? When someone dies, some say: "God took him away." Natural disasters: "That's the wrath of God or his punishment for sin." And man still has his "holy wars" with God on their side. When I read the whole Bible, however, I don't come to that viewpoint about Jehovah.
old habits die hard...and quite often in my comments i will refer to the borg as the 'truth'.
does anyone know of any other churches that refer to their own particular church or religion as the 'truth'??
also, does anyone know how it originated...all my life i have used the term...comments like 'how long have u been in the truth?
Yardiff asked Christ follower "Which particular heaven do you figure you'll occupy?"
And we can respond "Which particular heaven do you figure the Watchtower's 'anointed' will occupy?"
i am a full blown practising black satanic magician and ex-jw who is out to crush jehovah's empire and bring it to its knees.
i am seeking similar like minded persons for the gathering together of a magical order of the darkest kind.
respond only if you dare.
Nimrod: Let's face it! Anton LeVey is dead. His Church of Satan will soon follow. Satan has no power over anyone who really believes in God. I have no fear of (it) or you!
on the back cover of the april 8 issue of awake!
is a little story about two teenagers 'caught' praying at macdonalds.
apparently the two teenagers felt the need to explain to an onlooker that they were praying to a 'different' god, or in the words of the article "not just any god".. i'm curious, which god was this?
The Jehovah of the Watchtower Society is not the Jehovah of the Bible.
What's the point . . . or question???? Other punctuation marks will be appreciated!!!! Just joking.
this is something i've been puzzling over recently.
just for argument's sake, let's say that jesus did exist - was he murdered on a stake or on a cross?
this is puzzling me, because the only real research i've ever read on the subject was in wtbts publications, and since this is obviously a highly questionable source of documentation, i'd love it if someone here could point me to a scientific resource for finding out the truth about this...thx.... the earlier in the forenoon you take the sun bath, the greater will be the beneficial effect, because you get more of the ultra-violet rays, which are healing.
In the WT book "Mankind's Search for God," page 351 is a picture of
Jesus on an upright stake with one nail used in crucifixion.
However, John 20:25 has Thomas say he will not believe unless he sees in Jesus' hands the print of the nails (plural not singular)indicating that Jesus was crucified on a crossbar with arms outstretched (requiring at least two nails) rather than arms crossed over the head (requiring one nail) as depicted by the Watchtower Society.
