a more likely timeline.
scotoma
JoinedPosts by scotoma
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Updated Chronological Timeline of the Great Tribulation -- after the New Light from July Watchtower
by FusionTheism inthe july 15, 2015 study watchtower article entitled "your deliverance is getting near", along with the jw broadcasting video entitled "gerrit losch: fortified by "the prophetic word," and chapter 21 of the god's kingdom rules!
book presented a large amount of new light or clarified understanding of the events of the great tribulation.. here i am presenting it in chronological order -- this is the governing body's updated chronological order of events for the time right before the great tribulation through armageddon:.
the final sealing of the anointed occurs just prior to the outbreak of the tribulation.
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What kingdom do the sheep inherit?
by scotoma inonce again jehovah has decided to light a candle so jw's can see where they are going.. they went to great lengths to explain that feeding the hungry anointed, thirsty anointed, giving them clothing, housing and visiting them in jail means the preaching work (distributing literature).. this is indeed noble when you consider that the right-hand sheep do this not even knowing who they are helping.. if the sheep are oblivious of who they are helping they must not recognize these "least" ones as christs brothers.. and what is their reward for unknowingly, blindly helping christs brothers?
they inherit the kingdom that was prepared for them from the founding of the world.
the new-lighters conspicuously avoid explaining what kingdom they inherit and how they inherit it.. do they inherit the kingdom that flesh and blood can't inherit.
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scotoma
Once again Jehovah has decided to light a candle so JW's can see where they are going.
They went to great lengths to explain that feeding the hungry anointed, thirsty anointed, giving them clothing, housing and visiting them in jail means the preaching work (distributing literature).
This is indeed noble when you consider that the right-hand sheep do this not even knowing who they are helping.. If the sheep are oblivious of who they are helping they must not recognize these "least" ones as Christs brothers.
And what is their reward for unknowingly, blindly helping Christs brothers? They inherit the kingdom that was prepared for them from the founding of the world.
The new-lighters conspicuously avoid explaining what kingdom they inherit and how they inherit it.
Do they inherit the kingdom that flesh and blood can't inherit. (Romans 8:17)?
Or does that scripture simply mean they enter paradise on earth?
How can they go to all that trouble explaining that parable and not give some clarification of the manner in which they inherit the kingdom. Maybe Jehovah told them and they forgot to mention it. Or maybe that is something that will be explained the next time the "light" shines forth on the progressive revelation.
You've got to wonder why Jehovah didn't inspire the writer of Matthew to explicitly use the words "paradise" or "inherit the earth".?
The virgins have run out of oil in their lamps.
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Pope Francis - "does just so..." washes feet of women, Muslims, criminals
by scotoma inthe watchtower is always concerned about things being done "just so" when it comes to divine commands.. a command is usually set forth with words such as shall, should, ought.. when jesus washed the feet of his disciples he said:.
"therefore, if i, although lord and teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another".
the pope obeys christ's foot washing command but jw's don't.. what's the jw's excuse?
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scotoma
Blondie,
A little residue of hatred for the catholic hierarchy?
There is nothing wrong with a public leader to do things as an example.
Why question anyone's sincerity? You're not the judge. You don't know a person's deepest thoughts.
The thing about Pope Francis is that he didn't just wash the feet of some convenient priests in the official "foot wash room". Francis went to the poor to show he wants to serve them.
I think the ritual of washing feet is an effective experience for all concerned, the washer, the washee and the on lookers.
The point I wanted to make is that the scripture at John 13: 1-15 is clearly something Jesus expected his followers to copy. Jehovah's Witnesses have no effective argument against this practice. There is no justification for their ignoring this command except they want to be "different". I wasn't singling out the GB. They simply inherited this attitude from the crazy JR (Judge Rutheford)
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Pope Francis - "does just so..." washes feet of women, Muslims, criminals
by scotoma inthe watchtower is always concerned about things being done "just so" when it comes to divine commands.. a command is usually set forth with words such as shall, should, ought.. when jesus washed the feet of his disciples he said:.
"therefore, if i, although lord and teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another".
the pope obeys christ's foot washing command but jw's don't.. what's the jw's excuse?
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scotoma
The Watchtower is always concerned about things being done "JUST SO" when it comes to divine commands.
A command is usually set forth with words such as shall, should, ought.
When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples he said:
"Therefore, if I, although Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also OUGHT to wash the feet of one another"
The pope obeys Christ's foot washing command but JW's don't.
What's the JW's excuse? They say that was just a "one-off" example and not an empty ritual to be repeated. They finish by saying feet washing was a traditional courtesy because people wore sandals and their feet got dry and dirty.
They apparently didn't read the rest of that account.
Jesus says in John 13:15 "For I set the PATTERN for you, that just as I did to you, you SHOULD do also"
Siince JW's weren't there, the default understanding of what Jesus did has to be his own statment.
Isn't a pattern something that is repeated. Those who have actually engaged in the Maundy Thursday practice, talk about the humbling effect it has on one's ego.
The reasoning behind ignoring the ordinance of foot washing could be applied equally to baptism by immersion in water.
And to say that it was a cultural courtesy could be applied more appropriately to something like women wearing head coverings.
Just a little something to bring into the conversation as you get together with your witness relatives after the memorial.
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Stern faced King-Master of Deception-Powerful but not by his own power (Yeltsin appointed him)
by scotoma indaniel 8:23 in the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
24 he will become very strong, but not by his own power.
he will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does.
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scotoma
smiddy,
Unique? A quick goggle search on ANY subject will turn up enough information to make it clear that while a person may have an original idea (did their own thinking) there are many others that have had almost identical thoughts.
The mistake people make is concluding that trying to fit prophecy to world events is futile. It's kind of like a formula for investing in the stock market - it works until it doesn't. Prophecy fails until perhaps it doesn't.
The reason most people discount prophecy is that they feel you have to believe in God to believe in prophecy. If you are a little more creative - and a little less conventional you will be able to conceive of other explanations about the source and possible intent of prophecy that make better sense than believing it is from some all-powerful- all knowing entity.
If you believe in God you are positing an entity that you have to defend for letting things get so bad for the creatures he loves.
Belief in entities that evolved elsewhere a million years ahead of us presents fewer problems.
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Stern faced King-Master of Deception-Powerful but not by his own power (Yeltsin appointed him)
by scotoma indaniel 8:23 in the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
24 he will become very strong, but not by his own power.
he will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does.
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scotoma
Daniel 8:23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people.
Putin is 'Playing the Madman' to Trick the West
Newsweek-Apr 1, 2015
Policymakers around Europe are debating if Putin's unpredictable tactics make him a great strategist or plain mad. Sean Gallup/Getty.
Putin threat of nuclear showdown over Baltics
Putin and the Neoconservatives Posted on Apr 1, 2015 By William Pfaff
The resemblance of President Putin’s ambitions for his Russia to those of the neoconservatives in the contemporary United States bear a striking formal resemblance in the wish of both to recall a romanticized past. The means they are willing to use resemble one another as well. That is a troubling conclusion.
Inside the Confused Mind of Vladimir Putin
The Moscow Times - Apr 1, 2015
At this point, all that is clear is that this crisis between the West and Russia over Ukraine and beyond will not end until there is a realization in Moscow that the West is not trying to overthrow Putin, and that Russian expansion into Ukraine (and perhaps elsewhere) does not serve to strengthen Moscow. But since Putin is not likely to experience any such epiphany, any such realization may not occur until after his long reign finally comes to an end.
Why Putin Doesn't Need To Pander To The West
OilPrice.com - Apr 1, 2015
It’s quiet on the eastern front – as quiet as a conflict between world superpowers can be. Since February’s cease-fire agreement, relative calm has prevailed in Ukraine and world events elsewhere – Iran and Yemen – have shifted the global focus. Still, the West’s frigid relationship with Russia is no less chilly and antagonism, not cooperation, remains the modus operandi.
Long-term, the stalemate looks to continue, but can either side afford such a result? And if not, who cracks first?
15 Years Later, Putin Is Still In Power And Popular At Home
Here And Now - Mar 31, 2015?
This week marked 15 years since Vladimir Putin first came to power. He won over 50 percent of the vote and took the reins from Russia's first President, Boris Yeltsin. Today, Russia's main polling agency recently recorded his support at around 85 percent.
Putin Creates State Agency To Oversee Ethnic Issues
Radio Free Europe
April 01, 2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin has decreed the creation of a federal agency to oversee ethnic issues in the huge, multiracial country. According to the decree signed on March 31, the new agency's major goal will be to prevent ethnic or religious discrimination and thwart attempts to "incite hatred."
The agency will also regulate the government's cooperation with Cossacks, semi-militarized groups the Kremlin has been using to promote conservative values and enforce order.
Russia has over 100 ethnic groups, including many non-Slavic indigenous groups in the Volga River region, Siberia, the North Caucasus, and the Far East.
(Iron mixed with clay)
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Who is like the Wild Beast (Russia) and who can do battle with it? Rev 13:3,4
by scotoma incontinuing my posting to the blind, deaf, & conventionally minded ... you may be out of the jw's but you are still thinking in a box.. now that russia is back it is clear why powerful countries are wary of doing battle with it.
putin is getting his way.. sorry, ukraine, you can't beat putin - bloomberg view.
jan 28, 2015 - ... restrain russia's incursions into ukraine, but they can't defeat putin.
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scotoma
The Searcher
Rev 13:7
"And there was granted it (Wild Beast/Russia) to wage war with the holy ones and conquer them"
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Who is like the Wild Beast (Russia) and who can do battle with it? Rev 13:3,4
by scotoma incontinuing my posting to the blind, deaf, & conventionally minded ... you may be out of the jw's but you are still thinking in a box.. now that russia is back it is clear why powerful countries are wary of doing battle with it.
putin is getting his way.. sorry, ukraine, you can't beat putin - bloomberg view.
jan 28, 2015 - ... restrain russia's incursions into ukraine, but they can't defeat putin.
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scotoma
Continuing my posting to the blind, deaf, & conventionally minded ... You may be out of the JW's but you are still thinking in a box.
Now that Russia is back it is clear why powerful countries are wary of doing battle with it. Putin is getting his way.
Sorry, Ukraine, You Can't Beat Putin - Bloomberg View
www.bloombergview.com/articles/.../sorry-ukraine-you-can-t-beat-putin
Jan 28, 2015 - ... restrain Russia's incursions into Ukraine, but they can't defeat Putin. ... that
Ukraine's military simply isn't capable of standing up to Russian ...
No one will defeat Russia militarily: Putin in state of the ...
www.firstpost.com › World News
The First Post
Dec 4, 2014 - Moscow:>Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin in his annual speech on
Thursday defended the Kremlin's aggressive foreign policy, ...
Don't Arm Ukraine - NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2015/02/.../dont-arm-ukraine.htmlThe New York Times
Feb 8, 2015 - The key to success, they maintain, is not to defeat Russia militarily, but to raise the
costs of fighting to the point where Mr. Putin will cave.
Upping the ante in Ukraine also risks unwanted escalation. Not only would the fighting in eastern
Ukraine be sure to intensify, but it could also spread to other areas. The consequences for
Ukraine, which already faces profound economic and social problems, would be disastrous.
The possibility that Mr. Putin might end up making nuclear threats may seem remote, but if the
goal of arming Ukraine is to drive up the costs of Russian interference and eventually put
Moscow in an acute situation, it cannot be ruled out. If Western pressure succeeded and Mr.
Putin felt desperate, he would have a powerful incentive to try to rescue the situation by rattling
the nuclear saber.
Our understanding of the mechanisms of escalation in crises and war is limited at best, although
we know the risks are considerable. Pushing a nuclear-armed Russia into a corner would be
playing with fire.
EXCLUSIVE-NATO Russia Expert: Why Putin Can Win ...
www.breitbart.com/.../exclusive-nato-russia-expert-putin-can-wi...
Breitbart
Apr 23, 2014 - All the states on the periphery of the Russia Federation are now very ... This is a
superb guide to how to defeat a nation that is militarily much ...
...Breitbart News: Is the inadequacy of the West’s response just a function of ignorance of
Russia?
Donnelly: No. It’s deeper. We do not understand Putin’s way of war. We don’t even have the
right vocabulary to describe it. To our citizens, war is “Saving Private Ryan”. That’s not Putin’s
way of war. Russia was a military superpower, but it was also masterful at the indirect,
non-kinetic way of war. See the book Unrestricted Warfare authored by two colonels in the
Chinese army. This is a superb guide to how to defeat a nation that is militarily much more
powerful than you. It lists all the various ways you can undermine a strong Western nation
without firing a shot: the use of economics, the NGO sector, sympathetic members of your ethnic
diaspora, or space and the cyber domain. Russia has honed this mode of war since the fall of the
Soviet Union and used it in Georgia and now Ukraine and its neighboring nations.
Breitbart News: Russia today has an economy the size of California, or the Republic of France.
Could they win this war?
Donnelly: Vladimir Putin is a long-term strategic thinker whose goal is to rebuild Russia’s
greatness, and he has a natural advantage. It is relatively easy to defeat an adversary who does not
have a game plan, even if they are stronger than you. You may have a PhD and an IQ of 160, but
if you’ve never played chess before and have never heard of the Fool’s Mate stratagem, a child
can defeat you with it in two moves.
Also, you hear the constant refrain, such that “Russia would never do X because it has too much
to lose.” This betrays a complete misunderstanding of the difference between the strategic culture
of Russia and the culture of our politicians. The winner may quite simply be the side that is more
prepared to take losses. That is definitely not us. “
The influential new report urging Obama to arm Ukraine ...
www.vox.com/2015/2/3/7967533/ukraine-weapons-report-obama
Feb 3, 2015 - It warns that no military assistance from the US would allow the Ukraine to
actually defeat Russia in a direct conflict. "Even with enormous ...
There is little question that it would help Ukraine militarily if the US provided this kind of
assistance. During a war, after all, weapons and equipment come in handy. But what that would
do to Russia's incentives is less clear. Would US weapons make the war more costly for
Moscow? Or would increased US assistance provide an opportunity for Russia to become more
openly involved in the conflict, and thus increase its control over the situation? The former result
could, as the report argues, help force Putin to a compromise. But the latter result could have the
opposite effect from what the report's authors intend.
Top NATO general warns of Russian reaction to arming ...
www.cnsnews.com/.../top-nato-general-warns-rus...
Cybercast News Service
Feb 5, 2015 - He and other U.S. leaders insist there is no military solution to the conflict, ..... You
say, ""he explains that to defeat Russia militarily we must first ..
In a newspaper interview, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said giving the
Ukrainians arms to help them defend themselves could have unintended and fateful
consequences.
"Weapons deliveries would be a fire accelerant," von der Leyen was quoted as telling the
Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily. "And it could give the Kremlin the excuse to openly intervene in
this conflict."
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Another Wild Beast...had two horns like a lamb but it began speaking as a dragon. USSR emergence as a lamb but...
by scotoma indid you forget about the optimism when the soviet union died.
free markets.
american ally in war on terrorism.
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scotoma
Did you forget about the optimism when the Soviet Union Died. Free markets. American ally in war on terrorism. Death of communism. Constitutional Democracy.
Journal of Eurasian Studies
Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 40–51
The failure of democratization in Russia: A comparative perspective
Alfred B. Evans
Russia is by far the largest of the former republics of the USSR in both population and land area;
indeed, it is the largest country in the world in terms of territory. In addition, its geographical
location gives it influence on issues in several regions in which the USA is interested, and it has
greater strategic military capability than any other country except the United States. On a deeper
level, psychologically, as the main successor of Soviet Union, Russia represents the core of the
former superpower that had been the main geopolitical and ideological rival of the USA from the
late 1940s until the early 1990s. If the state that had been the core of the superpower that was the
main adversary of democracy could, within a relatively short time, be changed into an ideological
soul mate of our country, the symbolic implications would be profound.
And yet, as the current decade nears its end, the consensus of scholarly analyses and popular
perceptions in the West indicates that, if Russia did enter a transition to democracy, that
transition was not successful. From the point of view of those in the United States and Western
Europe who had high hopes for the spread of democracy, the most important test case for
democratization was largely a disappointment.
And yet, as the current decade nears its end, the consensus of scholarly analyses and popular
perceptions in the West indicates that, if Russia did enter a transition to democracy, that
transition was not successful. From the point of view of those in the United States and Western
Europe who had high hopes for the spread of democracy, the most important test case for
democratization was largely a disappointment.3 During the 1990s, while Boris Yeltsin was the
president of Russia, most Western academic specialists regarded that country as a democracy that
was in an early stage of transition, with some imperfections that did not negate the fundamentally
democratic character of the political regime. Within a few years after Vladimir Putin became the
president of that country, however, the assessment of that regime by most political scientists
specializing in the study Russia changed. Between 2000 and 2005 the outlook of Russia watchers
in the West shifted, so that many began to refer to the political system of that country as
authoritarian (Hahn, 2004 and McFaul, 2004). Stephen Whitefield has noted that during Putin’s
time as president of Russia, there was an “increasing consensus among scholars, journalists, and
policy-makers in the West” that Russian politics had moved “significantly off a democratic
pathway” (Whitefield, 2009, 93).
Russia’s Transition to Democracy and U.S.-Russia Relations: Unfinished Business
Michael McFaul Testimony September 30, 2003 Carnegie
Read more at:
http://carnegieendowment.org/2003/09/30/russia-s-transition-to-democracy-and-u.s.-russia-relati
ons-unfinished-business
The probability of a resurgence of a new Russian empire is low. To be sure, Russian President
Putin seeks to expand Russian influence throughout the territory of the former Soviet Union. Just
last week in a meeting of heads of state from the region, he called for the creation of an economic
union between the major states that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. As the largest
economy and most powerful military power in the region, there should be no doubt that Russia
will continue to exercise influence in its neighborhood. A democratic Russia, though, will not
seek to acquire new territory through the exercise of military force. This threat only becomes real
if a dictator returns to the Kremlin.
Today in Russia, the debate about capitalism and communism is over. Even the Communist Party
of the Russian Federation (CPRF) now accepts the legitimacy of private property and markets.
Just as Republicans and Democrats in this chamber debate about how best stimulate and regulate
the American economy, communists and liberal continue to debate what kind of capitalism
Russian should develop. And what has taken shape so far in Russia is still not what most in the
West would recognize as a market economy. Nonetheless, the trajectory is in the right direction.
Moreover, since becoming president, Putin has done much to accelerate Russian economic
reform. His first major economic reform was the introduction of a flat income tax of 13 percent,
a new code, which has raised revenues.
Throughout most of the 1990s, a major issues of every Russian-American summit was how much
Yeltsin was going to ask from the I.M.F. this time around. During Putin’s visit to Camp David
last week, I.M.F. loans, requests for debt relief, or pleas for other forms of financial assistance
were not on the agenda.
Putin and his foreign policy team are still suspicious of American intentions and worried about
American hegemonic power. Rather than build alliances to try to balance this power, however,
Putin has decided to move Russia closer to the West and closer to the United States in particular,
since he sees Russia’s national interests as best served through partnership, not rivalry, with the
West. On some issues areas, such as the war on terrorism, Putin has even called the United States
an “ally” of Russia. As Putin stated on September 27, 2003, in his remarks after the summit at
Camp David held last weekend, the “fight against terrorism continues to be among priorities of
our cooperation. I agree with the assessment that the President of the United States has just
given. In this sphere, we act not only as strategic partners, but as allies.”
Of the big agenda items from the 1990s in Russian reform and Russian foreign policy, only one
remains – the future of the Russian political system. The empire is gone and will never come
back. Russia is a market economy and will never return to a command economy. The future of
Russian democracy, however, is much more uncertain. If Russia fails to consolidate a democratic
regime, the current pro-Western orientation in Russian foreign policy could also change over
time.
So long as unreconstructed communists ruled there, the USSR represented a unique threat to
American security. When the communist regime disintegrated and a new democratically oriented
regime began to take hold in Russia, this threat to the United States diminished almost overnight.
NOTE: If you don't read all the infor and links you simply won't get it.
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... and three kings he will humiliate...Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine
by scotoma inwhy ukraine, georgia and moldova should choose the eu ...www.forbes.com/.../why-ukraine-georgia-and-moldova-should-ch...forbe.
oct 13, 2014 - by vasil jaiani - despite the risk, ukraine, georgia and moldova are still ...russia has been fiercely opposing integration of the former soviet ...russia's punitive trade policy measures towards ukraine ...www.ceps.eu/.../russias-punitive-trade-policy-measures-towards-ukraine.... sep 25, 2014 - russia's punitive trade policy measures towards ukraine, moldova and georgia.if you don't have adobe reader, you can download it here.eu signs pacts with ukraine, georgia and moldova - bbc.comwww.bbc.com/.../world-europe-280526...british broadcasting corporation.
jun 27, 2014 - ukraine, georgia and moldova have signed partnership agreements with theeuropean union, in a move strongly opposed by russia.
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scotoma
wizzstick
Don't ridicule. Read the links. The problem with most people is they can't conceive of prophecy without a supernatural being directing it all.
Another problem is our intrinsic optimism. We have a truce with death. We know we are going to die and that all life narratives end in some kind of existential tragedy. However, we still have to live this day, so, we put the tragic into the background.
Who wants to spend creative energy trying to figure out the future? Practically no one.
It is easier to ridicule.
While god may be an impossible/imaginary person there is still more to this universe than humans.
There is the probability of extra-human sources of prophecy besides the stories of ancient Gods.
If you believe in evolution you have all the more reason to think of the possibility that in many places (100 billion stars x 100 billion galaxies) intelligent life has emerged.
If you are exceptionally creative and have intense curiosity you will look everywhere for clues - even clues in books that claimed to be from sky messengers.
This isn't any crazier than SETI , or the theories of time and energy of cosmologists.
If you stay in the MBA accountant mental state you will never figure out what's going on.
