scotoma

Joined

• started 68 topics
• posted 905 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by scotoma

• 
  6

  Hype and Anti-Type Russia 13 Years Ago

  by scotoma in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  worldly news services were calling things correctly with russia.. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/108767/pushing-russian-bear.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  Phizzy:

  You are not explaining anything. You are trying to explain it away.

  This sets you up for an insincere discussion of a wider context.

  Whoever wrote the book places the events at a point in the future called "the time of the end"

  Daniel 10 describes the messenger as a man with unusual characteristics. We don't thoroughly understand the nature of the messenger but some today might put it in the category of a close encounter of the 4th kind.

  The purpose of this message was stated to Daniel in Dan 10:14 "And I have come to cause you to discern what will befall your people in the final part of the days because it is a vision yet for days to come."

  Just how far into the future? The same messenger tells Daniel that he will die before the words are understood. Dan 12:9 "Go Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of the end."

  To understand this you have to spend some time to connect the dots. These dots extend all the way to the book of Revelation. Daniel's vision represents the final conflict that precipitates the Great Tribulation as a struggle between Two Kings. Revelation represents the final conflict before the Great Tribulation as The Wild Beast vs A harlot empire that rides (dominates) the beast. Daniel's vision has the King of the South pushing the King of the North until the King of the North can no longer tolerate it and so he storms forth against the South King and gains control of the worlds economic system. It presumes the attack destroys the King of the South because it isn't mentioned again. By destroying the South King the North King simultaneously acquires the control over precious commodities that were under the control of the South.

  The seventh head or iteration of the Beast appears in Revelation 13:3 "as though slaughtered to death, but its death-stroke got healed, and all the earth followed the wild beast with admiration... And they worhiped the the wild beast with the words: "Who is like the wild beast and who can do battle with it?"

  This is the "wild beast that was but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss and it is to go off into destruction." Revelation 17:8

  This fits perfectly with the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union and now its reappearance.

  Babylon the Great appears to be the USA not some world empire of false religion. BTG is described as supremely wealthy. It doesn't describe her as a religious entity at all. Its consumption fills the ships with goods from all over the earth. Naturally, when the USA goes down the merchants will be disappointed because the goods they dump on the USA bolster the economy of all the nations of the earth.

  The revived Wild Beast is "granted it to wage war with the holy ones and conquer them." (Rev 13:7) This all falls nicely into the JW persecution narrative. Why would Russia want to attack JW's as enemies of their state.

  There is a lot more that can be said about these prophecies.

  Think about it.
• 
  6

  Hype and Anti-Type Russia 13 Years Ago

  by scotoma in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  worldly news services were calling things correctly with russia.. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/108767/pushing-russian-bear.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  smiddy,

  King of the North is a reference to both a geographical position and a political space. (Geo-political)

  The Soviet Union died in 1991 December 26. It was dissolved through the illegal actions of three of its major republics.

  However, something has replaced it (Russian Federation) and it behaves a lot like the old entity that occupied the geopolitical space.

  One of the reasons Putin hated Hillary Clinton was a statement made at the end of 2012 before she resigned as Secretary of State. Quoting from the Guardian:

  Putin's plan is for the ECU to grow into a "powerful, supra-national union" of sovereign states like the European Union, uniting economies, legal systems, customs services and military capabilities to form a bridge between Europe and Asia and rival the EU, the US and China by 2015.

  While he has described the end of the Soviet Union as "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century", Putin denies he is seeking to resurrect it. The west is not so sure; former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has described the Eurasian Union as "a move to re-Sovietise the region", adding ominously: "We know what the goal is."

  That goal wasn't achieved to the degree Putin wanted. The sanctions against Russia have put that on hold. However, Putin seems to have ways to get his wishes eventually.
• 
  6

  Hype and Anti-Type Russia 13 Years Ago

  by scotoma in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  worldly news services were calling things correctly with russia.. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/108767/pushing-russian-bear.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  Worldly news services were calling things correctly with Russia.

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/108767/pushing-russian-bear
  
• 
  49

  Some thoughts on the message of doom

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one of the recent threads on the talk about the hailstone message got me to thinking.

  the problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens.

  i have to think that somebody will be asking that question.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  This just shows that the God JW's worship is modeled after vengeful humans.

  What would be the purpose of telling someone that they are going to be destroyed?

  Would that accomplish anything? Why would he care? If people are going to be killed they will never have the opportunity to think about it. "In that day their thoughts perish".

  Warning people so they have a chance to repent makes sense. But nothing is accomplished by telling them they are about to be destroyed.

  It makes more sense that this concept would appeal to mean vengeful humans not something a rational being would entertain.
• 
  10

  Smart Phones and Tablets Turning JW's Into Dummies

  by scotoma in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  look up the article in the wall st journal "how smartphones hijack our minds".

  a flood of evidence has come in that people are outsourcing their thinking to their electronic devices.

  when you feel you will always be able to look up important information on your cell phone you simply don't remember it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  Look up the article in the Wall St Journal "How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds"

  A flood of evidence has come in that people are outsourcing their thinking to their electronic devices. When you feel you will always be able to look up important information on your cell phone you simply don't remember it. You tend to lose your ability to store information in your head in a prioritized format.

  The videos shown at conventions and kingdom halls have become a substitute for using one's imagination.

  Relying on multimedia is not the way to prepare for the struggles JW's are supposed to be anticipating.

  Imagine being thrown into solitary confinement and the video of the snipers keeps going through your head.

  JW's have been duped into thinking that using technology is a gift of god. It really is a way of saving a lot of money on magazines that used to be deposited by the tons at nursing homes, laundromats and clinic waiting rooms.

  If they really believe the world is going to go through a tumultuous time they ought to be less reliant on electronic devices that could be fried with an atomic blast in the upper atmosphere.

  All of this immersion into technology may be ideal to keep members stupid and gullible.
• 
  28

  The Attack by Gog of Magog: 2018 Convention

  by jwdoctrine in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the attack by gog of magog with commentary watch to the end.

  talk from the 2018 convention .watch till the end.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  JW's are all excited about the "terrifying" attack of Gog of Magog.

  But what about the slaughter of 7+ billion humans.

  Are humans really that wicked that men women and children should be exterminated?

  The Devil is described as only getting a third of the angels to follow him yet the Devil supposedly gets 999 out of 1,000 humans to rebel.

  So it seems that humans really are crap and look like a failed experiment.

  God should have stopped with the angels (who don't need to poop) and forget about the poop generating humans.

  Big data means something.
• 
  7

  The True Heir of the Roman Empire was not the Anglosphere, or Western Europe - It was the Russian Imperial Empire.

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  may i recommend this podcast discussing the russian revolution.

  its made by a the conversation, an academic web-site, and features interviews with a number of historians.

  i recommend it because an in-depth knowledge of history will protect your thinking from the shallow historical interpretation evident in the jws concept of a progression of world powers and the view of ww1 being a world war.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  The real shame is that Franz wasn't ignorant of the third Rome Idea.
  
  The 1963 book (no doubt authored by Freddy). Babylon The Great Has Fallen-God's Kingdom Rules" devoted about 8 pages to the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.
  
  Chapter 21 was titled Babylon the Great and Heavenly Zion in Revelation.
  
  On page 486 or 487 there is the bold heading A THIRD ROME?
  
  It goes on to discuss this premise over the next few pages.
  
  Here are some exerpts:

  
  When, in 1453, Constantinople, the seat of the Patriarch, fell to the Mohammedans, it
  affected Russia religiously. Says The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 24, page 38b: "The idea of the establishment of a Russian patriarchate was a natural consequence of the downfall the Byzantine Empire and of the growth of Muscovite Russia. Moscow was hailed as the Third Rome."
  
  
  In 1945 the Russian Orthodox Church Council was held in a suburb of communist
  Moscow, in a magnificent ecclesiastical manner. Naturally the Church leaders were filled with pride and hope for a better future of their religious organization, and Russian messianic ideas that had been entertained for centuries were expressed. For instance, Metropolitan Benjamin, at that time the Exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate for North America, said that the Russian capital Moscow might yet become the "Third Rome" and that in the future Moscow would be plainly the meeting place for "the entire church." He went on to say that Moscow would perhaps become the location of an advisory central organ for linking all Orthodox Churches all over the world. Official Soviet circles sympathized with such ideas, for they favored a Russian Orthodox Church imperialism in connection with which their political capital Moscow would become the most important ecclesiastical center of the world.
  
  In a footnote they quote Walter Kolarz, In his book Religion in the Soviet Union, page 56, of its initial 1961 edition.
  
• 
  9

  If the light is getting brighter why are they getting dumber?

  by scotoma in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  don't they have editors?.

  why can’t they get it through their heads that they aren’t under the mosaic law.. look at the “imperfect food” that was served up at the nov 14 watchtower study.. "3. what can we learn about clothing from god’s law to the israelites?.

  3 for example, in god’s law to the israelites there were rules that protected them against the.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  Don't they have editors?

  Why can’t they get it through their heads that they aren’t under the Mosaic Law.

  Look at the “imperfect food” that was served up at the Nov 14 Watchtower study.
  

  "3. What can we learn about clothing from God’s Law to the Israelites?
  

  3 For example, in God’s Law to the Israelites there were rules that protected them against the
  

  openly immoral way of life of the nations around them. The Law showed Jehovah’s strong

  feelings against clothing that does not make clear the distinction between male and

  female—what has been described in our day as unisex fashion. (Read Deuteronomy 22:5.)

  From God’s stated direction about clothing, we clearly see that God is not pleased with styles

  of dress that feminize men, that make women look like men, or that make it hard to see the

  difference between men and women." (End of Quote)

  Did the same people write paragraph 17 of that study?

  "17. What are some factors that may affect whether a brother wears a beard?
  

  17 What about the propriety of brothers wearing a beard? The Mosaic Law required men to wear
  

  a beard. However, Christians are not under the Mosaic Law, nor are they obliged to observe it.

  (Lev. 19:27; 21:5; Gal. 3:24, 25) In some cultures, a neatly trimmed beard may be acceptable and

  respectable, and it may not detract at all from the Kingdom message. In fact, some appointed

  brothers have beards. Even so, some brothers might decide not to wear a beard. (1 Cor. 8:9, 13;

  10:32) In other cultures or localities, beards are not the custom and are not considered acceptable

  for Christian ministers. In fact, having one may hinder a brother from bringing glory to God by

  his dress and grooming and his being irreprehensible.—Rom. 15:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 7" (End of Quote Paragraph 17)

  Shouldn’t the question for paragraph 17 be a template of the question for paragraph 3?

  Shouldn’t the question be "What can we learn about beards from God’s Law to the Israelites?"
  

  Notice the defense for some brothers wearing a beard is “The Mosaic Law required men to wear

  a beard. However, Christians are not under the Mosaic Law, nor are they obliged to observe it.”

  So which is it? Are we under the law or not?

  Obviously the homophobic tight pants Tony must have written paragraph 3.
  

  Why doesn’t paragraph 17 make the same assertion about beards as it does about clothing.
  

  To be consistent it ought to say that “God is not pleased with men shaving off their beards.”

  Isn’t shaving of your beard a feminizing act? Unless there is some hormone imbalance Women have smooth faces.

  By the way the, illustrations of paradise in the publications indicate that they will still have razors in the New

  World. Try to find a picture with bearded men in depictions of paradise.

  And wouldn’t tight pants be preferable to baggy pants to distinguish males from females?

  Shame on you so-called "scholars".
• 
  29

  When you stop & think about it ,why would Gods chosen people in the Old testament need an army ?

  by smiddy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as the op states why would israel /jewish nation need to have an army at all ?

  if they were the chosen people as the bible states under a theocracy , why would the men of israel need an army .?

  to protect them ?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  It's all basically bound volumes with a shelf life.
• 
  29

  Who is attending the 2016 Annual Meeting this Saturday?

  by Londo111 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm curious if we will have eyewitness reporters at the stanley theater like we do every year....

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  scotoma

  They are finally going to say that the new king of the north is the old king of the north - Russia.

  This will be involved with Ezekiel and the Identity of the land of Magog.