Posts by Sea Breeze

26

Zechariah 12:10 Corruption in the NWT

by Sea Breeze in

here's a question for those who still support watchtower on this forum.

why did watchtower leave out the word "me" in zech.

zechariah 12:10 reads like this: .

Sea Breeze

no-zombie, here's my original question:

Why did Watchtower leave out the word "me" in Zech. 12:10 ?

25

Is Belief in Jesus Enough to be Saved? Or Does it Include Believing Jesus?

by Sea Breeze in

i don't think it is possible to believe in jesus and then not believe what he said.

the purpose of the watchtower organization is to take as many people to hell as possible.

they do this by tricking people into rejecting the bare minimum requirements for the free gift of salvation that jesus offered to ”whosoever”.. one of the stipulations for salvation is belief that jesus was raised from the dead:.

Sea Breeze

A lot. Jesus is widely recognized as the most dramatic change agent in all of history. The whole world counts time by this mans life.

Jesus profoundly changed people’s understanding of love and forgiveness. His emphasis on unconditional love (agape) for all, including enemies, and teaching that forgiveness should be offered freely and repeatedly was a radical departure from the norm. This ethic continues to inspire social movements and conflict resolution efforts today.

Jesus elevated the status of women and children, who were often marginalized. He included women in his ministry, taught children as valuable members of the community, and challenged social norms regarding their treatment. This had a lasting impact on views of human dignity and rights.

Jesus’ teachings significantly influenced education, literacy, social justice and intellectual pursuits. The Christian emphasis on studying scripture promoted literacy. Christian institutions played a major role in preserving knowledge and establishing universities.

Jesus' self resurrection from the dead transformed views on death and the afterlife, reframing death as a transition to eternal life rather than a fearful end. This gave his followers courage in the face of persecution and continues to provide hope and purpose for many. His teachings on judgment based on how one treated “the least of these” have motivated ethical behavior and social responsibility.

25

Is Belief in Jesus Enough to be Saved? Or Does it Include Believing Jesus?

by Sea Breeze in

i don't think it is possible to believe in jesus and then not believe what he said.

the purpose of the watchtower organization is to take as many people to hell as possible.

they do this by tricking people into rejecting the bare minimum requirements for the free gift of salvation that jesus offered to ”whosoever”.. one of the stipulations for salvation is belief that jesus was raised from the dead:.

Sea Breeze

Why didn't someone ask him about... the best possible diet that lets the average person live a long, healthy life?

I think because he didn't come to fix symptoms, He came to cure the disease.

13

Baptismal Failure Rates Among JW Bible Teachers

by Sea Breeze in

jw
friends

the 2024 data from the jw website indicates that jw teachers have an over 96% failure rate with their students : .

2024 average bible studies each month: 7,480,146.

2024 baptisms:296,267. number of bible studies it takes to produce one baptism : 25.25. this means that jehovah's witnesses have an over 96% failure rate with people who want to study the bible with them.

Sea Breeze

I think that the reason why the WT still vigorously supports the d2d, cart work, "bible" studies in spite of staggering "failure" is because in their view its not failure at all. The program still effectively spreads the wicked idea to 7.5 million people per year (to people who might otherwise become Christian) that a person will wake up in paradise for a "do-over" after they die because they can atone for their own sin. No need for Jesus, or the bible study for that matter.

Of course Hebrews 9 : 27 says that there will be a judgment after a person dies. But a lot of bible studies probably decide to row their own boat after accepting the lies of JW "bible teachers" regarding "salvation".

26

Zechariah 12:10 Corruption in the NWT

by Sea Breeze in

here's a question for those who still support watchtower on this forum.

why did watchtower leave out the word "me" in zech.

zechariah 12:10 reads like this: .

Sea Breeze

@no-zombie

Many critics suggest that English translations of the Greek Septuagint might be biased to prevent a messianic interpretation.

However, the preposition “me” is definitely in the original Hebrew. If you are curious, you can go to http://biblehub.com/interlinear/zechariah/12-10.htm The literal translation of the Hebrew words goes something like this: “they have pierced whom on me and they shall look….”

I looked up the Septuagint translation of Zechariah 12:10. This is a helpful piece of data because the Septuagint translation was made before the ministry of Jesus. At this point, there was no strong reason for the Jews to have such a biased translation–geared to prevent a messianic interpretation.

The Septuagint translation has the one who is looked on also being the one who is "mocked" instead of "pierced", but the grammar is clear - "me".

26

Zechariah 12:10 Corruption in the NWT

by Sea Breeze in

here's a question for those who still support watchtower on this forum.

why did watchtower leave out the word "me" in zech.

zechariah 12:10 reads like this: .

Sea Breeze

Here's a Question for those who still support Watchtower on this forum. Why did Watchtower leave out the word "me" in Zech. 12:10 ?

Zechariah 12:10 reads like this:

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me (Strong's H853) whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son - Zech. 12:10

Strong's H853

אֵת

Apparently contracted from H226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition...)

Since the word "me" is clearly in the original Greek, why did Watchtower leave it out and translate this verse this way? :

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of favor and supplication, and they will look to the one whom they pierced, and they will wail over him as they would wail over an only son - Zech. 12: 10 NWT

13

Baptismal Failure Rates Among JW Bible Teachers

by Sea Breeze in

jw
friends

the 2024 data from the jw website indicates that jw teachers have an over 96% failure rate with their students : .

2024 average bible studies each month: 7,480,146.

2024 baptisms:296,267. number of bible studies it takes to produce one baptism : 25.25. this means that jehovah's witnesses have an over 96% failure rate with people who want to study the bible with them.

Sea Breeze

The 2024 data from the JW website indicates that JW teachers have an over 96% failure rate with their students :

2024 Average Bible Studies Each Month: 7,480,146

2024 Baptisms:296,267

Number of bible studies it takes to produce one baptism : 25.25

This means that Jehovah's Witnesses have an over 96% failure rate with people who want to study the bible with them.

Can anyone think of another "educational" system with a 96% graduation failure rate? Does this seem odd to anyone?

25

Is Belief in Jesus Enough to be Saved? Or Does it Include Believing Jesus?

by Sea Breeze in

i don't think it is possible to believe in jesus and then not believe what he said.

the purpose of the watchtower organization is to take as many people to hell as possible.

they do this by tricking people into rejecting the bare minimum requirements for the free gift of salvation that jesus offered to ”whosoever”.. one of the stipulations for salvation is belief that jesus was raised from the dead:.

Sea Breeze

@ Rattigan,

No, we don't repeat the Watchtower's opinion.
We repeat what Peter said in 1 Peter 3:18 "He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit."

Sure you do. The denial of of Jesus' bodily resurrection is a feature of cults, apostates and anti-Christ's, not Christians. The scripture you cited from the NWT and the WT interpretation of it requires:

1. Re-defining a resurrection as something other than a reintegration of the soul, body and spirit of a person.

2. Requiring Jesus to be a liar.

3. Requiring the early church leaders to be liars.

4. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised….For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. (1 Cor. 15:13, 16)

5. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Cor. 15:14)

6. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. (1 Cor. 15:15)

7. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (1 Cor. 15:17-18)

Denying the resurrection of Jesus is considered a characteristic of the spirit of Antichrist, as it contradicts the core Christian belief in Christ's divinity and resurrection. This denial aligns with the broader definition of Antichrist as one who opposes or substitutes as a Savior in place of Christ or along side him as Savior, which is exactly what Watchtower claims, "Come to Jehovah's Organization for Salvation".

There is a simple exegesis of 1 Peter 3: 18 that does not require abandonment of core Christian doctrine.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit - 1 Peter 3: 18 NKJV

This verse is easily translated as "made alive by the Spirit", as shown above.

This agrees with several verses that claim:

a.) God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2: 24)

b.) The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8: 11)

c.) Jesus raised himself from the dead. (John 2: 18-22; John 10: 18)

This (correct) exegesis confirms Jesus’ statement that His resurrection body was his “flesh and bones”.

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. - Luke 24:39

Anytime an exegesis of scripture requires God to be a liar, it should be a red flag that the exegesis is wrong.

25

Is Belief in Jesus Enough to be Saved? Or Does it Include Believing Jesus?

by Sea Breeze in

i don't think it is possible to believe in jesus and then not believe what he said.

the purpose of the watchtower organization is to take as many people to hell as possible.

they do this by tricking people into rejecting the bare minimum requirements for the free gift of salvation that jesus offered to ”whosoever”.. one of the stipulations for salvation is belief that jesus was raised from the dead:.

Sea Breeze

@Rattigan350,

The Watchtower and every JW that I have spoken with denies that Jesus raised himself from the dead.

Was Jesus lying?

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. - John 10: 18

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up .... he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this - John 2: 19-22

31

Babylon The Great

by EisMe in

babylon the great: a prophetic warning.

babylon the great is not just a city—it is the system that governs the world economy.

this was god's first judgment against economic babylon, but it would not be his last.. the three parts of babylon's economy.

Sea Breeze

Rome is the best fit in my opinion. Consider:

Wikipedia states: “Many Biblical scholars believe that ‘Babylon’ is a metaphor for the pagan Roman Empire at the time it persecuted Christians, before the Edict of Milan in 313. . . Perhaps specifically referencing some aspect of Rome’s rule (brutality, greed, paganism). . . In 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, and the Sibylline Oracles, ‘Babylon’ is a cryptic name for Rome. Reinhard Feldmeier speculates that ‘Babylon’ is used to refer to Rome in 1 Peter 5:13. In Revelation 17:9 it is said that she sits on ‘seven mountains,’ typically understood as the seven hills of Rome. A Roman coin minted under the Emperor Vespasian (ca. 70 AD) depicts Rome as a woman sitting on seven hills.”

According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: “The characteristics ascribed to this Babylon apply to Rome rather than to any other city of that age: (a) as ruling over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18); (b) as sitting on seven mountains (Revelation 17:9); (c) as the center of the world’s merchandise (Revelation 18:3, 11–13); (d) as the corrupter of the nations (Revelation 17:2; 18:3; 19:2); (e) as the persecutor of the saints (Revelation 17:6).”

According to Eusebius of Caesarea, Babylon would be Rome or the Roman Empire: “And Peter makes mention of Mark in his first epistle which they say that he wrote in Rome itself, as is indicated by him, when he calls the city, by a figure, Babylon, as he does in the following words: ‘The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, salutes you; and so does Marcus my son (1 Peter 5:13).'”