Posts by JWB

17

Some thoughts on Mark 13

by JWB in

some thoughts on mark 13. .

i decided to look again at the so-called 'signs of the times' from the perspective of mark's gospel.

chapter 13 sets the scene.

JWB

Bobcat, I've followed your link and will be reading it with interest.

17

Some thoughts on Mark 13

by JWB in

some thoughts on mark 13. .

i decided to look again at the so-called 'signs of the times' from the perspective of mark's gospel.

chapter 13 sets the scene.

Some further notes:

The 'seven times of Daniel' has no bearing on the prophecies of Jesus, because they were fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar. Any 'second fulfillment' is purely a speculative extra-biblical doctrine.

"But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes." - Matthew 10:23 (NASB)

Mark 13:24-27, 29-30:

"But in those days, after the tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT. AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven." "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

Ezekiel 32:7-8 (NASB), concerning Egypt:

"'And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I WILL COVER THE SUN WITH A CLOUD, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT. All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you, and will set darkness on your land,' Declares the Lord God."

In Isaiah 13:9-11 (NASB), concerning the laying to waste of Babylon:

"Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; THE SUN WILL BE DARK WHEN IT RISES AND THE MOON WILL NOT SHED ITS LIGHT. Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless."

Extract from Barnes Notes on verse 10:

"This verse cannot be understood literally, but is a metaphorical representation of the calamities that were coming upon Babylon. The meaning of the figure evidently is, that those calamiities would be such as would be appropriately denoted by the sudden extinguishment of the stars, the sun, and the moon. As nothing would tend more to anarchy, distress, and ruin, than thus to have all the lights of heaven suddenly and forever quenched, this was an apt and forcible representation of the awful calamities that were coming upon the people. Darkness and night, in the Scriptures, are often the emblem of calamity and distress (see the note at Matthew 24:29). The revolutions and destructions of kingdoms and nations are often represented in the Scriptures under this image."

Extract from Barnes Notes on verse 11:

"By the 'world' here is evidently meant the Babylonian empire, in the same way as 'all the world' in Luke 2:1, means Judea; and in Acts 11:28, means the Roman empire. Babylonia, or Chaldea, was the most mighty empire then on earth, and might be said to comprehend the whole world."

17

Some thoughts on Mark 13

by JWB in

some thoughts on mark 13. .

i decided to look again at the so-called 'signs of the times' from the perspective of mark's gospel.

chapter 13 sets the scene.

JWB

Sorry, I've only just come back to look at this thread and wasn't aware of some of the more recent posts.

A note on Larsinger58's comment: "Luke confirms that the destruction of Jerusalem would occur 'before' the signs of his presence and 2nd coming."

Verse 20 of Luke 21 says, "Furthermore, when YOU see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near."

So, the "before all these things" refers to the things that would happen before the "desolating of her [Jerusalem]" which would by then have "drawn near". I disagree that they were "asking about Christ's presence as well as when the destruction of Jerusalem would take place".

The reason for choosing to look at Mark's account is because he does not mention any "presence" by which might seem to extend the events prophesied beyond the fall of Jerusalem. In Mark, the answer to Jesus' statements concerning the city, revolve around that and that alone, as no other subject comes into view. This being the case, then all "signs" spoken of by him must relate only to the fall of Jerusalem, because this was the subject under discussion.

In Luke, Jesus talks about the persecution that would come upon his first century followers before the end of the (Jewish) "the system of things". That he was was addressing his words to those disciples he was speaking to is evident from his use of the plural pronoun 'you'. The events he spoke about would affect them personally. The book of Acts gives examples of persecution of Jesus' disciples, before the 'signs' warning of the approach of the fall of Jerusalem.

22

Can anyone decode this?

by JWB in

can anyone decode this?.

catgacaaatttcaccaattcgaatagccgcc.

this is not a trick question.

JWB

[January 24, 2013] "On Wednesday researchers from the UK-based European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) published findings in the journal, Nature, describing how they had stored all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets, a digital photo of their lab, a PDF of the 1953 study that described the structure of DNA, and a 26-second sound clip from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, in manufactured DNA. " - rt.com/news/dna-data-storage-research-678/

121

Symposium: Beware of Apostates! - 'God's Word is Truth!' District Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses 2013 - not on JW.ORG

by mindnumbed in

symposium: beware of apostates!.

satanhuman apostates also of interest ..... the truth brings "not peace, but a sword" .

JWB

Moses Unedited, well at least all that typing was worthwhile. Thanks for your kind remarks. What you say is absolutely right. I for one think it counter-productive to protest either at assemblies or outside Kingdom Halls. While I have serious issues with the WTS, I don't think it proper to cause public disturbances to JWs trying to follow their religious beliefs. Nor do I think it right to cause problems internally by arguing with JWs at meetings, or confronting them in an aggressive manner. I believe these sorts of actions help reinforce in the minds of a lot of JWs the stereotypes the GB likes to paint for them. Anyway, it really is not necessary as there are a lot more effective ways these days to reach out to people when they are ready. I also have decided that if/when a JW turns up at my door I will simply wait for them to ask for my opinions if they wish to know.

121

Symposium: Beware of Apostates! - 'God's Word is Truth!' District Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses 2013 - not on JW.ORG

by mindnumbed in

symposium: beware of apostates!.

satanhuman apostates also of interest ..... the truth brings "not peace, but a sword" .

JWB

Mary, how can you copyright 'the truth'?

121

Symposium: Beware of Apostates! - 'God's Word is Truth!' District Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses 2013 - not on JW.ORG

by mindnumbed in

symposium: beware of apostates!.

satanhuman apostates also of interest ..... the truth brings "not peace, but a sword" .

JWB

SOME PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

The 'good news' that JWs preach is concerning "Jehovah's Kingdom", whereas the 'good news' the first century Christians preached was "the kingdom of the Son of God's love", or Christ's Kingdom. Is the WTS not aware the Jesus said that all power and authority in heaven and on earth had been given HIM? This new kingdom was not dubbed "Jehovah's Kingdom" by the early Christian writers. The GB use the preaching of their particular brand of 'good news' as proof that one is a true Christian. So important is it to determine who is a true Christian, that this work of theirs, declaring "Jehovah's Kingdom", requires that they monitor each JW through the use of personal reporting. This of course was something quite foreign to the early Christians preaching the good news of Christ's Kingdom, who completed their task, according to the WTS itself, sometime in the latter part of the first century. Despite being the self-proclaimed steward of Christ, they don't seem to give him his rightful place as the one to whom all judgement has been committed. Its almost like a superstition that you have to mention Jehovah more than Jesus in case Jehovah doesn't get enough glory.

The WTS paints a picture of 'apostates' as being typically persons who act like 'kidnappers' to try to take away disciples after themselves from the ranks of JWs. However, this is just not typical of anti-WTS people nowadays. More likely is that they do not insinuate their ideas on members of their local congregation, but find a voice on the internet. Many have become wise in how they dispense their information about the WTS, knowing that the WTS will try to use scriptures to stereotype them. They say that 'apostates' are not happy simply to leave the organization and make their own disciples, but try to poach follows from among the congregation members. How many 'apostates' do you know of who actively try to influence JWs within the congregations? And how many are really trying to make disciples of others? Gone are the days when virtually the only 'apostate' influence there might be was pro-trinitarian literature handed to you at the doorstep of a staunchly religious householder. Apart from that there was the odd book or two like "Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave".

The truth of the matter is that most people coming out of the organization who wish to voice their concerns actually use forms of information distribution that do not target specific individuals. It seems to me that the WTS cannot really point to any significant in-house 'kidnapping'. So who is not leaving whom alone? The WTS is trying to create an air of ever-present danger that isn't really there. If JWs choose to go to 'apostate' sites and then start to question the WTS teachings, whose fault is that? There is no great danger from within, as it appears most of those having serious questions tend to keep their doubts to themselves, not wishing to attract the attention of the elders and then possibly facing a judicial committee. In my opinion, the GB have known for a long time they can no longer police the actions of JWs like they used to. So they have to use more and more words like 'kidnap', 'wicked', 'demons', 'poison', 'mentally diseased' as emotional leverage to scare individual JWs into continuing to live a life of fear of and isolation from 'the world'.

As far as rejecting "Jehovah's representatives" is concerned, that is a matter of opinion. We have only their word for it. The GB have already decided for Jesus that they are in fact the "faithful steward" who will be assigned by him great honour by being appointed over ALL his belongings in the future. Since they "presume to speak in the name [or by the authority] of Jehovah", they shouldn't mind if they are tested as to their authenticity. Unfortunately for them, not everyone blindly accepts their claim. Modesty is not something for which they are known. A case in point is the blantant use of "glorious ones" to describe themselves and those whom they appoint; never mind the fact that the scripture is probably referring to the angels! Oh, and being taught that God's name is Jehovah apparently is also grand testimony to their rightful place as Jesus' second-in-command. For without their help who would have known that?

34

The Mark of The Wild Beast, How Does One Receive It? 666

by Este in

the first thing that needs to be determined is who or what is the wild beast ?......

estephan.

1and it stood still upon the sand of the sea.. and i saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and upon its horns ten diadems, but upon its heads blasphemous names.2now the wild beast that i saw was like a leopard, but its feet were as those of a bear, and its mouth was as a lion's mouth.

JWB

mP: Worldwide Brotherhood Web? Seriously, yes I am aware of the alternative 616. I just don't know why Revelation is used by so many people to make it fit somehow to the modern day. Thanks very much for your input.

[Added:] "The things that must shortly take place"

121

Symposium: Beware of Apostates! - 'God's Word is Truth!' District Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses 2013 - not on JW.ORG

by mindnumbed in

symposium: beware of apostates!.

satanhuman apostates also of interest ..... the truth brings "not peace, but a sword" .

JWB

EXTRACTS AND NOTES ON THE 2013 DISTRICT CONVENTION TALK, "HUMAN APOSTATES"

Text appearing in quotes are from the convention talk speaker. Others are notes.

"You cannot be partaking of the table of Jehovah and the table of demons."

"If Satan and his demons are chefs in his evil kitchen, then human apostates are his helpers. Wicked humans imitate the original apostate Satan. Like Satan human apostates are unruly men who cook up wicked reasonings and season their brew with poisonous lies that deceive minds. Human apostates have fed at the table of Jehovah. At Jehovah's table they enjoyed a banquet of well oiled dishes, a banquet of wine kept on the dregs. They were domestics, part of the household of faith, who partook of Bible truth prepared and dispensed by the faithful steward, the Governing Body. But they pushed away from the table of Jehovah. Their preference is to partake of falsehood at the table of demons."

"Apostates do not drift away from the truth, they deliberately decide to go out from among God's people, because they are not of our sort. Human apostates are part of the seed of the serpent spoken of at Genesis three verse fifteen."

"How to identify human apostates and what you must do to protect yourself from the poison of apostacy."

"Apostacy often starts with prideful rejection of counsel and escalates into bitterness and jealousy."

Three characteristics of "apostates":

1. Luke 6:46. Call Jesus 'Lord', but don't do preaching work.

2. Acts 20:30. Rather than going out and making their own disciples, many want to take away "Christ's disciples" after themselves. Like kidnappers. Prey upon trusting members of the congregation, seeking to carry them away from "the flock". Additionally they seek to cause divisions in the congregation. 2 Peter 2:1 - False teachers quietly bring in destructive sects. Smooth talk on the internet and on the television or in letters to loyal Witnesses.

3. Claim to serve Jehovah, but they reject "his representatives". 3 John verse 9 - apostle John opposed by Diotrophes. In an effort to discredit "Jehovah's representatives." Mention of not trembling at "glorious ones". They lie to authorities. Incite bans on the work. Falsely stated that "Jehovah's organization" supported Hitler during his regime.

Protect from "poison" of apostacy. Romans 16:17. Avoid those who cause divisions. Illustration of doctor warning against a contagious deadly disease. Human apostates are "mentally diseased" and try to infect others with their disloyal teachings. 2 John 10 & 11 - no greetings. No visiting of websites or commenting on their blogs. Don't want to become sharers in "their wicked works". Not interested in twisted teachings and contradict God's word of truth. "We love Jehovah's organization. The organization that taught us thrilling truths."

"Apostates are not sincere in their expressions."

1 John 2:18-19. Antichrists. "Apostates become part of the antichrist. They are against Christ. They are liars and deceivers, bent on destroying your relationship with Jehovah God, and his son Christ Jesus."

34

The Mark of The Wild Beast, How Does One Receive It? 666

by Este in

the first thing that needs to be determined is who or what is the wild beast ?......

estephan.

1and it stood still upon the sand of the sea.. and i saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and upon its horns ten diadems, but upon its heads blasphemous names.2now the wild beast that i saw was like a leopard, but its feet were as those of a bear, and its mouth was as a lion's mouth.

JWB

I'm afraid Nambo is wrong. 666 is represented by the World Wide Web. You see the Hebrew letter Waw has a numeric value of 6. So, maybe the WTS are correct (for once) in warning people about using the internet.