Perry

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Posts by Perry

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  37

  God and the afterlife. Do you need to believe in both

  by moley in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i consider myself an atheist, i completely reject the idea of a totalitarian desert god/any god and the bible is a book of fairytales and folk legends.. i do however sort of believe that this life is not all there is.

  i’m not talking about heaven or hell but in a tangible state of being.. there are a few experiences i’ve had in my llife.

  could be imagined could be real.

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  Perry

  Hi Crazy Guy,

  Our own troubles are real for sure. But compared to what? I think the issue of scale is important.

  Ravi Zacharias makes some interesting points along this line at a Columbia University Q & A session.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vtUQ1BksGQ
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  37

  God and the afterlife. Do you need to believe in both

  by moley in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i consider myself an atheist, i completely reject the idea of a totalitarian desert god/any god and the bible is a book of fairytales and folk legends.. i do however sort of believe that this life is not all there is.

  i’m not talking about heaven or hell but in a tangible state of being.. there are a few experiences i’ve had in my llife.

  could be imagined could be real.

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  Perry

  Hi FHN,

  Good to hear from you again. Hope you have been well. That is also a very good question.
  
  If your question contains an assumption of time when you used the phrase "come from", then that is not consistent with the character of God (the First Life) described in the dictionary since he is Omnipresent. (all-present). This term means that God is capable of being everywhere at the same time. In other words not restrained by time in any way.
  
  But since you asked "Where", that is much easier to answer: From outside of our space-time-matter universe/dimension. This answer is consistent with both modern scientific assumption and biblical theology since both postulate our universe having a beginning. In other words, an infinite digression of cause and effect events, (or infinite historical life-from-previous-life) doesn't fit either model.
  
  The first ten words of Genesis relates eyewitness testimony of creation from the "first" life:

  In the beginning (time has a beginning), God created the heavens (space) and the earth (matter).

  So time, space and matter came into existence simultaneously. Time, space and matter are simply inventions born from the mind of God, the ultimate energy source. If he invented these things, then he is certainly not bound by them and exists outside of their influence and constraints.
  
  Hope this helps.
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  37

  God and the afterlife. Do you need to believe in both

  by moley in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i consider myself an atheist, i completely reject the idea of a totalitarian desert god/any god and the bible is a book of fairytales and folk legends.. i do however sort of believe that this life is not all there is.

  i’m not talking about heaven or hell but in a tangible state of being.. there are a few experiences i’ve had in my llife.

  could be imagined could be real.

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  Perry

  Hi moley. That is a very good question. - Could there be an afterlife without a Creator?
  
  So I guess you are talking about "consciousness"? I guess if our present life appeared from non-life then it could be possible, sure. If one, why not the other?

  But, there is nothing to base this on in science or our own experience. Life always comes from previous life. Information always comes from a mind; And consciousness always comes from prior consciousness.
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  15

  Blueblades Pacemaker Update.

  by Charles Gillette in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well,to all who had wished me good health before i went for my procedure,thank you.

  9/14 pacemaker was inserted below my collarbone successfully.check up will be 9/18.. so, since 2012 when i was 67,i had open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve with a bovine tissue valve.

  now at 73, i have an implanted pacemaker with two leads,one for the upper chamber, right atrium and one for the lower right chamber,ventricle of the heart.. so, my heart beats should now be steady and not in and out of afib.. both of my brothers died of heart attacks.

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  Perry

  Glad the procedure went well blueblades! My mother had the same thing and it worked wonders for her. Did anyone ever tell you that you look a little like Elvis?
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  18

  J.W.Sisters are not recognized as part of the 144000 Anointed class by the Governing Body of Jehovah`s Witnesses and never have been.

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  rev.14: 1-6 describes the 144000 as males who do not defile themselves with women and are classed as virgins.?.

  how does the governing body of j.w.`s explain that a man having a sexual relationship with a woman defiles a man?.

  isn`t this or shouldn`t this be an affront to women who are jehovah`s witnesses ?

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  Perry

  Nice Topic for discussion.

  The Watchtower has the Church Age ending in 1914 ....that's their biggest problem in interpreting scripture.
  
  The 144K are future yet-to-be-seen Israelis, just like it says.

  “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4)

  This fits the initial claim that the book of Revelation is about future events...prophecy. It would be illogical to assume this is a symbolic characterization of then-living Christians that extended until WT leaders effectively shut down the "Church Age" with their heretical 1914-gentile-times-has-ended teachings.

  Rather:
  
  1. The New Testament is still open for business (The WT claims the NT was written only for the 144K and that all positions are filled)

  2. All Christian believers (Christ Alone as their Mediator) are anointed, this is clear in scripture

  3. When the church age does near it's end, the rapture will take place and evacuate believers from earth in glorified bodies like Jesus had after his resurrection

  4. After this (or around this time) the temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt and animal sacrifices will continue there (as they already have in the past few years nearby)

  5. 144,000 Israelis who "get it" will be preaching Jesus during the tribulation period leading up to Armageddon.

  The tribulation period is a future seven-year period of time in which God will allow human leaders (the Anti-Christ and his minions) a much greater reign of terror than has ever been previously seen. Their reign of terror is in a sense God's judgment against those who reject Him and will complete His plan of salvation for the nation of Israel.
  
  

  All of this is according to God’s revelation to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27). The 144,000 Jews are a sort of “first fruits” (Revelation 14:4) of a redeemed Israel which has been previously prophesied (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–27), and their mission seems to be to evangelize the post-rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period. As a result of their ministry, millions—“a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9)—will come to faith in Christ.

  Jesus will literally rule for 1000 years on the throne of David his fore-father from the re-built 3rd temple in Jerusalem. The modern nation of Israel will one day welcome their long-ago crucified King.
  
  1. Church-age believers will have glorified bodies. Although their citizenship is in heaven, they will doubtless be very active in governmental activities on and over earth. They will have physical bodies suitable for life in heaven and earth, like Jesus had. "We will be like him".

  2. Redeemed Israel and the "great multitude" (many other nation groups who survive the tribulation period) will continue living on earth as subjects of the King.
  
  This is the mainstream Christian view.
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  6

  Watchtower History

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  some of you read our history blog and have read our first two books.

  we're pushing to finish volume 2, separate identity.

  a rough draft chapter from volume 2 is up on our blog.

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  Perry

  Interesting accounts of those that joined the Watchtower in the early days.
  
  From the few I read, a recurring theme for early adherents seems to be a critical attitude of traditional believers and a desire to work for their salvation.
  
  Not much has changed I guess.

  Do you have a website?
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  24

  Dis-fellowshipped For Not Going To The Kingdom Hall You Are Assigned Too

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my parents started attending the glendora congregation in 1961. my mother had a strange feeling about the congregation.

  there was something going on there that just didn’t feel right.

  there was a huge exodus going on of people leaving this congregation’s kingdom hall too.

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  Perry

  Amazing story new boy. Thanks for sharing it.
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  26

  Carts on both ends of the farmersmarket

  by Still Totally ADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my wife and me have a booth at the local framers market.

  there is usually about 12 t0 14 vendors each week on a small short street in town.

  what is funny on each end of this short street are cart setups with 3 people on each cart.

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  Perry

  Sad

  
  
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  50

  Financially Are You Doing Better Than a Year Ago?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this isn’t a usa question.

  is your financial situation better or worse or pretty much the same?.

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  Perry

  Better
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  3

  wt can be seen as fake people smugglers, would-be human traffickers.

  by waton in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  reading about migrants using flamethrowers, acid, unspeakable, -- to storm the fences of european grounds, trying to reach their perceived "paradise", -- the eu", it occurred to me that .

  wt has marketed it's efforts as a grand aid to to reach "the kingdom"[paradise] too.. the difference is of course, --while germany, other states, really afford newcomers an almost effortless existence for life, - wt makes such promises, offers a pie in the sky, or lower, but can of itself never fulfill them, has proven that by it's past s failures.

  so: does wt guarantee safe passage into paradise?

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  Perry

  Interesting analogy. Allow my indulgence:

  Jesus said he was the way, the truth and the life. Also, the Mediator that guarantees safe passage. He proved it by coming back from the dead.

  The Wt. says that they are the Way, the Truth, and the Life (spiritual paradise) and that you have to go through the governing body for safe passage.
  
  It is analogous to receiving a free gift ticket from your dear father on the worlds' finest cruise ship to where you want to go. Then, while you are preparing to board, a stranger shows up with a sign on the side of his truck that reads, "Chuck in a Truck Transportation" . Rolling down the window, He yells, "All the rooms were already filled in 1914, your tickets are no good. Jump in the back and I'll drive you myself".
  
  So, after falling for the ruse you find yourself in the back of the truck with many other immigrants. After driving away with you, your family and others, he then gives you a bill for passage to nowhere in particular. When you protest the harsh treatment, he then takes your family and chucks them on the side of the road, never to be seen again.

  He then says, "what the hell were you thinking; Something for nothing? Pay up."