Posts by FreeTheMasons

60

The Question of the "Great Apostasy" and the Historical Continuity of Christianity

by aqwsed12345 in

1. the continuity and visibility of the church.

the true church must be continuous from the apostolic age.

there is no room in christianity for a "gap" or interruption of thousands of years during which true christianity ceased to exist and then was revived in the form of another movement.

FreeTheMasons

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5292170492248064/rumour-144-000-literal-number-teaching-abandoned-annual-meeting?page=9#/5982151082770432
The Mosaic Law prescribed extracting a literal number out of the entire nation of dedicated Jews for the purpose of ministering in a specific assignment.
The numbers "7" and "7" in the vision Joseph interpreted for Pharaoh during the years of plenty and the years of famine were literal even though the cows and grain were symbolic.
The numbers "3" and "3" were literal in the vision Joseph interpreted for the baker and the cupbearer even though the cups and the baskets were figurative.
The number of beasts in Daniel were sometimes literal and sometimes figurative depending on the context. "There are four beasts" was interpreted by the angel as "four kingdoms" and it was literal, including the "king of Greece" that the angel named.
In Joseph's dream with the sun moon and 11 stars bowing down to him, the number "11" was literal and fulfilled when his 11 brothers bowed down to him in Egypt.
Thus the idea that the number "144,000" must be figurative is based on a selective reading of the text that does not take into account the larger context and understanding of the scriptures, namely, the entire Bible.

The Bible is clear that the number 144,000 is literal number who will come down out of heaven and minister on the earth, be seen by people here and work among them along with Jesus and Jehovah.

And yet there are many so-called "Christians" - including some who are part of Watchtower and some who are against Watchtower - who teach apostasy from what the Bible says.

The "Great Apostasy" goes on.

(But not for much longer anyway.)

135

Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

by slimboyfat in

say it ain’t so!

.

in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

FreeTheMasons

The Mosaic Law prescribed extracting a literal number out of the entire nation of dedicated Jews for the purpose of ministering in a specific assignment.

The numbers "7" and "7" in the vision Joseph interpreted for Pharaoh during the years of plenty and the years of famine were literal even though the cows and grain were symbolic.

The numbers "3" and "3" were literal in the vision Joseph interpreted for the baker and the cupbearer even though the cups and the baskets were figurative.

The number of beasts in Daniel were sometimes literal and sometimes figurative depending on the context. "There are four beasts" was interpreted by the angel as "four kingdoms" and it was literal, including the "king of Greece" that the angel named.

In Joseph's dream with the sun moon and 11 stars bowing down to him, the number "11" was literal and fulfilled when his 11 brothers bowed down to him in Egypt.

Thus the idea that the number "144,000" must be figurative is based on a selective reading of the text that does not take into account the larger context and understanding of the scriptures, namely, the entire Bible.

53

WTS 2024 Annual Business Meeting ...

by careful in

... is just three weeks from this saturday.

the org has been tight-lipped, really, successfully secret about advance info on these in recent years,.

now that these relatively recent changes on dress and grooming, reporting fs time, judicial matters, etc.

FreeTheMasons

PID has more than one meaning.

48

The Date for the Memorial is WRONG this year!

by Kelley959 in

an interesting video was on youtube with a person claiming that the memorial date for 2024 was wrong.

so i consulted three different jewish calendars online and sure enough, he appears to be right.

i went back to 2014 and forward to 2027. they have the future dates listed.

FreeTheMasons

Sometimes scholars have their heads so far into a book that they forget to look up.

Even a kid can figure out when the moon is full.

135

Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

by slimboyfat in

say it ain’t so!

.

in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

FreeTheMasons

(For comparison, here are two photos of AH Macmillan, the first is with Grant Suiter when Grant was secretary-treasurer. Grant became secretary-treasurer in 1947.)

It doesn't appear to be the same man. The facial angles and glasses are different.

How interesting it would be to peruse the list of voting members from any given time period in Watchtower history.

135

Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

by slimboyfat in

say it ain’t so!

.

in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

FreeTheMasons

Those photos you mentioned are from videos taken in the late 1930s.

(Here is a better screenshot...)

The video that screenshot is taken from can be viewed here:

https://youtu.be/F7AV6-UT6BM?si=pRz3SwZjRpHMHwQM

135

Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

by slimboyfat in

say it ain’t so!

.

in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

FreeTheMasons

Fleetwood Mac had a cool album called "Rumours" - one of the songs was entitled "Never Going Back Again."

Another was "I Don't Want To Know."

Hey, I think I would like to know, maybe "@vienne" knows...who are these people in these pictures here? Rumour has it some of them are associated with the "upper eschelon" in the Watchtower hierarchy and their relations have some say in the Annual Meeting type decisions...

https://jws-library.one/?search=rothschild

53

WTS 2024 Annual Business Meeting ...

by careful in

... is just three weeks from this saturday.

the org has been tight-lipped, really, successfully secret about advance info on these in recent years,.

now that these relatively recent changes on dress and grooming, reporting fs time, judicial matters, etc.

FreeTheMasons

@Jeffro, are you speaking on behalf of Watchtower? Do you have insider information because you are part of the Watchtower hierarchy?

If you have evidence of your statement, perhaps you'd be willing to present it.

Last I knew, there were also JWs in Korea. And Ireland. And Switzerland. And many other places that own pieces of the companies listed in the JW Holding group.

Perhaps you'd like to read some more information here before speaking any further...

https://qr.ae/p2HMMY

135

Rumour 144,000 literal number teaching to be abandoned at Annual Meeting

by slimboyfat in

say it ain’t so!

.

in one sense it’s a no brainer because the figures just don’t add up any more.. in another (negative) sense it’s a no brainer because it’s been fundamental to jws since year dot and might undermine the whole thing?

FreeTheMasons

...speaking of Beth-Sarim and Bethel...during the time of the Annual Meeting/Fall Equinox there are typically other "celebrations" the voting members of the Watchtower take part in.

Only those "anointed" into that layer of the organization will attend.

("Happy Mabon.")

28

Is there a 'for dummies' on Robert Hendriks thread?

by carla in

can anyone give me a rundown or send me to a thread on the robert hendriks thing?

he was recently 'dismissed' from bethel and was pid (public information department?

) i'm not even sure i have this right..... thanks much.

FreeTheMasons

Hi, Diogenesister🙂

That video was from the 2023 "Patience" con-vention in Portland Maine.

Robert gave the Sunday Public Bible Discourse: "Will God Act in Your Behalf?"

It would have been prior to all the online stuff about his "demise" although I wouldn't trust what was said on EXJW Reddit about him since the supposed "authority" on the situation has been caught lying and making stuff up multiple times.