This scripture was used at many an elders' meeting and schools. WTBTS uses it to show how elders, like shepherds, should be alert to problems among the sheep. There ARE references in WTBTS publications which show the correct view of this verse in its context, I have found. But, other references connect it with how elders are to take care of the sheep. In schools, it was used when talking about how important the field service reports are and that those are one way elders can "know positively the appearance of the flock".
leaving_quietly
JoinedPosts by leaving_quietly
-
13
You ought to know positively the appearance of your flock
by leaving_quietly inthis famous line from proverbs 27:23 (in the old nwt) is used for elders and the organization to justify field service reports.
but, what is this verse talking about?
is it about overseers in the congregation?
-
-
-
13
You ought to know positively the appearance of your flock
by leaving_quietly inthis famous line from proverbs 27:23 (in the old nwt) is used for elders and the organization to justify field service reports.
but, what is this verse talking about?
is it about overseers in the congregation?
-
-
leaving_quietly
This famous line from Proverbs 27:23 (in the old NWT) is used for elders and the organization to justify field service reports. But, what is this verse talking about? Is it about overseers in the congregation? No. In context, there is a good reason for what is stated in this verse. Let us see:
In the RNWT, looking at verses 23-27:
23You should know well the appearance of your flock. Take good care of your sheep,
24 For wealth does not last forever, Nor a crown for all generations.
25 The green grass disappears, new grass appears, And the vegetation of the mountains is gathered in.
26 The young rams provide your clothing, And the male goats provide the price of a field.
27 And there will be enough goat’s milk to feed you, To feed your household, and to sustain your servant girls.Now, why know well the appearance of your flock? Verse 24 answers. It's all about making a living. Caring for your own livestock can help bring in a decent living. If your flock gets sick and dies, there goes your income.
Context is king.
-
27
jw.org madness
by Gorbatchov inmore and more jw.org special campain pictures made by the r&f flush over the internet.. it's crazy how this jw.org madness becomes a phallus inside the witness world.. observing it from some distance, it is clear: jw.org is the central theme of the current witness beliefs.
every step they make, is for promoting jw.org.
when they speak, they only speak about jw.org.
-
-
leaving_quietly
DD, you are so right.
At the meeting this week, a pioneer made a comment that one of her non-witness family members were talking about "Jesus this" and "Jesus that". Her reaction? "I steered the conversation toward the Kingdom."
I thought to myself: OMG? Did she just say that? Really? What's the difference between "Jesus this"/"Jesus that" and "Jehovah this/Jehovah that" or "the Kingdom this/the Kingdom that"?
They really are terrified of Jesus.
-
14
Bible verses removed from NWT at jw.org
by hardtobeme inwhy would they remove bible verses from the bible?.
anyone knows why?.
-
-
leaving_quietly
Actually, I hope they keep it this way. I'd even prefer they take out chapters, too. And all the cross references and footnotes. They should make it an option to turn these off, which would be super simple give that they are simply HTML styles. Why? The original writings did not have a chapter and verse system. While chapters and verses are good for reference reasons, they actually have the effect of interrupting the entire thought of the writer. We stop, for example, at the end of a chapter, an end that was decided upon centuries ago. But, in many cases, the thought continues from the previous chapter. So, with chapters, and even with verses, context can be lost unless you are disciplined enough to ignore them. Most people aren't.
There's actually movement with other translations to do this. The ESV Reader's Bible, for example, or NIV's Books of the Bible (that last one actually re-arranges books to try to make sense with who is writing them.) A Bible without chapters and verses would make a HUGE difference when reading, I think. It just flows better, and you get more of the sense of it without the interruptions, no matter how insignificant they might seem.
It is very interesting, though, that Matt 24 has verses, but surrounding chapters do not. Not sure if that was intentional or not. Time will tell.
-
26
Question: Is JW religion the most attacked one?
by Da.Furious ini was having a chat with an elder and couple of friends regarding apostates and how to protect ourselves and funnily how to identify them!.
during the discussion the elder mentioned: jehovah's witnesses is most attacked religion in the world.
there are no other religions that are under the spotlight.
-
-
leaving_quietly
Anytime someone brings this up to me, I always tell them to read Forum 18 News Service. JWs are mentioned a lot, but so are other religions. Most of the "persecution" comes from the various "stan" countries and Russia.
-
17
10% Way Through 1000 year reign
by Coded Logic innot sure if anyones posted on this topic, but it just hit me that if jesus thousand year reign started in 1914 then we are already 10% way though and no "sign of the end" yet.
can the wtbts really hold out much longer?
are we going to have to wait for 3014 for them to admitt they got it wrong?.
-
-
leaving_quietly
Read Rev 20 carefully. The 1000 years is the time that (a) Satan is abyssed and (b) those who are part of the first resurrection reigns with Christ. It never says it's how long Christ's reign is. jwfacts stated it correctly... his reign is more than 1000 years. In Hebrews 5:9, the footnote in the Reference Bible on the word "perfect" says, "after he had been inaugurated (installed; empowered; consecrated to office).” Gr., te·lei·o·theis′" This would indicate that his kingship started after his resurrection, which would match his own statement at Matt 28:18: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth."
-
-
-
leaving_quietly
Linux?
-
18
Go Bag
by notsurewheretogo inmy still-in wife has asked we prepare a "go-bag" with all the stuff we need in case of a natural disaster....we live in a country where there is none!.
but when i asked where this all came from she mentioned hurricanes etc but again we live in an area where they can never be things like this.. thus i suspect this is a society based instruction...can anyone enlighten me?.
are the society advising dubs to be doom preppers???
-
-
leaving_quietly
Having a "go bag" is actually not a bad idea. And WTBTS isn't the first to come up with it. A lot of what they recommend comes from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Even if you have no natural disasters, think of ones you might have that are unnatural, like a house fire, or just having no electricity for some time due to a storm. This simply provides basic necessities for a few days... food, water, change of clothes.
-
8
Is or were there Sin in Heaven??
by jam inwhere was satan when he sin???
if there was or is sin.
in heaven, why would the earth be any different.
-
-
leaving_quietly
"Certainly if God did not hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tar′ta·rus, delivered them to pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment" - 2 Pet 2:4
Now, I don't know if Jesus sinned, but of him this is stated:
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered." - Heb 5:8
Is there sin in heaven? Yes.
Is there death in heaven? Probably not like we know it. There is no record, that I'm aware of, of any angel who was put to death. The only record we see is of Satan being hurled into the lake of fire, which, according to Revelation, means the second death. (Rev 20:14)
-
63
Your "Things That Make You Go Hmmm?" List
by FlyingHighNow ini'll wager that the number is close to 100 percent.
what number?
the number of jws who have lists--lists of things that make them go hmmm or even wha'???
-
-
leaving_quietly
My list grows by the day:
1. "Overlapping generations"
2. 1914 as a fabricated prophecy (607 isn't an issue for me because Daniel 4 does NOT have a second fulfillment)
3. 2300 years prophecy - From WT article in 1938 to Annual Meeting in 1944??? Days don't add up. Neither does the prophecy fit as the prophecy is about the "constant feature" being "taken away", but publish counts show a marked increase over this time period based on counts in each Yearbook. Big FAIL.
4. Other prophecies like #3 above where the number of days don't match, and prophecies are tied to WT articles or conventions.
5. Very little mention of Christ most of the time. Lip service, to be sure, but when there's ample opportunity to bring Christ into the conversation, usually a big FAIL.
6. Big on preaching work, non-existent on charity work.
7. Us vs. them. The world is all bad. Other religions don't preach, etc.
8. Promoting a web site is considered preaching????
9. Distributing a magazine about how bad pornography is is considered preaching the GOOD NEWS???
10. Actively prohibiting partaking of the bread and the wine.
11. Adding to or removing words from scriptures (e.g. "me" at John 14:14 where most translations and even the Interlinear says: "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.")
12. Saying worship of Jesus is wrong when Daniel 7:14 shows people would, in fact, be serving him.
13. Only figuring out who the FDS really is over 90 years after their supposed appointment.
14. Demanding obedience to an organization.
15. Saying there actually IS an organization when that word cannot be found anywhere in the Bible.
16. Saying God is directing the organization when God gave Christ that assignment. (Eph 1:22)
17. Judging people as spiritually weak or spiritually strong based on meeting attendance and time spend distributing literature.
18. Counting time spent distributing literature. (I can see counting actual placements since that is useful to know how many to print.)
19. Defining knowing the appearance of the flock to mean knowing how many hours each person put on their monthly report. (Prov 27:23)
20. Disfellowshipping people for doing things not even talked about in the Bible.
21. Shunning disfellowshipped people (the Bible says not to eat with such a man, but doesn't say not to say a greeting.)
22. Viewing disfellowshipped people as antichrists (these are the only ones the Bible says not to say a greeting to.)
23. Questions for baptism.
24. Viewing most JWs as not sons of God.
25. Viewing most JWs as not belonging to Christ.
26. Viewing most JWs as not part of the new covenant.
27. Making every JW a teacher when James 3:1 says, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment."
28. No beards for men. Only Christ can wear one.
29. Secretive letters / book for elders.
30. Class system among preachers based on the number of hours they spend preaching.