Blondie:
It's here ( scroll to paragraph 35)
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1968602?q=Looking+forward+to+1975&p=doc
how many of you bought a nice sedan, suv, or even a minivan back in the days that you described as your "armageddon car" that you would care for and it would last until the end arrived?.
i was driving a 1974 plymouth volare wagon in 1992 when i managed to get an 8-year old buick century.
it was low mileage and had a very luxurious interior.
Blondie:
It's here ( scroll to paragraph 35)
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1968602?q=Looking+forward+to+1975&p=doc
governing body's ridiculous viewpoint of higher education.
to see this video, please click this link: https://jehovahstruth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=186#p186.
g4a.
I feel like they should be more forthcoming & honest about the subject instead of just outright discouraging it. They should clearly explain WHY it's not the best choice & provide better alternatives to be able to balance making a living with Spiritual things. They DO need to acknowledge that people need to make an honest living BUT not to make that their whole life focus. They DO need to acknowledge that the 50's are over & that most women ( married or not) will also need to contribute financially. The world has become such a place that it's very difficult to live on a single income if you have a family.
why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (armageddon) is near?
if it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
what is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is?
TonusOH
I agree, this is pretty much what I've been saying on this thread. The big A will come when it comes whether I'm dead or alive.
God is in control, not us. And humans have plenty of distractions in this life to forget spiritual things. If a sense of urgency is needed for people to wake up from their sleep & stay awake so that they shift their focus from this temporary life to everlasting life - then it serves it's purpose. Not to mention it provides a better life now.
God is proving that he is just - in front of the angels & demons & humans by being patient and giving ample warning to focus on the Kingdom. People prove who they are by their actions. We all know we have free will. God will know the hearts of men & will judge justly.
why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (armageddon) is near?
if it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
what is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is?
Tonus OH:
You mentioned something along the lines of it matters because people will change their behavior & be more active etc.
That's part of the question I'm asking. So the sense of urgency make people give more, change their behavior etc-- that's all true. Yes, in addition the WT will have more members & donors. What I'm saying is no person or organization is going to outsmart God & escape judgment. God reads not only thoughts, hearts & intentions, He also knows individual and big picture circumstances. No one is going to buy their way to the new world with extra activity or donations. It also doesn't matter whether or not the WT grows & collects $$. At any time God could take them out of commission & judge the organization. None of these things have an expiration date except your lifespan.
When A comes doesn't really have any affect on the final outcome.
The Bible knowledge & wisdom that WT teaches ( without even considering any dogma) is valuable enough to change people's life for the better & give them hope so they can endure their struggles. The knowledge that there is a God who loves us & provided a savior for us changes lives. This is the core or it - everything else is semantics.
why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (armageddon) is near?
if it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
what is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is?
Exactly everybody dies. So what difference does it make if they have money & a retirement or not?
We are all going to suffer & be uncomfortable and have losses in this life. And we're all going to die. Except maybe some who happened to still be alive during the big A ( whenever that is). But it doesn't matter if you're dead or if you make it through A - only Jehovah knows who he is going to choose.
why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (armageddon) is near?
if it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
what is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is?
If you're so glad that you have your retirement money, then why are you still miserable then? Enjoy it, eat your heart out. Then afterwards you die. The end. It's always been your choice.
why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (armageddon) is near?
if it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
what is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is?
LHG I understand what your saying & I have experienced the same treatment. But what makes more sense- invest in something that makes you rich quick that you know is going to crash & leave you with nothing ( you just don't know WHEN) or invest in something that has no short-team gains and has a lot of short- term losses forcing you to live a lower level lifestyle than you prefer BUT is garrenteed to pay you back 7000% on everything you ever put in & everything you have ever lost plus garrentee that you will need to go through hard times again & awards you not only you past losses but tome to rebuild everything you did lose plus gain things you could never had imaged & it will never run dry.
All the org is trying to do is guide & remind people to keep a big picture view & plan for the real future- the one that God has promised. The is nothing wrong with working ot planning financially for retirement & there never has been. The issue is balance & priority. Those things should never take up so much time & energy that they become the priority over God's will.
The ministry saves us just as much as it saves other people. It keeps God close because we need him close to endure this life so we can make it to the next. It should be a desire of every person changed by the Love of God to spread the same l9ve & knowledge to help other people endure this life & build a foundation with God as well.
So it's not black and white where you must quit your job & spend 24/7 in the ministry. But you want to have the time & energy to give back to God 1st & not.allow ALL your time & energy spent building a life here when you know you will die here ( you just don't know when). Wh9 cares when the big A is? I/ you could be dead tomorrow, or we know we will certainly be dead in 100 years.
why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (armageddon) is near?
if it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
what is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is?
I've never cared about reporting time, who the 144K were, the date/generations, and things like that.
Staying out of & neutral to politics is words of wisdom from above. We are taught by God to know & understand that they are all corrupt & will eventually be removed from power. All we need to do is endure their rein of terror & cling to God ( which builds faith). Respect & obey their temporary authority ( unless it disobey's God's law) & help others to know God & H8s hope.
Not celebrating holiday's is living a life 9f integrity. It is being loyal to God and rejecting the venerations of pleasure. Easter is not presently celebrated to honor Jesus' sacrifice. Instead it is fill with pagan ( satanic) symbols and take away the focus on spiritual things & Jesus sacrifice. Halloween is a celebration of demons & promotes spiritism. Christmas & birthdays are nothing but celebrations of greed & competition ( look at me, I'm the best). Again all these things are distractions that do not honor God and mislead you further away from Him.
Empathizing & loving people- broken hard to love people. To learn to separate them from their sins & hate the sin but love them as a fellow human being. To giving love, time & effort & assistance to people without expecting anything in return. Your only motive being love.
While it might seem easy to lay it all out in the simplest terms -- we all know the reality of living in integrity & in God's will is very difficult & challenging. We need to draw close to God to grow our hope & faith & to draw on His strength to endure the blows Satan abuses us with.
Many, many times a day you have to pray to God for strength &, wisdom to stay on the right path. To fill your mind with clean spiritual things because this world of Satan is full of distractions & traps.
The WT is FAR from perfect. I wouldn't even say I believe 100% of what it teaches. And I do & always have felt that they add unnecessary rules & burdens to people's lives & they have had some misleading dogmatic teachings. These are harmful things - I see that. It would be worse if they never changed their stance & always towed the line hardline & never eases up & clarified things. But they have overcome alot ( like we all have in our lives). We adjust our information, direction & perspective when we get new information that clarifies things. This organization does the same. It is not like other churches who refuse to change because they don't want to admit they were wrong.
This organization teaches basic Bible truths with clean moral living standard. And they do it with worldwide unity because these things are for all people.
I don't find any other religion or Organization that has accomplished the good things the WT accomplishs. They are still run by human men & they are fallible. But at the end of the day they teach people how to understand & live according to Bible principles & standards.
why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (armageddon) is near?
if it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
what is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is?
Why does it matter whether or not the end of the world ( (Armageddon) is near? If it was next week, next year, next decade, next century?
What is to be gained by knowing how close or far it is? What is to be lost by knowing how close or far it is?
For me, it has never mattered when or how soon it was coming. I trust that God will judge when the time is right. Who am I to think I can outsmart God & why would any person or Organization attempt to pinpoint a time when the Bible clearly says men will not know?
Overall, I have lived my life by learning the Bible truths that change my life for the better, improved human interactions & relationships and teach you how to live the values of faith, love, charity & integrity. This valuable & practical wisdom from above is a gift from God to any who seek it. The sacrifice of Jesus is so great there are no words & is the greatest gift. All these things are valuable ( invaluable) free gifts from God. Our loving Father asks that we reflect his love by loving him back & loving our fellow man. By studying His Word & being humble enough to let him teach you His unsearchable ways you learn to Love Him & trust Him to know that He will always act justly. By means of the cleansing blood of Jesus he gives us Hope & Faith in Him. That's the big picture. Everything else is just minute details that mostly have no impact on you. Leave the rest to God. He will take care of ending all the suffering & injustice in this life. He will decide whether or not a person is acceptable to Him or not.
He will decide who will & will not be part of the new world. All we have to do is build our faith in Him & live our lives according to the righteous standards He teaches us, treat people with love & respect. Live a clean life of integrity & help our fellow man in whatever way we can. He tells us it is not our place to judge & we need to remember that. Neither is it our place to worry about when this world will end. Dead or alive God will judge you & He will restore His Kingdom.
All the rest is unnecessary speculation that divides people and misleading & causes confusion.
after my divorce four years and still attending the meetings i joined jwmatch.com as a non-paying member, eventually.
after i stopped going to meetings i wrote on my profile that i was inactive and after four years i have 63 "fans"...... sisters.
interested in me, from all over the world, as young as 29 and very pretty.. it looks like the sisters are so desperate for a mate that they would be interested in almost a 58 year old man.. very sad that many will stay single and will never have a chance to find love.. anyone interested in meeting them?
Ten years ago a single man in his early thirties ( never married/no kids) became an active study in the congregation (it was assumed he was working his way to baptism). He was good looking, I'll give him that. But that was all he had going for him. He was immature, playboy type & not at all 'spiritual'. So two single women in their 30s ( 1 was an acquaintance, the other was my friend - both active in the congregation). They both jumped on this guy like they'd been starving for years! He was a cad, so he was seeing both of them privately.
Then the women started fighting over him & gossiping about each other. My friend actually had all of us called to a private meeting so we could 'set the matter straight between them with me as the mediator. It was acquaintance girl, her mom, my friend & me.. So acquaintance girl is all upset because she had her hooks in 1st & my friend was brazenly trying to steal her boyfriend. They both aired their grievances about each other/the situation. The mom was saying " This is my daughter's chance to get married in the truth".
I was so shocked at the mentality of all of them. So I say, you both do realize that #1 this guy is not even baptised, #2 He is leading both of you on/playing with you both - he's the one who is lying, & #3 what kind of ' spiritual man" is texting dick pics? This guy is all around trash & yet you're both fighting over him?
The acquaintance girl is like - you don't know him like I do. Basically all this stupid drama because not one of them had an intelligent thought in their head!
Fast forward to years later & dude has dropped both of them & is seeing someone else & STILL not baptized!