First of all, Francois is spouting a lot of unproven speculation that one runs across at a forgettable web site. El and Yahweh are differing words for the One True God. All of God's names reveal an aspect of His nature. Abram knew Him as El Shaddai, (I am what I am) and His name was revealed to Moses, 'Asher Iyeh Asher', later to be known as 'Yahweh' or 'Jehovah', which are transliterations.
This is not surprising when we see that the ancients had El or El Yon as their original deity, then like the Sumerians, added many lesser 'gods' since mankind had such trouble worshipping a God that they couldn't see!
On to your question:
This is an appearance by the Word, Logos, as a 'theophany' of God. Jesus, as the God the Son is also believed responsible for the 'walking in the garden, calling out to Adam and Eve', the death of the Philistines in their encampment, the various appearances to characters in the Bible as 'Angel of the Lord' and some believe he is also 'Michael' in Revelation, but they do NOT deny His deity as JWs do. Martin Luther believed this was so.
As you probably know, we cannot see God in all His glory or it would kill us. When Christ returns in full glory, the second advent will be obvious and not some mystical event that only a select few will know of.
Later,
Rex
Rex B13
JoinedPosts by Rex B13
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9
Wrestling with God? Pop goes the Hip?
by bboyneko 2 inhey anyone else come across this passage in genesis and wondered what the heck happened??.
new american standard bible (nasb).
footnotes are in paranthesis and bold.
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Rex B13
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15
My testimony to various churches and groups
by Rex B13 ina general text from my story.
i make some changes each time i give my testimony.
many of you unbelievers will think some of my statements are foolish.
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Rex B13
A general text from my story. I make some changes each time I give my testimony. Many of you unbelievers will think some of my statements are foolish. So be it.
From the heart!
Many years ago there was a 5 year old boy going around with his grandmother and others knocking on doors, warning people of the coming day of judgement, Armageddon, that was OH SO NEAR at hand. The Watchtower Society has been preaching that ever since their predicted date of October, 1914 proved to be in error.
Most people do not want people on their doorstep trying to convert them. It's much more difficult for people to chase you off their doorstep if you have a little kid helping you out. (pause)
What were the Witnesses offering people as an alternative to experiencing the wrath of ALMIGHTY GOD, THE LORD JEHOVAH? (pause)
They gave them the Watchtower and it's false hope of a paradise life right here on earth, IF they would only live their life by the WATCHTOWER RULES. And it only cost them a quarter or so......They offered to study the Bible using the books that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society sells , oh so cheap and guess what? When they finish with you, you too will peddle the magazines being sold as salvation, for after all, the "meek shall inherit the earth" and only the Watchtower has the TRUTH.
The Watchtower Society claims that Jesus had them in mind when he gave the parable of the "faithful and discreet slave" who would dispense the spiritual food at the proper time to all of humanity.
It is surprising how little people know their own Bibles. It seems like 95% of the people and yes, even Baptists know very little to dispute the Watchtower version of How God Operates. They bring their Bible students to the meetings and the new ones would be overwhelmed with people being friendly and hospitable, for after all, "Ye shall know them by their love, one to another."
Yes, get a individual to some of the meetings, fill them with Watchtower doctrine that lied just a little and before long they were accepting lies big enough for 'Jaws' to choke on. The Watchtower's view of How God Operates is ever changing and has always been so. They claim now that Christ has already returned but this event was not visible They say he returned on that day in October of 1914, the day of their false prediction. They originally claimed that He returned in 1874 but then, that date didn't work out either!
Here is a group of men that came up with an ingenious way to cancel out their false prediction. They had the choice of either admitting they were wrong or asserting that their prayers had held off the day of wrath. Instead of using one of these choices, they now claimed that their prediction was true but that only they recognized it! And people accept this, often times without question (kudos to Carl Sagan).
In the Watchtower world, there is past truth, present truth and future truth. ONLY the leaders could determine doctrine, only THEY would go to heaven. The rest would ride into salvation on their coattails.(slow down)
What does the Watchtower Elder say when asked by an Inquiring Mind, "why it's truth keeps changing?"
"Well brother, this is 'new light' and the spirit has directed us to change this and that. Why do you question our assertions? Don't you know how dangerous it is to 'run ahead' of the organization? Why, you could become an apostate then we would have to disfellowship you! You don't want all of us to shun you, to consider you as a dead person, do you? Then it will be your own fault that your family quits associating with you.......brother."
"Ye shall know them by their love, one to another." (pause)The JWs loved to see the Mexican migrant farm workers come into town for the summer. The little boy was a little older now and could reason that the Mexicans, Catholics to the man, woman and child, never opened a Bible. It was oh so easy for the Witnesses to impress the migrants with their frequent changing of scriptures in sermons, seeing people busily turning pages and showing them. "their love, one to another". (pause)
A common example of Watchtower preaching:
"Get out of her my people, get out of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion that calls itself Christendom. All religion is a snare and a racket but only WE hold the key to life. Jehovah will destroy all who do not believe as we do. He is coming soon. Why, did you know that Jesus is NOT God? He is a arch-angel, a created being and those who worship and praise him dishonor the one true God, Jehovah! The holy spirit is just a force, not a person of the pagan inspired trinity! What of hell? Hell is only the 'common grave' of mankind and is not meant to be literal. You will not positively NOT go there for there is also no immortal soul." (pause)From Genesis, just before the fall of man:
And the serpent said, 'Is it true that God said you will die if you eat this fruit? You will NOT die for God knows that you will have your eyes opened and you will be like Him, knowing good and evil.'
The slanderer continues unto this day and he is pulling out all the stops. People who know no better are drawn in by the small lies that sound true. Then they are ready to swallow the big lies without question.The growing young boy was lucky enough to be raised on the outer fringe of Watchtowerism. He loved God and studied the Bible at times but it wasn't until he was 21 that he finally got baptized into the cult. It was 1974 and the Watchtower had been strongly hinting for nine years that 'the end' would come sometime in October of '75.
Yes, God was coming out of his 6000 years of rest and this would indeed be the right time to deal with this wicked world. He was going to kill off all of humanity except for those one million or so Jehovah's Witnesses. Well maybe much less than a million since some Witnesses had not been doing their part and of course their kids would die also. (pause)
In a works based salvation, which is patently false and is NOT the original gospel, one must do very much to earn one's salvation. Witnesses turn in a monthly time sheet, much like a sales report and this is what determines your 'spirituality' and how far you will go in the organization.
Your appearance and grooming is also a factor in how you are viewed in Watchtowerland. Up until the early '70s, the Watchtower taught that none of the ancient heroes, right up through Jesus and the apostles wore beards, mustaches or long hair. Artwork in their publications depicted them all as clean shaven. Oddly enough, the Witnesses were caught up in an old 40s and 50s conservative image of how a man should look, short hair, no facial hair or you didn't gain privileges in the congregation.(pause)The young man married a Catholic girl who converted to Watchtowerism and they had two sons and many friends, as long as they 'toed the line' that is. He had always had that desire to learn more though and often studied the Bible without his Watchtower. The surprsing lack of context for quoted scripture was causing doubts about his beloved organization. Still, he was a rising star, giving talks in the ministry school more and more, being made a ministerial servant (deacon) at a young age and being groomed for possible elder status.
God smacked him with a little dose of reality though, him and his wife both. He was caught in the middle of a dispute between elders who were out to get one another. The couple soon tired of the conflicts and quit attending the meetings, where they had so much "love, one to another". They fell into sin and began partying and smoking, which did get them dismissed from their loving congregation. In the Watchtower world, drinking all you can hold without looking drunk is fine, but don't you dare smoke a cigarette, or a pipe, or a cigar.
God kept them out just long enough to raise their sons without brainwashing from the cult. He sent them back in twelve years after they had been disfellowshipped and they dutifully attended meetings, getting shunned and ignored right up until they were reinstated. This practice is the result of having your life run by an authoritarian organization. It is callous discipline, not love, that is used as a club to keep dissent to a minimum.
The boys soon tired of the constant negativity of the Watchtower. They were smart enough to decide NOT to get baptized after they finished a study book with the Witnesses. Soon, the couple began to question why they had returned to this organization. They prayed for God to show them His will for them.
God gave them insight from ex-Witnesses on the internet.
God gave them a set of Christian friends and co-workers, a church that prayed for them in 'Masterlife' discipleship training held at the church.
The pastor did his job in discipling the co-worker of the JW. The co-worker caught on fire for the Lord!
God led the man and his family out on a rocky road to salvation, climbing the narrow path and striving for the top of the mountain...and the view from heaven above. What they found was grace, the grace of a saviour who died a humiliating death on a cross. God led them across the gap by bridging it with the life giving cross that represented Jesus' sacrifice for our sins.
God led them to the promise of glory and their sons came along as well. The young man is getting older now. He has the great pleasure of serving the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of Hosts, Jehovah God, who is God in three persons, Blessed be the trinity. Amen.
(Tears and I have trouble speaking about this time.)
The church was "O... D...", the pastor is ........and the co-worker is your pastor, .......... I was the little boy who knocked on doors. I answered my door when Jesus knocked so hard it almost broke down.
(Man, this is tough right here. The emotions take over, my wife starts crying and I have to stop, trying to compose myself and failing, then continue.)
Praise the Lord! Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Thank you Father for calling us out. Please keep carrying me, Holy Spirit and please work through me.
God led us and molded us to reach this point in life, reaching out to our family while we warn others of Satan's snares. The Lord has caused another miracle to happen. My JW mother has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal saviour. She got a touch from the Master's healing hands! My warning to you today is this: The Watchtower is a snare and a racket!I generally go about a half-hour with this. Often times I have had copies of various Watchtower gaffes and miscues which reveal it for what it really is to distribute to the audience.
They are stunned to read the story of 'Percy' and 'George West' from Ray's books. Too many people on the outside do not know what happens to us who are in the Borg. I keep trying to fix that in my own way.
May God Bless,
Rex -
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AF - Proof that he's nuts (as if you needed it)
by Mishnah inapparently it is a fact that af has been subjected to professional psychiatric aid.
i applaud the fact that he once was able to bring himself to that point.
by why has he abandoned real mental help and replaced it with places like this?
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Rex B13
Hey Richard,
I'm not going to nail Alan on this anymore. I have noticed his skewed behavior, pointed it out to all and got villified. No need to go into specifics but there is something going on when a man suddenly gets out of character for no apparent reason.
I see a lot of problems coming out of people who realize they are not really immortal and if this life is all there is.....
The soul IS immortal, that is why we think we can live forever when we are young. Then we put twenty or thirty years on. We still want to do the things of our youth but our bodies are wearing out.
I wish that I could reach everyone with the hope that I have. I get angry at people when I should be having empathy.
Rex -
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The dreaded conversation.......
by LDH inwell, it happened.. just this morning i was talking to my aunt, a life-long book sales rep for the wbts.
she asked me, "lisa, do you ever think you'll come back?".
i replied, "come back to what?
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Rex B13
Dan,
If you ever get out of single-scripture exgesis and rationalist explanations you might be able to understand what you question right now. Why is it that the young think they already know it all?
Have you read any of the books that I suggested?...NO?
E-mail me if you want enlightened. You can have a hope for eternal security and when you get that, you finally figure out waht life is all about.
Rex -
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The dreaded conversation.......
by LDH inwell, it happened.. just this morning i was talking to my aunt, a life-long book sales rep for the wbts.
she asked me, "lisa, do you ever think you'll come back?".
i replied, "come back to what?
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Rex B13
You're preggie, LDH?
[gulp] I am really sorry if I offeneded you in any way and I will try to remember your condition! ;-) What is your favorite food craving? Have you felt the little one kick yet?
Rex -
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Waiting on Jehovah
by jayhawk1 inwhat i am about to say is very sad.
i would like some support over the next week.
august 24, my dad took his life.
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Rex B13
It is NOT your fault in any way what happened with your father. He may have even been affected by the chemical imbalance that causes many cases of depression.
Your religion portrays a limited god that it worships and more and more I believe that the devil himself is behind it.
Right now you need prayer, support from loving individuals and not the usual display that the Watchtower followers exhibit. Don't be afraid to go to any friend who reveals himself as someone seeking to do God's work and comfort you.
E-mail me and I will be happy to call you or find someone in your area to help you out.
Rex -
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Just got Home/Elder Dad just realized I'm Apostate
by MrMoe inwell, just got back from a big talk with my parents.
i finally let them in on the fact that i question the society.
(dad is an elder and mother has been in it for 67 years since birth.
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Rex B13
I really know right where you are at. The first things is, do not alienate them more than you have to. I reached a point where I could no longer continue to expose my relatives to the falsehoods anymore. I was doing more harm than good. Let it go for awhile. Let them save a little face by not arguing with them on some things.
It took me a year or so to find myself and I am now a saved, born again Christian. My wife, adult sons and I attend a Southern Baptists church. I teach Sunday School to adults, do some substitute preaching and more inmportantly, give my testimony to church groups. I am exposing the Watchtower as the false prophet it is. I am not even df or da...yet.
Find a sympathetic group of Christians in your area and start unlearning the Watchtower cult.
[email protected] is a good place to find help immediately.
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YOU THINK LIKE A JW !!!
by Prisca inthe above phrase has been bandied about in the past and present, often as a form of insult when the poster disagrees with something another poster has said.. but what exactly do they mean?.
how do you think like a jw?
is there a certain code of synapses that distinguish a jw from a non-jw?.
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Rex B13
Hi Vienna,
You made some very good points:>Do you believe the Bereans were right to test the apostle Pauls teachings by Scripture?
The last assembly that I went to one of the speakers said, "You don't need to worry about this, the Watchtower does this for you".
>Do you believe followers of God should obey the instruction in 1 Thel. 5:21 to test all things?
Do you you believe followers of God should obey the instruction in 2 Cor. 13:5 and test whether they are "in the faith"?Of course, the same comment applied to this. What overwhelming arrogance this takes and I am sure it is straight out of the outline for the talk.
Rex -
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YOU THINK LIKE A JW !!!
by Prisca inthe above phrase has been bandied about in the past and present, often as a form of insult when the poster disagrees with something another poster has said.. but what exactly do they mean?.
how do you think like a jw?
is there a certain code of synapses that distinguish a jw from a non-jw?.
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Rex B13
>So what does it mean to think like a JW? I personally believe it to be a compliment. I do think like one of Jehovah's Witnesses that is following in the footsteps of my lord, Jesus Christ.
However, it can be easily proven that JWs have no idea what 'following in the footsteps of Jesus' means. What you are doing is following in the footsteps of your rulers in Brooklyn. My post to Yarirf from a few days ago dealt with the issue of how twisted the shifting sands theology of the Watchtower is.
>I do think like a follower of Jehovah and believe he is the creator of all things. I make a sincere effort to think like Jehovah does and see things from his perspective. This of course is very difficult, but I try.
Your 'Jehovah' is not the God of the Bible. You have him fitted with your rationalist staitjacket. You deny the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. You probably don't understand the God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are 'Jehovah'.
You need to explore some of the sites that show why the belief systems of Christianity are Biblical and as they were in 42 a.d.
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YOU THINK LIKE A JW !!!
by Prisca inthe above phrase has been bandied about in the past and present, often as a form of insult when the poster disagrees with something another poster has said.. but what exactly do they mean?.
how do you think like a jw?
is there a certain code of synapses that distinguish a jw from a non-jw?.
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Rex B13
Hi Prisc,
I've been known to use it on those who assume there are no good churches to become involved with. The slander of other faiths by JWs is just as false as everything else it speaks about. I used to have that mindset, "I'll never go to another religion". This was said in ignorance and in the fear of being destroyed at armageddon!
The Watchtower is a effective tool of the original slanderer and he gets you either way, in the Borg or out of it with no faith at all. Of course, we can all remember the sneering at 'born-agains' and that is the biggest lie of all. The only way to God is through a personal relationship with Jesus-in my humble opinion.
Later!
Rex