Anna Marina

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Posts by Anna Marina

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  9

  Miscellaneous highlights from 10/2019 WT

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  okay sorry, just a few more things that grabbed me in this issue:.

  the magazine starts with an article dedicated to the 100th anniversary of that all important year on which the gb's authority hangs, 1919. the article ends with several rapid fire assertions:.

  by the end of 1919, jehovah’s peoplewere reorganized and energized.

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  Anna Marina

  The use of the word 'energized' makes them sound like they are into sci fi.
  
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  27

  It was all GREEK to me

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  around 1976 i got the wild idea i'd like to learn greek (for my study of the christian greek scriptures and to 'get to the bottom' of whether i was wasting my time being even a token jehovah's witness.

  ) i would read the actual text and avoid my denomination's opinion commentaries, you see.. .

  i learned the characters in the greek alphabet rather quickly and started reading an interlinear (english/greek) bible aloud - practicing my enunciation.

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  Anna Marina

  Poor old English had to standardise their spelling - they didn't have the Bible in English and had to learn Latin or Greek.

  I believe the Greeks and Romans we slightly better at spelling and with the careful communication of the Scriptures things improved.

  In days past, they could be harsh on typos. :/
  
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  27

  It was all GREEK to me

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  around 1976 i got the wild idea i'd like to learn greek (for my study of the christian greek scriptures and to 'get to the bottom' of whether i was wasting my time being even a token jehovah's witness.

  ) i would read the actual text and avoid my denomination's opinion commentaries, you see.. .

  i learned the characters in the greek alphabet rather quickly and started reading an interlinear (english/greek) bible aloud - practicing my enunciation.

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  Anna Marina

  Hi Terry

  What do you mean by that? I was never taught the word parousia. It wasn't in the literature when I studied. Granted I know the word now, but that is for different reasons, because parousia proves them wrong not right.

  I think the fetish JW's have for quoting Greek goes all the way back to Benjamin Willson's Emphatic Diaglott (the WT used to offer it) and the idea that parousia solved the problem of having been WRONG about 1914 (seemingly).
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  27

  It was all GREEK to me

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  around 1976 i got the wild idea i'd like to learn greek (for my study of the christian greek scriptures and to 'get to the bottom' of whether i was wasting my time being even a token jehovah's witness.

  ) i would read the actual text and avoid my denomination's opinion commentaries, you see.. .

  i learned the characters in the greek alphabet rather quickly and started reading an interlinear (english/greek) bible aloud - practicing my enunciation.

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  Anna Marina

  Hi Voltaire2 - the Greek is different but I joined a Greek congregation and they managed with it just fine, so long as they were reading it. But they were not used to reading the New Testament in the original Greek, so sometimes they paused in their understanding but they got it in the end.
  

  I found it fascinating to see the connection to some English words. The angel with the mega phone is the angel with the strong voice. (Rev 1:10)

  Eucharist (evkaristo) means, "thank you."
  

  When you get onto the Hebrew - Hebrew speaking Jews can read it easily like today's paper.
  
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  12

  1914 Prophecy

  by Acer21 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am having trouble locating what is the 1914 prophecy?

  jw.org states that the jw's accurately predicted the events of 1914, but do not indicate what the predictions were, or the specific fulfillments.

  what do jw's think they are (predictions/fulfillments)?

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  Anna Marina

  Hi Acer21

  Ask most what happened in 1914 and you'll get told, "Satan was cast out of heaven, therefore World War I started because he knew he only had a short period of time before he got abyssed."

  Other say, "Jesus took up kingly rule in heaven and God's will started to be done in heaven (like it hadn't been for sometime previous and heaven was just a variation on the theme of hell."

  Your most common answer will be Satan was kicked out of heaven. But they are trying to back away from that and say they never said he was kicked out in 1914. They want wriggle room.

  The other thing they say is that 1914 is the end of the 7 gentile times which started 607 BCE when Jerusalem went into Babylonian captivity. They say 7 times = 2520 years. A lot are taken in by this calculation which appears compelling but rests on changing the 20th year of Nebuchadnezzar into his 2nd year and the 3rd year of King Jehoiachin into his 11th and final year (618 BCE). For more info on this - see this site I did - http://olam30.co.uk/key/d01_explanation.php
  
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  27

  It was all GREEK to me

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  around 1976 i got the wild idea i'd like to learn greek (for my study of the christian greek scriptures and to 'get to the bottom' of whether i was wasting my time being even a token jehovah's witness.

  ) i would read the actual text and avoid my denomination's opinion commentaries, you see.. .

  i learned the characters in the greek alphabet rather quickly and started reading an interlinear (english/greek) bible aloud - practicing my enunciation.

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  Anna Marina

  Hi Terry

  I too set about learning Greek. I loved it. I used a great little site I found in the earlish days of the internet. This is it. http://unbound.biola.edu/

  I did really well, so well I felt Bethel ought to know and develope a website like this one to help all the brother and sisters learn Greek and Hebrew.

  So off I went to London Bethel and asked someone influential. He didn't realise he knew me because I was speaking to him on the phone from reception and I hadn't introduced myself. I just launched into, "hi I am learning the Bible in Greek and Hebrew and I wondered if we could do a website..." His first words were, "are you apostate?"

  I was thunderstruck. After lunch he sincerely apologise but apparently they had had problems with people learning Hebrew and Greek and he showed me a Kingdom Ministry with this in to prove it. Hebrew and Greek = apostate.
  

  Then he said there would never be such a website. Did I have any idea how expensive it would be? Quitely I thought, "I'd help you build it." But I never said cause there was no point. They were never going to build a website... ever, ever, ever.
  
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  12

  Convention hypocrisy

  by lastmanstanding in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  mosaic law?.

  jv chap.

  17 pp.

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  Anna Marina

  SInging and dancing between the sessions? Sounds like they are trying to make sure there's little time for people to chat and compare notes. Instead keeping them entertained.
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  66

  INSANE last days speculation in 10/2019 WT

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the october 2019 study edition, speaking of the last days after the governments destroy all religion except jws:.

  at some point, the people whose re-ligions were destroyed may resent thefact that jehovah’s witnesses keep prac-ticing their religion.

  we can only imag-ine the uproar that this might create, in-cluding on social media.

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  Anna Marina

  Hi Listener

  This is from an organization that also teaches that the trumpet blowing mentioned in Revelation, started at their 1922 Convention at Cedar Point.

  Even worse they said the 7th one blew in 1914 - so the rest blew after the 7th had blown.

  They are rubbish with numbers - intentionally so I think.

  *** re chap. 26 p. 171 God’s Sacred Secret—Its Glorious Climax! ***
  Chapter 26
  God’s Sacred Secret—Its Glorious Climax!
  DO YOU recall the sworn declaration by the strong angel recorded at Revelation 10:1, 6, 7? He stated: “There will be no delay any longer; but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to blow his trumpet, the sacred secret of God according to the good news which he declared to his own slaves the prophets is indeed brought to a finish.” Jehovah’s due time has arrived for the sounding of that final trumpet! How is it, then, that the sacred secret is brought to a finish? John is truly overjoyed to inform us! He writes: “And the seventh angel blew his trumpet. And loud voices occurred in heaven, saying: ‘The kingdom of the world did become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will rule as king forever and ever.’” (Revelation 11:15) Those angelic hosts have reason to speak loudly, even in thunderous tones! For this historic announcement is of universal importance. It is of vital concern to all living creation.
  2 The sacred secret comes to its happy climax! Gloriously, magnificently, it is brought to a triumphant finish in 1914 when the Lord Jehovah enthrones his Christ as associate King. Acting for his Father, Jesus Christ takes over active rulership in the midst of an enemy world of mankind. As the promised Seed, he receives Kingdom power in order to bring to nothing the Serpent and his brood and restore paradisaic peace to this earth. (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 72:1, 7) As Messianic King, Jesus will thus fulfill Jehovah’s Word and vindicate his Father, “the King of eternity,” who must rule as Sovereign Lord “forever and ever.”—1 Timothy 1:17.
  
  
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  10

  Questions Re October 2019 Watchtower

  by DNCall in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the october 2019 watchtower, in the article "1919--one hundred years ago" it states:.

  "but the brothers at headquarters could not just resume the work that they had been doing for years.

  because during their imprisonment, all the printing plates that were used to print literature had been destroyed.

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  Anna Marina

  Just noticed this in OP quote:-
  

  "...all the printing plates that were used to print literature had been destroyed. This was discouraging, and some brothers wondered if the preaching work was finished."

  So printing literature = preaching work. Who on earth thinks that because printing plates have been destroyed they don't have to communicate anymore?

  Question - did Jesus teach his disciples to PRINT literature or to just go out talking to others about the good news. Yes the scriptures existed and the gospels etc were added but they were hand written. Its like saying, "because my pen ran out of ink I thought the preaching work was done."
  
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  10

  Questions Re October 2019 Watchtower

  by DNCall in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the october 2019 watchtower, in the article "1919--one hundred years ago" it states:.

  "but the brothers at headquarters could not just resume the work that they had been doing for years.

  because during their imprisonment, all the printing plates that were used to print literature had been destroyed.

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  Anna Marina

  DNCall - I don't know why the printing plates were destroyed (and I haven't read the Oct 2019 WT) but I remembered this from the Revelation Grand Climax book (chap. 21 pp. 129-131) - is it possible they destroyed the printing plates themselves because they thought they were going off to heaven?

  Quote starts-

  A Time for Fervent Prayer

  A significant silence this! Half an hour can seem a long time when you are waiting for something to happen. Now, even the constant heavenly chorus of praise is no longer heard. (Revelation 4:8) Why? John sees the reason in vision: “And another angel arrived and stood at the altar, having a golden incense vessel; and a large quantity of incense was given him to offer it with the prayers of all the holy ones upon the golden altar that was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense ascended from the hand of the angel with the prayers of the holy ones before God.”—Revelation 8:3, 4.

  3 This reminds us that under the Jewish system of things, incense was burned daily at the tabernacle and, in later years, at the temple in Jerusalem. (Exodus 30:1-8) During such incense burning, the nonpriestly Israelites waited outside the sacred area, praying—no doubt silently in their hearts—to the One to whom the incense smoke was ascending. (Luke 1:10) John now sees something similar happening in heaven. The incense offered by the angel is associated with “the prayers of the holy ones.” In fact, in an earlier vision, incense is said to represent such prayers. (Revelation 5:8; Psalm 141:1, 2) Evidently, then, the symbolic silence in heaven is to allow the prayers of the holy ones on earth to be heard.

  4 Can we determine when this happened? Yes, we can, by examining the context, together with historical developments early in the Lord’s day. (Revelation 1:10) During 1918 and 1919, events on earth harmonized remarkably with the scenario described at Revelation 8:1-4. For 40 years before 1914, the Bible Students—as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then called—had been announcing boldly that the times of the Gentiles would end in that year. The distressful events of 1914 proved them correct. (Luke 21:24, King James Version; Matthew 24:3, 7, 8) But many of them also believed that in 1914 they would be taken from this earth to their heavenly inheritance. That did not happen. Instead, during the first world war, they endured a time of severe persecution. On October 31, 1916, the first president of the Watch Tower Society, Charles T. Russell, died. Then, on July 4, 1918, the new president, Joseph F. Rutherford, and seven other representatives of the Society were transported to the Atlanta, Georgia, penitentiary, wrongly sentenced to long years in prison.

  5 The sincere Christians of the John class were perplexed. What did God want them to do next? When would they be taken up to heaven? An article entitled “The Harvest Ended—What Shall Follow?” appeared in the May 1, 1919, issue of The Watch Tower. It reflected this state of uncertainty and encouraged the faithful to continued endurance, adding: “We believe it is now a true saying that the harvest of the kingdom class is an accomplished fact, that all such are duly sealed and that the door is closed.” During this difficult period, the fervent prayers of the John class were ascending, as though in the smoke of a large quantity of incense. And their prayers were being heard!

  End of quote