Posts by EasyPrompt

KalebOutWest said: "They read Revelation and the Bible without any critical type of approach, without any consideration of its ancient form of genre. It isn't a prophecy, it's an apocalypse. Its alternative title is even "The Apocalypse of John."
An apocalypse is a writing containing political intrigue that is filled with commentary on what was happening during the author's lifetime written in the name of a prophet as if they were oracles foretelling the future."

"ἀποκάλυψις apokálypsis, ap-ok-al'-oop-sis; from G601; disclosure:—appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation." (Strong's definitions)

@KalebOutWest, Revelation isn't a "political intrigue". Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean there isn't someone else who does understand it. God had it written and He understands it, and He can let whoever He wants understand it, even the lowliest person on the planet, if He wants to.

KalebOutWest said: "There are countless commentaries explaining what the authors were talking about in the past that academics agree upon (in other words, scholars know more or less what these writers were saying as they were talking about the past, not looking into the future). That's why there are commentaries on the subject."

Most "scholars" don't know jack about what Revelation means. Neither do the youtubers who make stuff up about the mark of the beast, or internet website bloggers who want to beg for donations for supporting their supposed "work for the Lord" (aka, their own pocketbook).

Just because some ridiculous wack-jobs wrongly conclude that the "mark of the beast" is Obamacare or tags or microchips or vaccines or whatever doesn't negate that fact that Revelation is prophecy from God.

There is no "magic potion" to get "saved". There is no "secret sauce" to get "saved". There is no "special number" or "charm" or superstitious hoosiewhatsis to avoid in order to get "saved". Jehovah is not some God of superstition.

Revelation was given in signs. The rest of the Bible and holy spirit helps explain what the signs mean.

Exodus 13:9

"And this will serve for you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial on your forehead, so that Jehovah’s law may be in your mouth, for with a mighty hand Jehovah brought you out of Egypt."

Deuteronomy 6:6-8

"These words that I am commanding you today must be on your heart...Tie them as a reminder on your hand, and they must be like a headband on your forehead."

In ancient times, when the Jews were told to keep the Law on tied on their hands and on their foreheads, it didn't mean literally. It meant they should let it guide their thinking and their actions. It's the same with the illustration about the mark of the beast. Those having the mark of the beast are contrasted with those who do not have the mark of the beast on their forehead or hand.

Revelation 20:4

"Yes, I saw the souls of those executed for the witness they gave about Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had not worshipped the wild beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand."

Faithful ones do not let ungodly, beastly ways dominate their thinking and actions.

That's all the mark of the beast is. It's not anything huge. It's not complicated. The mark of the beast just means being morally stupid. It's figurative, not literal.

Revelation 13:18

"This is where it calls for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is a man’s number, and its number is 666."

Six is one short of seven. The sabbath rest was on the seventh day. The Kingdom with Christ as King will provide true rest for mankind. Neither the UN nor any part of Satan's political system can provide rest for mankind. The political systems are deficient. Those who rest their hope for salvation on the UN or other parts of Satan's political system will be marked figuratively "666". Their thinking is deficient - if they really think the worldly governments can solve all earth's problems, they really have no clue.

God is Love. Those who let love guide their thinking and actions are not beastly. Love is what will protect people from having the figurative "mark of the beast".

125

Mandated Shunning is a Crime

by Lee Marsh in

mandated shunning is on the rise around the world with devastating effects on millions of people.

shunning that is mandated by organized groups to its members is a form of both physical and psychological violence against those people being shunned and cut off from their family and life-long relationships.

mandated shunning means that the shunning is ordered from the top down.

EasyPrompt

Mandated shunning, as currently practiced in the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, is a crime in Jehovah's eyes. God is Love, and the disfellowshipping doctrine as currently practiced is anti-love, antiChrist.

The Bible makes clear that justice took place in the city gate in ancient times, so that those serving as judges were in view of many witnesses as a deterrent to corruption.

The verses in John's writings and Paul's writings and the gospels that are pointed to by WTBT$ leaders as support for their current disfellowshipping doctrine don't fit such an application when they are examined in context and in harmony with the rest of the scriptures.

Whether or not the nations currently feel that mandated shunning in the Jehovah's Witnesses organization is crime or not won't change the fact that Jehovah thinks it's a crime.

He has already said what He will do to remedy the matter.

Revelation 17:15-18

"He said to me: “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is sitting, mean peoples and crowds and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw and the wild beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her devastated and naked, and they will eat up her flesh and completely burn her with fire. For God put it into their hearts to carry out his thought, yes, to carry out their one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished. And the woman whom you saw means the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.”"

God appointed pagan kings to do His will in the past, like Cyrus. God will permit the governments to remove the "mandated banning" business of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization when the governments tear down the religious institutions. It's already as good as done.

28

The pushing berween the K of N and K of S

by Kosonen in

jw
friends

the brics summit was big this year.

new member states were added.

interesting that they call themselves the global south.

EasyPrompt

"Abstract and timeless thought operations with symbols that must correspond to God's intention, which we have difficulty reconstructing, exclude, in my opinion, the possibility of learning the language of angels*. The book of Daniel will remain sealed without God's help.
*In my opinion, for example, John the Baptist (in modern terms one would say: he had a genius ability) interpreted the Scriptures in exactly this way. How else would he have thought of "washing" people with water? That the Law is a shadow of things to come... he got the symbolism of the Law exactly right."

John the Baptist didn't have "genius ability". He had holy spirit.

Luke 1:39-45, 80 "So Mary set out in those days and traveled with haste into the mountainous country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the home of Zech·a·riʹah and greeted Elizabeth. Well, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant in her womb leaped, and Elizabeth was filled with holy spirit and loudly cried out: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruitage of your womb! So how is it that this privilege is mine, to have the mother of my Lord come to me? For look! as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Happy too is she who believed, for there will be a complete fulfillment of those things spoken to her from Jehovah.”...And the young child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he continued in the desert until the day he showed himself openly to Israel."

Luke 3:2-6 "God’s declaration came to John the son of Zech·a·riʹah in the wilderness. So he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching baptism in symbol of repentance for forgiveness of sins, just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah! Make his roads straight. Every valley must be filled up, and every mountain and hill leveled; the crooked ways must become straight, and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh will see the salvation of God.’”"

It was God who gave John the message by means of holy spirit, that's why his message and actions "got the symbolism of the Law exactly right."

Jehovah hasn't changed. He can use His holy spirit today to help people understand the meaning of the Bible, including the meaning of Daniel's prophecies. You don't need to know "the language of angels" to understand who is the king of the north or the king of the south. You need to know Jehovah, through Jesus. He is the one who said...

"When the helper comes that I will send you from the Father, the spirit of the truth, which comes from the Father, that one will bear witness about me; and you, in turn, are to bear witness..."

John 15:26,27

11

4 Verses Jehovah's Witnesses fulfill today, can you think of more?

by raymond frantz in

.

EasyPrompt

Luke 10:30-32

"“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jerʹi·cho and fell victim to robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went off, leaving him half-dead. Now by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the opposite side."

Some JWs are like the priest who pass by on the opposite side.

Some JWs are like the Levite who pass by on the opposite side.

Some JWs are like the robbers who hurt a person and go off on their way.

Some JWs are like the victim.

28

The pushing berween the K of N and K of S

by Kosonen in

jw
friends

the brics summit was big this year.

new member states were added.

interesting that they call themselves the global south.

EasyPrompt

@PetrW, you're making things too complicated. It's not that difficult.

The angel was a messenger to humans, not a messenger to spirit creatures.

The progression of powers in Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8, and 11 are parallel to each other. They are presenting the same march of powers, just some have more details than others.

Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Anglo-American, United Nations.

35

Help wanted finding images

by Lee Marsh in

i am working on a project that requires proofs that the wts did say it and jws believe and follow it.. i have found some but google is giving me a hard time with some things.. as i go i will post requests for various images.

they all must have a reference or at least post where i can find the reference and i will add it to the image.. both older and newer beliefs are welcome, especially flip-flops.. if you have something similar to what is already posted then more references the better.

i know there are images of the structure of the wts.

EasyPrompt

According to the congregation elders, if you report abuse by an elder and when the elders don't do anything to remedy the situation you keep talking about it to protect others from harm, you are causing divisions. If you warn other publishers about an abusive elder, you are causing divisions. If you ask other publishers for help to protect you or your children from an abusive elder who is actively attempting to access your children, you are causing divisions. If you report your husband to the police for domestic abuse and you ask the congregation to help you in your situation, you are causing divisions. If you don't shut up about what they want you to shut up about, you will be disfellowshipped for causing divisions, because telling on abuse is "disruptive to the unity of the congregation" and "may involve or lead to apostasy".

35

Help wanted finding images

by Lee Marsh in

i am working on a project that requires proofs that the wts did say it and jws believe and follow it.. i have found some but google is giving me a hard time with some things.. as i go i will post requests for various images.

they all must have a reference or at least post where i can find the reference and i will add it to the image.. both older and newer beliefs are welcome, especially flip-flops.. if you have something similar to what is already posted then more references the better.

i know there are images of the structure of the wts.

EasyPrompt

(These excerpts do not specifically use the word "submission" or "subjection" but it is implied that a person who is not in "submission" or "subjection" is an "apostate" or being "brazen" and can be disfellowshipped for not conforming to the direction from the organization.)

The 1980 letter to circuit overseers about "apostates" says to disfellowship those who are not in subjection to what the GB/FDS teaches...it says "Keep in mind to be disfellowshipped, an apostate does not have to be a promoter of apostate views..."standing away from"...Therefore, if a baptized Christian abandons the teachings...as presented by the faithful and discreet slave, and persists in believing other doctrine...then he is apostatizing...rejects what he has been provided through the slave class, then appropriate judicial action should be taken."

1980 Letter to circuit overseers about apostates...

https://files.accessjw.org/s/QkEpDaBMN6EdkZJ

2023 edition of "Shepherd the Flock of God" Elder's book under "Determining Whether A Judicial Committee Should Be Formed" Chapter 12 point 17, subpoint 1, not being in subjection/submission regarding the elders' direction regarding associating with other disfellowshipped ones is considered "brazen conduct" and a disfellowshipping offense; also under that point 17, subpoint 2, a person who dates without permission could be disfellowshipped for "brazen conduct"...

https://files.accessjw.org/s/NSCySFCnaSiE2A5

Also in that publication, same Chapter 12 point 39 subpoint 4, not agreeing with what is published by organization is labeled "apostasy" or "causing divisions" and is a disfellowshipping offense...

23

How to Legally Dissolve a Religious Organization

by EasyPrompt in

regarding the state dissolving a church organization.... .

as posted in another thread, here is what is happening in japan, filing a court order to dissolve the unification church.... .

https://www.eurasiareview.com/06092023-japan-seeks-court-order-to-dissolve-unification-church/.

EasyPrompt

I love reading how "The Message" Bible translation does that chapter of Matthew 23! I also like how that translation reads when Jesus is giving the what-for to the naughty religious hypocrites in the congregations as recorded in Revelation 2 and 3. The teaching of disfellowshipping is a lot like what Jezebel did - she would mislabel someone as worthy of death and then the elders followed through with the execution. Jesus' words to the "Jezebels" in the congregation (meaning any person, whether man or woman, who misuses their authority in order to hurt others) make me think of how Jesus feels about those authors and backers of the twisted disfellowshipping doctrine, and also those who permit abuse in the flock and protect the abusers rather than the sheep, and those who promote idolatry of men/GB/elders/pioneers/whatever. Here is what it says in Revelation 2:18-25...

"Write this to Thyatira, to the Angel of the church. God’s Son, eyes pouring fire-blaze, standing on feet of furnace-fired bronze, says this:

“I see everything you’re doing for me. Impressive! The love and the faith, the service and persistence. Yes, very impressive! You get better at it every day.

“But why do you let that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet mislead my dear servants into Cross-denying, self-indulging religion? I gave her a chance to change her ways, but she has no intention of giving up a career in the god-business. I’m about to lay her low, along with her partners, as they play their sex-and-religion games. The bastard offspring of their idol-whoring I’ll kill. Then every church will know that appearances don’t impress me. I x-ray every motive and make sure you get what’s coming to you.

“The rest of you Thyatirans, who have nothing to do with this outrage, who scorn this playing around with the Devil that gets paraded as profundity, be assured I’ll not make life any harder for you than it already is. Hold on to the truth you have until I get there."

The Bethel arrangement, the WTBT$/GB/FD$, it's all part of "the bastard offspring of their idol-whoring" that Jesus says he will figuratively "kill" when he gets here.