Posts by EdenOne

5

Is ADVENTISM antichrist apostasy?

by Fernando in

for me this is a new topic of interest.. doubtless may on jwn will be able to fill in the many blanks regarding parousia, adventism, and date setting.. in matthew 7:15, 16 jesus warned: "be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheeps covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves.

by their fruits you will recognize them.".

can one conclude from the fruits of adventism, that it is antichrist apostasy?.

EdenOne

That's an interesting thought, actually.

Compare Matthew 28:20: "And, look! I am with YOU all the days until the conclusion of the system of things."

with

Matthew 24:30 - "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory."

How can it be that Jesus would be with the disciples all the days until the conclusion of the system of things [undestood here as the end of the jewish system of things in 70 CE] and yet, in many parables, Jesus portraits himself as going away and then returning?

The only possible explanation, in my opinion, is that the "parousia", the return and presence of the Lord, started as soon as Pentecost 33 CE. If the writings of the apostles seem to indicate otherwise, it is simply because they didn't understand that the "parousia" was already taking place. Because expected the "parousia" to be a spectacular display of Jesus' presence. So, they kept on expecting something that was already ongoing within the invisible realm. When the end of the Jewish system of things came in 70 CE, they should have realized by then that the Lord "had been with them, every day, until the conclusion of the system of things".

They had to readjust their expectations and explanations about the nature of the "parousia".

Eden

23

Daniel Chapter 7 - Commentary - NEW ARTICLE

by EdenOne in

i've just published a new article on my website.. it's called: "daniel and the future of the 'saints of the most holy' - a commentary on daniel chapter 7".

i'd like to draw your attention in particular to the identity of the fourth beast since i depart clearly from the more or less consensual explanation that is about rome and the antichrist.

i won't waste time with that it isn't, though, and focus on what it is.

EdenOne

I've just published a new article on my website.

It's called: "Daniel and the future of the 'saints of the Most Holy' - A commentary on Daniel Chapter 7"

I'd like to draw your attention in particular to the identity of the fourth beast since I depart clearly from the more or less consensual explanation that is about Rome and the antichrist. I won't waste time with that it isn't, though, and focus on what it is. I'm just warning you here, so that you don't ask me later if I didn't think it could be Rome. Believe me, the whole point is proving that it has nothing to do with Rome or the antichrist.

I hope you find it enjoyable.

Eden

78

More bad chronology from the Watch Tower Society

by Jeffro in

it seems that more often than not, when the watch tower society says something about biblical chronology, they're probably wrong.

this seems to be the case even for uncontroversial matters!

insight on the scriptures volume 1, page 584 states (bold formatting added):.

EdenOne

Josephus writes that Alexander the Great visited Jerusalem in 332 BCE and was met by High Priest Jaddua.

If this is the same Jaddua mentioned in the book of Neemiah 12:22, then certainly there must have been some editing made to the book at a later stage, right...?

Eden

11

Blog post-- Genesis vs 2nd Peter: Lot wasn't SUPPOSED to be viewed as "righteous", but "unrighteous".

by adamah in

so here's part i (of iii) of an in-depth analysis of the biblical character of lot, examining the contradictory depictions offered in the genesis 13/19 vs 2nd peter's assessment.

i still need to pare the article down, as it's way, way too much info, likely unnecessary to make a relatively simple point.

it's important to be thorough, esp.

EdenOne

Adamah,

Thank you for the article you wrote. Very interesting. I wonder what are the consequences that you draw regarding 2 Peter.

In any case, it's no wonder that Lot isn't included by Paul amongst the ancient examples of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.

I'll look forward to read your next article.

Eden

40

Former Long Time Elder - Judicial Committees

by James Jackson in

when i first was appointed as an elder, i could not wait to be on a judicial committee.

it semed like most hearings invovled middle age men and women cheating on their mates because either they had married early or felt that were being neglected by their mate.

most times i felt i need to take a long hot shower after a hearing.. the toughest part was seeing these sweet young children grow up in "the truth", and now you are about to judge their future based on their repentance.

EdenOne

Judge away, TruthSeeker 674 ...

It's easy to pass judgements on others without knowing their circumstances.

And, btw, there is no "accurate knowlege about TTATT" ... there is accurate knowledge about the truth. Period.

Eden

40

Former Long Time Elder - Judicial Committees

by James Jackson in

when i first was appointed as an elder, i could not wait to be on a judicial committee.

it semed like most hearings invovled middle age men and women cheating on their mates because either they had married early or felt that were being neglected by their mate.

most times i felt i need to take a long hot shower after a hearing.. the toughest part was seeing these sweet young children grow up in "the truth", and now you are about to judge their future based on their repentance.

EdenOne

I only DF'd someone once. It was well deserved. Still, I felt uncomfortable with having that kind of power in my hands. I stepped down out of my own initiative, and nowadays, one of the reasons I don't want to ever serve as an Elder is precisely because I don't want to judge someone based on what I know to be false doctrinal points.

Eden

29

Their name will be their downfall.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

the bible is written in classical hebrew (there are many other types and older types).

yhwh is a classical hebrew sentence that roughly means 'he wills it, and it happens'.

the hebrew language has such mechanisms for saying things in a shortened form, much like today cpr, rsvp, vip etc..... adonai is also classical hebrew, but its a word.... it means 'lord' and 'master'.. .

EdenOne

Vidqun, I'm interested in that article, if you don't mind sharing it with me. I'll pm you my email.

Eden

56

The Apostle Paul VS. Jesus Christ---Were They On The Same Page?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you believe in the bible, it's hard to reconcile that paul acted very christlike.

he was always instituting rules and opinions that might be construed as rather harsh.

christ on the other hand exuded love.. do you think they both had the same views in handling matters with people?.

EdenOne

Also, Paul didn't "invent" original Sin.

It was judaism that forgot the meaning of Genesis. By relying on Genesis 4:6, 7 (Jehovah tells Cain that he may get hold of his impending sin) and Deuternonomy 30:14 (Moses challenges the Hebrews to follow God's Law, for it's within their power to remain faithful to it - "that you may do it"), judaism assumed that sin was something that man could dominate, providing there was enough will power. However, this tennet is demonstrated wrong because no man (except Jesus) ever followed the law without flaw.

Eden

56

The Apostle Paul VS. Jesus Christ---Were They On The Same Page?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you believe in the bible, it's hard to reconcile that paul acted very christlike.

he was always instituting rules and opinions that might be construed as rather harsh.

christ on the other hand exuded love.. do you think they both had the same views in handling matters with people?.

EdenOne

You must remember that there were more than one judaism. There was the judaism from the Torah, Nevim and Ketuvim - the Tanakh -, and then the judaism from the Talmud and Mishnah and several in-betweens. There was no straw man argument. there were indeed several types of judaism.

Eden

56

The Apostle Paul VS. Jesus Christ---Were They On The Same Page?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you believe in the bible, it's hard to reconcile that paul acted very christlike.

he was always instituting rules and opinions that might be construed as rather harsh.

christ on the other hand exuded love.. do you think they both had the same views in handling matters with people?.

EdenOne

designs,

Paul never negated the jewish origins of Christianity. He quoted extensively the Prophets and the Law in support of his theology, and much of the moral commandments he enforced in his letters draw directly from the Law Covenant, where there were no direct commandments to be found in the words of Jesus. Think, for example, about his comments on the place of women within the congregation, as an example of that.

What Paul DID fiercely fight was to purge Christianity from the ritualistic formalities of the judaism, for he considered them a threat to the Christian liberty.

Frankly, the comment of A. Harnack above is tabloid quality Bible commentary.

Also,

The accounts in the Gospels reek of anti-semitism culminating in Pontius Pilate giving the Jews judicial powers and sealing them as 'the Christ killers'.

This argument doesn't make sense. If I quote from a history book the account of Jews being exterminated in Auschwitz by german Nazis, does that turn my paper into an "anti-nazi" or "anti-germanic" propaganda?

Eden