johnamos
JoinedPosts by johnamos
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607 vs 587 BC - Cyrus Cylinder
by objectivetruth inhi everyone,.
i'm researching 587 vs 607 for the date of the destruction of jerusalem... i'm not doing the research to prove or disprove anything about 1914, rather i'm looking at these dates in comparison to 1948 & 1967.. what is your view on relying on the cyrus cylinder, to accept 607 as the correct date of destruction... i know that there are many other factors.. but i'm trying to keep this portion of my research as simple as possible, so i'm primarily interested in the appropriateness of using the cylinders date of 537 + 70 = 607. one other question.. is it likely that both dates 587 & 607 have their own significance?.
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GB's letter regarding UN membership - How Do You Prove Them Wrong?
by will-be-apostate ini was reading brant jones' experience (published on jwfacts.com).
i read both letters: the one he wrote to the gb and the one he recieved from them.
link: http://jwfacts.com/watchtower/experiences/brantjonesunresponse.pdf.
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johnamos
ES 2014- Tuesday, February 4
God is not partial.—Acts 10:34. In a selfish and nationalistic world, it is refreshing to find individuals who can and do look beyond national borders. The founder of the television network CNN, Ted Turner, comments about his work with a number of talented individuals from various nations: “I came to see those from other countries not as ‘foreigners,’ but as fellow citizens of the planet.” In lands around the globe, only Jehovah’s Witnesses have adopted God’s way of thinking as a group. By learning to see things as Jehovah does, they have been able mentally and emotionally to break down national barriers. Instead of treating members of differing national groups with distrust, suspicion, or even outright hatred, they have learned to cherish the variety of characteristics and abilities of these groups as something beautiful. Have you reflected on this accomplishment and how it has benefited you personally in dealing with others? w12 12/15 4:2, 14, 15
Who is this refreshing individual, Ted turner???
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938 [2] ) is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television. As a philanthropist, he is known for his $1 billion gift to support the United Nations, which created the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to broaden support for the UN. Turner serves as Chairman of the United Nations Foundation board of directors. [3]
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Witnesses: Why The 1/19/14 WT Lesson Is Dangerous
by Apognophos intoday's watchtower lesson touched on the history of hezekiah's reign, and then made a surprising modern-day application.
having used my time before the meeting to research the underlying material instead of highlighting my magazine, i personally found this to be an upsetting study, and decided to put this warning here in the hopes that some active witnesses read it.. the most important thing i want to say to you is that the actual flow of events in this bible account were severely misrepresented, and that there are some disturbing implications in the distortions that were made.
1. hezekiah's father ahaz makes himself a vassal to assyria out of fear of their overwhelming might (2 kings 16:7, 8).. 2. upon becoming king, hezekiah rebels against assyria (2 kings 18:7).
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johnamos
8-22-78 Awake "Do Others Do Your Thinking?”
Education teaches you how to think. Propagandists tell you what to think. True educators present all sides of an issue and encourage discussion. Propagandists hammer hard on their view and discourage discussion. Many times their true motives are hidden. They sift the facts, tell the favorable ones, and conceal the others. They distort and twist facts, specialize in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target. Many fall easy prey because it takes no effort to feel, whereas thinking is hard labor. And the propagandist sees to it that his message is made to seem wise, the right, and moral one, and gives you a sense of importance and belonging if you follow it. You are one of the smart ones, you are not alone, you are comfortable and secure -- so they say. Propagandists have little respect for people's thinking abilities. Proverbs 14:15 states: "A simple man believes every word he hears; a clever man understands the need for proof." (The New English Bible) Many today are like sponges; they soak up whatever they are submerged in. It is the easy way. Exercise for the muscles is hard work; exercising the mind is even harder.... What about you? Will you let others think for you, or will you do your own thinking? Do your own, and "thinking ability itself will keep guard over you."
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Seven Headed Wild Beast officially no longer represents UN?
by donuthole inaccording to a new "bible questions answered": " the wild beast with seven heads introduced at revelation 13:1 represents the worldwide political system.".
i know that they have quietly been backing away from the un identification for awhile.
is this feature on jw.org a new official teaching, or just a spin for the sake of the public?.
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johnamos
14 In a selfish and nationalistic world, it is refreshing to find individuals who can and do look beyond national borders. Granted, overcoming prejudices can be difficult. The founder of the television network CNN, Ted Turner, comments about his work with a number of talented individuals from various nations: “Meeting with these people was an incredible experience. I came to see those from other countries not as ‘foreigners,’ but as fellow citizens of the planet. I began to view the word ‘foreign’ as pejorative and created a rule within CNN that the word could not be used either on air or in conversation around the office. Instead, the word ‘international’ was to be used.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Turner
As a philanthropist, he is known for his $1 billion gift to support the United Nations, which created the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to broaden support for the UN. Turner serves as Chairman of the United Nations Foundation board of directors.
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Seven Headed Wild Beast officially no longer represents UN?
by donuthole inaccording to a new "bible questions answered": " the wild beast with seven heads introduced at revelation 13:1 represents the worldwide political system.".
i know that they have quietly been backing away from the un identification for awhile.
is this feature on jw.org a new official teaching, or just a spin for the sake of the public?.
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The Three Magi and their modern antitype ;)
by processor inhttp://www.svhelden.info/witchtower/2012/01/the-three-magi-and-their-modern-antitype/.
the three magi and their modern antitypeeveryone knows the story of the three magi who travelled a long way to pay homage to baby jesus two thousand years ago.
the same feature unfulfilled prophecies characterizes the anointed christians from brooklyn as the antitypical astrologers.
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johnamos
*THREE
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The Three Magi and their modern antitype ;)
by processor inhttp://www.svhelden.info/witchtower/2012/01/the-three-magi-and-their-modern-antitype/.
the three magi and their modern antitypeeveryone knows the story of the three magi who travelled a long way to pay homage to baby jesus two thousand years ago.
the same feature unfulfilled prophecies characterizes the anointed christians from brooklyn as the antitypical astrologers.
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johnamos
Nowhere in the Bible will you find that there were “THERE” astrologers/wise men/ magi sent.
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"Peace and Security"!!!! JW.ORGs best and last chance for fulfilment.
by scotoma inin the old revelation book there was a section on the cry "peace and security.. "14 in recent years, politicians have used the phrase peace and security to describe various.
human schemes.
or was paul referring only to a specific event of such dramatic proportions.
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johnamos
The saying of “peace and security” is not in regards to a peace deal between Israel and Palestine. It is in regards to Rev 11:10.
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What are the best questions?
by MissyM inwhat would you say are the best questions to ask a jw which they will not be able to answer and may make them question their beliefs?.
what (if you are a former jw) made you question the "truth"?.
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johnamos
The 7-15-13 WT (not shown here) states in the box on page 24 that there is no evil slave, that it is just a warning from Jesus to the faithful slave not to become so, basically going on to say that it is only a hypothetical. My question is…are the foolish virgins and the sluggish slave, who hid the Master’s talent also hypothetical??? i.e.….
[3-1-04 WT WHEN DOES JESUS COME?
It would not be reasonable to say, for example, that the rewarding of the faithful slave, the judgment of the foolish virgins, and the judgment of the sluggish slave, who hid the Master’s talent, will take place when Jesus “comes” at the great tribulation. That would imply that many of the anointed will be found unfaithful at that time and will thus have to be replaced.]
Also, the WTS when addressing the evil slave, calling it a hypothetical, is doing so from Matthew’s account, but my question is… in reading this same account from Luke, who is the slave that understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do in line and who is the one that did not understand??? Or are they also hypothetical???
Luke 12: 41 Then Peter said: “Lord, are you saying this illustration to us or also to all?” 42 And the Lord said: “Who really is the faithful steward, the discreet one, whom his master will appoint over his body of attendants to keep giving them their measure of food supplies at the proper time? 43 Happy is that slave, if his master on arriving finds him doing so! 44 I tell YOU truthfully, He will appoint him over all his belongings. 45 But if ever that slave should say in his heart, ‘My master delays coming,’ and should start to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day that he is not expecting [him] and in an hour that he does not know, and he will punish him with the greatest severity and assign him a part with the unfaithful ones. 47 Then that slave that understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do in line with his will will be beaten with many strokes. 48 But the one that did not understand and so did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few.
Since I am not aware at this time rather you say if “the foolish virgins” are hypothetical or not, then I just have a few secondary questions regarding “the foolish virgins” if in fact they are not hypothetical.
According to paragraph 16 on page 7 in the July 15, 2013 WT (not shown here), the bridegroom (Jesus) in the parable found at Matthew 25:1-12, has not arrived yet and does not do so until his future arrival at Matt 24:30. That being said, it becomes obvious that the ready (discreet) virgins have not yet entered into the marriage feast yet and the door is therefore not shut. My question is, according to the parable, where are the foolish virgins in proximity to the discreet virgins prior to the bridegroom’s arrival??? Who make up the discreet virgins presently??? Who make up the foolish virgins presently???
Matthew 25:1 “Then the kingdom of the heavens will become like ten virgins that took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were discreet. 3 For the foolish took their lamps but took no oil with them, 4 whereas the discreet took oil in their receptacles with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom was delaying, they all nodded and went to sleep. 6 Right in the middle of the night there arose a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Be on YOUR way out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and put their lamps in order. 8 The foolish said to the discreet, ‘Give us some of YOUR oil, because our lamps are about to go out.’ 9 The discreet answered with the words, ‘Perhaps there may not be quite enough for us and YOU. Be on YOUR way, instead, to those who sell it and buy for yourselves.’ 10 While they were going off to buy, the bridegroom arrived, and the virgins that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. 11 Afterwards the rest of the virgins also came, saying, ‘Sir, sir, open to us!’ 12 In answer he said, ‘I tell YOU the truth, I do not know YOU.’
Endnote in regards to the 3-1-04 WT excerpt.
That footnote is stating that Jesus’ arrival pertaining to the rewarding of the faithful slave, the judgment of the foolish virgins and the sluggish slave, who hid the Master’s talent, occurred back in 1918, but now in the 7-15-13 WT, the new adjusted understanding is that the rewarding of the faithful slave, the judgment of the foolish virgins and the sluggish slave, who hid the Master’s talent was not back in 1918 but occurs at Jesus’ future coming at Matthew 24:30. My question is…since they (WTS) stated the implications of what it would mean if those arrivals where at Jesus’ future arrival, but now state that those arrivals are indeed at Jesus' future arrival, then what does that mean for what they say that would imply…to be more direct, does the same still apply???
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What are the best questions?
by MissyM inwhat would you say are the best questions to ask a jw which they will not be able to answer and may make them question their beliefs?.
what (if you are a former jw) made you question the "truth"?.
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johnamos
Jeremiah 25: 11 And all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”’
12 “‘And it must occur that when seventy years have been fulfilled I shall call to account against the king of Babylon and against that nation,’ is the utterance of Jehovah,
What nations had to serve Babylon 70 years and how did the nations serve Babylon???
When did Jehovah say that he was going to call to account Babylon???
What year did Jehovah call to account Babylon???
In the context of the two verses above, when did the 70 years start and end???
In the context of the two verses above, what did the 70 years represent???
Isaiah Prophecy 1 p. 253
Isaiah goes on to prophesy: “It must occur in that day that Tyre must be forgotten seventy years, the same as the days of one king.” (Isaiah 23:15a) Following the destruction of the mainland city by the Babylonians, the island-city of Tyre will “be forgotten.” True to the prophecy, for the duration of “one king”—the Babylonian Empire—the island-city of Tyre will not be an important financial power. Jehovah, through Jeremiah, includes Tyre among the nations that will be singled out to drink the wine of His rage. He says: “These nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” (Jeremiah 25:8-17, 22, 27) True, the island-city of Tyre is not subject to Babylon for a full 70 years, since the Babylonian Empire falls in 539 B.C.E. Evidently, the 70 years represents the period of Babylonia’s greatest domination—when the Babylonian royal dynasty boasts of having lifted its throne even above “the stars of God.” (Isaiah 14:13) Different nations come under that domination at different times. But at the end of 70 years, that domination will crumble.
In the context of this WTS excerpt, what time frame are they referring to when saying; “Babylonia’s greatest domination”…to be more direct, what year did that time start and what year did it end???
Follow up to that question…what caused it to start when it did and what caused it to end when it did???
DP ch7 p.108 “The Great Timekeeper, Jehovah, had numbered the days of Babylon’s reign as a world power, and the end was closer than anyone at Belshazzar’s banquet thought. In fact, time had run out—not only for Belshazzar but also for his father, Nabonidus.”
9-15-98 WT “The Medes and the Persians easily took the city, and Belshazzar did not live through the night. With his death, and the apparent surrender of Nabonidus to Cyrus, the Neo-Babylonian Empire came to an end.”
Instight p.425 Particularly was this domination manifest during the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.E. when Nabopolassar, a native of Chaldea, and his successors, Nebuchadnezzar II, Evil-merodach (Awil-Marduk), Neriglissar, Labashi-Marduk, Nabonidus, and Belshazzar, ruled the Third World Power, Babylon. That dynasty came to its end when “Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.
How many years did Babylon reign as the third world power…to be more direct, what year did they become the 3 rd world power and what year did that end for them???