Posts by Jeremiah

9

Solomon and Apostacy

by RubaDub in

issue .... i've never gotton a good answer about king solomon's later life in which the bible says he married "foreign" wifes and worshipped their gods.. from my dub perspective, this always sounded like plain, clear, unadulterated apostacy.

i mean, if i begin attending the catholic church i would be da'd in a minute and branded as being an apostate.

but we never hear solomon referred to as an apostate.

Jeremiah

This question is not asked often, and I would guess because it causes a person to look inside themselves to see how they would be judged. Revelation 20:12 says "And I saw the dead, small, and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things that was written in the books, according to their works." Everyone should be more concerned with their own eternal state and let God do the acts of judgement.

God Bless!

21

Did God make the ancient israelites also worship a goddess?

by avishai in

ever heard about the "goddess" the ancient hebrews worshipped?

asherah?

funny, how the jews were'nt supposed to have other gods or graven images, but there it is, right there in exedous , i believe, the israelites were wandering around in the desert & started to get bit by snakes.

Jeremiah

Ravyn,

I pulled this out off the web, like you suggested:

Originally it was Asherah who dwelled in the Temple as the Bride of God, His representative there. But after the "reforms" of King Josiah, Asherah worship was forbidden in the Temple. Still, the Jews knew that their Lady was still living there as their Queen and the representative of El, their God. So Asherah evolved. She began to be seen as the presence of God, and less as a separate entity. She became Shekinah, which means something like She who dwells (from the Hebrew shakhan, which means the act of dwelling). However, Asherah did not really change. She was always the representative of Her Husband, just as He was always HER representative. She, an Earth Goddess, was also Queen of Heaven. He, as Sky God, was also Ruler of Earth. This occurred only through Their marriage. So, it was not really that Asherah worship ever changed much within Judaism, or that Asherah Herself changed; only, it was made to look like it had changed to fool the patriarchal priests.

The only problem with this view is that it is not supported by the Bible. Asheroth, Asherah, or Ashtaroth all refer to the same pagan goddess. Yes, when Israel strayed from the LORD, they worshipped false gods, like Asherah. However, that did not make Asherah a True God, only a fake imitation. Remember, the Bible is the Word of Truth. It's light dispels all darkness and reveals what is truth.

God Bless!

117

Polytheism - Jehovah has same status as other gods

by Sirona in

who here is polytheistic?

is jehovah just another god?

is he on a par with osiris / pan / cernunnos / whoever?.

Jeremiah

Sirona,

Yahweh doesn't seem very "constant" to me. The mosaic law was totally abolished with Jesus, for a starter. All those so called perfect laws were gotten rid of. Thats called change. One minute Jehovah is vengeful and kills whole societies of people, the next minute he is "saving" mankind because he's so loving.

Matt 5:17 "Think not that I came to destroy the Law, or the prophets. I came not to destroy, but to fulfill."

James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Jesus is the same: Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."

The "change" most people is see is the outward. The various laws no longer needed, like sacrificing an animal for a sin offering. However, the change was only due to the ultimate sacrifice being paid for sins had been completed through Jesus. God has always been loving and it is demonstrated in the old testament. Look at the book of Jonah. Jonah wanted Nineveh destoyed. God wanted to punish them for there evil ways. However, when they repented, God had compassion on them and didn't destroy them. Why? He wants people to come to Him.

Also, the bible states that there are other gods. It refers to Satan as a god and at one point even Paul is suspected to be "a god".

The Bible does use the term "gods". Does that mean the are actually other "gods", beings of power on the same footing as God? No. I would challenge you to list me the verse where that it written. The Bible is quite clear that there is only one true God. I will agree that sometimes men thought other men were "gods". (Acts 14:11, Acts 28:6) The term was also used in the old testament, as a referencing a man as a "god". (Exodus 7:1) Did this mean that Moses was an actual god? No, it more implys that Moses held access to God's power to impress Pharoah. To Pharoah, Moses would appear a "god", but we know that Moses had no power of his own.

I hope this answers some questions for you.

God Bless!

50

Is JW just another denomination?

by John Vogel in

hello :) i suppose this is my introduction to the forum, though i am not sure if i will actually post and read much here.

i did go through several posts, and didn't find anything helpful, though i did find many posts interesting... anyway, i am not a jehovahs witness.

i hope this doesn't immediatly diqualify me from posting this question here... but basically, i was wondering just what is jw?

Jeremiah

John,

Matt 27:9 is very clear about the fulfilling of prophesy of the 30 pieces of silver purchasing he savior and being used to buy a potter's field.

Besides, who is going to save Jerusalem from all her enemies in the day of the LORD? Yahweh (Zech 12:9) or Jesus (Revelation 19:15)?

21

Did God make the ancient israelites also worship a goddess?

by avishai in

ever heard about the "goddess" the ancient hebrews worshipped?

asherah?

funny, how the jews were'nt supposed to have other gods or graven images, but there it is, right there in exedous , i believe, the israelites were wandering around in the desert & started to get bit by snakes.

Jeremiah

Did God make the ancient israelites also worship a goddess?

The answer is no. So why did Moses use the serpent on the pole? It was a foreshadowing of things to come. John 3:14-15 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life". The Lord set up situations ,in the old testament, to shed light on things that would come to pass when His Son came to Earth as Savior. There are others as well. Matt 2:15 "and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." (found in Hosea 11:1 refering to Israel) The story of Abraham (father) willing to sacrifice Isaac (his son) is a picture of Christ also. Hopes this helps.

God Bless!

50

Is JW just another denomination?

by John Vogel in

hello :) i suppose this is my introduction to the forum, though i am not sure if i will actually post and read much here.

i did go through several posts, and didn't find anything helpful, though i did find many posts interesting... anyway, i am not a jehovahs witness.

i hope this doesn't immediatly diqualify me from posting this question here... but basically, i was wondering just what is jw?

Jeremiah

Very nicely put, Star Scream.

117

Polytheism - Jehovah has same status as other gods

by Sirona in

who here is polytheistic?

is jehovah just another god?

is he on a par with osiris / pan / cernunnos / whoever?.

Jeremiah

Greetings, Sirona. :)

The bible's account of Jehovah sounds to me a lot like many of the Gods of Greece - warring, jealous, loving at the same time, demanding worship....

Let's start with this statement. From my knowledge of the Greek pantheon, Zeus was the top of the lot, Hera was his wife and one of his opponents and everyone else submitted to Zeus. Correct? How is that different that Jehovah? The first difference is the obvious, Jehovah is One God, vs many gods in the pantheon. That might sound simple, and it is, but it is very important to remember. By God being one, then his plan for his creation is under sole leadership, His. Under the Greek pantheon, Zeus could not always get his way. Hera and the other gods were always plotting against him. In the word, Jesus stated ,in Matt 12:25, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand". Another difference is that God is constant. He does go through mood swings like the pantheon gods. He can't be "tricked" into doing what you want, like how men would try and trick the pantheon gods to do their bidding. Is God jealous of us? Yes. What causes his jealousy? He wants us only to love him. Does God cause his people to fight others? Yes. Why? Because the other nations were leading people away from his love. Does He demand worship? Hmm, does your parents demand your love and respect? Or do you give it to them because you love them? God is our Father. He wants relationship with us. That is why we were made.

Gotta run, but more to come later. Hope this helps.

God Bless!

117

Polytheism - Jehovah has same status as other gods

by Sirona in

who here is polytheistic?

is jehovah just another god?

is he on a par with osiris / pan / cernunnos / whoever?.

Jeremiah

Aztec,

Weeeeell, guess I've never actually been in a foxhole but I doubt I'd do a complete about face. No, I'm not afraid of death and no, I don't mind Christians or any other people who declare a faith in something however, I don't like to be talked down to or told what to believe.

No problem :) I am not here to shove anything down anyone's throat. :) But, like the prior post stated, many people attempt to reach God at times of great trials, like facing death. The great thing is, that is is always willing to take us, no matter how dirty we are :)

117

Polytheism - Jehovah has same status as other gods

by Sirona in

who here is polytheistic?

is jehovah just another god?

is he on a par with osiris / pan / cernunnos / whoever?.

Jeremiah

Hello, sixofnine. :)

I am not selling anything. I am merely pointing people to the truth, and the nice thing about truth is: if you add to it or take away from it, then it is no longer truth. :)

What is your idea of God?

20

What Is Our Responsibility in Life?

by cruzanheart in

yesterday sword of jah read the letter i sent to the elders about my dad's death and responded.

he was very kind, even though i called the elders pharisees and the c.o.

stupid and insensitive (i should've been less kind).

Jeremiah

Wow, what a good question! :)

What did Jesus say? Matt 22:37 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind" and Matt 22:39 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself". Or maybe what the Apostle John wrote in I John 4:8 "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love". Why did Jesus die on the cross for us? John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes on him should not perish but have eternal life". So, what is our part? Love God and love others. The parable of the Good Samaritan shows us that everyone is our neighbor. If we live our lives truly loving God and loving others, then we will have lived as Christ wants us to live. John 17:21-23 sums it up rather nicely: "That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." So, we should be sharing the Father's love for us with others.

God Bless!