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#Post#: 2355--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 20, 2018, 11:06 am
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[font=arial]THE ANOINTING
● 1John 2:26-27 . .These things I write you about those
who are trying to mislead you. And as for you, the anointing
that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need
anyone to be teaching you; but, as the anointing from him is
teaching you about all things, and is true and is no lie, and
just as it has taught you, remain in union with him.
The anointing provides people with some valuable advantages to
which people who lack it of course have no access.
1• Protects people from deception
2• Enables people to grasp Jesus Christ's teachings the way he
wants them grasped
3• Makes it possible for people to remain in union with him.
According to Watchtower Society theology, only 144,000 special
Jehovah's Witnesses have the anointing. There aren't that many
living Witnesses who have the anointing though because when
anointed Witnesses die, their passing doesn't create vacancies;
viz: 144,000 is the maximum unless an anointed JW either
apostatizes or is ousted via the process of disfellowship.
What that means is: the vast majority of today's living JWs
don't have the anointing. We're talking about some serious
numbers here. Currently, there are approximately 8.2 million
living Witnesses. Even if all 144,000 anointed Witnesses were
alive today, that would leave 8,056,000 JWs roaming the earth in
our day who 1) have no protection from deception, 2) are unable
to grasp Jesus Christ's teachings the way he wants them grasped,
and 3) not in union with him.
Doubtless there are numbers of ordinary Witnesses who sincerely
believe that their association with the Watchtower Society keeps
them in union with Jesus Christ; but according to 1John 2:26-27,
union with Jesus Christ isn't accomplished on the coattails of
an organization; it's accomplished by means of the anointing.
Watchtower Society missionaries sincerely believing themselves
in union with Jesus Christ without the anointing are each
themselves "one of those who are trying to mislead you".
_[/font]
#Post#: 2362--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: guest17 Date: November 20, 2018, 3:00 pm
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I have compassion for the over eight million JWs. They've been
misled, deceived, brainwashed, intimidated, threatened,
emotionally blackmailed. Their families are split apart. Many
who are disfellowshipped are committing suicide because of being
cut off from their families who shun them and view them as dead.
Jesus had compassion for people who were like sheep without a
shepherd.
#Post#: 2386--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 21, 2018, 6:33 pm
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[font=arial]UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT
POSIT: It is impossible for Jesus Christ to be in heaven as a
human being in the presence of God because 1Tim 6:16 says that
the king of all kings dwells in an unapproachable light, whom
"not one of men" has seen or can see.
RESPONSE: The Greek word translated "unapproachable" also means
inaccessible; which right there attests that humanity needs a
mediator between itself and the light to provide them at least
an indirect access.
Note that the passage below is misquoted. Watch for the
revision.
"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men; an
angel: Christ Michael." (1Tim 2:5)
No, that passage doesn't actually say "an angel" nor does it
actually say "Christ Michael". Here it is for real.
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men; a
man: Christ Jesus."
The Greek word for men, as well as the word for man, is derived
from anthropos (anth'-ro-pos) --a common koiné Greek word for
human beings in the New Testament; in other words:
"There is one God, and one mediator between God and anthroópoon;
an ánthroopos: Christ Jesus."
So it's readily seen from a cursory examination of the Greek
that the mediator spoken of in 1Tim 2:5 is a human being rather
than an angel.
Seeing as how Christ is allowed access to the inaccessible light
as a human being, then it's safe to conclude that there has to
be something very unusual about him.
Well; for one thing, his body is no longer that of mortal men.
When he went up to heaven, Christ's body underwent a miraculous
transformation. It's still human, that we know, but its
chemistry is unlike any human body on Earth. (1Cor 15:50-53)
For another, Christ is not only human, but also divine (John
1:1, John 1:18, and Col 2:9). That alone would surely be enough
to grant him some special privileges, and it does. For example:
the angel Gabriel stands in the presence of God (Luke 1:19)
while Christ the man is seated. (Ps 110:1, Col 3:1)
_[/font]
#Post#: 2425--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 22, 2018, 3:50 pm
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[font=arial]MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE
Some of the Watchtower Society's ethics rub people the wrong
way. For example they don't celebrate birthdays, observe
Christmas, participate in Halloween, serve in the military, nor
allow blood transfusions.
Their feelings about special days are protected by the
fourteenth chapter of Romans so it would be extremely
unchristian to criticize them on that front.
Their feelings about blood transfusions appear tenable from the
passages below.
● Gen 9:3-4 . . Every moving animal that is alive may
serve as food for you. As in the case of green vegetation, I do
give it all to you. Only flesh with its soul-- its blood --you
must not eat.
● Lev 7:26-27 . .You must not eat any blood in any places
where you dwell, whether that of fowl or that of beast. Any soul
who eats any blood, that soul must be cut off from his people.
● Lev 17:10-As for any man of the house of Israel or some
alien resident who is residing as an alien in your midst who
eats any sort of blood, I shall certainly set my face against
the soul that is eating the blood, and I shall indeed cut him
off from among his people.
● Acts 15:19-20 . . Hence my decision is not to trouble
those from the nations who are turning to God, but to write them
to abstain . . from blood.
The Society construes those passages to imply that transfusing
blood is all the same as using it for food.
Rather than get into a semantic quarrel with the Society over
its interpretation of those passages; I suggest another tact.
And our purpose is not to win a debate; only to offer a second
opinion.
The Jews' sabbath law is very narrow. In point of fact, the
covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God imposes capital
punishment for sabbath violators. (Ex 31:14-15)
Now, that is very interesting because Jesus broke the sabbath on
a number of occasions, and when doing so based his actions upon
the principle that human life, safety, and welfare trump strict
observance of religious law.
One of the best illustrations I've seen of a die-hard legalist
was a cartoon showing a man behind the wheel of his car stopped
at a red light while huge landslide boulders are within seconds
of crushing to death him, his family, and the family dog. While
his wife and children shriek in mortal panic, the legalist
calmly points out that he can't move the car until the light
turns green.
Legalists typically refuse to accept the possibility of
extenuating circumstances, which Webster's defines as: to
lessen, or to try to lessen, the seriousness or extent of by
making partial excuses; viz: mitigate.
Although it's illegal to run red lights, those boulders rumbling
down the hill to crush the man's family to death unless he moves
the car, are an acceptable excuse to go before the light turns
green. In those kinds of cases, human life, safety, and welfare
trump strict conformity to the law.
Compare Ex 1:15-21 where Jewish midwives lied through their
teeth in order to save the lives of little Jewish boys. Did God
punish the midwives for the sin of lying? No, on the contrary;
He overlooked their dishonesty and instead rewarded the
midwives' actions with families of their own. In point of fact,
their actions were adjudged as fearing the true God. (Ex 1:21)
Should someone reading this section chance to discuss blood
transfusions with a JW from Christ's sabbath perspective; I urge
them to go about it with the utmost in civility because this is
an emotional issue. Should your JW audience come to the
realization that they've made a monstrous mistake, they will be
overwhelmed with guilt, disappointment, and humiliation; not to
mention fear of the organizational tsunami that'll come their
way should they dare to question the Society's stance on blood
transfusions.
● Col 3:12 . . Accordingly, as God’s chosen ones, holy and
loved: clothe yourselves with the tender affections of
compassion, kindness, lowliness of mind, and mildness.
_[/font]
#Post#: 2469--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 23, 2018, 9:07 am
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[font=arial]UNDESERVED KINDNESS
● John 1:14 . . So the Word became flesh and resided among
us, and we had a view of his glory, a glory such as belongs to
an only-begotten son from a father; and he was full of
undeserved kindness and truth.
The ancient Greek word from which "undeserved kindness" is
derived is charitos; which itself is derived from charis.
"undeserved kindness" isn't a translation of the word charis;
it's the Watchtower Society's own opinion of what they think
that word ought to mean. It's literal meaning is graciousness.
John Q and Jane Doe Witness are being deprived of viewing some
very pleasant aspects of the only-begotten son's personality by
interpreting charis to mean undeserved kindness because
graciousness says some wonderful things about not only the flesh
that the Word became; but also about the Father from whom the
Word came.
To begin with; Webster's defines "graciousness" as; kind,
courteous, inclined to good will, generous, charitable,
merciful, altruistic, compassionate, thoughtful, cordial,
affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive,
considerate, and tactful.
Cordial stresses warmth and heartiness
Affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond
pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals
Genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality
Sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of
others
Generous is characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit; viz:
magnanimous, kindly, and liberal in giving
Charitable means full of love for, and goodwill toward, others;
viz: benevolent, tolerant, and lenient.
Altruistic means unselfish regard for, or devotion to, the
welfare of others; viz: a desire to be of service to others for
no other reason than it just feels good to do so.
Tactful indicates a keen sense of what to do, or say, in order
to maintain good relations with others in order to resolve
and/or avoid unnecessary conflict.
Here's a couple of passages from the NWT where the Society's
translation committee had the decency to let charis speak for
itself instead of butting in to tell people what they think it
ought to mean.
"Keep on teaching and admonishing one another with psalms,
praises to God, spiritual songs with graciousness" (Col 3:16)
"Let your utterance be always with graciousness." (Col 4:6)
NOTE: The claim that the only begotten son is somehow
undeserving of kindness is of course 110% false. Worthiness is
in every fiber of Christ's being. (Dan 7:13-14, Phil 2:8-11, Rev
5:1-14, Rev 19:11)
_[/font]
#Post#: 2493--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 24, 2018, 1:43 pm
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[font=arial]SHEOL / HADES
● Jonah 1:17 . . Jehovah appointed a great fish to swallow
Jonah, so that Jonah came to be in the inward parts of the fish
three days and three nights.
Q: Was Jonah alive in the fish?
A: Yes. (Jonah 2:1)
Q: The whole time?
A: No.
At some point in his nautical adventure Jonah went to a place
called sheol (Jonah 2:2) which he sited at the bottoms of the
mountains. (Jonah 2:6)
Well; the bottoms of the mountains aren't located in the tummies
of fish, no; they're located down deep in the Earth. So, the
only way that Jonah could possibly be at the bottoms of the
mountains while in the belly of a fish at the same time was for
the man and his body to part company and go their separate ways.
Christ paralleled his own afterlife journey with Jonah's.
● Matt 12:39-40 . . As Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be
three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth.
Now when you think about it; Jesus' corpse was never in the
heart of the Earth. It wasn't even in the Earth's soil. His
corpse was laid to rest on the surface of the Earth in a
rock-hewn tomb.
So, the only way that Jesus could possibly be in a tomb on the
surface of that Earth while in the heart of the Earth at the
same time; was for the man and his body to part company and go
their separate ways.
Just before being cast ashore, Jonah prayed thus:
● Jonah 2:6 . . But out of the pit you proceeded to bring
up my life, O Jehovah my God.
The Hebrew word for "pit" in that verse is the very same word
for pit in Ps 16:8-10; which Acts 2:25-31 verifies is speaking
of putrefaction. In other words: Jonah 2:6 tells of the
prophet's flesh just as Ps 16:8-10 and Acts 2:25-31 tell of
Christ's flesh.
"My own flesh will reside in security. For you will not leave my
soul in Sheol. You will not allow your loyal one to see the
pit." (Ps 16:9-10)
"you will not leave my soul in Sheol" speaks of the bottoms of
the mountains, a.k.a. the heart of the Earth.
"You will not allow your loyal one to see the pit" speaks of
putrefaction; viz: Christ's flesh was restored to life before
nature's processes could dissolve it.
Q: What does the story of Jonah have to do with Jehovah's
Witnesses?
A: JWs are taught to believe that human life is entirely
physical; viz: when people die they cease to exist. Well; were
that belief a reality; then Jesus would've ceased to exist when
he passed away on the cross.
Jonah's experience is handy for illustrating Jesus' experience;
viz: if Jonah existed at the bottoms so the mountains while his
flesh was deceased in the tummy of a fish, then Jesus existed in
the heart of the Earth while his flesh was deceased in a tomb.
Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites and also a sign to Jesus'
generation (Matt 13:39-40, Luke 11:29-30). The word "sign" is
translated from a koiné Greek word that's sometimes used in the
gospels to indicate miracles.
Had Jonah stayed alive in the fish's tummy, that would not be
the kind of sign that Jesus had in mind. He needed a miraculous
event that would adequately depict his own; the reason being
that Jesus' flesh was on track to be returned to life. (John
2:19-21)
Jonah, coupled with Ps 16:8-10, Acts 2:25-31, and Matt 12:39-40
proves that Jesus continued to exist out of body when he passed
away; and if he and Jonah did, then there's reason to expect
that everyone else does too.
My only question is: How was Jonah a sign to the people of
Nineveh? The city was located up around northern Iraq;
approximately 400 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. It's my
guess travelers on their way to Nineveh witnessed Jonah exit the
fish, and upon arrival in the city spread their amazing tale far
and wide. If so, that would help explain why the people took
Jonah's message to heart instead of mocking him as just another
kooky itinerant preacher.
If Jesus Christ's resurrection is true-- if his dead body
actually recovered just as Jonah's-- then Jesus most certainly
is the one man in the New Testament that everybody really ought
to approach with a great deal of caution because Jonah's message
warned of the impending destruction of just one city; while
Jesus' message warns of the impending destruction of many
cities. (Rev 16:17-19)
● Matt 12:41 . . Men of Nineveh will rise up in the
judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because they
repented at what Jonah preached, but, look! something more than
Jonah is here.
_[/font]
#Post#: 2518--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 25, 2018, 7:05 pm
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[font=arial]GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY
● 1Thess 4:16-17 . .The Lord himself will descend from
heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel's voice and
with God's trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ
will rise first.
I'm going to revise a portion of that passage slightly in order
to bring out a point.
"with the archangel's voice"
No, it doesn't say the archangel's voice, rather, it says "an"
archangel's voice; so I think it would be a mistake to assume
that 1Thss 4:16-17 is referring to the archangel Michael spoken
of in Jude 1:9 when, in point of fact, according to Dan 10:13,
there's more than one archangel.
Archangels are very high ranking, but there is another personage
even higher in rank than they spoken of in Josh 5:13-15; a being
whose rank is described as captain of Jehovah's forces; and in
the captain's presence, Joshua was required to remove his shoes;
same as Moses at the burning bush. (Ex 3:1-5)
NOTE: The title "Son of Man" in Matt 24:30-31 alerts us to the
fact that the Lord himself spoken of in 1Thess 4:16-17 will be a
human being rather than a spirit being.
_[/font]
#Post#: 2524--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 26, 2018, 9:43 am
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[font=arial]THE BREATH OF LIFE
Human existence is thought by some to be entirely organic. It's
not. There's a non-organic element to human existence called the
breath of life.
● Gen 2:7a . . And Jehovah God formed a man's body
Mankind's creator didn't give birth to humanity like women give
birth to children, or baby chicks hatch from eggs; no, humans
aren't God's biological progeny --humans are God's handiwork
like the glass products manufactured by craftsmen in Murano;
where they make things from scratch using mostly sand for their
base material.
● Gen 2:7b . . from the dust of the ground
The Hebrew word for "dust" is a bit ambiguous. It essentially
refers to powder, but can also be translated clay, earth, mud,
mortar, ashes, and/or rubbish.
● Gen 2:7c . . and breathed into it the breath of life
The word for "breathed" is from naphach (naw-fakh') and means;
among other things: to kindle; which Webster's defines as (1) to
start (a fire) burning: light, (2) to stir up: arouse, (3) to
bring into being: start, and (4) to animate.
Naphach is sort of like what Indy Car drivers do when they're
given the order to start their engines-- they light 'em up, so
to speak: for example:
"What has come into existence by means of him was life, and the
life was the light of men." (John 1:3-4)
The word for "breath" is neshamah (nesh-aw-maw') which means: a
puff. Neshamah is a bit ambiguous and has been variously
translated air, soul, spirit, blast, and inspiration.
What we're looking at here is a kind of artificial respiration,
but not the regular kind because it doesn't do a bit of good
pumping air into the lungs of a corpse. They won't come alive
like that; it's been tried.
However, there's evidence in the Bible, starting in Genesis,
indicating that it's possible to pump life into a corpse: in
point of fact into anything, even stones (Matt 3:9, Luke 19:40).
● Gen 2:7c . . and man became a living soul.
The Hebrew word for "soul" is nephesh (neh'-fesh). Its first
appearance is at Gen 1:20-21 in reference to aqua creatures and
winged creatures; again at Gen 1:24 as terra creatures; viz:
cattle, creepy crawlies, and wild beasts; and again in Gen 2:7
as the human creature.
Creatures within whom is the breath of life are perishable (e.g.
Gen 7:21-22) but I have yet to encounter a passage in the Bible
clearly stating that the breath of life itself is perishable. In
point of fact, I think it is very easy to prove that the human
creature's breath of life is not only a permanent feature of
their existence; but also prevents them from going out of
existence.
For example: when Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man of Luke
16:19-31 passed away, they all left the organic portion of their
existence behind-- viz: their bodies --yet on the other side
they are perceptive; fully conscious, and fully sentient.
I don't know for sure in what form they exist on the other side,
but one thing I do know is that they have not ceased to exist as
individuals, nor have they lost their identities-- Abraham is
still Abraham, Lazarus is still Lazarus, and the rich man is
still the rich man; and that has to be because they retained
their breath of life when they crossed over to the other side.
For example; in Watchtower theology, Michael the arch angel had
to die in order to become a human being. Now, the amazing part
of the story is that Michael didn't go completely out of
existence when he died.
"He had to become a perfect man and yet not lose his continuity
of life. His life-force was not to be extinguished but would be
transferred to the ovum of the virgin girl, Mary." (Watchtower
magazine, 2-15-82, p.7)
So, if it's possible for God to transfer the life force of a
dead spirit being into a human body in order to preserve its
continuity of life, then I see no reason to question whether God
can do the very same thing in reverse; viz: transfer the life
force of dead human beings into spirit bodies; thus preserving
their continuity of life.
● Heb 12:22-23 . . But you have approached a Mount Zion
and a city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and myriads of
angels, in general assembly, and the congregation of the
firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens, and God the
Judge of all, and the spiritual lives of righteous ones who have
been made perfect,
The words "spiritual lives" are a construed interpretation of
the Greek word pneúmasi which actually means spirits rather than
spiritual lives; and is so translated in something like 32
verses in regular Bibles, including, but not limited to, the
spirits in prison. (1Pet 3:19)
NOTE: The Watchtower Society's Bible contains quite a few places
where Greek words are construed rather than translated. For
example Rev 16:13-14 where pneúmasi is said to be "inspired
expressions" instead of spirits.
_[/font]
#Post#: 2544--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 28, 2018, 7:49 am
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[font=arial]OF MICE AND MEN
● Luke 12:16-20 . . He spoke an illustration to them,
saying: The land of a certain rich man produced well.
Consequently he began reasoning within himself, saying, "What
shall I do, now that I have nowhere to gather my crops?"
. . . So he said, "I will do this: I will tear down my
storehouses and build bigger ones, and there I will gather all
my grain and all my good things; and I will say to my soul:
Soul, you have many good things laid up for many years; take
your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself."
. . . But God said to him, "Unreasonable one; this night they
are demanding your soul from you. Who, then, is to have the
things you stored up?"
I suppose there's any number of ways to interpret that
illustration; but I am impressed by the fact that man's plan
failed to take into account the fragility of life.
● Ps 146:3-4 . . Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in
the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs. His
spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his
thoughts do perish.
The Hebrew word for "thoughts" in that passage is 'eshtonah
(esh-to naw') which means: thinking.
Unfortunately, Ps 146:4 is the only place in the entire Old
Testament where 'eshtonah appears so we can't compare its uses
in other contexts.
According to Webster's the word "thinking" is ambiguous with
quite a variety of meanings to choose from; including, but not
limited to: concerns, anticipations, conceptions, opinions,
imaginations, visualizations, ideas, epiphanies, plans, schemes,
fantasies, arguments, aspirations, deliberations, and the like.
For the rich man in Jesus' illustration; I would choose ideas,
plans, and schemes.
For example: consider all those people who perished in the World
Trade Center, and in the Japan and Indonesia tsunamis, and the
Haiti earthquake. None of them woke that day planning on it
being their last on earth. No, on the contrary; they had people
to see, places to go, and things to do: but before the day
ended; whatever was on their itinerary lost its importance--
their priorities went right out the window and became no more
significant than green cheese on the moon.
All their plans, their dreams, their schedules, their
appointments, their schemes, their problems, their ambitions,
their loves, and their aspirations went right down the tubes as
they were suddenly confronted with a whole new reality to cope
with.
So then, an alternative to the Watchtower Society's
interpretation is that people don't cease to exist when they die
nor do their cognitive processes stop working; no, Ps 146:4 only
means that whatever was on their minds before they passed away
is now null and void.
Take for example Michael Jackson. While working on a new world
tour, Jackson died in his sleep. As a result; his tour wrapped
on the spot.
When my eldest nephew was paroled from prison, he quit drinking,
and began going to college with the goal towards becoming a
counselor. For 2½ years all went well. His parole officer was
happy, and he was on track and getting good grades. My nephew's
future looked assured. And then on the morning of Sept 25, 2015,
he dropped dead to the floor of natural causes.
My nephew's passing was a terrible disappointment to everybody;
but actually we all kind of expected it. He was grossly
overweight, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, rarely
exercised, and smoked. But the point is; my nephew's dream ended
just as abruptly as flipping a light switch. And all of our
hopes for his success ended the same way.
Death is the mortal enemy of human ambitions. It often casts its
long shadow when they set about planning their lives. The
Scottish poet Robert Burns noticed that life sometimes throws a
curve ball that makes all your careful preparations strike out
instead of getting you on base.
He was out one day plowing in the field and uprooted a mouse's
underground nest who was all set for the oncoming winter. The
mouse had picked a fallow field as the site for its winter
retreat thinking it would be safe and snug; unmolested during
the cold. But it didn't (or maybe we should say it couldn't)
know the workings of powers higher than itself-- in this case,
farmers and their machinery.
Mousie, you are not alone in proving foresight may be vain.
The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew,
And leave us naught but grief and pain for promised joy.
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#Post#: 2584--------------------------------------------------
Re: Experiencing Jehovah's Witnesses
By: Olde Tymer Date: November 29, 2018, 7:46 pm
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[font=arial]SOLOMON vs JESUS
● 2Tim 3:16 . . All scripture is inspired of God
Followers of Islam claim that the entirety of the Koran was
given to Muhammad via word for word voice dictation; but
Christians dare not make the same claim for the Old Testament,
viz: though it's all inspired, it was not all given via word for
word voice dictation.
Bible students are often baffled as to why Solomon's remarks in
the book of Ecclesiastes sometimes contradict Jesus' teachings
in the New Testament. Well; the answer to that is actually
pretty simple.
Solomon wasn't inspired to record his observations from the
perspective of an enlightened man who's privy to knowledge
beyond the scope of empirical evidence and human experience;
rather, from the perspective of a man under the sun; viz: a down
to earth thinking man whose perception of reality is moderated
by what he can see for himself going on around him in the
physical universe; which of course results in an evaluation of
life on earth as seen from the earth rather than an evaluation
of life on earth as seen from heaven.
In other words: Ecclesiastes is one man's world view-- his
personal philosophy of life --rather than a book of either
history or prophecy; and it's loaded with pessimism; which is
basically a mindset inclined to dwell on the negative in human
experience rather than the positive. For example::
"You only go around once, so do it with all the gusto you can
get!"
That was a Schlitz beer advertisement some years ago. It's
worldly wisdom thru and thru rather than heavenly. Compare it to
a couple of Solomon's remarks:
● Ecc 9:5 . . The living are conscious that they will die;
but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
● Ecc 9:10 . . All that your hand finds to do, do with
your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge
nor wisdom in Sheol, the place to which you are going.
Same wisdom as Schlitz beer wisdom.
Solomon was a very wise man; in point of fact, he was the
brightest intellectual of his day. But Solomon's knowledge and
experience were limited. He didn't know everything there is to
know, nor had he seen everything there is to see, nor been
everywhere there is to go.
● Matt 12:42 . .The queen of the south will be raised up
in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it;
because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom
of Solomon, but, look! something more than Solomon is here.
In other words; Jesus' wisdom trumps Solomon's.
● John 1:1-3 . . In the beginning the Word was, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was a god. This one was in the
beginning with God. All things came into existence through him,
and apart from him not even one thing came into existence.
● Col 2:3 . . Carefully concealed in him are all the
treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.
And Jesus' comes highly recommended too.
● Matt 17:5 . . This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have
approved; listen to him.
So then, when encountering remarks in the book of Ecclesiastes
that are out of step with Jesus' teachings in the New Testament,
my unsolicited spiritual counseling is: go with "my Son".
● John 8:12 . . I am the light of the world. He that
follows me will by no means walk in darkness, but will possess
the light of life.
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