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If you never spoke to the elders about a past sin (5 yrs ago) but have approached Jehovah in sincere repentance, can Jehovah forgive you, even if you did not use his established channels? |
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There are three main reasons why the elders get involved in such matters. One, the letter of James advises spiritually ill believers to call the older men to themselves so that their prayers and counsel may effect a spiritual healing of the suffering individual. James 5:15-16 reads: "And the prayer of faith will make the indisposed one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him. Therefore openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may get healed. A righteous man's supplication, when it is at work, has much force." Simply put, it is Jehovah's Will that we confess our sins to the older men as the means by which Jehovah grants forgiveness. The second aspect of the situation is that there may be others involved who are affected by the wrongdoing or who simply know about it. That's why Paul commanded the young elder Timothy to "reprove before all onlookers persons who practice sin, that the rest also may have fear." Thirdly, there is the issue of judging whether the wrongdoer is truly repentant. If not, then, the elders are under obligation before God to remove the unrepentant individual from the congregation. It sounds, though, as if you are not presently practicing whatever sin you committed five years ago. That's good. So, the repentance is there. But, the very fact that you have asked whether Jehovah can forgive you indicates that your conscience may not have completely healed. That being the case, perhaps it is time for you to give the elders a call and put this thing behind you once and for all. You might be pleasantly surprised and actually receive the assurance of the forgiveness from Jehovah that you are seeking. "He that is covering over his transgressions will not succeed, but he that is confessing and leaving them will be shown mercy." --- Proverbs 28:13 |
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What is your feeling on the Dead Sea Scrolls? Are they authentic or not? |
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| I have not personally studied the Dead Sea Scrolls, so my opinion doesn't carry very much weight. But, I am not aware that any scholars have questions regarding the authenticity of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Perhaps there are some, but for the most part, the scrolls are accepted as authentic. |
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There are various "conspiracy" sites speculating on NYC being the next target for the “terrorists.” If NYC is destroyed by a WMD will not the U.N, which is in NYC, also be destroyed? How can the UN become the 8th king if it is wiped off the face of the earth? |
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There is no question that New York City might seem like a tempting target for some lunatic terrorist, assuming that they had a weapon of mass destruction. But let us remember that Satan the Devil is the acting god of this system of things. That means that he has authority on both sides in any adversarial situation. For example, Satan is Wall Street's ultimate CEO as well as the overlord of all earthly governments. They obviously reflect his character and methods. But, let us not forget that the demonic principalities are also directing the seemingly anti-establishment terrorist organizations of the world in order to further the Devil's own ends. The question is: Is Satan's kingdom really divided against itself? The answer is no. As Jesus said, if Satan has become divided against Satan his kingdom cannot stand. Ultimately terrorism is controlled from the top down; being funded, armed and directed through powerful organs within the European, Zionist and Anglo-American establishment. As an evidence of that, it is a well-known fact that the notorious Osama Bin Laden and the original Mujahideen were originally created by the CIA and British intelligence agencies in order to wage a covert war against the Soviet Union by proxy. Apparently, those same intelligence assets are now being used against democratic institutions. So, seemingly lawless terrorist outfits may actually be controlled and manipulated by unseen hands through shadowy intelligence and underworld networks. That's how the Devil's system operates. However, ultimately Jehovah controls all things. He has demonstrated over and over again that he can use otherwise satanically controlled governments to suit his own purpose. Seeing that the Bible foretells that an 8th king will arise to rule the world for "one hour," and it seems a foregone conclusion that the throne of the 8th king is the United Nations, headquartered in New York, we may assume that it would not suit either Jehovah's or Satan's purpose to level New York City. Not to be overlooked is the fact that New York City is also home to the Watchtower's headquarters, which figures to have a prominent role in the outworking of Jehovah's purpose as well. If anything, Washington D.C. would seem to be a more likely target for "terrorists" with some sort of WMD; perhaps another D.C. attack similar to the Pentagon attack might serve as a pretext for transferring the seat of government from the United States to the United Nations in New York. Interestingly, the Bible does seem to have something to say on these matters. In the essay Doom of the Anglo-American Dyad, the case was made that America fits the description of the modern-day Egypt of prophecy. Jehovah's pronouncement against Egypt in the 19th chapter of Isaiah even seems to foreshadow New York City. Isaiah 19:18-20 says: "In that day there will prove to be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing to Jehovah of armies. The City of Tearing Down will one city be called. In that day there will prove to be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah beside its boundary. And it must prove to be for a sign and for a witness to Jehovah of armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to Jehovah because of the oppressors, and he will send them a savior, even a grand one, who will actually deliver them." Those in the prophecy "swearing to Jehovah of armies" are no doubt the spiritual Israelites—anointed Jehovah's Witnesses. But just what is The City of Tearing Down? The prophecy says that it is in the land of Egypt; but according to other prophecies, in ancient times the "City of Tearing Down" was the city of Babylon, because they served as Jehovah's nation-smashing "forge hammer of all the earth," according to Jeremiah 50:23. It seems to be a case where the prophecy speaks more to a later, grander fulfillment, rather than the ancient. Isaiah 13:5-6 describes Jehovah's commissioned imperial executioners thusly: "They are coming from the land far away, from the extremity of the heavens, Jehovah and the weapons of his denunciation, to wreck all the earth. Howl, you people, for the day of Jehovah is near! As a despoiling from the Almighty it will come." So, judgment day upon this system similarly involves the wrecking, smashing, despoiling, and yes, "tearing down" of the established order by the so-called "tyrants of the nations." It means the imposition of a harsh, Soviet-style, dictatorial tyranny over so-called free nations. (See essay: The Ultimate Final Solution) Seeing that the bureaucratic infrastructure for world government is already in place, all that remains is for the independent nations to be torn-down as it were, and made subservient to the 8th king. Seeing that the United Nations is headquartered in New York City would make it the anti-typical "City of Tearing Down" during the last hour. New York City not only has the distinction of being the seat of future world government, it is also the Watchtower's headquarters. As such, the "language of Canaan" spoken has reference to the dialect of the Hebrews, but in spiritual terms it means the so-called "pure language," which Jehovah is yet to give to his spiritual nation. The "altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt" that serves as "a sign and for a witness to Jehovah of armies in the land of Egypt," in connection with "The City of Tearing Down" is likely the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses. The "grand savior" who delivers those calling upon Jehovah from the oppressor is no doubt Jesus Christ. So, it would seem that New York City is destined by prophecy to figure prominently during the conclusion. That is not to say that some terrorist attack will not take place there, as it did on September 11th, 2001, but merely that we can rule out Jehovah allowing a devastating nuclear blast to level that particular city. Perhaps, though, as a last resort to distract and cover over the impending financial blowout when it eventually does take place, some sort of radioactive "dirty bomb" might be used on Wall Street to shut down the stock exchanges and brokerage houses in order to disguise their own bankruptcy. We will just have to wait and see to what extent The City of Tearing Down actually tears down. |
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I have been a Jehovah's Witness for over three years and I personally don't agree with what it is that you are doing. You have stated in your writings that one thing that identifies the true Christian faith is the covenant that the anointed have with Jehovah. Shouldn't the members of the true Christian faith share the same belief since they are to serve as kings and priests? If you are indeed among the anointed and if the scriptural evidence that you have presented has been proved infallible, why is it that other anointed individuals aren't as concerned as you are to make an attempt to correct the present teachings of the organization? |
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For your information, there are many anointed brothers and sisters who do not agree with the Watchtower in certain matters. Ideally, though, all Christians should be in agreement as to what is true. But that is just an ideal that has never been realized, even among true Christians. It wasn't a reality in the 1st century, and it is not now. Of course, Paul counseled the Corinthians to that end when he wrote to them these words: "Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought." But, the very fact that Paul exhorted the Corinthians to speak and think in agreement indicates that there were deep-seated disagreements among them. The question for us today is: What price are we willing to pay in order to all think and speak in agreement? Most of us became Jehovah's Witnesses because we were truth-seekers in the first place, and we recognized the ring of truth in the Watchtower's basic teachings. We realized that Christendom teaches gross lies about God and so we left the churches and their phony doctrines. And many of us made great sacrifices and suffered much persecution and ridicule when we became Jehovah's Witnesses. The Watchtower has always taught us to stand up for the truth; and so it is that we have developed a deep love of truth and truth-telling. But here's the test that now confronts some of us, and that will eventually challenge all of Jehovah's Witnesses before it is all said and done: What are we to do when confronted with the fact that our mother-like organization does not teach the whole truth and is not always up-front and truthful with us? Then what? Do we still stand up for the truth as we have been trained to do? Do we leave the truth? Or do we suppress our conscience and wait on Jehovah to straighten things out? These are questions that many of Jehovah's Witnesses are struggling with right now. The problem is compounded because the Watchtower teaches us that we are presently living in a "spiritual paradise" and that Jehovah has already given us the foretold change to a "pure language" of spiritual truth. That creates an atmosphere in the organization whereby anyone who does not agree with everything in the organization is automatically viewed with suspicion and marginalized as being spiritually weak—or worse. So, the organization is trained and structured to dismiss out-of-hand even the slightest suggestion that the Watchtower could be in error. In reality, our organizational unity is the product of a subtle form of tyranny and not the result of Jehovah's spirit as we suppose. The problem is not really humanly solvable. It is not possible by mere human efforts to break up the organizational brain-lock that has been imposed upon us—many have tried and failed. The reason is because the root of the problem is that there are wicked men deeply entrenched in positions of authority in the organization who do not love the truth at all! Part of the problem that evidently contributed to the disunity in the ancient Corinthian congregation was the fact that there were prominent men, whom the apostle Paul dubbed "the super-fine apostles," who were not really Christians. Paul exposed them as cleverly disguised agents of the Devil, saying of them: "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness. But their end shall be according to their works." Obviously, any congregation unfortunate enough to have "false apostles" and "deceitful workers" presiding over them, as the Corinthian congregation did, is a congregation with big problems. The problem is, as Paul pointed out, that the deceitful phonies are able to mimic Satan in transforming themselves into "ministers of righteousness." That means Satan's agents are not as easily detected as we might suppose. To illustrate the Devil's effectiveness in infiltrating Jehovah's organization today, the Watchtower has taught Jehovah's Witnesses that the "super-fine apostles" are like the modern-day clergy. But is that reasonable? Consider the fact that the "deceitful workers" whom Paul exposed were actually members of the Corinthian congregation—not outside influences, as are the clergy in relation to Jehovah's Witnesses today! No doubt, the superfine apostles were even respected elders in the congregation. They were wanna-be apostles who obviously had tremendous influence over the anointed congregation of Christ! That's why Paul was worried that the virgin-like congregation was going to become corrupted from within by the transformed "ministers of righteousness." Remember, too, the Watchtower has also always taught us that the reason Satan is able to so easily work his mischief upon the world is because he first convinces them that he does not exist; or that if he does exist he has no real influence over them. But where does that leave us if we imagine that there can be no transformed agents of Satan in our secure "spiritual paradise"? Ask yourself: Are we more or less vulnerable to Satan's machinations by believing the fiction that the superfine apostles are comparable to Christendom's clergy? The truth is that we are not in any sort of spiritual paradise nor do we speak a pure language of spiritual truth. But are there really individuals like the superfine apostles who wield an influence over the organization presently? Yes, apparently so. We are presided over by some men who have convinced the organization that they are anointed sons of God—the faithful slave—but they are not. They are lying. And some of us know they are lying. In Revelation, Jesus commends some of his faithful anointed ones for this very thing, saying to them: "I know your deeds, and your labor and endurance, and that you cannot bear bad men, and that you put those to the test who say they are apostles, but they are not, and you found them liars." Of course, there are many truth-loving and sincere brothers working at the Bethel headquarters—even a genuine faithful and discreet slave. But there is also an evil slave; "bad men," according to Jesus, who in effect "say they are apostles." Coupled with the blindness of the true sons, the evil slave has created a near intolerable condition within the organization by his mischief. So, what is the solution? Who are we to trust? What are we to believe? Many of us do believe that Jehovah still has a keen interest in this organization. However, it seems as though certain men within the leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses do not really believe that. That is the real problem. The bad men are really faithless men who do not expect to be called to account by Jehovah's appointed judge of the congregation. They imagine that Christ set things in order back in 1918 and that everything is fine now. The solution, therefore, lies solely with God. Through Zephaniah, Jehovah declares his purpose to remove the ungodly men concealed in his organization, saying: "And it must occur at that time that I shall carefully search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will give attention to the men who are congealing upon their dregs and who are saying in their heart, 'Jehovah will not do good, and he will not do bad.'" As proof that the change to a "pure language" of unadulterated truth occurs in the future, after Jehovah has purged his organization of the deceitful workers who are influencing it presently, simply consider the wording of the prophecy at Zephaniah 3:8-9. It reads: "'Therefore keep yourselves in expectation of me,' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'till the day of my rising up to the booty, for my judicial decision is to gather nations, for me to collect together kingdoms, in order to pour out upon them my denunciation, all my burning anger; for by the fire of my zeal all the earth will be devoured. For then I shall give to peoples the change to a pure language, in order for them all to call upon the name of Jehovah, in order to serve him shoulder to shoulder.'" So when are all of Jehovah's worshippers going to be given "the change to a pure language"? What does the prophecy say? It says "till the day of my rising up to the booty." When is that? It is when Christ comes as a thief in the night and initiates the judgment period. According to the prophecy, the change comes during the time when Jehovah's anger is poured out—during the tribulation. Jehovah's exhortation to keep in expectation of his judgment remains valid until such time as he removes the false apostles in our midst. That's why Jehovah's judgment goes on to say: "In that day you will not be ashamed because of all your dealings with which you transgressed against me, for then I shall remove from the midst of you your haughtily exultant ones; and you will never again be haughty in my holy mountain. And I shall certainly let remain in the midst of you a people humble and lowly, and they will actually take refuge in the name of Jehovah. As regards the remaining ones of Israel, they will do no unrighteousness, nor speak a lie, nor will there be found in their mouths a tricky tongue; for they themselves will feed and actually lie stretched out, and there will be no one making them tremble." The "haughtily exultant ones" have indeed used a "tricky tongue," in arrogantly boasting about our supposed spiritual purity and in deceitfully causing us to all believe and speak lies in order that Jehovah's Witnesses can maintain organizational uniformity. Those of us who love Jehovah and who love the brotherhood, and who have a heartfelt fondness for truth and righteousness beg, yes pray, for Jehovah's kingdom to come to purge his congregation of the evil parasites who are presently in control of it. Then, and only then, will the future kings of God's kingdom see eye-to-eye on things and all speak in agreement. "Listen! Your own watchmen have raised their voice. In unison they keep crying out joyfully; for it will be eye into eye that they will see when Jehovah gathers back Zion." – Isaiah 52:8 |
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I am fairly sure; I have searched through all of your writings, and have not found anything on the prophet Elijah. Malachi 4:5 states "Look! I am sending to you people Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah." You have many articles that warn of a coming calamity upon the earth that seem to tie in with Malachi 4:5, and I myself feel that Jehovah will be sending a great prophet before troubles in the world get "out of hand." This great prophet—Elijah—is an important piece of the puzzle that needs to be solved before the end of our system begins. Many verses in the book of Isaiah seem to relate to this prophet such as Isaiah 49:1-9. |
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| Actually, that question has been discussed a few times already. Did you try using the search feature? Simply enter in the word Elijah and you will be directed to various mailbags where that word appears. |
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Just like Jesus, gods of other ancient religions such as Attis, Osiris, Dionysus, and Orpheus were born of a virgin and suffered death and were resurrected three days later some 500 years 'before' Christ was born. How can such similar stories occur before Jesus was born when he is the true son of God? Could this be the work of Satan since he already knew the coming of Christ from the beginning? Genesis 3: 15 |
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The mythologies of the ancient peoples were based on distorted realities. For instance, the Bible account of the antediluvian world, describing the union of materialized angels and women and the freakish offspring they produced, is the basis for many mythologies of the gods coming down to earth and mating with mere "mortals." The account in Genesis reveals that the infamous Nephilim are the stuff mythological legends are made of. Genesis 6:4 reads: "The Nephilim proved to be in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of the true God continued to have relations with the daughters of men and they bore sons to them, they were the mighty ones who were of old, the men of fame." According to the book The Two Babylons, another source of mythology is derived from the death of Babylon's Founder—Nimrod. Supposedly, after his violent death the legend was spun that he became immortalized in the constellation of Orion the Hunter. Supposedly, each spring he is born again in nature. Of course, the demons could well anticipate that the seed of the woman, foretold in Genesis, would have a special birth. Also, the bruising of the seed in the heel was demonstrated beforehand by Abraham's attempting to offer up his only-begotten son of Sarah; indicating that the coming seed of Jehovah would likewise be offered up in a sacrifice to God, but the Messiah would subsequently recover form that wounding—as did Isaac pictorially. So, yes, the father of the lie has always sought to confuse, mimic, or otherwise diminish the truth. |
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The Watchtower of March 1, 2003 disputes the reasoning that the parable of Matthew 25 regarding the reward of the faithful slave and the judgment of the sluggish slave would occur during the "great tribulation", citing that Revelation 7:3 indicates that all of Christ's anointed slaves will have been permanently "sealed" by that time, so there would be no unfaithful anointed ones at that time. However, Luke 19:27 seems to imply, and by using the cross references of the New World Translation on that verse, that the separation of these two classes of slaves occurs just prior to Armageddon and the judgment on the sluggish slave occurs when Jesus executes the wicked at Armageddon, rather than this event happening from 1918 onwards as the Watchtower implies. If the reasoning on Luke 19:27 is accepted as a future event, during the great tribulation or just prior to the end of the world, how then is Revelation 7:3 to be understood? |
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The Watchtower is wrong. According to the parable of the minas, which you cited, the judging of Christ's slaves occurs as an immediate prelude to the final judgment of the world. That is apparent from Luke 19:24-27, which reads: "With that he said to those standing by, 'Take the mina from him and give it to him that has the ten minas.' But they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas!'— 'I say to you, To everyone that has, more will be given; but from the one that does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Moreover, these enemies of mine that did not want me to become king over them bring here and slaughter them before me.'" The slave that hid his mina and eventually had it taken from him by the returning king represents unfaithful anointed stewards, who do not inherit the kingdom at the time of its coming. The fact that the king orders the slaughter of his enemies immediately after judging his slaves indicates that the judgment of the slave class takes place during the tribulation—immediately before Armageddon. The March 1st Watchtower also claims that it is unreasonable that any anointed persons would prove unfaithful at that late date. But, the truth is, as in the case of the sluggish slave, his unfaithfulness simply became manifest when the king arrived for judgment. In reality the slave had been unfaithful during the period prior to the king's arrival. Furthermore, the parable of the king's marriage feast for his son indicates that some anointed individuals are only pronounced to be unworthy at the moment immediately preceding the marriage of the Lamb. Matthew 22:11-14 reads: "When the king came in to inspect the guests he caught sight there of a man not clothed with a marriage garment. So he said to him, 'Fellow, how did you get in here not having on a marriage garment?' He was rendered speechless. Then the king said to his servants, 'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the darkness outside. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.' "For there are many invited, but few chosen." The Watchtower Society's Greatest Man Who Ever Lived book says that the fellow who gets tossed out of the marriage feast represents Christendom. That is an unreasonable interpretation, because as Jesus indicated in conclusion of that parable, "there are many invited, but few chosen." It is reasonable that the invited or called ones are all anointed, but some, for whatever reason, prove unworthy of being finally chosen and sealed with God's approval. This question is discussed further in the commentary "When Does Jesus Come?" |
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Dear brother, I have read an article titled "Jehovah's Witnesses and the Apostolic Decree to 'Abstain from Blood'" from Pathways. I know that you have answered a lot of questions about this issue (I have in mind your commentary "Jehovah's Witnesses and Blood"), but this article presents a reasoning that has taken me by surprise. I would really appreciate your opinion about this article. |
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| I am not sure exactly what article you are referring to, and unfortunately Pathways has been temporarily taken off-line. |
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If 1914 is not the beginning of Christ's presence, when does it begin? Is it possible to tell from the scriptures? Try not to stray to far from the question. Whoever runs this site has a tendency to wander off subject. |
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| Jesus Christ's presence begins at an unknowable point in the future. He comes just as unexpectedly as a thief in the night. How is that for sticking to the subject? |
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Do you believe that we choose Jehovah or does he choose us? I was also wondering what your thoughts on the holocaust are, was this an ancient judgment against the Jews that was exacted by the Germans, or just man dominating man to his injury? |
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It depends. Jehovah allows himself to be worshipped by any and all. Jesus in fact told the Samaritan woman at the well that Jehovah is actively involved in looking for people who want to worship him in spirit and truth. But, when it comes to those select few whom Jehovah is going to adopt as his immortal heavenly sons; Jehovah personally does the choosing of them. As for the Nazi Holocaust: No. The last occasion that Jehovah sanctioned the Jews to be punished was in 70 C.E., when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, as Christ foretold. Besides, there have been many holocausts and genocides that have befallen peoples other than the Jews; they just have not been so well memorialized. For instance, Stalin exterminated many millions of Ukrainians. Mao killed far more Chinese during his "Great Leap Forward" than the number of Jews who were killed during the Nazi Holocaust! The Khmer Rouge massacred about half of all Cambodians in the Killing Fields—and on and on it goes. |
