James,
Once again, I regret even getting involved with these forums (and I will not anymore), not in the respect of teaching accurate knowledge, which is my Christian obligation as a witness of the true God, Jehovah, but in the respect of the many hours of research it takes to do so, and that I know that the god of this system of things, Satan the Devil, has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.
I’ll post on the “second coming” and the millenium momentarily, but first I need to reply to a couple of other posts, especially to Thomas, and justice dictates that you allow my reply to Thomas since you allowed him to attack me in this forum thread, not to mention the hours I've put into this.
Thomas:
Once again, your true heart condition is revealed by you attacking me, and it's not pretty! I shall pray for you, as you really need it! Not only are you severely lacking in the accurate knowledge of truth, but also in accurate spelling! LOL! And I am well aware that we all have to believe in Jehovah God's son, Jesus Christ, as our redeemer, but, unlike you, who claims "Walking is what I do best and not just doing the talking," I know what it truly means to walk with God. To walk with God, one has to do the works and obey the command to teach and preach. Everybody, not just the paid priests and pastors of christendom, which getting paid to preach is in itself a violation of Biblical principles. And I know that, contrary to what many if not all of the religions of christendom teach, belief in Jesus Christ is not sufficient to gain everlasting life. Even Satan believes in Jesus Christ! James 2:26 states, "Indeed, as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
So, Thomas, does your "walking" include obeying Jesus' command to go and witness the good news of the Kingdom of God? I doubt it very seriously, as, by and large, Jehovah's Witnesses are the only religious group in the world whose members, young and old, demonstrate their love for God and mankind as the Bible instructs us by faithfully imitating Jesus in this regard. We do this preaching work to the tune of over 1 million hours a day. This is but one facet of "walking with God," Thomas. I do it. How about you?
Thomas, one very important thing you need to understand about these scriptures in your links is that they are from the King James version of the Bible, which has been changed from even its own earlier versions, which used to use Jehovah God's holy name. Ask yourself, why has Jehovah's holy name now been replaced with the titles of Lord or God? Can you think of any person or entity that would want to dishonor Jehovah God and obscure His holy name from people? I can, and it's Satan the Devil. His evil influence on man has done this. Proof of the truth of what I'm saying is even found in your King James version at Ps. 83:18, which contains the holy name and also refers to Jehovah as the "Most High," over all the earth, just one place in over 50 times the Bible refers to Him as such! As I have stated before, Jehovah's holy name was once in the Bible over 7,000 times! And in many places the Bible tells us it is of paramount importance to use, praise and proclaim this holy name! Do you do this, Thomas? No! Yet another admonition from the Bible that you refuse to follow! Is that "walking" with God? I think not!
And no, Thomas, neither does the Bible teach that Jesus is part of a triune God. That trinity teaching, along with many other teachings of christendom, has its roots from pagan Babylon, and this also dishonors the Most High, the Creator of the Universe, whom also created Jesus! Get that? Jesus was created! He didn't exist before Jehovah created him! Even Jesus himself taught that the Father was greater than himself, and that he, Jesus, could do nothing of his own will, and also that as to when the end will come, he did not even have this knowledge, nor the angels, but only his Father, Jehovah, does! Did Jesus resurrect himself from the dead? No! "The dead are conscious of nothing at all." (Ecc. 9: 5, 6 & 10). How can anyone then believe Jesus is God? Only if their hearts are too hardened to humbly accept the fact that they have been taught falsely! Once again, who wants to mislead man with false reasonings and teachings? Satan the Devil!
Once again, as Jesus himself taught us to pray even for our enemies, I shall pray that you develop a heart rightly disposed to truth, Thomas, before it is too late for you! Jehovah will soon execute judgment, using Jesus Christ as the now enthroned King of His Kingdom, over all those not doing His, Jehovah's, will. Not I, but you, Thomas, are the "mis-representative" of God as you put it, who even refuses to use His holy name. I pity you and all those like you if you do not change!
To Nick
In regard to your posted picture of what I presume is supposed to be Jesus Christ, Jesus is not the beginning and the end. He was created by the one who is that, Jehovah God, as God’s first creation! Col. 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Which also proves he is not God, for he was God’s first creation.
One might ask: Revelation 22:13 (NW) speaks of the "Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end". At Revelation 1:17 (NW) Christ Jesus is spoken of as "the First and the Last". So is not Revelation 22:13 also referring to Christ?
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and omega is the last; one is the beginning and the other the end of the Greek alphabet. So the expressions "the Alpha and the Omega" and "the first and the last" and "the beginning and the end" are parallel expressions and mean the same thing. They are applied to Jehovah God. Isaiah 44:6 (AS) reads: "Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God." Revelation 1:8 (NW) catches up this thought in Isaiah and adds to it the point that he is coming: "‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says Jehovah God, ‘the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.’"
So, just because the verse preceding Revelation 22:13 speaks of that "Alpha and Omega" as coming does not necessarily mean it refers to Christ Jesus, whose second coming is frequently mentioned. Revelation 1:8 shows Jehovah as coming, and so Revelation 22:12 may do likewise. He comes representatively, through Christ Jesus. Revelation 4:8 speaks of Jehovah as coming, and Revelation 21 shows his presence with humankind. "Look! the tent of God is with humankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the fountain of the water of life free. Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son." (Vss. 3, 6, 7) This reference is certainly to Jehovah God, for he is God to the anointed body members of Christ and they are his spiritual sons. They are Christ’s brothers, not sons, so the text is speaking of Jehovah, and it calls him "the Alpha and the Omega". So when the Alpha and Omega is mentioned again in the very next chapter, why must the term suddenly shift to Christ Jesus instead of Jehovah God? It does not.
James,
In regard to your reply to my first post, you said:
"As far as a misconception about the 144,000 goes, it is my understanding that this is a figurative number and not a literal one. If this was a literal number, all the witnessing that you Jehovah's Witness's do by going and knocking on peoples doors trying to spread the word would be in vain."
First off, I don't understand how you can say that if the 144,000 is a literal number, all the witnessing we do in obeying Jesus' command would be in vain, for we witness and teach what the Bible REALLY teaches, which is that Jesus referred to two distinct groups of people whom he must call. The 144,000, which is the limited number of Christians called to make up spiritual Israel, Jesus referred to them as the "little flock." They are admitted into the "fold" of the new covenant, in contrast with the numberless "other sheep," whom Jesus said he must also gather. (Luke 12:32; John 10:16) Those of the other sheep gathered in the time of the end will make up the "great crowd" destined to survive "the great tribulation," with the prospect of living forever on a paradise earth. Interestingly, the vision John received at the end of the first century C.E. distinguishes between this great crowd and the 144,000 members of spiritual Israel. (Revelation 7:4, 9, 14).
So, ask yourself, James, if the 144,000 were not a literal number, does it make sense that in Rev. 7:4 it refers to a specific number, 144,000, and then two verses later in Rev. 7:9 it refers to a great crowd that no man was able to number? No, it does not. Therefore, this is a literal number. And in reference to these 144,000, Rev. 5:10 says, "and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth." Now ask yourself, who are they to rule over on the earth if, as christendom teaches, people go to heaven instantly when they die? Jesus didn't teach that, for he taught that there would be a resurrection of the dead in the last day (John 5: 28 & 29; John 6:40, 44 & 54), and he also taught that the meek or mild-mannered ones would inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5), as does Ps. 37:11 and Ps. 37:29.
So, no, James, our door-to-door ministry in imitation of Jesus Christ and in obedience to his command to do so is certainly not in vain. Through this wonderful ministry, over 36,500 people are coming to an accurate knowledge of truth and joining in the world's fastest-growing religion, Jehovah God's earthly organization, when all of christendom's numbers are declining steadily.
James, you next said:
"Terry, you are a Jehovah's Witness, and you are a part of Christendom"
Well, I nor any Jehovah's Witness is a part of christendom! Christendom, whose members total over 2 billion, is made up of all those religions "claiming" to be Christian, and yet their teachings have been infiltrated by Greek philosophy and pagan-rooted rituals, such as the Trinity doctrine, belief in an immortal soul and instant reward at death, just to name a couple of examples, all of which dishonor Jehovah and in effect call Jesus a liar. Plus, christendom has historically persecuted Jesus' true footstep followers, and still does to this day in many parts of the world, to the point of christendom's clergy and members murdering, beating, plundering and imprisoning Jehovah's Witnesses simply on the basis of their beliefs. Why do they do this? Because we expose their apostasy and false teachings! But this will soon end and they will have to answer for their dastardly deeds!
And you're wrong in stating I said you do not have the right heart condition. I never said that. In fact, I, in my limited capacity as an imperfect human, think you have a good heart as evidenced by the fact that you spend your valuable time studying God's word and trying to impart it to others. And James, I was a part of christendom for over 50 years, as a Baptist, which religion teaches almost all the same things you Mormons do (I think you're Mormon). And the only one who can truly read hearts is Jehovah God! Once He approves of a person's heart condition, He draws that person to Him. Jesus also said: "No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him." (John 6:44)
James, as far as what you said about formerly dating a Jehovah's Witness woman, all I can say about that is that either you had to be a JW at that time or else she was at that time disfellowshipped or being disobedient, for JW's are admonished, just as the Bible teaches, not to marry out of the truth, and we don't "date" unless we are considering marriage, and then only with other couples, never alone, until engaged. Dating as a couple alone is a worldy tradition, the ruler of which is Satan, and is how and why the sin of fornication occurs, which is why JWs are admonished against it. In fact, a JW can be disfellowshipped for doing this. I don't know the circumstances in your case, so I can't really say any more on that. But you will have to agree with me on the world's view of dating, including that of christendom, which is that it's okay, and we both know this leads to the sin of fornication, unwanted pregnancies, murder by abortion, etc., etc., all of which is not God's will, but Satan's will.
Now, finally I know you're thinking, to the issue of the second coming.
"When the Son of man arrives in his glory, . . . he will separate people one from another." MATTHEW 25:31, 32.
Here one has to know the true meaning of the Greek word "parousia" which has wrongly been translated into English as "coming." Christ has already "come" in the sense of assuming God's throne as His King, which started in 1914, and this work of separating the sheep from the goats, those who will listen to truth versus those who will not, once again based on their heart condition, is going on now and being aided by Jehovah's Witnesses in their world-wide ministry. What other religion are you aware of that is witnessing in 236 lands, in over 400 different languages, bringing the news of God's Kingdom and warning of the impending danger of destruction coming at Armageddon? Again, over 1 million hours per day, over 1 billion hours per year. NONE even come close to a fraction of this time spent serving God.
THREE days before Jesus’ death, four of his disciples approached him and earnestly asked: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming [Greek, pa·rou·si´a], and of the end of the world?" For centuries Christendom’s clergy and writers have interpreted these words spoken to Jesus at Matthew 24:3 (King James Version) to mean that he would again be visible in the flesh to be viewed by all mankind. Hence, they have taught that Christ’s return would be with great display and visible pomp. They refer to it as Christ’s second coming. But are their assumptions correct?
By 1889, Jehovah’s anointed ones, as 19th-century light bearers, had already received correction on the matter of Christ’s return. In Volume 2 of Studies in the Scriptures, pages 158 to 161, Charles T. Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, wrote: "Parousia . . . signifies presence, and should never be translated coming, as in the common English Bible . . . The ‘Emphatic Diaglott,’ a very valuable translation of the New Testament, renders parousia properly, presence . . . , not that of coming, as being on the way, but presence, as after arrival [Jesus] says, ‘As the days of Noah, so shall also the parousia [presence] of the Son of man be.’ Notice, that the comparison is not between the coming of Noah and the coming of our Lord . . . The contrast, then, is between the time of the presence of Noah among the people ‘before the flood,’ and the time of the presence of Christ in the world, at his second advent, ‘before the fire’, the extreme trouble of the Day of the Lord [Jehovah] with which this age ends." Matthew 24:37.
So, Jehovah’s people of the 19th century correctly understood that the pa·rou·si´a of Christ would be an invisible one. They had also come to an understanding that the end of the Gentile Times would occur in the autumn of 1914. As spiritual enlightenment progressed, they later understood that Jesus Christ was enthroned in heaven as King of the Kingdom in that same year, 1914. Proverbs 4:18; Daniel 7:13, 14; Luke 21:24; Revelation 11:15.
I could further expound on this, but I really don't think it would do any good, especially for some former posters, and I have already spend way too much time doing this. Before I finish up, though, I would like to make a comment to Laila.
To Laila,
No, neither heaven nor the Kingdom of God is something in our hearts, as the Catholics teach (maybe others too). The Kingdom of God is the expression and exercise of God’s universal sovereignty toward his creatures, or the means or instrumentality used by him for this purpose. (Ps 103:19) The phrase is used particularly for the expression of God’s sovereignty through a royal government headed by his Son, Christ Jesus.
God's Kingdom is a real government, one that will last forever. God's Kingdom will put an end to all human governments. Speaking of God's Kingdom and when it will happen, Daniel 2:44 states, "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite." As Daniel's prophesy shows, God's Kingdom will soon rule over the whole earth. A concrete reality, it will remain the only government in existence. Such prophesies as this one show that God's Kingdom is not something within our heart, as many have been taught. The Bible tells us, "The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate." (Jer. 17:9) Cannot much of the misery that we see in the world today be traced back to the sinful hearts of humans? So, how could God's perfect Kingdom come from such a source? Really, the human heart could no more produce God's Kingdom than a thistle could produce figs. (Matt. 7:16)
Second, consider the audience Jesus was addressing when he spoke the words found at Luke 17:20 & 21. "But on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them and said: "The kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness, neither will people be saying, ‘See here!’ or, ‘There!’ For, look! the kingdom of God is in YOUR midst." The Pharisees were Jesus' enemies. Jesus stated that those hypocrites were not going to enter God's Kingdom (Matt. 23:13). Now, if the Pharisees were not to enter God's Kingdom, could the Kingdom be in their hearts? Impossible!
God's Kingdom will end wars (which christendom's members disobediently participate in), sickness, famine, even death itself. "He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces. The wagons he burns in the fire." (Ps. 46:9). Imagine, all the weapons of war destroyed forever! "No resident will say: 'I am sick.'" (Isa. 33:24) "There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; On the top of the mountains there will be an overflow." (Ps. 72:16) Death, our last enemy, will be vanquished forever! "He will actually swallow up death forever, and the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will certainly wipe the tears from all faces. And the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for Jehovah himself has spoken [it]." (Isa. 25:8)
James,
I'm through and so happy for it. If anybody has any questions or wishes further information, they'll have to private message me and, when I get the time, I'll try to respond. May all who have read this lengthly posting be blessed by the true God, Jehovah, and invite one of His true servants into their homes for a free Bible study, of which over 6 million are conducted each week, and with an open mind and heart come to an accurate knowledge of truth!
Terry Gill
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