The original belief that I learned was that God created perfect humans, humans disobeyed God by eating from the tree of knowledge which was the first sin by humans, God punished them with death which in turn would be passed along to all humans since they were the offspring of the first man and woman, and Jesus' sacrifice payed for that sin as a ransom which gave humans the chance to return to that original perfect state of being.
The story sounded so believable when I was an avid jw. But since I left and those blinders came off, I went back and analyzed the story. And immediately I found some discrepancies.
Along with the tree of knowledge was another tree, the tree of life. (Gen 2:9) When Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of knowledge, they gained the ability to know good and evil. So apparently they did not have this ability yet. God then stated in Gen 3:22: And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." According to this verse, they did not have the ability to live forever either, and were cut off from the chance to gain that ability. What is so signifigant about this?
Rom. 5:12: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--" This says that death came through sin, meaning that humans would not have died until they had sinned. But if this is the case, why would God have created a tree of life? Why would God drive humans away from it and place guards there to protect it? Since humans did not have the ability to live forever unless they had eaten from the tree of life, it seems reasonable to think that they would have died at some point in their lives. So it is pretty obvious that this is a major contradiction.
This also brings into question why Jesus would have been needed in the first place. Without access to the tree of life, it would not have mattered. Since this is the main theme of the entire bible, I find it very curious how such an error was overlooked by anyone professing to be christian.
I'm sure an argument would be raised about whether or not the good people make it to heaven while bad people go to hell. Well, considering that God created both magical trees and humans to reside on the earth, and placed them so close together, it would seem logical that God's intent was for humans to live on earth, not on other planes of existence.
Were the trees symbolic? If that is true, it only creates more problems then if they were literal. No literal trees would mean that sin and death are only symbolic as well, the garden of Eden was not real, and neither were Adam and Eve. And that would be fine except then you need to explain why it was necessary for Jesus to die as a ransom sacrifice. And to suggest that Jesus was only symbolic to a Christian would send them into a frenzy.
It is a discrepancy like this that makes it hard to take the bible as anything other than folklore. If God had created humans as perfect beings, why the need for magical trees to add knowledge of good and bad and the ability to live forever? Not to mention a talking snake and a spinning sword (swords did not exist yet), and humans blamed for failing to recognize the difference between good and bad BEFORE they even had that ability. The need for Jesus to free humans from the penalty of death and yet, humans never had the ability to live forever to begin with.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Preaching.
The Jws believe that the main thing that sets them apart from all other world religions is the preaching work. They claim the following:
1) They are the only ones that preach about God's Kingdom.
2) They are the only ones preaching worldwide.
3) They preach from house to house, claiming that this is a christian requirement.
For them, no other religion is doing those three things. If you mention that other religions preach, they will ask if they are doing this worldwide. Or they will say that others are not as organized, which leaves the chance that many will not be preached to. The following quote encompasses all of this.
"Since the last days began in 1914, Jehovah's Witnesses have preached the good news of God's Kingdom throughout the world in the manner ordered by Jesus, namely, at the homes of the people. (Matthew 10:7, 12; Acts 20:20) Millions of Witnesses call on people in every nation to talk to them about the new world. This has led to your receiving this brochure, as the work of Jehovah's Witnesses includes printing and distributing billions of pieces of literature about God's Kingdom. Do you know of anyone else who preaches about God's Kingdom from house to house throughout the world? And Mark 13:10 shows that this preaching and teaching work must be done "first," before the end comes." Does God Care? p.30
First, let's see if other religions are preaching about God's Kingdom.
The 7th Day Adventists : "Our highest responsibility is to the church and its commission to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all the world ."
Born Again Christians: Here He lays down two conditions for a person to enter the Kingdom of God, without both being fulfilled a person is barred from God's Kingdom. Christ declared that everyone wanting to enter God's Kingdom must be born of water and born of the Spirit. (John 5:3)
Anabaptists: The purpose of the commands of the Lord Jesus is to teach us how to live in love, how to experience the love, joy and peace available in the Kingdom of God. These commands help us to live in Jesus and allow Jesus to live in us. (John 14:20, 17:20-23) We want to be like Paul who said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)
Catholics: Jesus taught constantly about "the kingdom of God".
This concept was at the center of his teaching and life. It should also form a central place in your own Catholic faith.
The list goes on and on, which proves a simple point. The JWs are not the only religion that preach about God's Kingdom. Although these teachings vary depending on what religion is describing the Kingdom, it is evident that they do in fact teach about the good news of God's Kingdom.
Next, we should see if they are preaching worldwide.
True, they might have a few people spread out in many different countries. But consider these statistics. (jwfacts.com)
•1032 Witnesses out of 145 million people in Pakistan
•A few thousand witnesses out of over 1.3 billion people in China.
•25,000 to 1,000,000,000 Indians.
•18,000 to 219,000,000 Indonesians
Is it reasonable to think that so few could possibly preach to each and every member in those countries? In fact, the overall statistics of JWs vs total population of the world is between 7 to 8 million vs about 7 billion. That is barely over 1 percent of the entire world's population responsible for preaching to everyone.
For the JWs to claim that they are fulfilling Matthew 24:14, that is exactly what they are required to do. Simply having a few members in a country and trying to pass that off as fulfillment is ridiculous. And it goes against the next thing we are going to consider.
Is it really a Christian requirement to preach from house to house? There is actually only one time that the phrase "house to house" is used in regards to the preaching work. And Jesus specifically states not to go from house to house.
Luke 10:1-7 "After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. "Wherever YOU enter into a house say first, 'May this house have peace.' And if a friend of peace is there, YOUR peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to YOU. So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not be transferring from house to house.
The JWs use two other verses in an attempt to prove the house to house preaching work is a requirement. Acts 5:42, and also in Acts 20:20.
Considering Acts 20:20, it is easy to see what was meant here by reading from verse 17-20.
"However, from Mi·le´tus he sent to Eph´e·sus and called for the older men of the congregation. When they got to him he said to them: "YOU well know how from the first day that I stepped into the [district of] Asia I was with you the whole time, slaving for the Lord with the greatest lowliness of mind and tears and trials that befell me by the plots of the Jews; while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house."
Paul is talking about those that were already Christians.
Acts 5:42- Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Remember that in the very beginning, they had no churches to congregate at. So where do you think they met? In someone's house.
Jwfacts.com states: The Greek used at Acts 5:42 and Acts 20:20 is not Ek oikia eis oikia, but rather Kata oikos. For this reason most Bible translations render this "in every house", "at home" or "in their homes". The New World Translation uses the phrase "house to house" at Acts 20:20, though the footnote acknowledges that the Greek word means "in private houses".
Other verses verify this.
Romans 16:5 "and [greet] the congregation that is in their house."
Colossians 4:15 "Give my greetings to the brothers at La·o·di·ce´a and to Nym´pha and to the congregation at her house."
And not everyone was required to evangelize.
Ephesians 4:11-12 "And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ."
Now go back and read those statistics again. If the JWs truly believe that they MUST preach to every house, even by their own standards, they are falling short of their own requirements, since they will never be able to cover that much ground anytime in the near future.
Coming from a religious group that has been teaching false doctrines to the public for decades, only to change them and then continue claiming that God is guiding them by means of the holy spirit, this is just one of many false claims made by the JWs.
1) They are the only ones that preach about God's Kingdom.
2) They are the only ones preaching worldwide.
3) They preach from house to house, claiming that this is a christian requirement.
For them, no other religion is doing those three things. If you mention that other religions preach, they will ask if they are doing this worldwide. Or they will say that others are not as organized, which leaves the chance that many will not be preached to. The following quote encompasses all of this.
"Since the last days began in 1914, Jehovah's Witnesses have preached the good news of God's Kingdom throughout the world in the manner ordered by Jesus, namely, at the homes of the people. (Matthew 10:7, 12; Acts 20:20) Millions of Witnesses call on people in every nation to talk to them about the new world. This has led to your receiving this brochure, as the work of Jehovah's Witnesses includes printing and distributing billions of pieces of literature about God's Kingdom. Do you know of anyone else who preaches about God's Kingdom from house to house throughout the world? And Mark 13:10 shows that this preaching and teaching work must be done "first," before the end comes." Does God Care? p.30
First, let's see if other religions are preaching about God's Kingdom.
The 7th Day Adventists : "Our highest responsibility is to the church and its commission to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all the world ."
Born Again Christians: Here He lays down two conditions for a person to enter the Kingdom of God, without both being fulfilled a person is barred from God's Kingdom. Christ declared that everyone wanting to enter God's Kingdom must be born of water and born of the Spirit. (John 5:3)
Anabaptists: The purpose of the commands of the Lord Jesus is to teach us how to live in love, how to experience the love, joy and peace available in the Kingdom of God. These commands help us to live in Jesus and allow Jesus to live in us. (John 14:20, 17:20-23) We want to be like Paul who said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)
Catholics: Jesus taught constantly about "the kingdom of God".
This concept was at the center of his teaching and life. It should also form a central place in your own Catholic faith.
The list goes on and on, which proves a simple point. The JWs are not the only religion that preach about God's Kingdom. Although these teachings vary depending on what religion is describing the Kingdom, it is evident that they do in fact teach about the good news of God's Kingdom.
Next, we should see if they are preaching worldwide.
True, they might have a few people spread out in many different countries. But consider these statistics. (jwfacts.com)
•1032 Witnesses out of 145 million people in Pakistan
•A few thousand witnesses out of over 1.3 billion people in China.
•25,000 to 1,000,000,000 Indians.
•18,000 to 219,000,000 Indonesians
Is it reasonable to think that so few could possibly preach to each and every member in those countries? In fact, the overall statistics of JWs vs total population of the world is between 7 to 8 million vs about 7 billion. That is barely over 1 percent of the entire world's population responsible for preaching to everyone.
For the JWs to claim that they are fulfilling Matthew 24:14, that is exactly what they are required to do. Simply having a few members in a country and trying to pass that off as fulfillment is ridiculous. And it goes against the next thing we are going to consider.
Is it really a Christian requirement to preach from house to house? There is actually only one time that the phrase "house to house" is used in regards to the preaching work. And Jesus specifically states not to go from house to house.
Luke 10:1-7 "After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. "Wherever YOU enter into a house say first, 'May this house have peace.' And if a friend of peace is there, YOUR peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to YOU. So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not be transferring from house to house.
The JWs use two other verses in an attempt to prove the house to house preaching work is a requirement. Acts 5:42, and also in Acts 20:20.
Considering Acts 20:20, it is easy to see what was meant here by reading from verse 17-20.
"However, from Mi·le´tus he sent to Eph´e·sus and called for the older men of the congregation. When they got to him he said to them: "YOU well know how from the first day that I stepped into the [district of] Asia I was with you the whole time, slaving for the Lord with the greatest lowliness of mind and tears and trials that befell me by the plots of the Jews; while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house."
Paul is talking about those that were already Christians.
Acts 5:42- Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Remember that in the very beginning, they had no churches to congregate at. So where do you think they met? In someone's house.
Jwfacts.com states: The Greek used at Acts 5:42 and Acts 20:20 is not Ek oikia eis oikia, but rather Kata oikos. For this reason most Bible translations render this "in every house", "at home" or "in their homes". The New World Translation uses the phrase "house to house" at Acts 20:20, though the footnote acknowledges that the Greek word means "in private houses".
Other verses verify this.
Romans 16:5 "and [greet] the congregation that is in their house."
Colossians 4:15 "Give my greetings to the brothers at La·o·di·ce´a and to Nym´pha and to the congregation at her house."
And not everyone was required to evangelize.
Ephesians 4:11-12 "And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ."
Now go back and read those statistics again. If the JWs truly believe that they MUST preach to every house, even by their own standards, they are falling short of their own requirements, since they will never be able to cover that much ground anytime in the near future.
Coming from a religious group that has been teaching false doctrines to the public for decades, only to change them and then continue claiming that God is guiding them by means of the holy spirit, this is just one of many false claims made by the JWs.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
1914/607 Exposed!
The 1914 date is the central backbone of the JW religion. Without it, they lose the importance of their "End Times" preaching message. Let's examine all of the facts as well as the reasoning for which this date is based on.
The JWs believe that Daniel chapter 4 prophesied the Gentile Times of the Nations (Luke 21:24)in which Jehovah would not have a kingly ruler. This extends from the end of God's rulership through the Jews in 607 B.C., until God re-established his Kingdom in heaven in 1914. The Gentile Times are the 2,520 year period in between. The basis for this comes from Daniel, where the JWs have interpreted the following: 1)The cutting down of the tree represents the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar in 607 B.C.
2) The "seven times" constitute 2,520 days, 7 years of only 360 days each.
3) The "principle" of "a day for a year" converts 2,520 days to 2,520 years.
4) The 2,520 years of the Gentile Times ended in 1914, coinciding with the start of Jesus' heavenly rulership.
In order for this to be true, the temple in Jerusalem would have had to of been destroyed in the year 607 B.C. History paints a completely different picture. There is a wealth of information to go over that will prove that this calculation is in error. But before we look at the historical facts, let's look at some bible verses and see how strong their case is.
Daniel chapter 4 is the first place we should look to, since it is this chapter that the entire prophecy is based upon. Instantly we find a problem. Verses 28-37 go on to state that the dream was fulfilled. So if the dream was fulfilled, that would mean that the 7 times already happened, which of course offsets the entire mathematical calculation. There is no second fulfillment of this chapter. I could simply end this here, but let's examine another verse in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 25:11-12 "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.'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, 'their error, even against the land of the Chal·de´ans, and I will make it desolate wastes to time indefinite.'"
This shows the 70 years were the entire period the Babylonians were conquering "these nations", and the period of vassalage to the Babylonians. Jeremiah 25 ends the 70 years with the "account against the King of Babylon". The Babylonians dominated for a seventy year period from their defeat of Assyria in 609 B.C.E., to their fall in 539 B.C.E.
Jeremiah 29:10 concurs with this. In a number of translations, this verse links the completion of the 70 years with Babylon.
"This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place." New International Version - see also ESV, NASB, RSV, ASV and DBY.
Not having a proper understanding of who the 70 years were being applied to is yet another mistake to add to their calculation. The next verse to consider is found again in Daniel.
Daniel 9:2 "In the first year of his reigning I myself, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of the years concerning which the word of Jehovah had occurred to Jeremiah the prophet, for fulfilling the devastations of Jerusalem, [namely,] seventy years."
The JWs point to this as proof that the 70 years apply to the desolation of Jerusalem. But that is not the word used here. It is the devastation of the temple. Zechariah 1:12 clarifies this by saying : "Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” In other words, when are you going to rebuild the temple? An important point to add here is the time in which this question was asked. Zechariah 1:1--In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo". Darius' second year was 519 B.C.E. So, that verse cannot be used to support 607.
Now let's examine some history.
A: Ancient Historians---Berossus, the Royal Canon(better known as Ptolemy's Canon)
B: The Cuneiform Documents----Chronicles, Kinglists, Royal Inscriptions, Economic-Administrative and Legal Documents, Prosopographical Evidence, Chronological Interlocking Joints
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt----Chronology of the Saite period, Synchronisims to the Chronology of the Saite period
D: Astronomical Diaries---VAT 4956, B.M. 32312, The Saturn Tablet (B.M. 76738 + 76813)
A: Ancient Historians
Berossus was a Babylonian priest that lived in the 3rd century B.C.E. He wrote a history of Babylon, which have been lost, but his work has been quoted and paraphrased by other ancient writers. The most famous being Josephus. The figures he gives for the reigns of the Neo-Babylonian Kings substantially agree with the evidence found in the ancient cunieform documents.
The Royal Canon, better known as Ptolemy's Canon, is a list of kings and their lengths of reign beginning with Nabonassar (747-734 bce) and continuing on through the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine rulers. However, Claudius Ptolemy was not where this list originated. A table of this kind was a prerequisite for the research and calculations performed by Babylonian and Greek Astronomers. Without it, they would have had no means for dating the astronomical events their calculations showed as occuring in the distant past. The Royal canon omits the rule of Labashi-Marduk, who only ruled for a few months, since it lists in whole years only.
B: The Cuneiform Documents
Neo-Babylonian Chronicles record specific details about Babylon, and which King was ruling. It also links certain kings together as one king would succeed another one. There are also details about kings from other nations, such as the Persian king Cyrus defeating the Median king Astyages and capturing the capital of Media. An interesting fact here is that the Nabonidus Chronicle which contains the account of the fall of Babylon, has Cyrus defeating the Medians in the 6th year of Nabonidus' reign. Cyrus ruled for 29 years and died in the year 530 bce. If 607 bce was when Jerusalem fell, this would not be possible. Though the Chronicles do not give a complete chronology for the Neo-Babylonian period, the dates that are preserved support those given by Berossus and the Royal Canon.
The Uruk Kinglist was badly preserved and some portions of it are missing. However, it still contains the names of Kings, and the length of reign of eack king during the Neo-Babylonian era. The preserved portion gives the following information.
Kandalanu 21 years
Sin-shum-lishir-and Sin-shar-ishkun 1 year
Nabopolassar 21 years
Nebuchadnezzar 43 years
Awel-Marduk 2 years
Neriglissar 3 years 8 months
Labashi-Marduk 3 months
Nabonidus 17 years.
The argument against this document is that is was recorded more than 300 years after the Neo-Babylonian era, so perhaps it is inaccurate. But the numbers line up with other independent forms of evidence.
Royal Inscriptions from the Assyrian and Babylonian eras have been found in great numbers. There are 3 of these inscriptions that are original documents from the reign of Nabonidus. 1.)Nabon. #18 is a cylinder inscription from an unnamed year of Nabonidus. Fulfilling the desire of Sin, the moon-god, Nabonidus dedicated a daughter of his to this god as a priestess at the Sin temple of Ur. A moon eclipse led to this dedication. Studies show that there was an eclipse that matches the description of this one during his 2nd year of reign, and the inscription also states that his daughter began her dedication took place during his 2nd year on the throne, thus confirming his length of reign. 2.) Nabon. #8 clearly establishes the total length of reigns of Neo-Babylonian kings up to Nabonidus, and enables us to know both the beginning year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, and the crucial year in which he desolated Jerusalem. 3.) Nabon. #24 provides the length of each kings reign, from Nabopolassar down to the 9th year of Nabonidus.
Economic-Administrative, and Legal Documents....there are literally thousands of documents such as promissary notes, contracts (the sales of houses, property, slaves, livestock, etc.), and records of lawsuits. Each document contains the year of the reigning king, the month, the day of the month. Every year of the Neo-Babylonian era is covered by these documents.
Prosopographical Evidence is basically the study of careers, especially of individuals linked by family, economic, social, or political relationships. The collection of tablets found were dated like the documents mentioned previously, and make it easy to determine when each King ruled, and for how long. The Egibi business house can be tracked quite easily from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the time of Darius.
Chronological Interlocking joints.
a) Nabopolassar to Nebuchadnezzar. Chronicle 5 (neo-babylonian chronicles) says that Nabopolassar ruled for 21 years, that he died on the eighth day of the month of Ab(5th month), and on the first day of the next month (Elul) his son Nebuchadnezzar ascended the royal throne in Babylon.
b) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk. Business document B.M. 30254 confirms that Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Awel-Marduk in the 43rd year of his reign.
c) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk to Neriglissar. A ledger on a tablet known as NBC 4897 tabulates the annual growth of a herd of sheep and goats belonging to the Eanna temple at Uruk for ten consecutive years, from the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar to the 1st year of Neriglissar.
d) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk. A tablet YBC 4012 shows that Labashi-Marduk succeeded Neriglissar as king early in the 4th year of his father's reign.
e) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk to Nabonidus. Royal inscription Nabon. No. 8. Nabonidus speaks of his own enthronement and names the last four of his predecessors: Nebuchadnezzar and Neriglissar, which he considered legitimate rulers, and their sons Awel-Marduk and Labashi-Marduk, which he regarded as illegitimate usurpers.
f) Nabonidus to Cyrus. Nabonidus Chronicle B.M. 35382. Nabonidus was ruling when Cyrus conquered Babylon.
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt.
2 Kings 23:29, Jeremiah 46:2, Jeremiah 44:30, and B.M.33041. Each of these names different rulers from either Egypt, Babylon, or Judah ruling at the same time. So now the boundaries are set. Chronology of the Saite period which is the 26th dynasty is established through death stelaes and stelaes of Holy Apis bulls. Basically this does for Egypt what the above evidence has done for Babylon. it allows us to know which Egyptian king reigned during which years, and for how long. Now examing the verses from the bible, 2 Kings 23:29 establishes that Josiah was killed by Necho during the time that each were ruling. Necho began his reign in the year 610 bce. Jeremiah 46:2 establishes that Nebuchadnezzar fought Necho during the 4th year of the King of Judah, Josiah's son. It was also Nebuchadnezzar's first year/ascension year on the throne which was in 605 bce. Jeremiah 44:30 establishes that Zedekiah had already lost and Jerusalem was destroyed during the reign of King Hophra/Apries, who ruled from 589-570 bce. The 4th document establishes that Nebuchadnezzar marched against Egypt during the reign of Amasis during Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year on the throne. The math fits perfectly. All of this makes the 607 claim impossible.
What needs to be established is the chronology of Egypt, which is done by way of a series of death stelae and stelae of holy Apis bulls. The length of reigns of the first four kings of the 26th dynasty can be established.
Psammetichus I--54 years, Necho II--15 years, Psammetichus II--6 years, and Apries (Hophra)--19 years. Amasis--44 years and Psammetichus III--6 months, are established by historians Herodotus and Manetho, as well as other lines of evidence such as the papyrus Rylands IX, which dates the time of Darius I (521-486 B.C.E.)and lists the 44th year of Amasis as his last year.
D: Astronomical Diaries
Vat 4956 is a diary dated from Nisanu 1 of Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year to Nisanu 1 of his 38th year. The positions were so exactly described that modern day astronomers can easily fix precise dates when they were seen. By doing so they have been able to show that all of these observations must have been made during the year 568/67 bce. This lines up with all of the evidence listed already, since it would place Nebuchadnezzar on the throne on 605/604 bce.
B.M. 32312 This diary gives details on the position of Mercury, Saturn, and Mars, which date it to the year 652/51 bce. An historical notice also repeated in the Akitu Chronicle and there dated to the 16th year of Shamashshumukin, fixes that year to 652/51 bce, which prevents any extension of the Neo-Babylonian era backwards in time.
The Saturn Tablet establishes the reign of Kandalanu, predecessor of Nabopolassar. The pattern of positions described in the text and fixed to specific dates in the Babylonian Lunar calendar is not repeated again for more than 17 years. The first 14 years of his reign are mentioned in the text. This also gives us the exact year in which Nabopolassar's reign began, which is 625 bce.
I think it is clear to see that history proves the attempted calculation of the JWs is incorrect. For them to not only ignore this evidence, but then attempt to teach this incorrect view to the public is something that Jesus warned against.
Matt. 24:23--At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
Saying that they know exactly when Jesus began ruling is an exact fulfillment of this warning. Jesus also stated : No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
So how can anyone assume to know exactly when Christ began his rule? That is an assumption based on a poor calculation.
Also, Jesus made it perfectly clear as to the attempt at calculating dates of importance. Acts 1: 6, 7 reads--So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
If Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to know the times or dates the Father has set, would it be wise to assume that this view has changed during modern times? Is this human calculation enough proof to assume that God has allowed anyone to know when Jesus began to rule as King?
The JWs believe that Daniel chapter 4 prophesied the Gentile Times of the Nations (Luke 21:24)in which Jehovah would not have a kingly ruler. This extends from the end of God's rulership through the Jews in 607 B.C., until God re-established his Kingdom in heaven in 1914. The Gentile Times are the 2,520 year period in between. The basis for this comes from Daniel, where the JWs have interpreted the following: 1)The cutting down of the tree represents the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar in 607 B.C.
2) The "seven times" constitute 2,520 days, 7 years of only 360 days each.
3) The "principle" of "a day for a year" converts 2,520 days to 2,520 years.
4) The 2,520 years of the Gentile Times ended in 1914, coinciding with the start of Jesus' heavenly rulership.
In order for this to be true, the temple in Jerusalem would have had to of been destroyed in the year 607 B.C. History paints a completely different picture. There is a wealth of information to go over that will prove that this calculation is in error. But before we look at the historical facts, let's look at some bible verses and see how strong their case is.
Daniel chapter 4 is the first place we should look to, since it is this chapter that the entire prophecy is based upon. Instantly we find a problem. Verses 28-37 go on to state that the dream was fulfilled. So if the dream was fulfilled, that would mean that the 7 times already happened, which of course offsets the entire mathematical calculation. There is no second fulfillment of this chapter. I could simply end this here, but let's examine another verse in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 25:11-12 "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.'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, 'their error, even against the land of the Chal·de´ans, and I will make it desolate wastes to time indefinite.'"
This shows the 70 years were the entire period the Babylonians were conquering "these nations", and the period of vassalage to the Babylonians. Jeremiah 25 ends the 70 years with the "account against the King of Babylon". The Babylonians dominated for a seventy year period from their defeat of Assyria in 609 B.C.E., to their fall in 539 B.C.E.
Jeremiah 29:10 concurs with this. In a number of translations, this verse links the completion of the 70 years with Babylon.
"This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place." New International Version - see also ESV, NASB, RSV, ASV and DBY.
Not having a proper understanding of who the 70 years were being applied to is yet another mistake to add to their calculation. The next verse to consider is found again in Daniel.
Daniel 9:2 "In the first year of his reigning I myself, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of the years concerning which the word of Jehovah had occurred to Jeremiah the prophet, for fulfilling the devastations of Jerusalem, [namely,] seventy years."
The JWs point to this as proof that the 70 years apply to the desolation of Jerusalem. But that is not the word used here. It is the devastation of the temple. Zechariah 1:12 clarifies this by saying : "Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” In other words, when are you going to rebuild the temple? An important point to add here is the time in which this question was asked. Zechariah 1:1--In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo". Darius' second year was 519 B.C.E. So, that verse cannot be used to support 607.
Now let's examine some history.
A: Ancient Historians---Berossus, the Royal Canon(better known as Ptolemy's Canon)
B: The Cuneiform Documents----Chronicles, Kinglists, Royal Inscriptions, Economic-Administrative and Legal Documents, Prosopographical Evidence, Chronological Interlocking Joints
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt----Chronology of the Saite period, Synchronisims to the Chronology of the Saite period
D: Astronomical Diaries---VAT 4956, B.M. 32312, The Saturn Tablet (B.M. 76738 + 76813)
A: Ancient Historians
Berossus was a Babylonian priest that lived in the 3rd century B.C.E. He wrote a history of Babylon, which have been lost, but his work has been quoted and paraphrased by other ancient writers. The most famous being Josephus. The figures he gives for the reigns of the Neo-Babylonian Kings substantially agree with the evidence found in the ancient cunieform documents.
The Royal Canon, better known as Ptolemy's Canon, is a list of kings and their lengths of reign beginning with Nabonassar (747-734 bce) and continuing on through the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine rulers. However, Claudius Ptolemy was not where this list originated. A table of this kind was a prerequisite for the research and calculations performed by Babylonian and Greek Astronomers. Without it, they would have had no means for dating the astronomical events their calculations showed as occuring in the distant past. The Royal canon omits the rule of Labashi-Marduk, who only ruled for a few months, since it lists in whole years only.
B: The Cuneiform Documents
Neo-Babylonian Chronicles record specific details about Babylon, and which King was ruling. It also links certain kings together as one king would succeed another one. There are also details about kings from other nations, such as the Persian king Cyrus defeating the Median king Astyages and capturing the capital of Media. An interesting fact here is that the Nabonidus Chronicle which contains the account of the fall of Babylon, has Cyrus defeating the Medians in the 6th year of Nabonidus' reign. Cyrus ruled for 29 years and died in the year 530 bce. If 607 bce was when Jerusalem fell, this would not be possible. Though the Chronicles do not give a complete chronology for the Neo-Babylonian period, the dates that are preserved support those given by Berossus and the Royal Canon.
The Uruk Kinglist was badly preserved and some portions of it are missing. However, it still contains the names of Kings, and the length of reign of eack king during the Neo-Babylonian era. The preserved portion gives the following information.
Kandalanu 21 years
Sin-shum-lishir-and Sin-shar-ishkun 1 year
Nabopolassar 21 years
Nebuchadnezzar 43 years
Awel-Marduk 2 years
Neriglissar 3 years 8 months
Labashi-Marduk 3 months
Nabonidus 17 years.
The argument against this document is that is was recorded more than 300 years after the Neo-Babylonian era, so perhaps it is inaccurate. But the numbers line up with other independent forms of evidence.
Royal Inscriptions from the Assyrian and Babylonian eras have been found in great numbers. There are 3 of these inscriptions that are original documents from the reign of Nabonidus. 1.)Nabon. #18 is a cylinder inscription from an unnamed year of Nabonidus. Fulfilling the desire of Sin, the moon-god, Nabonidus dedicated a daughter of his to this god as a priestess at the Sin temple of Ur. A moon eclipse led to this dedication. Studies show that there was an eclipse that matches the description of this one during his 2nd year of reign, and the inscription also states that his daughter began her dedication took place during his 2nd year on the throne, thus confirming his length of reign. 2.) Nabon. #8 clearly establishes the total length of reigns of Neo-Babylonian kings up to Nabonidus, and enables us to know both the beginning year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, and the crucial year in which he desolated Jerusalem. 3.) Nabon. #24 provides the length of each kings reign, from Nabopolassar down to the 9th year of Nabonidus.
Economic-Administrative, and Legal Documents....there are literally thousands of documents such as promissary notes, contracts (the sales of houses, property, slaves, livestock, etc.), and records of lawsuits. Each document contains the year of the reigning king, the month, the day of the month. Every year of the Neo-Babylonian era is covered by these documents.
Prosopographical Evidence is basically the study of careers, especially of individuals linked by family, economic, social, or political relationships. The collection of tablets found were dated like the documents mentioned previously, and make it easy to determine when each King ruled, and for how long. The Egibi business house can be tracked quite easily from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the time of Darius.
Chronological Interlocking joints.
a) Nabopolassar to Nebuchadnezzar. Chronicle 5 (neo-babylonian chronicles) says that Nabopolassar ruled for 21 years, that he died on the eighth day of the month of Ab(5th month), and on the first day of the next month (Elul) his son Nebuchadnezzar ascended the royal throne in Babylon.
b) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk. Business document B.M. 30254 confirms that Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Awel-Marduk in the 43rd year of his reign.
c) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk to Neriglissar. A ledger on a tablet known as NBC 4897 tabulates the annual growth of a herd of sheep and goats belonging to the Eanna temple at Uruk for ten consecutive years, from the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar to the 1st year of Neriglissar.
d) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk. A tablet YBC 4012 shows that Labashi-Marduk succeeded Neriglissar as king early in the 4th year of his father's reign.
e) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk to Nabonidus. Royal inscription Nabon. No. 8. Nabonidus speaks of his own enthronement and names the last four of his predecessors: Nebuchadnezzar and Neriglissar, which he considered legitimate rulers, and their sons Awel-Marduk and Labashi-Marduk, which he regarded as illegitimate usurpers.
f) Nabonidus to Cyrus. Nabonidus Chronicle B.M. 35382. Nabonidus was ruling when Cyrus conquered Babylon.
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt.
2 Kings 23:29, Jeremiah 46:2, Jeremiah 44:30, and B.M.33041. Each of these names different rulers from either Egypt, Babylon, or Judah ruling at the same time. So now the boundaries are set. Chronology of the Saite period which is the 26th dynasty is established through death stelaes and stelaes of Holy Apis bulls. Basically this does for Egypt what the above evidence has done for Babylon. it allows us to know which Egyptian king reigned during which years, and for how long. Now examing the verses from the bible, 2 Kings 23:29 establishes that Josiah was killed by Necho during the time that each were ruling. Necho began his reign in the year 610 bce. Jeremiah 46:2 establishes that Nebuchadnezzar fought Necho during the 4th year of the King of Judah, Josiah's son. It was also Nebuchadnezzar's first year/ascension year on the throne which was in 605 bce. Jeremiah 44:30 establishes that Zedekiah had already lost and Jerusalem was destroyed during the reign of King Hophra/Apries, who ruled from 589-570 bce. The 4th document establishes that Nebuchadnezzar marched against Egypt during the reign of Amasis during Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year on the throne. The math fits perfectly. All of this makes the 607 claim impossible.
What needs to be established is the chronology of Egypt, which is done by way of a series of death stelae and stelae of holy Apis bulls. The length of reigns of the first four kings of the 26th dynasty can be established.
Psammetichus I--54 years, Necho II--15 years, Psammetichus II--6 years, and Apries (Hophra)--19 years. Amasis--44 years and Psammetichus III--6 months, are established by historians Herodotus and Manetho, as well as other lines of evidence such as the papyrus Rylands IX, which dates the time of Darius I (521-486 B.C.E.)and lists the 44th year of Amasis as his last year.
D: Astronomical Diaries
Vat 4956 is a diary dated from Nisanu 1 of Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year to Nisanu 1 of his 38th year. The positions were so exactly described that modern day astronomers can easily fix precise dates when they were seen. By doing so they have been able to show that all of these observations must have been made during the year 568/67 bce. This lines up with all of the evidence listed already, since it would place Nebuchadnezzar on the throne on 605/604 bce.
B.M. 32312 This diary gives details on the position of Mercury, Saturn, and Mars, which date it to the year 652/51 bce. An historical notice also repeated in the Akitu Chronicle and there dated to the 16th year of Shamashshumukin, fixes that year to 652/51 bce, which prevents any extension of the Neo-Babylonian era backwards in time.
The Saturn Tablet establishes the reign of Kandalanu, predecessor of Nabopolassar. The pattern of positions described in the text and fixed to specific dates in the Babylonian Lunar calendar is not repeated again for more than 17 years. The first 14 years of his reign are mentioned in the text. This also gives us the exact year in which Nabopolassar's reign began, which is 625 bce.
I think it is clear to see that history proves the attempted calculation of the JWs is incorrect. For them to not only ignore this evidence, but then attempt to teach this incorrect view to the public is something that Jesus warned against.
Matt. 24:23--At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
Saying that they know exactly when Jesus began ruling is an exact fulfillment of this warning. Jesus also stated : No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
So how can anyone assume to know exactly when Christ began his rule? That is an assumption based on a poor calculation.
Also, Jesus made it perfectly clear as to the attempt at calculating dates of importance. Acts 1: 6, 7 reads--So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
If Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to know the times or dates the Father has set, would it be wise to assume that this view has changed during modern times? Is this human calculation enough proof to assume that God has allowed anyone to know when Jesus began to rule as King?
Thursday, February 2, 2012
New Light?
Proverbs 4:18--"But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established."
Imagine that the Watchtower Society told you to meet at the top of the highest skyscraper in the city. They had interpreted from the bible that a true christian needed to have ultimate faith in order to survive Armageddon. All you needed to do is jump off of the building and place your faith in Jehovah's hands, because faith without works is dead. If you did not do this, you would be disfellowshipped. So you follow instructions, because the Watchtower Society is being guided by the holy spirit, and you jump. You hear people applauding your actions until you have dropped too far from the top of the building. You then have a moment of doubt. Should I have really jumped? I don't remember ever reading any scriptures saying that I should do something like this. But wait, wait, I shouldn't doubt them, you think. This is about faith. Trust in Jehovah. Suddenly you hear a voice calling to you from a loudspeaker. "Wait. Don't jump. We have received some "new light" from Jehovah's holy spirit. The bible says clearly that we should not put Jehovah to the test, and by jumping, that is exactly what we would be doing. Then again, we never actually told anyone to jump. That was over zealous members that were acting independantly. As you look down, you realize that in a few seconds, your life will be over.
How would you feel if that happened to you? The illustration is vivid, but it encompasses someone that spent their entire life believing doctrines that were supossedly coming from Jehovah, by means of His holy spirit, only to see those doctrines change. And you must accept those changes without question or risk being disfellowshipped. Sadly, many do accept these changes and do not even attempt to test them to see if there might be a misinterpretation. They are blinded by the false comfort that the Watchtower Society guarantees eternal life in exchange for unquestioned obedience.
Anytime a doctrine is proven false over time or circumstance and is in need of change, we see the phrase "new light" rise to the surface. What exactly is the meaning of new light? A JW will tell you that it is a new understanding of an old truth. Since Jehovah is gradually revealing truth to His people, they are willing to correct their thinking in order to have the right view, and then teach that right view to the world.
C.T. Russell said the following.
"If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now;… But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. "New Light" never extinguishes older "light" but adds to it…" Zion's Watch Tower 1881 February pp.3,188
The JWs believe that they are adding to the old light, but that it is not being changed. It is still the truth.
Really? What does the bible say?
Galations 1" 8,9--"But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."
Have the JWs taught anything contrary to what they preached before?
John 16:13-- "However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide YOU into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to YOU the things coming."
This is Jesus talking about the holy spirit at Pentecost. Does it say that the truth would be revealed gradually?
1 John 4:1--"Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world."
Notice that there is nothing mentioned here about any gradual understandings sent to them by the holy spirit. Why don't we take a look at some of the past teachings of the JWs and put them to the test.
Here is a list from the Finished Mystery, and NO, I'm not making this stuff up.
1) 88 "proofs" that Christ's "Second Advent occurred in the Fall of 1874" (pp.68-71)
2) The remaining Anointed would all be taken from earth to heaven in the spring of 1918. (p.64)
3) "Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions...." (p.485)
4) "Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920....Every kingdom of Earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." (p.258)
5) The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:2 is "the Bishop of Rome, the embryo Pope, the personal representative of Satan" (p.106)
6) Michael the Archangel is the pope of Rome. (p.188)
7) "Leviathan" of Job 41:2-19 is a locomotive. (p.85)
8) "The chariots rage in the streets, they jostle one another" of Natham 2:4 are the clanking and the bumping of railway cars. (p.93)
9) The "valiant men" of Nathum 2:3 are an engineer and a fireman. (p.93)
10) Demons will invade the minds of churchgoers in 1918, leading to their destruction. (p.128)
11) "Behemoth" of Job 40:15-24 is a stationary steam engine. (p.84)
12) The "voice from heaven" of Revelation 18:4 is the voice of The Watchtower Society. (p.276)
13) The glory of the angel of Revelation 18:1 refers to modern discoveries such as correspondence schools, celluloid, Divine Plan of the Ages, talking machines, vacuum cleaners, induction motors, pasteurization, Panama Canal, shoe sewing machines, subways, skyscrapers, Roentgen rays. (p.273)
14) Revelation 14:20 predicted the precise distance from the place where The Finished Mystery was produced in Stranton, Pennsylvania to its shipping destination in Bethel in New York City (p. 230)
This was from The Finished Mystery, a book from 1917. This was held up as the fulfilment of prophecy, "God-given interpretation" (Watch Tower 1917 December 15) and "the first and only book that makes clear every part of Revelation and Ezekiel." (Watch Tower 1917 October 1) It continues to proudly be described in the Proclaimers and Revelation Climax books as a powerful classic. (jwfacts.com)
God-Given interpretation? How many of these teachings were completely dropped? While you are mulling this over, let's look at a few other teachings from their past.
Most of you know about the pyramids being prophetic. There are also the failed date prophecies, the ever-changing meaning of a generation, and Jesus being worshipped into the 1950s. Ah, but here is one of my favorites.
The constellation of the seven stars forming the Pleiades appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve.... It has been suggested, and with much weight, that one of the stars of that group is the dwelling place of Jehovah and the place of the highest heavens;....
The constellation of the Pleiades is a small one compared with others which scientific instruments disclose to the wondering eyes of man. But the greatness in size of other stars or planets is small when compared to the Pleiades in importance, because the Pleiades is the place of the eternal throne of God.
J. F. Rutherford, Reconciliation, 1928, p. 14
How many of these were in need of gradual clarification? How many of these were simply dropped?
However, the Watchtower Society has attempted to justify their past mistakes.
"Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations." Reasoning from the Scriptures p.136
How many times did those Apostles teach those wrong expectations to the public?
Human imperfection falls by the wayside if God's holy spirit is guiding them. Clearly this is not the case.
New light is an excuse to explain away errors in understanding that were taught to the public as truth coming from God. What does God have to say about this?
Dueteronomy 18:20-22--"However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it."
Imagine that the Watchtower Society told you to meet at the top of the highest skyscraper in the city. They had interpreted from the bible that a true christian needed to have ultimate faith in order to survive Armageddon. All you needed to do is jump off of the building and place your faith in Jehovah's hands, because faith without works is dead. If you did not do this, you would be disfellowshipped. So you follow instructions, because the Watchtower Society is being guided by the holy spirit, and you jump. You hear people applauding your actions until you have dropped too far from the top of the building. You then have a moment of doubt. Should I have really jumped? I don't remember ever reading any scriptures saying that I should do something like this. But wait, wait, I shouldn't doubt them, you think. This is about faith. Trust in Jehovah. Suddenly you hear a voice calling to you from a loudspeaker. "Wait. Don't jump. We have received some "new light" from Jehovah's holy spirit. The bible says clearly that we should not put Jehovah to the test, and by jumping, that is exactly what we would be doing. Then again, we never actually told anyone to jump. That was over zealous members that were acting independantly. As you look down, you realize that in a few seconds, your life will be over.
How would you feel if that happened to you? The illustration is vivid, but it encompasses someone that spent their entire life believing doctrines that were supossedly coming from Jehovah, by means of His holy spirit, only to see those doctrines change. And you must accept those changes without question or risk being disfellowshipped. Sadly, many do accept these changes and do not even attempt to test them to see if there might be a misinterpretation. They are blinded by the false comfort that the Watchtower Society guarantees eternal life in exchange for unquestioned obedience.
Anytime a doctrine is proven false over time or circumstance and is in need of change, we see the phrase "new light" rise to the surface. What exactly is the meaning of new light? A JW will tell you that it is a new understanding of an old truth. Since Jehovah is gradually revealing truth to His people, they are willing to correct their thinking in order to have the right view, and then teach that right view to the world.
C.T. Russell said the following.
"If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now;… But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. "New Light" never extinguishes older "light" but adds to it…" Zion's Watch Tower 1881 February pp.3,188
The JWs believe that they are adding to the old light, but that it is not being changed. It is still the truth.
Really? What does the bible say?
Galations 1" 8,9--"But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."
Have the JWs taught anything contrary to what they preached before?
John 16:13-- "However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide YOU into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to YOU the things coming."
This is Jesus talking about the holy spirit at Pentecost. Does it say that the truth would be revealed gradually?
1 John 4:1--"Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world."
Notice that there is nothing mentioned here about any gradual understandings sent to them by the holy spirit. Why don't we take a look at some of the past teachings of the JWs and put them to the test.
Here is a list from the Finished Mystery, and NO, I'm not making this stuff up.
1) 88 "proofs" that Christ's "Second Advent occurred in the Fall of 1874" (pp.68-71)
2) The remaining Anointed would all be taken from earth to heaven in the spring of 1918. (p.64)
3) "Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions...." (p.485)
4) "Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920....Every kingdom of Earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." (p.258)
5) The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:2 is "the Bishop of Rome, the embryo Pope, the personal representative of Satan" (p.106)
6) Michael the Archangel is the pope of Rome. (p.188)
7) "Leviathan" of Job 41:2-19 is a locomotive. (p.85)
8) "The chariots rage in the streets, they jostle one another" of Natham 2:4 are the clanking and the bumping of railway cars. (p.93)
9) The "valiant men" of Nathum 2:3 are an engineer and a fireman. (p.93)
10) Demons will invade the minds of churchgoers in 1918, leading to their destruction. (p.128)
11) "Behemoth" of Job 40:15-24 is a stationary steam engine. (p.84)
12) The "voice from heaven" of Revelation 18:4 is the voice of The Watchtower Society. (p.276)
13) The glory of the angel of Revelation 18:1 refers to modern discoveries such as correspondence schools, celluloid, Divine Plan of the Ages, talking machines, vacuum cleaners, induction motors, pasteurization, Panama Canal, shoe sewing machines, subways, skyscrapers, Roentgen rays. (p.273)
14) Revelation 14:20 predicted the precise distance from the place where The Finished Mystery was produced in Stranton, Pennsylvania to its shipping destination in Bethel in New York City (p. 230)
This was from The Finished Mystery, a book from 1917. This was held up as the fulfilment of prophecy, "God-given interpretation" (Watch Tower 1917 December 15) and "the first and only book that makes clear every part of Revelation and Ezekiel." (Watch Tower 1917 October 1) It continues to proudly be described in the Proclaimers and Revelation Climax books as a powerful classic. (jwfacts.com)
God-Given interpretation? How many of these teachings were completely dropped? While you are mulling this over, let's look at a few other teachings from their past.
Most of you know about the pyramids being prophetic. There are also the failed date prophecies, the ever-changing meaning of a generation, and Jesus being worshipped into the 1950s. Ah, but here is one of my favorites.
The constellation of the seven stars forming the Pleiades appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve.... It has been suggested, and with much weight, that one of the stars of that group is the dwelling place of Jehovah and the place of the highest heavens;....
The constellation of the Pleiades is a small one compared with others which scientific instruments disclose to the wondering eyes of man. But the greatness in size of other stars or planets is small when compared to the Pleiades in importance, because the Pleiades is the place of the eternal throne of God.
J. F. Rutherford, Reconciliation, 1928, p. 14
How many of these were in need of gradual clarification? How many of these were simply dropped?
However, the Watchtower Society has attempted to justify their past mistakes.
"Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations." Reasoning from the Scriptures p.136
How many times did those Apostles teach those wrong expectations to the public?
Human imperfection falls by the wayside if God's holy spirit is guiding them. Clearly this is not the case.
New light is an excuse to explain away errors in understanding that were taught to the public as truth coming from God. What does God have to say about this?
Dueteronomy 18:20-22--"However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it."
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
144,000. Literal or Symbolic?
There are only two places in the bible that mention the 144,000. Both in Revelation.
7:3,4 says--“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
14:1,4,5 says--Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
To begin, the JWs teach that the number 144,000 is the exact number of people that are chosen from earth to rule alongside Jesus in heaven. Here are a few quotes to show this.
"As spirit-anointed brothers of Christ, all the early Christians had the prospect of being heavenly priests with Christ." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.35
"And Christians back there in the first century needed it. At that time all of them were spirit-anointed Christians who looked forward to a future resurrection "into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." "Let Your Kingdom Come" p.88
"We understand that this heavenly calling continued down through the centuries, though during the so-called Dark Ages, there may have been times when the number of anointed ones were very few. With the reestablishment of true Christianity near the end of the last century, more were called and chosen. But it seems that in the mid-1930's, the full number of the 144,000 was basically completed. Thus there began to appear a group of loyal Christians with the earthly hope. Jesus termed such "other sheep," who unite in worship with the anointed as one approved flock." Watchtower 1996 Aug 15 p.31
Although the view has changed from the number being complete in the 1930s, the general idea is that all of the early christians were of the anointed class, and a "re-establishment of christianity" in the late 1800s brought on more to be chosen.
First, let's attempt to establish just how many christians there were during these two time frames. Then let's go back and take a closer look at those bible verses.
According to JW sources, there were 40,000 that were martyred in 95 a.d. alone.
"Brief respite followed the death of Nero, but by the latter years of the first century the second great persecution, under Emperor Domitian, flared up. It is said that in the year 95 alone some 40,000 suffered martyrdom. Also, it was in this period that John, last living of the twelve apostles, was exiled to the isle of Patmos, from where he recorded the inspired Bible book of Revelation about A.D. 96." Watchtower 1951 Sep 1 p.516
If we estimate the 40,000 in 95 ad alone, obviously there were more christians that were put to death before and after that year. There were probably at least another 20,000 to add to that figure. Acts 2:41 states that 3,000 were baptized in one day. Verse 47 says that more were added to their number daily. And this was before Paul even started his preaching work. It is a conservative guess to say that there were probably about 60-65,000 christians in the 1st century. Of course, I am basing this from the figure given in the Watchtower, and adding some common sense reasoning.
In 1935, there were over 52,000 that partook of the emblems. Then we need to add the number of individuals that had died before 1935, and add the current number of ones claiming to be anointed. I can't do that though because I don't have that information to calculate a grand total.
Another quote adds more confusion to the equation.
"It has been calculated that by the end of the second century 60,000 copies of the major part of the Christian Greek Scriptures could have been in circulation, even if only one in every fifty of those professing Christianity possessed a copy." Watchtower 1963 April 15 p.249
How they obtained this information is unknown. But if one out of fifty posessed a copy, that would mean there were 3,000,000 christians by this time.
Now the claim is that the anointed ones had been covered over by "weed-like ones. (see my faithful and discreet slave blog)That is how the JWs attempt to explain away this number, even though many more were martyred. But I will get to that in a minute.
Back to the numbers. 65,000 plus 52,000 comes to 117,000. That would leave a mere 27,000 over a 1835 year stretch. If you subtract the 10,000 current ones that claim to be of the anointed, plus those that died in the few decades before 1935, the overall number shrinks even more. If that isn't enough to raise any eyebrows, let's consider another quote from the Watchtower.
"Diocletian assumed the crown A.D. 284. At first he seemed friendly to the Christians, but in the year 303 he gave in to persuasion and opened the tenth persecution, probably the most ferocious of all. Suffocation by smoke, forcible drinking of melted lead, mass drownings and burnings, breaking on the rack of men and women alike ran the empire with blood. In a single month 17,000 were slain. In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works." Watchtower 1951 September 1 p.518
861,000 Christians were put to death according to this article. If this is true, why wouldn't these people be considered true christians that died for Christ? Revelation 20:4 says the following,
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This shows that people that had been put to death "because of their testimony for Jesus" will come back to life. Why would only 144,000 of them be chosen when there were so many more that fulfilled this requirment? Now remember, these numbers are from JW literature. So it appears once again that their own literature is proving their claim wrong.
Let's take another look at those verses. If we are to take the number as literal, we must also take the rest of the verse as literal too. That means that the requirement of an anointed one would include them being from the tribes of Israel, having the name of Lamb and Father on their foreheads, virgins, holding no falsehood on their mouths, and without blemish. This would rule out any Americans claiming to be anointed (unless a line of descent can be proven linking them to a tribe of Israel). Since tatoos are forbidden to JWs, I don't know how they could have a name written on their forehead. Everlasting ink pen maybe? Virgins? That would eliminate a vast majority. I think you get the idea. Yet the JWs only hold the number as literal. And they cannot give a reason why, other than saying that the number was sealed. This type of reasoning is selctive at best. And that is wrong.
7:3,4 says--“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
14:1,4,5 says--Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
To begin, the JWs teach that the number 144,000 is the exact number of people that are chosen from earth to rule alongside Jesus in heaven. Here are a few quotes to show this.
"As spirit-anointed brothers of Christ, all the early Christians had the prospect of being heavenly priests with Christ." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.35
"And Christians back there in the first century needed it. At that time all of them were spirit-anointed Christians who looked forward to a future resurrection "into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." "Let Your Kingdom Come" p.88
"We understand that this heavenly calling continued down through the centuries, though during the so-called Dark Ages, there may have been times when the number of anointed ones were very few. With the reestablishment of true Christianity near the end of the last century, more were called and chosen. But it seems that in the mid-1930's, the full number of the 144,000 was basically completed. Thus there began to appear a group of loyal Christians with the earthly hope. Jesus termed such "other sheep," who unite in worship with the anointed as one approved flock." Watchtower 1996 Aug 15 p.31
Although the view has changed from the number being complete in the 1930s, the general idea is that all of the early christians were of the anointed class, and a "re-establishment of christianity" in the late 1800s brought on more to be chosen.
First, let's attempt to establish just how many christians there were during these two time frames. Then let's go back and take a closer look at those bible verses.
According to JW sources, there were 40,000 that were martyred in 95 a.d. alone.
"Brief respite followed the death of Nero, but by the latter years of the first century the second great persecution, under Emperor Domitian, flared up. It is said that in the year 95 alone some 40,000 suffered martyrdom. Also, it was in this period that John, last living of the twelve apostles, was exiled to the isle of Patmos, from where he recorded the inspired Bible book of Revelation about A.D. 96." Watchtower 1951 Sep 1 p.516
If we estimate the 40,000 in 95 ad alone, obviously there were more christians that were put to death before and after that year. There were probably at least another 20,000 to add to that figure. Acts 2:41 states that 3,000 were baptized in one day. Verse 47 says that more were added to their number daily. And this was before Paul even started his preaching work. It is a conservative guess to say that there were probably about 60-65,000 christians in the 1st century. Of course, I am basing this from the figure given in the Watchtower, and adding some common sense reasoning.
In 1935, there were over 52,000 that partook of the emblems. Then we need to add the number of individuals that had died before 1935, and add the current number of ones claiming to be anointed. I can't do that though because I don't have that information to calculate a grand total.
Another quote adds more confusion to the equation.
"It has been calculated that by the end of the second century 60,000 copies of the major part of the Christian Greek Scriptures could have been in circulation, even if only one in every fifty of those professing Christianity possessed a copy." Watchtower 1963 April 15 p.249
How they obtained this information is unknown. But if one out of fifty posessed a copy, that would mean there were 3,000,000 christians by this time.
Now the claim is that the anointed ones had been covered over by "weed-like ones. (see my faithful and discreet slave blog)That is how the JWs attempt to explain away this number, even though many more were martyred. But I will get to that in a minute.
Back to the numbers. 65,000 plus 52,000 comes to 117,000. That would leave a mere 27,000 over a 1835 year stretch. If you subtract the 10,000 current ones that claim to be of the anointed, plus those that died in the few decades before 1935, the overall number shrinks even more. If that isn't enough to raise any eyebrows, let's consider another quote from the Watchtower.
"Diocletian assumed the crown A.D. 284. At first he seemed friendly to the Christians, but in the year 303 he gave in to persuasion and opened the tenth persecution, probably the most ferocious of all. Suffocation by smoke, forcible drinking of melted lead, mass drownings and burnings, breaking on the rack of men and women alike ran the empire with blood. In a single month 17,000 were slain. In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works." Watchtower 1951 September 1 p.518
861,000 Christians were put to death according to this article. If this is true, why wouldn't these people be considered true christians that died for Christ? Revelation 20:4 says the following,
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This shows that people that had been put to death "because of their testimony for Jesus" will come back to life. Why would only 144,000 of them be chosen when there were so many more that fulfilled this requirment? Now remember, these numbers are from JW literature. So it appears once again that their own literature is proving their claim wrong.
Let's take another look at those verses. If we are to take the number as literal, we must also take the rest of the verse as literal too. That means that the requirement of an anointed one would include them being from the tribes of Israel, having the name of Lamb and Father on their foreheads, virgins, holding no falsehood on their mouths, and without blemish. This would rule out any Americans claiming to be anointed (unless a line of descent can be proven linking them to a tribe of Israel). Since tatoos are forbidden to JWs, I don't know how they could have a name written on their forehead. Everlasting ink pen maybe? Virgins? That would eliminate a vast majority. I think you get the idea. Yet the JWs only hold the number as literal. And they cannot give a reason why, other than saying that the number was sealed. This type of reasoning is selctive at best. And that is wrong.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Disfellowshipping Scriptual?
"No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family."
Awake! 2009 July
I posted this quote first before examining the methods that are used by the JWs for disfellowshipping someone. Why? As I continue, try to remember exactly what it says, and see if it ends up as a contradiction towards their reasoning with regards to discipline.
First, let's check out some recent articles and see what is being stated.
Consider just one example of the good that can come when a family loyally upholds Jehovah’s decree not to associate with disfellowshipped relatives. A young man had been disfellowshipped for over ten years, during which time his father, mother, and four brothers “quit mixing in company” with him. At times, he tried to involve himself in their activities, but to their credit, each member of the family was steadfast in not having any contact with him. After he was reinstated, he said that he always missed the association with his family, especially at night when he was alone. But, he admitted, had the family associated with him even a little, that small dose would have satisfied him. However, because he did not receive even the slightest communication from any of his family, the burning desire to be with them became one motivating factor in his restoring his relationship with Jehovah." Watchtower 2012 Apr 15 p.12
"Suppose, for example, that the only son of an exemplary Christian couple leaves the truth. Preferring "the temporary enjoyment of sin" to a personal relationship with Jehovah and with his godly parents, the young man is disfellowshipped. ... the Bible says "to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator... They also realise that the word "anyone" in this verse includes family members not living under their roof. ... Our hearts go out to those parents. After all, their son had a choice, and he chose to pursue his unchristian lifestyle rather than to continue to enjoy close association with his parents and other fellow believers. The parents, on the other hand, had no say in the matter. ... But what will those dear parents do? Will they obey Jehovah's clear direction? Or will they rationalize that they can have regular association with the disfellowshipped son and call it, "necessary family business"? In making their decision, they must not fail to consider how Jehovah feels about what they are doing. ... Today, Jehovah does not immediately execute those who violate his laws. He lovingly gives them an opportunity to repent from their unrighteous works. How would Jehovah feel, though, if the parents of an unrepentant wrongdoer kept putting Him to the test by having unnecessary association with their disfellowshipped son or daughter?"
Watchtower 2011 Jul 15 pp.31,32
"By cutting off contact with the disfellowshipped or disassociated one, you are showing that you hate the attitudes and actions that led to that outcome. However, you are also showing that you love the wrongdoer enough to do what is best for him or her. Your loyalty to Jehovah may increase the likelihood that the disciplined one will repent and return to Jehovah."
Watchtower 2011 Feb 15
Assist those having undue association with disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives. ... If members of the congregation are known to have undue association with disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives who are not in the household, elders should counsel and reason with those members of the congregation from the Scriptures. ... If it is clear that a Christian is violating the spirit of the disfellowshipping decree in this regard and does not respond to counsel, it may be that he would not qualify for congregation privileges, which require one to be exemplary. He would not be dealt with judicially unless there is persistent spiritual association or he openly criticizes the disfellowshipping decision. pp.114-116 Shepherd the Flock of God 2010
A heartrending experience for Aaron’s family is recorded at Leviticus 10:1-11. They must have been devastated when fire from heaven consumed Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu at the tabernacle. What a test of faith it was for Aaron and his family not to mourn their dead relatives! Are you personally proving yourself holy with regard to not associating with family members or others who have been disfellowshipped?
This is extremely harsh treatment. A complete cutting off of any association with anyone that is disfellowshipped, even a family member. And if you decide to associate with that person, even on a minimal basis, you will more than likely lose your privileges, or even be disfellowshipped too. How does this line up with what the bible says about the treatment of those that were doing wrong?
It might be a good idea to see what Jesus said about how to treat a wrongdoer within the congregation.
Matt. 18:15-17--Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, in order that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.
How often is this procedure followed? My guess would be that it is NOT followed at all. The matter is brought to an elder by some anonymous source, and then a private meeting is set up to discuss the matter. The only way that the matter is brought to the congregation is when an announcement is made naming the guilty one and the level of their punishment. But Jesus also said the following in Luke 6:27-37.
Luke 6:27-37 But I say to YOU who are listening, Continue to love YOUR enemies, to do good to those hating YOU,to bless those cursing YOU, to pray for those who are insulting YOU.To him that strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also; and from him that takes away your outer garment, do not withhold even the undergarment.Give to everyone asking you, and from the one taking your things away do not ask [them] back. Also, just as YOU want men to do to YOU, do the same way to them. And if YOU love those loving YOU, of what credit is it to YOU? For even the sinners love those loving them.And if YOU do good to those doing good to YOU, really of what credit is it to YOU? Even the sinners do the same. Also, if YOU lend [without interest] to those from whom YOU hope to receive, of what credit is it to YOU? Even sinners lend [without interest] to sinners that they may get back as much. To the contrary, continue to love YOUR enemies and to do good and to lend [without interest], not hoping for anything back; and YOUR reward will be great, and YOU will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind toward the unthankful and wicked. Continue becoming merciful, just as YOUR Father is merciful. Moreover, stop judging, and YOU will by no means be judged; and stop condemning, and YOU will by no means be condemned."
Stop judging and condemning others, instead you should love them. The Golden Rule was Jesus' advice. Even in the worst case, he said to treat them as a tax collector. In modern times, that could be likened to what the jws call a "worldly" person. Did he say to shun them?
Paul's advice is often used to justify disfellowshipping. One of the most common used verses is found in 1 Cor. 5:11.
1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing YOU to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do YOU not judge those inside, while God judges those outside? Remove the wicked [man] from among yourselves.
But does this verse say to SHUN that person? No. It says to quit mixing in company with them, in other words, don't socialize with that person. Also, a key phrase that is often overlooked is ANYONE CALLED A BROTHER. That simply means that anyone that is still part of the congregation, not those outside, as Paul makes it clear that God will judge those ones. This distinction is very important when we consider the next quote.
2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15 Now we are giving YOU orders, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition YOU received from us . 14 But if anyone is not obedient to our word through this letter, keep this one marked, stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed. 15 And yet do not be considering him as an enemy, but continue admonishing him as a brother.
Marking an individual does not mean to excommunicate that person. It simply means to keep an eye on them.
2 Corinthians 2:5-6 "Now if anyone has caused sadness, he has saddened, not me, but all of YOU to an extent-not to be too harsh in what I say. This rebuke given by the majority is sufficient for such a man "
Rebuke given by the majority? Yes, apparently some were allowed not share in the rebuking of the individual if they chose not to do so.
What if the reason for discipline is something that was never taught?
3 John 9-10 "I wrote something to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who likes to have the first place among them, does not receive anything from us with respect. That is why, if I come, I will call to remembrance his works which he goes on doing, chattering about us with wicked words. Also, not being content with these things, neither does he himself receive the brothers with respect, and those who are wanting to receive them he tries to hinder and to throw out of the congregation."
John reprimands Diotrephes for attempting to disfellowship people unnecessarily. As we see here, Diotrephes was "throwing people out" of the congregation.
If you examined the list of wrongdoings that could get you disfellowshipped, how many of them fall into the category of unscriptual?
The Watchtower Society used the following verses to justify the "not even say hello" to a disfellowshipped person. 2 John 7-11 says the following,
For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Look out for yourselves, that YOU do not lose the things we have worked to produce, but that YOU may obtain a full reward. Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching is the one that has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him. For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.
This is talking about the antichrist. Although they might attempt to cast an Apostate into this role, it should be wise to consider the context of these verses. The Jews had rejected Jesus. Also, in the first century, they held congregation meetings in the homes of believers. Those christians were under a great deal of pressure and had to be wary of those rejecting Christ that might find out their meeting places and cause problems for them. Clearly this is not aimed at someone that was marked in the congregation.
When they anounce from the stage that someone has been disfellowshipped, they say the following,
"[Name of person] is no longer one of Jehovahs Witnesses." Organised to do Jehovahs Will (2005) p.154
If this person is no longer "recognized as a brother", this is a direct contradiction of what Paul stated when he said to continue admonishing them as a brother. Yet they continue to not allow any association with family members. They are cutting the person off completely, which is not scriptual.
So again, when we read this,
"No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family."
Awake! 2009 July
there is a definite contradiction in how the JWs are applying their own advice to current members. With this in mind, can the claim still be made that God is guiding them with His holy spirit?
Awake! 2009 July
I posted this quote first before examining the methods that are used by the JWs for disfellowshipping someone. Why? As I continue, try to remember exactly what it says, and see if it ends up as a contradiction towards their reasoning with regards to discipline.
First, let's check out some recent articles and see what is being stated.
Consider just one example of the good that can come when a family loyally upholds Jehovah’s decree not to associate with disfellowshipped relatives. A young man had been disfellowshipped for over ten years, during which time his father, mother, and four brothers “quit mixing in company” with him. At times, he tried to involve himself in their activities, but to their credit, each member of the family was steadfast in not having any contact with him. After he was reinstated, he said that he always missed the association with his family, especially at night when he was alone. But, he admitted, had the family associated with him even a little, that small dose would have satisfied him. However, because he did not receive even the slightest communication from any of his family, the burning desire to be with them became one motivating factor in his restoring his relationship with Jehovah." Watchtower 2012 Apr 15 p.12
"Suppose, for example, that the only son of an exemplary Christian couple leaves the truth. Preferring "the temporary enjoyment of sin" to a personal relationship with Jehovah and with his godly parents, the young man is disfellowshipped. ... the Bible says "to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator... They also realise that the word "anyone" in this verse includes family members not living under their roof. ... Our hearts go out to those parents. After all, their son had a choice, and he chose to pursue his unchristian lifestyle rather than to continue to enjoy close association with his parents and other fellow believers. The parents, on the other hand, had no say in the matter. ... But what will those dear parents do? Will they obey Jehovah's clear direction? Or will they rationalize that they can have regular association with the disfellowshipped son and call it, "necessary family business"? In making their decision, they must not fail to consider how Jehovah feels about what they are doing. ... Today, Jehovah does not immediately execute those who violate his laws. He lovingly gives them an opportunity to repent from their unrighteous works. How would Jehovah feel, though, if the parents of an unrepentant wrongdoer kept putting Him to the test by having unnecessary association with their disfellowshipped son or daughter?"
Watchtower 2011 Jul 15 pp.31,32
"By cutting off contact with the disfellowshipped or disassociated one, you are showing that you hate the attitudes and actions that led to that outcome. However, you are also showing that you love the wrongdoer enough to do what is best for him or her. Your loyalty to Jehovah may increase the likelihood that the disciplined one will repent and return to Jehovah."
Watchtower 2011 Feb 15
Assist those having undue association with disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives. ... If members of the congregation are known to have undue association with disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives who are not in the household, elders should counsel and reason with those members of the congregation from the Scriptures. ... If it is clear that a Christian is violating the spirit of the disfellowshipping decree in this regard and does not respond to counsel, it may be that he would not qualify for congregation privileges, which require one to be exemplary. He would not be dealt with judicially unless there is persistent spiritual association or he openly criticizes the disfellowshipping decision. pp.114-116 Shepherd the Flock of God 2010
A heartrending experience for Aaron’s family is recorded at Leviticus 10:1-11. They must have been devastated when fire from heaven consumed Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu at the tabernacle. What a test of faith it was for Aaron and his family not to mourn their dead relatives! Are you personally proving yourself holy with regard to not associating with family members or others who have been disfellowshipped?
This is extremely harsh treatment. A complete cutting off of any association with anyone that is disfellowshipped, even a family member. And if you decide to associate with that person, even on a minimal basis, you will more than likely lose your privileges, or even be disfellowshipped too. How does this line up with what the bible says about the treatment of those that were doing wrong?
It might be a good idea to see what Jesus said about how to treat a wrongdoer within the congregation.
Matt. 18:15-17--Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, in order that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.
How often is this procedure followed? My guess would be that it is NOT followed at all. The matter is brought to an elder by some anonymous source, and then a private meeting is set up to discuss the matter. The only way that the matter is brought to the congregation is when an announcement is made naming the guilty one and the level of their punishment. But Jesus also said the following in Luke 6:27-37.
Luke 6:27-37 But I say to YOU who are listening, Continue to love YOUR enemies, to do good to those hating YOU,to bless those cursing YOU, to pray for those who are insulting YOU.To him that strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also; and from him that takes away your outer garment, do not withhold even the undergarment.Give to everyone asking you, and from the one taking your things away do not ask [them] back. Also, just as YOU want men to do to YOU, do the same way to them. And if YOU love those loving YOU, of what credit is it to YOU? For even the sinners love those loving them.And if YOU do good to those doing good to YOU, really of what credit is it to YOU? Even the sinners do the same. Also, if YOU lend [without interest] to those from whom YOU hope to receive, of what credit is it to YOU? Even sinners lend [without interest] to sinners that they may get back as much. To the contrary, continue to love YOUR enemies and to do good and to lend [without interest], not hoping for anything back; and YOUR reward will be great, and YOU will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind toward the unthankful and wicked. Continue becoming merciful, just as YOUR Father is merciful. Moreover, stop judging, and YOU will by no means be judged; and stop condemning, and YOU will by no means be condemned."
Stop judging and condemning others, instead you should love them. The Golden Rule was Jesus' advice. Even in the worst case, he said to treat them as a tax collector. In modern times, that could be likened to what the jws call a "worldly" person. Did he say to shun them?
Paul's advice is often used to justify disfellowshipping. One of the most common used verses is found in 1 Cor. 5:11.
1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing YOU to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do YOU not judge those inside, while God judges those outside? Remove the wicked [man] from among yourselves.
But does this verse say to SHUN that person? No. It says to quit mixing in company with them, in other words, don't socialize with that person. Also, a key phrase that is often overlooked is ANYONE CALLED A BROTHER. That simply means that anyone that is still part of the congregation, not those outside, as Paul makes it clear that God will judge those ones. This distinction is very important when we consider the next quote.
2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15 Now we are giving YOU orders, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition YOU received from us . 14 But if anyone is not obedient to our word through this letter, keep this one marked, stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed. 15 And yet do not be considering him as an enemy, but continue admonishing him as a brother.
Marking an individual does not mean to excommunicate that person. It simply means to keep an eye on them.
2 Corinthians 2:5-6 "Now if anyone has caused sadness, he has saddened, not me, but all of YOU to an extent-not to be too harsh in what I say. This rebuke given by the majority is sufficient for such a man "
Rebuke given by the majority? Yes, apparently some were allowed not share in the rebuking of the individual if they chose not to do so.
What if the reason for discipline is something that was never taught?
3 John 9-10 "I wrote something to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who likes to have the first place among them, does not receive anything from us with respect. That is why, if I come, I will call to remembrance his works which he goes on doing, chattering about us with wicked words. Also, not being content with these things, neither does he himself receive the brothers with respect, and those who are wanting to receive them he tries to hinder and to throw out of the congregation."
John reprimands Diotrephes for attempting to disfellowship people unnecessarily. As we see here, Diotrephes was "throwing people out" of the congregation.
If you examined the list of wrongdoings that could get you disfellowshipped, how many of them fall into the category of unscriptual?
The Watchtower Society used the following verses to justify the "not even say hello" to a disfellowshipped person. 2 John 7-11 says the following,
For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Look out for yourselves, that YOU do not lose the things we have worked to produce, but that YOU may obtain a full reward. Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching is the one that has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him. For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.
This is talking about the antichrist. Although they might attempt to cast an Apostate into this role, it should be wise to consider the context of these verses. The Jews had rejected Jesus. Also, in the first century, they held congregation meetings in the homes of believers. Those christians were under a great deal of pressure and had to be wary of those rejecting Christ that might find out their meeting places and cause problems for them. Clearly this is not aimed at someone that was marked in the congregation.
When they anounce from the stage that someone has been disfellowshipped, they say the following,
"[Name of person] is no longer one of Jehovahs Witnesses." Organised to do Jehovahs Will (2005) p.154
If this person is no longer "recognized as a brother", this is a direct contradiction of what Paul stated when he said to continue admonishing them as a brother. Yet they continue to not allow any association with family members. They are cutting the person off completely, which is not scriptual.
So again, when we read this,
"No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family."
Awake! 2009 July
there is a definite contradiction in how the JWs are applying their own advice to current members. With this in mind, can the claim still be made that God is guiding them with His holy spirit?
Abstain From Blood?
Acts 15:29--You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
If we were to read this verse only, it would appear that abstaining from blood was definitely a command given to those in the congregation. But in order to gain a full understanding of this verse, we need to know the background story behind the verse. We also need to examine other areas including Jewish Laws, what Jesus said, and a comparison to other commands that were given. Let's begin with the story.
Acts chapter 15 begins with some men coming from Judea that entered into Antioch and began teaching this message, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This started a debate that needed to be addressed. Verse 5 states one side of the argument, and by whom it was being raised, 'Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” Peter then speaks up for the Gentiles and raises the other side of the argument. Verse 11 says, "No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
In other words, the Gentiles are not held by Jewish Law, so there is no need to make them abide by it. Paul and Barnabas, who were supporting the Gentiles, spoke up on their behalf as well. James gives the final decision on this matter. He states in verses 19-20, "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."
But he doesn't finish there. Verse 21 says, "For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
So let's review what just happened here. The Jews demanded that the Gentiles be circumcised, a debate began over this issue, and a compromise was reached. They were to adhere to the four things mentioned, which included abstaining from blood. So again, it appears that to abstain from blood is a command given to the Gentiles to follow. But what was the purpose for following these four commands?
Go back to verse 21. James makes it clear that the Jews held to the Law of Moses from the earliest of times. Of course they were going to be offended if someone came along and did not hold to these customs, yet still attempted to be saved. This compromise was made in order to keep the Jews from becoming offended, or stumbled. But just how binding were these four commands set upon the Gentiles?
1 Corinthians 10:25-33 "Everything that is sold in a meat market keep eating, making no inquiry on account of YOUR conscience; for "to Jehovah belong the earth and that which fills it." If anyone of the unbelievers invites YOU and YOU wish to go, proceed to eat everything that is set before YOU, making no inquiry on account of YOUR conscience. But if anyone should say to YOU: "This is something offered in sacrifice," do not eat on account of the one that disclosed it and on account of conscience. "Conscience," I say, not your own, but that of the other person. For why should it be that my freedom is judged by another person's conscience? If I am partaking with thanks, why am I to be spoken of abusively over that for which I give thanks? Therefore, whether YOU are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God's glory. Keep from becoming causes for stumbling to Jews as well as Greeks and to the congregation of God, even as I am pleasing all people in all things, not seeking my own advantage but that of the many, in order that they might get saved."
Why would Paul say it was ok to eat food sacrificed to idols if it was a written decree for Gentiles NOT to do so? To keep from stumbling the Jews. If it was ok to do these things as long as a Jew did not see you, it appears that these four commands were not binding after all, unless you were in the company of a Jew.
What does Jewish Laws say about blood? All four of these commands can be found in Lev. 17: 7 (sacrifices to idol), 10 (eating blood), 13 (bleeding an animal), and 18 (fornication). But there is another important issue to consider.
"According to pikuach nefesh a person must do everything in their power to save the life of another, even donate bodily organs. Ovaday Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, ruled that one may donate an organ to a person in critical need, so long as it does not put the donor's life at risk. It is also permissible to travel on Shabbat to save a person's life. Maimonides declared that a Jew should take the individual, even if a gentile is present, in order to encourage "compassion, loving-kindness and peace in the world" (Mishneh Torah, 2:3). The laws of the Sabbath may be suspended to provide any necessary medical care to a critically ill individual or to an individual in the likelihood of danger to life." Pikuach Nefesh, Ariel Scheib (Apr 22 2007) (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/pikuach_nefesh.html)
In the following situations, Jesus invoked the rabbinic principle of pikuach nefesh; that the obligation to save life supersedes Jewish law.
Matthew 12:11 "Who will be the man among YOU that has one sheep and, if this falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not get hold of it and lift it out? All considered, of how much more worth is a man than a sheep!"
Mark 3:4-5 "Next he said to them: "Is it lawful on the sabbath to do a good deed or to do a bad deed, to save or to kill a soul?" But they kept silent. And after looking around upon them with indignation, being thoroughly grieved at the insensibility of their hearts, he said to the man: "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored." - see also Luke 6:7-10
"Matthew 12:1-4, NW: "At that season Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath. His disciples got hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. At seeing this the Pharisees said to him: 'Look! your disciples are doing what it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.' He said to them: 'Have you not read what David did when he and the men with him got hungry? How he entered into the house of God and they ate the loaves of presentation, food it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only?'" In these verses and in the ones following Jesus was calling attention to acts of mercy on the sabbath day, that it was perfectly legitimate to render a show of mercy to one who is in need even though it was the sabbath, and that there is, in effect, no violation of the sabbath by such course of action. He had no rebuke for David's course." - see also Mark 2:23-26" Watchtower 1952 Sep 15 p.575
Jesus also says, Matthew 12:7 "However, if YOU had understood what this means, 'I want mercy, and not sacrifice,' YOU would not have condemned the guiltless ones."
So if the obligation to save a life supercedes Jewish Laws, to which Jesus agreed, is it safe to say that a blood transfusion would be found acceptable to God?
Another thing to think about is what Jesus said in Matthew 12:31-32. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Mark 3: 28-29 reads, ""Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin "
If the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, would it be right to allow a person to die by strict obedience to a Jewish Law, which could be broken in order to save a life, according to pikuach nefesh ???
In conclusion, I think it would be safe to say that the JWs view of blood is wrong. The correct understanding in Acts 15 was to not stumble the Jews. The compromise was based on the Laws of Moses. Paul stated that the Gentiles were not held to those four commands, unless in the company of one that would be stumbled. Jesus states that life is more important than Jewish Law when he invoked the rabbinic principle of pikuach nefesh. If all of this is not enough to convince you, let's consider one more thing.
1 Cor. 5:11, Paul does not list blood as a reason to quit associating with a brother. In Revelation 21:8 and 1 Corinthians 6 blood is not said to be a reason for not inheriting God's Kingdom. If this was to be a strict Law that was to be held to, why wasn't it mentioned anywhere else?
If we were to read this verse only, it would appear that abstaining from blood was definitely a command given to those in the congregation. But in order to gain a full understanding of this verse, we need to know the background story behind the verse. We also need to examine other areas including Jewish Laws, what Jesus said, and a comparison to other commands that were given. Let's begin with the story.
Acts chapter 15 begins with some men coming from Judea that entered into Antioch and began teaching this message, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This started a debate that needed to be addressed. Verse 5 states one side of the argument, and by whom it was being raised, 'Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” Peter then speaks up for the Gentiles and raises the other side of the argument. Verse 11 says, "No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
In other words, the Gentiles are not held by Jewish Law, so there is no need to make them abide by it. Paul and Barnabas, who were supporting the Gentiles, spoke up on their behalf as well. James gives the final decision on this matter. He states in verses 19-20, "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."
But he doesn't finish there. Verse 21 says, "For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
So let's review what just happened here. The Jews demanded that the Gentiles be circumcised, a debate began over this issue, and a compromise was reached. They were to adhere to the four things mentioned, which included abstaining from blood. So again, it appears that to abstain from blood is a command given to the Gentiles to follow. But what was the purpose for following these four commands?
Go back to verse 21. James makes it clear that the Jews held to the Law of Moses from the earliest of times. Of course they were going to be offended if someone came along and did not hold to these customs, yet still attempted to be saved. This compromise was made in order to keep the Jews from becoming offended, or stumbled. But just how binding were these four commands set upon the Gentiles?
1 Corinthians 10:25-33 "Everything that is sold in a meat market keep eating, making no inquiry on account of YOUR conscience; for "to Jehovah belong the earth and that which fills it." If anyone of the unbelievers invites YOU and YOU wish to go, proceed to eat everything that is set before YOU, making no inquiry on account of YOUR conscience. But if anyone should say to YOU: "This is something offered in sacrifice," do not eat on account of the one that disclosed it and on account of conscience. "Conscience," I say, not your own, but that of the other person. For why should it be that my freedom is judged by another person's conscience? If I am partaking with thanks, why am I to be spoken of abusively over that for which I give thanks? Therefore, whether YOU are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God's glory. Keep from becoming causes for stumbling to Jews as well as Greeks and to the congregation of God, even as I am pleasing all people in all things, not seeking my own advantage but that of the many, in order that they might get saved."
Why would Paul say it was ok to eat food sacrificed to idols if it was a written decree for Gentiles NOT to do so? To keep from stumbling the Jews. If it was ok to do these things as long as a Jew did not see you, it appears that these four commands were not binding after all, unless you were in the company of a Jew.
What does Jewish Laws say about blood? All four of these commands can be found in Lev. 17: 7 (sacrifices to idol), 10 (eating blood), 13 (bleeding an animal), and 18 (fornication). But there is another important issue to consider.
"According to pikuach nefesh a person must do everything in their power to save the life of another, even donate bodily organs. Ovaday Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, ruled that one may donate an organ to a person in critical need, so long as it does not put the donor's life at risk. It is also permissible to travel on Shabbat to save a person's life. Maimonides declared that a Jew should take the individual, even if a gentile is present, in order to encourage "compassion, loving-kindness and peace in the world" (Mishneh Torah, 2:3). The laws of the Sabbath may be suspended to provide any necessary medical care to a critically ill individual or to an individual in the likelihood of danger to life." Pikuach Nefesh, Ariel Scheib (Apr 22 2007) (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/pikuach_nefesh.html)
In the following situations, Jesus invoked the rabbinic principle of pikuach nefesh; that the obligation to save life supersedes Jewish law.
Matthew 12:11 "Who will be the man among YOU that has one sheep and, if this falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not get hold of it and lift it out? All considered, of how much more worth is a man than a sheep!"
Mark 3:4-5 "Next he said to them: "Is it lawful on the sabbath to do a good deed or to do a bad deed, to save or to kill a soul?" But they kept silent. And after looking around upon them with indignation, being thoroughly grieved at the insensibility of their hearts, he said to the man: "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored." - see also Luke 6:7-10
"Matthew 12:1-4, NW: "At that season Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath. His disciples got hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. At seeing this the Pharisees said to him: 'Look! your disciples are doing what it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.' He said to them: 'Have you not read what David did when he and the men with him got hungry? How he entered into the house of God and they ate the loaves of presentation, food it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only?'" In these verses and in the ones following Jesus was calling attention to acts of mercy on the sabbath day, that it was perfectly legitimate to render a show of mercy to one who is in need even though it was the sabbath, and that there is, in effect, no violation of the sabbath by such course of action. He had no rebuke for David's course." - see also Mark 2:23-26" Watchtower 1952 Sep 15 p.575
Jesus also says, Matthew 12:7 "However, if YOU had understood what this means, 'I want mercy, and not sacrifice,' YOU would not have condemned the guiltless ones."
So if the obligation to save a life supercedes Jewish Laws, to which Jesus agreed, is it safe to say that a blood transfusion would be found acceptable to God?
Another thing to think about is what Jesus said in Matthew 12:31-32. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Mark 3: 28-29 reads, ""Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin "
If the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, would it be right to allow a person to die by strict obedience to a Jewish Law, which could be broken in order to save a life, according to pikuach nefesh ???
In conclusion, I think it would be safe to say that the JWs view of blood is wrong. The correct understanding in Acts 15 was to not stumble the Jews. The compromise was based on the Laws of Moses. Paul stated that the Gentiles were not held to those four commands, unless in the company of one that would be stumbled. Jesus states that life is more important than Jewish Law when he invoked the rabbinic principle of pikuach nefesh. If all of this is not enough to convince you, let's consider one more thing.
1 Cor. 5:11, Paul does not list blood as a reason to quit associating with a brother. In Revelation 21:8 and 1 Corinthians 6 blood is not said to be a reason for not inheriting God's Kingdom. If this was to be a strict Law that was to be held to, why wasn't it mentioned anywhere else?
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