The Hypocrisy of Watchtower Organization

Posted by Brother John Jones on April 26, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

THE WATCHTOWER’S INDEFENSIBLE HYPOCRISY

The end result of the Catholic belief in papal infallibility is the same as the teaching of the Watchtower Organizations Governing Body as it pertains to obedience of their followers.

They both are founded on a belief they have a ‘special’ holy confirmation of some investiture in their positions that makes it incumbent for others not in their position, to accept their teachings to follow their instructions. It is the same teaching found in the Jewish Oral teachings. See: https://brotherjohnsite.org/2021/07/10/tracing-the-origins-of-the-watchtower-societys-view-of-apostasy/

In the end their word is to be obeyed even when it is in conflict with the Bible, the written word of God.

Let’s first examine the Catholic doctrine of the infallibility of their pope.

Papal Infallibility

(Commentaries)

The Catholic Church’s teaching on papal infallibility is one that is generally misunderstood by those outside the Church. In particular, Fundamentalists and other “Bible Christians” often confuse the charism of papal “infallibility” with “impeccability.” They imagine Catholics believe the pope cannot sin. Others, who avoid this elementary blunder, think the pope relies on some sort of amulet or magical incantation when an infallible definition is due.

Given these common misapprehensions regarding the basic tenets of papal infallibility, it is necessary to explain exactly what infallibility is not. Infallibility is not the absence of sin. Nor is it a charism that belongs only to the pope. Indeed, infallibility also belongs to the body of bishops as a whole, when, in doctrinal unity with the pope, they solemnly teach a doctrine as true.

Vatican II’s Explanation

 

Vatican II explained the doctrine of infallibility as follows: “Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they can nevertheless proclaim Christ’s doctrine infallibly. This is so, even when they are dispersed around the world, provided that while maintaining the bond of unity among themselves…..and while teaching authentically on a matter of faith or morals, they concur in a single viewpoint as the one which must be held conclusively. This authority is even more clearly verified when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teachers and judges of faith and morals for the universal Church. Their definitions must then be adhered to with the submission of faith” (Lumen Gentium 25).
(end of commentaries)

______________

In summary, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that the pope is infallible when he speaks from his position of authority on a particular issue or doctrine (speaking ex cathedra). Ex cathedra is a Latin phrase which means “from the chair.” It refers to binding papal teachings which are promulgated by the pope when he officially teaches in his capacity of the universal shepherd of the Church a doctrine on a matter of faith or morals and addresses it to the entire body of Catholic membership.

Many interpret “papal infallibility” as indicating that everything the pope says is infallible. This is not what the Roman Catholic Church means by “papal infallibility.”

While Catholics acknowledge that the pope is a sinner like everyone else, it is inferred that by some spiritual investment, that he and bishops have a moral authority that means their “definitions” or interpretations must be adhered to. If a person does not, he or she is subject to excommunication from the group.

Both the Catholic hierarchy and the Watchtower hierarchy claim they speak for Christ and God.

The Catholic papacy claims a connection to the apostle Peter as his ‘successors whom they believe Jesus gave a singular special role among his apostles based on what he is quoted as saying recorded at Matthew 16:18.

There is no Biblical foundation for this asserted connection, nor that Peter was superior in authority in any way to the other apostles.

Now, let’s examine the Watchtower Organization’s view of it’s Governing Body. 

Where do the Watchtower Society’s leaders claim to get their authority to oversee the interests of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

The answer is found in their interpretation of Matt 24:45, which reads: “Who is a faithful and wise servant (Greek δοῦλος (doulos) servant or male slave), whom his Lord hath made ruler over His household, to give them meat in due season?” (KJV).

This parable can also be found at Luke 12:42-44.

They make a self-declaration that they were appointed this role when as they claim, Christ returned “invisibly” in 1919.

Watchtower 2022 Feb p.4:

“Today Jehovah leads the earthly part of his organization by means of “the faithful and discreet slave.” … We show that we trust in Jehovah’s way of doing things by heeding the direction we receive from the organization and the elders.”

jw.org 10th Nov 2012 :

““The faithful and discreet slave” was appointed over Jesus’ domestics in 1919. That slave is the small, composite group of anointed brothers serving at world headquarters during Christ’s presence who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food. When this group work together as the Governing Body, they act as “the faithful and discreet slave.””

Watchtower Organization leaders interpret this passage as meaning that Jesus predicted God would establish a special “servant” on the earth, having the sole spiritual authority to represent Him.

According to them, this servant would act as the sole interpreter of His word. This servant is called “the faithful and discreet slave” in the Watchtower Society’s New World Translation of the Bible.

Matthew 24:45:

“Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?” (NWT)

They teach that this “faithful and discreet slave” is a designated class among its professed anointed believers that conveys spiritual knowledge only through the publications (and official representatives) of the Watchtower Society. They teach that this began with the first issue of the Watchtower magazine in 1879. There is no Biblical foundation for this assertion.

Nor does the Bible mention or indicate that there was some ‘governing body‘ in the first century Church although they claim the existence of one as the justification for their having formed one in recent times. They point to the convening of a group of elders as mentioned in the Book of Acts chapter 15 for the purpose of establishing doctrine concerning circumcision as justification. 

The Book of Acts actually describes a large gathering comprised of the apostles, older men (elders), Paul and Barnabas, who were travelling missionaries, and others. This large group came together to decide on an important issue affecting the local congregations.

Acts 15:

4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

Since they base this claim on an invisible second coming of Christ, none of this can be proven as fact any more than the Catholic clergy can prove a direct connection to the apostle Peter.

Again, there is no Biblical basis for the establishment of a governing body.

However, their claim of an ‘invisible’ second coming of Christ can be clearly shown to be an unbiblical claim.

Note what is written in the Book of Revelation concerning how Jesus’ second coming would occur.

Revelation 1:7

“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen”.

It says the same in their own Bible translation.

Revelation 1:7

“Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen”. (New World Translation)

This rules out any possibility of an invisible coming of Jesus Christ that would only be witnessed by some small group of faithful believers. This is something that can be proven by reading the Bible book of Revelation.

They also hold to the false belief that the end of the 2,520 year ‘gentile times‘ or ‘appointed times of the nations‘ foretold in the Book of Daniel, would mark the time of Christ second coming. The end of the gentile times was to mark the beginning of what the Bible calls “the last days“.

And, 1914 C.E. was not the date of the end of the appointed times of the nation either. Based on “Jehovah’s Witnesses” own beliefs, their leaders made an easy to see calculation error.

See: https://brotherjohnsite.org/2022/04/03/warning-to-jehovahs-witnesses-understand-what-the-number-1914-really-is/

One God, One Mediator Christ Jesus

Based upon these lies and errors, the Governing Body of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” maintain their control and act as the communicator of God’s will to all “Jehovah’s Witnesses”. They ignore that Christ is God’s mediator between Himself and man.

1 Timothy 3:5:

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

These words were the teaching of the apostle Paul, one of the men mentioned in Acts chapter 15 who assembled with the others in Jerusalem.

The Watchtower made the following statement in the Watchtower February 2017 (Study Edition) concerning the Governing Body at the top running the Watchtower Organization:

“The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible“.

“The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction.” -Watchtower February study addition under “Who Is Leading God’s People Today?” page 26

In addition to stating the Governing Body is not ‘infallible’, it is admitted that its members are NOT ‘inspired‘.

In the Watchtower publication ‘Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!’ the Watchtower designates itself as prophets referring to themselves as the “John” class.

Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand! chap. 12 pp. 58-65

14 In modern times, prophecies such as Isaiah 49:23 and Zechariah 8:23 have had a very significant fulfillment. As a result of the preaching of the John class, huge numbers of people have entered through the opened door into Kingdom service.

John was a prophet. Yet, they are not inspired by their own admission. Were God’s prophets inspired? Yes.

God foretold this through the prophet Joel:

Joel 2:28-29

28 After this I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.

29 I will even pour out My Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days.

Jesus promised his disciples that shortly after his ascension to Heaven, God would send the Holy Spirit to guide them and empower them.

John 14:15-17:

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.

16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.

17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you.

Days later, the apostle Peter quoted Joel’s words when disciples gathered at Pentecost received that blessing.

Acts 2:1-4,16-18:

1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.

2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying.

3 And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech.

16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

18 I will even pour out My Spirit on My male and female slaves in those days, and they will prophesy.

The ability to prophecy as spokesperson comes from the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit according to the Bible.

They at one in the same time claim that Christ has made a special appointment of them, but that Jesus nor the Holy Spirit is inspiring them to follow his direction.  What proof do they have of any anointment of Holy Spirit?

What this means that the doctrines “Jehovah’s Witnesses” adhere to can be false/wrong since they are nothing more than the guess work of imperfect man.  

This is tremendous admission for the Watchtower leaders to make. In this article they further cite the Watchtower Publications Index that list over 100 doctrines that have needed correction since 1870.

The fact that over 100 of their doctrinal teachings have had to be modified or dropped all together, is proof that many are false and wrong.

The Bible warns us:

Psalm 146:3

“Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help”.

Isaiah 2:22

“Stop trusting in man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he”?

Yet that is what Watchtower leaders and teachers tell its member to do and they oblige.

While condemning the Assumption Dogma of Catholicism as a “fallible falsehood” appeared in the Watchtower, January 15, 1951, they have adopted policies that yield the same result. In this article is they themselves make the statement, “Not man’s word, but only God’s Word, the Bible, is infallible!—John 17:17”.

But they haven’t practiced what they preach have they?

Don’t let people not obeying God, tell you how to live

Their actions in recent decades show that rather than fulfill Jesus’ words found at Matthew 24:45-47, they have fulfilled verses 48-51.

Matthew 24:48-51

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When their errant prognostications concerning Jesus’ second coming did not materialize when expected, they began to treat their fellow professed anointed brothers harshly and began a heavy-handed rulership over them. Not only them, but the entire membership of “Jehovah’s Witnesses”.

In their minds, instead of thinking their beliefs and expectations were the problem, they felt, “ My lord delayeth his coming”. After all, they expected the End to occur shortly after the year 1914 C.E. They expected to have inherited the Kingdom somewhere around 1975 C.E. Neither came true. Ever since gradually they have become more and more authoritarian in their treatment of other members of their group.

In January 1947, they were highly critical of the Catholic hierarchy for excommunicating followers for the same reasons they supported disfellowshipping their members in 1952. In other publications they have been critical of other religions who put men on a pedestal of absolute authority.

Using a lie, they laid a foundation upon which to claim an authority much like that of the papacy.

Note this statement found in the Watchtower 2001 Aug 1 p.14

“[A mature christian] does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and “the faithful and discreet slave.”

This is a quite different view than expressed in the January 8, 1947 ‘Awake’ magazine. Of course, that was about someone else.

Lastly, it is of importance that throughout most of the Watchtower Society’s history, the faithful and discreet slave included all professed “anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses”. But during the 2012 Annual Meeting the Governing Body greatly increased their authority by announcing that only they were to be considered to represent the faithful and discreet slave.

They changed their stance because this was their only recourse to maintain control.

They have been hypocrites throughout their entire history.

Hypocrisy-Claiming to have moral standards to which one’s actions do not conform

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Is Your Lamp Empty or Full?

Posted by Brother John Jones on April 24, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Is Your Lamp Empty or Full?

Is Your Lamp Empty or Full?

What Is It Full Of?

Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13:

1 ‘I will tell you again what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. There were ten young women who were going to a marriage. They took their lamps with them and they went to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of these young women were silly. They were not careful about what they were doing. Five of these young women understood well. They were careful about what they were doing.

3 The silly young women took their lamps with them, but they did not take any extra oil with them.

4 The other five young women took jars of oil with them. These young women were careful about what they were doing.

5 The bridegroom did not come for a long time. So all the young women became tired, and they went to sleep.

6 In the middle of the night, someone shouted out, “The bridegroom is coming. Come out to meet him.”

7 The ten young women woke up. Then they got up and they looked at their lamps. They tried to make their lamps work well.

8 The five young women who had not brought extra oil said to the other five young women, “Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are not burning well.”

9 The careful young women who had extra oil replied, “If we did that, then there would not be enough oil for all of us. You must go instead to the people who sell oil. You must buy some oil for your lamps.”

10 ‘So these five women went to buy some oil. While they were away, the bridegroom arrived. He would soon marry. The five women who understood well were ready. They went with him into the house. Here the servants had prepared the meal for the marriage. Then the servants shut the door.

11 Later, the five silly women also came to the house. They said, “Sir, Sir, please open the door for us.”

12 But he replied, “What I say is true. I do not know you.” ’

13 Then Jesus said, ‘So you must watch well. You do not know on what day or at what time I will come.’

Those who have read the Bible, professed belief, but then have not accepted the Word as written are like the 5 foolish virgins. They chose not to stick to the pure lamp oil contained in God’s word and didn’t fill their spiritual lamps with it.

Contrarily, they chose to reject this pure “oil” in preference for oil that could not keep their lamps burning during the final hours of this system of things before the Lord’s arrival.

Indeed at the start, they possessed at little oil. Like most who profess love for God and Christ, they began full of conviction and determination to follow and do God’s will according to His word. They read the Bible and believed.

Take note that all ten received the same invitation to the marriage feast. They all started with the same prospect in front of them. They all received a portion of the holy spirit.

But some where, at some time, that faith and conviction waned. They bought less and less of the refined oil and began to fill their spiritual reservoirs with something else. Something that didn’t originate with God that was of human origin.

They did the very thing the apostle Paul foretold of and warned against:

Romans 1:25

“They refused to believe the true things about God. Instead, they chose to believe something that is not true. They worshiped things that God has made. They became servants of those things. But they refused to worship God, who made all things. He is the God that everyone ought to worship. Everyone should say how very great he is always! This is true”.

Instead of relying on and referring to the Word of God, they began to worship and obey the words of men as if they were gods. When those men they worshiped words did not agree with the pure lamp oil God’s word provided, they rejected the Bible and their oil reservoirs became more and more depleted.

Instead of acknowledging their error, they doubled-down and have continued to preach and teach unbiblical doctrines despite the fact that they have been proven false.

And now that the hour we live in has become apparent to almost all sensible people, these foolish virgins are madly scrambling to set matters right before the Lord’s arrival in all the wrong ways.
They look for shortcuts to get right with God and his Christ. There are none.

First, there has to be acknowledgment of guilt. Pridefully they refuse to do so. That pride will bear the ultimate cost in the end.

Zephaniah 3:11:

11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

After acknowledgment of their wrong course, then there is the need to repent and turn back. A person isn’t doing that if they sweep error under the rug so to speak, by just not further believing and teaching unbiblical teachings. What about all those they have already stumbled? They owe it to them to set matters straight.

Neither can such foolish virgins simply asked the prudent virgins to give them some of their lamp oil or in some other way perhaps ‘attach’ themselves to those who have filled themselves with the pure knowledge they possess gained by putting total faith in the Bible, God’s written Word.

These “foolish virgins” would need to first empty their spiritual reservoirs of the tainted lamp oil they possess (they need to repent), ask for forgiveness from God, and then return to Source of truth so as to buy pure oil for their lamps.

But as Jesus parable ends, there is no time left because the distance and effort is so great and He is so near.

Is your lamp full of the pure lamp oil only God’s word can provide?


‘So you must watch well. You do not know on what day or at what time I will come.’

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Warning to Jehovah’s Witnesses: Understand What The Number ‘1914’ Really Is

Posted by Brother John Jones on April 3, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Understanding the number ‘1914’

IMPORTANT TO PRESENT AND FORMER JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES!

The first part of this post is concerning a math error in the calculation of what common era date corresponded to the end of the 2,520-year gentile times (the appointed time of the nations.

The second part is concerning when the gentile times began. Is 607 B.C.E. or is 587 B.C.E. the valid start date?

PART 1

Why ‘1914’ Doesn’t Equal 1914 C.E./ Different Units of Measure

This is important information is concerning a significant number and a date in the minds of all who have been taught as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

This brief article will not dispute the method used in determining the start date nor the time length of the prophetic period. For this discussion the period began 606/607 B C.E. when King Nebuchadnezzar took sovereignty away from Judah and was to last 7 times or 7×360 which equaled 2,520 years.

Neither is about varying arguments about interpreting the prophecy concerning the ‘gentile times’ prophesied in the Book of Daniel.

In correlation with other Scripture the end of this period would mark the end of the absence of Divine rulership and non-intervention and it would mark the beginning of what Scripture referred to as “the last days”.

During these last days, the One with the right to rule (Lord Jesus Christ) would appear and re-establish the presence of Divine rulership near the end of the last days.

It does NOT agree with the common assumption of when this prophetic period expired that is, 1914 A.D /C.E. The error can be easy proven and seen. It is a math error.

IF YOU BELIEVE as Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the significance of the number ‘1914’ in knowing when the Gentile Times (appointed times of the nations) came to its end, then please take note and consider:

Different Units Of Measurement Involved

Yard to meters….gallons to liters….etc. When going from one standard of measure to another, naturally some mathematical conversion is necessary. That is always important to keep in mind when solving math problems.

How The Number 1914 Is Derived

The number “1914″ is a number derived from subtracting 606/607 from the number 2,520. That number is: 1914 lunar calendar years that were remaining till expiration when the Common Era calendar came into use. That number is defined therefore as: 1914 LUNAR-years counting down.

The total of 2,520 years is based on 7 times a 360 day year.

The Biblical Year Length

According to the calendar used in the Bible, the remaining 1914 years is equal to 1914 times 360 days; which totals 689,040 days.

Now let’s examine in terms of the common era year length.

Our current Common Era calendar is based on a 365 day year. 1914 of these years is therefore equal to 1914 times 365 days; which totals 698,610 days.

You can easily see the two are not equals of one another. They do not equal and therefore could not possibly be the same. The calendar systems use different units of measure much the same as the standard and metric systems do. They are not interchangeable.

There is a difference of 9,570 days between the two calendar systems. In common era years that equals 26.21 years.

Because of this difference, there is a 26.21 common era year deviation from the original “1914″ we started with.

1914 C.E. is therefore more than 26 common era years off from the actual end date of the gentile times.

The answer to when they ended can be correctly calculated following the standard laws of mathematics.

Since “1914″ in this math problem is a number in a sequence of numbers counting down, mathematically it is a negative number (-1914). And since it is used to determine the difference between the two calendar systems, the result is also a negative (-26.21 C.E.).

-26.21 C.E. is the conversion factor needed to solve for the correct common era end date.

This all reduces to a simple addition of the two numbers.

-1914.00

– 26.21 C.E.

_____________

1940.21 C.E.

The mathematics involved in solving this problem is not as simple and straightforward as a person may intuitively think.

The plot you see is based on the equation written below it, which is the problem in math form.

This equation is the mathematical representation of the question:

What C.E. date corresponds to the end of the Gentile Times when calculated from the starting point of the common era calendar.

In conclusion, the date 1914 C.E. is a false positive of the real value of 1914 and the end of the gentile times.

This mistaken identification has altered several generations idea of when the gentile times ended. It has in the process also altered their perception of where he actually stands in the stream of time and prophesied events by over 26 years.

PART 2

What Event Marked the Beginning Of the “Appointed Times of The Nations”?

Is 607 B.C.E. Worthy to Be Considered as A Valid Date or Not?

For your consideration:

There are several factors that must be scrutinized before one can develop an accurately informed opinion as to whether the date 607 B.C.E. is a “valid” date or not.

The use of the word ‘valid’ is extremely critical of course, because it must first be understood:

Valid of or for what exactly?

What purportedly is supposed to have occurred at that time?

The answer is contained in the Holy Scriptures.

The period of the “gentile times” or the “appointed times of the nations” is an issue of sovereignty, kingship, and dominion.

Note Ezekiel 21:

25 “And you, O profane and wicked one, prince of Israel, he whose day has come, it he time of your final punishment,

26 thus says the Lord God: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are. Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted.

27 A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. This also shall not be, until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.” (ESV)

“Remove the turban and remove the crown” is the Scriptural demarcation for the start of this period of gentile domination.

This has nothing to do with the physical destruction of the city of Jerusalem. The city and Temple both were reconstructed shortly after the exile.

What did not return was the nation’s sovereignty. From the fall of the last king in the Davidic line until the destruction in 70 C.E. by the Romans, Israel existed as a vassal state to a greater national power.(gentile power)

Logically if it were linked to Jerusalem’s actual destruction which was around 587 B.C.E. the numbers wouldn’t reconcile with the Bible or archaeological proof.

In 2 Chronicles 36:17-23, Almighty God himself through His prophet, stated that the captivity that would mark the beginning of the gentile time period was to last 70 years.

The subjection of the king of Judah to the Babylonian king marked the withdrawal of God’s sanction of the kingship.

2 Chronicles 36:17-23

17 “He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.

18 He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials.

19 They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.

20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.

22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

23 ‘This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’”

587 B.C.E., minus the 70 years of captivity period, would produce 517 B.C.E. as the year the release would have to had to occur. But we know for a fact that the captivity ended when King Cyrus conquered Babylon between 539 B.C.E. and 536 B.C.E. This would mean the captivity was only some 50 years long and not the 70 God had pronounced. This event (the destruction of Jerusalem) marked the beginning of the 70 years of desolation prophesied.

The 70 year period of desolation came to an end after the Temple had been rebuilt. It was then that God’s curse was lifted and the land was restored.

The Jews returning from exile and captivity in Babylon in 537 B.C.E., faced many obstacles in rebuilding the temple. The non-Jewish people now living in the land resisted their efforts, and the returned exiles often lacked the motivation to work. The temple took 20 years to complete. This would have been about 517 B.C.E., 70 years after the desolation began.

Therefore, it is impossible for the destruction of the city of Jerusalem to be the starting point of uninterrupted gentile domination of the Earth.

The gentile times was to be a period during which there would be an absence of a Divinely sanctioned representative of Sovereignty ruling in kingdom of man.

There are indicators that mark when this time period began.

King Josiah was the last faithful king who sat on the throne of his forefather David.

He died about 609 B.C.E. and was succeeded by his son Jehoiakim who reigned between 609 and 598 B.C.E. Jehoiakim was an unfaithful despot who was overthrown.

The overthrowing of the anointed King of Judah has to be a marking point because “the turban was lifted and the crown removed” from Jehoiakim because of his rebellion against God. This event marked the beginning of the 70 years of captivity prophesied.

2 Kings chapter 24:1-6 chronicles these events. Jehoiakim is there described as a “vassal” to the gentile King Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel reports that in third year of Jehoiakim’s reign, Jerusalem came under siege by King Nebuchadnezzar (606/607 B.C.E.)

Daniel 1:1

1 “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it.” (HCSB)

His son Jehoiachin was also wicked. He reigned a brief 3 months and was led off into captivity in shackles to Babylon by the king of the gentiles; well before Jerusalem was destroyed.

Regarding his successor Zedekiah, there is a notable sign about his appointment too. Another apparent mark that Israel having been yielded over to continuing gentile domination was the installation of Zedekiah by a gentile King, Nebuchadnezzar.

Wiliam F. Albright dates the start of Zedekiah’s reign to 606 BCE, while E. R. Thiele gives the start in 597 BCE.[1] On that reckoning, Zedekiah was born in c. 627 BCE or 618 BCE, being twenty-one on becoming king. Zedekiah’s reign ended with the siege and fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar II, which both Albright and Thiele agree took place in 586 BCE, though more recent evidence dates the fall of Jerusalem to 587 BCE.

Any of these time frames, place the effects of gentile domination closer to the death of the last faithful King Josiah and the overthrow and the carrying off into captivity of the last wicked of king to rule officially, Jehoiachin (also referred to as Jeconiah). This was the period from 609 to 598 B.C.E.

Again, this is a prophecy about sovereignty and sovereignty has to do with kingship and dominion.

Any date suggested should be marked with signs that indicate a change from Divinely consecrated rulership to uninterrupted rulership by gentile nations.

Truthfully, I do not follow how C.T. Russell and the International Bible Students Association/Watchtower Society arrived at the date 607 B.C.E. as a legitimate starting point of the gentile times, but the date itself is consistent with the relevant factors marking their start.

What isn’t accurate is the teaching that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E. and that the beginning of the appointed times of the nations was linked to that event. Nebuchadnezzar only besieged the city at that time. The city was destroyed in or about 587 B.C.E.

Mixing apples and oranges

This is an example of mixing ‘apples’ and ‘oranges’ so to speak and creating predictable confusion.

Most people reject the date 607 B.C.E. simply because of the false connection to the destruction of Jerusalem. They hear nothing beyond that error.

Oral traditions and not the Holy Scriptures set Jerusalem’s destruction and the desolation as the beginning point of the gentile times. The city’s destruction was an after effect of a judgment that had already been ongoing for more than twenty years.

Absent of that, 607 B.C.E. is a year well within reason, viable on its own merit. And, 537 B.CE. + 70 years if captivity equals 607 B.C.E. which fits the known secular historical record.

Whereas if one claims that the fall of the city of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. was the starting point; that will not reconcile with the date Cyrus freed the captives nor did it mark the beginning of gentiles exercising continuing sovereignty over Israel.

The devil knows that all he need do is slightly distort a reality to succeed in misleading. This is a mixture of truth and falsehood that must be separated; which means it cannot be accepted in whole as valid, but neither should the interpretation in its entirety be rejected.

C.T. Russell was a mixed seed of good and evil personified. He drank from two different spiritual cups and became a brook babbling both sweet and bitter water. He in turn, produced an organization and a message of like kind. With him as with others, one must separate the truth he spoke from his misinterpretations and his outright lies.

This operation of error also involves the projected date 1914 C.E.

1914 lunar years (360 days per year) counting down, cannot equal 1914 common era years (365 days per year). There is a 9,570 day difference between the two calendar systems.

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What Did Jesus Say About Hell?

Posted by Brother John Jones on March 29, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The standard definition of “disciple” (noun) is someone who adheres to the teachings of another. The disciple places their faith and belief in that teacher.

A true disciples of Jesus Christ will put their faith and trust on him.

What Did Jesus Say About Hell?

Many professed Christian groups teach that ‘Hell’ and ‘the grave’ are synonymous terms, that they mean the same thing, and are therefore interchangeable terms.

I know this to be true because I was taught this, believed it, and preach it to the public as one of “Jehovah’s Witness” for the majority of my life.

I began preaching this from door to door at age eight in 1959. I shared this belief, parroting in ignorance of the real truth. At that time I was putting trust in “earthling man”, that is to say in another human being’s reasoning on the matter. After Christ cleansed my mind of their false teachings, I accepted what Jesus taught about Hell.

Here are the standard remarks non-believers will make about ‘hell’:

Quote: ”Hell is the Grave ( the condition in which life ceases Eccl. 9:10 until such Time as The Resurrection of The Just and Unjust begins Acts 24:15. In KJV Old Testament the Hebrew word “ Sheol “ translated 31 Times Hell, 31 Times Grave, 3 Times Pit.”

“Jehovah’s Witnesses” like other religious groups make a habit of mixing things that shouldn’t be mixed because they are things that have nothing in common with one another.

When the Scriptures speaks of “Gehenna”, “Lake of fire”, “Hell”, it is not referring to the common grave or state of the dead who have died the death due to original sin. ‘Hell’ is not the wages of sin as it is in the Ademic death that we as humans suffer. ‘Hell’ is the wages for being wicked.

When most people use the term ‘hell’ they are not referring to common grave nor the state of the human dead from inherited sin.

It is IMPOSSIBLE for that to be the case because Jesus himself stated ‘who’ hell was created for and it wasn’t created for humans beings although many will end up there. He refers to this state of existence as “the eternal fire”:

Matthew 25:41

“Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!” HCSB

Note that Jesus said that this state of existence was created for “the devil and his angels”; not a human being. This should make it clear that ‘hell’ cannot be mankind’s resting place after his physical death. The Bible tells us about the human association with Hell when it tells us that wicked people will inherit the devil’s inheritance.

Revelation 21:8:

But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the immoral, those who practice magic, those who worship idols, and all liars—the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” GNT

“Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!” Matt 25:41

 

Examine the Lord’s words recorded at Matthew 25:41 in context:

Matthew 25:31-41

31 “When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his royal throne,

32 and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 He will put the righteous people at his right and the others at his left.

34 Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world.

35 I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes,

36 naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.’

37 The righteous will then answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?

38 When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you?

39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’

40 The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Away from me, you that are under God’s curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels!

I know and believe in the existence of Hell because Jesus said it does and I am his disciple.

Do you believe what Jesus says or do you find it necessary to modify his words to fit what you prefer to believe? A true disciple of Jesus believes Hell exist because Christ our Lord said it exist. A true disciple of Jesus will not allow themselves to be swayed by contrary teachings by men.

A fundamental problem with belief in Hell and everlasting torment is the belief that we are not creatures born of God’s spirit that is poured into fleshly bodies (neshamah).

Job 32:8 makes this statement:

8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

“Jehovah’s Witnesses” will point out these statements found in the Book of Ecclesiastes in Chapter 9:5 and 9:10 as proof that nothing of you survives physical death:

5 Yes, the living know they are going to die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward; they are completely forgotten.

10 Work hard at whatever you do, because there will be no action, no thought, no knowledge, no wisdom in the world of the dead—and that is where you are going.

But does being unconscious or being incapable of “work” mean non-existence? No, it doesn’t. It infers a static state of existence in which there is no consciousness.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 states that upon death this spirit returns to God:

7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Some professed Christian groups believe and teach that God’s “spirit” that is in us is basically some ‘start up energy’ or literal air breathed into us by God at the time of birth and at that then we become a “living soul”. They do not believe and teach that God’s spirit in us is something that is living; that it is alive. They may refer to it as “God’s active force”.

But their other teachings certainly infer that ‘something’ survives death that can be asleep and awaken. However, they still deny man is a ‘spirit’ in a body of flesh. If we are nothing but flesh with an ‘unliving’ active force breathed into us, then what is left that could possibly be sleeping then in death?

How do they make sense then of these words also uttered by Jesus?

“Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

If nothing of us survives death of the body, how could his words above have any real meaning? What could possibly be a fate worse than death to an already unconscious spirit?

With this belief would have the resurrection Jesus spoke of, recorded in John 5:28-29 purpose to wake the unrighteous dead simple to inform them they won’t be being resurrected to life and to say to them “Now go back to sleep”? What purpose would that serve? And again raises the question “What can hear his voice?”.

John 5:28-29:

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” New King James Version

The Second Death is not Ademic death repeated. The Ademic death is the penalty for sin. The Second Death is the penalty for wickedness.

If nothing survives death, what is there that can be resurrected?

That Ademic death all humans will experience is not the ceasing of our existence entirely is clear in Jesus’ words that state that upon his arrival he summon all the dead from the tomb.

If nothing exist after death, what can be summoned?

Consider as well, what occurs when Christ opens the fifth seal of the scroll as written in the Book of Revelation Chapter 6:9-11:

9 Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God’s word and had been faithful in their witnessing.

10 They shouted in a loud voice, “Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until you judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us?”

11 Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the complete number of other servants and believers were killed, as they had been.

If nothing exist after physical death, none of this is even possible because there is nothing to “rest a little while longer”.

What “Jehovah’s Witness” and other modern religious groups believe and teach about the ‘spirit’ in a human cuts off any further consideration that eternal torment in Hell is even possible.

And these professed Christian groups can offer no rational explanation of Jesus’ parable of Lazarus and the wicked rich man who tormented him. Here in Jesus parable there is a conversation between a person in Heaven and a person in Hell.

What Jesus said is impossible within their belief. They either claim he didn’t mean what he said or they avoid discussion of this passage of Scripture all together. It just doesn’t fit in to what they want to believe. In doing so, they infer that Jesus was deceiving by using a false scare tactic.

They prove themselves disciples not of Jesus Christ, but of other men.

Remember that Jesus the Instructor stated, “You cannot serve two masters”. That includes being a disciple of two teachers.

Matthew 6:24

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;” (King James Version)

Do you recall what happened in the Garden of Eden between the devil and the woman Eve?

There the devil posed a question to Eve that opened the door to Eve’s thinking independent from the express words of God. She put belief in someone else other than God.

After God had unambiguously stated the penalty for disobedience to His command, the devil questioned whether it was so. It was a question that should have never been asked and should never had been considered. The devil was successfully in making her doubt the word of God as given to her by her husband.

Why, Eve was even able to recite the commandment back to Satan when he asked his question.

But still, he was able to sow doubt in her mind as to whether God would really carry out what He said He would do, or if God even meant what He had said.

He asked Eve, ”Is it really so…?”

This has also been true in believing what Christ has told us about Hell. Even though he said Hell is real and exist, even though he states that it was created for Satan and his demons, even though he said those there will be tormented forever (Revelation 14:11), even though he offers a parable of a man in Heaven and a man in Hell having a meeting after they both had died; there are those who still deny the existence of Hell (the second death). They are doing same thing that Satan did to Eve by casting doubt and confusion on something clearly stated by Christ Jesus.

Many have rationalized in their own minds that God would not condemn to such a harsh judgment. They say, ” A loving God wouldn’t do such a thing.”

These people ought to feel the same concerning the death sentence Adam and Eve incurred as the result of eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.

And, they forget that our loving God caused a flood that destroyed and killed an entire world because of disobedience.

They do not hearken to the apostle Peter’s warning found in 2 Peter chapter 3:

5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Many are willingly ignorant today because they do not want to contemplate the ramifications of the existence of Hell. But that willful ignorance won’t change reality.

The Book of Revelation tells us that the wicked are to receive the fullness of God’s wrath:

Revelation chapter 14

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Hell is the full measure of God’s wrath.

We as humans have no knowledge of the rules and penalties that govern those who exist in Heaven. Hell is the sentence of an angelic creature, but which his earthly seed will also share in.

We cannot extrapolate our idea of the possibility of things from our limited human perspective. We can only choose to believe or disbelieve.

As a point of reason, if person can allow themselves to believe that after a human dies, that a person can be raised to Heaven and partake in life there, then they should also be able to believe that a wicked person after death can be lifted out of this creation and transported to Satan’s final destiny. If one is possible, the other is possible.

We know that Hell is not part of this creation because this creation had been fully created before the devil fell and original sin took place. Hell is somewhere else that God carved out in His firmament. Again, Jesus is quoted as saying Hell was created as punishment for the devil and his angels.

Two of Satan’s most successful lies are that he and Hell don’t exist.

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Guilt, Repentance, and Unforgiveness

Posted by Brother John Jones on March 15, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment
Unforgiveness can be a means of control

Feelings of guilt, like feelings of pain, are a gift we are endowed with from God. Both guilt and pain are warning systems alerting us that we are in danger.

When these gifts are not present in us, it poses a real crisis. For example, a person with a medical disorder in which he can feel no pain, called congenital analgesia, lives in constant danger. Likewise, a person who never experiences the feeling of guilt may very well be a sociopath. A sociopath is defined as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience. The sociopath typically can form relationships with others but ignores societal norms, possesses little to no conscience, lacks empathy for others, and is a completely self-serving individual.

Both of these are horrifying conditions, which often result in harm to self and others, but we do not need a diagnosis to misuse or abuse what God has intended for good.

It is also important to be aware that feelings of guilt and pain can be easily corrupted. When someone needlessly physically mutilates him or herself, they are misusing God’s gift and are dishonoring God. Likewise, harboring false guilt for things that are beyond our control or because of our personal limitations in certain areas of our lives is a wicked form of spiritual self-mutilation.

Don’t Confuse Unwarranted Guilt Feelings with Humility

False guilt is not humility. It is the result of an unhealthy self-preoccupation that is often rooted in our expectations about what we think we should be able to do and accomplish. The problem is that we do not often distinguish between what we truly should feel guilty about and a false sense guilt that is unwarranted. We may perceive this unwarranted guilty feeling as humility. This may stem from a need for validation from other person or a group of people.

We are all guilty because we have all sinned against God.

Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, this statement is made concerning the human condition:

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”.

Our subjective feelings of guilt, when they accurately reflect what the Scripture names sin, are a path to confession, repentance and a renewed experience of cleanness by the grace and mercy of God.

That path is defined for us in the Book of Hebrews, chapter 4, verses 14-16:

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

But what if others refuse to forgive even after the steps mentioned above have been taken? What if there has been confession and repentance and yet forgiveness is withheld? How should you feel about yourself?

Often our continued subjective feelings of guilt after repentance are rooted in a need of acceptance and validation from others. This will often cause a person to keep seeking that acceptance in unhealthy ways. And this needy condition is often used to control a person.

In a bid to win acceptance, to get back into good grace with an offended party, one may subject themselves to an endless course of jumping through emotional hoops as a manner of speaking. This is an effective control mechanism. The end goal is always withheld and the objective is never achieved. Only the perpetrator benefits. What should you do in response?

Forgiveness is often defined as a deliberate decision to let go of feelings of anger, resentment, and retribution toward someone who you believe has wronged you. However, while you may be quite generous in your ability to forgive others, you may be much harder on yourself.

Forgiveness means that you accept the behavior, you accept what has happened, and you are willing to move past it and move on with your life without ruminating over past events that cannot be changed.

Self-forgiveness is not about letting yourself off the hook nor is it a sign of weakness. The act of forgiveness, whether you are forgiving yourself or someone who has wronged you, does not suggest that you are condoning the behavior.

Everyone makes mistakes, but learning how to learn from these errors, let go, move on, and forgive yourself is important for mental health and well-being. Learn more about why self-forgiveness can be beneficial and explore some steps that may help you become better at forgiving your own mistakes.

If we have made confession and repented and if we have a renewed experience of cleanness before God, we sin when we allow other to continue to make us feel guilty by their continuing to harbor resentment. You have done all you can humanly do about the matter as you cannot go back and change the past.

Falling Prey to Satan’s Tactics

When we harbor guilt for sins we’ve repented from we become a malicious witness, not against our brother(Deut. 19:15-20), but against ourselves.

Satan’s name means adversary and accuser. He is the accuser of the brothers, and he will answer to Christ for his malicious accusations (Rev. 12:10). When we accuse ourselves and bear false guilt, we are unwittingly copying the devil. False guilt is one of the primary weapons of Satan’s parasitic rival kingdom.

Genuine feelings of guilt that lead to conviction, confession and repentance do not leave the believer in self-oriented groveling but rather declaring, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

As a result of taking responsibility, you may experience a range of negative feelings, including guilt and shame. When you’ve done something wrong, it’s completely normal, even healthy, to feel guilty about it. These feelings of guilt and remorse can serve as a springboard to positive behavior change. But once those positive changes have been made, it’s okay to let go of the guilt.

Be On Guard

While guilt implies that you’re a good person who did something bad, continued shaming by someone who is unforgiving makes you see yourself as a bad person. This can bring up feelings of worthlessness which, left unresolved, can lead to addiction, depression, and aggression. Understand that making mistakes that you feel guilty about does not make you a bad person or undermine your intrinsic value. You are a person who did something bad that you regret.

Unforgiveness

Everyone has at some time or another been hurt by the actions or words of another. These wounds can leave you with lasting feelings of anger and bitterness — even vengeance.

But if you don’t practice forgiveness, you might be the one who pays most dearly. By embracing forgiveness, you can also embrace peace, hope, gratitude and joy. Consider how forgiveness can lead you down the path of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Consider as well that unforgiveness can lead you down a path of physical, emotional, and spiritual dysfunction, psychological trauma, and much worse.

Forgiveness means different things to different people. Generally, however, it involves a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge.

The act that hurt or offended you might always be with you, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help free you from the control of the person who harmed you. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.

Being hurt by someone, particularly someone you love and trust, can cause anger, sadness and confusion. If you dwell on hurtful events or situations, grudges filled with resentment, vengeance and hostility can take root. If you allow negative feelings to crowd out positive feelings, you might find yourself swallowed up by your own bitterness or sense of injustice.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting or excusing the harm done to you or making up with the person who caused the harm. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life. And the extending of forgiveness where warranted is pleasing to God.

Refusing to forgive can be is a very specific sort of psychological manipulation, and is a fact of life. We may indulge in withholding behavior ourselves, or we may be on the receiving end. This kind of withholding can make a person feel powerful.

Psychological manipulation also known as emotional manipulation is defined as a form of coercion or persuasion. It can involve brainwashing or bullying, and is usually deceptive or abusive in nature. It may present itself as a pretense of forgiving someone, only to ‘withdraw’ the forgiveness… a pulling in only to later push away. This kind of manipulation is employed as an attempt to control the behavior of others and emotionally jerk them around to punish them. If this is what you are experiencing, what do you need to do?

Satan’s tactics have not changed. He longs for us to be gripped by the constant ache of a continued sense of guilt. This so even though proper contrition has been shown. This kind of guilting is a self-feeding beast. It produces hypersensitivity and creates a paralyzing self-loathing. It also speaks to the character of the unforgiving person.

Those who hold on to grudges due to past sins against them, should learn a lesson from the account recorded at John 8:1-11:

John 8:1-11

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst

4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.

5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.

9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

The Lord told them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

We have all sinned against another in some fashion in our lives. But we always seem to tend to rank our own sins as less egregious than those of others. The scribes and the Pharisees who hauled the women mentioned at John 8 before Jesus had lost sight of their own debt of sin. Perhaps they too thought that their sin didn’t merit as much condemnation. Obviously by Jesus’ reply to them, they had not even confessed their own sin at the Temple in order to be forgiven. But in the end, they all had to walk away because not a single one of them was worthy to be in judgment of someone else. The Lord know even the secret sins of all. And certainly God does as well. It is God’s judgment that is most important.

To those who fear God, the Scriptures offer clear warnings regarding any who withhold forgiveness in harsh judgment of others.

Matthew 7:2

“For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you”.

If we condemn another person and leave no room for forgiveness of sin, we can expect to be treated similarly in the final Judgment by Christ. This would be especially true regarding individuals who themselves, have made no attempt to repent from a life of sinning against God’s commandments. All of that person’s sins both great and small, will be held against them and they will be held accountable because they judged harshly.

The Bible writer James wrote this concerning the extending of Divine mercy:

James 2:13
(Translation For Translators)

“Speak and act like that, because when God judges us, he will not act mercifully toward those who do not act mercifully toward others. But when we are merciful to others, we can rejoice, because our being merciful shows that we are acting like people whom God has mercifully saved from being judged (OR, we can rejoice because God will judge us mercifully)”.

God will not show mercy to someone incapable of being merciful. Unforgiveness will lead to the second death for the one who can’t forgive a repentant sinner.

Remember this, we are all guilty because we have all sinned against God.

Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

The woman mentioned at John 8 sins were being used as a ploy to trap Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees intention in their condemnation of her wasn’t pure. They withheld their forgiveness and wanted her stoned for ulterior motives.

Feelings of guilt, like feelings of pain, are a gift we are endowed with from God. Both guilt and pain are warning systems alerting us that we are in danger. But it is also important to be aware that feelings of guilt and pain can be easily corrupted. If we have sinned, made confession, repented, and have made an honest effort to make amends to a party that we have grieved, we sin when we allow other to continue to make us feel guilty by their continuing to harbor resentment. You have done all you can humanly do about the matter as you cannot go back and change the past. But you can allow others to force you into living in it. While guilt implies that you have done something wrong, continued shaming by someone who is unforgiving makes you see yourself as a bad person. Once you have made the necessary positive changes, it is correct in God’s eyes to let go of the guilt.

References

[[https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/the-accuser-in-the-mirror-the-danger-of-false-guilt]]

[[https://www.bing.com/search?q=forgiving%20yourself%20when%20others%20refuse%20to&qs=n&form=QBRE&=%25eManage%20Your%20Search%20History%25E&sp=-1&ghc=1&pq=forgiving%20yourself%20when%20others%20refuse%20to&sc=1-40&sk=&cvid=0E8D57D85990461DBBC59B832B52E798&ntref=1]]

[[https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-forgive-yourself-4583819]]

[[https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/forgiveness/art-20047692]]

[[https://dailyplateofcrazy.com/2014/10/20/psychological-manipulation-withholding/]]

If you have truly repented, it’s okay to let to guilt go.

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Idolatry In The 21st Century

Posted by Brother John Jones on March 7, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment


“Now then, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, oboes, lyres, zithers, harps, and all the other instruments, bow down and worship the statue. If you do not, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Do you think there is any god who can save you?” Daniel 3:15

The graphic above depicts the huge statue of King Nebuchadnezzar had erected on the Plain of Dura. He erected this very visible 90-foot-tall image of himself so that the residents of Babylon would worship him.

King Nebuchadnezzar was both egotistically proud and vain. He ordered that on the day of its dedication, everybody had to kneel down the statue and worship it. The penalty fo failing to do so was death in a firey furnace.

The account of these events is recorded in the Bible in the Book of Daniel Chapter 3:

Daniel 3:1-7

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, 90 feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

2 King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4 A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded:

5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

6 But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”

7 Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (HCSB)

Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t simply attempting to be a role model for his people. It was his desire to be worshiped as a human god. One must be able to appreciate the difference between looking up to a role model and elevating a person, the nation they live in, or a group to the point of worship.

It is important for us to have good people to look up to, but our attitude towards them is also important. Do we treat them like fellow human beings with valuable wisdom to learn from, and who make mistakes? Or do we see them as faultless, hold them to incredibly high standards, and worship them?

Babylon was a land in which life was overshadowed by a vast idolatry. What about idolatry today in the 21st century?

People make role models out of their parents, teachers, sports figures, actors, politicians, religious leaders, and scientist, and even human ideologies. But when they are treated as faultless super-humans and when they are raised up and put on pedestals, we are idolizing them beyond being a simple role models.

This is not a good or healthy thing to do, since all human beings are imperfect having flaws and all sin. They are no god and to liken them to God is an act of blasphemy against the true God.

If a person continues to trust them and believe they never sin, they can be drawn into their sin and not even realize it because they trust they can do no wrong.

Let’s examine three main sources of idolatry today: Celebrities, Nationalism, and Religious Affiliation.

21st century idolatry focuses on worshiping human beings in a cult of personality and the worship of human institutions more than idols of wood, stone, and metal.

Celebrity Worship

A celebrity is simply a famous, well-known person. Celebrity worship—is it more than just being a casual fan.

To explore this question, a number of scales have been developed to assess celebrity adulation. The most prevalent scale of this type in the literature is the Celebrity Attitudes Scale. Using these types of scales, investigators have examined various college-student and community samples. Findings reveal that individuals with high scores on celebrity-worship scales tend to display a number of psychosocial characteristics.

For example, these individuals may harbor concerns about body image (particularly young adolescents), be more prone to cosmetic surgery, and have a personality style characterized by sensation-seeking, cognitive rigidity, identity diffusion, and poor interpersonal boundaries.

Likewise, celebrity worshippers may exhibit narcissistic features, dissociation, addictive tendencies, stalking behavior, and compulsive buying. Studies also indicate that individuals with high levels of celebrity worship are more likely to have poorer mental health as well as clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social dysfunction.

Of note, no study to date has examined celebrity worshippers for bona fide Axis I and II psychiatric disorders. However, given that celebrity worship exists along a continuum, it appears that being on the high end of this continuum is likely to be associated with a number of potential psychological maladies.

(Reference: see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3960781/

Idolizing Celebrities

It’s amazing how casually this term has infiltrated our culture—and even our hearts. Entertainment stars are now literally dubbed “idols”, and not many give a second thought to the usage of the term so light-heartedly. Do you ever wonder why producers chose the name “American Idol”?

A great deal of how we think and conduct ourselves is learned through observation. Not only do children learn from role models, but adults as well imitate behaviors of those they admire. Researchers suggest that as much as 95% of all human behaviors are learnt through looking up to others as role models. However, even if it were only partially true it is a very good reason to choose positive role models, for ourselves and our children and in doing so, resist the inclination to idolize that role model.

In today’s around-the-clock media saturated environment, many are likely to be choosing their role models from the field of sports, entertainment figures, politicians, or those successful in business without trying to differentiate between seeing them as a role model and seeing them as a super-hero. They find themselves putting these figures on a pedestal and worshiping their every behavior.

It is easy to take on their mannerisms and qualities without being aware of it. They never ask themselves: “Does this individual lead the kind of life that I really want to and should emulate?”

 
More importantly for the Christian disciple, only God is worthy of worship. When celebrities worship themselves or allow others to worship them, it results in arrogant pride and self-centeredness, which leads to disaster and tragedy for themselves as well as those who worship them.

The most powerful biblical example of that of Satan. His pride and hubris led him to forget that it was God who had endowed him with everything he possessed.

Note what God said concerning Satan through his prophet Ezekiel: (referring to Satan as the King of Tyrus or Tyre)

Ezekiel 28:2-5, 13-18

2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:

4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore, will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (KJV)

Rather than honoring and worshiping the God who created him and gave him beauty, Satan became proud, essentially worshiping himself. Self-pride can have the same effect on a human and cause them to seek the worship of others.

There is no shortage of negative role models in today’s society. Western media has had a greatly impacted on people’s minds in a negative way around the globe. The media often calls people towards the doing of evil. This is not a new phenomenon. Nebuchadnezzar was doing just this when he erected the golden statue of himself on the Plain of Dura.

Worship of the State

The cult of State worship is a real thing. This is when a society worships the government over all else. The people are called statists, they have a love of State.

State worship is contrary to the will of God. Nothing in the teachings of either Christ or the apostles calls for love or loyalty to one nation above others. While Christian disciples are urged in Scripture to honor governing leaders and obey laws that are not contrary to God’s will, there is no command to love or have allegiance for any earthly realm or earthly leader.

Paul, in the Book of Romans, tells us what a disciple of Christ duties to the State are and why.

Romans 13:1-

1 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.

2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.

4 For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience.

6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks.

7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.

Since these human institutions act as God’s servants in maintaining civil order and because they exist according to God’s will, we should be obedient to the extent their will is not in conflict with the expressed will of God. But this is a far cry from deifying a government, state, or nation. 

Worship of State has been described as “the most destructive, dangerous, bloody and virulent mind disease in history”. In the 20th century alone, 200 million people were sacrificed at its altar.

Even more shocking is the fact that in both World War I and World War II, the professed Christian churches of Christendom readily aligned its goals of nationalistic ideals. Their thoughts of ‘Christian brotherhood’ became non-existent. Catholics, Protestants, and members of other professed Christian denominations on one side of the war, saw it as their duty to fight and kill members of the same faith denomination on the other side of the war. Catholic priest blessed enemy combatants on both sides of the war!

Catholic priest offer blessings on both sides of war

For these nationalistic combatants, their allegiance was first to Country and lesser to God. During World War I, Christendom’s religious leaders married nationalism and their faith.

“One of the things which stands out prominently in the picture of the First World War is the uncritical identification of the cause of Christianity with the cause of the Allied Nations. “The flag and the Cross,” a trusted Christian leader declared in 1917, “are now both working for the same ends.”

[[https://providencemag.com/2017/09/church-wwi-wwii-christian-realism/]]

This idea is totally out of harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ. What did Jesus say concerning his kingdom when speaking to Pontius Pilate?

John 18:33-36

33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about Me?”

35 “I’m not a Jew, am I?” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?”

36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If My kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom does not have its origin here.”

Jesus himself resisted attempts of others to make him a political ruler.

John 6:14-15

14 When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, “This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!”

15 Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.

Jesus is the Master of the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who have allegiance to earthly nations, bow to other masters. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:24a

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other”. 

So, it is hard to imagine how these leaders of Christendom could earnestly believe that they were being obedient followers of Jesus Christ. More likely, they were opportunist who used the name of Christ to further their nationalist ambitions.

Their hypocrisy mirrors that of the Pharisees Jesus condemned harkening back to the words of the prophet Isaiah:

Matthew 15:7-9

7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:

8 These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.”

They worshiped the State and that is idolatry. State worship still abounds in the 21st century,

Do you idolize your religious denomination?

Idolizing A Religious Group

A big mistake when it comes to spotting idolatry, is thinking that we cannot idolize something that intuitively seem that it has to be a ‘good’ thing by nature. The truth is that everything that man idolizes is something that he/she perceives to be a ‘good’ thing. A person can easily think that if it’s an attempt to worship God, it has to be good. But this is a wrong and dangerous assumption to make. Let’s examine this idea.

The religion a person practices often falls into a blind spot when it comes to being careful to avoid idolatry.

But the Bible is full of examples of people who either intentionally or unintentionally allowed themselves to fall into the practice of idolatry. We will examine two of these. The first notable example is what occurred at the base of Mount Sinai shortly after God had saved the Hebrew seed of Abraham from the cruel slavery of their Egyptian captors. It is the well-known story of the golden calf Aaron made. The second is when the Israelites fell into the worship of the copper/bronze serpent.

The Golden Calf

The story of the golden calf is widely regarded as one of the most disgraceful moments in Jewish history. In Exodus, chapters 31-32, just a mere 40 days after receiving the Torah, the Hebrew people created an idol.

The Bible tells us about how three months after leaving Egypt, and only 40 days after receiving the Commandments from God at Mount Sinai, the Hebrew people created an idol and began to worship it.

Having miscalculated the date of Moses’ promised return from the mountain, the people thought that Moses had died. They decided to replace him, and with the help of Aaron, formed a golden calf and worshiped it.

Jewish historian state that along with those Hebrews who exited Egypt there were a group of non-Hebrews outcast who accompanied them. So, it was a mixed group.

Because things weren’t happening as they presumed the way they were supposed to, they did not remain faithful to God’s commandments. In their desperation, they sought the aid of the gods they had worshiped previously, and this led to the creation of the golden calf image.

It is also notable that Aaron who acted as the nation’s priest, failed in his role to ensure pure worship of Jehovah and allowed himself to become part to the idolatry.

“We do not know what has happened to this man Moses, who led us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.”

Similarly in modern times, when things did not happen within the time frame that Watchtower Society teachers had predicted they occur, the leaders and group in desperation deviated from the commandments of God. They rejected the Greater Moses, Jesus Christ, and appointed earthling men as their mediator with God. Their teachings have effectively removed Jesus Christ from his exclusive role as High Priest before God.

In place of Jesus, they have made the Watchtower Organization, Charles T. Russell, J.F. Rutherford, and its Governing Body the objects of their devotion. 

We often think of idols as objects of wood or stone, silver or gold. But an idol is actually defined as an object of extreme devotion… a false god. In other words, an idol can be anything to which we are devoted to the point of enshrining it on the throne of our hearts, giving it the role of our supplier or provider.

The Watchtower Organization has become the ‘golden calf’ that they formed with their own hands and now worship. And in their desire to grow in numbers over the decades, many insincere and even godless people have entered among them just as what happened to the Israelites exiting Egypt.

The Copper Serpent

Numbers 21:4-9:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.” So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.

4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey.

5 The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”

6 Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.

7 The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”

9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.

But, by the time of the reign of King Hezekiah, some of the Israelites had begun worshiping the copper serpent.

2 Kings 18:1-4

1 In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah as king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah

2 at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

3 Following the example of his ancestor King David, he did what was pleasing to the Lord. 4 He destroyed the pagan places of worship, broke the stone pillars, and cut down the images of the goddess Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made, which was called Nehushtan. Up to that time the people of Israel had burned incense in its honor.

It was God by His power who sent the poisonous snakes amongst the disobedient people. And it was by God’s power they were healed. It was not by some inner power of the copper snake God had Moses make. It was faith and belief that led to their being healed from their from snake bites.

Jesus alluded to this fact when he spoke to the man Nicodemus:

John 3:14-15

As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

History proves that the Israelites did not put their trust in God but rather into ‘things’. It was the tendency of the Israelites to latch onto physical things as demonstrated in their claim to possessing the “Law,” the holy writings (of the prophets), and God’s temple. Putting emphasis on these things made them prideful. It also made them feel superior as opposed to non-Jews. And having these things gave them a false sense of security, thinking that God would always approve of and protect them, even when they were flagrantly disobedient. Time and again, they were sent into captivity for their disobedience, proving that their false reasoning meant nothing to God. Those feelings still are prevalent today among many Jewish people.

When most people think of idolatry, they imagine the images carved to look like animals out of gold, silver, and jewels, because this is how the Bible described how it happened a few thousand years ago. But what they fail to realize is that we can make literally anything an idol including a religious group. Worshiping something, anything, besides God, is idolatry.

This type of idolatry is common and it begins with the leaders of religious groups setting themselves up to be an idol for people, rather than reserving their worship for God.

When so-called Christian denominations create a culture and an environment in their group that demands it’s members be devoted and in service to them, idolatry is the result.

The denomination becomes a clique and a social club. A group with its own culture, membership standards, and activities, makes for easy idolatry to materialize within it. Membership requires that they be so consumed in group activities that it leads to a disconnect with having a relationship with God. Members out of reverence for their religious group soon find themselves spending all of their time serving group requirements that they lose sight of reverence for God and meeting His requirements.

Your religious denomination/group is not equal to or synonymous with God, no matter what your leaders tell you, and no matter how much you love the group. If you believe so, you are idolizing your religious group.

Celebrity worship, whether it is an entertainment figure, a politician, a commercial success, or a well known religious leader—is more than just being a casual fan. It is being a party to a cult of personality.

It is easy to take on their mannerisms and qualities without being aware of it. They never ask themselves: “Does this individual lead the kind of life that I really want to and should emulate?”

Do we treat them like fellow human beings with possibly valuable wisdom to learn from, and who make mistakes? Or do we see them as faultless, put them on a pedestal, and worship them?

If a person continues to trust them and believe they never sin, they can be drawn into their sin and not even realize it because they trust they can do no wrong.

State worship is real and State worship is contrary to the will of God. While Christian disciples are urged in Scripture to honor governing leaders and obey laws that are not contrary to God’s will, there is no command to love or have allegiance for any earthly realm or earthly leader. No man can serve two masters.

The religion a person practices often falls into a blind spot when it comes to being careful to avoid idolatry. When so-called Christian denominations create a culture and an environment in their group that demands it’s members be devoted and in service to them, idolatry is the result. Your religious denomination/group is not equal to or synonymous with God, no matter what your leaders tell you.

We often think of idols as objects of wood or stone, silver or gold. But an idol is actually defined as an object of extreme devotion… a false god. In other words, an idol can be anything to which we are devoted to the point of enshrining it on the throne of our hearts, giving it the role of our supplier or provider.

Worshiping something, anything, besides God, is idolatry.

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Who Is Jehovah’s Witness?

Posted by Brother John Jones on February 28, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Revelation 3:14

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: “The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God’s creation, says these things:

High Priest Jesus Christ is God’s Witness. Notice that Jesus spoke in singular and not plural.

In the Book of Hebrews we are told to look to the Temple arrangement in the past that was constructed according to God’s instruction to understand the Heavenly temple arrangement.

Hebrews 8:1-6

1 Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

2 a servant of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, and not man.

3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.

4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are priests who offer the gifts according to the Law;

5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses was warned when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.”

6 also said in another passage, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

It was the high priest and he alone that was granted access into the Most Holy compartment of the Temple in order to receive instruction from God. He served as God’s spokesman (witness) in that what he was told from God and then he imparted what he was told to all others. It was the high priest who bore witness in God’s behalf. He was the “Amen” in that arrangement.

Christ being the Eternal High Priest is the “Amen” of God and serves as God’s Witness. So, it is improper for anyone else to ascribe to themselves the title “Jehovah’s Witness”.

Well then, who are Christ disciples to bear witness concerning?

The words spoken by Jesus to his apostles recorded in Acts 1:1-8 reveal the answer to this question:

1 The first account I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,

2 until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3 To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s kingdom.

4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.

5 For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth.”

Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses…”.

Rightly understood, we as disciples of Christ are to bear witness concerning him.

There are two other primary Scriptures in the Bible that describe bearing witness of the things and events pertaining to Jesus and the message which He brought. They can be found in John 15:26-27 and Luke 24:46-48.

In addressing the apostles before He was crucified, Jesus explained the tasks ahead of them after his physical departure.

John 15:26-27

26 “When the Helper has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.

27 And you will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

In this moment, Jesus tells the apostles that they will receive the Holy Spirit after His resurrection, and that they will also share their knowledge and understanding of the events pertaining to Jesus and His Work and Message with others.

Now let’s examine Jesus’ statement found at Luke 24:46-48:

46 He said to them, “Thus it is written, for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things.

Clearly, Jesus informed them about the privilege they had regarding the knowledge and understanding they were blessed with, knowing the Truth about Jesus’ role in the Plan of God.

We as disciples of Christ were never given the directive of bearing witness in behalf of God. Only the Faithful and True Witness, Christ Jesus, has that honor. However, we have been honored to bear witness concerning Christ.

When humans take on the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” they are usurping the role of Christ either consciously or unconsciously.

Israel, the Lord who created you says, “Do not be afraid—I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine.
God gave the name ‘Israel’ to Jacob. Isa. 43:10 is referring to the natural Israelites.

One may ask, “Well, what about Isaiah 43:10?”

Isaiah 43:10

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me”.

God’s words to His prophet Isaiah were directed to a specific group of people.

Isaiah 43:1

“But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine”.

These words were directed toward “Jacob”, the Hebrew nation.

These words were stated long before the formation of the new covenant founded on Christ and God’s new arrangement with Christ installed as High Priest. Therefore, they are not applicable to the body of Christ.

The Last Days and the Fulfillment of Prophecy

Posted by Brother John Jones on January 9, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was a prophecy about kingdoms throughout history. Because the statue was a representation of the future, we have progressed through all the kingdoms of the statue and are now living in the time of the ten toes–the last kingdom to ever wield power on Earth.

Daniel 2:31-43

King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

31 “My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying.

32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze,

33 its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay.

34 As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.

35 Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.

37 Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.

38 Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the air—He has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.

39 “After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.

40 A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.

[The Final Kingdom]

41 You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay,

42 and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle.

43 You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.

The final kingdom was to be an amalgamation of people in sharp contrast with one another. It would be a mixture of people whose differing ideologies and resulting behaviors would make it impossible for them to remain unified no matter how hard they would try.

Which kingdom today fits the fulfillment of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream?

The Revealing of The Sons of God

Posted by Brother John Jones on January 5, 2022
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

The Book of Romans in Chapter 8 verses 15-30 and 35, speaks of the “children of God”:

15 Because the Spirit that God has given to you does not make you like slaves again. He does not make you slaves who cannot stop being afraid. Instead, the Spirit that God has given to you causes you to become God’s children. He makes us able to shout to God: ‘You are my Father.’

16 God’s Spirit himself causes us to know certainly what we know by our own spirits. We know that we are God’s children.

17 And because we are God’s children, we will also receive good things from him. We will receive the things that God has prepared for his children. Also, together with Christ, we will receive the things that God has kept for him. We will receive these things if we agree to have troubles and pain, as Christ did. So then, as a result, we will also live always with God, who is so great and so good.

18 During this time now, we have troubles and pain. But I am sure that these troubles are not really very important. They are not really important because God has prepared much, much better things for us. He is keeping these great and good things for us. And when we think about these great things, our troubles now do not seem important.

19 All things that God has made are waiting for a future time. They want that time to come very much. At that time, God will show them who his sons really are.

20 God has caused the things that he made to become without real purpose. Those things are unable really to have any purpose. They did not choose to become like that. It was God who caused them to become like that. God did that because he was thinking about that future, better time.

21 At that time, God will also cause the things that he has made to become free. They will be free from the power that causes them to become old and to finish. They will be free to enjoy great things from God, as God’s children are free.

22 All the things that God has made have been waiting until now. We know that. They have been waiting like a woman who is ready to have a baby. She cries because of her pain before she has her baby.

23 And it is not only those other things in the world that are waiting like that. But we ourselves, who have received God’s Spirit as the first of his gifts to us, are also crying. We are crying deep inside ourselves, while we wait for God to finish making us his own children. We are waiting for God to make our bodies free.

24 Ever since God saved us, we have continued to hope certainly for this. One day, we will see what we have hoped for. And then we will not need to hope for it any more. Nobody continues to hope for something that he has already.

25 But we continue to hope for what we do not have yet. And so, we wait for it patiently.

26 God’s Spirit also helps us, because we are weak. We do not know how we ought to pray. But God’s Spirit himself prays on our behalf. He cries to God on our behalf in a way that nobody could say with words.

27 And God, who sees deep inside us, understands the Spirit. God sees completely what we are really like. And he understands what his Spirit is thinking. The Spirit prays on behalf of God’s people as God wants him to pray.

28 God has good purposes for those people who love him. We know that. He uses everything that happens to them to bring good results on their behalf. He does this for those people that he has chosen. He has chosen his people to be what he wants them to be.

29 God had already chosen those people from the beginning. And he had decided that they should become like his Son. So then, as a result, his Son would be the first among many brothers.

30 God decided that those people would be like his Son. Also, he asked them to come to him. And after he had asked them to come to him, he made them right with himself. And when he had made them right with himself, he also caused them to become great. He made them great and good, in the same way that he himself is great and good.

35 Nothing can make us separate from Christ, who loves us. We may have troubles. Things may happen to us that cause us to be very sad or afraid. Enemies may do bad things to us and hurt us. We may have no food or no clothes. There may be danger, or people may try to kill us. But none of these things can stop Christ from loving us.

Why is “all of creation” eagerly waiting for the “revealing of the sons of God”?

Verses 20-22 provides the answer for us;



“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God”. Romans 8:20,21

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

This passage takes us back to the Garden of Eden and fall of man.

When Adam chose to listen to his wife instead of listening to God, he sinned and it affected all creation; even the Earth and the things upon it.

In judging Adam this is what God said to him:

Genesis 3:17-18:

To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

18 Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the plants of the field”.

As we read through the Bible, we see that the animal kingdom suffered the same fate as well; the curse was stamped on the whole creation, bringing with it tribulation, disease, and ultimately death.

Because of this “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” ESV

How and when will creation be set free of the curse God placed upon it due to original sin?

This brings us to verse 19 which tells us that creation will not be freed until, “the revealing of the sons of God.”

Who Are the “Sons of God”?

These “sons of God” are also the “children” and “heirs” mentioned in verses 16-17:

Romans 8:15-17:

15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Compare with Jesus’ words at Luke 20:36:

“for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection”.

These children are the joint heirs of Christ who will share a Heavenly existence with the Lord after their deaths and resurrection. They are biblically referred to as the “first fruit”.

Revelation 14:

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him and hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.

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Note: Verse 4 above states, “These are they which were not defiled with women”. These words reflect back to the command God gave to Moses recorded in the Book of Exodus in Chapter 19 that Moses was to give as instruction to the people because they were about to perform a sacred service and would have to remain ritually clean as a priest is required to do.

Exodus 19:15

“And he said to the people, ‘Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.”’

Their “virginity” has to do with being ritually clean and does not suggest that they have to be unmarried and not having had sexual intercourse. The general idea is, that they are chaste and pure at heart; that they are the followers of the Lamb alone; and that they are without deception.
—————-

If there are “first fruit” then it stands to reason that there is other fruit to be harvested. Not all believers are sharers in the Heavenly calling.

There are a specific number called to priestly service in Heaven as mentioned on Revelation 14: 1:

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him and hundred forty and four thousand, having his father’s name written in their foreheads.”

They are called from the state of the dead in what the Bible terms the “first resurrection”.

Revelation 20:

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,and shall reign with him a thousand years.

When the full number of them has been filled, then Jesus will come and gather them all to Heaven. This would include any living and those already sealed who lie asleep in death.

The “sons of God” will only be known after they have all been “sealed” because they must complete their life course faithfully. So, the apostle Paul counsels the church at Ephesians 4:30:

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”.

It will be revealed at the Coming of the Lord, both to those in Heaven and all who witness on Earth who the son of God are.

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2022 Observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal…Be on guard for those who seek to confuse you

Posted by Brother John Jones on December 31, 2021
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

God’s Greatest Gift

Nisan 14, April 22 after sundown many will take time to show their love and their appreciation for all that both God the Father and Christ the Son have done.

The Bible informs us that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted his evening meal on Nisan 14 the first night of the Passover celebration. (See Luke Chapter 22)

After eating the same meal that everyone else gathered in Jerusalem did that night, he took his closest twelve disciples to a private chamber and shared this special observance with them.

These facts are clearly written and cannot be honestly disputed (Luke 22).

Yet, many have divined different ways of calculating, reaching other dates on which to observe the Lord’s evening meal that do not coincide with Nisan 14.

Nisan 14 begins today at sundown April 15, 2022.

According to well kept records by the only people who could possibly be an ‘authority’ (the Jewish people) this is the night that the Passover meal was eaten which Jesus celebrated as everyone else gathered in Jerusalem did. Then immediately after, instituted the Lord’s evening meal.

Did Jesus violate God’s commandment given in the Law? Some suggest that he did by teaching that Jesus ate the Passover meal on Preparation Day (Nisan 13). That would mean that Jesus violated the Law. Jesus did not violate the Law in any way: he fulfilled the Law. Had he violated the Law he would have disqualified himself for the purpose of the ransom sacrifice. He ate the meal appropriately on Passover day, Nisan 14.

Note Jesus’ own words found at Matthew 5:17-22:

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Again, the Lord did not violate God’s law.

Such people believe that they as non-Jews are better qualified to determine when Passover officially begins than people of Jewish heritage.

Some cannot discern that the Passover meal was prepared during the daylight hours, which would correspond to Nisan 13. But after sundown when they ate, it was a new day. It officially became Nisan 14 at sundown. So when some read of the Lord’s activities on Preparation Day, they fail to appreciate this fact.

If you fact-find by checking any Jewish calendar, you will observe that they all point to sundown today, April 15, 2022 at the start of Nisan 14.

God gave the Hebrew people the command to mark and celebrate this date perpetually after the actual Passover night in Egypt thousands of years ago. They have done so ever since year after year.

The date is important to know for Christian disciples in order to know when is the appropriate time for an annual celebration of what the Lord instituted on that night.

It is this day that Jesus instituted this special observance of remembrance of the value of his body and blood that were sacrificed for the redemption of mankind. He also founded his church of elect ones with those who ate from the loaf of bread and shared the cup of wine with him.

As stated earlier, after sundown many will take time to show their love and their appreciation for all that both God the Father and Christ the Son have done by sharing in celebrations of the Lord’s Evening Meal.

And of further importance, it was in this same twenty-four hour time period that Jesus was crucified providing that ransom sacrifice.

This means that when he instituted the meal, it was at the beginning of the 14th, and he was killed approximately 21 hours later, still on Nisan 14.

 “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” Ephesians 1:10
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