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sami

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  1. Like
    sami got a reaction from peaches60 in Should we close our ears to rebels? or opposers?   
    You must be a disfellowshipped person, HUH ? You should be supremely happy - you are now on the outside looking in so  stop pressing your nose against our windows.
    Did you want followers? All those who choose to follow a Judas goat will be led to the slaughter.
    Sheep, on the other hand, hear the voice of the Fine Shepherd calling their name. John 10:3 "The doorkeeper opens to this one, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will by no means follow a stranger but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
     
    So you were preaching false doctrine in the kingdom hall to Jehovah's Witnesses? Not a very smart move. Then you thought it appropriate to exhibit your mad ravings to the elders and were disfellowshipped for being an apostate. I can't imagine why? Of course apostates are not anything new, the apostle Paul was quite eloquent in his description of those in the first century.
    2 Thessalonians 2:7 True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way. 8 Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. 9 But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. 11 That is why God lets a deluding influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness."
    I have a feeling you are not very happy any place you plant yourself, but look at it this way - you weren't happy with us and we were not happy with you.
     
     
     
  2. Like
    sami reacted to Melinda Mills in Will people who have committed suicide get a resurrection?   
    Only thing is that he was killed by the Roman State, aided and abetted by the Jewish leaders and Judas (like a sheep to the slaughter). If he wanted at any time to commit suicide he would have jumped down from the battlement of the temple willingly. 
  3. Haha
    sami got a reaction from James Thomas Rook Jr. in The slave is using this photo to make it clear what is not allowed in the dress of men for meetings and preaching.   
    @James Thomas Rook Jr. BROTHER LETT'S TALK WAS FROM THE 2014 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION WHICH RELEASED THIS BOOK https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/publication/r1/lp-e/kr/E/2014
    "OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB" YOU'VE TRIED YOUR BEST TO WEAVE....BUT DO IT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.
     
    “MEʹNE, MEʹNE, TEʹKEL  (Daniel 5:24, 25)  MEʹNE, God has numbered your days - TEʹKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and have been found deficient.”
  4. Confused
    sami got a reaction from James Thomas Rook Jr. in The slave is using this photo to make it clear what is not allowed in the dress of men for meetings and preaching.   
    @JOHN BUTLER I'm sure anyone can find a scripture to suit their own needs. 
    sami  - Why have you not done that then? I'd like to see that scripture that says to wear clothing where your private parts protrude whether upper body or lower body.
    @JOHN BUTLEROne other point on the clothing of brothers and sisters.  Assemblies and conventions are where the young ones / single ones go to find a marriage mate. Well they are not supposed to be looking 'in the world', so it has to be at the conventions. Not everyone wants someone from their own congregation. 
    Hence the young and single want to look like young and single and who can blame them. Just because the GB are old frumps doesn't mean everyone has to be... And just because you don't like something doesn't mean everyone has to dislike it.
     
    sami - I wonder how people attracted the opposite gender before the mass production of obscenely designed clothing? Could be Christian personality and spirituality would and has attracted the special person one would want to spend their lives with, HUH!!
     
     
  5. Haha
    sami got a reaction from James Thomas Rook Jr. in The slave is using this photo to make it clear what is not allowed in the dress of men for meetings and preaching.   
    @James Thomas Rook Jr. Sounds like sour grapes to me!!!!   When one has to rely on a twenty second and ten second youtube blurb to present as their case, that person is an apostate who will receive their wage in full. Your day is almost here and there is no where to hide.
     
  6. Haha
    sami got a reaction from James Thomas Rook Jr. in The slave is using this photo to make it clear what is not allowed in the dress of men for meetings and preaching.   
    @James Thomas Rook Jr. So let me get this straight.....you disagree with the definition of porneia provided by the encyclopedia?  Too bad for you. Better put that pistol away before you shoot yourself in the other foot.
  7. Upvote
  8. Like
    sami got a reaction from Grey Reformer in WT: Damaris rejects a scholarship and chooses to work in a bank instead because she PLANNED to become a pioneer. If she planned to pioneer, why did she even apply for university in the first place?   
    Who said she applied for a scholarship? Teachers always make that suggestion to bright students but the decision belongs to the student and this student declined the offer. 
  9. Upvote
    sami reacted to Evacuated in WT: Damaris rejects a scholarship and chooses to work in a bank instead because she PLANNED to become a pioneer. If she planned to pioneer, why did she even apply for university in the first place?   
    Me too.
    And without any particular college education, just plain old self-taught. 
    Using the intellectual freedom gained by pursuing rather mundane employment activities whilst "pioneering", I was able develop skills that later brought sufficient financial reward to care for personal familiy responsibilities, and then eventual financial independence to continue "pioneering" without secular constraints.
    Works well for me, but I have to admit: "t'was the Watchtower made me do it, Officer!"
  10. Upvote
    sami reacted to Space Merchant in The Holy Spirit   
    This passage does indeed state that Jesus had expired, thus dying, which was part of prophecy regardless of how you try to change it. Luke 23:46 and both Mark 15: 37, 39 speak of Jesus' death, and every cross-reference, inducing that of which is found in the other 2 gospel accounts point to this very fact.
    @Gone Away is correct, he isn't contradicting anything. Jesus' future life prospect to God began when God raised him out of death (the pangs of death if I may add), therefore we see Jesus called Risen Christ and or Risen Jesus (Lord), as well as the other title known as Firstborn out of the Dead [out of Death]. When Jesus had risen, he didn't even ascend yet until AFTER he met with his disciples and told them about the promise, once again, for months, you are evasive when Acts 1 and 2 is mentioned and or talked about because the context defeats you here and now as it did months ago.
    What is contradicting is you saying this now vs. your own comment about what the Disciples did prior to Jesus ascending to Heaven.
    You speak of this Mr.Joyce, does hurt to post and or link what he said?
    It is not nonsense, it is a fulfilling of prophecy, the very reason why Jesus is said to be the Life and the Resurrection for he conquered Death (John 11:25, Revelation 1:18). You've yet to proven anything pertaining to anyone who has the pangs of Death on him to having been alive after ceasing, therefore your sheer denial of prophecy is visible and clear contradiction to your claims in the past.
    And the response of Spirits in Prison was also incorrect for the Risen Jesus had spoken to solely evil spirits, bounded and chained for Judgement.
    Again, you mention Joyce, link and or quote the response.
    The verse saying the following:
    Psalms 146:4 - When his breath [spirit] departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Cross-References Below:
    Ecclesiastes 9:5-10 - (5) For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. (6) Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. (7) Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. (8) Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. (9) Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. (10) Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
    Isaiah 38:18 - For Sheol [Hades] does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness.
    It speaks of the departing of one's spirit and or breathe of the human/soul, humans are not literal spirits. God is the Life-Giver, the source of Life, clearly the story of Adam and Eve, our first parents, is basic knowledge. When we succumb to pangs of death, or rather when we die, everything about us, what we do, what we use to do under the sun - is gone, thus we - perish, cease and or expire, in the most simplest term, we die/are dead.
    It would be understandable if all men were really spirits, but we are not, for we are flesh and bone.
    Therefore, the Immortal Soul Doctrine is wrong. The irony of it all is you like to try and use the words of Church Fathers, what do you think they were fighting against in Asia Minor?
    This verse is in connection with what is mentioned above as well as Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 3:9, Isaiah 42:5 as well as Matthew 17:50. The life of which Jai'rus' daughter, who is 12 years of age, once had, was given back to her, for she had lost her life and her life had been returned. She didn't go into some Afterlife of which you believe in for the Jews and the people at the time never believed in such, the Immortal Soul Doctrine you attempt top defend.
    We also see that anyone who had died and returned have no recollection of an Afterlife, and if they did believe in such why take their daughter away from the so called peaceful state Sorcery believers such as yourself put forth to claim?
    This isn't the first time someone has been resurrected. Also, seems a bit hypocritical for you to even mention that verse because, again, you believe in the Immortal Soul Doctrine, let alone one such as yourself who revealed to be an Apollinarist.
    You already shown yourself to be in denial of what the resurrection is and it's meaning, why speak of it when you believe people, of which you see as spirits, do not cease?
  11. Upvote
    sami got a reaction from JW Insider in Good/bad/perfect   
    Good (טוב)
    tov, Strong's #2896? What is good? From our modern western perspective this would be something that is pleasing to us but, from an Hebraic perspective the Hebrew word tov, usually translated as good, means something that is functional. A complex set of gears in a watch that functions together properly is tov. However, if the gears are not functioning properly then they are ra [str:7451], usually translated as evil or bad but the more Hebraic meaning is dysfunctional. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good (tov). And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. When God saw his creation it is not that it was "pleasing" to him rather, he saw that it functioned properly.



    What does "good" mean? The first use of this word is in Genesis chapter one where God calls his handiwork "good". It
    should always be remembered that the Hebrews often relate descriptions to functionality. The word tov would best be translated with the word "functional". When looked at his handiwork he did not see that it was "good", he saw that it was functional, kind of like a well - oiled and tuned machine. In contrast to this word is the Hebrew word "ra". These two words, tov and ra are used for the tree of the knowledge of "good" and "evil". While "ra" is often translated as evil it is best translated as "dysfunctional". Strong’s 3966 exceedingly (meod)  -  Strong’s 2896 good (tov) Genesis 1:31  God saw all that he had made, and behold it was very excellent.


    **The word "perfect" that we knock around so much is often misunderstood. We tend to apply an unqualified philosophical meaning to it and have it mean "without flaw" or "without error" or put it into other absolute categories. It then becomes easy to say that Jesus' command in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:48), "Be therefore perfect,
    even as your heavenly Father  is perfect," is a laudable goal, but one that is impossible for human beings to achieve.  That is even easier to do from certain doctrinal or theological positions that assume human beings cannot ever respond to God beyond their contaminated sinful nature.




    The problem in this thinking is that the Hebrew word (tam or tamim) does not carry the meaning of "without flaw" as does the term "perfect" in English.  It normally means complete or mature or healthy (for example, Lev 22:21). That meaning of mature dominates most use of the equivalent Greek term in the New Testament (telos). Something, or someone, can be complete or mature yet not be "without flaw." In fact, it is much easier to be mature and still have flaws, than it is to be without error or without flaw. Many people are mature, but few if any are "without flaw." A six year old can be mature, and still have a lot of growing to do, just like a person can be "holy" and have a lot to learn about spiritual maturity.



    John Wesley used the term "perfect" frequently and argued that it was a biblical term. But, the term is only "biblical"
    in English. That is what creates our problems since the word has a different range of meaning in English than the biblical words it translates. I would certainly not discount Wesley’s ability in biblical language, since he wrote grammars for both Greek and Hebrew. On the other hand, in the past 250 years we have come to understand a lot more about the biblical languages, especially the thought world and culture that lay behind Hebrew. It is not that Wesley was wrong.
    "Perfect" may have been the best choice for 1740. But perhaps if he had the command of Hebrew and knowledge of Hebraic culture that we do today, or if he were communicating in our culture, he would have chosen a different way to express the idea.



    The term "perfect" is associated with too many metaphysical connotations in our culture, and describes something different
    than do the biblical terms in either Hebrew or Greek. Most people in our western culture outside of the church no longer use categories of thought that speak of ultimate absolutes like perfection, especially applied to people, or if they do they reject them as impossible. We quickly admit that such things are rare, especially among human beings. We are much more inclined to think
    existentially in terms of how we function in the world at any given time. That is why I think a more existential term will communicate better to people for whom the term "perfect" identifies something that is impossible to achieve.



    Both Hebrew and Greek terms carry much more that existential dimension of meaning anyway than they do the absolute overtones that we have come to associate with the term perfect.  From the biblical perspective, "perfect" describes something that functions as it was intended to function or of someone who acts appropriately
    (note that in Romans 12:2, the Greek term "perfect," teleion, is used with "good" and "acceptable"). And of course for Wesley,
    perfect was always qualified with the category of love, so that any perfection of which he spoke was in the context of loving God and neighbor. That is why the true Wesleyan concept is perfect love, never perfection as a general category.




     Wesley himself fought against the concept of perfectionism, and the accusation leveled at him by many Calvinists that he promoted it. Wesley did not promote any form of perfectionism. Yet sadly, that strand of thinking entered the American Holiness tradition later and heirs of that tradition have been struggling with a tendency toward perfectionism ever since.
    Modern Wesleyans do not believe in a perfectionism that translates into "without error." But they do believe in being perfected in love in which human beings are transformed as a result of God’s grace into mature, growing, and healthy Christians governed by love rather than self-interest. That is all Wesley ever meant by "perfect," and I am convinced that is the meaning in Scripture, most especially in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew (5:48).  That is why I think Jesus' command is more than an impossible goal for which we struggle in vain strive. It is the very achievable goal of all Christian living, as God enables us with his strength (cf. Phil 4:13).
  12. Like
    sami got a reaction from Space Merchant in The Holy Spirit   
    Our purpose is to present the truth. Whether they believe or accept is their responsibility, that is according to the disposition of their heart/lev.
  13. Upvote
    sami reacted to Space Merchant in The Holy Spirit   
    @sami Tragically, @Cos is not a fan of and or very weak regarding biblical Strong's (be it Hebrew or Greek), for he takes issue with even 4352 in order to make claim to a belief that is unsure, yet sparks both the audacity and hypocrisy to make accusations that defeat his own attempt every step of the way.
    At times it isn't easy for a blind and lost one, such as him, to find out what is really true, for sooner or later, he will learn the hard way.
  14. Upvote
    sami got a reaction from Space Merchant in The Holy Spirit   
    THAYER
    2. the spirit, i. e. the vital principle by which the body is animated ((Aristotle, Polybius, Plutarch, others; see below)): Luke 8:55; Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Acts 7:59; Revelation 13:15 (here R. V. breath); ἀφιέναι τό πνεῦμα, to breathe out the spirit, to expire, Matthew 27:50
     
    Dictionary:
    παρατίθημι
    Greek transliteration: paratithēmi
    Simplified transliteration: paratithemi
    Principal Parts: παραθήσω, παρέθηκα, -, -, παρετέθην
    Strong's number: 3908
    GK Number: 4192

    Statistics
    Frequency in New Testament: 19
    Morphology of Biblical Greek Tag: cv-6a
    Gloss: (act.) to set before; (mid.) to entrust, commit

    Definition:
    to place by the side of, or near; to set before, Mk. 6:41; 8:6, 7; Lk. 9:16; met. to set or lay before, propound, Mt. 13:24, 31; to inculcate, Acts 17:3; to deposit, commit to the charge of, entrust, Lk. 12:48; 23:46; to commend, Acts 14:23
    ----------------------------------

    Genesis 2:7 "Jehovah God went on to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person."
    Adam was not - nor had he ever been a spirit creature, he was sculpted from earthly things (soil/clay). Human and animal creatures contain the same substances(minerals) as the earth. What made the creation of man different than the work of Michelangelo is the Breath of Life blown into Adam by his sculptor, Jehovah God. Then, as Genesis 2:7 apprises us, man became animate, a living breathing creature.
     

    Man was not the only living creature to have been gifted with Jehovah's breath as we are made aware and informed by Scripture. Genesis 7:22 " Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
    AND

    Genesis 7:15 "They kept going to Noah inside the ark, two by two, of every sort of flesh that has the breath of life."
     

    Ecclesiastes 3:19 "for there is an outcome for humans and an outcome for animals; they all have the same outcome. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit.(OR the same source of life/breath) So man has no superiority over animals, for everything is futile."
     

    Isaiah 42:5 "This is what the true God, Jehovah, says, The Creator of the heavens and the Grand One who stretched them out, The One who spread out the earth and its produce, The One who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk on it:"
     

    That breath was given once and that was at the creation in Eden. From then on the animation of humans and animals is by the first gasp of oxygen taken in at birth. If that creature does not respond by the inhalation of oxygen it is never animated, it is not living.
     

    What is the spirit mentioned in Isaiah 42:5? It is the LIFE OF THE PERSON........ ruwach; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. A sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life ..........
     
    That which is exhaled at the end of life represents who and what you are. You are either remembered for a future life (a recreation) on a paradise earth or you are not. Just as stated at John 5: 28, 29 "Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs (3419 mnēmeíon (a neuter noun derived from 3451 /mousikós, "to remember, keep in memory")   will hear his voice  and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.
     
    That final breath is a remembrance of the person you are (the good, the bad and the ugly) whatever name you have made for yourself, that is what Jehovah remembers.
     
     
     
  15. Upvote
    sami reacted to Evacuated in The Holy Spirit   
    Jesus expression at Luke 23:46 seems to have more reference to "commiting" or "entrusting" his future life prospects to God as opposed to describing the death state which, whilst a relevant concept in view of the nature of Jesus mission to earth, is not the focus of attention here.
    The psalmist has it well described at Psalm 31:5 "Into your hand I commit (shall place) my spirit;" ESV. This is in harmony with Jesus earlier words: "let, not my will, but yours take place". Luke 22:42.

  16. Upvote
    sami reacted to Evacuated in The Holy Spirit   
    Although likely unintended by the poster, this question exposes the fudamental gap in understanding that characterises the poster's opininion throughout.
    Answer this question correctly, and you are well on the way to becoming " thoroughly able to grasp mentally with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness that God gives." Eph.3:18-19.
  17. Upvote
    sami got a reaction from Evacuated in The Holy Spirit   
    @Cos 
     
    @Cos  Why would Jesus “yield up”, what was about to cease existing, into the hands of His father (Luke 23:46)? What is more revealing is the fact that the Greek word παρατίθημι is never translated “yield up” or “yielded up” nor does the word mean such a thing the word means “the keeping of”.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    sami said: I'm afraid your mistaken - according to Perseus & Tufts ...Liddell Lexicon the meaning is...
    2. to deposit what belongs to one in another's hands, give in charge, commit, Hdt., Xen.; τι εἴς τινα or τινά τινι NTest.
  18. Like
    sami got a reaction from biddy2331@gmail.com in Should we close our ears to rebels? or opposers?   
    You must be a disfellowshipped person, HUH ? You should be supremely happy - you are now on the outside looking in so  stop pressing your nose against our windows.
    Did you want followers? All those who choose to follow a Judas goat will be led to the slaughter.
    Sheep, on the other hand, hear the voice of the Fine Shepherd calling their name. John 10:3 "The doorkeeper opens to this one, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will by no means follow a stranger but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
     
    So you were preaching false doctrine in the kingdom hall to Jehovah's Witnesses? Not a very smart move. Then you thought it appropriate to exhibit your mad ravings to the elders and were disfellowshipped for being an apostate. I can't imagine why? Of course apostates are not anything new, the apostle Paul was quite eloquent in his description of those in the first century.
    2 Thessalonians 2:7 True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way. 8 Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. 9 But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. 11 That is why God lets a deluding influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness."
    I have a feeling you are not very happy any place you plant yourself, but look at it this way - you weren't happy with us and we were not happy with you.
     
     
     
  19. Like
    sami got a reaction from TrueTomHarley in TIME   
    TIME….. that turns out to be the issue for humans. When I was 9 years old I wanted to do the things that 16 year olds were doing. When I turned 16 I wanted to do what 20 somethings were doing. As time passed I had a family (5 children) and that took all of my time, effort and attention for years. Do I love them? Yes, and for the most part they were happy years and quite entertaining. Am I sorry? NO, but as the years rolled by I cannot say that I wasn’t glad when they began to leave to establish their own lives. As they left one by one I began to feel freedom that had eluded me for decades and with one child left we could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
     
    Quite soon after feeling that freedom ( fishing and traveling vacations) for the first time in decades, my husband suffered a heart attack and died at age fifty. There it was…the realization that in this system of things our days have limits. Jesus brother James came to mind “ Come, now, YOU who say: “Today or tomorrow we will journey to this city and will spend a year there, and we will engage in business and make profits,” 14 whereas YOU do not know what YOUR life will be tomorrow. For YOU are a mist appearing for a little while and then disappearing.” James 4:13, 14
     
    Solomon said it all and his words are significant for everyone…10 All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheʹol, the place to which you are going. 11 I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. 12 For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly. Ecclesiastes 9:10-12
    Man’s attitude, because of life’s limitations, is immediacy, now or else it is not real or true. It is much like a pregnancy… many milestones must be met before a successful birth. Menstruation ceases, cells specific for different areas of the body begin to divide, many changes are in motion at the same time. Lungs develop, brain develops, fetus settles in drinking amniotic fluid to sustain and nourish until the time limit expires and the fetus is ready to live outside the womb. Onlookers, family members see the manifestations of the pregnancy and know the birth is imminent - it is a waiting game. Fulfillment of prophecy is much the same. Jehovah God has set a time limit for this system to develop into whatever mankind wants to make of it. And after living in this system and under man made rules and ideologies for seventy nine years, I can tell you it has given birth to nothing that is good.
     
    Jesus Christ, while on earth, gave his disciples a composite sign which included many facets within that sign. What was the sign supposed to alert those who witness it? “The sign of Christs presence AND the conclusion of a system of things,” the first fulfillment of the prophecy was Jerusalem’s destruction by the Romans in 70 C.E. However, the first part of the question to Jesus had to do with his presence - a sign that he would be present in kingdom power. Well then - the major fulfillment of that prophecy did not occur in 70 C.E. because that was only about thirty seven years after Christ’s death. The major fulfillment is happening now “the conclusion of the systems of things.” Yes, man has failed to realize that our time is not God’s time.
     
    Right about now you are asking yourself what this has to do with my post ? It is this…humans measure their lives in increments of time and as time passes we can see our measured time of life coming closer to the end. But we haven’t done anything but raise and care for children – we’ve become old but really haven’t felt the full effect until something major happens. Time was never a measured issue with God because he is from everlasting to everlasting. Measured time was for humans. The measured time period between “In the beginning” and “evening and morning a first day” is unknowable, most likely eons of time passed. (that is the first measurement) The next measurements are the creative days (yom) which were about 7 thousand years long. The seventh day, God's rest, is on going.
     
    The punishment phase of Adam’s life was known as a day (yom) as measured by God, but to humans the totality of his life was 930 yrs. The fact is…time is a relative measurement – it depends upon who is the keeper of it. Did man create time? No, God is the one who provided the basis for the measuring of time. Genesis 1:14, 15 states: “ Then God said: “Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to make a division between the day and the night, and they will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years. 15 They will serve as luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. Because Jehovah has not acted to rid the globe of wicked, lawless people who are themselves incorrigible, they assume God does not exist.
     
    When men speak of what God did or has not done, they speak in terms of our own time increments and limitations. We haven’t, as yet, seen it in our span of life. Restlessness and impatience are hallmarks of humankind. Just like our children asking “are we there yet.” Does the wind exist? We can’t see it but we can see and feel its effects. Because God has not acted within the time limitations of our generation’s lifetime, one formulates an opinion of nonexistence.
     
    However, throughout history Jehovah God has acted on behalf of his servants many times. During the flood of Noah’s day Jehovah saved eight souls from the pervasive wickedness of that time period.
     
    The Exodus saved Jehovah’s people from the tyranny, abuse and slavery of the Egyptian Pharaohs. The same is true when Sennacherib, king of Assyria came against Hezekiah, king of Israel. Jehovah sent an angel during the night who slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. You have the seventy year captivity of Israel in Babylon when Jehovah appointed Cyrus, king of the Persian Empire to overthrow Belshazzar and the Babylonian world power by diverting the Euphrates River giving access to the city.
     
    Another instance validated through historical records is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E when Cestius Gallus, governor of Syria, moved against Jerusalem to put an end to uprisings by the Jews and maintain Roman control. However, he was called back to Rome – the Christianized Jews were seeking a time when they could do as Jesus had said: “Therefore, when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken about by Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place (let the reader use discernment), 16 then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains. Matthew 24:15,16
     
    The disgusting thing was the Gentile army of Rome and the holy place was the city of Jerusalem with its temple. The Christians fled away to Pella as soon as the Roman army left. They were saved, but those who were not followers of Christ were annihilated when General Titus returned and destroyed the city and its temple. 1 million Jews were slaughtered and the rest taken as slaves to Rome.
     
    There are innumerable examples in scripture where Jehovah came to the aid of his people and that to me inspires confidence that in the near future that will be the outcome again. The limit he set six thousand years ago has nearly expired and I look forward to seeing my husband and children resurrected to live on the cleansed earth and have the prospect of life everlasting. “9 For evil men will be done away with, But those hoping in Jehovah will possess the earth. 10 Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; You will look at where they were, And they will not be there. 11 But the meek will possess the earth, And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace 29 The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it. 30 Psalm 37:9-11,29
  20. Like
    sami got a reaction from Space Merchant in SHEMA   
    Does it really make a difference to people at this time in man's history ? It may be of interest to you because digging for what you treasure is a passion.
     
    I stumbled on to the Ancient Hebrew site quite a number of years ago, so yes, I am a fan?  Anything having to do with ancient languages are posts from quite awhile ago, some were kept on my word pad and some I had to hunt for on other sites when my computer died an unnatural death.
    Since then my mind and body has gone south and I have no expectation of a makeover until the paradise. Happy to meet you, you are quite a brilliant person.
     
  21. Upvote
    sami got a reaction from Space Merchant in The Holy Spirit   
    Koine Greek: PNEUMA - Hebrew: RUACH?

    In the Christian Greek texts "pneuma" is always designated as a neuter noun - meaning the writers understood it as a what or a which but never a who, let alone a he or him [note for clarification for those who would hope to salvage the "who" for trinity purposes, ho parakleetos is a descriptive masculine noun used in reference to the neuter noun pneuma in John 14:16, 26 and John 15:26. The demonstrative pronoun of ho parakleetos is ekeinos, meaning "that" or "that one." The author has appropriately used ekeinos in reference to ho parakleetos as "that one," whereas most translations incorrectly translate ekeinos as "He." ]

    This is consistent with the Hebrew cognate ruach [the Hebrew word you often see translated as "spirit"], which merely means, literally, in its concrete, an impersonal force which enacts upon other things. Like the "wind" which enacts upon the leaves of a tree and appears to make the tree animate. "Wind" is in fact how the word ruach is first used in the biblical text in Genesis.

    One example: John 3:8, "“The wind [pneuma] blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit [pneuma].” [ESV].

    The same word and gender and form is used in both places. In one instance, those performing the English translation hold true to existing koine Greek grammatical rules - and in the second instance, they blatantly depart from those rules - any suppositions as to why?
  22. Like
    sami got a reaction from Melinda Mills in Should we close our ears to rebels? or opposers?   
    The best text related to the issue being discussed is the data provided by Jesus himself, at Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43, which starts off as follows:

    "Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?" "An enemy did this", he replied. The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them up?" "No", he answered, "because while you are pulling the weeds, you root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn." (NIV)


    Not wanting to allow for a variety of future interpretations of the above parable, Jesus himself, explained it in 13:36-43 as follows: "Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field". He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world [kosmos], and the good seed stands for the sons of the Kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his Kingdom everything that causes sin, and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."


    Jesus explains that while he was on earth he, the "Son of Man", spread a specific message, "the seed of wheat", that resulted eventually in the formation of a body of original followers and/or co-workers, "the wheat". However, when his co-workers, the faithful apostles and their principal associates died, or "went to sleep" [death is compared to a type of sleep in over 700 places in the Hebrew and Christian Greek Scriptures], an enemy, the Devil, over-sowed the body of believers with others, "the weeds", who were not of the same ilk as the original community once was – resulting in a contamination, a negative infusion that proved to compromise that which was established by Jesus and his first followers.


    As noted in the parable, it is only during "the end of the age", the time of the end, the last days, in which one would see a harvesting that would bring together once again the wheat, but now separate from the weeds – indeed, the call made at Revelation 18:4, for his people, to get out.


    Interestingly, the koine Greek word translated as "weeds" is "zizanion" which is a kind of darnel, the bearded type, which significantly resembles wheat in "appearance", but only in appearance [Matthew 7:15-23] – a degenerate wheat.


    Also interesting regarding zizanion, it is not until the time approaching harvest, that the zizanion becomes visible – and it does so because unlike wheat, it puts forth little black seeds at maturity, which become visible, and if eaten, can be deadly. It is the fruit, or "seeds" of this plant, which make it distinguishable from the true wheat.


    The reason why Jesus chose this particular plant by word becomes obvious - the zizanion represented individuals "planted" by the oversower into the developing Christian institution. Who would claim to be genuine Christians, genuine "wheat". According to the parable, this poisoned and contaminated version of "Christianity" would be allowed to persist until the time of the end at which time a separating would transpire, i.e., the restoration.
  23. Thanks
    sami got a reaction from Space Merchant in SHEMA   
    SHEMA Shema (“hear”) is the Hebrew word that begins the most important prayer not only in Judaism, but in Christianity as well. The Shema is found at Deuteronomy 6:4, which begins with the command to “Hear.”
    The word sh'ma in Paleo-Hebrew
    A Hebrew interpretation of the Sh'ma (Hear O Israel)
    Heb., Yehwahʹ ʼElo·hehʹnu Yehwahʹ ʼe·chadhʹ.
    Hear, O Israel: yhwh our God is one yhwh: And you shall love yhwh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4,5)
    Hear
    The Hebrew verb שמע (Sh.M.Ah) means "to hear" but with the Hebraic idea "to pay attention to what is being spoken and act upon it." When Israel "hears" the directions of God, they agree to act upon them (they obey his words). When God "hears" the pleas of Israel in bondage in Egypt, he acts upon them (he rescues Israel).
    One
    The use of the word "one" (ehhad) in this verse is commonly interpreted to mean that there is only "one" God. This verse is specific that yhwh is not only one but his actions are always clear and in unity with himself. (Malachi 3:6 says: “For I am Jehovah; I do not change…) A good example of this is the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. A cloud and fire are opposites—one provides coolness and shade and the other heat and light. Yet, they work together to preserve the people during the day and the night.
    Love
    Love, the Hebrew verb אהב is not an emotion: it is an action. The context of this word in the text indicates that we are to "love" God with our actions, not with our emotions.
    Heart
    The heart, לבב in Hebrew, is the thoughts of the mind, not an emotion as the word is generally understood in western minds. In this passage, we are informed how to "love" Yahweh—by keeping all of our thoughts focused on him.
    Soul
    The Hebrew word נפש (nephesh) is literally the whole of the person. First we are told to love Yahweh with our minds, now with our entire being.

    Might
    The Hebrew word used here is מאד (me'od) and is a very interesting word, especially in the way that it is used in this context. This word is used throughout the Hebrew text as an adverb, intensifying a verb, and is usually translated as very, greatly, or much. This is the only time this word appears as a noun and is best translated as "muchness." This idea of muchness is expanding on the previous two ways we are to love Yahweh, first with our mind, then with our body, and now with everything we have.
    A Re-Translation
    Now that we have examined each word in this passage, to uncover their original meanings in the Hebrew culture, let’s translate it with a more Hebraic flavor.
    "Israel, pay careful attention and respond: Jehovah works in unity with himself: and you shall act upon your love to Jehovah with your thoughts and mind, with your entire body and with everything that you possess."
    The phrase "heart, mind and soul," as it is translated in the RSV, is generally interpreted to mean that we are to love Jehovah with "three" things, but the reality is that this phrase is a form of poetry that is using three synonyms to show that our love for Jehovah is to be all encompassing, beginning with our thoughts, then our bodies, then everything we possess.
     
    The Masoretic Text
    In modern day Hebrew Bibles, this passage is written as follows.
    שמע .1
    ישראל
    יהוה
    אלהינו
    יהוה
    אחד
    Notice that the ayin (ע), the last letter in the first word (written right to left) is written oversized, as is the dalet (ד), the last letter in the last word. When these two letters are placed together, they form the wordעד (eyd, Strong's #5707) meaning "witness." In Judaism, the sh’ma (the name given to this verse as it is the first word in this verse) is Israel’s witness, their statement of faith if you will.
    However, these oversized letters are not found in any ancient scroll such as found in the Dead Sea Caves. They first appear in the Masoretic Hebrew texts from 1,000 A.D. Whether the Masorites added them or not we don't know, in fact the origins of these oversized letters are a mystery.
    Even though these letters do not appear to have been in the original texts, they are still excellent teaching tools.
    The Shema is so important that Jesus used it as the beginning of His answer to the “greatest commandment” question in Mark 12:28–30:
    One of the scribes who had come up and heard them disputing, knowing that he had answered them in a fine way, asked him: “Which commandment is first of all?” 29 Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, 30 and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’
    When Jesus answered with Shema He acknowledged Jehovah God as the most important and that all worship and devotion to Him is the most important of the commandments.
    (Deuteronomy 5:7) You must never have any other gods besides me.
    (Isaiah 42:8) I am Jehovah. That is my name; I give my glory to no one else, Nor my praise to graven images.
    (Zechariah 14:9) And Jehovah will be King over all the earth. In that day Jehovah will be one, and his name one.
    (Mark 12:29) Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah,
     
  24. Upvote
    sami got a reaction from JW Insider in Should we close our ears to rebels? or opposers?   
    We've all been there and done that. Most Witnesses have come from a false religious background. I came from a Roman Catholic background and had aspirations of becoming a nun. I associated with nuns after school, cleaned the classrooms and sang in the choir, so my background was fully vested in the teachings of the Trinity, immortal soul, hellfire, purgatory, limbo, Jesus was Catholic, the infallibility of the Pope - he was god on earth.
    But a life changing experience happened one day, a man came to our door and began to show my mother scriptures proving his point on the areas they discussed. My mother, a strong person who also had deep respect for the Bible listened and in that discussion something touched her heart.
    The young man had his mother revisit my mother and discussed what had previously been initiated by her son. Within the same time frame a Seventh Day Adventist was visiting my mother voicing her version of scripture and offering a Bible study. My mother, in order to make her decision on which one to choose, asked each one to explain what the Sabbath meant and should it still be enforced as in the Law.
    She listened and looked up Scripture and there was no comparison in teaching, she was confident that Jehovah's Witness had the TRUTH of the matter. She began to study the Bible and was baptized in 1952. My mother began to speak about the Bible to her siblings (who were all different religions and scattered around the U.S.) they began to study the Bible and were baptized at different times and places.(4 brothers, 2 sisters and her father and her three children)
    So we've been there and indoctrinated in a variety of different religions before a selfless individual came to our door in obedience to Jesus command at Matthew 19:28,29. Yes, that Good News is being preached in 239 Lands and Islands and in over 900 languages - in over two hundred thousand congregations worldwide.
    The noise that you hear on the internet cannot drown out the preaching of the Good News and the gathering of the sheep. Jesus said: John 10:3" But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The doorkeeper opens to this one, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will by no means follow a stranger but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."
     
    Apostates and other opposers are very busy in these days and the scripture tells us why Ezekiel 29:4 " And I will put hooks in your jaws and cause the fish of your Nile canals to cling to your scales. And I will bring you up out of the midst of your Nile canals and all the fish of your Nile canals that cling to your very scales. 5 And I will abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your Nile canals. Upon the surface of the field you will fall. You will not be gathered up nor be collected together. To the wild beasts of the earth and to the flying creatures of the heavens I will give you for food. 6 And all the inhabitants of Egypt will have to know that I am Jehovah,"
     
    Yes Indeed! Jehovah has put the hooks in the jaws of Satan and his demonic cohorts and they cannot turn back and as Ezekiel's prophecy makes clear, it is for one reason - identify and destroy.
     
    As the apostle Paul points out at 2Corinthians 4: 3 "If, in fact, the good news we declare is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, 4 among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through."
     
     
     
     
  25. Like
    sami reacted to Melinda Mills in Should we close our ears to rebels? or opposers?   
    In a sense Jehovah's Witnesses are like Alex. They did not stay under the authority of the major religions like the Catholic Church, but examined the matter of what the real authority the Bible said, regardless of the consequences,  whereas the majority of persons accept the authority of the Church and its erroneous teachings and refuse to look any further. 
    Hosea 4:6 shows that people will be silenced for lack of knowledge.  Second Thessalonions 1: 6-9 shows that people will undergo judicial punishment because of not knowing God and not obeying the good news. The case above shows the good sense of letting the real authority of the Bible speak. God's true sheep know the sound of the  truth/his voice.  Look at the amazing fruit that resulted when one honest-hearted lady  helped her family to know the truth as well. 
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