John 12.24to28

It is good to respect the authorities. The highest authority is Jehovah. "Render to all their dues: to the one who calls for the tax, the tax; to the one who calls for the tribute, the tribute; to the one who calls for fear, such fear; to the one who calls for honor, such honor. Do not owe anything to anyone except to love one another; for whoever loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. For the law code, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, you must not covet,” and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this saying: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore, love is the law’s fulfillment." I am glad you respect the copyright people so much, Tom. It's good to see your love in action. I can tell you really care about those people who make the copyright laws, and you are concerned for their welfare. (Somebody has to care about the poor Watchtower lawyers...) I care about them too. That's why I wrote to them so many times about what's going to happen soon at Bethel.

"After they arrived in Ca·perʹna·um, the men collecting the two drachmas tax approached Peter and said: “Does your teacher not pay the two drachmas tax?” He said: “Yes.” However, when he entered the house, Jesus spoke to him first and said: “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive duties or head tax? From their sons or from the strangers?” When he said: “From the strangers,” Jesus said to him: “Really, then, the sons are tax-free." If the FDS wants to sue a faithful member of the bride of Christ for making use of the publications to share light, just add it to their running tab. Jesus will make an accounting.

We kinda look alike. I don't know if they'll be beards allowed. Isn't it only beard fractions that are approved by the FDS? Guess we'll be okay.

Trigonometry, my dear @boyle. "sine of any angle theta is equal to 180 degrees minus the sine of angle theta" sin (180° - θ) = sin (90° + 90° - θ) = sin [90° + (90° - θ)] = cos (90° - θ), [since sin (90° + θ) = cos θ] Therefore, sin (180° - θ) = sin θ, [since cos (90° - θ) = sin θ] How is it possible that a ratio of an angle is equal to a ratio of 180 minus that same angle? Because of patterns. The sine curve has a pattern that, when graphed on the unit circle, repeats itself so that in other quadrants you can use the above equation to find that angle theta. It's not illogical. It's trigonometry. Jehovah invented it. I'm not a mathematician, so I apologize if that illustration wasn't executed perfectly. If you're not into trigonometry, here's a different illustration: Jehovah uses patterns. Jesus is a pattern for the rest of those who become part of his bride. Jesus was resurrected and he materialized a body here on earth. People ate with him, talked to him, touched him, saw him ascend to heaven. He said he was coming back again. "Truly I say to you, you will be with me in Paradise." "I will not drink anymore the product of the vine until I drink it with you in the kingdom." Jesus and his anointed ones will be on the earth again because they can materialize bodies, just like angels did back in Bible times. If you don't accept the Bible as sound teaching, well, I can't help you with that. That's something you'll have to talk to Jehovah about. Do you like dumb Banana jokes? "I am going bananas!" (That's what I say to my bananas before I leave the house.) You need to be extra nice to bananas, do you know why? You don't want to hurt their peelings! What's yellow and goes 30 mph? A banana in a washing machine. What's the hippest kind of fruit? A bae-nae-nae. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Today I learned humans eat more bananas than monkeys. (That makes sense, I can't remember ever eating a monkey.) How is a banana peel on the floor like music? If you don't C sharp you'll B flat. What to hear a potassium joke? K. It's not my reasoning, it's God's Word. Jehovah is the One who said it in His Word: "During his life on earth, Christ offered up supplications and also petitions, with strong outcries and tears, to the One who was able to save him out of death, and he was favorably heard for his godly fear. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. And after he had been made perfect, he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him..." Jesus was a perfect son of God, but he wasn't perfect for the job of high priest until after he came and suffered on earth. He was made perfect for the job of high priest through suffering on earth. He wasn't perfect for the job until after he suffered. It's right in that verse. God's reasoning. Again, see the above. Jehovah is the One who said Jesus needed special training for his new role. Yes, and part of that responsibility is to let the light shine, the things revealed by the helper, the holy spirit. Jesus said he would send that spirit, the helper, and they all had the responsibility to share that information with others. Every faithful follower is a part of Christ's body by extension, just like children come out of their father's body by extension. A wife is different than a child. Jesus came out of Jehovah, Jesus is Jehovah's Son, but Jesus is also part of God's "wife" in that the angels are compositely called God's wife, the Jerusalem above. The word "body" is an illustration regarding the anointed. When they go to heaven, they are in a submissive role like a wife. Those who will live as humans on earth are not in that same role. All faithful followers are "children" in that they are redeemed by the blood of the Christ, who takes Adam's place as our father. But only the 144,000 will be like that "wife" role in the kingdom. The anointed are all sealed at present. Yes. "But take your stand against him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by the entire association of your brothers in the world." "In reply he said to the one who spoke to him: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And extending his hand toward his disciples, he said: “Look! My mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, that one is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus didn't say a "brother" was only somebody with the label of "one of Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing according to the Bethel office." Jesus said "whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, that one is my brother." I trust Jesus. It's from Revelation chapter 12. "Then a great sign was seen in heaven: A woman was arrayed with the sun, and the moon was beneath her feet, and on her head was a crown of 12 stars, and she was pregnant. And she was crying out in her pains and in her agony to give birth. Another sign was seen in heaven. Look! A great fiery-colored dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and on its heads seven diadems; and its tail drags a third of the stars of heaven, and it hurled them down to the earth. And the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth, it might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God and where they would feed her for 1,260 days." Agape love is shown to all, not just true followers. Other kinds of love, brotherly love, family love, are shown to individuals based on our relationship with them. But agape love is shown regardless of whether someone chooses to serve God or not. "You heard that it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? Are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing? And if you greet your brothers only, what extraordinary thing are you doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing? You must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Hey, there, Boilsey-Woilsey, you are not forgotten! We learn about that process by studying how Jesus was prepared. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. And after he had been made perfect, he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him..." Jesus was "made perfect" for the job ahead by means of suffering on earth. He didn't need special training in heaven. His training was on earth. The anointed are prepared for their heavenly assignment by means of what they suffer here on earth. "...because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh.” This sacred secret is great. Now I am speaking about Christ and the congregation." "For just as the body is one but has many members, and all the members of that body, although many, are one body, so too is the Christ." "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and I am undergoing the tribulations of the Christ that are yet lacking in my flesh in behalf of his body, which is the congregation." "Consequently, he had to become like his “brothers” in all respects, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, in order to offer a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the people. Since he himself has suffered when being put to the test, he is able to come to the aid of those who are being put to the test." Jesus and the anointed will understand what it's like to suffer. Some of them have suffered through concentration camps. Some of them have suffered other abuses of various kinds. Some of them have been tempted in different ways and failed but then later have come off successful. Some of them have been disfellowshipped. Some of them have lost loved ones in death. Some of them have dealt with sickness personally, or addictions, or economic woes. Some of them etc, etc, etc, .... They also understand what it's like to suffer so that they can minister and judge righteously and compassionately in their future assignment. The "body" of the Christ (the congregation of 144,000) has experienced sufficient suffering to be prepared for the job ahead. That is how they are prepared and trained. "But take your stand against him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by the entire association of your brothers in the world. But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all undeserved kindness, who called you to his everlasting glory in union with Christ, will himself finish your training. He will make you firm, he will make you strong, he will firmly ground you. To him be the might forever. Amen." The preparation/training of the anointed is while they are on earth. Once they are changed into spirit creatures, they will not need any special training to know how to defend their earthly brothers at Armageddon. When a baby is in the womb, did it receive any special "training" to know how to breathe once it's out? "At 40 weeks, labor starts. The mother’s uterine muscles contract and the baby is on its way out into the world. In the process its head is often pressed out of shape, but, since its skull bones have not yet fused together, after delivery the head resumes its normal shape. Up until now the mother has done everything for the baby: provided oxygen, food, protection, warmth and also for the removal of wastes. Now the baby must go to work for itself, quickly, or it will die. "For a baby to live outside the womb, what changes must take place quickly? "It must start breathing in order for the lungs to put oxygen into the blood. But to do this another drastic conversion must take place instantaneously: the pathway of the circulating blood must change! While the fetus was in the womb, there was a hole in the wall of its heart. That wall separated the right and left chambers and kept much of the baby’s blood from ever going toward the lungs. Of the blood that did, a large vessel made most of it bypass the lungs. In the womb, only about 10 percent of the blood went through the lungs; after birth all of it must do so, and immediately! To accomplish this, within seconds after birth the big vessel that bypassed the lungs constricts and the blood that went through it now goes to the lungs. Meanwhile the hole in the wall of the heart closes, and all the blood pumped from the right side of the heart now goes to the lungs to be oxygenated. The baby breathes, the blood is oxygenated, dramatic changes have been made and the baby lives! As the inspired psalmist so beautifully sums it up: “You kept me screened off in the belly of my mother. I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made.”—Psalm 139:13, 14." (from Making Your Family Life Happy p 83-84) Jehovah Causes To Become. If He can make a helpless little baby understand how to breathe for the first time without any special classes, then certainly He can cause His resurrected witnesses to understand how to protect sheep and beat dragons. (If a dragon was coming at your kids and you suddenly had "superpowers", what would you do? Would you need a training class to know what to do? David didn't need a training class when it was time to slay Goliath. He already had enough training. All he needed was one pebble and a sling.) "You will break them with an iron scepter, And you will smash them like a piece of pottery." "Just the same, hold fast to what you have until I come. And to the one who conquers and observes my deeds down to the end, I will give authority over the nations, and he will shepherd the people with an iron rod so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels, just as I have received from my Father." Will the anointed need special training in heaven to learn how to smash pottery? What do you think @boyle? No. They will not need special training in heaven to learn how to smash pottery. But this is what they do need for training now: "But speaking the truth, let us by love grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ. From him all the body is harmoniously joined together and made to cooperate through every joint that gives what is needed. When each respective member functions properly, this contributes to the growth of the body as it builds itself up in love." Love. "So now, you kings, show insight; Accept correction, you judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Honor the son, or God will become indignant And you will perish from the way, For His anger flares up quickly. Happy are all those taking refuge in Him."

If you're going shopping, you might consider getting a doghouse with more windows. I think this one is really cool...it's the one the Paw Patrol lives in (Marshall is my favorite because he's also a Tripp - he falls down at the intro of every episode.) (It also has a cool slide...)

Not sure, but somebody told me once that Nehemiah gets a good deal on stockings...

The Bible does NOT say that the anointed are going to be resurrected invisibly. There is NO teaching in the Bible that even slightly implies their resurrection will be invisible. All the resurrections in the Bible had witnesses on earth, for the sake of glorifying Jehovah and magnifying His Holy Name. Jehovah will be praised when the anointed are resurrected and everybody sees it. "After the three and a half days, spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them: “Come up here.” And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them. In that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; and 7,000 persons were killed by the earthquake, and the rest became frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven." When the anointed are resurrected, it will be like a figurative "earthquake" because it will shock people. (In ancient Israel, Jehovah said to Elijah "I have 7,000 remaining who have not bent the knee to Baal".) Revelation shows that there will be some people on earth who will figuratively "wake up and worship Jehovah" when they see the anointed get resurrected. Everyone will glorify Jehovah when they see him resurrect the anointed ones. They will have to know that He Is Jehovah.

"Window test"😁

...and they saw him go.

...met with them before ascending to heaven...

...had something to eat with the disciples...

...hung out with Peter...

...talked with Mary Magdalene...

Can you visualize a spirit creature talking with people on earth, eating with people on earth, interacting with people on earth? Here is some help with that... Jesus was resurrected as a spirit creature (not a human any more) when he...

When Jesus was resurrected, did people on earth see him before he went to heaven? Was it invisible, or not? Could people see him, touch him, talk with him, eat with him?

Jesus didn't get resurrected until after he died. Simple summary version: You don't need to resurrect someone who isn't dead. The anointed will not be resurrected piecemeal, they are resurrected all together. They are part of a body, Christ's body, the congregation of 144,000. They are also figuratively called "the bride". Since the Bible shows the anointed will not all be dead during the time of the attack on Babylon the Great, the body of 144,000, or "the bride", will not need to be resurrected yet. "The marriage of the Lamb" is when the complete "bride" goes home with him. That "prostitute", Babylon the Great, will be executed before the "marriage" takes place. Praise Jehovah.

Once Jesus takes the throne, he will kick Satan out of heaven. Satan will be so angry, he will be intent on trying to get even with Jehovah and Jesus. That is when Satan will use the UN to attack all religious institutions. The angels will protect faithful ones during that time, but Jehovah will allow the UN to remove fakers from God's organization and destroy to the parts of Jehovah's Witnesses that are "weeds" or like Babylon. Satan will begin his attack at the Bethels and KHs because he knows they are associated with the organization God is using. True witnesses of Jehovah will survive only because the angels of the congregations will protect them, just like when Jerusalem of old was attacked by the nations. Jesus knows who is "sighing and groaning" over the things going on in the organization, and such ones will survive the attack on religion. When Jehovah's true worshippers survive and still are worshipping Jehovah, it will be evidence that Jehovah is the true God. There will still be a witnessing work to do. The people who lost their religious institutions but still love God will join us in worshipping Jehovah, just like some Egyptians converted during and after the plagues on their false gods. The "great crowd" is not made up of people who are "other sheep" right now. (The "other sheep" are already part of "Israel" figuratively. Those with the heavenly hope and the earthly hope who worship Jehovah and know Him are all one flock, Israel, in that sense.) The "great crowd" will be made up of people who don't know Jehovah yet but decide to "come with us" after they see what Jehovah does to save us during the first part of the tribulation. Anyway, the anointed will still be on the earth at that time. The scriptures say they have more work to do on earth during that time. "And they said to me: “You must prophesy again about peoples and nations and tongues and many kings."" The anointed are not "killed" by the UN until later in the tribulation. "When they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will wage war with them and conquer them and kill them." So that's why we know the heavenly resurrection doesn't happen until after Babylon the Great is destroyed.

Jesus tells the anointed that they will take part in the battle of Armageddon. "Just the same, hold fast to what you have until I come. And to the one who conquers and observes my deeds down to the end, I will give authority over the nations, and he will shepherd the people with an iron rod so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels, just as I have received from my Father." If the anointed were still on earth during Armageddon, then they wouldn't be allowed to take part in the battle, because Jesus said no human should take up the sword in that way. The anointed will not be humans anymore at the time of Armageddon, because they will all have been changed into a new creation by then and they will have taken their places in the kingdom arrangement.

"They shouted with a loud voice, saying: “Until when, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, are you refraining from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the number was filled of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they had been." The anointed who already died have to wait until all the other anointed are sealed first before the resurrections can begin. "And they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them: “Come up here.” And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them." Everyone will see when the resurrection happens. "If we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection." The anointed are resurrected in the same way as Jesus was. "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, yes, that he was raised up on the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he appeared to Ceʹphas, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still with us, though some have fallen asleep in death. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. But last of all he appeared also to me as if to one born prematurely." It will not be an "invisible presence" thing. You will know have evidence that the resurrection of the anointed happened because of the "window test". "While they were speaking of these things, he himself stood in their midst and said to them: “May you have peace.” But because they were terrified and frightened, they imagined that they were seeing a spirit. So he said to them: “Why are you troubled, and why have doubts come up in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones just as you see that I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. But while they were still not believing for sheer joy and amazement, he said to them: “Do you have something there to eat?” So they handed him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it before their eyes."

"Moreover, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who are sleeping in death, so that you may not sorrow as the rest do who have no hope. For if we have faith that Jesus died and rose again, so too God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in death through Jesus. For this is what we tell you by Jehovah’s word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death; because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first. Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. So keep comforting one another with these words." Paul said the anointed who are sleeping in death will rise when Jesus descends from heaven to resurrect them. Jesus comes with a commanding call, an archangel's voice, with God's trumpet. It'll be really "loud". Everybody will know. (The "window" test thing - the windows will break, so-to-speak.) Then the anointed who haven't died yet will be changed. And all together the anointed will go into the kingdom arrangement. The marriage of the Lamb is when they are joined into the kingdom arrangement with Christ. They all go at once. The anointed can't be resurrected until after Babylon the Great is destroyed, because Revelation says it's not until after all the anointed are sealed that Babylon is destroyed and the Bible says the angels don't come and gather the anointed until after that. Jesus died. He was resurrected. After he was resurrected, he materialized a body and hung out with his disciples before he ascended to heaven. Hundreds of people saw him. He ate with them, talked with them, hugged them. It will be the same when the anointed are resurrected and changed into spirit creatures. They will materialize bodies and be able to hang out. Everybody will know. The "marriage" is "consummated" by the act of Armageddon. The 144,000 join Jesus in crushing the rebels who are attacking the children on earth. The Bible shows that the anointed are all in heaven at that point in order to fulfill that part of the prophecy. That's how we know they are resurrected to heaven before Armageddon.

I'm not really a movie person, but I think it was nice you wanted to recommend one that you like. (My family did enjoy the falafel after you recommended it.) Maybe you could say what you liked about the movie, @Matthew9969?

"A boil is a hard and painful lump that fills with pus. Most boils go away on their own." (nhs) "But reject empty speeches that violate what is holy, for they will lead to more and more ungodliness, and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·naeʹus and Phi·leʹtus are among them. These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some. Despite that, the solid foundation of God remains standing, having this seal, “Jehovah knows those who belong to him,” and, “Let everyone calling on the name of Jehovah renounce unrighteousness.”" Back on the topic of "heavenly resurrection", I guess it's no surprise that some today think the heavenly resurrection of the anointed already occurred. The "window test" shows that it didn't happen yet. Those anointed ones who are asleep in death will be resurrected at the appointed time. "There is an appointed time for everything, A time for every activity under the heavens: A time for birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted; A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up; A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to wail and a time to dance; A time to throw stones away and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away; A time to rip apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak; A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace." (I think it's time for me to get some sleep!) Good night for now!😁

Here are some interesting quotes by Boyle Roche, Irish politician (1736-1807): "Mr Speaker, I smell a rat; I see him forming in the air and darkening the sky; but I will nip him in the bud." "The only thing to prevent what's past is to put a stop to it before it happens." "Half the lies our opponents tell about us are untrue." "Every pint bottle should contain a quart." "I answer in the affirmative with an emphatic 'No.'" No wonder politicians get a bad reputation!

Or maybe it's more like Robert Boyle? Sounds like he's kind of into particle theory... "Corpuscularianism (from the Latin corpusculum meaning "little body") is a set of theories that explain natural transformations as a result of the interaction of particles(minima naturalia, partes exiles, partes parvae, particulae, and semina).[1] It differs from atomism in that corpuscles are usually endowed with a property of their own and are further divisible, while atoms are neither. Although often associated with the emergence of early modern mechanical philosophy, and especially with the names of Thomas Hobbes,[2] René Descartes,[3] Pierre Gassendi,[4] Robert Boyle,[4] Isaac Newton,[5] and John Locke,[4] corpuscularian theories can be found throughout the history of Western philosophy." (wikipedia)