Evacuated

The way I understand this is much better expressed in scripture, e.g. Rev. 7:14. Certainly, remaining united within the true Christian congregation, whatever form it takes, and however it is directed, will enable those faithful servants of Jehovah who are remaining at that time(no limitation on numbers implied) to survive the great tribulation and Armageddon.

Wise observation. I mean, are the Russian authorities going to assist in the verification of this?

Just a P.S. really. Ambiguity and misunderstanding can arise when using the word "devote". It has a range of meanings today that may obscure understanding the word as it is used in the NWT to translate original language expressions in mostly the Hebrew and to a lesser extent the Greek Scriptures. Exodus 20:5 is relevant in this context; also 1Tim 4:8. As is the Miriam Webster definition: Definition of devotion 1a : religious fervor : piety 1b : an act of prayer or private worship —usually used in plural during his morning devotions c : a religious exercise or practice other than the regular corporate (see corporate 2) worship of a congregation 2a : the act of dedicating something to a cause, enterprise, or activity : the act of devoting; the devotion of a great deal of time and energy 2b : the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal "her devotion to the cause"; filial devotion 3 (obsolete) : the object of one's devotion Probably another thread required to take this further.

Trying to get a picture of the Ministry of Justice witnesses and testimony but it is difficult to get any thing further than: Natalia Koretskaya. JW for 14 years. Disfellowshipped in 2009 for immorality?? Pavel Zverev. JW at young age. Seems to have spent 2 years as a cook in Bethel after having been "dissuaded" from seeking further education at age 16yrs? Nina Petrova. In organisation for 28 years! and pressured not to have a family until too late? A fourth witness is not detailed. There seems to be additional issues for some with depression and alcoholism after "quitting" the organisation. They all seem of the view that they were subject to "total control" whilst with Jehovah's Witnesses. (Perhaps not completely "total" as they seem to be no longer associated.) If the judge is expressing lack of clarity on the objective of the MOJ presentation with all the information at their disposal, what hope do we have when subjected to these obscured accounts? I understand @JamesThomasRook 's frustration on reporting from both sides of the matter expressed elsewhere.

Has something been mispelt here? I've liked on the basis of what I think you mean. Anyway, I would be concerned if the Society did not invest prudently a proportion of its assets. I would see otherwise as a negligent mismanagement of donated resources.

Excellent! I couldn't find them on the file name alone and was going to have a trawl now as I am just back from the meeting. Thanks for the reference.

These are interesting. Where did they come from?

This is very illuminating and encouraging information. It's not just what they say, but who they are and what they are doing with their lives that demonstrates the false nature of this accusation of extremism. Can we get any background on the prosecution witnesses?

Just seemed a hint of presupposition that an "Extraterrestrial sentient life form" would have a need of baptism. Apologies for any misunderstanding. https://www.theworldnewsmedia.org/topic/22527-jws-in-space/

Sorry to pop this terracentic bubble, but isn't it basically exhibiting alienophobic tendencies? (Can't see a way to effectively hijack the word "alienist" at the moment!)

In a sense, YES Why do we even want to find common ground on this? I could tolerate that "Easter", (or more specifically, "Good Friday"), could be viewed as Christendom's version of the Memorial. But really....which came first? The (true) Christians or the Egg??

Is that your personal view? Very good observation. I suspect that the apostles had many questions like this when Jesus commanded them to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations". And they had no idea of the scope of this work in the detailed manner that is possible for us in these times. Of course, Jesus last words at that time guaranteed success right down to our day and beyond :"And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things." Matt. 28:18-20.

Good question. Sounds like he feels passionate about his view. Couple of points that interested me. First, he said that only 3 countries in the world have no Jehovahs Witnesses now: Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan. Can anyone verify or corroborate this? Second he said that now that the good news has been preached ( I won't take issue with that here), the very next prophecy to be fulfilled is Rev.17:15-17, the destruction of Babylon the Great. Is he right on this? Did I miss something? Recently I read the following in God's Kingdom Rules; Page 222-3; paras 3-4: Precursor of “Sudden Destruction” 3 Proclaiming peace. In writing to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul described the first development that we are awaiting. (Read 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3.) In this letter Paul mentions “Jehovah’s day,” which will begin with the attack on “Babylon the Great.” (Rev. 17:5) However, just before Jehovah’s day begins, nations will be saying, “Peace and security!” This expression may refer to one pronouncement or to a series of notable statements. Will religious leaders be involved? Since they are part of the world, they will possibly join the nations in saying, “There is peace!” (Jer. 6:14; 23:16, 17; Rev. 17:1, 2) This proclaiming of peace and security will signal that the day of Jehovah is about to begin. Enemies of God’s Kingdom “will by no means escape.” 4 How do we benefit from understanding the significance of this prophecy? Paul states: “You are not in darkness, so that the day should overtake you as it would thieves.” (1 Thess. 5:3, 4) Unlike people in general, we discern where current events are heading. In exactly what manner will this prophecy about peace and security be fulfilled? We must wait and see how the world scene develops. Therefore, “let us stay awake and keep our senses.”—1 Thess. 5:6; Zeph. 3:8. So, does this brother know something I don't know?

Which day is this? Some relevance here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39153121

Only?

Yes, I agree that @bruceq does good work. Unfortunately, my browser displays the posting times irritatingly out of sync with the text in the forum postings so I have to use side by side with the original anyway. Hopefully not everyone's problem.

No, not at all. No mention of messengers in my post. The message, however, was my focus. Sorry if that was not clear.

Why does this thread keep making me think of Ecclesiastes 7:16 "Do not be overly righteous, nor show yourself excessively wise. Why should you bring ruin to yourself?" http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/7-16.htm

How do you apply this?

JWs in Russian Supreme Court Best available so far.

Fact is that humans have given their lives for all manner of causes, real and imagined, religious and secular, admired and condemned by others. It is an extraordinary feature of humans that, throughout history, some are prepared to place principle above immediate personal survival. This has been exploited by religious and political schemers throughout that same history. Jehovah made man this way, and recognised it in tolerating Satan's cynical and false assertion that “Skin for skin. A man will give everything that he has for his life" (Job 2:4). In fact, and to the contrary, a man will give his life for everything that he holds dear. In his attempt to prove otherwise, Satan has caused many lives to be sacrificed, not the least those described at Ps.116:15: "Costly [Lit. Precious] in the eyes of Jehovah Is the death of his loyal ones.". It is true that the relative, though sadly often only temporary, peace many of us presently enjoy has been hard won by the sacrifice of brave men and women, who regardless of their ignorance of the real issue, have served to prove the Devil's lie. It is reassuring to contemplate that their lives have not been wasted. In the coming Messianic kingdom, even those countless "Unknown Soldiers" will be back to tell their stories, and to embrace at last "the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ" 2Cor. 4:4. This is something far better than plaques and statues, memorial days and moments of mass silence. Or the embittered tears of fatherless, motherless, brotherless, sisterless families. Then they will learn about the greatest and most efficacious sacrifice ever made, the Ransom Sacrifice of Jehovahs greatest warrior, His Son, Jesus Christ. And that event all who love Jehovah in the world today will be commemorating on Tuesday 11 April 2017 after sundown. And we can now do this shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Russia, knowing that Jehovah has given them this brief respite. And we can pray that Jehovah will fortify them for the uncertainty of the coming days as they too prove the lie to Satan's claim that “Skin for skin. A man will give everything that he has for his life".

BBC World Service report. BBC Newshour-5 April 2017.mp3

Interesting discussion. Something which came to mind for me reading this. We obviously cannot be any more certain of Isaac's age than the suggestion in the Insight book. The term "At any rate" is often used to modify the preceding statement in a sentence. In this case, the defining of a specific age for Isaac in Jewish tradition being speculative, the writer prefers reasoning on the task Isaac is carrying out as a preferable indicator of his age. In view of the comparison with Jesus, I would feel a need to place Isaac toward the upper end of the age spectrum here. However, that would be a personal judgement. Another interesting question for me relating to the demonstration of faith here would be in connection with Abraham's statement that "God himself will provide the sheep". Was Abraham using a strategy as a consideration for Isaac's inadequate faith? Or was it a prophetic utterence, regarding the yet to be clarified ransom provision? After all, even the High Priest Caiaphas prophesied regarding the ransom without understanding the significance of his words (Jo 11:49-52).

Which one was this? They can indeed.......and do extensively. But there is a gentle reminder at Proverbs 27:2...... "Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; Others, and not your own lips."

Phew!!! Emotions understandably are running high over the issues faced by our dear brothers in Russia. Our sense of justice is outraged by the treatment meted out to our brothers, especially when we see videos like above. Let's not forget that the roaring of the lion (1Pet.5:8) is aimed to frighten and confuse the sheep. The last thing we want is to be bickering with each other over how to best support our brothers at this time. Recognise that oppression can drive even the wise one into madness (Ecc.7:7). We can be sure that the Head of the congregation, Jesus, is as well aware of what is happening to our brothers now as he was in the 1st Century in connection with the congregation in Smyrna (Rev.2:8-11). We have been provided with our current publicity strategy by the Governing Body, and are yet to see the impact of this. Additional action has been taken under theocratic direction as reported on https://jw-russia.org/news on 31/3/2017. The Society has posted videos and news reports on oppressive action both recently and in the past on jw.org, even naming brothers where appropiate. As for sympathisers (either Witnesses or non-witnesses) posting videos and information under their own authorisation, this is a matter for them and their own consciences. It would hardly be appropriate for we, who demand freedom of expression for ourselves especially in religious matters, to restrict that right for others. However, with every excercise of freedom there is a price to be paid and a consideration on how our actions effect others. In fairness to @Lussier Denis, the campaign instructions do contain the request: "Do not mention the names of individuals in Russia who are Jehovah’s Witnesses.". We need to apply the words of Proverbs 20:1 here: "by skillful direction wage your war", and for Jehovah's Witnesses, that skillful direction will come from the Head of the Congregation, Jesus Christ, and through the instructions given by the Governing Body and it is through following these that victory will come. It will not come through individually initiated skirmishing, independent of that "skilfull direction" and the inevitable disunity such action brings.