Teresa Morales

On 10/22/2016 at 9:15 AM, HollyW said:

Notice, Teresa, that you are disagreeing with the founder of your religion, C.T. Russell, because HE is the one who set out the proof that his calculations for 1914 were Biblical.  None of his proofs proved to be true.  It is HIS REASONING you are arguing against, not mine.

I respectfully remind you that Christ is the "head of the congregation." True followers of Christ Jesus do not lean so heavily on one mans opinions that if or when those opinions show themselves to be unreliable, they completely lose faith in their whole belief structure. Russell was instrumental in helping cleanse the Bible Stidents of false Christian beliefs and traditions of men. But the faith shared commonly among JW's is based on truths from the Bible, not opinions of men. 

1 hour ago, Teresa Morales said:

I apologize for my lack of technical navigation skills here on this site...

 

Regarding where Ann O'Maly said...

 I think you are conflating Jesus' words with Peter's. There is no indication that the antediluvians were questioning Jesus' promised presence. Moreover, they simply 'did not know' when the Flood was coming until it was upon them and took them by surprise (this is the whole point of the illustration - like the Flood, Jesus' Parousia will be unpredictable). 

"Unpredictable" is not in keeping with the spirit in which Jesus was giving answer to his disciples. The mere fact that Jesus stated the things that would indicate the "conclusion" of this system of things, and adding that no one knows the "day or the hour," (not year or decade) Jesus would not have said to "keep on the watch" if there wasn't to be anything to "watch" for... 

On 10/15/2016 at 2:40 PM, Teresa Morales said:

On 10/13/2016 at 0:40 PM, Ann O'Maly said:

 

Given that Jesus mentioned 'common' problems and conditions (and instructed his disciples not to be misled by those 'signs' - Matt. 24:4f.; also cp. v. 44), what specific changes in world conditions did Jesus point to that unequivocally pinpoint when the 'conclusion of the system of things' and the downfall of Satan and his demons would be? 

The only increase Jesus mentioned was the "increasing of lawlessness" (24:12). Statistically, crime rates fluctuate but mainly have been on a downward trend.

As far as homicide goes, it was much more dangerous to live in centuries past.

https://ourworldindata.org/homicides/

I doubt that men of old were ecologically aware like we are today, so did John of Patmos have 'ecological' ruining in mind?

That's a very blanket statement. There are multiple issues - social, moral, economic, health, ecological, etc., etc. Some problems are fixed, some aren't or can't be at the moment, and some are being worked on.

I think you are conflating Jesus' words with Peter's. There is no indication that the antediluvians were questioning Jesus' promised presence. Moreover, they simply 'did not know' when the Flood was coming until it was upon them and took them by surprise (this is the whole point of the illustration - like the Flood, Jesus' Parousia will be unpredictable). 

The NWT poorly renders the Greek as 'took no note' in this verse. As a sidebar, compare the changed rendering in the rNWT with that in the older NWT at John 17:3. The same word ginōskō used there is also used in Jesus' illustration, but in the latter instance, the antediluvians did not 'know' or 'come to know.'

How do you account for the better success and growth of other Christian religions? For example, the JWs' distant cousins, the Seventh Day Adventists, have been around for about the same time and yet in 2014 they had over 18 million members, missions all over the world, preaching in over 900 languages, as well as health care ministries, educational programs and relief agencies.

https://www.adventist.org/en/information/statistics/article/go/-/seventh-day-adventist-world-church-statistics-2014/

Has God been backing, blessing and supporting the SDA church too?

Hard to do if you're half a world away from it. A more pertinent question for Christians is, "Biblically-speaking, what or who corresponds to the ark during the Gospel Age?"

On the objective fact that the 'Gentile' governments are still in administration upon the everyday affairs of Planet Earth.

See comments above.

The whole world isn't in frenzied chaos. If you were living in Aleppo or similar, you might be forgiven for thinking so at the moment. Are you living in Aleppo? Or are you living peacefully in your home, able to go to the market, drive to work, openly worship at your KH and evangelize door-to-door? If so, it suggests a measure of community and governmental stability, does it not - the opposite of 'frenzy' and 'chaos'?

What you are in effect saying is, as far as we and our lifespans are concerned, the term 'very short' is meaningless since it's only relative to the vast timescales of supernatural beings. Consequently, Satan's 'very short' time could yet run to thousands, or hundreds of thousands, or millions of years - a blink of an eye considering the billions of years he and our planet have existed. ... Which brings us full circle to my initial questions:

How do you know you will see it in your lifetime? How do you know that you and your generation will be the one?
 

So far you have presented various eisegetical perceptions and suppositions that do not match with observable reality.

 

You are forgetting the part where Jesus said that "this generation" would not pass away until all of these things occur... Therefore, no, it could not go on for hundreds of years more. 

Also, no, Jehovah is not backing the SDA's because they have not followed the command to "get out of" or separate themselves from "Babylon the Great" thereby not allowing themselves to be "a people for Gods name." 

On 10/16/2016 at 2:55 AM, HollyW said:

Did, or have, any of those events happen?  No.  So by what Russell himself said, that shows his calculations for 1914 were not based on the Bible.

I strongly disagree...

What Russell said doesn't, in my opinion, show his calculations for 1914 to be wrong. It only shows that his expectations of what that dates significance would mean for the immediate state of the world and its affairs were not taking several things into account. 

To buy into your reasoning would be like saying that because Noah built the ark big enough to support several other people getting onboard, the fact that no one else did proves that the flood wasn't actually a result of Jehovah bringing judgement upon mankind due to his displeasure concerning the conditions that prevailed at that time in history! Preposterous! 

The fact that the Gentile Times ended in 1914 did not ever hinge upon mankinds understanding of what exactly that would mean or not mean regarding the fulfillment of prophecy that may or may not have been fully understood at that time...

On 8/23/2016 at 0:51 PM, HollyW said:

Even though it would mark a turning away from what they had said was the truth, I don't think the men on the WTS GB would consider their actions to be apostasy, even though that IS their definition of it.  More likely it will read something similar to the presentation of changed beliefs used in the 11/15/2016 WT:

For many years, this journal suggested that the times of the Gentiles ended in 1914 and "the one who has the legal right" to the Davidic crown, Jesus Christ, became King in that year. However, for reasons that we shall outline in this article and in the one following, a re-examination of the subject was necessary.  

 

This is a BLATANT MISQUOTE!

 I'm not sure if it was manufactured by you or sent to you this way, however, I have poured over the Nov 2016 Watchtower magazine and the above comment is partly a quote(out of context) and mostly conjured from thin air! 

In light of this realization, I withdraw from this conversation as it is not necessary to banter with those who are willing to align themselves with Babylonish teachings and lack reasonableness and common sense. 

See jw.org to view this magazine for its actual comments. I believe the relevant points are in the article "Called Out Of Darkness."

On 8/29/2016 at 2:12 PM, HollyW said:

If your opinion is not  that it really doesn't matter if the Gentile times ended in 1914 or not, could you clarify by stating clearly what your opinion is please.   

From what you've already posted, that is clearly what your opinion is.  

Isn't that why you said the Bible would still hold true even if 1914 doesn't, so it really doesn't matter if the Gentile times didn't end in 1914. 

Isn't that why you said you'd be sticking with the faithful ones in Hebrews 11 who  'received a favorable witness because of their faith', since to them, it really doesn't matter if the Gentile time didn't end in 1914.

Isn't that why you pointed out that "Jesus as Head of the Congregation is just as alert today as he was in the 1st Century", so it really doesn't matter if the Gentile times didn't end in 1914.

Isn't that why you said "Discussions and expectations about dates have presumably been going on one way or another ever since Jesus said he would return" so it really doesn't matter if the Gentile time didn't end in 1914.

And Isn't that why said "Jehovah's Witnesses continue to develop, grow, prosper, and seem to be successful in whatever they turn their hands to", so it really doesn't matter if the Gentile times didn't end in 1914.

Clearly that is what Teresa is saying, that she's ready and willing to adjust her thinking to brighter new spiritual light on this when it comes, so it really doesn't matter if the Gentile times didn't end in 1914.  

I don't understand your reason for questioning the validity of 1914 being the end of the Gentile Times? What should have happened that didn't?

On 8/23/2016 at 3:00 AM, HollyW said:

I think that's what we're talking about, Eoin----there's every reason to expect change in the future, even of the date 1914 for the end of the Gentile times.  And when that change takes place, there will be a number of other teachings that will go with it.

I don't believe there is any reason to expect changes to our understanding regarding the "Gentile Times" ending in 1914. However, if there are changes, they will be based on clearer understanding of the scriptures and will be explained well. Therefore, it will be another example of the "light getting brighter." 

 

11 hours ago, JW Insider said:

10 birds or only 9?

Maybe 11? lol 

Are there 3 back with the boats? One to the left and 2 in between?

Isn't it beautiful the way we are guided by love, to follow the direction outlined in our publications? The world is so determined to desensitize us toward harmful trends that may on the surface seem innocent, yet beneath the surface, are designed to blur the line between modest and suggestive of an unwholesome lifestyle that some young ones may not even be aware of.