JW Convention 2018 Final Video - English Version

[TrueTomHarley]

1 hour ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

Thank you for correcting me,. where I was wrong about the 10,000.

I sincerely wish someone COULD correct me about the rest of my post.

That is three posts in a row, and as usual, you are evading the issue, an issue that you brought up in the first place.

How did it turn out with Sarah and the Terminator?

[Anna]

1 hour ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

I sincerely wish someone COULD correct me about the rest of my post.

Ok, here goes:  there may be evidence that we don't know of. We don't know everything. So the correct thing to say would be YOU haven't seen any evidence. There are brothers or sisters who believe they have seen evidence of Jehovah's interference during Nazi occupation. Of course which of it was actually interference from Jehovah we just don't know.....In any case, Jehovah is and has always been concerned more for our spiritual safety, rather than physical safety. If our physical life is in jeopardy and we die, well he can make us live again. However if we are in jeopardy spiritually and it leads to our spiritual death....well...that's different story...

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

1 hour ago, Anna said:

Ok, here goes:  there may be evidence that we don't know of. We don't know everything. So the correct thing to say would be YOU haven't seen any evidence. There are brothers or sisters who believe they have seen evidence of Jehovah's interference during Nazi occupation. Of course which of it was actually interference from Jehovah we just don't know.....In any case, Jehovah is and has always been concerned more for our spiritual safety, rather than physical safety. If our physical life is in jeopardy and we die, well he can make us live again. However if we are in jeopardy spiritually and it leads to our spiritual death....well...that's different story...

1 hour ago, TrueTomHarley said:

How did it turn out with Sarah and the Terminator?

Anna:

Everything you say is true, but that does not change the facts that there is no evidence you could present.

Coincidence is NOT the same as causality.  Not the same at all. 

Wishful thinking even less so.

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TTH:

For about $12 a month, you can have Netflix deliver to your door the entire Terminator Series, The Notebook, Hacksaw Ridge, and other answers .  These things are part of contemporary culture, like Star Trek, James Bond, Jack Reacher, Asimov, Heinlein, and  more.

During WWII, the common culture was represented by Baseball .... today it is general knowledge of movies.

You need to catch up, even if only to understand contemporary references and sub-references in context.

And as for me evading an issue multiple times ... that is a laugh (hoohahoohaaa). I was just bypassing your request for the outcome of a movie .... hardly "an issue".

 

[Anna]

4 hours ago, JW Insider said:

But all of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether we agree with them or not, because obeying these instructions will save our lives.  - ws13 11/15 p. 20 pars. 16-17 Seven Shepherds, Eight Dukes—What They Mean for Us Today *** [Simplified Watchtower]

This has been discussed before somewhere and you know what my feelings are on this and I've probably mentioned this already but this is a good post to mention it again; the argument seems to be that this reasoning would be following the pattern of the past, where God's people always had to follow some kind of instruction, whether splashing blood on the doorposts, or go somewhere etc. However, the very same people who present this argument say that other things are going to mean our deliverance. Actually just this last midweek meeting the workbook mentions we must prepare spiritually to be saved and we do that by

• By developing TRUST IN JEHOVAH,

• which gives us COURAGE,

• which leads us to a POSITIVE ATTITUDE,

• which coupled with BROTHERLY LOVE

• enables us to ENCOURAGE fellow believers

  There is no mention of listening to any instructions. In any case the Bible might give examples of instructions in the past, but it never mentions anything like that in reference to "judgement day" /Armageddon. On the contrary, we are clearly told that those believing in Jesus will be saved. No verbal instructions which might seem illogical from a human standpoint there. Then there is the scripture in Matthew 24:40 " Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. 41  Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken along and the other abandoned" indicating that this can happen without any special instructions.

I wanted to check how the WT interpreted this scripture so I looked it up. There only seem to be three references to it (there might be newer ones that I don't know of) One is from WT 1975: "Weeks earlier Jesus had made a similar statement, prompting the disciples’ question, “Where, Lord?” He answered, “Where the body is, there also the eagles will be gathered together.” (Luke 17:37) The ones “taken along” are spiritually sharp-sighted, like eagles, who gather to the one whom they discern to be the Messiah, for the spiritual feast that Jehovah provides within his place of safety. They will gather together with God’s congregations on earth, under his true Messiah. Those “abandoned” will be those who do not keep spiritually awake and who consequently get swallowed up in a selfish way of life, as did the people in Noah’s day. Such are “abandoned” to destruction along with the world system of things in which they are involved".  Then God's kingdom of a thousand years book has a similar explanation also referring to Luke 17:37, and then the last reference was from WT 54 and in my mind seems the better explanation: "The word used here in the Greek for the expression “taken along” is also used when Joseph is said to have taken his wife home. It is also as when Jesus is said to have taken Peter, James and John along with him into the mount of transfiguration. Jesus used the word when he said: “I am coming again and will receive you home to myself, that where I am you also may be.” (John 14:3; Matt. 1:20, 24; 17:1, NW) Thus, those “taken along” receive a favorable standing with the Lord and are brought into a way of salvation. This corresponds to Noah’s being taken into the ark the day of the flood and to Lot’s being taken by the hand and led out of the city and therefore precedes the execution of judgment."

In context, the question "Where Lord" in Luke 17:37 surely seems to be asking where will the man in the field, and the woman grinding at the mill be taken. And Jesus' answer surely indicates heaven, primarily, and salvation for those not of the heavenly class. But I still don't see any instructions.....because to be taken by the hand (as in Lot and Noah) and led somewhere, are not instructions

[Anna]

57 minutes ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

Coincidence is NOT the same as causality.

Of course. I wasn't talking about coincidence though.

[TrueTomHarley]

1 hour ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

These things are part of contemporary culture, like Star Trek, James Bond, Jack Reacher, Asimov, Heinlein,...today it is general knowledge of movies. You need to catch up, even if only to understand contemporary references and sub-references in context.

I have read more books than you, if only because while you are watching movies you cannot read books.

To the extent that Paul is correct when he counts 'contemporary culture' a lot of refuse, hopefully I can be forgiven for having missed a few fliks.

And I did see some of the Terminator series, like that one where the modern alien takes the cop's body and can reform itself from just a puddle of molten metal, and the 'cop' therefore becomes the bad guy, while Arnold as a biker is the good guy. That's why I thought he may have taken on the attendants, because he was certainly the kid's protector, and I think his mama's as well.

Nobody can do everything. I have to write about God and keep my promise before the moon and stars and JWI that I will be nicer to you, and even now i can feel the devil on my left shoulder making faces at the angel on my right.

Now, once and for all, what happened with Sarah and the Terminator? A man can only stand so much religion. What about Sarah? You brought her up.

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

I relate as a reply the story of the Masochist and the Sadist.

The Masochist says to the Sadist "Beat me, beat me !"

... and the Sadist replies "No, No!"

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

56 minutes ago, Anna said:

Of course. I wasn't talking about coincidence though.

Without hard facts, the probability is that, yes, you were.

[Anna]

5 hours ago, JW Insider said:

(Psalm 146:3)  3 Do not put YOUR trust in nobles, Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs [who cannot bring salvation, NWT Revised].

So what was your opinion on Br. Losh's opening talk on trust in the March 2018 broadcast?

[TrueTomHarley]

11 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

For about $12 a month, you can have Netflix deliver to your door the entire Terminator Series, The Notebook, Hacksaw Ridge, and other answers .  These things are part of contemporary culture, like Star Trek, James Bond, Jack Reacher, Asimov, Heinlein, and  more.

 

Still holding out, huh? This is becoming an obsession for me. I wish you had never brought it up. What happened to Sarah and the Terminator?

Look, I cannot see all those macho movies. I want to, desperately, and I do feel a responsibilty to illuminate my writing with the wisdom of contemporary culture, but my wife does not enjoy those movies, so if I am going to watch them, I must watch them myself. 

Now, I am already in hot water with my wife due to my time spent in writing, another solo sport. She accuses me sometimes of not turning around from my bad habits, like that of "not listening," which is exacerbated at such times. She misunderstands completely. The problem is that I turn around so instantaneously  that I cannot stop my rotation and I do another 180, but just try telling her that. 

We do jointly fulfill our obligation to keep abreast of contemporary culture in that we have fallen into the habit of one TV show per night, at present alternating between episodes of Monk and Psych. shows I never heard of all during their run but was alerted to afterwards by my 9-year-old nephew who has seen them all. I tried to tell the kid that he should watch the Terminator movies so as to pull his weight in society but his mother intervened. I like these two shows submitted by a nine-year-old. In last night's Psych, for example, Juliet was outraged that the circus weight guesser guessed her weight wrong and she obsessed about it during the remainder of the show. Now, I think it is very important not to obsess over things, but she says later on: "Shawn, I've got it!" and Shawn thinks she has uncovered a break in the case, but she goes on to explain that her particular pants are not 'slimming.' At shows end, when the circus guesser is revealed as a villain and is about to shoot the good guys, robbing them of any further contribution to contemporary culture, she decks him from behind with a single blow of unusual force, that she accentuates by saying "145 pounds, my ass!"

Prior to this, my wife and watched episodes of Chuck, suggested by my kids. Prior to that, some time ago, it was episodes of Office, also suggested by my kids. In fact, I used the Office show as a template to straighten out an atheist's love-life, taking a pesky detour from my work of writing about God, a detour that I didn't want to take but you know how some people just cannot turn down a privilege, in a post entitled 'Jim and Pam and Ray Goth' which I would love to link to but I don't dare because the Librarian will get mad, though she should'nt because I have disabled my comment section so as to leave no doubt that I do not wish to compete with her. 

So don't chide me for failings in keeping abreast of contemporary culture. I feel that I am pulling my weight, and I am keeping my marriage with the lovely Mrs Harley in good shape as well. Make no mistake, the woman is a looker. You do not want to mess with something so good. 

Now, for the umpteenth time, what happened to Sarah and the Terminator? Look, if James is reverting to orneryness, becoming stubborn just for the sake of becoming stubborn, one of you other participants tell me. This is not like confession, that only the priest can answer. Unless you do not want to embarrass yourself by admitting to the secret sin of not having watched it yourself.

[Srecko Sostar]

23 hours ago, Anna said:

Why do you say that?

I get that impression. In basement video and paradise video i noticed some same faces. I do not know what was intention of film maker, and do not know what their "artistic freedom of expression" want to tell to audience. But suppose that one of intention is that public and every person in public or every who will looking to video, connect some dots and fulfill some space that came while and after somebody watched the video. So, my perception said me that after brutal intrusion of soldiers happened something terrible. Or you think that nothing bad happened to this JW group?  Next video in serial was paradise video. And i saw few actors from  previous video. That gave me perspective how those persons died of violent death in old system and been resurrected in NW.

Just my freedom on how i am experienced the scenes of the film. 

[Srecko Sostar]

20 hours ago, Anna said:

For our present day Luke 21:27 is quite applicable: "And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But as these things start to occur, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is getting near.” 

Please remind me WHO will see Jesus in the cloud? And HOW they will see Him in the cloud?