Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-01-06 WT Study (August 15, 2006, pages 25-29)(JOB ENDURANCE)
Review comments will be in red
WT material from today's WT will be in black
Quotes from other sources will be in quotes boxes
w = Watchtower
g = Awake
jv = Proclaimers book
www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible (various Bible translations online)
www.reexamine.org (WT publications online)
www.silentlambs.org (child abuse)
www.ajwrb.org (blood issue)
http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm (United Nations issue)
"YOU HAVE HEARD OF THE ENDURANCE OF JOB"
"You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful."-JAMES 5:11.
Opening Comments
Endurance is the key word. The rank and file are getting tired of waiting for the end. Many will have been out door to door on Saturday telling people that "False Religion’s End is Near." But do they tell them that every other religion is false except Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Also in this article is the message to obey even if you do not understand what is happening. Trust the WTS and wait on God.
Who are the misguided, troublesome so-called comforters? Not non-JWs and not so-called weak spiritually JWs, but the spiritual men in the community, friends and fellow believers who are tools of Satan.
People who even accused Job of errors he had not committed.
So is endurance need for the persecution from people outside or to endure the verbal and spiritual abuse. What did Jesus say?
(Matthew 23:23-33) 23 "Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU give the tenth of the mint and the dill and the cumin, but YOU have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and faithfulness. These things it was binding to do, yet not to disregard the other things. 24 Blind guides, who strain out the gnat but gulp down the camel! 25 "Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of plunder and immoderateness. 26 Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside of it also may become clean. 27 "Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU resemble whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of every sort of uncleanness. 28 In that way YOU also, outwardly indeed, appear righteous to men, but inside YOU are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 "Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU build the graves of the prophets and decorate the memorial tombs of the righteous ones, 30 and YOU say, ‘If we were in the days of our forefathers, we would not be sharers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore YOU are bearing witness against yourselves that YOU are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Well, then, fill up the measure of YOUR forefathers. 33 "Serpents, offspring of vipers, how are YOU to flee from the judgment of Ge·hen´na?
START OF ARTICLE
Q1, 2) What trial did one couple in Poland face?
1) Harold Abt had been one of Jehovah's Witnesses for less than a year when Hitler's army took control of Danzig (now Gdansk) in northern Poland. Then things became difficult, yes dangerous, for true Christians there. The Gestapo tried to force Harald to sign a document renouncing his faith, but he refused. After some weeks in prison, Harald was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where time and again he was threatened and beaten. An officer pointed to the chimney of the crematorium and told Harald, "You will be ascending there to your Jehovah within 14 days if you stick to your faith."
Dangerous for true Christians
= dangerous for JWs onlyThat means Protestants and Catholics were and are not true Christians, not even individuals.
How many JWs have or will face such an event? How would have Harald Abt have felt if he knew that JWs in another country were allowed to produce a fake signed document to escape persecution?
Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz
Another "conscience" issue for Witnesses involved political party membership cards. When the ruling element in the African country of Malawi demanded that citizens purchase "party cards", the Watchtower Society took a stand against it. In adhering to this position Malawian Witnesses faced imprisonment, beatings and severe mistreatment at the hands of government loyalists.
Meanwhile, in Mexico Witnesses were in the habit of bribing officials to obtain cards identifying them as members of the reserves who had fulfilled a year of military service. Not having the cartilla would result in some inconvenience, but not the sort of suffering Witnesses faced in Malawi
Franz relates in detail how Watchtower headquarters gave its approval to both policies leaving African JWs to face brutal persecution while permitting Mexican Witnesses to buy cards ‘under the table’. This caused much suffering in Africa. And it helped cause the "crisis of conscience" Raymond Franz experienced as a member of the Governing Body whose votes enforced these contradictory rulings.
2) When Harald was arrested, his wife, Elsa, was still breast-feeding their ten-month-old baby girl. But the Gestapo did not overlook Elsa. Before long, her baby was taken from her, and she was sent to the extermination camp at Auschwitz. Yet, she was able to survive for years, as was Harald. In The Watchtower of April 15, 1980, you can read more about how they endured. Harald wrote: "In all, I have spent 14 years of my life in concentration camps and prisons because of my faith in God. I have been asked: `Was your wife a help to you in enduring all of this?' She has been indeed! I knew from the beginning that she would never compromise her faith, and this knowledge helped sustain me. I knew that she would rather see me dead on a stretcher than know that I was free because of having compromised.... Elsa endured many hardships during her years in German concentration camps."
During those 14 years he was in concentration camps, the WTS wrongly taught that the ‘superior authorities’ were God and Jesus only to change it back to the secular authorities in 1962. They also taught that the great tribulation had begun in 1914 and was temporarily stopped in 1918 to start up again at a future date.
What about JWs who died refusing alternative service only for their family to see the policy changed in 1996 allowing civilian service?
What about non-JWs who endured? Who helped them? God? But then according to the WTS, they are not "true" Christians.
Q3, 4) (a) Whose examples can encourage Christians to endure? (b) Why does the Bible urge us to examine Job's experience?
3) Suffering evil is by no means easy, as many Witnesses can testify. For this reason, the Bible counsels all Christians: "Take as a pattern of the suffering of evil and the exercising of patience the prophets, who spoke in the name of Jehovah." (James 5:10) Over the centuries, many servants of God were persecuted without cause. The examples provided by this great "cloud of witnesses" can encourage us to keep running with endurance our Christian race.-Hebrews 11: 32-38; 12:1.
Many Witnesses…all Christians…servants of God
: only JWsJames 5:10: Is this a quote from an NT scripture where the tetragrammaton occurs or an insertion by the WTS?
Rbi8
p.15641DTheDivineNameintheChristianGreekScripturesRESTORING
THEDIVINENAMEThroughout the centuries many translations of parts or of all the Christian Greek Scriptures have been made into Hebrew. Such translations, designated in this work by "J" with a superior number, have restored the divine name to the inspired Christian Greek Scriptures in various places. They have restored the divine name not only when coming upon quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures but also in other places where the texts called for such restoration.
4) In the Bible record, Job stands out as a model of endurance. "Look! We pronounce happy those who have endured," wrote James. "You have heard of the endurance of Job and- have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful." (James 5:11) Job's experience gives us a glimpse of the reward that awaits faithful ones, whom Jehovah blesses. More important, it reveals truths that will benefit us during times of adversity. The book of Job helps us answer these questions: When under trial, why must we try to understand the principal issues involved? What qualities and attitudes help us to endure? How can we fortify fellow Christians who suffer affliction?
James 5:11: Was James quoting from the OT so the WTS could insert the tetragrammaton?
Principal issues involved
— sovereignty? When did that replace vindicating God’s name? 1995.Fellow Christians…faithful ones
: fortify only JWsGrasping the Complete Picture
Q5) What is the principal issue to keep in mind when we are faced with trials or temptations?
5) To maintain spiritual balance in the face of adversity, we need to comprehend the overall picture. Otherwise, personal problems may cloud our spiritual vision. The issue of loyalty to God is of prime importance. Our heavenly Father makes an appeal that we can personally take to heart: "Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me." (Proverbs 27:11) What a unique privilege that is! Despite our frailties and imperfections, we can make our Creator rejoice. We do so when our love for Jehovah enables us to withstand trials and temptations. True Christian love endures all things. It never fails.-1 Corinthians 13:7,8.
Overall picture…personal problems may cloud
Proverbs 27:11: Is the WTS application of this scripture correct?
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/120883/1.ashx
Love for Jehovah
: Where’s Jesus?True Christian
: only JWsQ6) How does Satan taunt Jehovah, and to what extent?
6) The book of Job clearly identifies Satan as the one who taunts Jehovah. It also reveals the evil nature of this invisible enemy and his desire to destroy our relationship with God. As illustrated in Job's case, Satan essentially accuses all of Jehovah's servants of selfish motives and seeks to prove that their love for God can cool off. He has taunted God for thousands of years. When Satan was cast out of heaven, a voice from heaven described him as "the accuser of our brothers" and said that he makes such accusations "day and night before our God." (Revelation 12:10) By our faithful endurance, we can show that his accusations are unfounded.
Relationship with God
: where’s Jesus?Jehovah’s servants
: only JWsWe can show
: hadn’t Noah already shown that?Q7) How can we best respond to physical weakness?
7) We must remember that the Devil will take advantage of any tribulation we may face in order to try to distance us from Jehovah. When did he tempt Jesus? It was when Jesus was hungry after fasting for many days. (Luke 4:1-3) Jesus' spiritual strength, however, enabled him to reject the Devil's temptations firmly. How important it is to counteract any physical weakness-perhaps caused by disease or old age-with spiritual strength! Even though "the man we are outside is wasting away," we do not give up because "the man we are inside is being renewed from day to day."-2 Corinthians 4:16.
Devil will take advantage of any tribulation we may face
: Proof that the WTS teaches the rank and file that they are individual targets of the devil; it explains why many JWs believe that every bad thing that happens to them is caused by Satan.How important it is to counteract any physical weakness—perhaps caused by disease or old age-with spiritual strength
Do not count on any help from your "fellow believers" who will be busy instead in field service, activities they can put on their time slip.
Q8) (a) How can negative emotions have an undermining effect? (b) What attitude did Jesus have?
8) In addition, negative emotions can tend to damage one spiritually. 'Why does Jehovah allow this?' one might wonder. `How can a brother treat me like that?' another might ask after being treated unkindly. Such feelings may cause us to overlook the principal issues and concentrate entirely on personal circumstances. Job's frustration with his three misguided companions seemed to do as much damage to him emotionally as his infirmity did physically. (Job 16:20; 19:2) Similarly, the apostle Paul indicated that prolonged anger can "allow place [or, an opportunity] for the Devil." (Ephesians 4:26, 27) Rather than venting frustration or anger on individuals or concentrating overmuch on the injustice of a situation, Christians do better to imitate Jesus in "committing [themselves] to the one who judges righteously," Jehovah God. (1 Peter 2:21-23) Having the "mental disposition" of Jesus can be a major defense against Satan's attacks.-1 Peter 4:1.
Three misguided companions
Were not they fellow believers? Misguided? Did they not claim to be guided by God? Based on this, this would be misguided counselors in the WTS not outside.
Negative emotions…why does Jehovah allow this…brother treat me like that…treated unkindly
How about deceived, defrauded, your reputation shredded. Why is it when bad things are permitted in other religions that means they are false but not the WTS?
Should a JW not report a JW pedophile in the congregation to the secular authorities because they are ‘concentrating entirely on personal circumstances’ and not the ‘principal issue’ of protecting the WTS reputation?
Christians (only JWs)
How did Jesus treat situations of injustice?
(John 8:37-44) 37 I know that YOU are Abraham’s offspring; but YOU are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among YOU. 38 What things I have seen with my Father I speak; and YOU, therefore, do the things YOU have heard from [YOUR] father." 39 In answer they said to him: "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them: "If YOU are Abraham’s children, do the works of Abraham. 40 But now YOU are seeking to kill me, a man that has told YOU the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 YOU do the works of YOUR father." They said to him: "We were not born from fornication; we have one Father, God." 42 Jesus said to them: "If God were YOUR Father, YOU would love me, for from God I came forth and am here. Neither have I come of my own initiative at all, but that One sent me forth. 43 Why is it YOU do not know what I am speaking? Because YOU cannot listen to my word. 44 YOU are from YOUR father the Devil, and YOU wish to do the desires of YOUR father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of [the lie].
Or Matthew 23?
When does it become ‘concentrating overmuch on the injustice of a situation’? Who decides what is overmuch?
Q9) What assurance does God give us regarding burdens we have to bear or temptations we face?
9) Above all, we must never see our problems as certain evidence of God's displeasure. Such a misunderstanding hurt Job at a time when he was being assailed by the harsh words of his would-be comforters. (Job 19:21, 22) The Bible assures us with these words: "With evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone." (James L 13) On the contrary, Jehovah promises to help us bear whatever burden falls upon us and to provide escape from any temptation that besets us. (Psalm 55:22; 1 Corinthians 10:13) By drawing close to God in times of distress, we can keep things in perspective and successfully oppose the Devil.-James 4:7, 8.
We must never see our problems as certain evidence of God s pleasure.
What really happens is that fellow JWs, especially elders, tell you that you have some hidden sin and that is why you are having problems. That if bad things are happening to you, it is because God has removed his spirit and blessing from you.
*** w82 6/1 p. 10 An Educated Tongue-"To Encourage the Weary" ***
Depressed persons often feel overwhelmed with guilt for no legitimate reason. Insight will help elders to recognize such situations. One depressed Christian who deeply appreciated the visits of her loving shepherds to help her was convinced that she had lost God's spirit. "Really, try to think hard and see if there is something bad you've done," said an elder at one point. The woman just sat there and cried. "But I can't think of anything. Do you want me to make something up? Will that help?" she sobbed.
Assailed by the harsh words of his would-be comforters
Remember the people doing the assailing were supposedly Job s fellow believers and friends, the mature men of his community.
How many elders and rank and file believe if bad things are happening to you, it is by God s hand?
Drawing close to God
Not possible to draw close to Jesus always using OT examples
Aids to Endurance
Q10, 11) (a) What helped Job to endure? (b) How did having a good conscience help Job?
10) Despite Job's dire situation-including the verbal abuse from his "comforters" and his own confusion over the true cause of his calamity Job still kept his integrity. What can we learn from his endurance? Without doubt, the fundamental reason for his success was his faithfulness to Jehovah. `He feared God and turned aside from bad.' (Job 1:1) That was his way of life. Job refused to turn his back on Jehovah, even when he did not understand why things had suddenly gone wrong. Job believed that he should serve God in good times and in bad.-Job 1: 21; 2:10.
Verbal abuse from his "comforters"
Abuse from his so-called friends and fellow believers, the mature men of the community.
Is the WTS spiritually abusive?
This book would be enlightening. It is not written about the WTS or JWs per se but deals with the generic aspects of spiritual abuse.
http://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Power-Spiritual-Abuse/dp/1556611609
Job refused to turn his back on Jehovah
Is leaving an abusive group that teaches falsehood, leaving God. That is exactly what the WTS tells the people who study their publications .
Even when he did not understand why things had suddenly gone wrong
What happens when the elders or other supposed mature ones at the KH tell you that you must have done something wrong?
11) Having a good conscience also proved comforting to Job. At a time when it seemed that his life was coming to an end, he had the comfort of knowing that he had done his best to help others, that he had held to Jehovah's righteous standards, and that he had avoided any form of false worship.-Job 31:4-11.
Having a good conscience
He had done his best to help others
By going door to door?
(Job 29:12-17) 12 For I would rescue the afflicted one crying for help, And the fatherless boy and anyone that had no helper. 13 The blessing of the one about to perish—upon me it would come, And the heart of the widow I would make glad. 14 With righteousness I clothed myself, and it was clothing me. My justice was like a sleeveless coat—and a turban. 15 Eyes I became to the blind one; And feet to the lame one I was. 16 I was a real father to the poor ones; And the legal case of one whom I did not know—I would examine it. 17 And I would break the jawbones of the wrongdoer, And from his teeth I would tear away the prey.
Q12) How did Job respond to the help that he received from Elihu?
12) The fact remains, of course, that Job needed help to adjust his viewpoint in some respects. And he humbly accepted that help -another key to his enduring successfully. Job listened respectfully to Elihu's wise counsel, and he responded positively to Jehovah's correction. "I talked, but I was not understanding," he admitted. "I make a retraction, and I do repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42: 3, 6) Despite the disease that still plagued him, Job rejoiced that this adjustment in his thinking had drawn him closer to God. "I have come to know that you [Jehovah] are able to do all things," Job said. (Job 42:2) Thanks to Jehovah's description of His grandeur, Job understood much more clearly his own position in relation to the Creator.
Was Elihu a wise counselor? The following is another viewpoint. It is refreshingly different to the WTS explanation and can explain the cognitive dissonance you might have felt reading the Bible and then the WTS interpretation.
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/13727.htm
On the punishment Job allegedly deserves, Elihu claims: "Would that Job were tried to the limit, because his answers are those of the wicked." (Job 34:36) That claim merely repeats Zophar's earlier comment: "Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves." (Job 11:6) and Eliphaz's earlier comment: "Is not your wickedness great?" (Job 22:5)
Can you imagine any older man at the KH listening respectively and responding positively to counsel from some young elder and seeing it as correction from God?
Adjusted thinking
A popular WT buzz phrase and just another of way of saying mind control
Q13) How did showing mercy prove beneficial for Job?
13) Finally, Job provides an outstanding example of mercy. His false comforters hurt him deeply, yet when Jehovah asked Job to pray for them, he did so. Thereafter, Jehovah restored Job's health. (Job 42:8, 10) Clearly, bitterness will not help us to endure, whereas love and mercy will. Letting go of resentment refreshes us spiritually, and it is a course that Jehovah blesses.-Mark 11:25.
False comforters
Remember these are supposedly friends, fellow believers, the mature men in the community.
God asked Job to pray for his false comforters
Can you imagine sitting in the room with the 3 brothers on your JC that has been overturned on appeal and praying for them?
Wise Counselors Who Help Us Endure
14, 15. (a) What qualities will enable a counselor to heal others? (b) Explain why Elihu was successful in helping Job.
14) A further lesson we can learn from Job's account is the value of wise counselors. Such ones are brothers "born for when there is distress." (Proverbs 17:17) However, as Job's experience shows, some counselors can hurt rather than heal. A good counselor needs to show empathy, respect, and kindness, as Elihu did. Elders and other mature Christians may have to adjust the thinking of brothers weighed down with problems, and in this, such counselors can learn much from the book of Job.-Galatians 6:1; Hebrews 12: 12,13.
[Picture on page 28] A good counselor shows empathy, respect, and kindness
(What do you think he is counseling the brother on? Perhaps the patterned shirt he has on?
Some counselors can hurt rather than heal.
Based on the URL above, as a counselor, did Elihu show empathy, respect, kindness.
Other mature Christians
Only JWs and this includes women per last weeks pictures. Are sisters officially obligated to keep things confidentially as the elders are in theory?
Adjust thinking
MIND CONTROL
15) There are many fine lessons in how Elihu handled the matter. He listened at length before responding to the mistaken remarks of Job's three companions. (Job 32:11; Proverbs 18:13) Elihu used Job's name and appealed to him as a friend. (Job 33:1) Unlike the three false comforters, Elihu did not consider himself superior to Job. "From the clay I was shaped, I too," he said. He did not want to add to Job's suffering by thoughtless words. (Job 33:6, 7; Proverbs 12:18) Rather than criticizing Job's former conduct, Elihu commended him for his righteousness. (Job 33:32) Most important, Elihu saw things from God's viewpoint, and he helped Job to focus on the fact that Jehovah would never act unjustly. (Job 34:10-12) He encouraged Job to wait on Jehovah, rather than to strive to demonstrate his own righteousness. (Job 35:2; 37:14, 23) Christian elders and others can surely benefit from such lessons.
Listened at length before responding
Do you find elders talking over you when you talk to them?
Used Job’s name…appealed to him as a friend
Do the elders use a person s first name or is it Brother or Sister InBigDooDoo?
Elihu did not consider himself superior to Job
Gifts in men, glorious ones, just 2 phrases applied to elders. Are you glorious too?
Wait on Jehovah
Another buzz phrase meaning that it is inconvenient or not to their advantage for the elders to do anything.
16) How did Job's three false comforters become tools of Satan?
16) Elihu's wise counsel contrasts with the hurtful words of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. "You men have not spoken concerning me what is truthful," Jehovah told them. (Job 42:7) Even if they claimed that they had had good intentions, they acted as tools of Satan rather than as faithful companions. All three assumed from the outset that Job himself was to blame for his calamities. (Job 4:7, 8; 8:6; 20:22, 29) According to Eliphaz, God has no confidence in his servants, and it does not matter to Him if we are righteous or not. (Job 15:15; 22:2, 3) Eliphaz even accused Job of errors he had not committed. (Job 22: 5, 9) Elihu, on the other hand, did help Job spiritually, which is always the goal of a loving counselor.
Hurtful words…false comforters
Remember these are Job s friends, fellow believers, and mature men in the community.
Claimed that they had good intentions…tools of Satan
Do you know of elders that said they had good intentions? What if a surgeon had good intentions and killed your child? What if the elders had good intentions and spiritually killed your child? Remember Uzzah had good intentions but he still died.
*** w00 6/15 p. 16 par. 16 Honor the Ones Given Authority Over You ***
Congregation elders are appointed by holy spirit, yet they are still imperfect and make mistakes
*** w05 5/15 p. 17 Highlights From the Book of Second Samuel ***
Uzzah's grabbing hold of the Ark also shows that good intentions do not change what God requires.
Eliphaz even accused Job of errors he had not committed.
I have had that happen too many times. And the elders involved never apologized and went back and cleared up the matter with the people that had reported it to incorrectly.
Q17) What should we bear in mind when under trial?
[Picture on page 29] Elsa and Harald Abt
17) There is another lesson about endurance that we can draw from the book of Job. Our loving God observes our situation and is both willing and able to help us in various ways. We previously noted the experience of Elsa Abt. Reflect on the conclusion that she reached: "Before I was arrested, I had read a sister's letter that said that under severe trial Jehovah's spirit causes a calmness to come over you. I thought that she must have been exaggerating a bit. But when I went through trials myself, I knew that what she had said was true. It really happens that way. It's hard to imagine it, if you have not experienced it. Yet it really happened to me. Jehovah helps." Elsa was not speaking about what Jehovah could do or did do millenniums ago in Job's day. She was speaking about our time. Yes, "Jehovah helps"!
God observes our situation and is both willing and able to help us in various ways….spirit causes a calmness to come over you.
Do you think that JWs are the only ones that God helps in times like this?
Jehovah helps
What about Jesus?
Happy Is the Man Who Endures
Q18) What benefits did Job derive from having endurance?
18) Few of us will have to face tribulation as severe as that of Job. But whatever trials this system of things may bring upon us, we have sound reasons for maintaining our integrity, as Job did. In fact, endurance enriched Job's life. It perfected him, making him complete. (James 1:2-4) It strengthened his relationship with God. "In hearsay I have heard about you, but now my own eye does see you," Job affirmed. (Job 42:5) Satan was proved a liar in that he could not break Job's integrity. Hundreds of years later, Jehovah still referred to his servant Job as an example of righteousness. (Ezekiel 14:14) His record of integrity and endurance motivates God's people even today.
Whatever trials
Do you know JWs that think everything bad that happens to them is a trial from Satan?
Relationship with God
I guess using an OT example means you cannot talk about a relationship with Jesus.
Gods people (only JWs)
Q19) Why do you feel that endurance is worthwhile?
19) When James wrote to first-century Christians about endurance, he referred to the satisfaction that endurance brings. And he used Job's example to remind them that Jehovah richly rewards his faithful servants. (James 5:11) We read at Job 42:12: "As for Jehovah, he blessed the end of Job afterward more than his beginning." God gave Job double what he had lost, and he lived a long, happy life. (Job 42:16,17) Similarly, any pain, suffering, or heartache we may endure during the end of this system of things will be wiped away and forgotten in God's new world. (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:4) We have heard of the endurance of Job, and we are determined, with Jehovah's help, to imitate Job's example. The Bible promises: "Happy is the man that keeps on enduring trial, because on becoming approved he will receive the crown of life, which Jehovah promised to those who continue loving him."-James 1:12.
Endurance, there is the key word. Since 1914 JWs have been enduring thinking that the end was just around the corner. Ninety two years later, the survivors and others since then are still waiting, hoping they do not die before the end.
His faithful servants (only JWs)
With Jehovahs help
Not Jesus Christ?
CARROT:
End of this system of things will be wiped away and forgotten in Gods new worldYes, all 6.5 Billion non-JWs, men, women, and little children will be wiped away eternally.
Crown of life
Only for 144,000 per WTS doctrine, not even Job will get the crown of life.
How Would You Answer?
- How can we make Jehovah's heart rejoice?
- Why should we not conclude that our problems are evidence of God's displeasure?
- What factors helped Job to endure?
- How can we imitate Elihu in fortifying fellow believers?
Concluding Comments
Pumpkins, indian corn, mums, asters, concord grapes, canning. The trees are turning very early this fall. Maybe it’s a sign of the end, haha. I read on one JW site that this campaign is compared to the 7 days Israel marched around Jericho and then the walls came tumbling down. Are JWs so eager for the destruction of 6.5 billion people, including children and babies?
Love, Blondie
*** w86 12/15 p. 19 pars. 14-17 How Majestic Is Jehovah's Name! ***
Once each day for six days, priests of Israel march around Jericho, carrying the Ark, which represents the presence of Jehovah. They are preceded by seven priests blowing on rams' horns, with soldiers of Israel marching ahead of and behind them. But on the seventh day they get up 'early, as soon as the dawn ascends,' and march around the city seven times. How those Jerichoites must shudder!-Joshua 6:2-15.
15 We find a remarkable parallel to this in what Jehovah's Witnesses are doing today earth wide. Recently, there has been a notable expansion of our Kingdom activity. In the five years up to 1985, pioneer ranks increased 134 percent. The army of pioneers and other faithful Kingdom publishers get up "early," often in a literal sense, and share zealously in proclaiming Jehovah's judgments. To the leaders of Christendom's religions, these Witnesses appear to be "a people numerous and mighty." The clergy are in "severe pains" as they note how the proclamation of the truth is causing many honest ones to leave them and take their stand for Jehovah.-Joel 2:1-3, 6.
16 At last Joshua commands the people: "Shout; for Jehovah has given you the city." A great war cry thunders forth. The earth shakes and-miracle of miracles-Jericho's walls fall down flat. The Israelites obediently rush forward to destroy every living thing in the city. They burn it with fire. But look! One small section of the outer wall is still standing, and in its window is a scarlet cord. Rahab and her father's family are led out unharmed. In time, Rahab's faith is further rewarded in that she becomes wife to the Israelite Salmon and an ancestress of Jesus Christ.-Joshua 6:16-26; Matthew 1:5.
17 "So Jehovah proved to be with Joshua, and his fame came to be in all the earth." In like manner, Jehovah's majestic name will be vindicated when Babylon the Great is devastated and stripped of her wealth and glory at the onset of the "great tribulation."-Joshua 6:27; Revelation 17:16; 18:9, 10, 15-17; Matthew 24:21, 22.