Mass Apostasy- Sign of the Lord’s presence

by mankkeli 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  mankkeli

  This quote is from the Watchtower 1980 8/1

  "ARE you profoundly shocked and unduly disturbed when you see or hear of a Christian you know yielding to doubts, cooling off and perhaps even becoming rebellious to the point of deserting the Christian congregation and trying to draw others away with him? If so, you may be comforted in knowing that, sad as such occurrences may be, the Scriptures forewarn us that they will happen.

  Among the various causes of apostasy, one of the foremost is unquestionably a lackoffaith through doubt. the one who doubts to the point of becoming an apostate sets himself up as a judge. He thinks he knows better than his fellow Christians, better also than the “faithful and discreet slave,” through whom he has learned the best part, if not all that he knows about Jehovah God and his purposes. He develops a spiritofindependence, and becomes “proud in heart . . . something detestable to Jehovah.” (Prov. 16:5) Some apostates even think they know better than God, as regards his ordering of events in the outworking of his purposes. Two other causes of apostasy are therefore ingratitude and presumption.—2 Pet. 2:10b-13a.

  As to the effects of a course of apostasy, one immediate result is a loss of joy. The apostate becomes hardened in his rebellious ways. Another is he fails to take in the spiritual food provided by “the faithful and discreet slave”—this leading to spiritual weakness and breakdown of spirit. Contrasting the happiness of his loyal servants with the sad condition of apostates, Jehovah stated prophetically:

  “Look! My own servants will eat, but you yourselves will go hungry. Look! My own servants will drink, but you yourselves will go thirsty. Look! My own servants will rejoice, but you yourselves will suffer shame. Look! My own servants will cry out joyfully because of the good condition of the heart, but you yourselves will make outcries because of the pain of heart and you will howl because of sheer breakdown of spirit.”

  We have seen that one of the basic causes of apostasy is a lack of faith through destructive doubt, and that the word translated “doubt” also means “to distinguish.” The apostate makes himself a decider of what is true and what is false, of what is “good and bad” in the way of spiritual food. He becomes presumptuous."

  As the watchtower mentioned, one immediate result of apostasy is a loss of joy. Whats your opinion?

  Mankkeli
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  agonus

  If it's apostasy from Tha Organiza-Shun and a drawing nearer to Christ, the effect is usually exactly the OPPOSITE of loss of joy. Plenty of folks have found joy in Christ when De Org was grinding them into spiritual sausage and sucking all the joy out of their existence.
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  LongHairGal

  Mankkeli:

  You are aware, of course, that OTHER religions use the term apostate also. The JW religion did not invent this term. It was around long before they came on the scene. Just look in the dictionary. It just so happens I was a "apostate" when I left the Catholic church to become a JW.

  The JWs throw this word around in order to strike *fear* into the hearts of the gullible JWs.
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  Nickolas

  That's 34 threads you've started and 39 threads on which you have made a grand total of 53 posts. So you've commented on 5 threads you haven't started. You must have something important to say. Still waiting, though. Are you doing any listening while you're here?
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  QuestioningEverything

  Since leaving the JW's for good, I have found more joy than I thought was ever possible. My life is more productive, calm and JOYFUL!

  So, I have to say that the JW's view of a so-called apostates life is very wrong.
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  Pams girl

  Agree with Nickolas......youve posted A LOT of threads in a short time, may I ask, whats your story?

  Paula
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  DagothUr

  Organiza-Shun? That must be a new limerick...And it's funny too.
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  sabastious

  Matthew: 7:3 - Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

  -Sab
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  The Quiet One

  Mankkeli --''the one who doubts to the point of becoming an apostate sets himself up as a judge. He thinks he knows better than his fellow Christians, better also than the “faithful and discreet slave,”-- Mankeli, you do realise that the 'faithful and discreet slave' are actually the ones who are setting themselves up as judges, don't you? Who is it that claims that: everyone who disagrees with them on any scriptural matter, and holds to that view, is wrong, is an enemy of God and deserves to be destroyed? 'Apostates' or the 'faithful slave class'? Watchtower 1994 July 1 p.12 "For one thing, some of the apostate literature presents falsehoods by means of "smooth talk" and "counterfeit words." (Romans 16:17, 18; 2 Peter 2:3) What would you expect from the table of demons? ... Those who have continued to feed at Satan'sspiritual table, the table of demons, will be forced to attend a literal meal, no, not as partakers, but as the main course-to their destruction!" Watchtower 1993 November 1 p.19 "True Christians share Jehovah's feelings toward such apostates; they are not curious about apostate ideas. On the contrary, they "feel a loathing" toward those who have made themselves God's enemies, but they leave it to Jehovah to execute vengeance." Watchtower 1982 April 1 p. 27 Survival or Destruction at the"Great Tribulation" Now, the Bible definitely shows that some end up in the symbolic Gehenna before the 1,000-year Judgment Day begins. Jesus told the unrepentant scribes and Pharisees that they and their Gentile proselytes were 'subjects for Gehenna' or, literally, 'sons of Gehenna.' (Matthew 23:15, 33-35; see also John 9:39-41; 15:22-24.) If even a proselyte of the Pharisees became a subject for Gehenna 'twice as much so asthemselves,' how much more so Judas Iscariot, who made a heinous deal with them to betrayGod's Son! Jesus implied this when he called Judas "the son of destruction." (John 17:12) Similarly, unrepentant apostates go, at death, not to Sheol, or Hades, but to Gehenna.''
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  Nickolas

  Dagother's threads started to posts ratio - 18/790 = 2.3%

  Nickolas's threads to posts ratio - 77/2227 = 3.5%

  Paula's threads to posts ratio - 26/583 = 4.5%

  Sab's threads to posts ratio - 319/5541 = 5.8%

  TheQuietOne's threads to posts ratio - 12/204 = 5.9%

  QuestionEverything's threads to posts ratio - 38/464 = 8.2%

  mankkeli's threads started to posts ratio - 34/53 = 64.1%

  I'd say, just from this small sampling of folks who've chimed in since I made my comment, that mankkeli's thread:post ratio is a little higher than usual.