Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 08-26-2012 WT Study (HOLY SPIRIT)

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    blondie

    Comments You Will Not Hear at the 08-26-2012 WT Study (JUNE 15, 2012, pages 25-29)(BORNE BY HOLY SPIRIT)

    Review comments will be headed by COMMENTS

    WT material from today's WT will be in black

    w = Watchtower

    g = Awake

    jv = Proclaimers book

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    “THEY WERE

    BORNE ALONG BY

    HOLY SPIRIT”

    “Prophecy was at no

    time brought by man’s

    will, but men spoke

    from God as they

    were borne along by

    holy spirit.”—2 PET. 1:21.

    OPENING COMMENTS

    When reading anything, especially WTS material, I try to think of what do I know already about the subject, what are they trying to say with the pictures, and what has the WTS said in the past about this subject especially due to their propensity to “change” and conceal previous “factual” statements.

    Who are “they” in the theme scripture? Did the writers just get an idea as an individual or did others have to determine it was inspired, did they have others write it down or write it themselves, did God see to it that the “secretary” shown in the first picture did not make any errors, is the picture of a person from the OT like Jeremiah or the NT like Paul or Peter? Is this how the WTS through the FDS then GB, has God communicate with them, as individuals or as a group, alone in a room with one person writing it down?

    What is God’s signature (next picture)? Did you know that “Jehovah” is not mentioned directly in the book of Esther?

    Next picture…who is responsible for the Bible being translated either in whole or in part into more than 2,400 languages? The evil Christendom not the WTS.

    ***w97 10/15 p. 9 Part Three—How the Bible Came to Us ***

    The missionaries realized that their most basic tool was the Bible in the local language. Yet, who would provide Bibles? Interestingly, a movement that would spread Bibles around the world was unknowingly sparked by a 16-year-old Welsh girl, Mary Jones. In 1800, Mary walked barefoot for 25 miles [40 km] to buy a Welsh Bible from a clergyman. She had saved her money for six years, and when Mary learned that the Bibles had all been sold, she sobbed, crestfallen. Deeply moved, the clergyman gave Mary one of his own Bibles.

    Thereafter, the clergyman reflected on the many others who needed Bibles, and he discussed the problem with friends in London. The result was the formation, in 1804, of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Its premise was simple: To provide people with affordable Bibles in their own language, printed “without note or comment.” By eliminating commentaries in the margins, the Society’s founders hoped to avoid doctrinal controversy. ..Initial enthusiasm spread quickly, and by 1813 associate societies had been formed in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Russia. In time, Bible societies in other countries were added. When the early Bible societies formulated their goals, they thought that most of the world used only a few major tongues. They never dreamed that there were thousands! Relatively few translators knew Hebrew and Greek so as to translate directly into a vernacular language. Therefore, when the British and Foreign Bible Society sponsored translations, the translators very often based their work on the English-language King James Version.

    Did you know that the WTS translates their non-English NWTs from the English NWT, not from the original Bible languages?

    POINTS TO PONDER

    How was God’s message transmitted

    by holy spirit to Bible

    writers?

    What evidence proves that the

    Bible is inspired of God?

    What can you do daily to maintain

    your appreciation for God’s

    Word?

    START OF ARTICLE

    1. Why do we need the inspired Word of God?

    WHERE do we come from? Why are we

    here? Where are we going? Why is the

    world the way it is? What happens to us

    when we die? People around the globe ask these

    questions. How would we know the answers to

    these and other important questions if we did not

    have the inspired Word of God? Without the Holy

    Scriptures, our primary teacher would be personal

    experience. With personal experience as our teacher,

    could we ever have the same sentiments as the

    psalmist had toward “the law of Jehovah”?—Read

    Psalm 19:7.

    COMMENTS

    Does the WTS consider the bible “our primary teacher” or the WTS/FDS/GB?

    *** w94 10/1 p.8 The Bible—A Book Meant to Be Understood***

    Even as Bible prophecy pointed forward to the Messiah, it also directs us to the close-knit body of anointed Christian Witnesses that now serve as the faithful and discreet slave. It helps us to understand the Word of God. All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known onlythrough Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.—John 6:68.

    [Footnotes]

    See TheWatchtower, March 1, 1981, pages 24-30.

    2. What will help us to maintain our appreciation for the Bible

    as a precious gift from God?

    2 The sad reality, though, is that some have allowed

    the love they first had for Bible truth to cool

    off. (Compare Revelation 2:4.) They no longer walk

    in the way that pleases Jehovah. (Isa. 30:21) That

    does not have to happen to us. We can and should

    work at maintaining our appreciation for the Bible

    and its teachings. The Bible is an important gift

    from our loving Creator. (Jas. 1:17) What will help us

    deepen our appreciation for “the word of God”? A

    key is reflecting on how Bible writers were guided to

    write the Scriptures. That involves calling to mind

    some of the abundant evidence of its inspiration.

    Doing so should stimulate us to read from God’s

    Word daily and to apply its counsel.—Heb. 4:12.

    COMMENTS

    So who are these ones that have cooled off and “no longer walk in the way that pleases” God? Does the WTS apply Mt 24:12 to its own members?

    ***w84 10/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

    Do Jesus’ words that “the love of the greater number will cool off”mean that this will occur among true worshipers now?

    With good reason we believe that Jesus was not foretelling a large-scale loss of love among Jehovah’s people.

    The apostles had asked for ‘the sign of Jesus’ presence and of the conclusion of the system of things.’ Jesus foretold wars, earthquakes, food shortages and persecution of Christians. He added: “Because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off.”—Matthew 24:3-12.

    Much of that prophecy found a fulfillment between then (33 C.E.) and the great tribulation on Jerusalem that the Romans caused in 70 C.E. (Compare Luke 19:41-44; 21:5-28.) During that interval, did the love of most anointed Christians cool off? No. Those who fell away from Christianity during that generation evidently were in the minority. Most Christians experiencing persecution from the Jews kept up “declaring the good news of the word,” displaying love for God, for unbelievers and for fellow Christians. (Acts 8:1-25; 9:36-42) But love did cool off among the Jews, who claimed to be true worshipers. The greater number of them ignored Jesus’ warning, revolted against Rome and resorted to a violent defense of their nation.

    Jesus’ prophecy extends beyond the first century and has its major fulfillment today. (Revelation 6:2-8) As with the Jews back then, people have less and less effective love. Millions have turned atheistic. Even in Christendom people tend to show less neighbor love, and church attendances and knowledge of the Bible generally are declining. Many who seem to be religious try to rectify human problems through political causes. So it apparently is among such claimed worshipers of God that love is cooling off.

    True Christians, though, must not become complacent. Since some Christians in the first century lost their first love or were distracted from it by problems, we could find our love cooling off. (2 Timothy 2:16-19; Revelation 2:4) While, if that happened, we would be exceptions to most of Jehovah’s people, the fact that it could happen to us individually emphasizes our need to ‘endure to the end’ so as to be saved.—Matthew 24:13.

    Why is it that so many jws are not convinced of the inspiration of the bible? Is it that some many are 2 nd and 3 rd generation that have not been taught well by their parents, that their parents do not understand the basis of what they believe, or that they have “slept” through the mind-numbing meetings of the WTS?

    “BORNE ALONG BY HOLY SPIRIT”—HOW?

    3. How were the prophets and Bible writers “borne along by

    holy spirit”?

    3 Over a period of 1,610 years—spanning from

    1513 B.C.E. to 98 C.E.—some 40 different men

    wrote the Bible. Some were prophets

    “borne along by holy spirit.” (Read 2 Peter

    1:20, 21.) The Greek expression rendered

    “borne along” has the sense “to

    bear or carry from one place to another,”

    and it “can be variously rendered:

    be moved, be driven, let oneself be

    moved.”* Acts 27:15 uses it in describing

    a boat that was seized and moved,

    or driven along a certain course, by the

    wind. Bible prophets and writers were

    “borne along by holy spirit” in that God

    communicated with, motivated, and

    guided them by means of his active

    force. That being the case, they wrote,

    not their own ideas, but God’s thoughts.

    Sometimes the inspired prophets and

    writers did not even know the meaning

    of what they foretold or were writing.

    (Dan. 12:8, 9) Yes, “all Scripture is

    inspired of God” and is free of human

    opinions.—2 Tim. 3:16.

    *A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and

    Other Early Christian Literature.

    COMMENTS

    Have there been members of the WTS that are “prophets” borne along by the holy spirit?

    What is the Greek expression; how can you look it up in the cited lexicon?

    http://www.2shared.com/document/1kg_F_I3/A_Greek-English_Lexicon_of_the.html

    Acts 27:15 uses…so does this publication support this.

    So does God “communicate” with the GB today or as Rutherford said angels communicated with him?

    http://www.seanet.com/~raines/guided.html

    The Society in their recent history book, Jehovah's Witnesses--Proclaimers of God's Kingdomsaid:

    Those who make up the one true Christian organization today do not have angelic revelations or divine inspiration. [49]

    What they do not mention at all in this book reviewing their history is that Rutherford did claim to receive angelic revelations and thus a form of "divine inspiration". These angelic revelations were published in the Society's literature, particularly The Watchtower magazine:

    Without a doubt the Lord uses his angels to cause the truth to be published in The Watchtower... Certainly God guides his covenant people by using the holy angels to convey his message to them. [50]

    While saying they are imperfect men, the GB says that WTS members must accept their flawed “explanations”? Is that because the GB do not know the meaning but are arrogant enough to give an explanation anyway?

    4-6. In what ways did Jehovah convey his message

    to the Bible writers? Illustrate.

    4 How, though, was God’s message

    transmitted by holy spirit to Bible writers?

    Did they receive precise wording

    or just ideas that they could express in

    their own words? Consider how a businessman

    might compose a letter. When

    precise wording is important, he writes

    the letter himself or dictates it to his

    secretary word for word. The secretary

    types it, and the letter bears the businessman’s

    signature. At other times, he

    provides only the principal ideas, and

    the secretary prepares the letter, using

    her own style or vocabulary. The businessman

    may then proofread the letter

    and have the secretary make any needed

    changes. In the end, the letter bears

    his signature and is viewed as coming

    from him.

    COMMENTS

    Whether the wording is precise or not isn’t the issue, how did these men even know the general idea, did God put the ideas in their head….what? How does God “dictate” his ideas without saying anything verbally…ESP?

    Even the businessman (not woman?) actually talks to the secretary or dictates it into a machine. Either way the secretary hears the voice of the boss…does the WTS hear the voice of God?

    The writer of this article has no idea, most businesses or bosses have a distinct style and vocabulary that is expected. So Jeremiah heard the voice of God, wrote down the words in his own style, and then God proofread and gave it back?

    So what is concerned the “signature” of God? Who decides? Who decided what books should be in the bible canon? Did they all agree? All you have to do is look at the Protestant bible versus the Catholic bible.

    5 Similarly, some parts of the Bible

    were supplied “by God’s finger.” (Ex. 31:

    18) Jehovah also used dictation when

    precise wording was crucial. At Exodus

    34:27, for example, we read: “Jehovah

    went on to say to Moses: ‘Write down for

    yourself these words, because it is in accordance

    with these words that I do conclude

    a covenant with you and Israel.’ ”

    Likewise, Jehovah told the prophet Jeremiah:

    “Write for yourself in a book all the

    words that I will speak to you.”—Jer. 30:2.

    COMMENTS

    So did the Jews have access to the finger version or was it hidden away?

    So God spoke directly to Moses, with a voice? So some parts were more important than others? Which ones? Don’t worry, the WTS knows.

    ***cl chap. 18 pp. 179-181 pars. 3-5 Wisdom in “the Word of God” ***

    The Law, consisting of some 600 statutes, was thus transmitted to Moses orally, word-for-word.

    4 What, though, if that Law had never been put in writing? Would Moses have been able to remember the precise wording of that detailed code and to convey it flawlessly to the rest of the nation? What about later generations? Would they have had to rely solely on word of mouth? That would hardly have been a reliable method of handing down God’s laws. Imagine what would happen if you were to transmit a story to a long line of people by telling it to the first person and then having it relayed from one to another down the line. What the person at the end of the line heard would likely differ considerably from the original. The words of God’s Law were in no such danger.

    5 Jehovah wisely chose to have his words put in writing. He instructed Moses: “Write down for yourself these words, because it is in accordance with these words that I do conclude a covenant with you and Israel.” (Exodus 34:27)

    PICTURE: A letter is viewed as coming from the person

    whose signature it bears

    6 In most cases, though, thoughts

    rather than specific words were miraculously

    conveyed to the hearts and

    minds of Bible writers, permitting them

    to choose their own words to express

    them. “The congregator sought to find

    the delightful words and the writing of

    correct words of truth,” states Ecclesiastes

    12:10. The Gospel writer Luke

    “traced all things from the start with accuracy,

    to write them in logical order.”

    (Luke 1:3) God’s spirit ensured that human

    imperfection did not taint his message.

    COMMENTS

    “miraculously conveyed” –does God do the same with the WTS?

    But God’s spirit did not ensure that the WTS explanation of the bible was without taint.

    Flip-flops

    http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/sodomites.html

    7. How is God’s wisdom made evident in his

    use of humans to write the Bible?

    7 God’s great wisdom is made evident

    in his use of humans to write the Bible.

    Words convey not just information but

    also emotions and feelings. What if Jehovah

    had used angels as writers? Could

    they have conveyed with a human touch

    such emotions as fear, sorrow, and disappointment,

    so common to mankind?

    By allowing imperfect men to choose

    the wording for the ideas they received

    through holy spirit, God conveyed his

    message with warmth, variety, and the

    appeal of human emotions and feelings!

    COMMENTS

    But remember, Rutherford said the angels were used to convey God’s thoughts to him. Above they also said that when it was important, God dictated it word for word to men.

    http://www.seanet.com/~raines/guided.html

    The Society in their recent history book, Jehovah's Witnesses--Proclaimers of God's Kingdomsaid:

    Those who make up the one true Christian organization today do not have angelic revelations or divine inspiration. [49]

    What they do not mention at all in this book reviewing their history is that Rutherford did claim to receive angelic revelations and thus a form of "divine inspiration". These angelic revelations were published in the Society's literature, particularly The Watchtower magazine:

    Without a doubt the Lord uses his angels to cause the truth to be published in The Watchtower... Certainly God guides his covenant people by using the holy angels to convey his message to them. [50]

    KEEP EVIDENCE IN SIGHT

    8. Why can it be said that the Bible is like no

    other book of religion?

    8 Evidence abounds that the Bible

    is the inspired Word of God. The Bible

    acquaints us with God like no other

    book of religion. For example, the

    writings of Hinduism include books

    of Vedic hymns, a collection of ritualistic

    commentaries about these hymns,

    philosophical treatises called the Upanishads,

    and the epic stories known

    as Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The

    Bhagavad Gita, a book containing moral

    instructions, is a part of the Mahabharata.

    Of Buddhism’s Tipitaka (Three Collections),

    one volume is mainly about

    rules and regulations of community living

    for monks and nuns. Another volume

    deals mostly with Buddhist doctrines.

    A third volume is a record of

    the oral teachings of the Buddha. Buddha

    himself did not claim to be a god,

    and he said very little about God. The

    texts of Confucianism are an amalgam

    of records of events, moral rules, magical

    formulas, and songs. Granted, the

    holy book of Islam teaches belief in one

    God and presents him as God who is

    omniscient and has foreknowledge, but

    it does not even reveal the name of God,

    Jehovah, which appears thousands of

    times in the Bible.

    COMMENTS

    For example, the writings of Hinduism include books

    of Vedic hymnsphilosophical treatises…and the epic stories

    Psalms, Proverbs, Genesis????

    So are the assertions of the WTS proof that God was not involved in those other writings? Is Jehovah the name of God or some name no one alive today knows how to pronounce? If God could preserve the bible as the WTS says, why not the pronunciation of his more important name. The WTS says they are here to sanctify (make holy) his name and vindicate his sovereignty (through their authority on earth).

    9, 10. What can we learn about God from the

    Bible?

    9 While most major books of religion

    say very little, if anything, about God,

    the Bible acquaints us with Jehovah God

    and his activities. It helps us to see the

    many facets of his personality. The Bible

    reveals God not only as an all-powerful,

    wise, and just God but also as a God

    who loves us. (Read John 3:16; 1 John 4:

    19.) Moreover, the Bible tells us: “God

    is not partial, but in every nation the

    man that fears him and works righteousness

    is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34,

    35) In a sense, the availability of the Bible

    testifies to this truth. Linguists say

    that of some 6,700 languages spoken

    in the world today, approximately 100

    cover 90 percent of the world’s population.

    Still, the Bible has been translated,

    either in whole or in part, into more than

    2,400 languages. Nearly everyone in the

    world has access to at least parts of it.

    COMMENTS

    Remember the availability of the bible is due to the hard work of Protestant bible societies, not the WTS.

    From the WTS self-congratulatory words you’d think that no one else publishes bibles or even comes near to the WTS publication figures.

    The United Bible Societies is made up of 146 national Bible Societies operating in over 200 countries and territories. Together, they are the biggest translator, publisher and distributor of the Bible in the world. They are also active in areas such as literacy training, HIV and AIDS prevention and disaster relief. Bible Societies work with all Christian Churches and many international non-governmental organizations.

    http://www.unitedbiblesocieties.org/

    10 Jesus said: “My Father has kept

    working until now, and I keep working.”

    (John 5:17) ‘From time indefinite to time

    indefinite Jehovah is God.’ So think of

    all of his accomplishments! (Ps. 90:2)

    The Bible alone acquaints us with God’s

    activities both past and present and reveals

    what he will do in the future. The

    Scriptures also teach us what pleases

    him and what displeases him, and they

    show how we can draw close to him.

    (Jas. 4:8) Let us not allow any personal

    pursuits or concerns to draw us away

    from him.

    COMMENTS

    “the Bible alone”—so how many jws know what other religious books say…believe by an unsupported statement from the WTS?

    Remember when the WTS said it displeased God to have an organ transplant?

    11. What vast and reliable wisdom is found in

    the pages of the Bible?

    11 The vast and reliable wisdom

    found in the Bible also indicates that

    the book is from a Source higher than

    man. The apostle Paul wrote: “Who has

    come to know the mind of Jehovah, that

    he may instruct him?” (1 Cor. 2:16) That

    verse is based on what the prophet Isaiah

    asked those of his day: “Who has

    taken the proportions of the spirit of Jehovah,

    and who as his man of counsel

    can make him know anything?” (Isa. 40:

    13) The answer, of course, is no one. No

    wonder that applying Scriptural counsel

    on marriage, children, entertainment,

    association, industriousness, honesty,

    and morality brings superior results!

    We never get bad advice from the Bible.

    Humans, on the other hand, are

    simply not wise enough to recommend

    what always works. (Jer. 10:23) Their advice

    is constantly being revised and updated

    as they come to realize that earlier

    advice was flawed. “The thoughts of

    men,” says the Bible, “are as an exhalation.”—

    Ps. 94:11.

    COMMENTS

    So the wisdom of the bible is not found in other books?

    Remember that the Israelite men could have more than one wife, could divorce their wives on a whim but women could divorce their husbands, that children could be sold into slavery by their parents to pay a debt, that men like Abraham and Isaac could tell lies yet be considered honest.

    The “advice” of the WTS is constantly being revised.

    Remember the WTS said that married people could not divorce their spouses scripturally for bestiality or homosexuality.

    *** w56 10/1 p.591 par.20***

    Sodomy (or the unnatural intercourse of one male with another male as with a female), Lesbianism (or the homosexual relations between women), and bestiality (or the unnatural sexual relations by man or woman with an animal) are not Scriptural grounds for divorce.

    *** w72 1/1 p.32***

    While both homosexuality and bestiality are disgusting perversions, in the case of neither one is the marriage tie broken. It is broken only by acts that make an individual “one flesh” with a person of the opposite sex other than his or her legal marriage mate.

    Yet in 1983:

    *** w833/15p.30***

    Jesus’ words quoted above from Matthew 19:9 indicate that there is a ground for divorce—the only Scriptural ground for a divorce—fornication.

    Defining “Fornication”

    What do we understand here by “fornication”? The Greek word in this text is porneia. In discussing the matter, The Watchtower of December 15, 1972, pages 766-768, showed that porneia “comes from a root word meaning ‘to sell.’” Thus it is tied in with prostitution, such as that practiced in many pagan temples in the first century and in ‘houses of ill fame’ today.

    True, porneia is sometimes used in a limited sense, as applying to sex relations between unmarried (single) persons. An instance of such a limited usage is 1 Corinthians 6:9, where “fornicators” are mentioned separately and in addition to those who engage in such other sexual vices as adultery and homosexuality. But just before this, at 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, Paul used the same word when counseling Christians not to mix with “fornicators.” Is it reasonable to think that here he referred only to immoral unmarried persons? That could not be so, for chapter 6 sets out a broad range of illicit sexual practices that must be shunned, including adultery and homosexuality. Likewise, Jude 7 and Revelation 21:8, which show that God judges unrepentant “fornicators” as worthy of eternal destruction, could hardly be limited only to unmarried persons that have sex relations. And the Jerusalem governing body’s edict at Acts 15:29, “to keep abstaining . . . from fornication,” must be understood to have the wide field of application.

    So, then, “fornication” in the broad sense, and as used at Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, evidently refers to a broad range of unlawful or illicit sex relations outside marriage. Porneia involves the grossly immoral use of the genital organ(s) of at least one human (whether in a natural or a perverted way); also, there must have been another party to the immorality—a human of either sex, or a beast. Thus, self-abuse (unwise and spiritually dangerous as this may be) is not porneia. But to this day, the term porneia embraces the various kinds of sexual activity that might take place in a house of prostitution, where sexual favors are bought and sold. A person who goes to a male or a female prostitute to buy any kind of sexual favors would be guilty of porneia.—Compare 1 Corinthians 6:18.

    12. The Bible has survived what efforts over

    the centuries?

    12 Another line of evidence that the

    true God is the Author of the Bible

    comes from what history reveals about

    efforts made to destroy its message. In

    168 B.C.E., Syrian King Antiochus IV

    tried to seek out the inspired books of

    the Law to burn them. Roman Emperor

    Diocletian’s decree to demolish the

    meeting places of the Christians and to

    burn their Scriptures was issued in

    303 C.E. The destruction continued for

    a decade. After the 11th century, popes

    led the efforts to suppress the spread

    of Bible knowledge, opposing the translation

    of the Scriptures into languages

    of the common people. Despite such attempts

    by Satan and his agents, the

    Bible has survived down to our day. Jehovah

    has not permitted anyone to eliminate

    his gift to mankind.

    COMMENTS

    But hasn’t the WTS discouraged jws from doing any study of Hebrew and Greek on their own time. Is wanting to read a book in its original language not a good way to really understand it’s meaning?

    *** w09 11/1 p.20 Do You Needto Learn Hebrew and Greek?***

    However, the majority of people who read the Bible today do not understand Hebrew or Greek. Rather, they need to use a translation of the Bible in their own language. You probably need to do the same. Since these translations do not claim to be inspired, you may have wondered, ‘Can I fully understand the message of the Bible while using a translation, or should I try to learn Hebrew and Greek?’

    Before answering that question, you need to keep several factors in mind. First, just having a knowledge of ancient Hebrew or Greek does not in itself miraculously make someone more inclined to understand the message of the Bible. Speaking to the Jewish people of his day, Jesus said: “You are searching the Scriptures, because you think that by means of them you will have everlasting life; and these are the very ones that bear witness about me. And yet you do not want to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39, 40) What was their problem? Was it a lack of understanding of Hebrew? No, they knew the language well. However, Jesus went on to say: “I well know that you do not have the love of God in you.”—John 5:42.

    But that agrees with the WTS founder’s words:

    Charles Russell wrote in the Sep 15, 1914 issue of The Watchtower (pages 286-7):

    As respects my education in Greek and Hebrew: Not only do I not claim very special knowledge of either language, but I claim that not one minister in a thousand is either a Hebrew or a Greek scholar. To be able to spell out a few Greek words is of no earthly value. Nor is it necessary longer to study these languages, in order to have knowledge of the Bible. Our Presbyterian friends have gotten out at great cost Young's Analytical Hebrew, Chaldaic, Greek and English Lexicon Concordance, which anyone may procure. And our Methodist friends have issued a similar work-- Strong's Analytical Concordance and Lexicon. And there is a still older one entitled Englishman's Hebrew, Chaldaic, Greek and English Lexicon and Concordance. Additionally, Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon is a standard authority. The prices of these are not beyond the reach of the average man. By these works scholarly information respecting the original text of the Bible is obtainable. I have all four of these works and have used them faithfully. Very few college professors, even, would risk to give a critical translation of any text of Scripture without consulting these very works of reference, which are standard. To merely learn to read the Greek and Hebrew without a six years' course in their grammars is more likely to hinder than to help in Bible study; far better take the acknowledged scholarship to which I have referred.

    Additionally I remind you of the many translations of the Bible now extant--all of them very good. I have all of these and find them useful in comparison in the study of any text--one sometimes giving a thought which another may not. The other day, for curiosity's sake, I counted Bibles in different translations, etc., in my study and found that I have thirty-two.

    http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbnon/r5543.htm

    EVIDENCE THAT HAS CONVINCED MANY

    13. We can point to what evidence of the Bible’s

    inspiration?

    13 There is other evidence of the Bible’s

    inspiration: the internal harmony,

    scientific accuracy, fulfilled prophecies,

    unusual candor, power to transform

    lives, historical soundness, and satisfying

    answers to the questions mentioned

    in paragraph 1. Consider what helped

    certain ones to see that the Bible is from

    God.

    COMMENTS

    Internal harmony = where’s the proof?

    Scientific accuracy = Proof?

    Unusual candor = Proof?

    14-16. (a) What convinced a Muslim, a Hindu,

    and an agnostic of the divine origin of the Bible?

    (b) What evidence of divine inspiration of

    the Bible do you like to use in the ministry?

    14 Anwar*grew up as a Muslim in a

    Middle Eastern country. While he was

    temporarily living in North America, Jehovah’s Witnesses

    came to his door. “At that time,” says Anwar,

    “I had a negative opinion of Christian religions because of

    the Crusades and the Inquisition. However,

    being a curious person by nature,

    I agreed to a Bible study.” Before long,

    Anwar returned home and lost contact

    with the Witnesses. Years later, he

    moved to Europe, where he resumed his

    Bible study and came to this conclusion:

    “The fulfillment of Bible prophecies,

    the internal harmony of the Holy Scriptures,

    the absence of contradiction in

    the Bible, and the love among Jehovah’s

    worshippers convinced me that the Bible

    is God’s Word.” Anwar was baptized

    in 1998.

    *Some names have been changed.

    COMMENTS

    Did Anwar lose contact or was he forbidden to by the beliefs of the country he was in…?

    So what prophecies, harmony, lack of contradictions does he cite/prove?

    Love….??!!!

    15 Sixteen-year-old Asha comes from

    a devout Hindu family. “I prayed only

    when I went to the temple or was going

    through rough times,” she says, “but

    never did I think of God when life

    was treating me well.” She continues:

    “When Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on

    my door, however, my life took a 180 degree

    turn.” Asha studied the Bible and

    came to know God as her Friend. What

    convinced her that the Bible is inspired

    of God? She explains: “The Bible answered

    every question that I could ask.

    It helped me to have faith even without

    seeing God—that is, without my going to

    a temple to bow to an idol.”

    COMMENTS

    I knew many jws that never thought of prayer except when things were going wrong in their own life.

    Do you have questions that the WTS could not answer from the Bible? How about how 2 people of the opposite sex unchaperoned can be found guilty (without 2 eyewitnesses of intercourse) and disfellowshipped? What scripture is that based on?

    16 Paula was reared a Catholic, but by

    the time she was young adult, she considered

    herself an agnostic. Then something

    happened. “I met a friend whom

    I had not seen in months,” she relates.

    “That was in the hippie era. When I

    saw how he had changed—now clean cut

    and happy—I asked him, ‘What

    happened to you, and where have you

    been?’ He said that he had been studying

    the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses

    and proceeded to witness to me.” Seeing

    Scriptural truth exert such power attracted

    this former agnostic to the message

    of the Bible, and she accepted it as

    inspired of God.

    COMMENTS

    Yes, only a haircut will make you happy.

    Are the teachings of the WTS the teachings of the Bible.

    See www.jwfacts.com to see all the “adjustments” the WTS has had to make despite their assertions of being led by God through holy spirit.

    “YOUR WORD IS A LAMP TO MY FOOT”

    17. What can reading God’s Word daily and

    meditating on it do for you?

    17 The Bible is a marvelous gift that

    Jehovah has provided by means of his

    holy spirit. Take delight in reading it daily,

    and your love for it and its Author will

    grow. (Ps. 1:1, 2) Open each study session

    with prayer, asking for God’s spirit

    to direct your thoughts. (Luke 11:13) The

    Bible contains God’s thoughts, so as you

    meditate on what it says, you can make

    God’s thinking your thinking.

    COMMENTS

    Remember a jw can only receive holy spirit through the WTS.

    That only the WTS can explain what God is thinking.

    18. Why do you want to continue to learn from the Bible?

    18 While you continue to grow in accurate

    knowledge of the truth, live by

    what you learn. (Read Psalm 119:105.)

    Peer into the Scriptures as you would

    into a mirror. If you thus see that you

    should make changes, do so. (Jas. 1:23-

    25) Utilize God’s Word as a sword to defend

    your beliefs and to cut away false

    teachings in the hearts of meek ones.

    (Eph. 6:17) As you do so, be grateful that

    the prophets and men who were used to

    pen the message of the Bible truly were

    “borne along by holy spirit.”

    COMMENTS

    The truth according to the WTS who only can explain what God means.

    Hang the WTS by their own words and see that they are not in harmony with even the New World Translation.

    But the WTS more importantly wants you to realize that only they can explain the message in the Bible.

    CONCLUDING COMMENTS

    Next week, LET JEHOVAH LEAD YOU TO TRUE FREEDOM. Where is Jesus?

    Love, Blondie

  • St George of England
    St George of England

    Humans, on the other hand, are

    simply not wise enough to recommend

    what always works. (Jer. 10:23) Their advice

    is constantly being revised and updated

    as they come to realize that earlier

    advice was flawed.

    This went by in the WT Study without any comment. Who has revised and updated their ideas more than the WTS?

    George

  • blondie
    blondie

    Hi St George, the WTS likes to use the words "adjustments" and "clarifications." Of course they don't mean the same as revisions and updating, NOT!

  • happy-n-alive
    happy-n-alive

    hi, i also notice the part St George highlighted when i went to the meeting. It was very amusing that the magazine brought it out in such a way as to condemn other people for doing it when they themselves have done and continue to do the same thing.

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    This article supports the grandest scam of all time. They start with asking questions that most of us are interested in, then they cite one source for answers. Why not compare that source with ones that have been destroyed or postulated? Do we know that the LIE-ble got anything right? What if the same filthy angels that had the LIE-ble written also destroyed everything else so the LIE-ble stood alone? (Well, the Talmud, Quran, and Book of Mormons are also sources, but all are so intertwined that they might as well have the same source.)

    As for the "light" of the LIE-ble, I compare it to those headache bulbs (the squiggly things so many of us hate so much). Father Satan is more like actual sunlight in this regard. In the "light(??)" from the LIE-ble, you can stumble into stagnation and ultimately damnation. You will never build your soul in any way, or even get straight answers as to why things are as they are. The butt-holy spirit (and yes, I am willing to bash the "holy(??)" spirit) does nothing but hides that this whole thing is a scam.

    You want answers? Check various sources. Check those so-called holy sources and see for yourself the homophobia, slave- and torture-loving, women bashing rubbish you find therein. Check online sites on other religions that are not Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. Check Satanism and paganism (yes, if you wish to look for the truth, you need to look where you might not dare). Better to check all those sources and be confused than to stick to only one and be misled, especially when it is designed to scam you out of your money and psychic energy.

  • DATA-DOG
    DATA-DOG

    Nice job Blondi! I noticed those same points as well, and raised my hand, but I was not called on. This may be due to some recent investigations by the local Elders. I used only WTBTS quotes and articles in my arguments which they could not refute. I am trying to start a slow fade. I was running a michrophone and actually let out a small chuckle during the " study ". The part about human reasoning and " updates " and " revisions " was unbelievable to me! Of course, no one noticed because they are all to beaten down and tired, skinned and thrown about.....

  • PaintedToeNail
    PaintedToeNail

    I have always disliked the bible. When a child, we kids were forced to sit through a bible reading night directed by my father. I can remember being shocked and dismayed when I found out that men could have lots of wives, that wives could be forced to drink some kind of crazy water and have their thigh fall away if they were suspected of adultery, but the man couldn't be accused of the same thing. The horror of all the little kids being killed at the flood, as well as all the unsuspecting animals not in the ark. The fact that Lot cared to little about his daughters, that he willingly offered them up to a sex mob, to save face in front of strangers. I tried to understand why Jeptha's daughter had to remain a virgin while in Jehovah's service, but Samuel did not....the list goes on and on and on.

    Thank you once again, blondie.

  • JW GoneBad
    JW GoneBad

    St George of England comments: 'Who has revised and updated their ideas more than the WTS?'

    A recent ‘update’ is found in this very magazine on page 19. WT previously gave some flawed advice as to when the 7 th world power (Anglo-American World Power) began. The footnote on page 19 reads:

    “This explanation updates the information discussed on page 57, paragraph 24, of the Daniel’s Prophecy book and depicted in the charts on pages 56 and 139”

    Makes one wonder: How much more flawed advice is there not only in the Daniel Prophecy book but in other WT literature, especially this magazine?

  • DATA-DOG
    DATA-DOG

    Jw GoneBad,

    Awesome point! Who is writing this stuff?!

  • JW GoneBad
    JW GoneBad

    Blondies’ comment to par 1:

    Does the WTS consider the bible “our primary teacher” or the WTS/FDS/GB?

    ***w94 10/1 p.8 The Bible—A Book Meant to Be Understood***

    Even as Bible prophecy pointed forward to the Messiah, it also directs us to the close-knit body of anointed Christian Witnesses that now serve as the faithful and discreet slave. It helps us to understand the Word of God. All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known onlythrough Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.—John 6:68.

    The nerve of the WTBTS!

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