THE ALTERNATIVE DAILY TEXT by The Witchtower editor

by processor 176 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  processor

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  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/out-of-the-hearts-abundance-his-mouth-speaks/

  Alternative Daily Text for Sunday, April 11, 2014

  “Out of the heart’s abundance his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

  As Christians we must ‘guard what we feed our mind.’ (Awake!, June 22, 1984, page 5) When we need to decide whether a topic is worth pondering or not, we should follow Jesus Christ’s example. How did he feed his mind? We can learn this from his statements, for “what we usually talk about is a good indication of what our heart is set on.” – The Watchtower, October 15, 2001, page 23.

  What did Jesus “usually talk about?” One of his favorite topics was wine; he talked about wineskins, vine dressers, vineyards, and a winepress. (Matthew 9:17; 20:1; 21:28, 33; 26:29; Luke 10:34; 13:6) “Jesus often drank wine” and told his disciples: “I am the true vine … I am the vine.” – The Watchtower, December 15, 1996, page 25; John 1:1, 5.

  Are alcoholic beverages taking the first place in your life, too? If not, “it may be time to think seriously about the use of alcohol in your home.” (Awake!, February 8, 1975, page 18) As Christians we must “imitate the perfect example of Jesus Christ” and develop “a godly view of alcoholic beverages.” – The Watchtower, July 1, 1977, page 407; December 15, 1996, page 25.

  Jesus did not only talk about wine though. Harlots, fornication, and virgins also played a major role in his stories. (Matthew 5:32; 19:9; 21:31, 32; 25:1; Luke 15:30) We should imitate him in this regard too. We must avoid being distracted by unimportant issues. A young Christian remembered: “I couldn’t concentrate on sex as long as I was concentrating on something else.” (Awake!, July 22, 1993, page 22) Whether we go for wine, virgins, or harlots – all Christians should heed the counsel: “Always look to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, and do your best to imitate him.” – The Watchtower, June 15, 1976, page 380.
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  stillin

  That is just SO beautiful! Great food for thought. But first, some wine.
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  processor

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  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/on-the-mountains-he-has-not-eaten/

  Alternative Daily Text for Tuesday, April 13, 2014

  “On the mountains he has not eaten.” (Ezekiel 18:15, NWT 1984)

  Ezekiel divided his contemporaries into two groups. On the one hand he mentioned someone who “he has eaten … upon the mountains” and said with regard to him: “A detestable thing is what he has done … He positively will not keep living … He will positively be put to death.” (Ezekiel 18:11-13, NWT 1984) On the other hand he spoke of a man who “happens to be righteous and … has executed justice and righteousness; on the mountains he did not eat.” (Ezekiel 18:5, 6, NWT 1984) He said about this righteous man: “On the mountains he has not eaten … my judicial decisions he has carried out; in my statutes he has walked … He will positively keep living.” – Ezekiel 18:15-17, NWT 1984.

  So whoever ‘eats upon the mountains’ will be eliminated by Jehovah. To whom does this apply today? “Jehovah’s Witnesses are … streaming to ‘the mountain of Jehovah’s house’ in ever-increasing numbers” and taking “rich spiritual feasts” there. (The Watchtower, July 15, 2002, page 25; January 15, 1985, page 28) Thus as a group they “will positively be put to death,” that is, cease to exist.
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  processor

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  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/wail-for-the-day-of-jehovah-is-near/

  Alternative Daily Text for Wednesday, May 14, 2014

  “Wail, for the day of Jehovah is near!” (Isaiah 13:6)

  How do we know that “the day of Jehovah” is now nearer than in Isaiah’s or Joel’s day? The January 15, 2000 Watchtower mentioned “six lines of evidence proving that we are living in the last days of this ungodly world.” One of these reads: “The number of genuine anointed disciples of Christ is dwindling … Most of the remnant are quite elderly, and over the years the number of those who are truly anointed has been getting smaller.” – pages 12-14.

  “For many years now, the number of the remnant of anointed Witnesses has been decreasing.” (1993 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 253) No wonder, for “from the end of the 19th century and on into the 20th, Jehovah has been completing the gathering of this group … to make up the full number of 144,000.” (The Watchtower, January 1, 1997, page 10) This shows “the significance of the diminishing number of anointed ones on earth” – it indicates “that the end is close at hand.” – The Watchtower, August 15, 1997, page 15.

  “In view of their diminishing numbers, the anointed cannot be present in all congregations.” (The Watchtower, April 1, 2007, page 25) While there had still been 8,685 anointed ones in 1988, only 13,204 of them were left in 2013. “Admittedly, the number of anointed Christians left on earth is declining” because “the gathering in of all his anointed remnant was completed about 1935.” (The Watchtower, October 15, 1995, page 26; July 15, 1969, page 433) But still some of them are alive. No wonder that many Jehovah’s Witnesses “wail,” and that “their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth” can be heard everywhere! – Matthew 8:12.
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  jonza

  While there had still been 8,685 anointed ones in 1988, only 13,204 of them were left in 2013

  I lolled.
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  processor

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  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/a-private-place-should-be-designated-for-use-outside-the-camp/

  Alternative Daily Text for Monday, May 19, 2014

  “A private place should be designated for use outside the camp.” (Deuteronomy 23:12)

  God provided clear instructions for Israel’s trek through the wilderness. He also regulated how the call of nature should be answered. There should be a privy “outside the camp,” and he commanded: “There is where you should go. A peg should be part of your equipment. When you squat outside, you should dig a hole with it and then cover your excrement.” (Deuteronomy 23:12, 13) What did this mean in practice? To get an idea of it, we have to realize how big Israel’s camp was. “The number coming up out of Egypt, namely, 600,000 able-bodied men besides women and children, would mean that there could have been more than three million persons.” – Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 778.

  “More than three million persons” need a lot of space. Los Angeles has 3.9 million inhabitants and occupies 503 square miles. Imagine that for all inhabitants of Los Angeles (or Chicago, or Berlin,) there would only be a single privy outside the city! Even with our modern transportation means, a trip across such a city can take an hour. But in Israel’s camp there was no subway; every inhabitant had to walk to the privy outside the camp by foot.

  Of course, back then there were no multistory buildings, only tents. If we assume that every person needed 100 square feet, the camp would have had a diameter around 4 miles. A person could walk that distance in an hour; of course only if there would not be tens of thousands of others on the way. But we must not forget that there were not only 3 million people in the camp, but also “flocks and herds, a great number of livestock.” (Exodus 12:38) The animals must have been near their owners. We don’t know how large the “flocks and herds” were, but some people owned thousands of animals. (Job 1:3) And we also don’t know what happened to the animals’ excrements – maybe they were left in the camp, or the owners gathered them and brought them to the privy.

  Due to the many animals, the camp might have had a diameter of 12, or maybe even 30 miles. Depending on one’s home location, the way to the privy and back could have taken a day or more. And imagine how pleasant it was to live at the edge of the camp, right next to the privy! Granted, there were the noises and smells, but the way to the privy was short. All in all, we can conclude that Israel’s camp was perfectly organized.
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  processor

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  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/every-man-is-a-liar/

  Alternative Daily Text for Monday, May 26, 2014

  “Every man is a liar.” (Romans 3:4, KJV)

  This short statement in the Bible is of great significance. “The Bible itself tells us that its contents of sixty-six smaller books were written by men.” (Holy Spirit – The Force Behind the Coming New Order!, page 57) “Jesus was a man” too (“Come Be My Follower”, page 152) And we must not forget that “even … the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ [is] made up of imperfect fleshly men.” – The Watchtower, August 15, 1981, page 28.

  But were the Bible writers not inspired by God? The apostle Peter wrote that “men spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:21) The “faithful and discreet slave has also been called God’s channel of communication,” at least by himself. (The Watchtower, September 1, 1991, page 19) However, although God “cannot lie,” it is still possible that his delegates do so. In the days of King Ahab “Jehovah allowed a spirit creature to become ‘a deceptive spirit’ in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets. That is to say, this spirit creature exercised his power upon them so that they spoke, not truth.” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 245) God made his prophets lie, and he might have influenced the Bible writers or the “faithful and discreet slave” the same way.

  The Bible writers, Jesus Christ, the “faithful and discreet slave” – they all are men, and “all men are liars,” whether they are lying on behalf of God or on their own accord. (Psalm 116:11, NASB; 1 Kings 22:23) So it is completely out of the question “that it is folly to trust in imperfect humans,” because “trusting in man leads to disaster.” (The Watchtower, March 15, 1988, page 10; May 15, 1979, page 3) Furthermore, we cannot be saved anyway, since “all people are liars,” and “all the liars … will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” – Psalm 116:11, ISV; Revelation 21:8.
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  Heaven

  I am in awe of your ability, processor. Another well done article.
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  processor

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  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/stop-worrying-about-what-you-will-wear/

  Alternative Daily Text for Wednesday, June 4, 2014

  “Stop worrying about … what you will wear.” (Matthew 6:25, ISV)

  Jesus repeated the same command again and said: “Do not be concerned or say … ‘What will we wear’?” (Matthew 6:31, ABPE) The statement is clear and unambiguous: Christians should not “be concerned” or “worrying” about what they will wear.

  Do Jehovah’s Witnesses comply with this command? Not at all! The Research Guide for Jehovah’s Witnesses contains a whole section about ‘Dress and Grooming.’ (2014 edition, page 72) They say that it would be “important … to pay attention to our dress.” (The Watchtower, August 1, 2002, page 17) Even interested persons are to be reminded “of the importance of giving attention to proper dress.” (Our Kingdom Ministry, March 1998, page 7) “Most brothers and sisters therefore consider very carefully what clothing they will wear.” (Our Kingdom Ministry, August 1974, page 8) They are even encouraged to “observe the attire of those who … give public talks.” – Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education, page 133.

  Is this not a clear contradiction of Jesus’ command? Far from ‘not being concerned,’ Jehovah’s Witnesses have created countless regulations regarding clothing. They rack their brains to decide whether “T-shirts advertising your favorite movie or sports star or some other hero” are allowed, and eventually conclude that wearing such would be “idolatry.” (Awake!, February 8, 1999, page 19) Youth are forced to “give proper attention to what we wear and how we wear it.” (Awake!, February 8, 1987, page 18) The books Your Youth – Getting the Best out of It and Questions Young People Ask – Answers That Work even feature whole chapters on how to dress!

  Anyone wearing the wrong kind of clothes is excluded from Christian privileges. No one is allowed to give a public talk without a tie and a jacket in most countries; some congregations even require a white shirt and a plain suit. Christian women have been refused admittance to the stage because their skirt was too short or they were wearing a pantsuit. Is this not very far from ‘not being concerned what we will wear?’ No doubt, Jehovah’s Witnesses are under no circumstances true Christians, but rather they are “the deceiver and the antichrist.” – 2 John 7.
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  processor

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  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/be-praising-our-god-all-you-his-slaves/

  Alternative Daily Text for Saturday, June 7, 2014

  “Be praising our God, all you his slaves.” (Revelation 19:5)

  Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that “a global paradise [is] just before” us. (Live With Jehovah’s Day in Mind, page 99) How will God accomplish that? Will he reshape the earth himself? Will Jesus, the King of his Kingdom, lend a hand?

  Jesus is “the Greater Solomon,” thus we can learn from Solomon’s approach how Jesus will act in the new world. (The Watchtower, August 15, 2010, page 29) How did Solomon implement his buildings? “All the people … who were not part of the people of Israel … were conscripted by Solomon for forced labor as slaves until this day.” – 1 Kings 9:20, 21.

  We can assume that Jesus Christ too will conscript ‘all the people who are not part of the spiritual Israel for forced labor as slaves.’ He will follow his father’s example, who even in the New Jerusalem will have “slaves” that must “offer him sacred service.” (Revelation 22:3) What wonderful prospects lie ahead!