THE ALTERNATIVE DAILY TEXT by The Witchtower editor

by processor 176 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • tiki
    tiki

    "drink and still not be getting drunk...big danger for Christians".................that is priceless!!!!

  • processor
    processor

    drink and still not be getting drunk...big danger for Christians

    Actually, the English Watchtower says it a bit differently than the German one (it specifically mentions OVERindulging), so I had to shorten the quote. The German edition says

    "Man kann dem Alkoholgenuß aber auch frönen, ohne sich zu betrinken, und darin liegt die große Gefahr für Christen"

    which means

    "A person could indulge in drinking of alcohol without getting drunk, and there is the big danger for Christians"

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=651865724858182&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/go-eat-fat-things/

    Alternative Daily Text for Wednesday, November 27, 2013

    “Go, eat fat things.” (Nehemiah 8:10, YLT)

    All over the world, “overeating … [is] connected with Christmas.” (Awake!, December 8, 1979, page 6) But some nutritionists recommend a “low-calorie Christmas menu” and suggest a “low fat Christmas feast.” (Calorie King, Low Fat Cooking) Should Christians participate in such customs?

    No, for God specifically commanded his worshippers: “Go, eat fat things.” (Nehemiah 8:10, YLT) Even back in the first century, Jesus’ disciples ate while others fasted. (Luke 5:33) Thus, Christian hosts must imitate God who will “make unto all people a feast of fat things.” (Isaiah 25:6, KJV) It is not appropriate to be concerned about one’s health or weight, since Jesus commanded: “Stop being anxious … as to what you will eat.” – Luke 12:22.

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=652366234808131&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/11/28/then-he-gave-us-this-land-a-land-flowing-with-milk-and-honey/

    Alternative Daily Text for Thursday, November 28, 2013

    “Then he … gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” - (Deuteronomy 26:9)

    God promised to bring the Israelites into “a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9; 31:20) What did this mean? Is “a land flowing with milk and honey” something worth striving for? Milk is used to produce butter; hence in “a land flowing with milk and honey” there would be butter and honey to eat. Regard this, a reference work says: “’Butter and honey are what everyone left remaining in the midst of the land will eat.’ This circumstance was to result from the devastation of Judah by the Assyrians. On account of this devastation, formerly cultivated land would become choked with weeds. Therefore, those left remaining in the land would have to subsist to a considerable degree on dairy products and wild honey.” – Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 402.

    Another book says even more clearly what life in “a land flowing of milk and honey” will be like: “’Butter and honey’ will be eaten – nothing else, no wine, no bread, no other staples.” (Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for All Mankind, volume I, page 110) “To help them keep the proper viewpoint as they entered the land ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ Jehovah reminded them: ‘Not by bread alone does man live.’” But not even such poor man’s food would be there in abundance; rather “the Israelites would have to work hard for their ‘milk and honey.’” – The Watchtower, September 1, 1998, page 20.

    The times when people had to live on butter and honey are gone fortunately. But the “land flowing of milk and honey” actually “provided a small-scale example of what Paradise under God’s Kingdom will soon mean for mankind earth wide.” (The Watchtower, August 15, 1996, page 3) Admittedly, “for many, a bowl of hot oatmeal … is hard to beat,” especially when they “cook it with milk and honey.” (Awake!, February 8, 1974, page 17) But others will share the fate of Addie Clinton Few who said: “I don’t like milk, and I don’t like honey! … I’m gonna starve to death!” – Awake!, July 22, 1974, page 20.

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=652751311436290&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/the-overseer-should-have-a-fine-testimony-from-outsiders/

    Alternative Daily Text for Friday, November 29, 2013

    “The overseer should … have a fine testimony from outsiders.” - (1 Timothy 3:2, 7)

    True Christians are subject to “public criticism.” (Our Kingdom Ministry, June 1982, page 3) In his sermon on the mount, Jesus said: “Happy are you when people reproach you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you.” (Matthew 5:11) As true Christians “we … are privileged to be reproached for more than just ‘the name of Christ.’ We are privileged to be reproached especially for the name of the One for whom Jesus Christ bore reproach.” (The Watchtower, November 1, 1976, page 666) No doubt, “as long as we are faithful, there will always be some who … ‘go on speaking abusively of us.’” – The Watchtower, November 1, 2002, page 19.

    If, however, someone wants to be appointed as an elder in the congregation, “people outside the church must speak well of him.” (1 Timothy 3:7, NLT) “But such popularity has never been an indication of God’s favor.” (The Watchtower, March 1, 1978, page 6) Since all true Christians are reproached ‘as long as they are faithful,’ only unfaithful ones are qualified as elders. To them Jesus’ warning applies: “Woe whenever all men speak well of you, for this is what their forefathers did to the false prophets.” – Luke 6:26.

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=653111998066888&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/the-just-indicator-and-scales-belong-to-jehovah/

    Alternative Daily Text for Saturday, November 30, 2013

    “The just indicator and scales belong to Jehovah.” (Proverbs 16:11, NWT 1984)

    When the Bible says that something ‘belongs to Jehovah,’ this always means that it is not humans. Moses said: “The things concealed belong to Jehovah our God, but the things revealed belong to us.” (Deuteronomy 29:29) Later the psalmist wrote: “As for the heavens, they belong to Jehovah, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” (Psalm 115:16) In the 20th century some girls shouted, ‘The blood belongs to Jehovah! The blood belongs to Jehovah!’ They wanted to say that blood must not be used by humans. – Awake!, September 22, 1971, page 8.

    Now the Bible also says: “The just indicator and scales belong to Jehovah.” (Proverbs 16:11, NWT 1984) There is no doubt that this statement must be understood in the same sense as the others – just scales belong to Jehovah, hence humans are only allowed to use unjust scales. This is the reason why Jesus instructed his disciples to imitate an “unrighteous” steward. (Luke 16:6-9) Thus dishonest business practices are mandatory for true Christians.

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=653579048020183&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/true-wisdom-has-prepared-its-meat/

    Alternative Daily Text for Sunday, December 1, 2013

    “True wisdom has … prepared its meat.” (Proverbs 9:1, 2)

    The Bible clearly shows that God eats meat. It says that at the very dawn of mankind’s history, “Jehovah was looking with favor upon Abel and his offering” which consisted of “fatty pieces” from “his flock.” (Genesis 4:4, NWT 1984) On the other hand, “he did not look with any favor on Cain and on his offering” which was comprised of fruit of vegetables. (Genesis 4:5) Later, when Jehovah visited his friend Abraham, he ate “a tender and good young bull” and “butter” and “bread,” but no vegetables. – Genesis 18:1-7.

    This is the reason why the Bible says that “true wisdom … has organized its meat slaughtering.” (Proverbs 9:1, 2, NWT 1984) After all, “animals … are born to be caught and killed;” they “are by nature for the knife.” (2 Peter 2:12, ISV, ABPE) In the Mosaic Law, God had already commanded: “You must eat meat.” (Deuteronomy 12:15, NWT 1984) There were no vegetarians in Israel, for all Israelites were to eat the Passover. (Exodus 12:8) Hence the wise ones will abstain from vegetables and eat meat.

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=654055891305832&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/wicked-people-will-turn-back-to-sheol/

    Alternative Daily Text for Monday, December 2, 2013

    “Wicked people will turn back to Sheol.” (Psalm 9:17, NWT 1984)

    In Biblical times, God often talked to humans. (1 Kings 11:11) He performed miracles, battled against his people’s enemies, and actively intervened in earthly events. (Hebrews 11:29) But for a long time, this has not happened anymore. Today, “God is not using natural disasters to punish people” like in Noah’s day; and he does “not perform miracles in behalf of his servants” anymore. (Our Kingdom Ministry, October 2005, page 5; The Watchtower, January 15, 1995, page 28) Why is that?

    The psalmist David revealed the answer when he said to God: “If I should spread out my couch in Sheol, look! you would be there.” (Psalm 139:8) So God is in Sheol – and “as the inspired Word of God shows, those in Sheol are dead, without consciousness.” (The Watchtower, May 1, 2005, page 14) Everyone there is “completely inactive, without movement, sensation, or thought of any kind.” – The Watchtower, June 15, 2006, page 5.

    Therefor it is not surprising that God does not intervene in earth’s affairs anymore. On the other hand, his death opens up the possibility to “inherit God’s Kingdom,” since you can only inherit something after the decedent’s death. – 1 Corinthians 6:10.

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=654474117930676&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/as-the-clay-in-the-hand-of-the-potter-so-are-you-in-my-hand/

    Alternative Daily Text for Tuesday, December 3, 2013

    “As the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” (Jeremiah 18:4)

    “God created everything.” (Awake!, February 8, 1981, page 32) What is the quality of his works? He revealed the answer to this question to his prophet Jeremiah who reported: “[God] said, ‘Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.’ So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped … Then the LORD gave me this message: ‘O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.’” – Jeremiah 18:1-6, NLT.

    Thus Jehovah God deals with humans like a poor potter with his clay – sometimes things do “not turn out as he had hoped.” No doubt this applies to humans as well as to all his other works of creation – a reasonable explanation why there are creatures like mosquitoes, roundworms or Ebola viruses. Sometimes God’s plans do not work out.

  • processor
    processor

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=654944077883680&id=114394598605300

    http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/they-will-plant-vineyards/

    Alternative Daily Text for Wednesday, December 4, 2013

    “They will plant vineyards.” (Isaiah 65:21)

    “Soon, a physical paradise will exist earth wide.” (Awake!, October 8, 1997, page 9) And “speaking of those who will live in Paradise, the Bible states: ‘They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.’” (The Watchtower, May 15, 2005, page 4) Hence, whoever wants to live in paradise must “built houses and have occupancy” as well as “plant vineyards” and drink wine.

    Among the resurrected ones will be “the Rechabites” because of their “faithfulness to Jehovah and to the commands of their forefather.” (God’s Word for Us Through Jeremiah; page 160) These “commands of their forefather” were: “Neither you nor your sons must ever drink wine. And you must not build a house, sow seed, or plant or obtain a vineyard.” – Jeremiah 35:6, 7.

    What will the Rechabites do in paradise? If they build houses and plant vineyards, God will destroy them because of their failure to ‘observe the commandment of their father.’ (Proverbs 6:20) If they do not build houses and plant vineyards, God must also destroy them because their existence would thwart his purpose revealed in Isaiah 65:21. In any case, it will be a “resurrection of judgment” for the Rechabites. – John 5:29.

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