THE ALTERNATIVE DAILY TEXT by The Witchtower editor

by processor 176 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  processor

  http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=753609801334443&id=114394598605300&stream_ref=1

  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/honor-your-father-and-your-mother/

  Alternative Daily Text for Saturday, January 11, 2014

  “Honor your father and your mother.” (Deuteronomy 5:16)

  For thousands of years, parents have been persistently quoting this command when their children refused to obey them. But what kind of “honor” is it about? Everything that Jesus did was “in conformity to God’s law to Israel” which included the abovementioned command. (Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 58) He gave us “the ideal, the perfect, example to follow.” – The Watchtower, December 15, 1985, page 5.

  How did Jesus ‘honor’ his mother? Once “the mother of Jesus” asked him a favor, “but Jesus said to her: ‘What have I to do with you, woman?’” (John 2:3, 4, NWT 1984) He did not ‘honor’ his mother by obedience – rather he forbid her any intervention in his life whatsoever. Like his fellow Jews, he likely knew that “from garments cometh a moth, and from women [especially from mothers] wickedness.” – Ben Sira 42:13, KJV.

  However, we should follow Jesus’ example not only when dealing with our literal mothers but also regarding “Jehovah’s organization [which] is like a mother.” (1998 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 161) Whenever the Watchtower organization tries to meddle in our affairs, we should reply like Jesus: “You must not tell me what to do.” (John 2:4, CEV) We should allow neither our literal mothers nor “Jehovah’s motherlike organization” to decide on our lives. – The Watchtower, June 1, 1998, page 23.
• 

  processor

  http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=754376947924395&id=114394598605300&stream_ref=10

  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/the-kingdom-of-the-heavens-is-like-leaven/

  Alternative Daily Text for Sunday, January 12, 2014

  “The Kingdom of the heavens is like leaven.” (Matthew 13:33)

  Under the headline “The Exposing of the False Kingdom Refuge,” the Watchtower magazine said “that the Bible unvaryingly uses leaven to symbolize something bad, unrighteousness, error, sin … So the parable must illustrate something unfavorable about matters having to do with the ‘kingdom of the heavens.’” (October 1, 1975, pages 33, 34) The book “Let Your Kingdom Come” added: “When used figuratively in the Bible, leaven always has an unfavorable connotation … The apostle Paul counseled Christians to clear away the ‘leaven of badness and wickedness.’ … [The parable] pictures the stealthy corrupting of the professed Christian congregation with false Babylonish teaching and practice.” – page 101.

  How would the “leaven” contaminate the whole Christian congregation with false teachings? The July 15, 2008 Watchtower explained: “The leaven ferments the whole mass … Like leaven, the Kingdom-preaching work … has expanded to the point that the Kingdom is now being preached ‘to the most distant part of the earth;’”; then it added that all Jehovah’s Witnesses are “part of this amazing expansion of the Kingdom work.” (page 20) Thus the “leaven” represents “the Kingdom-preaching work.” Jehovah’s Witnesses supposedly preach “the good news of the Kingdom,” but in actual fact they promote “false Babylonish teaching and practice” in all the earth.

  According to the May 15, 1900 issue of Zion’s Watch Tower “we may be as sure that he [Jesus] would not use leaven as a symbol of righteousness as that he would not use leprosy as a symbol of holiness.” (page 154) No, “leaven … is used in the Scriptures to represent false teaching, a corrupting influence.” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 1179) That “the Kingdom of the heavens is like leaven” means that the teaching of this Kingdom is a “false teaching” which has “a corrupting influence” on the whole Christian until now.
• 

  processor

  https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=755014624527294&id=114394598605300&stream_ref=10

  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/01/13/the-anger-of-jehovah-was-kindled/

  Alternative Daily Text for Monday, January 13, 2014

  “The anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.” (2 Samuel 24:1, ASV)

  King David conducted a fatal census which caused much suffering among the Israelites. According to the inspired account in 2 Samuel 24:1, it was Jehovah who incited him to do it. (NWT 1984, Footnote;NIV; NLT; ESV; KJV; HCSB; ISV; GWT; WEB) But the later parallel account says clearly: “Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” (1 Chronicles 21:1) Does this mean that Jehovah and Satan are the same person?

  Apparently they are. But of course, for true Christians the Bible is not the decisive factor; rather their teachings are based solely on the publications of the Watchtower Society. These confirm the identification of Jehovah with Satan, for they say that “Jehovah God, the Greater Pharaoh, is Universal Sovereign.” (Survival Into a New Earth, page 79; see also The Watchtower, May 1, 1987, page 19) But it’s also out of the question that “the Greater Pharaoh [is] Satan the Devil.” – The Watchtower, September 1, 1989, page 15; August 1, 1970, page 463.

  The reference work Insight on the Scriptures summarizes the evidence: ”Some commentators consider that the one … who incited David to take the census was Jehovah … Such a viewpoint could be harmonized with the view that Satan … incited David.” (volume II, page 765) What does that mean for us? “We need to abandon … the antitypical ‘Pharaoh the king of Egypt and … Jehovah’s organization … Once we have got out from under the visible organization of God … we should not again resort to it for aid and protection.” – The Watchtower, May 15, 1977, page 313.
• 

  processor

  http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=755570907804999&id=114394598605300&stream_ref=10

  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/i-have-a-message-from-god-for-you/

  Alternative Daily Text for Tuesday, January 14, 2014

  “I have a message from God for you.” (Judges 3:20)

  As Christians we are confident “that the wicked will soon be no more.” (Awake!, February 22, 1994, page 19) How will this promise come true? God gave a prophetic picture through Judge Ehud. The account shows how “the wicked” – that is, all people who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses – will come to their end. Ehud visited Eglon “in his cool roof chamber. Then Ehud said: ‘I have a message from God for you.’ … Then Ehud drew the sword from his right thigh with his left hand and plunged it into his belly … Ehud went out … closing the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locking them.” – Judges 3:20-24.

  Eglon believed that Ehud would have “a message from God” for him – exactly like the people in our witnessing territory think that we would have “a message from God” for them. (Keep on the Watch!, page 7) But now “the slaughter work [must] go on,” thus we need to draw our sword and tell the homeowner: “That sword is the teaching of God!” (Judges 6:17, ERV; The Watchtower, January 15, 1972, page 52) This way we will “destroy all goatlike ones” in our witnessing territory. (What Does God Require of Us?, page 13) Afterwards we should leave the house and lock the door, according to Ehud’s example.

  “Let the one who has no sword sell his outer garment and buy one [now],” according to Jesus’ unequivocal command in Luke 22:36. “We should not think that Jehovah is going too far … nor should we feel sorry for those executed by God’s [servants].” (The Watchtower, January 15, 1972, page 52). “The destruction … [must be] thorough.” – Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 799.
• 

  processor

  http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=756176601077763&id=114394598605300&stream_ref=10

  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/gather-together-the-fragments-left-over/

  Alternative Daily Text for Wednesday, January 15, 2014

  “Gather together the fragments left over, so that nothing is wasted.” (John 6:12)

  Though he could miraculously produce it in abundance, “Jesus carefully avoided wasting food.” (Awake!, August 22, 2002, page 10) Thus, after a feeding, he instructed his disciples to gather up not only leftover breads but even “fragments” from the dirty ground. What does that mean for Christians today?

  ”Jesus Christ provides the perfect model to follow.” (The Watchtower, September 1, 1993, page 11) Hence we should gather up the leftover crumbs from the floor after every meal, “so that nothing is wasted.” (John 6:12) Only “unappreciative and thoughtless … [people] who are self-centered and governed by fads and trivial likes and dislikes” would “waste … food.” – Awake!, August 22, 2002, page 7.

  Regarding crumbs and fragments, Jesus’ model leaves no doubt. But what “if food looks or smells suspicious?” Note that Jehovah says through his channel of communication: “Food-borne illness often comes and goes without severe consequences.” Indeed food poisoning “can be fatal” sometimes, but for such cases there is always “the wonderful resurrection hope.” – Awake!, November 22, 1995, page 22;The Watchtower, July 15, 1993, page 28.

  “We Christians should be aware that tests of faith may be many and varied.” (The Watchtower, May 15, 1998, page 14) The “faithful and discreet slave” warns us against such a test: “Imagine that you are about to eat a tasty piece of fruit but then notice that a part of it is rotten. What will you do? Well, you could eat the entire fruit, even the bad part; you could throw away the entire fruit, including the bad part; or you could cut the bad part out of the fruit and enjoy the good part. What choice will you make?” (“Keep Yourselves in God’s Love”, page 62) Indeed, “what choice will you make” if you want to please God?
• 

  processor

  http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=757466774282079&id=114394598605300&stream_ref=10

  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/god-loved-the-world-so-much/

  Alternative Daily Text for Friday, January 17, 2014

  “God loved the world so much.” (John 3:16)

  Soon “Jesus Christ as King will take over rulership.” (Awake!, April 22, 2000, page 11) Then he will be “crushing his enemies both far and near,” and “only those who truly are his disciples will survive.” (Sing Praises to Jehovah, song 53; Survival Into a New Earth, page 37) Thus one must be a Christian to survive, and Christians “must not love the world.” (The Watchtower, January 15, 2006, page 25) The apostle Paul wrote in Jesus’ name to all Christians: “Do not love … the world.” – 1 John 2:15.

  Must we worry about “Jesus Christ … [as] God’s Chief Executioner of vengeance” and “Great Annihilator?” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 1150; Sing Praises to Jehovah, German Edition, song 53) Not necessarily, for “Jesus himself indicated that some people will survive.” (The Watchtower, August 1, 2010, page 5) “Rather, peril awaits those … who refuse to obey Jesus Christ.” (Awake!, August 2008, page 9) This definitely applies to many humans who love the world. But “not only will wicked men be destroyed.” (True Peace and Security – How Can You Find It?, page 53) Jehovah also “loved the world,” even “so much.” – John 3:16.

  When “Christ … will come to destroy his enemies,” Jehovah will be among the victims, too. (Psalm 110:2) In this way, Jesus must not “hand over the Kingdom” to him after a thousand years; rather he can “rule as King over … forever, and there will be no end to his Kingdom,” just as foretold in the Bible. – 1 Corinthians 15:24; Luke 1:33.
• 

  Apognophos

  Haha, nice.
• 

  processor

  http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=758538450841578&id=114394598605300&stream_ref=10

  http://dailytext2.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/moreover-no-man-has-ascended-into-heaven/

  Alternative Daily Text for Sunday, January 19, 2014

  “Moreover, no man has ascended into heaven but the one who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, so that everyone believing in him may have everlasting life.” (John 3:13, 14)

  Jesus usually spoke of himself in the third person; instead of, “I will be killed,” he said, “the Son of man must be lifted up.” (John 3:14) Instead of “wine” he mentioned “the product of the vine.” (Mark 14:25) Why did he use such complicated language? Did he want to imitate those who think they would “get a hearing for their use of many words?” (Matthew 6:7) No, the actual reason was the following: “I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that … they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.” (Mark 4:11, 12, NLT) Thus Jesus intentionally used intricate “parables” so that the people would not understand him and not believe in him, and he would not have to save them on the day of judgment.

  Christians of today must ‘imitate Jesus’ expert preaching methods,’ of course. (The Watchtower, June 1, 1997, page 29) Hence we should no longer use the simple suggestions from the Reasoning book but rather prepare a sophisticated presentation. Instead of, “I’m looking for people who would like to live in a world free from war,” we could say, for example: “The Son of man was sent by the faithful and discreet slave to look for those who are deserving it because they have the right inclination of the heart by sighing and groaning and longing for a system of things in which nation will no longer rise against nation and kingdom and against kingdom, but in which humans will give up their animallike characteristics and will for time indefinite dwell together and not do any harm or cause any ruin in all God’s holy mountain, just like the mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken.”

  Rather than, “We’ve been talking with your neighbors about what can be done to assure that there will be employment and housing for everyone,” we could use the following introduction: “The Son of man and the one walking near him want to confront all redeemable mankind that came into existence at Abel’s birth with a question of universal importance, that is, how can it be achieved that all human creatures of God always have plenty to do and have a place to lay down their heads, so that they can rest from their labors in all the places where the Lord has dispersed them?” If we choose our words carefully, we will preach in a way that no one does what we say. Then Jehovah can destroy more humans at Armageddon, Jesus needs to save fewer people, and we will have more space in paradise!
• 

  processor

  (In the upcoming weeks there'll be fewer comments due me "always having plenty to do in the work of my employer.")
• 

  LogCon

  m