Posts by EdenOne

75

Anyone can be saved

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

i prayed that 2 japanese men would come to church today, and thank god that 1 said yes so far.............so please pray he and his friend would come not only to church, but to jesus.

and i meet another non christian friend on monday, please pray for her salvation.. .

when asked which is the greatest commandment, jesus replied,.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that being disillusioned and bitter is how you have your life now or that it may be a permanent feature in your life. I hope it doesn't. But correct me if I'm wrong, you all went through that phase at some point when you were waking up. I guess one of the worst feelings there is is when you consider yourself reasonably smart and educated and then you conclude that you've been lied to and deceived intentionally. You feel terrible, about the other party, and then about yourself because you feel stupid and used, and finally about the world because no one told you (perhaps some did but you weren't listening) ...etc etc. I know the feeling ...I'm in the business world and deceit is common between competitors.

The added evil is when you lose your family in the process. Like I said, I got 9 out of 10 of my closest family in...well in. So you can see what I'm contemplating.

The way I was brought up, I cannot understand the world emotionally (rationally is a whole other ball game that I'm not prepared to debate) without the notion of a Creator / Father that gives sense to life as we know it. Yes, God never talked to me. yes, I find it disturbing that God may look down on us as ants in anthill and according to his mood he may be playful and merciful, or indifferent of wrathful. Perhaps it's like that. I'm just not prepared to process the idea that there's nothing, zero intelligence behind the physical universe. Call me ignorant if you will. But Christ appeals to my humanity. What people make of Christ and of God, well ...

I'm not in the UK, but I'm not that far either. One of these days if i happen to go to London for some trade show in Earl's Court, I'll get in touch. I dislike most beers, but I'm partial to a black stout ;) And ummmm ... partial to Manchester United too ... *ducks*

Eden

75

Anyone can be saved

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

i prayed that 2 japanese men would come to church today, and thank god that 1 said yes so far.............so please pray he and his friend would come not only to church, but to jesus.

and i meet another non christian friend on monday, please pray for her salvation.. .

when asked which is the greatest commandment, jesus replied,.

EdenOne

If your sense of justice screams "unfair!" to it, and we are made at God's image, what do you think God must feel?

Eden

75

Anyone can be saved

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

i prayed that 2 japanese men would come to church today, and thank god that 1 said yes so far.............so please pray he and his friend would come not only to church, but to jesus.

and i meet another non christian friend on monday, please pray for her salvation.. .

when asked which is the greatest commandment, jesus replied,.

EdenOne

punkofnice,

When I read your posts, as well as cofty's and some others here, I can only remember the words of Matthews 18:6, 7

"If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!"

You were once like me, brothers in faith. Just like me, you were one of "these little ones" - rank and file Witnesses, who had once a firm belief that those men sitting on the 10th floor in Brooklyn were genuinely caring for your spiritual well-being, and that what they were teaching was "the truth", and whatever they said was almost like the very word of God. And then I look at you ... and I look at myself in the mirror. And it's hard not to feel scared that someday I might become as bitter and disilusioned as you are. Because we are being stumbled, every day, we, the "little ones".

I wish it were possible that we could meet each other and see each other for what we are. Brothers. Sons of God. Humans trying to do the best we can.

I hope I can savage what I can from this all and still live a happy life. And trust me, as much as you may wish me well, i wish you well in return.

Eden

75

Anyone can be saved

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

i prayed that 2 japanese men would come to church today, and thank god that 1 said yes so far.............so please pray he and his friend would come not only to church, but to jesus.

and i meet another non christian friend on monday, please pray for her salvation.. .

when asked which is the greatest commandment, jesus replied,.

EdenOne

People don't pay enough attention to the Book of Jonah.

Everyone is so distracted by the fantabulous big fish, that they disregard the main message conveyed at the very end. When Jehovah reversed his intention of destroying Ninevh and Jonah got bitter and hard-headed, he was told these amazing words: " And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left--and also many animals?" (Jonah 4:8)

There's simply no way of knowing what God will do regarding the judgement of mankind. We cannot know the "when"; We may have a glimpse of the "how"; And as for the outcome ... well.... contrary to what many think, God does change his mind, ocasionally. I trust that God will be as graceful as possible, perhaps much, much beyond our best expectations.

Eden

20

"Sit at my right hand" - WHEN?

by EdenOne in

i recently started thinking if there could be a way to refute the entire 1914 doctrine without having to go into discussing chronology - like proving if jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce or not; if the "gentile times" have anything to to with the kingdom; if "7 times" are really 2520 years"; if those are solar years or lunar years .... and i came to this conclusion: nothing of that matters!

when will the lord sit at the right hand of jehovah?

therefore, the fulfillment of psalm 110:1, when the lord sits by the right hand of jehovah god took place sometime between 35 ce and 60 ce.. .

EdenOne

Jesus is the head of the Christian congregation, as per Ephesians 1:22 and 5:23, and Colossians 1:18, not its King. Naturally, having received authority over all things, he's also the King of every individual member of the christian congregation. Note that Colossians 1:13 contrasts the "domain of darkness" with the "kingdom of his love". The word "kingdom" here, therefore is to be understood as "domain", or "realm", not an actual administrative system. Christians were rescued by God from darkness into love and grace.

That's a phallacy that the WTS came up with to justify every reference made to Jesus' "kingship" that seems to apply to a pre-1914 era as referring solely to a rulership over the anointed congregation.

Also, note that I stated that Jesus was made King in the first century and his kingdom started then - but I didn't say that the "1000 years", when the "144.000" sit in thrones started then.

Eden

75

Anyone can be saved

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

i prayed that 2 japanese men would come to church today, and thank god that 1 said yes so far.............so please pray he and his friend would come not only to church, but to jesus.

and i meet another non christian friend on monday, please pray for her salvation.. .

when asked which is the greatest commandment, jesus replied,.

EdenOne

Read Job chapter 1. Even Satan is included among the "sons of God". Everyone is a son of God by means of Creation. To aknowlege or reject such is everyone's privilege. Doesn't change the fact, tho. And yes, even God may destroy his creations, indeed, his sons also. I wouldn't want his job, for sure.

On the other hand, you're also right. Who imitates the devil becomes his son. But you see ... the Devil himself isn't an atheist.

Eden

20

"Sit at my right hand" - WHEN?

by EdenOne in

i recently started thinking if there could be a way to refute the entire 1914 doctrine without having to go into discussing chronology - like proving if jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce or not; if the "gentile times" have anything to to with the kingdom; if "7 times" are really 2520 years"; if those are solar years or lunar years .... and i came to this conclusion: nothing of that matters!

when will the lord sit at the right hand of jehovah?

therefore, the fulfillment of psalm 110:1, when the lord sits by the right hand of jehovah god took place sometime between 35 ce and 60 ce.. .

EdenOne

Not much later than 33 ... by 35 CE Stephen had a vision of the heavens and Jesus is there but not seated in a throne yet. Yet, by 60 CE, Paul speaks of it as already had taken place. So, the interval is between 35 and 60 CE.

Eden

75

Anyone can be saved

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

i prayed that 2 japanese men would come to church today, and thank god that 1 said yes so far.............so please pray he and his friend would come not only to church, but to jesus.

and i meet another non christian friend on monday, please pray for her salvation.. .

when asked which is the greatest commandment, jesus replied,.

EdenOne

The way I see it, Jesus is a son of God who aknowleges his father; Dawkins is a son of God who refuses to aknowlege his father. Nothing more to it.

Eden

75

Anyone can be saved

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

i prayed that 2 japanese men would come to church today, and thank god that 1 said yes so far.............so please pray he and his friend would come not only to church, but to jesus.

and i meet another non christian friend on monday, please pray for her salvation.. .

when asked which is the greatest commandment, jesus replied,.

EdenOne

Atheism can be just as intolerant as religion. I see no difference. The way an atheist jumps like a spring on a fit whenever 'religion' comes up as a subject is very telling of intorerant traits. Perhaps many religious people condemn the faithless to hell / destruction; But no less atheists condemn believers to social death by ignorance and extinction by means of Social Darwinism. So tell me, what's so different? Dawkins is cooler than Jesus?

Eden

20

"Sit at my right hand" - WHEN?

by EdenOne in

i recently started thinking if there could be a way to refute the entire 1914 doctrine without having to go into discussing chronology - like proving if jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce or not; if the "gentile times" have anything to to with the kingdom; if "7 times" are really 2520 years"; if those are solar years or lunar years .... and i came to this conclusion: nothing of that matters!

when will the lord sit at the right hand of jehovah?

therefore, the fulfillment of psalm 110:1, when the lord sits by the right hand of jehovah god took place sometime between 35 ce and 60 ce.. .

EdenOne

I think you're referring to Daniel 12:1

I personally think that you should ask yourself first if "Michael" is indeed Jesus Christ ; In any case, in my opinion, the fulfillment of Daniel 12:1 was already in a distant past, when the Jews got relief from great distress caused by the Syrian opression in the 2nd century BCE.

Eden