Results 1 - 4 of 4
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Jehovah's Witnesses in a Nutshell | Rom 3:4 | kalos | 55558 | ||
Jehovah's Witnesses in a Nutshell 'According to Jehovah's Witness' theology, God is a single person, not a Trinity (../doctrine/trinity.htm), who does not know all things and is not everywhere. He first created Michael the Archangel through whom He created all "other things," including the universe, the earth, Adam and Eve, etc. This creative work took God 42,000 years. At one point, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society taught that God ruled the universe from somewhere in the Pleiades star system. They have since modified this to say that the "Pleiades can no longer be considered the center of the universe and it would be unwise for us to try to fix God's throne as being at a particular spot in the universe." Such changes and even contradictions in teaching (contradictions.htm) are frequent in the Watchtower organization and when a doctrine changes, they tell their followers that the light of truth is getting brighter. 'After Adam sinned, the paradise which God had created for them, was ruined. So, God instituted a system of redemption which was revealed in the Bible and would ultimately lead to the crucifixion of Jesus the messiah. But, in the meantime, God needed to have a visible, theocratic organization on earth to accurately represent Him. Throughout history, this true organization had a remnant of faithful Jehovah's Witnesses (Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc.) but it wasn't until the late 1800's that Charles Taze Russell formerly began what is now known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society which is run out of Brooklyn, New York. This organization claims to be the only true channel of God's truth on earth today and that it alone can properly interpret God's word since it is the angel directed, prophet of God on earth. 'When it came time for the savior to be born, Michael the Archangel became a human, in the form of Jesus. Jesus grew and kept all the laws of God and never sinned. Finally, when Jesus died, it was not on a cross, but on a torture stake, where he bore the sins of mankind -- but this did not include Adam's sins. Jesus rose from the dead as a spirit, not physically (his body was dissolved and taken by God) and during his visitations to people on earth, he manifested a temporary physical body for them to see and touch. Thus began the true Christian church of Jehovah's followers. 'Throughout history there have been faithful Jehovah's witnesses who have managed to keep The Truth in spite of the "demonic" doctrine of Trinitarianism that has permeated the Christian church in "Christendom." Christendom is filled with pastors who are antichrists, in churches run by Satan, and who support the earthly governments which are all of the devil. In other words, all of Christianity is false and only the Jehovah's Witness "theocratic" organization lead by several men in Brooklyn, New York, is true. 'In the late 1800's, a young man of 18 years, by the name of Charles Taze Russell, organized a Bible class in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1879 he sought to popularize his ideas on doctrine so he co-published The Herald of the Morning magazine with its founder, N. H. Barbour and by 1884 Russell controlled the publication and renamed it The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom, and founded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society (now known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society). Russell served as the teacher and guide for the organization which taught that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 and is now reigning in heaven. When Jesus finally returns physical to earth, which will happen at the time of the Battle of Armageddon, He will set up his earthly 1000 year kingdom. During this 1000 year period, people will be resurrected and have a second chance to receive eternal salvation by following the principles of Jehovah's Organization on earth known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. After the millennium, those who reject God and His organization will be annihilated; that is, they will cease to exist. The rest of the Jehovah's Witness who have faithfully followed God's organization on earth will be saved from eternal annihilation and reside forever on Paradise earth. Heaven, however, is a place for a special group of 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses -- the only ones who are "born again" and who alone are allowed to take communion in their annual communion service. These are the ones who have "immortal life," all other Witnesses have "everlasting life." Those with immortal life do not have resurrected bodies. They have "spirit bodies." Those on Paradise Earth have everlasting life and consists of a resurrected body that must be maintained through eating, rest, etc.' (www.carm.org/witnesses.htm) [jwjw] |
||||||
2 | question | Rom 3:4 | mbooker | 56436 | ||
'At one point, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society taught that God ruled the universe from somewhere in the Pleiades star system. They have since modified this to say that the "Pleiades can no longer be considered the center of the universe and it would be unwise for us to try to fix God's throne as being at a particular spot in the universe." Such changes and even contradictions in teaching (contradictions.htm) are frequent in the Watchtower organization and when a doctrine changes, they tell their followers that the light of truth is getting brighter.' I have had a JW (btw, when they first came by, I told them I was Jehovah's witness too! Acts 1:8) come by my home and have said that any group that teaches anything that does not correctly line up with the Bible is a false religion. She was trying to convince me that the church I attend is a false religion. She even asked me to go and ask the leaders of my church what they believe. I told her that my pastor once said that the Scriptures were the by-laws for our church. She still was not convinced and sweetly insisted that I go and ask. After the lady told me this (incorrect teaching equals false religion), I thought about it then the Holy Spirit brought to me I John 4:1-2: 'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God'. Well, I do know that my pastor teaches that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, so I said 'well, that spirit is of God'. I do understand that there are incorrect teachings due to lack of knowledge but to say a group/non JW is a false religion because of that incorrect teaching does not settle with my spirit. And then, I was watching a bible teaching on TV and the minister read where Jesus said you err because you do not know the scriptures (Matt 22:29). Given the JW's statement, I John 4:1-2 and Matt 22:29, it was settled in my spirit that if I try the spirit whether it be of GOD and find that it is of God, I must also remember that we can 'err, knowing not the scriptures', but that does not mean we are a false religion. Now... having said all that! IF, and I stress IF, JW's believe that incorrect teaching equal false religion, then by their own definition aren't they are a false religion if they have to change their teachings/doctrine? And I assume they are changing their teachings/doctrine when they find out what they were teaching is incorrect. And by the same token, why is it when JWs change their incorrect teachings/doctrine it's called 'the light of truth is getting brighter' but when a non JW happens to still be in a not so brigher light of truth (incorrect teaching) it's called 'false religion'? Hope my post isn't too confusing... I know I can ramble. I posted because these questions that came to my mind and this post is NOT intended to spark a heated debate. It's only intended to get a few of my questions answered. Abba Father bless You His Children His Grace and Mercy To Us All... :) |
||||||
3 | question | Rom 3:4 | Searcher56 | 56450 | ||
mbooker, greetings. It is more important that you know the truth. As tellers study the dollar bill, for a long time, so we must study Scripture. Else, when a fake comes, there'll be confusion, even the accepting of it (Gal 1:6ff). There is an answer for all the false beliefs of the JW, LDS and other groups. I had a Bible marked for these groups ... so when we talked, I could search Scripture with them. So far, they do not want to change. But, thet have been shown the truth. Hope this helps, Searcher |
||||||
4 | question | Rom 3:4 | Hank | 56461 | ||
Hello, Searcher. That was a good analogy: a bank teller being able to spot counterfeit currency because he has studied the identifying marks of the genuine article and knows them well; thus he has prepared himself to be able to spot the counterfeit. Accordingly, and even more importantly, the Christian must saturate his mind and spirit with the truth, the genuine article, the Bible, in order to be able to discern between the truth of Scripture and the fairy-tale falsehoods of man.... I'm patently flabbergasted sometimes when I observe how scant is the biblical knowledge of many professing believers and wonder why they don't exert the time and effort necessary to become proficient in at least the basic tenets of Christianity. Only a couple of weeks ago I talked with a man who has been an active member of a certain church of the reformed tradition for 50 years. He had only the vaguest idea of what the doctrine of election was all about and could have explained it to no one. His wife was no better informed than he. She has not advanced beyond using The Living Bible as her primary text! This couple is bright, educated, and unusally well informed on secular issues. So I ask myself, "What's their excuse for choosing to remain virtual dunces on the vital issues of their faith?".... For that matter, what's the excuse of thousands of intelligent, literate, and secularly educated professing Christians for ignoring, at least in practice, the commands of 2 Tim. 2:15 and 1 Peter 3:15. Perhaps the answer is that, since they don't read their Bibles, they don't even know these verses exist!.... I do believe Christians -- those who clearly have the ability to learn -- are held accountable for their failure to heed the commands of 2 Tim. 2:15 and 1 Peter 3:16. I feel that I would be hard pressed to explain to the Author why I attached so little importance to His book that I never really bothered to search the Scriptures except perhaps in the most desultory manner.... Most of us have heard the humorous answer given in a Sunday School class by a very young boy. When asked, "What were the epistles?" he replied, "The epistles were the wives of the apostles." Some adult Christians, alas, don't advance much beyond that! --Hank | ||||||