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Interests: 7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7) (NIV)
Expertise: 11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings." (Revelation 10:11) (NIV)


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Friday, July 25, 2008

The Time of The End

Armageddon

When people think about the "End of this world as we
now know it", most automatically think of the last book of
the Bible, The Book of Revelation according to John. It
does have much information about these last days, but
many other books in the Bible contain key information
of great importance. This information, located throughout
the Bible, is very seldom broached by Christendom’s
priests and ministers because the threatening information
interferes with their preferred program of delivering only
"happy talk" to their blissfully ignorant and unsuspecting
congregations.

What kind of threatening information?

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed,
nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It
shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring
them to an end, and it shall stand forever.
(Daniel 2:44) (ESV) -Biblegateway

"And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying...
‘An end, the end, has come upon the four extremities of the
land. Now the end is upon you, and I must send my anger
against you, and I will judge you according to your ways
and bring upon you all your detestable things. And my eye
will not feel sorry for you, neither will I feel compassion, for
upon you I shall bring your own ways, and in the midst of
you your own detestable things will come to be; and YOU
people will have to know that I am Jehovah.’ "
(Ezekiel 7:1-4) (New World Translation) www.WatchTower.org

"And those slain by Jehovah will certainly come to be in
that day from one end of the earth clear to the other end
of the earth. They will not be bewailed, neither will they be
gathered up or be buried. As manure on the surface of the
ground they will become."
(Jeremiah 25:33) (YLT) -Biblegateway

7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your
right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only
observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
(Psalms 91:7-8) (NIV) -Biblegateway

14 "The great day of Jehovah is near. It is near, and
there is a hurrying [of it] very much
. The sound of
the day of Jehovah is bitter. There a mighty man is
letting out a cry. 15 That day is a day of fury, a day
of distress and of anguish, a day of storm and of
desolation, a day of darkness and of gloominess, a
day of clouds and of thick gloom, 16 a day of horn
and of alarm signal, against the fortified cities and
against the high corner towers. 17 And I will cause
distress to mankind, and they will certainly walk like
blind men; because it is against Jehovah that they have
sinned. And their blood will actually be poured out like
dust, and their bowels like the dung. 18 Neither their
silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the
day of Jehovah’s fury; but by the fire of his zeal the
whole earth will be devoured, because he will make
an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of all the
inhabitants of the earth."
(Zephaniah 1:14-18) (NWT) www.WatchTower.org

But that is not all! There is a lot more valuable
information that was not written down.

4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book,
until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall increase."
(Daniel 12:4) (ESV) -Biblegateway

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.
He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his
face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He
was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted
his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he
gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the
voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven
thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from
heaven say,
"Seal up what the seven thunders have said
and do not write it down."
(Revelation 10:1-4) (NIV) -Biblegateway

God told Daniel and John that certain Bible
Prophecy will be "sealed" (hidden) until the
time of the end.

So When Will These Words Be Revealed?

"Today we are in a knowledge explosion
which is moving so rapidly that probably
few people understand its consequences.
Terms that were scarcely heard a decade
or so ago are now common household words.
These are words like PC, CD-Rom, hard disc,
Internet, web, etc. It is now possible to
travel with a laptop computer and a pouch
full of CD Roms that contain a large library
on disc... All that is amazing! We are surely
living in the time when knowledge has increased."

"An angel speaking to the prophet Daniel seems to
refer to such a day as ours. The angel told him:
"But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of
the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go
here and there to increase knowledge." (Dan. 12:4).
We understand from this that knowledge will be
increased so dramatically that it will be a sign
of the end days. Surely we are living in such a time."
- Jim Gerris
Bridges For Peace, Jerusalem. 1996.
A Tale of Two Trees; The Tree of Knowledge

The knowledge has already been revealed
to the world.
Only the wise have taken
note of the worthwhile information.

Increased General Knowledge is a Sign of the Last Days.

What else is a sign?

We are seeing momentous world events with our very eyes.
Nobody seems to really notice that churches, synagogues
and temples are being destroyed.

Church Damage collage

Why isn't Jehovah protecting the Churches?

People are becoming homeless, dying, acting senseless
and living in misery all over the world.

God Hates America collage

Why isn't Jehovah protecting the People?

Jehovah, in His book, the Bible promises:

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.
(Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) -Biblegateway

And our Messiah, His Son, said:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
you will wear. Is not life more important than food,
and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at
the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of
you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And
why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of
the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you
that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like
one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the
field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
(Matthew 6:25-30) (NIV) -Biblegateway

Why are so many people not granted God’s protection?

Most people think that these events are merely a series
of unfortunate occurrences. Every time an earthquake
or floods or fire destroys buildings and homes, aid is
sent to the ravaged areas. Before the destruction can
be rebuilt more devastation occurs in other places.

The question is, why is God allowing all this?

Answer: it is God’s judgment!

Church damage 8

That sizes the situation up nicely!

The hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, fires,
flooding storms and disease outbreaks we have
already experienced are only the beginning! It
is time to destroy everything that opposes
Jehovah!

For Jehovah's people - this is good news!

28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and
lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing
near."
(Luke 21:25-28) (NIV) -Biblegateway

34 Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will
exalt thee to inherit the land: When the wicked are
cut off, thou shalt see it. 35 I have seen the wicked
in great power, And spreading himself like a green
tree in its native soil. 36 But one passed by, and, lo,
he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be
found. 37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the
upright; For there is a happy end to the man of peace.
38 As for transgressors, they shall be
destroyed together; The end of the
wicked shall be cut off.
(Psalms 37:34-38) (American Standard Version) -Biblegateway

We have been waiting for this for a very long time.

Now it is a reality!

 


Sunday, July 20, 2008

Who Altered The Bible?

Despite the Bible's warnings not to add to, nor take away
from the words of the Holy Scriptures, some translators and
copyists have altered and changed the wording of various
scriptures in order to support the hokey Trinity Dogma. 

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy
of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will
add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if
anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy,
God will take away from him his share in the tree of life
and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
(Revelation 22:18-19) (New International Version) -Biblegateway

Some have indeed added entire verses that were not part
of the original text. God's name,
Jehovah, was removed
to obscure the distinction between God and His Son.

Did anyone notice?

"What I discovered in most of the versions of the Bible
produced by trinitarians which I studied - is irrefutable
proof of intentional mistranslation of words which refer
to God.
  This statement is not intended as an antagonistic
denunciation of those translators. It is simply a statement
of fact
, and it is a fact that no scholar on earth can refute.
In the versions of the holy scriptures which they produce, I
learned that Christian trinitarians routinely and purposely
mistranslate Greek pronouns, so as to promote the
doctrine of the holy Trinity."

-The Influence of Trinitarian Doctrine
  on Translations of the Bible
   by John David Clark, Sr.

"...every time a trinitarian finger is pointed to a verse or to a
word which might, by a great stretch of imagination, be
interpreted as endorsing the doctrine of a "holy Trinity",  it
only serves to show how devoted to his faith a trinitarian
can become."
-The Influence of Trinitarian Doctrine
  on Translations of the Bible
   by John David Clark, Sr

After the completion of the Bible by the Apostles, certain
scriptures were added or changed in order to trick the
reader into accepting a triad-type god that has no
basis in scripture.

Why did they do this?

It must be remembered that when Rome took over
the Christian faith and made it a State Religion,
it was a political ploy to gain control over all
religious factions in her jurisdiction at the time.
Rome had grown fearful of Christianity - and her
policy had become - "If you can't fight it - join it."

Persecuting the early Christians was getting Rome
nowhere. Instead of being able to rid herself of the
pesky preachers - they multiplied rapidly under
martyrdom - so Rome decided that if she could not
conquer Christianity, and rid herself of them - she
would instead make it the "State Religion" of Rome.

Unfortunately the Roman leaders were not interested
in preaching the gospel message, but rather in
having complete political control of all her subjects -
both Pagan and Christian.

"The Council of Nicea was a pivotal event in the history
of Christianity. The sudden adoption of a quasi-philosophic
term to define the historic Jesus as
equal to God was a major
departure from scripture...
  Further, the use of this term in a
Creed meant that, from 325 A.D. on, Nicenes could and did
proclaim other dogmas that have no basis in Scripture."
- State Church of the Roman Empire; Ben H. Swett; 1998

Thus the Holy Roman Empire was installed - with
the intent of satisfying all parties concerned with
this new amalgamation of religions. Thus many
pagan concepts, beliefs, holidays, liturgies, and
forms of worship were adopted and mixed into a
potpourri of pagan and Christian rites.

The trinities of Rome's pagan cults were absorbed
into the religion of Christ, which was a monotheistic
worship of the Jewish God Jehovah. Since Rome
hated the Jews almost as much as the Christians -
her first reform was to rid Rome of the Jewish God,
Jehovah. By making a trinity out of Christ - and
wiping Jehovah's name from the Bible - replacing
it with "LORD" was a first step in destroying all
mention of Jehovah God Almighty.

Despite the fact that Christ repeatedly confirmed
that his Father was distinct and superior to himself,
the newly formed doctrine of the Nicea Council -
completely ignored his teachings:

28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming
back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am
going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
(John 14:28) (NIV) -Biblegateway

Christ clearly said that his Father was greater than he was
(John 14:28) (Luke 18:19) but the trinity doctrine says they
are equal.

Yet he said that there were some things he didn't know…

36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
(Matthew 24:36) (NIV) -Biblegateway

…and some authority that was not his…

23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to
sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong
to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."
(Matthew 20:23) (NIV) -Biblegateway

…yet they ignored these and many other scriptures
where he denied equality with God.

The subjects of Rome questioned this new
philosophy - asking questions such as “who was 
Christ praying to?”  And “whose voice thundered
from heaven when he was baptized?”

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.
At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from
heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
(Matthew 3:16-17) (NIV) -Biblegateway

Such questions only caused trouble and quarrels in
the Roman Empire - something that was most un-
welcome from her leaders. Thus in time, the church
leaders acquired the courage to defy God’s warning
and set about altering the scriptures in the Bible in
order to support a doctrine that is totally in
contradiction to what Christ and the Apostles taught.

Over the years, various Scholars have researched
the question of - “Why the contradictory statements?”
Why would God's Son say he was God - one minute -
and then declare he was not God - the next?

Over the years - these questions have come up with
findings that confirm that under religious pressure
to support the Trinity Dogma - some copyists and
translators have falsely inserted or altered certain
scriptures in order to support the pagan trinity formula 
that Rome has sought to force upon all of her subjects.

Did Rome fool everybody?

"Who but a thoroughly deluded man would be so bold as, 
to intentionally mistranslate for his own doctrinal purposes,
the words of the apostles of Jesus? Who but a thoroughly
deluded man could have so little fear of the righteous
judgment of God that he would publish a translation of the
Greek that he himself knows is unfaithful to the original
words, as almost all the translators in this study have done?
Jesus said that the time would come when his followers
would be murdered by those who think that they are
doing a service to God (John 16:2). And if throughout
Christianity's sordid history its leaders have
felt
constrained by their faith to execute people, for the simple
"crime" of refusing to receive some of its teachings
, why
should it be surprising to learn that Christianity's scholars
feel free to alter, without comment, some of the words of
the Greek text in order to promote their Trinitarian doctrine
?"
-The Influence of Trinitarian Doctrine
  on Translations of the Bible
   by John David Clark, Sr

How could Rome hope to perpetuate this myth?

"To enforce the decisions (about the trinity) of the Council of Nicea,
Constantine commanded, with the death penalty for disobedience."
- A History of Christianity
      Volume 1 1997
         Kenneth Scott Latourette

"The day was to come when the Nicene party won out completely and
then  the emperors, who wished to prevent any more such quarrels,
decreed that one who denied the Trinity should be put to death."

-The Church of our Fathers - 1950, pg. 46

"The doctrine that Jesus Christ the Son of God was instead God
the son was decreed by worldly and ecclesiastical powers.
Men
were forced to accept it at the point of the sword or else,
Thus,
the error of the trinity was propounded to the end that ultimately
people believed it to be the truth.
Thus Christianity became in essence
like Babylonian heathenism, with only a veneer of Christian names."

--- Forgers of the Word -1983 Victor Paul Wierwille

The trinity was indeed forced at the point of the sword, under
torture and death penalty
, for its acceptance.  Indeed that only
confirms the source of this heathen doctrine. It is not from Jehovah
God, nor from his Son, nor the Apostles - But a doctrine directly from
Satan himself, the father of the lie.

44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out
your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not
holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he
speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
(John 8:44) (NIV) -Biblegateway

"When we look back through the long ages of the reign of the
Trinity
... we shall perceive that few doctrines have produced
more unmixed evil."

- (A Statement of Reasons for Not Believing
  the Doctrine  of the Trinitarians Concerning
  the Nature of God  and the Person of Christ);
  by Andrews Norton; 1833

The apostles foretold that when Rome would take over the
Christian faith - it would become corrupted, and that people
would begin to believe the lies. Yes, under the direction of
wolf-type relgionists, the lie of the Holy Trinity would be
forced upon the masses - and eventually extend around the
world in time. 

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:
be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

(Matthew 10:16) (King James Version) -Biblegateway

29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
(Acts 20:29) (English Standard Version) -Biblegateway

So even today, many still believe the pagan trinity lie - and
equate it with true Christianity, while those who reject it as
spurious - are labeled as a cult. They have thus fulfilled Bible
prophecy by teaching that good is evil and evil is good:

20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who
put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put
bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
(Isaiah 5:20) (NIV) -Biblegateway

"...they obviously felt constrained to substitute the apostles'
words with their own.
As a result, instead of simply bending
a rule ofgrammar in order to make the original meaning clear,
they violated a cardinal principle of integrity in scholarship

by
rejecting the words of holy men of God in order to propagate
their own private beliefs.
For them to have done this is not simply
a matter of inappropriate methodology; it is EVIL."

-The Influence of Trinitarian Doctrine
  on Translations of the Bible
   by John David Clark, Sr.

SOME  EXAMPLES  OF  ALTERING  THE  BIBLE :

"TRINITY  PROOF " TEXTS - 1 John 5:7

"People who are using the King James Version might be
inclined to point to I John 5:7 'For there are three that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost'
But it is now generally recognized that this verse
does NOT
belong to the original text
of the letter; it is a later insertion."
-Exploring The Christian Faith 1992

1 John 5:7  - "Anyone who uses a recent scholarly version
of the NT will see that these words on the Trinity are not in
verse 7. This is because
they have no basis in the Greek
text. Under Roman Catholic pressure, Erasmus inserted
them
from the Latin Vulgate. They are not a part of the inspired

Bible
"
(Word Meanings in the NT, Ralph Earle. P. 452).

"The baptismal formula was changed from the name of
Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

by the Catholic Church
in the second century."
-The Catholic Encyclopedia, II, page 263

"TRINITY  PROOF"  TEXTS - Matthew 28:19

"Matthew 28:19... its trustworthiness is impugned on grounds
of textual criticism, literary criticism and historical criticism...
this triune formula is a later addition."

-The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics

"It is often affirmed that the words 'in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost'
are NOT the exact
words of Jesus
, but... a later liturgical addition."
-The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, I, 275

"In Matthew 28:19 the Trinitarian formula was later inserted."
-Wilhelm Bousset, Kyrios Christianity, page 295

"Matthew 28:19... is contrary to the facts of early Christian history,
and its Trinitarian formula is foreign to the mouth of Jesus."
-The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,
 Vol. 4, page 2637, Under "Baptism"

"The baptismal formula was changed by the Catholic Church
from the name of Jesus Christ, to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
in
the second century."

-Encyclopedia Britannica
(11th Edition, Volume 3, pages 365-366)

THE REMOVAL OF GOD'S NAME - JEHOVAH
TO SUPPORT THE TRINITY DOGMA

"The removal of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) from the New
Testament and its replacement with the surrogates KYRIOS
and THEOS
blurred the original distinction between the
Lord God and the Lord Christ,
and in many passages made
it impossible to tell which one was meant. As time went on...
it was often impossible to distinguish between them. Thus it
may be that the removal of the Tetragrammaton

contributed significantly to the later... Trinity "
- George Howard,  Bible Scholar ;
The Name of God in the New Testament,
BAR 4.1 (March 1978), pg 15

"It was they who demanded, in effect, that Christianity be
"updated" by
blurring or even obliterating the long-accepted

distinction between the Father and the Son."
- When Jesus Became God
by Richard E. Rubenstein, p.74

"So we see the earliest forms of various pagan religions were really
derivations of the One God, Jehovah. Their doctrines concerning the
One God were obviously lacking specific truths as they had departed
somewhat from true faith.
The more that people crept away from
faith in God the more elaborate the concoctions became regarding

their view of God, until a "trinity" of three persons was invented."
-- From the Book --
The Pagan Influence Upon the Development
of the Doctrine of the Trinity; - by Michael F Blume

"The biggest doctrinal issue in Christianity is whether Jesus
is God
and what the Trinity means. Even as late as A. D. 200,
the majority of Christians did not believe in the Trinity, as
Tertullian freely conceded. These sorts of disputes led to many
alterations of the New Testament
. Is it any surprise that just a
few years later, one of the very earliest manuscripts of John's
Gospel we have was altered to read, "Whoever has seen me has
seen the Father also"?
A very useful change for doctrinal
reasons."

-Which Bible? ; by Steven Carr

"Of course, people who said that Jesus was God the Father were
altering manuscripts
.
The earliest manuscript of 1 and 2 Peter is
called p72. It states, in 1 Peter 5:1, that Peter was a witness of the
sufferings of God, not a witness of the sufferings of Christ. This is
not an accidental slip."

-Which Bible? ; by Steven Carr

"Second Peter 1:2 in English Bibles today says, "May grace and peace
be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God AND of Jesus our Lord."
P72 removes the "and" so that it becomes "God, our Lord Jesus." P72
also alters Jude 5 to say that the person who saved the people out of the
land of Egypt was "the God Christ."

-Which Bible? ; by Steven Carr

Did God ever say that He was three persons? When?

5 I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me
there is no God.
(Isaiah 45:5) (American Standard Version) -Biblegateway

In the last days - all these false doctrines, which came
from
pagan Rome - would be exposed.  Unfortunately,
not all will seek the light but prefer the darkness.
When Christ returns, each will be judged according
to their preference for either the un-popular truth
or worldly deceptions of mystery and darkness.

Have the people who altered the Bible in order to promote
the pagan Trinity doctrine done anybody any favors?

"On that day of judgment," says the LORD, "I will punish the leaders...
and all those following pagan customs."
(Zephaniah 1:8) (New Living Translation) -Biblegateway


Monday, July 14, 2008

Who Is Jehovah?

 

People have been asking this very question for many

thousands of years. The Bible has the story of the very
first person to ask this question:

 

1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said
unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel,
Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto
me in the wilderness.  2 And Pharaoh said, Who is
Jehovah
, that I should hearken unto his voice to
let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover
I will not let Israel go.

(Exodus 5:1-2) (American Standard Version) -Biblegateway

 

Well, as we know, the Pharaoh found out the hard way
just who Jehovah was! The people of Egypt soon found
out how absurd it was to trifle with Jehovah.


16 So Pharaoh hurriedly called Moses and Aaron and said: "I have
sinned against Jehovah YOUR God and against YOU. 17 And now
pardon, please, my sin just this once and ENTREAT Jehovah YOUR
God that he may turn away just this deadly plague from upon me."
(Exodus 10:16-17) (NWT)

What about today? Are people still impressed
by Jehovah and His mighty powers? 


The priests and ministers of the many Christian denominations claim
to represent "God". The God of the Christians apparently does not
have a name yet every other god in existence does have a name!

 

What about the God of the ancient Jews? 

 

Moses knew God's name before he went to see Pharaoh:

 

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel,
Jehovah, the God of your
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name
forever
, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
(Exodus 3:15) (ASV) -Biblegateway

 

Is this God of the ancient Jews our God?


29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the
God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
(Romans 3:29) (NIV) -Biblegateway

 

Our creator has a name! He chose His name Himself. His
name is
Jehovah and He wants us to call Him by His name:

 

What happens if we call Him by His name?

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered.
(Joel 2:32) (American Standard Version) -Biblegateway

Why does it matter what His name is?

5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on
earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all
things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord,
Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom
we live.
(1Corinthians 8:5,6) (New International Version) -Biblegateway

Most people in the world do not worship Jehovah. The
vast majority of people prefer to worship Allah, Buddha,
Jesus; Mary, the mother of Jesus, money, sex, a nameless
lord; almost anything but Jehovah. Then, these very people
who ignore Jehovah wonder why He ignores them.

Jehovah explained how He wanted to be worshiped
and we have his directions written down in the Bible
so future generations can follow:

24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship
in spirit and in truth."
(John 4:24) (NIV) -Biblegateway

Why do people ignore Jehovah?

 

Why do the priests and ministers of Christendom claim
to be “ministers of God” and yet teach their
worthless

beliefs?

 

Does Jehovah approve?

1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to
give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, then
will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings;
yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to
heart.
(Malachi 2:1-2) (ASV)
-Biblegateway

 

We all have free will, the freedom to do whatever we wish.
We are free to do good things or evil things. Jehovah is
watching us at all times to see what we will do, just like
a Father watching His children to see how they will grow
up.
Jehovah does not interfere with us, for now. He allows
us to behave naturally and observes what we are doing.

Can people worship Jehovah any
way they want to or not at all?

That is not what His Son said.

 

46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
(Luke 6:46) (NIV) -Biblegateway

We are living in The Last Days of “this world as we now
know it”. People have been separated into two groups:
the "sheep" and the "goats".

32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he
will separate the people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put
the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come,
you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the
world.
41 "Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
’”
(Matthew 25:32-34, 41) (NIV) -Biblegateway

Notice that we are not talking about separating
the “sheep” from the “wolves”.

Are there wolves?

Definitely. The wolves are people under Satan’s
influence who do his evil deeds.

29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come
in among you and will not spare the flock.
(Acts 20:29) (NIV) -Biblegateway

The wolves will not survive after Armageddon because they would
ruin the paradise conditions of the post-Armageddon world.
The
goats will not survive either for the same reason.

 

Are goats dangerous like the wolves?

 

 

No. Goats are not necessarily dangerous. They just do not
follow the shepherd like the sheep do. Goats like to “do their
own thing”. As a matter of fact, many goat-like people are
pleasant, friendly and helpful; all-around good people who:  


      ·        Go to church, pray regularly and tithe!

·        Love Jesus

·        Never harm anybody

·        Mind their own business

·        Perform acts of kindness and generosity

·        Work hard

·        Love their country

·        Read their Bible

·        Teach Sunday School

·        Obey all of the Ten Commandments

 

The "sheep" and many "goats" do these things. The only
difference between a "sheep" and a "goat" is that
the
"goat" does not follow the shepherd’s voice.

 

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,
and they follow me.
(
John 10:27) (NIV) -Biblegateway

And what is it that Christ expects from his sheep?

30
If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you
don't gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it.

(Matthew 12:30) (Contemporary English Version) -Biblegateway

37 He said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great,
but the workers are so few.
(Matthew 9:37) (New Living Translation) -Biblegateway

What kind of work does he expect us to do?

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make
you fishers of men.
(Matthew 4:19) (King James Version) -Biblegateway

The sheep follow Christ’s example and do God’s will. The
goats do not follow. The goats sit back and let the sheep
do all the work.

What good is it to be a goat?

The sheep are the ones who will be rewarded for their
devotion. But most people are goats.

 

What is that like?

Suppose we asked a painter to paint our house brown and he
instead painted it red. Would we appreciate his hard work?

 

Should Jehovah accept what we decide to give Him or
should we follow what He says?

 

That is the difference between a sheep and a goat.

 

 


Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Will Judgment
Lead to Peace?

gavel
Many people believe that the world is in turmoil now
because we are living at “the time of The End”.

What people think so?

 

"God will shortly intervene in history, destroy the
wicked, and initiate his own kingdom on earth.

John's vision of the endtimes includes an apocalyptic
nightmare of natural disasters, famine, terror and war -
a literal hell on earth. But it also promises a thousand
years of a peaceable kingdom ruled by Jesus and
, after
the final judgment
of the living and dead, a new heaven
and earth for the just."

-The Way the World Ends
Newsweek, November 1, 1999
By Kenneth L. Woodward

 

"Passages predicting an imminent apocalypse occur in the New
Testament
, both in the Synoptic Gospels and in the Epistles of
Paul. The New Testament then concludes with the most spectacular
and intricately ordered of all apocalyptic prophecies, the Book of
Revelation. A series of seven symbolic events signalize the conflict
between the forces of Christ and of Antichrist,
culminating in a
prodigious violence
in which the stars fall like ripe figs and the
harvest of the earth is
cast "into the great winepress of the wrath
of God."
(6.13).
This fierce destruction, however, is a cleansing
one
, preparatory to the inauguration of the Kingdom of Christ
on
earth
, which will last one thousand years - -
a blissful earthly
condition at the end of history."

-The Norton Anthology of English Literature
 The Romantic Period
 Apocalyptic Expectations - An Overview

"Jesus himself was a Jewish prophet who taught and
expected the end of the world
as he knew it...' "
- Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium.
   by; New Testament scholar - Bart D. Ehrman

 

"...the first generation of Romantic poets incorporated in
their poems a vision of... the abrupt culmination of
history,
in which there will emerge a new humanity on
a new earth that is equivalent to a restored paradise...
a vision of a "blest age" in the future when, in a violent
spasm... humanity shall 'burst his fetters', and
'Earth
shall once again be a Paradise'."

-The Norton Anthology of English Literature
 The Romantic Period
 Apocalyptic Expectations - An Overview

 

"...a world made new : These concepts are obviously
theological
. They originate in the apocalyptic and millennial
passages of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures."
-The Norton Anthology of English Literature
 The Romantic Period
 Apocalyptic Expectations - An Overview

 

"The term apocalypse... God's providential design for the end
of human history
... the imminent events that will
abruptly
end the existing world order
and replace it with a new and
perfected condition both of humanity and of the world."
-The Norton Anthology of English Literature
 The Romantic Period
 Apocalyptic Expectations - An Overview

"The root elements of apocalypse are the concern of the Hebrew
prophets with the
catastrophic punishments... in "the latter
end of the days
," as well as with the expectation of a Messiah,
a deliverer from suffering in this disaster-ridden world. These
elements are collected in the writings attributed to the prophet
Isaiah, which foretell,
after God has vented His wrath,
the advent of a renovated world of ease, joy, and peace
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a
new earth
," in which
"the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the
lion shall
eat straw
like the bullock" (Isaiah 65:17-25)
-The Norton Anthology of English Literature
 The Romantic Period
 Apocalyptic Expectations - An Overview

"Two things should be noted concerning the nature of the
future theocratic kingdom of God
. First, it will be an
earthly kingdom
. Second,  it will be a political kingdom."
--Why Future Events ;  Part 12; by Dr. Renald Showers
   Ankerberg Theological Research Institute

 "All such things refer not to heavenly matters, but
to the times of the kingdom,
when the earth has
been restored by Christ"

--Against the Heresies; 
  translated by F.R. Montgomery Hitchcock,
  book 5, chapters 28, 35 
  Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons in France; 2nd Century


Early Christians - "They were millenarians expecting the
imminent coming of Jesus
to rule the earth
."
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

"The Kingdom of God: Christ's mediatorial authority,
or his rule on the earth"

-Bible Encyclopedia; WebBible Online

"Jesus will rule the earth... His Kingdom will be
worldwide... There will be peace... There will be
a healing of infirmities and a freedom from disease"
- Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, pg. 656-658;
     J. Barton Payne


"The future theocratic kingdom of God will be an earthly
kingdom involving the administration
of God's rule
over everything on this present earth.
...the future
theocratic kingdom will involve the administration of
God's rule by His future representative... Jesus
Christ,
over this same earthly province."
--Why Future Events;  Part 12; by Dr. Renald Showers
  Ankerberg Theological Research Institute

 

All of this secular information implies that God is
taking over the rulership of the earth.

 

Will that be with the present governments still in charge?

What does the Bible say?

19  Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their
armies
gathered together to make war against the rider on the
horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him
the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his
behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received
the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them
were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21
The rest
of them were killed
with the sword that came out of the mouth of
the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
(Revelation 19:19-21) (NIV) -Biblegateway


No, the current world governments will not be ruling
alongside God in His kingdom. 


44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up
a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to
another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and
bring them to an end
, but it will itself endure forever.
(Daniel 2:44) (NIV) -Biblegateway

 

"Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on
earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven."
(Matthew 6:10) (Contemporary English Version) -Biblegateway

 

"...For the outward form of this world ; the present world order
is passing away
."
(1Corinthians 7:31) (Amplified Bible)
  
-Biblegateway

 

"...And you will destroy all who have caused
destruction on the earth
."
(Revelation 11:18) (New International Version)
-Biblegateway

 

God does not want two sets of laws for us to obey. His laws alone
will be sufficient. That means there will be no need for our present
world governments or any politicians in the near future. 

 

"For the upright shall dwell in the earth,  And the righteous
shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from
the earth
, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it."
(Proverbs 2:21,22) (NIV)
-Biblegateway


Instead we will be governed by rulers appointed by God: 


"I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been
given authority to judge... They came to life and reigned
with Christ for a thousand years."

(Revelation 20:4) (New International Version)
-Biblegateway

 

"...with Your blood You purchased men unto God from
every tribe and language and people and nation. And
You have made them a kingdom -royal race- and priests
to our God, and  they shall reign as kings over the earth !"
(Revelation 5:9,10) (AMP)
-Biblegateway


"But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth,
where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to that!"
(2Peter 3:13) (CEV)
-Biblegateway

The expectation of the Millennium, a divine political
kingdom on earth - to last for a thousand years, was
the corner stone of the first-century faith.


"There would be a certain millenium after the resurrection,
and that there would be a corporeal reign of Christ

on this very earth."
-(Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius,
  translated by Isaac Boyle, book 3, chapter 39)
  Papias of Hierapolis; 2nd Century

"... the expectation of the New Testament is still that of a return of
Christ to the earth, a heavenly kingdom to come on earth..."
- Bishop Gore, ('Belief in Christ')

 

The Old Testament predicted that a “future representative” will appear:

"Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen,
in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon
him
; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles...
He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set 
justice in the earth
Thus saith God Jehovah..."
(Isaiah 42:1-3) (American Standard Version)
-Biblegateway

 

Who is the “servant” mentioned here?

 

We find out later in the New Testament:

13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our
fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him
over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though
he had decided to let him go.
(Acts 3:13) (NIV) -Biblegateway

"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love,
in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will
proclaim justice to
the nations."
(Matthew 12:18) (NIV) 
-Biblegateway


"...but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do
exactly what my Father has commanded me
."
(John 14:31) (NIV) -BibleGateway

27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
(John 5:27) (NIV)  -Biblegateway

How will judgment be dispensed?