Thursday, June 11th - Trembling has seized the apostates

[Watchman]

Do not become upset and turn to doing evil.—Ps. 37:8.

When others misjudge us or mistreat us, we trust that Jehovah knows the truth. That confidence can help us to endure unfair treatment because we know that ultimately Jehovah will correct matters. By leaving things with Jehovah, we prevent anger or resentment from festering in our heart. Those emotions can cause us to overreact, can destroy our joy, and can damage our relationship with Jehovah. Of course, we will never be able to follow Jesus’ example perfectly. At times, we may do or say things that we later regret. (Jas. 3:2) And some injustices may leave us with emotional and physical scars that can be hard to bear. If that is true of you, be assured that Jehovah knows what you are going through. And Jesus, who also suffered unjustly, can sympathize with your feelings. (Heb. 4:15, 16) How happy we are that Jehovah gives us practical counsel that helps us to deal with injustice. w24.11 6 ¶12-13

What if the injustice we suffer is at the hands of those who tell us to get over it and wait on Jehovah to fix everything? What if a loved one or we have been the victim of a sexual predator in the congregation, and the elders, following the instructions of the legal department, order you to be quiet, and not call the police to report a crime committed against a child? What if we are told to wait for Jehovah to make everything alright?

Be assured, these are not hypothetical questions. It is a scenario that has been repeated over and over and over again. Now, though, the Watchtower's legal team has permitted elders to report crimes against children, and they pretend that that has always been their policy all along. They are lying.

Or what if you have been one of thousands of Christians who donated time, money, and energy to construct a Kingdom Hall in your community, only to have someone in the Watchtower's headquarters order you to vacate the premises and drive an extra 50 miles to another Kingdom Hall? What if these same counselors demean you for being upset and not humbly following theocratic direction?

Or what if you have been physically damaged because you obediently listened to the Governing Body's quack medical advice and took the mRNA shots, only to find out later that the vaccines did not protect you from contracting Covid, or prevent you from spreading Covid to others as you had been led to believe? Instead of keeping you in the land of the living, you are now facing a health crisis that you had not experienced before receiving the injections. Surely, Jesus can sympathize with your feelings. And thankfully, he can do a lot more than offer sympathy.

Ironically, the Watchtower's advice is sound and practical. We must wait on Jehovah to set matters straight. He knows exactly how to do it. Setting matters straight will require Jehovah to burn down the house. It is not as though God has not done so in the past.

"You who are far away, listen to what I will do!
And you who are nearby, acknowledge my might!
The sinners in Zion are in dread;
Trembling has seized the apostates:
‘Who of us can live where there is a consuming fire?
Who of us can live with unquenchable flames?'"

- Isaiah 33:13-14

Apostasy comes from the Governing Body

Someone emailed me this brief clip of Governing Body member, Stephen Lett, (below) lecturing the Bethel family about apostates and their lies. First, I do not know why anyone would take exception to the word “permissive.” Has the Watchtower been permissive with pedophiles? Well, when elders are...

e-watchman.com

Your own spirit will consume you like a fire

Monday, May 2They are subverting the faith of some.—2 Tim. 2:18.Timothy and other faithful ones were likely perturbed by the actions of apostates in their midst. Some Christians may have questioned why such individuals were allowed to remain in the congregation. Faithful ones might

e-watchman.com

The God of gods, Jehovah, has spoken

Sunday, April 30This is my name forever.—Ex. 3:15.Those who study ancient Hebrew Bible manuscripts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, are struck by the many occurrences of the Tetragrammaton—the four Hebrew letters that represent God’s name. The divine name appears

e-watchman.com

 

[Jerry&Phyllis]

Setting matters straight will require Jehovah to burn down the house. It is not as though God has not done so in the past.

We've often asked ourselves.....Why us? Being devoted JW's for decades, why did we finally see it when others don't?
However, we now ask ourselves......Why do most JW's not see it when some do?
(2 Thessalonians 2:10) . . .And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. . .


Does the leadership of WT recognize there is an apostate element in the organization today?
In the 2nd article above "Your own spirit will consume you like a fire": Watchtower's daily text for May 2 , 2016 states:
"Timothy and other faithful ones were likely perturbed by the actions of apostates in their midst."

So, if WT recognizes there was apostasy in the leadership of the 1st century congregations, how could they not recognize it is also present today?

Quote from 3rd article above: "The God of gods, Jehovah has spoken".
"As the Christian apostle, Peter, revealed, judgment starts with God’s house first. (1 Peter 4:17) It is against the backdrop of nation rising against nation, global food shortages and searing pestilences, the consuming fire of Jehovah’s judgment will initiate a conflagration among those who hypocritically call upon the name of Jehovah among the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The prophecy of Isaiah describes it this way: “‘Now I will rise up,’ says Jehovah, ‘now I will exalt myself; now I will magnify myself. You conceive dried grass and give birth to stubble. Your own spirit will consume you like a fire. And peoples will become as the burnings of lime. As thorns cut down, they will be set ablaze with fire. You who are far away, listen to what I will do! And you who are nearby, acknowledge my might! The sinners in Zion are in dread; trembling has seized the apostates: ‘Who of us can live where there is a consuming fire? Who of us can live with unquenchable flames?’” —Isaiah 33:10-14

"The gathering of God’s loyal ones to him will take place "outside" the purview of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. All those who continue to call upon the name of Jehovah during the coming conflagration will be brought into a new reality. Then, Jehovah will place his name upon individuals, rather than an organization."

 

[SusanB]

Since the ORG often teaches the truth, they won’t be able to say they did not know. Here is a short article from 1980. There is very little known about Joel the writer of the book by his name, other than he was the son of Pethuel. So, obviously he was not the High Priest or in charge of anyone and yet he was a powerful prophet. How wonderful it is to read these scriptures and have some understanding of them. The book of Joel appears to have been written down for us sometimes between 800 BCE and 400 BCE.

*** w80 12/15 p. 7 None Exempt from Showing Repentance ***
JOEL’S prophecy forcefully indicates the importance of having a clean standing before God. The Israelites were guilty of serious sin and, hence, needed to repent to avoid experiencing calamity. Outward expressions of sorrow were not enough. What Jehovah God desired was a heartfelt recognition of sin. The prophet Joel declared: “Rip apart your hearts, and not your garments; and come back to Jehovah your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, and he will certainly feel regret on account of the calamity.”—Joel 2:13.
https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1980923&srctype=wol&srcid=share&par=2

 

[SusanB]

Psalm 17:14-15: “Rescue me with your hand, O Jehovah, From men of this world, whose share is in this life, Those whom you fill with the good things you provide And who leave an inheritance to their many sons. But as for me, in righteousness I will see your face; I am satisfied to awaken in your presence.”

 

[BARNABY THE DOG.]

We've often asked ourselves.....Why us? Being devoted JW's for decades, why did we finally see it when others don't?
However, we now ask ourselves......Why do most JW's not see it when some do?
(2 Thessalonians 2:10) . . .And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. . .


Does the leadership of WT recognize there is an apostate element in the organization today?
In the 2nd article above "Your own spirit will consume you like a fire": Watchtower's daily text for May 2 , 2016 states:
"Timothy and other faithful ones were likely perturbed by the actions of apostates in their midst."

So, if WT recognizes there was apostasy in the leadership of the 1st century congregations, how could they not recognize it is also present today?

Quote from 3rd article above: "The God of gods, Jehovah has spoken".
"As the Christian apostle, Peter, revealed, judgment starts with God’s house first. (1 Peter 4:17) It is against the backdrop of nation rising against nation, global food shortages and searing pestilences, the consuming fire of Jehovah’s judgment will initiate a conflagration among those who hypocritically call upon the name of Jehovah among the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The prophecy of Isaiah describes it this way: “‘Now I will rise up,’ says Jehovah, ‘now I will exalt myself; now I will magnify myself. You conceive dried grass and give birth to stubble. Your own spirit will consume you like a fire. And peoples will become as the burnings of lime. As thorns cut down, they will be set ablaze with fire. You who are far away, listen to what I will do! And you who are nearby, acknowledge my might! The sinners in Zion are in dread; trembling has seized the apostates: ‘Who of us can live where there is a consuming fire? Who of us can live with unquenchable flames?’” —Isaiah 33:10-14

"The gathering of God’s loyal ones to him will take place "outside" the purview of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. All those who continue to call upon the name of Jehovah during the coming conflagration will be brought into a new reality. Then, Jehovah will place his name upon individuals, rather than an organization."

I have often asked the same question myself - “why me?” The answer is that you and your dear wife never left Jehovah. You left those whom are not yet decided to commit to Jehovah at this time on the basis of “understanding” Him for whom He truly is. Jehovah is loyal to those whom love Him, but it must be a love based upon understanding of Him. It can not be truly said of those that are loyal to watchtower first, can it? You left for principle. Your love for such endured the hardship not just of realising the divide, but what it truly meant if you were to preserve that critical element of loyalty to Jehovah. I read your journey through it and that was clear at the time. Principle in action.

I had to wait a great deal longer, but when the realization came, I too knew it first for what it was and is, and will always remain. It comes to one when they are ready for it - if they understand what it is. And is that not what it is all about? Recognition of the Lord and saviour?

 

[MickHewitt]

It can not be truly said of those that are loyal to watchtower first, can it?

I agree: They are witnesses not of Jehovah but to Watchtower! The point of their witnessing is teaching a baptism of faith in a group of Pharisaic men presiding in Bethel. Robbers have taken over Jehovah's Vineyard.