Wednesday, Sept 9 - The Lord's day will come as a thief in the night

Watchman

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All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial.—2 Tim. 3:16.

All of God’s people receive the spiritual nourishment, direction, and protection they need. An example of Jehovah’s impartiality is that he makes the Bible accessible to people around the globe today. The Holy Scriptures were originally written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Do those who can read the original Bible languages have a closer relationship with Jehovah than those who cannot? No, they do not. (Matt. 11:25) Jehovah’s approval of us is not dependent on our secular education or on our ability with languages. Rather than offer his wisdom only to the highly educated, Jehovah makes it accessible to people around the earth, whether they are highly educated or not. His inspired Word, the Bible, has been translated into thousands of languages; thus, people the world over can benefit from its teachings and learn how they can become his friends.—2 Tim. 3:16, 17. w24.06 6-7 ¶13-15
It appears that the Watchtower Bible Society has fulfilled its mission. It has translated the Bible in whole or in part into over 300 languages and made God's word freely available to the poorest people. That is something. Jehovah's Witnesses missionaries have gone to the farthest corners of the world, preaching the good news of the Kingdom.

The NWT has been controversial primarily because of its use of the name of Jehovah in the New Testament, when there are no ancient copies of the Greek where YHWH appears. However, given translators' tendency to remove God's name from translations of the Hebrew text, where it appears thousands of times, it seems most probable that the early Greek copyist did the same. However, a few places in the NWT where the name Jehovah appears are problematic. Specifically, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, which says: "For you yourselves know very well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night." And 2 Peter 3:10, which reads: "But Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be exposed."

Both passages refer to Jehovah's day coming as a thief, yet both apostles were writing in the context of the second coming and parousia of Christ. The reason Paul said the Thessalonians needed nothing written to them about the times and seasons for the Lord's coming is that Jesus said on more than one occasion that he was coming as a thief. It shouldn't be an issue, except the Watchtower teaches that the Lord's day began in 1914, but his coming as a thief has not occurred yet. In addition to that, the Watchtower has divorced Jehovah's day from the day of the Lord, Jesus.

So, on the one hand, there is some justification for using Jehovah in the New Testament, especially where it is a direct quote from the Hebrew where the YHWH appears, yet the use of the name in the passages cited —coupled with the erroneous teaching that Jehovah's day and the Lord's day are different —has blinded Jehovah's Witnesses to the simple truth that the sign of Christ's thief-like coming will occur whenever they are saying peace and security. The heavens passing away with a roar and the elements being intensely hot coincide with the sudden destruction that will befall those saying "peace and security," no doubt involving thermonuclear blasts. The earth being exposed means that the judgment of the world will then begin and there will be nowhere to hide.

 
President Trump spoke with reporters on the tarmac after getting off a helicopter and preparing to board Air Force One to Texas for a political rally. They asked him how things were going in talks with Putin and Zelensky and in Iran, and Trump said the wars will end after the November midterm elections in the US --- meaning that the only reason London and the EU are dragging things out in both conflicts is to influence the election in the hope of getting a Democratic majority in Congress and commence impeachment proceedings to prevent Trump from taking down the whole globalist system. The question arises: What if the Democrats lose? Then Trump will have his peace deals and enter into a profitable partnership with Russia. And the globalist? They will be forced to blow the world up. Peace and security, then sudden destruction.

 
The Easy English Bible, Isaiah 29:18-20: “At that time, deaf people will be able to hear when someone is reading words from a book. Blind people who have been living in a dark place will be able see what is happening. And the Lord will make weak people happy again. Poor people will sing with joy, because of what the Holy God of Israel has done. Cruel people will disappear. Proud people who insult others will no longer be there. There will be no more people who love to do evil things.”
 
The question arises: What if the Democrats lose? Then Trump will have his peace deals and enter into a profitable partnership with Russia. And the globalist? They will be forced to blow the world up. Peace and security, then sudden destruction.

Trump is "pushing" hard to make it happen.......Dem's lose and GOP wins.

WATCH: Trump’s blockbuster midterm promise: $5,000 for every American adult if GOP wins Congress
 
Trump is "pushing" hard to make it happen.......Dem's lose and GOP wins.

WATCH: Trump’s blockbuster midterm promise: $5,000 for every American adult if GOP wins Congress
I told my wife that I was gonna vote for Trump. We could use the money. :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
Trump is "pushing" hard to make it happen.......Dem's lose and GOP wins.

WATCH: Trump’s blockbuster midterm promise: $5,000 for every American adult if GOP wins Congress
You’d think it was his money but it’s actually taxpayer money. So, in effect, he saying I will give your own money back to you if you vote for me. 🙃
 
Robert: Any update on how the work is progressing in other languages?
JHBK Master Cover 2026 Edition v2h (German v2b) ebook.jpg
 
I ask this question. If, every jehovahs witnesses had an opportunity to vote for someone like Stalin knowing he was going to take everything you own and have you and your family put to death, would you vote for the party that wouldn't if available?
There's nothing wrong with voting. Matter fact, the Jewish legal system had options to choose from Romes legal framework while under its yoke
The apostle Paul used the government of Rome. The Watchtower on the one hand condemns the governments but makes use of them. The Bible says God allows governments to exist as tool for sorting out justice. Yet Watchtower would have us believe its all controlled by the Devil!. Which is not entirely true, although the Serpent can medal with it, he does not always get his way, if he could, I'm fairly certain most of us wouldn't be here... I can find no scripture thats says, do not vote. But, to twist a few scriptures to say otherwise is an injustice not to mention the damage it does to the credibility of those opposing it. Sure, Jesus said his kingdom was no part of this world. He never said "Do not vote" its my opinion voting is up the individual, a conscience matter. Although I never have, my step did ,and he was witness.
Thoughts to consider.

The Bible does not explicitly mention "voting" or "elections," as the democratic systems used today did not exist when the texts were written. Because there is no direct command forbidding or requiring it, different Christian denominations and theologians interpret the concept of political participation in various ways.

Many argue that voting is consistent with biblical principles of stewardship and love for one's neighbor. They suggest that by voting, a person can advocate for justice, protect the vulnerable, and influence laws to better reflect moral or biblical values. This view sees political engagement as a way to seek the "peace and prosperity" of the city or nation, drawing on verses such as Jeremiah 29:7.

Conversely, some argue that a believer's primary citizenship is in the Kingdom of God, not an earthly government. This perspective emphasizes that earthly power is temporary and flawed, and that placing hope in a political candidate or system can be a form of idolatry or a distraction from spiritual priorities. Some groups, such as certain Anabaptist traditions, practice political non-participation or pacifism based on the belief that the methods of the state (such as coercion and force) are incompatible with the teachings of Jesus.

Ultimately, most interpretations focus on the motive and the heart of the voter, suggesting that if a person participates in government, they should do so with humility, integrity, and a commitment to the common good.
 
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I ask this question. If, every jehovahs witnesses had an opportunity to vote for someone like Stalin knowing he was going to take everything you own and have you and your family put to death, would you vote for the party that wouldn't if available?
There's nothing wrong with voting. Matter fact, the Jewish legal system had options to choose from Romes legal framework while under its yoke
The apostle Paul used the government of Rome. The Watchtower on the one hand condemns the governments but makes use of them. The Bible says God allows governments to exist as tool for sorting out justice. Yet Watchtower would have us believe its all controlled by the Devil!. Which is not entirely true, although the Serpent can medal with it, he does not always get his way, if he could, I'm fairly certain most of us wouldn't be here... I can find no scripture thats says, do not vote. But, to twist a few scriptures to say otherwise is an injustice not to mention the damage it does to the credibility of those opposing it. Sure, Jesus said his kingdom was no part of this world. He never said "Do not vote" its my opinion voting is up the individual, a conscience matter. Although I never have, my step did ,and he was witness.
Thoughts to consider.

The Bible does not explicitly mention "voting" or "elections," as the democratic systems used today did not exist when the texts were written. Because there is no direct command forbidding or requiring it, different Christian denominations and theologians interpret the concept of political participation in various ways.

Many argue that voting is consistent with biblical principles of stewardship and love for one's neighbor. They suggest that by voting, a person can advocate for justice, protect the vulnerable, and influence laws to better reflect moral or biblical values. This view sees political engagement as a way to seek the "peace and prosperity" of the city or nation, drawing on verses such as Jeremiah 29:7.

Conversely, some argue that a believer's primary citizenship is in the Kingdom of God, not an earthly government. This perspective emphasizes that earthly power is temporary and flawed, and that placing hope in a political candidate or system can be a form of idolatry or a distraction from spiritual priorities. Some groups, such as certain Anabaptist traditions, practice political non-participation or pacifism based on the belief that the methods of the state (such as coercion and force) are incompatible with the teachings of Jesus.

Ultimately, most interpretations focus on the motive and the heart of the voter, suggesting that if a person participates in government, they should do so with humility, integrity, and a commitment to the common good.
If your conscience allows you to vote, then go ahead and vote. You should surely know, though, that it will not affect the ultimate outcome. The future has already been determined.
 
The Bible does not explicitly mention "voting" or "elections," as the democratic systems used today did not exist when the texts were written. Because there is no direct command forbidding or requiring it, different Christian denominations and theologians interpret the concept of political participation in various ways.

It is important to note that, at least here in the USA, it is a representative democracy. When a citizen casts their ballot, they are— in fact— casting their request for an appointed elector to cast their ballot for such-and-such, so-and-so. That vote is not applied directly to the intended recipient, once one rises up the political food chain far enough. Presidential elections, most notably.

Whether that elector casts their vote— honoring one's vote— is another matter. There is no law or regulation that I am aware of that requires that they do so.

On the other hand, if one's city, township, or county is seeking a local vote on a matter— let's say raising property taxes— then I see this as something any resident may reasonably choose to cast their vote on— depending, as brother King mentioned, on one's own conscience. But this is specifically a local matter, where the ballot is cast directly, not representatively. Doesn't mean that the city council or whomever has the authority will necessarily abide by the votes, of course. Too, the majority in one's community may be in favor of whatever is on the ballot, contrary to one's own expressed opinion (vote). One may, in such cases, see it as at least putting their position on record on said matter, as a right of a citizen of a given community. Again: conscience is the key.

The apostle Paul himself knew his civil and legal rights under Roman law, and had no qualms about availing himself of them. It didn't change the outcome (another point that Robert mentioned), but it did become part of the scriptural record.

The last thing I'll toss in here is what I use to tell people who pointed to democracy as the ideal form of government, offering its illusion of choice: I see it as the very pinnacle of human self-rule— in opposition to Jehovah's sovereignty. It is the people deciding for themselves what they will do and not do. As a form of government, it is the furthest one can get from theocracy. I even used to refer to democracy as demoncracy, precisely because it is born of fallen man determining good and evil for himself— a notion that goes all the way back to a conversation that took place in a garden, a long, long time ago.

All other forms of rulership are singular, compressed under a single authority. Monarchy, dictatorship, even empirical rule. The Biblical record is replete with such forms of government.

Democracy, on the other hand, is the ultimate fulfillment of man's ambition to decide for himself what is good and what is evil— and the result of this relatively young form of self-rule is well-established in the society that lives under this ultimate rejection of theocratic rule. Societal breakdown is but one consequence.

In this respect, it isn't all that dissimilar to when God's people told Samuel that they wanted a king like all the other nations, and chose that king: Saul. And Jehovah told Samuel: it was Jehovah Whom they were rejecting in their ambition to govern themselves.

That's my plugged-nickel's worth, anyhow.

—Timothy,
a believer.
 
If your conscience allows you to vote, then go ahead and vote. You should surely know, though, that it will not affect the ultimate outcome. The future has already been determined.
That is surely true. However, the" future" we have awaited has not happened yet.. and as far as voting goes. We wouldn't have the freedoms here in the USA we currently have without it, and it is quit evident the Almighty backed this nations decisions that he allowed this process to get his will done... The Bible does not require choosing a perfect human as a ruler, we are well aware many of Isreals leaders were deeply flawed, so refusing to vote does not automatically make one neutral, as it could leave others to make a decision that may lead to far worse gaining power. Sure a person might sincerely abstain from voting for reasons of conscience, but there is no clear Biblical evidence that doing so is more faithful either way. I'm just saying, that voting for what is hoped for, like the greater good of the vulnerable does not mean a God fearing person treats any political leader as a savor or places ones loyalty to any other that belongs to God. We are commanded to pray for our leaders the great and the small that we may continue with our work in a peaceful environment as can be. Just as it took queen Esther's intervention to save God's people from destruction..So, until such a time as the, foretold "future" presents itself, it should a matter of conscience.
 
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