A Letter From Hell

Deliverance from the traps of the Birdcatcher

This week's Wachtower Study is absurd when it comes to promoting themselves.

Paragraph 1. All true Christians face a predator, one with superhuman intelligence and craftiness. He is referred to at Psalm 91:3 as "the birdcatcher." Who is this enemy? Since the issue of June 1, 1883, this magazine has identified him as none other than Satan the Devil. This formidable foe cunningly endeavors to mislead and trap Jehovah's people as a birdcatcher tries to trap a bird.

Does it require great insight to identify the subject in question as the Enemy? Hey, they have really taken a stand and stuck to their guns on this one!

I wish they used this level of expertise when it came to identifying Abaddon/Apollyon from Revelation 9:11

The Finished Mystery pg 159 [And] they [had a] HAVE THEIR king [over them]. — The same king as exercises general rulership over all the ecclesiastical affairs of this present evil world.[Which is] the angel of the [bottomless pit] ABYSS. — "The prince of the power of the air." — Eph. 2:2. Whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon. — And he is "a bad one," sure enough. — 2 Cor. 4:4. But in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. — That is, Destroyer. But in plain English his name is Satan, the Devil.

The Watchtower Dec 1, 1961 When Jesus was on earth as a man, he was a Hebrew, and now in his capacity as Jehovah's royal Executioner he is called by the Hebrew name Abad'don, which means Destruction. (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; 12:23; 14:19) In the Greek in which the inspired Christian Scriptures were written his similar title is Apollyon, which means Destroyer.

Did they apply their spiritual insight when it came to the resurrection of those from Sodom and Gomorrah? They're still flaky on that one.

The Watchtower April 1, 1955 The destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah must be final, or Jude would not have used it to illustrate the fate of those defilers for whom “the blackness of darkness stands reserved forever”. (Jude 13, NW) Jude 7 shows that those ancient cities had their judgment day back there at the time of their destruction, since they are spoken of as having already undergone an execution of judgment, “the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.”

The Watchtower Jan 1, 1965 Read the account in Matthew 11:20-24, and you will see what Jesus said about consequences. There he said that in the resurrection it will be much better for the people of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, to whom Jesus never preached, than for those persons to whom Jesus did preach in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. It was in these cities that Jesus did many of his powerful works, but they did not repent and follow him. Now, when the resurrection takes place for all these people. They do not want to be like the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, whose reforming after their resurrection will be more difficult than that of those coming back from Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Watchtower July 1, 1967 This the Bible describes as the “second death.” (Rev. 20:14) It means the death from which there is no resurrection. They will be burned up root and branch, as completely gone forever as the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Awake Oct 8, 1974 God’s dealing with Sodom and Gomorrah shows that he takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, but wants all to live, if they will just live respectfully toward their fellowman and in obedience to righteous principles. (Ezek. 33:11; Mic. 6:8) Moreover, God’s undeserved kindness and care are so great that he will bring back the people of Sodom by a resurrection, with opportunity to learn and turn around to the way of life, even as his Son stated.—Luke 10:11

Revelation, Its Grand Climax at Hand Jesus Christ also knew what he thought and stated it in explicit terms. He said that it would be “more endurable for the land of Sodom on Judgment Day” than for the religionists who spurned his message. (Matthew 11:23, 24) Jesus was here using hyperbole to show that those religious leaders who rejected the Son of God and his teaching were even more reprehensible than the Sodomites. Jude 7 states that those Sodomites underwent “the judicial punishment of everlasting fire,” meaning eternal destruction. (Matthew 25:41, 46)

Now, on to the Watchtower being on top of things and ahead of their time.

Paragraph 11. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, The Watchtower lovingly warned the household of faith about TV serials.* ([Footnote] * The Watchtower, December 1, 1982, pages 3-7.) This observation was made about the subtle impact of popular soap operas: "The search for love is used to justify any conduct. For instance, one unwed pregnant youth says to a friend: `But I love Victor. I don't care.... To have his baby is worth everything to me!' The soft background music makes it hard to consider her course to be so bad. You too like Victor. You feel sympathy for the girl. You 'understand.' 'It is amazing how you can rationalize,' stated one viewer who later came to her senses. 'We know that immorality is bad.... But I realized that mentally I was taking part.' "

Paragraph 12. Since those articles were published, this type of heart-corrupting programming has become increasingly available. In many places, such programs are broadcast 24 hours a day. Men, women, and many teenagers frequently feed their minds and hearts on such entertainment. We, though, must not deceive ourselves with false reasoning. It would be wrong to reason that depraved entertainment is no worse than what is seen in the real world. Can a Christian really justify choosing to be entertained by the sort of people he would never dream of inviting into his home?

Paragraph 13. Many benefited when they took to heart that warning provided by "the faithful and discreet slave." (Matthew 24:45-47) After reading the straightforward, Bible-based counsel, some wrote to tell how the articles had personally affected them.* ([Footnote] * The Watchtower, December 1, 1983, page 23) One confessed: "For 13 years I was a soap-opera addict. I thought that I was safe simply by attending Christian meetings and being semiregular in the field service. But I adopted the worldly soap-opera attitude that if your husband mistreats you or you feel unloved, adultery is justifiable–he brought it on himself. And so when I felt 'justified' I took this bad course and sinned against Jehovah and my mate." This woman was disfellowshipped. Eventually, she carne to her senses, repented, and was reinstated. The articles warning against TV soap operas gave her the strength to refuse to be entertained by what Jehovah hates.-Amos 5:14, 15.

Are JW's getting hooked on All My Children, As the World Turns, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Passions, or The Young and the Restless? Perhaps the "it" shows are Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing, Lost, or Ugly Betty.

Why don't they boast about their other "lovingly warn[ings]"? For example, vaccinations.

The Golden Age Jan 5, 1929 "Thinking people would rather have smallpox than vaccination, because the latter sows seeds of syphilis, cancers, eczema, erysipelas, scrofula, consumption, even leprosy and many other loathsome affections. Hence the practice of vaccinations is a crime, an outrage, and a delusion"

The Golden Age Jan 4, 1931 "Vaccination is a direct violation of the everlasting covenant that God made with Noah after the flood."

How loving of them.

The Mist

Having directed the superb "The Shawshank Redemption" and the near perfect "The Green Mile", Frank Darabont is a fine choice for the latest Stephen King adaptation, "The Mist".

After a violent thunderstorm, David Drayton, (Thomas Jane, also in the "Dreamcatcher" adaptation) his son, and his litigious neighbor (Andre Braugher) stop at the town's supermarket for some supplies. However, a mysterious mist descending from the mountains is slowly heading their way.

A man, perhaps Richard Dawkins, breaks into the crowded supermarket, his face bloodied, warning the people to stay away from the mist. Some, overcome with fear, run out only for their last screams of agony to be heard. The townspeople suspect there was been an accident at the plant, but perhaps, the strong military presence spotted earlier indicates something else. Soon enough, strange creatures are seen coming out of the mist.

The creature effects in the first sequence are too computer generated to be believeable. The quality vastly improves later on as evidenced by the deadly species.

The most interesting part of the film is the way the human characters react to this invasion. Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Warden) is determined the book of Revelation is being played out, plague by plague. I would surmise this woman may have been in a cult before the recent events. She believes she can earn her place in God's Kingdom. Always a sign someone is not a christian.

Other beliefs are expressed, for example, humanity is basically good; contempt towards politics and religion; God is not vengeful. All these are taken into consideration to form an escape.

The finale differs from the original story. It is satisfying, but ironic in the sense of a "Twilight Zone" ending.

Dark Tower anyone?

For those who are hurting

For those who are hurting because they feel God will not intercede unless they articulate their precise worries, the Word states.

Romans 8:26 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

Whenever words fail, the Holy Spirit will pray to the Father FOR US. The Spirit knows our weakness when we sin for He wants us to be like Jesus. The Holy Spirit is still the Comforter today.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to be with you forever—

Christ promises this.

Not so "undecided" voters

Regarding those questions from "ordinary people, undecided voters" to Senator Hillary Clinton.

From the Astute Bloggers:

"All six of the "ordinary people, undecided voters" who were selected to ask questions appear to be Democratic operatives.

For example, ordinary citizen LaShannon Spencer was a randomly selected participant in the Democratic debate on Thursday. She was described as one of several "undecided voters", but her presence has now been utterly purged from CNN's transcript of the event.

Her debate performance now lives on only in my mind. Oh, and also in the International Herald-Tribune version of the transcript.

CNN identified her only as a member of the First African Methodist Church and not as a director of political affairs for the Democratic Party of Arkansas. Spencer was also associated with the Kerry-Edwards campaign and a member of the Arkansas Democratic Delegation in 2004. But she's just another ordinary citizen, just like you or me."

A Jehovah's Witness Goes Into Eternity

A local brother, not even forty, has recently lost his battle with cancer, leaving behind a wife and a three-year old son.

I went to service (door-to-door ministry) with him a couple of times, but never got to know him very well, sadly that is why I never knew of his condition. He was a cool kind of brother though. In his fifteen years as a baptized Jehovah's Witness he never became a ministerial servant nor an elder, but he did manage the Watchtower and Awake magazine distribution to publishers (JW's who report hours of service to the Society).

His style of preaching was placing the magazines and assuring the person there was no pressure whatsoever to do anything, just to read them.

I will never know in this this life if he had been forgiven by God. One meeting night when he commented he knew Witnesses who had gone through 1975 expecting to see the world end and were now even secretly embittered with the Society. He encouraged us not to be weak, but remain strong.

I should have kept in touch with him somehow and told him about my relationship with JESUS CHRIST.

Hillary an agriculturalist?

Perhaps Senator Hillary Clinton is more like a planter.

Here's another one.

Q: Is Hillary a good tipper?

A: If it's chinese of course, other than that, no.

If You Leave

I haven't had much time to blog. So if you're reading this blog and suddenly decide to leave...

Enjoy the weekend and happy Veterans Day!

"Practice Mercy-How?"

This is post is long overdue, however, I am glad to have been travelling to other churches and visiting the brethren. I met a couple who had just recently found Christ having come out of the Watchtower. Our God is awesome!

The Watchtower Study "PRACTICE MERCY–HOW?" introduces the Good Samaritan parable spoken by Jesus and denies its message quickly.

Paragraph 1 While speaking with Jesus, a man versed in the Law asked him: "Who really is my neighbor?" In reply, Jesus related the following parable: "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who both stripped him and inflicted blows, and went off, leaving him half-dead. Now, by coincidence, a certain priest was going down over that road, but, when he saw him, he went by on the opposite side. Likewise, a Levite also, when he got down to the place and saw him, went by on the opposite side. But a certain Samaritan traveling the road came upon him and, at seeing him, he was moved with pity. So he approached him and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine upon them. Then he mounted him upon his own beast and brought him toan inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him, and whatever you spend besides this, I will repay you when I come back here."' Next, Jesus asked his listener: "Who of these three seems to you to have made himself neighbor to the man that fell among the robbers?" The man answered: "The one that acted mercifully toward him."-Luke 10:25, 29-37a.

Paragraph 2 How vividly the Samaritan's treatment of the injured man illustrates what true mercy is! Moved by a feeling of pity, or compassion, the Samaritan acted in a way that brought relief to the victim. Moreover, the man in need was a stranger to the Samaritan. Mercy is not hindered by national, religious, or cultural barriers. After giving the illustration about the neighborly Samaritan, Jesus advised his listener: "Go your way and be doing the same yourself." (Luke 10:37b) We can take that admonition to heart and strive to be merciful to others. But how? In what ways can we practice mercy in our everyday life?

Paragraph 3 "As long as we have time favorable for it," said the apostle Paul, "let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith." (Galatians 6:10) Let us, then, first consider how we can abound in deeds of mercy toward those related to us in the faith.

The next dozen paragraphs deal with how to be merciful towards other Jehovah's Witnesses. They can do so by "preparing a meal for a sick person, assisting an elderly one with chores, providing transportation to Christian meetings when necessary, and not being close-fisted toward deserving ones are among the deeds of mercy" they "should abound in."

However you may view these, at least these are practical ways of helping, but what can be done toward OTHERS outside their organization?

Paragraph 16 As Christians, we do not hesitate to provide whatever help we can to victims of "unforeseen occurrence" or to those in dire situations. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) Of course, circumstances would dictate what we can do and how much. (Proverbs 3:27) When providing material help to others, we want to be careful that a deed that seems good does not promote laziness. (Proverbs 20:1, 4; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12) Hence, a true act of mercy is a response that combines tender feelings of compassion or sympathy with sound reasoning.

Paragraph 17 The finest way to show mercy to those outside the Christian congregation is to share Bible truth with them. Why? Because the majority of mankind today are groping about in spiritual darkness. Having no way to deal with problems that confront them nor any real hope for the future, most people are "skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) The message of God's Word can be `a lamp to their foot,' helping them to deal with life's problems. It can also be `a light to their roadway' in that the Bible foretells God's purpose for the future, giving them a basis for having a bright hope. (Psalm 119:105) What a privilege it is to carry the wonderful message of truth to those who are in dire need of it! In view of the nearness of the impending "great tribulation," now is the time to have a zealous share in the Kingdom preaching and disciple-making work. (Matthew 24:3-8, 21, 22, 36-41; 28:19, 20) No other act of mercy is as important.

Two paragraphs are devoted to showing mercy toward OTHERS. Why then even mention the Good Samaritan parable and miss the point? Both Jews and Samaritans despised and regarded each other as apostates. They had their own holy sites and line of priests.

2 Kings chapter 27 provides a lot of insight.

2 King 27:27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires." 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.

29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. 30 The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

The enmity was evident when the Lord was accused not only of having a demon.

John 8:48 The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"

Here was the Lord interacting with one of these hated ones.

John 4:9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

The Watchtower should listen to the words that Jesus said.

Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?