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Welcome2Pinkyland

08/21/13 4:34 PM

#9911 RE: JONAH 2 #9910

The Witnesses also ignore the import of Matthew 28:19: "Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit." Another translator’s slip here? Note the singular "name." If the Father, Son, and "holy spirit" were three different entities—God, exalted creature, and impersonal force—then they’d have three names, not one name. The fact that the singular is used implies a unity of being.

What is that one name that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit share? If there is a single, revealed name for all three Persons, that name may be Yahweh. There can be no question that God is referred to in the Old Testament as Yahweh (understood by the JWs as "Jehovah"), and this name applies to the Son as well. For example, Jesus speaking in John 8:24 says, "Therefore I said to you, You will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am [he], you will die in your sins." Notice that the NWT has added "he" in brackets to obscure the fact that the Greek words here are the words for "I Am." ("He" is not present.) An identical situation occurs at John 8:28.

As any Bible student knows, "I Am" corresponds to Jehovah or Yahweh (cf. Ex. 3:14:"God said to Moses . . . ‘Say to the people of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you,’" RSV).
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-god-of-the-jehovahs-witnesses
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Welcome2Pinkyland

08/21/13 4:37 PM

#9912 RE: JONAH 2 #9910

that is THOUGHT PROVOKING: and then there is this:

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Welcome2Pinkyland

08/21/13 4:42 PM

#9913 RE: JONAH 2 #9910

Those "Christians" who think of the Lord Jesus Christ as just a great man who never really claimed to be God need to confront His amazing statement to the scribes and Pharisees there in Jerusalem when they were berating Him in the temple. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day," He said. Then, when they questioned that assertion, He went on to insist that "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:56,58).

This was such a bold claim to deity, that they immediately prepared to stone Him for what they thought was blasphemy. But He somehow "hid Himself," (v.59) and escaped.

Of course, if He was not God, what He said was blasphemous, which was a capital crime under the Mosaic law (Leviticus 24:16). He was actually claiming to be the God to whom Moses spoke at the burning bush, when he asked God what His name was. God had answered that His name was "I AM" (Exodus 3:14)—that is, He is the God who is eternally self-existent, transcendent to time as well as to space and matter. And that was who Jesus was claiming to be!

But what about His claim that He and Abraham had seen each other, and that Abraham rejoiced to see His day? Abraham's time was centuries before that of even Moses.

That claim probably was in reference to the very critical time when "the word of the Lord[that is, the pre-incarate Christ] came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward" (Genesis 15:1).

This was the very first of His great "I am" claims, as He promised to be both Protector and Provider to Abraham in a strange and hostile land.

It is fascinating to note the frequency of such "I am" claims in the Bible after this first one, and how they occur in multiples of seven, a fact which seems possibly designed—not by the human authors, of course, but by the Holy Spirit who inspired them (that is, of course, assuming my own somewhat arbitrary countings are correct).

For example, there are seven "I am"s in the Book of Genesis, the first being Genesis 15:1, as already noted. The second is in Genesis 15:7, where God, speaking to Abraham, said simply:"I am the Lord." The word, "Lord," of course, is the Hebrew Yahweh (or Jehovah), and carries essentially the same meaning as "I Am," or "The One Who Is."

Then, there are 21 (i.e., 3x7) "I am"s in the Book of Exodus, including the divine answer to Moses, already mentioned, "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14).

The wonderful Book of Psalms contains seven "I am"s that speak prophetically and sadly of the future sufferings of the incarnate Christ. These are:

1."I am a worm, and no man" (Psalm 22:6).
2."I am poor and needy" (Psalm 40:17).
3."I am . . . a stranger unto my brethren" (Psalm 69:8).
4."I am full of heaviness" (Psalm 69:20).
5."I am poor and sorrowful" (Psalm 69:29).
6."I . . . am as a sparrow alone upon the house top" (Psalm 102:7).
7."I am withered like grass" (Psalm 102:11).

These all occur in psalms that are specifically known to be Messianic psalms (thus referring to Christ) because they are quoted as such in the New Testament.

The prophetical books abound in "I am" statements by the Lord. The second division of Isaiah, for example, (Isaiah 40-66) contains 35 such claims (7x5). The first is Isaiah 41:4. "I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am He." The last is Isaiah 60:16. ". . . I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob." However, the first division of Isaiah, which has a different theme than the second division, has no such "I am" statements.

The Book of Ezekiel contains 70 of these great assertions (more than any other single book). Jeremiah contains 21 of these statements. Then, all the smaller prophetical books of the prophets have a total of 21 "I am"s. All told, the 17 prophetical books contain a total of 154 (22x7) of God's great "I am" claims.

The final such claim in the Old Testament is found in Malachi 3:6, in which God appropriately reminds everyone that "I am the Lord, I change not." He is the great "I AM," the self-existent God. We must remember always that our own personal Savior and Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to us that He Himself is that same great I AM.

It is in the Gospel of John, however, that the most beautiful and personally meaningful "I am"s are found. There are seven of these, as follows:

1."I am the bread of life" (John 6:35,48,51).
2."I am the light of the world" (John 8:12).
3."I am the door of the sheep"(John 10:7,9).
4."I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11,14).
5."I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:25).
6."I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).
7."I am the true vine" (John 15:1,5).

How anyone could hear or see these claims and then still deny that they were claims to deity is a great mystery. For example, how could anyone except God Himself claim to be the way, the truth, and the life?

Well, maybe a madman might make such a claim, or maybe a gross scam artist of some kind. But no honest, sane person could ever do so—unless the claim were true!

That is the choice. Either Jesus Christ was mad or wicked—or else He truly is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the one way to reach God, the incarnate truth about God, and the only real giver of eternal life with God. One will come to the same conclusion as he examines each of these seven great "I Am" claims.

The Lord Jesus Christ is "very God of very God," as the old creeds expressed it. God "created all things by Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 3:9) and it is "in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Furthermore, it is He who has "made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself" (Colossians 1:20).

Look also at the remarkable claim in John 11:25-26: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

Death has always been man's great enemy. It always seems a great tragedy and sorrow when a loved one dies, and people generally try to stay alive as long as possible. But Jesus claims to be able to restore one's life even after he dies, and then to keep him alive forever! What a preposterous claim for any mortal man to make!

Yet He demonstrated His ability to do just that when He Himself defeated death, rising bodily from the grave on the third day. After all, He is the I AM, the self-existent One! Therefore He is fully able to make good on His promise to those who come to Him for forgiveness and salvation, "Because I live," He says, "ye shall live also" (John 14:19).

There are also seven great "I am" statements in the Book of Revelation, and one of the key verses of this set has to do with His resurrection. "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).

"Believest thou this?" He would ask today, just as He asked Martha long ago as she was grieving over the death of her brother, Lazarus (John 11:26). How could anyone doubt the overwhelming evidence of Christ's victory over death (the evidence of the empty tomb, the many post-resurrection appearances, the transformation of the disciples, the testimony of 2000 years of hosts of lives also transformed through faith in Him)? Many have believed, of course, but there are multitudes who have not, and for them there is the dread prospect awaiting them of an eternity without God. "If ye believe not that I am He [but "He" is not in the original; Jesus just said, `I am'], ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24).

It is significant that the other six "I am"s in Revelation also stress His eternal existence, from eternity to eternity.

Note the list below: (the first one with the remaining six)

1. "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18)
2."I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending" (Revelation 1:8).
3."I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last" (Revelation 1:11).
4."Fear not; I am the first and the last" (Revelation 1:17).
5."I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21:6).
6."I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Revelation 22:13).
7."I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star"(Revelation 22:16).


Our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom we have trusted our eternal souls, is more than just a great religious teacher who was martyred for His faith long ago. He is alive on His throne in heaven, having defeated death forever. He was our great Creator, our sin-bearing Savior and will be our eternal Lord and King.
http://www.freewebs.com/brucedurbinonlinescripture/7iamsofjesus.htm

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JONAH 2

08/21/13 10:17 PM

#9914 RE: JONAH 2 #9910

1914 a marked year in Bible prophecy --Daniel 4 --
"The tree symbolism and God’s sovereignty.--- The symbolisms used in this prophetic vision are by no means unique. Trees are elsewhere used to represent ruling powers, including that of God’s typical kingdom at Jerusalem. (Compare Jg 9:6-15; Eze 17:1-24; 31:2-18.) A stump’s being caused to sprout and the symbol of “a twig” or “sprout” are found a number of times as representing the renewal of rulership in a certain stock or line, particularly in the Messianic prophecies. (Isa 10:33–11:10; 53:2-7; Jer 23:5; Eze 17:22-24; Zec 6:12, 13; compare Job 14:7-9.) Jesus spoke of himself as both “the root and the offspring of David.”—Re 5:5; 22:16.

The fact is evident that the key point of the vision is Jehovah God’s exercise of irresistible sovereignty in “the kingdom of mankind,” and this provides the guide to the full meaning of the vision. The tree is shown to have an application to Nebuchadnezzar, who at that point in history was the head of the dominant World Power, Babylon.

Yet, prior to Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem, the typical kingdom of God ruling out of that city was the agency by which Jehovah expressed his rightful sovereignty toward the earth. It thus constituted a divine block or impediment for Nebuchadnezzar in attaining his goal of world domination. By allowing that typical kingdom at Jerusalem to be overthrown, Jehovah permitted his own visible expression of sovereignty through the Davidic dynasty of kings to be cut down. The expression and exercise of world domination in “the kingdom of mankind,” unhindered by any representative kingdom of God, now passed into the hands of the Gentile nations. (La 1:5; 2:2, 16, 17)

In the light of this-- “the tree” is seen to represent, beyond and above its application to Nebuchadnezzar, world sovereignty or domination by God’s arrangement.

Renewal of world domination. ---God, however, here makes clear that he has not forever delivered up such world domination to the Gentile powers. The vision shows that God’s self-restraint (represented by the bands of iron and of copper around the stump of the tree) would continue until “seven times pass over it.” (Da 4:16, 23, 25) Then, since “the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind,” God would give world domination “to the one whom he wants to.” (Da 4:17) The prophetic book of Daniel itself shows that one to be the “son of man” to whom are given “rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him.” (Da 7:13, 14)

Jesus’ own prophecy, in which the reference to “the appointed times of the nations” occurs, points definitely toward Christ Jesus’ exercise of such world domination as God’s chosen King, the heir of the Davidic dynasty. (Mt 24:30, 31; 25:31-34; Lu 21:27-31, 36) Thus, the symbolic stump, representing God’s retention of the sovereign right to exercise world domination in “the kingdom of mankind,” was due to sprout again in his Son’s Kingdom.—Ps 89:27, 35-37.

Seven Symbolic Times.--- In Nebuchadnezzar’s personal experience of the vision’s fulfillment the “seven times” were evidently seven years, during which he became mad, with symptoms like those of lycanthropy, abandoning his throne to eat grass like a beast in the field. (Da 4:31-36) Notably, the Biblical description of the exercise of world domination by the Gentile powers is presented through the figure of beasts in opposition to the holy people of God and their “Prince of princes.” (Compare Da 7:2-8, 12, 17-26; 8:3-12, 20-25; Re 11:7; 13:1-11; 17:7-14.)

Concerning the word “times” (from Aramaic ?id·dan'), as used in Daniel’s prophecy, lexicographers show it here to mean “years.” (See Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, by L. Koehler and W. Baumgartner, Leiden, 1958, p. 1106; A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, by Brown, Driver, and Briggs, 1980, p. 1105; Lexicon Linguae Aramaicae Veteris Testamenti, edited by E. Vogt, Rome, 1971, p. 124.) The duration of a year as so used is indicated to be 360 days, inasmuch as three and a half times are shown to equal “a thousand two hundred and sixty days” at Revelation 12:6, 14. (Compare also Re 11:2, 3.) “Seven times,” according to this count, would equal 2,520 days.

That a specific number of days may be used in the Bible record to represent prophetically an equivalent number of years can be seen by reading the accounts at Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. Only by applying the formula there expressed of “a day for a year” to the “seven times” of this prophecy can the vision of Daniel chapter 4 have significant fulfillment beyond the day of now extinct Nebuchadnezzar, as the evidence thus far presented gives reason to expect. They therefore represent 2,520 years from 607 BC when the rule by kings in Israel ceases as Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple-to when Jesus would be given the kingdom as Daniel
7:13,14 refers to--
At that tine world war would be involved as Revelation 6 speaks of -also Matthew 24 -

-- on the basis of the points and evidence above presented, the March 1880 edition of the Watch Tower magazine identified the year 1914 as the time for the close of “the appointed times of the nations” (and the end of the lease of power granted the Gentile rulers).(Psalm 110:1,2)
This was some 34 years before the arrival of that year and the momentous events it initiated. In the August 30, 1914, edition of The World, a leading New York newspaper at that time, a feature article in the paper’s Sunday magazine section commented on this as follows: “The terrific war outbreak in Europe has fulfilled an extraordinary prophecy. For a quarter of a century past, through preachers and through press, the ‘International Bible Students’ . . . have been proclaiming to the world that the Day of Wrath prophesied in the Bible would dawn in 1914.” "

The events that took place from and after the year 1914 C.E. are well-known history to all, beginning with the great war that erupted, the first world war in mankind’s history and the first to be fought over the issue, not of the domination of Europe alone, nor of Africa, nor of Asia, but of the domination of the world.—Lu 21:7-33; Re 11:15-18--