Do not be easily taken in by this world. It’s nothing new. Satan uses the same old tricks he has used from the beginning.

Epicurus: Greek philosopher who founded his influential school of Epicureanism in Athens (c. 306 B.C.) and a utopian community called “The Garden.” Epicurus wrote, “Nothing is enough to the man for whom enough is too little.” His basic philosophy was; “Eat, Drink, Be happy for tomorrow we die.”
I’ve called this the modern “Schlitz philosophy”, as in their beer ads; “Reach out for all the gusto! You only go around once in life!” When I was younger, we used to call a bar, the Beer Garden.

The apostle Paul referred to the Epicurus philosophy in his first letter to the Corinthians. “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” ( 1 Co 15:32b-34 NASB )

83 km/51.6 mi, from Athens to Corinth. That would be about a 17 hour walk, if you kept a steady pace of 3 mi/5 km per hour. Or, if you are fortunate enough to have a cart pulled by oxen, maybe 10 hours. That’s just to hear Epicurus talk about a good glass of beer.

Here is the interesting part of what Paul was saying (in Greek), Don’t (planao - plan-ah'-o) = to cause to stray, lead aside from the right way, wander. Look these words up in the dictionary; stray, wander.

The other word Paul used was, (homilia - hom-il-ee'-ah) = companionship from the root word hom'-il-os = a multitude of men gathered together, a crowd. “Aahh, come on, it’s not going to hurt to stop in for a cold brew!” Then, another, and another, etc. It’s a roll of the dice.

“Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.” ( 1 Co 15:33 NWT )

“The one walking with the wise will become wise, But the one who has dealings with the stupid will fare badly.” (Prov 13:20 NWT)

And, of course, it is very likely that Epicurus borrowed his famous philosophical thought from another of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Isaiah. “‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.” ( Isa 22:13 NWT ) This scripture was not calling for a wild party, it was written for a reproach to those who were not taking Jehovah to heart. They were too busy having a party while the city was ready to fall.

 

This is Tsaphah right now:



And this is me:

 

Oh yeah, I wish I could shoot that way. Especially after having a cold brew. The results would be the bottom picture.

 

Hahahaha, indeed

Thank you for writing this -- on a personal note, it's very easy to "be deceived" by the ease of life in the US of A (and most other places the friends on this board live)

No wonder Jesus made this one of the primary warnings before the conclusion.

"watch out that you don't become weighed down by eating and drinking, so that day becomes a snare"

It's almost like he knew ... the ... future

 

I would like to share a few thoughts about learning. This is especially true when studying the Bible. Don’t take anyone’s word about what the Bible says or means, not even Me. Why? Read the following statement.

Apart from any theory of inspiration, or any theory of how the Bible books came to their present form, or how much the text may have suffered in transmission at the hands of editors and copyists; apart from the question of how much is to be interpreted literally and how much figuratively, or what is historical and what may be poetical—if we simply assume that the Bible is just what it appears to be and study its 66 books to know their contents, we will find a unity of thought that indicates that one Mind inspired the writing and compilation of the whole collection of books. We will find that it bears the stamp of its Author and that it is in a unique and distinctive sense the Word of God.
Many people hold the view that the Bible is a collection of ancient stories about people's efforts to find God, a record of human experiences in their reaching for God that led to a gradually improving idea of God by building on the experiences of preceding generations. This means, of course, that the many, many passages in the Bible in which it is said that God spoke are merely using a figure of speech and that God did not really speak. Rather, people put their ideas into religious language that claimed to be the language of God, and in reality it was only what they themselves imagined God might say. This viewpoint reduces the Bible to the level of other books. It is made into a human book pretending to be divine, rather than a divine book. (Halley's Bible Handbook by Henry H. Halley)

WE must be diligent in our study of GOD’s Word. WE are all responsible for ourselves only. WE will be the one and only who stand before the supreme judge at the hour when Jesus Christ will judge all mankind. (Mt 25:32), (John 10:27) ( Ro 14:10)

I remember as a child, trying to make a good case/excuse for doing something I should have known better. “Joe said it was alright!” “If Joe said to jump off the bridge, would you?” Well . . . .

Interpret: Interpretation(s)
1 Co 12:30 (NASB) “All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?”

1 Co 14:5 (NASB) “Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.”

1 Co 14:13 (NASB) “Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.”

1 Co 14:27 (NASB) “If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret;”

1 Co 13:8 (NASB) “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.”

2 Pe 1:19-21 (NASB) “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

The previous scriptures can be easily misinterpreted by ANYONE. How can that be avoided? The answer is: By Personal STUDY! Study takes time! Study is different than Reading! (Mt 13:44-46) (Lu 21:36) WE need to take that time to dig deeper in seeking that treasure. “As for you, Daniel, keep the words secret, and seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rove about, and the true knowledge will become abundant.” (Dan 12:4 NWT) The availability of translations, languages, manuscripts, historical documents, etc., are readily accessed on the internet. It is no longer necessary to have a pencil handy to write down information. If you have a “smart phone”, all you have to do is ask! I think these things have become Gods to most people. They seem to be the most important thing in their lives. They eat with them, talk to them, ask them questions, sleep with them, and can’t seem to let them go!

Read the following carefully.
“Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’” (Mk 1:22-24; Lu 4:33-34) NASB

Notice: It says the man had “an unclean spirit”. Is this saying One? Why does it then say “What business do WE have . . .”, and, “Have You come to destroy US? Then, the/these spirit(s) say(s); “I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” What? What about the trinity? The spirit didn’t say, “I know who You are, GOD ALMIGHTY!” Obviously this spirit was not familiar with the teaching of the trinity, and didn’t recognize who Jesus really was! And maybe the unclean spirit was a trinity. That's why it says, WE!

 

I like to use the example of anything you possess and highly value. There are many people that buy an expensive automobile. Yet, they fail to read the owner's manual. A time will come when it stops running, or the "check engine" light comes on. They don't know what that means because they don't read the manual. They manufacturer provided the manual for their use to maintain that valuable vehicle.

We are also given an owner's manual. It is called the Bible. It has all the instructions needed to maintain our lives. "Do this, and you will do well." Don't do that, look what happened to that person!" It is the perfect owner's manual, along with the correct history of the universe, and Man.

 

Preposterous = completely contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd; senseless; utterly foolish: a preposterous tale.

That word suitably fits the application that The Watchman’s Post used in response to the email from one of Jehovah’s Witnesses claiming Robert’s apostasy.
https://e-watchman.com/addressing-accusations-apostasy/

It truly is ridiculous/incredulous, to say the least, and a misapplication of the “parable/illustration”. According to this individual the gathering of the wheat and tares has already taken place way back in 1914-1919. And, it must still be taking place. Hmmm. Sounds like the WTS are the epitome of apostasy. It falls under the proverbial idiom of “The pot calling the kettle black.” It also begs the question of Jesus; “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave?” To me, the WTS look like the modern day pharisees.

 

Here is some information about necessary Bible Study Habits.
I hope everything makes sense because I've been having problems with my mouse sneaking around while typing.

"Accept the Bible just as it is, for exactly what it claims to be. Don’t worry about the theories of the critics. The ingenious efforts of modem criticism to undermine the historical reliability of the Bible will pass; the Bible itself will still stand as the light of the human race to the end of time. Pin your faith to the Bible. It is God’s Word. It will never let you down. For us human beings, it is the rock of ages. Trust its teachings, and be happy forever."

"Study the Bible with an open mind. Don’t try to straitjacket all its passages into the mold of a few pet doctrines. And don’t read into its passages ideas that are not there. But try to search out fairly and honestly the main teachings and lessons of each passage. Thus we will come to believe what we ought to believe; for the Bible is abundantly able to take care of itself if given a chance."

"Study the Bible thoughtfully. In Bible study, we need to watch ourselves very closely, lest our thoughts wander and our reading become perfunctory and meaningless. We must determine resolutely to keep our minds on what we are reading, to do our best to understand what we can and not to worry too much about what we don’t understand, and to be on the lookout for lessons for ourselves."

"Keep a note pad or computer/laptop at hand. It is a good thing, as we read, to mark passages we like and to go now and then through the pages and reread passages we have marked. In time a well-marked Bible will become very dear to us, as the day draws near for us to meet the Author." (Halley’s Bible Handbook by Henry Hampton Halley, 1924)

Most Bible Study Guides, Greek-Hebrew Lexicons, are likely influenced by a particular religious belief, especially the teaching of the Trinity. You have to actually make an attempt at learning the Greek-Hebrew-Aramaic languages. You will also have to read history books that deal with the time periods of the Bible. A few necessary practices are:

1. Define the words in its original language.
2. Identify the words in its original context.
3. Parse the words for a grammatical analysis of the words.
4. Use Bible dictionaries, wordbooks, journal articles, theological dictionaries, and authoritative websites to confirm your investigation.
5. Read commentaries. (Commentaries can be wonderful aids to study, and can help confirm your findings. But the joy of discovery is enhanced when you derive a word’s definition/use yourself rather than relying solely on someone else’s opinion.)
6. Use Web Resources. Here are a few that I have found to be excellent resources.

StudyLight.org
http://classic.studylight.org/lex/

King James Bible Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary Index
http://www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/STRINDEX.htm

Strong’s Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon
http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

Codex Sinaiticus
http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/

Interlinear Bible - Greek and Hebrew with Concordance
http://www.biblestudytools.com/interlinear-bible/

Westcott-Hort Greek Interlinear Bible
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Greek_Index.htm

THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art
http://www.theoi.com/

Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm

 

Some have taken the following scriptures as specific times, and attempted to use them to calculate their interpretation of other scriptures dealing with “end times”, etc.. They are not specific! They are relative!

“For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night.” ( Ps 90:4 NASB )

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” ( 2 Pet 3:8 NASB )

relative (n.)
late 14c., “a relative pronoun,” from Old French relatif (13c.), from Late Latin relativus “having reference or relation,” from Latin relatus, past participle of referre “to refer” (see refer). Meaning “person in the same family” first recorded 1650s. (Online Etymology Dictionary)

relative (adj.)
early 15c., “having reference,” from Middle French relatif and directly from Late Latin relativus (see relative (n.)). Meaning “compared to each other” is from 1590s; that of “depending on a relationship to something else” is from 1610s. (Online Etymology Dictionary)

relativity (n.)
1834, “fact or condition of being relative” (apparently coined by Coleridge, of God, in “Notes on Waterland’s Vindication of Christ’s Divinity”), from relative (adj.) + -ity. In scientific use, connected to the theory of Albert Einstein (1879-1955), published 1905 (special theory of relativity) and 1915 (general theory of relativity), but the word was used in roughly this sense by J.C. Maxwell in 1876. (Online Etymology Dictionary)

What makes these two scriptures relative? In Psalm 90, “in Your sight” = How GOD sees time. Also, “like yesterday”, “as a watch in the night.” These are examples of relativity, a comparison to something else. In Peter’s second letter, he reminds fellow believers of “a fact”. He did not use the word relative but, used the idea of what has become the word we use today.

Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity has proven what Moses and Peter wrote “thousands of years ago”.

“Strange implications follow from the facts of nature that Einstein discovered. Think what might happen when our explorer who was kidnapped by space pirates and dragged at high speeds through the galaxy is finally rescued. The explorer has been living within time that from his perspective is moving more slowly than that of his rescuers; the rescuers have been living within time that from their perspective is moving more quickly than his. Of course, if they manage to free him from the space pirates without much delay, there will be little chance for that difference to build up. But if the pirates haul him around on a huge roundabout journey before the rescuers finally reach him, they might be decades older, while he—undergoing sufficient acceleration—will have aged only a few days. If his journey has seen truly tremendous acceleration, he might be just a week older when he’s found, but the original rescuers will have long since died, and it will be their distant descendants who greet him.

This mind-bending stuff isn’t merely imagined, postulated, unproven. Einstein showed that the effect is not just on our measuring machinery, but in reality itself. A traveler to the stars could return after what to him was genuinely no more than two or three years, but while he would still be a young man, millennia would have passed on earth, and everyone he knew—possibly even civilization he’d left—would have long since vanished.

Were these effects to be magnified so that they were noticeable even at the ordinary speeds and in the usual gravitational fields we’re accustomed to on earth, someone driving fast enough to an exercise class would be in the car for only one minute by his measurement, while his friends waiting for him there would be watching him drive for half an hour of their time.”
(Einstein’s Greatest Mistake A Biography, by David Bodanis, pp 109-110)

 

Here is information to share with those (individuals, organizations, religious groups, soothsayers, etc.) who attempt/claim to know the future (times, signs, interpretations, things, etc.) I may sound harsh and that I’m stepping on toes and may irritate some, but it’s about time I bring this subject up.

The first is this: “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mt 24:36, Mk 13:32 NWT)

“He [Jesus] said to them: ‘It does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction.’” (Acts 1:7 NWT)

“Now as for the times and the seasons, brothers, you need nothing to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night.” (1 Th 5:1-2 NWT)

Quit wasting your time and ours with your predictions. The only thing we should be concerned with is the instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples. “But you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NWT)

Our responsibility/duty, is to be witnesses to Jesus and His Father, Jehovah, and the coming Government of the Kingdom. It is called the “Kingdom of God”, because it is Jehovah’s kingdom. (Dan 2:44, Mt 6:33, 12:28, 19:24, 21:31, 21:43, + 74 other times in the NT/Greek Scriptures.

What did Jesus say to pray for? His Kingdom? “‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” ( Mt 6:9-10 NASB )

All of these multiple scriptures state the Kingdom belongs to Jehovah God, not to His Son! Period!
It is only AFTER Satan is overthrown and destroyed, death, and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:14-15) Then, we read what Paul writes to the Corinthians. (1 Co 15:24-28)

Our job is to preach the coming Kingdom of God. (Mt 24:14) This includes teaching, the Owner’s Manual, to those who wish to learn about Jehovah God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Many people don’t know the truth about the kingdom and what it represents.

 

Thank you that took lots of work to prepare.
Such an complete lesson much apreciated.

 

Thank You JIG! You have done a great service to all here. Your posts for study have been wonderful. Especially the graphics and pictures.

 

Let us read Rev:1:3-Happy is he who reads aloud and those who "HEAR" the words of this "PROPHECY",and who "OBSERVE"the things written in it; for the appointed time is near. How can a person "HERE"and "OBSERVE" those "PROPHECY" if no one can understand them? That is why JEHOVAH our GOD and FATHER has given to some in the body of Christ the gift to understand "PROPHECY" their are many "GIFTS" AMEN.1 Co:12:4,10- Let us all stay "UNITED" in Christ "LOVE" Regent

 

Yes, we are told to hear and observe. But: there times and there are seasons. Some have passed and some are future. How many living during the time of Jesus were able to understand the prophesies? Today, how many are there? How can those who understand be identified?

My personal beliefs are mine. I would expect everyone to find the truth by thoughtful prayer, study and able to identify false prophets. What did Jesus warn us about? (Mt 7:15, 24:11, 24:24), (Mk 13:22), (Lu 6:26). There was also the warnings of Peter and John. (2 Pe 2:1), (Joh 4:1)

This is nothing new. What did Jehovah say to the nation of Israel? “A plot by her prophets is in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing prey. They have devoured souls and they have taken the riches and gems. They multiplied her widows in her midst.” (Ez 22:25 LITV)

“And her prophets have daubed themselves with lime, seeing empty visions, and divining lies to them, saying, So says the Lord Jehovah, when Jehovah has not spoken.” (Ez 22:28 LITV)

How many lies does a prophet, claiming to represent Jehovah and His Christ, have make before they are recognized as false? For me, it is ONE!

 

Tsaphah;

The Bible belongs to each man. woman, and child. The prophecies are OURS along with the freedom and privilege to understand, interpret, and believe however our minds will. It belongs to no man to warn us against reading, understanding, and discussing any Biblical account, especially ones apparent in our own day.

I think you'll agree with this?

Joshua, one more time in answer to your post above;

"Thank you for this, I've always said I've never understood how people arbitrarily apply a day for a year in prophecy when there is no direction to do so..."

Look up Ezekiel 4:1-8

Peace to all.

 

How can we identify those who understand prophecies? Mt:7:15,16 vs.16 is very important,also 1Co:4:6..."DO not go beyond the things that are "WRITTEN". a other sign to identify those who will understand "PROPHECIES" that person will not pretend to know the day an hour that Jehovah alone has put under his own "JURISDICTION" Mt:24:36 Ac:1:7. We know church groups that are full of sex scandal mess up in some sort of political affiliation etc. Keep on the watch! Study with them be careful! May Christ "Love" be with you Tsaphah, Regent

 

Yes John, this is a good example of being able to read scripture correctly, maybe. Also, I did not apply this scripture to the subject I was speaking of. I was speaking of relativity. In this case, Ezekiel was instructed to do the “day for a year”. It was a specific period for a specific reason. As stated in verse 3, “. . . This is a sign to the house of Israel.” This “day for a year” is not to be applied to some other event, then multiplied by some number picked out of the air.

Having studied this and researched many “bible scholars” understandings, or their guess at what the time periods meant, when they occurred, and the reason, no one can take the “day for a year”, and apply it to some other period of time. If this were the case, I could say that each creative day equals a year. That would be absurd. Also, Ezekiel 4:1-8 was not prophesy, it was a signification, or illustration to the nation of Israel for their disobedience. The meaning was given. (Eze 4:4)