Ang Pangalan ng Diyos—Kahulugan at Bigkas

Ang Pangalan ng Diyos—Kahulugan at Bigkas

ISA sa mga manunulat ng Bibliya ang nagtanong: “Sino ba ang pumisan ng hangin sa kaniyang mga kamay? Sino ang bumalot ng tubig sa kaniyang kasuotan? Sino ang nagpaangat sa lahat ng mga dulo ng lupa? Ano ba ang kaniyang pangalan at ano ang pangalan ng kaniyang anak, kung alam mo?” (Kawikaan 30:4) Paano natin malalaman ang pangalan ng Diyos? Mahalagang tanong iyan. Ang paglalang ay mariing patotoo na umiiral ang Diyos, nguni’t dito’y hindi natin malalaman ang kaniyang pangalan. (Roma 1:20) Oo, hindi natin malalaman ang pangalan ng Diyos maliban na sabihin sa atin ng Maylikha mismo. At ito’y sinasabi niya sa atin sa kaniyang sariling Aklat, ang Banal na Bibliya.

Minsan, binigkas ng Diyos ang kaniyang sariling pangalan, at inulit-ulit sa pandinig ni Moises. Isinulat ni Moises ang tungkol sa pangyayaring iyon at iningatan sa Bibliya hanggang sa araw na ito. (Exodo 34:5) Ang kaniyang pangalan ay isinulat pa man din ng Diyos ng sarili niyang “daliri.” Nang ibinigay niya kay Moises ang tinatawag natin ngayon na Sampung Utos, makahimalang isinulat pa iyon ng Diyos. Sinasabi ng ulat: “Ngayon pagkatapos na makipag-usap sa kaniya [ang Diyos] sa Bundok Sinai kaniyang binigyan si Moises ng dalawang tapyas ng Patotoo, mga tapyas ng bato na sinulatan ng daliri ng Diyos.” (Exodo 31:18) Ang pangalan ng Diyos ay lumilitaw nang walong beses sa orihinal na Sampung Utos. (Exodo 20:1-17) Ganiyan isiniwalat ng Diyos sa tao ang kaniyang pangalan kapuwa nang berbalan at sa sulat. Ano ba ang pangalang iyon?

Sa wikang Hebreo ay nakasulat iyon na יהוה. Ang apat na letrang ito, tinatawag na Tetragrammaton, ay binabasa mula sa kanan pakaliwa sa Hebreo at ang katumbas sa maraming modernong wika ay YHWH o JHVH. Ang pangalan ng Diyos, na kinakatawan ng apat na katinig na ito, ay lumilitaw nang halos 7,000 ulit sa orihinal na “Matandang Tipan,” o Kasulatang Hebreo.

Ang pangalan ay isang anyo ng isang pandiwang Hebreo na ha·wah′ (הוה), na ang kahulugan ay “maging,” at aktuwal na nangangahulugang “Kaniyang Pinapangyayari na Maging.” Sa gayon, ang pangalan ng Diyos ay nagpapakilala sa kaniya bilang ang Isa na pasulong na tumutupad ng kaniyang mga pangako at walang pagkabigong layunin. Ang tunay na Diyos lamang ang makapagtataglay ng gayong makahulugang pangalan.

Natatandaan mo ba ang iba’t-ibang paraan ng paglitaw ng pangalan ng Diyos sa Awit 83:18, na nasa naunang seksiyon (pahina 5)? Dalawa sa mga saling iyon ay may titulo lamang (“ang PANGINOON,” ang “Walang-Hanggan”) na inihalili sa pangalan ng Diyos. Nguni’t sa dalawa, Yahweh at Jehova, makikita mo ang apat na letra ng pangalan ng Diyos. Subali’t, ang bigkas ay iba. Bakit?

Paano ba ang Bigkas ng Pangalan ng Diyos?

Walang sinuman na tiyakang nakakaalam kung paano unang-unang binigkas ang pangalan ng Diyos. Bakit ganoon? Hebreo ang unang wika na ginamit sa pagsulat ng Bibliya, at sa pagsulat sa Hebreo, ang isinusulat ng mga manunulat ay mga katinig lamang—hindi mga patinig. Kaya, nang isulat ng kinasihang mga manunulat ang pangalan ng Diyos, natural na ganoon din ang gawin nila at mga katinig lamang ang isinulat nila.

Habang ang sinaunang Hebreo ang ginagamit na wika sa araw-araw, walang problema. Ang bigkas ng Pangalan ay alam na alam ng mga Israelita at pagka nakita nila ito na nakasulat, sila na ang naglalagay ng mga patinig nang hindi na nila iniisip pa (kung paano, para sa bumabasa ng Ingles, ang daglat na “Ltd.” ay “Limited” at ang “bldg.” ay “building”).

Dalawang bagay ang bumago ng kalagayang ito. Una, nagkaroon ang mga Judio ng pamahiin na masamang sabihin nang malakas ang banal na pangalan, kaya pagka mayroon nito sa kanilang binabasa sa Bibliya ang binibigkas nila ay ang salitang Hebreo na ’Adho·nai′ (“Soberanong Panginoon”). At, sa paglakad ng panahon, ang sinaunang wikang Hebreo ay hindi na ginagamit sa araw-araw, kaya ang orihinal na bigkas sa Hebreo ng pangalan ng Diyos ay nakalimutan.

Upang ang pagbigkas sa buong wikang Hebreo ay hindi makalimutan, ang mga iskolar na Judio noong ikalawang bahagi ng unang milenyo C.E. ay umimbento ng isang sistema ng mga puntos upang kumatawan sa mga patinig na hindi isinusulat, at kanilang inilagay ang mga ito sa palibot ng mga katinig sa Bibliyang Hebreo. Kaya, kapuwa ang mga patinig at katinig ay isinulat, at ang bigkas niyaon ay naingatan noon.

Pagdating sa pangalan ng Diyos, sa halip na ilagay sa palibot niyaon ang wastong mga puntos ng patinig, malimit na ang inilalagay nila ay mga ibang puntos ng patinig upang ipaalaala sa mambabasa na ang dapat niyang sabihin ay ’Adho–nai′. Dito nanggaling ang baybay o ispeling na Iehouah, at, sa wakas, Jehovah ang tinanggap na bigkas ng banal na pangalan sa Ingles. Taglay pa rin nito ang mahalagang mga bahagi ng pangalan ng Diyos sa orihinal na Hebreo.

Aling Bigkas ang Gagamitin Mo?

Nguni’t, saan galing ang bigkas na gaya ng Yahweh? Mga anyo ito na iminungkahi ng mga modernong iskolar na nanghihinuha kung ano ang orihinal na bigkas ng pangalan ng Diyos. Ang iba—bagaman hindi lahat—ay naniniwala na ang mga Israelita bago noong panahon ni Jesus ay baka Yahweh ang bigkas sa pangalan ng Diyos. Walang nakatitiyak. Baka ganoon ang bigkas nila, baka hindi ganoon.

Gayunman, ang bigkas na Jehova (sa Tagalog naman) ang gusto ng marami. Bakit? Sapagka’t ginagamit at kilala ito ng karamihan, di-gaya ng Yahweh. Hindi baga mas mabuting gamitin ang anyo na baka mas malapit sa orihinal na bigkas? Hindi, sapagka’t hindi ganiyan ang kaugalian sa mga pangalan sa Bibliya.

Ipaghalimbawa natin ito sa pangalan ni Jesus. Alam mo ba kung ano ang pang-araw-araw na tawag kay Jesus ng pamilya at mga kaibigan niya nang siya’y lumalaki sa Nazaret? Walang taong tiyakang nakakaalam niyan, bagaman baka nahahawig sa Yeshua (o marahil Yehoshua). Tiyak na hindi Jesus.

Nang isulat sa Griego ang kaniyang talambuhay, hindi ang orihinal na bigkas Hebreo ang inilagay roon ng kinasihang mga manunulat. Ang ginamit nila ay ang pangalan sa Griego, I·e·sous′. Ngayon, iba rin ang ginagamit at kaayon iyon ng wika ng bumabasa ng Bibliya. Ang mga mambabasa ng Bibliyang Kastila ay Jesús (binibigkas na Hes·soos′). Ang ispeling Italyano ay Gesù (binibigkas na Djay·zoo′). Ang ispeling ng mga Aleman ay Jesus (binibigkas na Yay′soos).

Dapat ba tayong huminto ng paggamit ng pangalan ni Jesus dahil sa karamihan sa atin, o lahat pa nga sa atin, ay hindi talagang nakakaalam ng orihinal na bigkas niyaon? Wala pang tagapagsalin na nagmumungkahi ng ganiyan. Ibig nating gamitin ang pangalan, sapagka’t ipinakikilala nito ang sinisintang Anak ng Diyos, si Jesu-Kristo, na naghandog ng kaniyang buhay para sa atin. Pagpaparangal ba kay Jesus kung aalisin sa Bibliya ang lahat ng kaniyang pangalan at hahalinhan iyon ng isang titulo lamang na gaya ng “Guro,” o “Tagapamagitan”? Hindi! May masasabi tayong kaugnayan kay Jesus pagka ginamit natin ang kaniyang pangalan ayon sa karaniwang bigkas sa ating wika.

Ganiyan din ang masasabi tungkol sa lahat ng pangalan na nababasa natin sa Bibliya. Ang bigkas natin ay ayon sa ating wika at hindi natin ginagaya ang orihinal na bigkas. Ang bigkas natin ay “Jeremias,” hindi Yir·me·ya′hu. Ang bigkas natin ay Isaias, bagaman noong kaniyang kaarawan malamang na ang propetang ito ay tinatawag na Yesha῾·ya′hu. Maging ang mga iskolar man na may alam sa orihinal na bigkas ng mga pangalang ito ay yaong modernong bigkas ang ginagamit, hindi ang sinauna.

Totoo rin iyan sa pangalang Jehova. Bagaman ang modernong bigkas na Jehova ay baka hindi ang eksaktong bigkas niyan sa orihinal, hindi ito nakakabawas sa kahalagahan ng pangalan. Ipinakikilala nito ang Maylikha, ang Diyos na buháy, ang Kataastaasan na pinagsabihan ni Jesus: “Ama namin na nasa langit, pakabanalin nawa ang pangalan mo.”—Mateo 6:9.

‘Ito’y Hindi Maaaring Halinhan’

Bagaman maraming tagapagsalin ang sang-ayon sa bigkas na Yahweh, ang New World Translation at ang iba pang mga salin ay patuloy na gumagamit ng anyo na Jehova dahil sa ito ang nakasanayan na ng mga tao nang daan-daang taon. At, narito, gaya rin ng mga ibang anyo, ang apat na letra ng Tetragrammaton, YHWH o JHVH.

Mas maaga, ang propesor Aleman na si Gustav Friedrich Oehler ay ganiyan din ang pasiya batay sa kaparehong dahilan. Tinalakay niya ang iba’t-ibang bigkas at ang sabi: “Buhat dito patuloy kong ginagamit ang salitang Jehova, sapagka’t, ang totoo, ang pangalang ito ay naging lalong natural ngayon sa ating talasalitaan, at hindi ito maaaring halinhan.”—Theologie des Alten Testaments (Teolohiya ng Matandang Tipan), ikalawang edisyon, lathala noong 1882, pahina 143.

Sa kaniyang Grammaire de l’hébreu biblique (Balarila ng Hebreo ng Bibliya), 1923 edisyon, sa isang talababa sa pahina 49, sinabi ng Jesuitang iskolar na si Paul Joüon: “Sa aming mga salin, sa halip na yaong (hipotetikong) anyong Yahweh, aming ginamit ang anyong Jéhovah . . . na siyang karaniwang anyo na ginagamit sa Pranses.” Sa marami pang mga ibang wika isang nahahawig na anyo ang ginagamit ng mga tagapagsalin ng Bibliya, gaya ng makikita sa kahon sa pahina 8.

Mali ba na gamitin ang isang anyo na gaya baga ng Yahweh? Hindi. Kaya lamang ay ang anyong Jehova ang malamang na makapukaw agad sa mambabasa sapagka’t nasa anyong “natural” sa karamihan ng wika. Ang mahalaga ay gamitin natin ang pangalan at ihayag ito sa mga iba. “Magpasalamat kayo kay Jehova, kayong mga tao! Kayo’y magsitawag sa kaniyang pangalan. Itanyag ninyo sa mga bayan ang kaniyang mga gawa. Sabihin ninyo na ang kaniyang pangalan ay dakila.”—Isaias 12:4.

Tingnan natin kung paano kumilos ang mga lingkod ng Diyos kasuwato ng utos na iyan sa nakalipas na daan-daang taon.

[Mga Talababa]

Tingnan ang Appendix 1A sa New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1984 edisyon.

Tingnan ang Appendix 1A sa New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1984 edisyon.

[Kahon sa pahina 7]

Ang mga iskolar ay iba-iba ang ideá tungkol sa orihinal na bigkas ng pangalang YHWH.

Sa The Mysterious Name of Y.H.W.H., pahina 74, sinabi ni Dr. M. Reisel na ang “vocalisation ng Tetragrammaton ay tiyak na sa orihinal YeHūàH o YaHūàH.”

Si Canon D. D. Williams ng Cambridge ay naniniwala na “ipinakikita ng ebidensiya, halos pinatutunayan, na hindi Jāhwéh ang tunay na bigkas ng Tetragrammaton . . . Ang Pangalan mismo ay marahil JĀHÔH.”—Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (Peryodiko para sa Kaalaman sa Matandang Tipan), 1936, Tomo 54, pahina 259.

Sa glosario ng Pranses na Revised Segond Version, pahina 9, ganito ang komento: “Ang bigkas na Yahvé na nasa mga ibang salin kamakailan ay salig sa mga ilang sinaunang saksi, nguni’t hindi kapanipaniwala. Kung isasaalang-alang ang personal na mga pangalan na kasali na rito ang banal na pangalan, gaya baga ng pangalang Hebreo ng propetang si Elias (Eliyahou) ang bigkas ay maaaring Yaho o Yahou.”

Noong 1749 ang Alemang iskolar ng Bibliya na si Teller ay bumanggit ng mga ilang iba’t-ibang bigkas ng pangalan ng Diyos na kaniyang nabasa: “Sina Diodorus na taga-Sicily, Macrobius, Clemens Alexandrinus, San Jerome at Origenes ay Jao ang isinulat; ang mga Samaritano, si Epiphanius, Theodoretus, Jahe, o Jave; si Ludwig Cappel ay Javoh; si Drusius, Jahve; Hottinger, Jehva; Mercerus, Jehovah; Castellio, Jovah; at le Clerc, Jawoh, o Javoh.”

Maliwanag na ang orihinal na bigkas ng pangalan ng Diyos ay hindi na alam. Hindi mahalaga iyan. Sapagka’t kung hindi, di sana’y iningatan iyon ng Diyos para magamit natin. Ang mahalaga’y gamitin ang pangalan ng Diyos ayon sa karaniwang bigkas niyaon sa ating wika.

[Kahon sa pahina 8]

Mga anyo ng banal na pangalan sa iba’t-ibang wika, na nagpapakita na tinatanggap sa buong daigdig ang anyong Jehova

Aleman – Jehova

Awabakal – Yehóa

Bugotu – Jihova

Cantonese – Yehwowah

Danes – Jehova

Efik – Jehovah

Fihiyano – Jiova

Futuna – Ihova

Hapones – Ehoba

Hungaryo – Jehova

Igbo – Jehova

Ingles – Jehovah

Italyano – Geova

Kastila – Jehová

Maori – Ihowa

Motu – Iehova

Mwala-Malu – Jihova

Narrinyeri – Jehovah

Nembe – Jihova

Olandes – Jehovah

Petats – Jihouva

Pinlandes – Jehova

Polako – Jehowa

Portuges – Jeová

Pranses – Jéhovah

Romaniano – Iehova

Samoano – Ieova

Sotho – Jehova

Swahili – Yehova

Sweko – Jehova

Tahitiano – Iehova

Tagalog – Jehova

Tongan – Jihova

Venda – Yehova

Xhosa – uYehova

Yoruba – Jehofah

Zulu – uJehova

[Kahon sa pahina 11]

Ang “Jehova” ay kilalang-kilala bilang ang pangalan ng Diyos maging sa mga konteksto man na di-Biblikal.

Si Franz Schubert ang kompositor ng musika para sa liriko na pinamagatang “The Almightiness,” na isinulat ni Johann Ladislav Pyrker, at makalawang lumilitaw dito ang pangalang Jehova. Ginagamit din ito sa dulo ng huling eksena ng opera ni Verdi na “Nabucco.”

At, sa oratoriong “King David” ng kompositor Pranses na si Arthur Honegger ay litaw ang pangalang Jehova, at mahigit na 30 beses ginamit ito ng kilalang autor Pranses na si Victor Hugo sa kaniyang mga katha. Sila ni Lamartine ay kapuwa sumulat ng mga tula na pinamagatang “Jehovah.”

Sa aklat na Deutsche Taler (Ang Sinsilyong Aleman), na lathala noong 1967 ng Federal Bank ng Alemanya, may isang larawan ng isa sa pinakamatatandang barya na may taglay ng pangalang “Jehova,” isang Reichstaler noong 1634 buhat sa Duchy ng Silesia. Tungkol sa larawan sa kabilang mukha ng barya, sinasabi: “Sa ilalim ng maningning na pangalang JEHOVA, sumisikat sa gitna ng mga alapaap, ay narito ang isang kalasag na may korona at kutamaya ng Silesia.”

Sa isang museo sa Rudolstadt, Silangang Alemanya, makikita mo sa kuwelyo ng kagayakang baluti na minsa’y isinuot ni Gustavus II Adolph, isang hari ng Sweden noong ika-17 siglo, ang pangalang JEHOVA sa malalaking titik.

Samakatuwid, kung mga ilang siglo na ang anyong Jehova ang kinikilala sa buong daigdig bilang bigkas sa pangalan ng Diyos, at agad nakikilala ng mga taong nakakarinig kung sino ang tinutukoy. Gaya ng sinabi ni Propesor Oehler, “Ang pangalang ito ay naging lalong natural ngayon sa ating talasalitaan, at hindi ito maaaring halinhan.”—Theologie des Alten Testaments (Teolohiya ng Matandang Tipan).

[Larawan sa pahina 6]

Larawan ng isang anghel na may taglay na pangalan ng Diyos, natagpuan sa libingan ni Papa Clement XIII sa St. Peter’s Basilica, Vaticano

[Larawan sa pahina 7]

Maraming sinsilyo ang ginawa na may taglay na pangalan ng Diyos. Ito’y may petsang 1661 at galing sa Nuremberg, Alemanya. Ang tekstong Latin ay: “Sa ilalim ng anino ng iyong mga bagwis”

[Mga Larawan sa pahina 9]

Noong nakalipas, ang pangalan ng Diyos sa anyong Tetragrammaton ay ginawang bahagi ng dekorasyon ng maraming gusali ng relihiyon

Fourvière Katolikong Basilica, Lyons, Pransiya

Katedral ng Bourges, Pransiya

Simbahan sa La Celle, Dunoise, Pransiya

Simbahan sa Digne, timugang Pransiya

Simbahan sa São Paulo, Brazil

Katedral sa Strasbourg, Pransiya

Katedral ni San Marcos, Venice, Italya

[Mga larawan sa pahina 10]

Ang pangalan ni Jehova sa isang monasteryo sa Bordesholm, Alemanya; sa isang sinsilyong Aleman na may petsang 1635; sa itaas ng pinto sa isang simbahan sa Fehmarn, Alemanya; at sa isang lapida noong 1845 sa Harmannschlag, Lower Austria

“Sambahin Nawa ang Pangalan Mo”—Anong Pangalan?

“Sambahin Nawa ang Pangalan Mo”—Anong Pangalan?

ISA ka bang relihiyoso? Tiyak, gaya ng marami, ikaw ay naniniwala sa isang Kataastaasang Persona. Malamang na lubhang iginagalang mo ang tanyag na panalangin sa Personang iyan, na itinuro ni Jesus sa kaniyang mga tagasunod at tinatawag na Panalangin ng Panginoon, o Ama Namin. Nagsisimula iyon na ganito: “Ama namin na nasa langit, sambahin nawa ang pangalan mo.”—Mateo 6:9, New International Version.

Nagtataka ka ba kung bakit sa panalanging ito’y iniuna ni Jesus ang ‘pagsamba,’ o pagbanal, sa pangalan ng Diyos? Pagkatapos, binanggit niya ang iba pa tulad baga ng pagdating ng Kaharian ng Diyos, pagkaganap ng kalooban ng Diyos sa lupa at pagpapatawad sa ating mga kasalanan. Ang katuparan ng mga iba pang kahilingang ito ay mangangahulugan ng pag-iral ng walang hanggang kapayapaan sa lupa at buhay na walang hanggan para sa tao. Mayroon pa bang mas mahalaga riyan? Gayunman, ang unang ipinahihiling ni Jesus sa atin ay ang pagbanal sa pangalan ng Diyos.

Hindi nagkataon lamang na itinuro ni Jesus sa kaniyang mga tagasunod na sa kanilang panalangin ay ilagay na una ang pangalan ng Diyos. Ang pangalang iyan ay napakahalaga sa kaniya, sapagka’t inulit-ulit niya iyan sa kaniyang mga panalangin. Minsan nang nananalangin siya sa Diyos sa madla, sinabi niya: “Ama luwalhatiin mo ang iyong pangalan!” Sumagot ang Diyos mismo: “Niluwalhati ko na, at muli kong luluwalhatiin.”—Juan 12:28, The Jerusalem Bible.

Nang gabi bago namatay si Jesus, narinig ng mga alagad ang panalangin niya sa Diyos, at doo’y itinampok niya uli ang pangalan ng Diyos. Aniya: “Ipinakilala ko ang iyong pangalan sa mga tao na ibinigay mo sa akin mula sa sanlibutan.” Nang huli, inulit niya: “Ipinakilala ko sa kanila ang iyong pangalan at patuloy na ipakikilala ko.”—Juan 17:6, 26, JB.

Bakit napakahalaga kay Jesus ang pangalan ng Diyos? Bakit niya ipinakita na iyon ay mahalaga para sa atin, din naman, nang sabihin niya na ipanalangin na pakabanalin iyon? Kailangan dito na malaman natin kung ano ang pagkakilala sa mga pangalan noong panahon na tinutukoy sa Bibliya.

Ang mga Pangalan Noong Panahon na Tinutukoy sa Bibliya

Maliwanag na nilagyan ng Diyos na Jehova ang tao ng hangarin na panganlan ang mga bagay. Ang unang tao ay may pangalan, Adan. Sa salaysay ng paglalang, sinasabing isa sa unang ginawa ni Adan ay bigyang-pangalan ang mga hayop. Nang bigyan ng Diyos ng asawa si Adan, agad tinawag ito ni Adan na “Babae” (’Ish·shah′, sa Hebreo). Pagkatapos, kaniyang pinanganlan ito na Eva, ibig sabihin ay “Isang Nabubuhay,” sapagka’t “siya ang naging ina ng lahat ng nabubuhay.” (Genesis 2:19, 23; 3:20) Ngayon ay binibigyan din natin ng mga pangalan ang mga tao. Mahirap gunigunihin kung ano ang magagawa natin kung walang mga pangalan.

Noong panahon ng mga Israelita, ang pangalan ay hindi lamang basta pangalan. May kahulugan iyon. Halimbawa, ang pangalan ni Isaac, “Pagtawa,” ay nagpapagunita ng pagtawa ng kaniyang matatanda nang mga magulang nang unang malaman nila na magkakaanak sila. (Genesis 17:17, 19; 18:12) “Balbon” ang kahulugan ng pangalan ni Esau. Ang iba pang pangalan niya, na Edom, “Pula,” o “Namumula,” ay nagpapaalaala na ang kaniyang karapatan sa pagkapanganay ay ipinagbili niya kapalit ng isang pinggang lutuin. (Genesis 25:25, 30-34; 27:11; 36:1) Si Jacob, na mas bata sa kaniyang kakambal, si Esau, ang bumili rito ng karapatan sa pagkapanganay at tumanggap ng kalakip na pagpapala buhat sa kaniyang ama. Ang kahulugan ng pangalan ni Jacob ay “Humahawak sa Sakong” o “Humalili.” (Genesis 27:36) Ang kahulugan ng pangalan ni Salomon, na nang naghahari’y kapayapaan at kasaganaan ang tinatamasa ng Israel, ay “Mapayapa.”—1 Cronica 22:9.

Ganito ang sabi ng The Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Tomo 1, pahina 572): “Ang pag-aaral ng salitang ‘pangalan’ sa M[atandang] T[ipan] ay nagsisiwalat kung gaano ang lawak ng kahulugan nito sa Hebreo. Ang pangalan ay hindi basta pangalan, kundi tumutukoy sa tunay na pagkatao ng may pangalan.”

Na mahalaga sa Diyos ang mga pangalan ay pinatutunayan ng bagay na, sa pamamagitan ng isang anghel, kaniyang sinabihan ang magiging mga magulang nina Juan Bautista at Jesus ng ipapangalan nila sa kanilang mga anak na ito. (Lucas 1:13, 31) At kung minsan ay binabago niya ang mga pangalan, o binibigyan niya ng karagdagang mga pangalan ang mga tao, upang ipakita ang kanilang dako sa kaniyang layunin. Halimbawa, nang sabihin ng Diyos na ang kaniyang lingkod na si Abram (“Ama ng Pagkakataas”) ay magiging ama ng maraming bansa binago Niya ang pangalan nito at ginawang Abraham (“Ama ng Karamihan”). Kaniyang binago ang pangalan ng asawa ni Abraham, Sarai (“Palakontra”), at naging Sara (“Prinsesa”), sapagka’t siya ang magiging ina ng binhi ni Abraham.—Genesis 17:5, 15, 16; ihambing ang Genesis 32:28; 2 Samuel 12:24, 25.

Minahalaga rin ni Jesus ang mga pangalan at tinukoy niya ang pangalan ni Pedro sa pagbibigay dito ng pribilehiyo sa paglilingkod. (Mateo 16:16-19) Kahit ang mga espiritung nilalang ay may mga pangalan. Ang dalawang binanggit sa Bibliya ay si Gabriel at si Miguel. (Lucas 1:26; Judas 9) Pagka pinanganlan ng tao ang mga bagay na gaya baga ng mga bituin, planeta, bayan, bundok at mga ilog, kaniyang ginagaya ang kaniyang Maylikha. Halimbawa, sinasabi ng Bibliya na lahat ng bituin ay tinatawag ng Diyos sa pangalan.—Isaias 40:26.

Oo, ang pangalan ay mahalaga sa Diyos, at inilagay niya sa tao ang hangarin na makilala ang mga tao at mga bagay sa pamamagitan ng mga pangalan. Ang mga anghel, tao, hayop, pati mga bituin at iba pa, ay may mga pangalan. Katugma ba nito kung ang Maylikha ng lahat na ito ay hindi magtataglay sa sarili niya ng pangalan? Siempre hindi, sa liwanag ng sinabi ng salmista: “Purihin ng lahat ng laman ang banal na pangalan [ng Diyos] hanggang sa panahong walang takda, samakatuwid nga ay magpakailanman.”—Awit 145:21.

Sinasabi ng The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Tomo 2, pahina 649): “Isa sa pinakamahalaga at lubhang kailangan na katangian ng pagsisiwalat ng Bibliya ay yaong katotohanan na ang Diyos ay may pangalan: siya’y may personal na pangalan, na sa pamamagitan nito siya ay maaari, at kailangan, na tawagan.” Iyan ang pangalang nasa isip ni Jesus nang turuan niya ang mga alagad niya na manalangin: “Ama namin na nasa langit, pakabanalin nawa ang pangalan mo.”—Mateo 6:9.

Kung gayon, mahalaga na malaman natin kung ano ang pangalan ng Diyos. Alam mo ba ang personal na pangalan ng Diyos?

Ano ang Pangalan ng Diyos?

Kataka-taka, karamihan ng daan-daang milyong miyembro ng mga relihiyon ng Sangkakristiyanuhan ay marahil mahihirapan na sagutan ang tanong na iyan. May magsasabi na Jesu-Kristo ang pangalan ng Diyos. Subali’t si Jesus ay hindi sa sarili niya nananalangin nang sabihin niya: “Ipinahayag ko ang iyong pangalan sa mga tao na ibinigay mo sa akin mula sa sanlibutan.” (Juan 17:6) Siya’y nananalangin noon sa Diyos sa langit, gaya ng isang anak na nakikipag-usap sa kaniyang ama. (Juan 17:1) Ang pangalan ng kaniyang makalangit na Ama ang kailangan na “sambahin,” o “pakabanalin.”

Gayunman sa maraming modernong Bibliya ay wala ang pangalan, at pambihirang gamitin sa mga simbahan. Sa halip na “sambahin,” ito’y hindi kilala ng milyun-milyong mambabasa ng Bibliya. Bilang halimbawa ng pakikitungo sa pangalan ng Diyos ng mga tagapagsalin ng Bibliya, tingnan natin ang isa lamang talata na mayroon nito: Awit 83:18. Ganito ang pagkasalin sa talatang ito sa apat na iba’t-ibang Bibliya:

“Hayaang maalaman nila na ikaw lamang, na ang pangalan ay ang PANGINOON, ang Kataastaasan sa buong lupa.” (Revised Standard Version ng 1952)

“Upang ituro sa kanila na ikaw, Oh Walang-Hanggan, ikaw ang Diyos na Kataastaasan sa buong sanlibutan.” (A New Translation of the Bible, ni James Moffatt, ng 1922)

“Hayaang maalaman nila ito: ikaw lamang ang may pangalang Yahweh, Kataastaasan sa buong sanlibutan.” (Katolikong Jerusalem Bible ng 1966)

“Upang maalaman ng mga tao na ikaw lamang, na ang tanging pangalan ay JEHOVA, ang kataastaasan sa buong lupa.” (Authorized, o King James, Version ng 1611)

Bakit ang pangalan ng Diyos ay iba-iba sa mga saling ito? Ang kaniya bang pangalan ay PANGINOON, ang Walang-Hanggan, Yahweh o Jehova? O lahat ba nito ay dapat tanggapin?

Para masagot ito, tandaan na ang orihinal na Bibliya ay hindi isinulat sa Ingles o sa Tagalog. Ang mga manunulat ng Bibliya ay mga Hebreo, at karamihan nito ay isinulat nila sa mga wikang Hebreo at Griego noong kanilang kaarawan. Karamihan sa atin ay hindi nagsasalita ng sinaunang mga wikang iyan. Nguni’t ang Bibliya ay isinalin sa maraming modernong mga wika, at magagamit natin ang mga saling ito kung ibig nating basahin ang Salita ng Diyos.

Ang mga Kristiyano ay may matinding paggalang sa Bibliya at naniniwala sila na “lahat ng Kasulatan ay kinasihan ng Diyos.” (2 Timoteo 3:16) Ang pagsasalin sa Bibliya ay isang mabigat na pananagutan. Kung kusang binago o kinaltas ng sinuman ang ano mang bahagi ng Bibliya, kaniyang pinanghihimasukan ang kinasihang Salita. Kumakapit sa kaniya ang babala ng Kasulatan: “Kung daragdagan ninuman ang mga bagay na ito, idaragdag sa kaniya ng Diyos ang mga salot na nasusulat sa balumbon na ito; at kung babawasan ninuman ang mga salita ng balumbon ng hulang ito, aalisin ng Diyos ang kaniyang bahagi sa mga punungkahoy ng buhay.”—Apocalipsis 22:18, 19; tingnan din ang Deuteronomio 4:2.

Tiyak na karamihan ng tagapagsalin ng Bibliya ay gumagalang sa Bibliya at taimtim sila sa hangaring gawing kauna-unawa ito sa modernong panahong ito. Nguni’t sila’y hindi kinasihan. Marami sa kanila ang may matinding opinyon tungkol sa relihiyon at baka naiimpluwensiyahan ng sariling mga kuru-kuro at kagustuhan. Baka sila magkamali rin pati sa paghatol.

Kaya, may katuwirang magtanong: Ano ang talagang pangalan ng Diyos? Bakit ang iba’t-ibang tagapagsalin ng Bibliya ay may iba’t-ibang pangalan para sa Diyos? Pagkatapos na masagot ang mga tanong na ito, makababalik tayo sa ating unang-unang tanong: Bakit napakahalaga ang pagbanal sa pangalan ng Diyos?

[Blurb sa pahina 4]

Ang mga anghel, tao, hayop, pati mga bituin at iba pa ay may mga pangalan. Katugma ba nito kung ang Maylikha ng lahat na ito ay walang pangalan?

[Blurb sa pahina 5]

Ang pangalan ng Diyos ay napakahalaga kay Jesus, sapagka’t inulit-ulit niya iyan sa kaniyang mga panalangin.

IS THE BIBLE TRUE? (PART 3) BABYLON

Babylon in Bible History

 

This is the third in a series of seven articles in consecutive issues of “Awake!” that discuss the seven world powers of Bible history. The objective is to show that the Bible is trustworthy and inspired of God and that its message is one of hope for an end to the suffering caused by man’s cruel domination of his fellow man.

SITUATED on a fertile plain some 50 miles (80 km) south of modern-day Baghdad, the ancient city of Babylon was truly magnificent. With massive double walls and a surrounding moat, Babylon seemed impregnable. The city was renowned for its majestic temples, hanging gardens, and temple towers. As one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Babylon has recently been dubbed the city of wonders. In the Bible, it was named “Mistress of Kingdoms” and was the capital of the third world power of Bible history. (Isaiah 47:5) Like the Egyptian and the Assyrian empires before it, the Babylonian Empire played a prominent role in Bible history, enabling us to compare what the Bible says about it with what secular sources say.

Trustworthy History

The Bible book of Daniel tells us that a man by the name of Belshazzar once ruled as king in Babylon. (Daniel 5:1) However, some secular sources have stated in the past that Belshazzar, though powerful, was never king. Was the Bible wrong? Archaeologists have uncovered a number of clay cylinders in the ruins of Ur in Mesopotamia. The cuneiform inscription on one cylinder included a prayer by Babylonian King Nabonidus for “Bel-sar-ussur, my eldest son.” Later findings confirmed that Belshazzarhad “acted as regent for more than half his father’s reign,” states the New Bible Dictionary, “during which time he was to all intents and purposes king.” History also shows that ancient Babylon was an extremely religious city, rife with astrology and divination. For example, at Ezekiel 21:21, we read that the king of Babylon resorted to divination in order to determine whether to attack Jerusalem. The king “looked into the liver,” the Bible says. Why the liver? The Babylonians used this organ in quest of omens. The book Mesopotamian Astrology tells us that at just one site in ancient Babylon, archaeologists found “32 [clay] liver models, all inscribed” with omens. Noted archaeologist Nelson Glueck once said: “I have excavated for thirty years with a Bible in one hand and a trowel in the other, and in matters of historical perspective I have never found the Bible to be in error.”

Trustworthy Prophecy

How would you respond if someone told you that a major capital—such as Beijing, Moscow, or Washington, D.C.—would become an uninhabited ruin? You would rightly be skeptical. Yet, that is what happened with ancient Babylon. Some 200 years in advance, about the year 732 B.C.E., Jehovah God inspired the Hebrew prophet Isaiah to put in writing a prophecy about the demise of mighty Babylon. He wrote: “Babylon, the decoration of kingdoms, . . .must become as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited, nor will she reside for generation after generation.”—Isaiah 13:19, 20. But why would God foretell Babylon’s destruction? In 607 B.C.E., Babylonian armies destroyed Jerusalem and took the survivors off to Babylon, where they were treated cruelly. (Psalm 137:8, 9) God foretold that his people would have to endure this bitter treatment for 70 years because of their own wicked deeds. Then God would deliver them and let them return to their homeland.—Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10. True to God’s prophetic Word, in 539 B.C.E.—just as Judah’s 70-year exile was about to end—the seemingly invincible city of Babylon was overthrown by Medo-Persian armies. In time, the city became a heap of ruins—just as predicted. No human could foretell such a striking achievement. Without a doubt, the act of prophesying, or foretelling events in advance, sets the Author of the Bible—the true God, Jehovah—apart from any other god.—Isaiah 46:9, 10. 

A Hope You Can Trust

Yet another prophecy is having a remarkable fulfillment in our day. The prophecy involves King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and a dream that he had about an immense image. The body was divided into five parts —the head, the breasts and arms, the belly and thighs, the legs, and the feet—each one with a different metal composition. (Daniel 2:31-33) These metal parts stood for a succession of governments, or kingdoms, that started with Babylon and continues down to the Anglo-American World Power, the seventh of Bible history.—Daniel 2:36-41. Daniel discloses that in the feet and toes of the image, there was a noteworthy change of materials. How so? Pure metal was replaced with a mixture of iron and moist clay. By way of explanation, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar: “Whereas you beheld iron mixed with moist clay, they will come to be mixed with the offspring of mankind; but they will not prove to be sticking together, this one to that one, just as iron is not mixing with molded clay.” (Daniel 2:43) Yes, mixing iron and clay results in a fragile union; there is no “sticking together.” How accurately this describes the politically divided world in which we live today! Daniel also reveals another significant development. In his dream, King Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone that was cut out of a large mountain. This stone was lifted up, and “it struck the image on its feet of iron and of molded clay and crushed them.” (Daniel 2:34) What does that mean? Daniel himself answers: “In the days of those kings [during the time of the final world power] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.” (Daniel 2:44) That prophecy pointed forward to a Kingdom unlike any other government known to mankind. Its King is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. As mentioned in previous articles of this series, Jesus will crush Satan and all his followers, human and spirit, thus bringing about universal peace and harmony.—1 Corinthians 15:25.

CAPTION: FORETOLD BY NAME

One of the most remarkable prophecies regarding the downfall of Babylon involved its conqueror, King Cyrus of Persia. Nearly two centuries before Cyrus rose to power, Jehovah God mentioned him by name and foretold that he would be the one to conquer Babylon. Pointing forward to Cyrus’ conquest, Isaiah was inspired to write: “This is what Jehovah has said to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue before him nations, . . . to open before him the two-leaved doors, so that even the gates will not be shut.” God also foretold that the Euphrates River would, in effect, dry up.—Isaiah 45:1-3; Jeremiah 50:38. Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon confirm the fulfillment of this amazing prophecy. They reveal that Cyrus diverted the Euphrates River, causing its waters to recede. Cyrus’ armies thus gained access to the city through its gates, which had been left open. As foretold, mighty Babylon fell “suddenly,” in one night.—Jeremiah 51:8.

“I have excavated for thirty years

. . . , and inmatters of historical

perspective I have never found

the Bible to be in error.”

—Nelson Glueck

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS TAKEN FROM WATCHTOWER MAGAZINE ENTITLED “AWAKE!” DATED ON JANUARY 2011, pp. 10 – 13. 

IS THE BIBLE TRUE? (PART 2)

Assyria in Bible History

This is the second in a series of seven articles in consecutive issues of “Awake!” that discuss the seven world powers of Bible history. The objective is to show that the Bible is trustworthy and inspired of God and that its message is one of hope for an end to the suffering caused by man’s cruel domination of his fellow man.

The very mention of Assyria to people of the ancient Middle East may have made their blood run cold. According to the Bible book of Jonah, when that prophet received an assignment from God to preach a judgment message in the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, he fled in the opposite direction! (Jonah 1:1 – 3) Perhaps that was so because of the Assyrians’ fearsome reputation.

Trustworthy History

The Bible prophet Nahum described Nineveh as “the lair of lions” and “the city of bloodshed.” He added: “Prey does not depart! There is the sound of the whip and the sound of the rattling of the wheel, and the dashing horse and the leaping chariot. The mounted horseman, and the flame of the sword, and the lightning of the spear, and the multitude of slain ones, and the heavy mass of carcasses; and there is no end to the dead bodies. They keep stumbling among their dead bodies.” (Nahum 2:11; 3:1 – 3) Does secular history corroborate the Bible’s description of ancient Assyria?

The book Light From the Ancient Past calls Assyria “the ruthless fighting machine whose calculated frightfulness was the error of its enemies.” The following is the way one Assyrian king, Ashurnasirpal II, boasted of his treatment of those who opposed him:

“I built a pillar over against his city gate, and I flayed all the chief men who had revolted, and I covered the pillar with their skins; some I walled up within the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes, . . . and I cut off the limbs of the officers, of the royal officers who had rebelled. . . .  Many captives from among them I burned with fire, and many I took as living captives.” When archaeologists excavated Assyrian royal palaces, they found the walls decorated with depictions of horrendous treatment being meted out to captives.

In the year 740 B.C.E., Assyria conquered Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, and took its people into exile. Eight years later, Assyria invaded Judah.* (2 Kings 18:13) The Assyrian King Sennacherib demanded of Judean King Hezekiah a tribute of 30 talents of gold and 300 talents of silver. The Bible record states that this tribute was paid. Even so, Sennacherib insisted that the capital of Judah, Jerusalem, also surrender unconditionally to him. – 2 Kings 18:9 – 17, 28 – 31.

At Nineveh archaeologists have found an account of the same events in the annals of Sennacherib. In the text, which is inscribed on a hexagonal clay prism, the Assyrian king boasted: “As to Hezekiah, the Jew, he did not submit to my yoke, I laid siege to 46 of his strong cities, walled forts and to the countless small villages in their vicinity, and conquered (them) . . . Himself [Hezekiah] I made a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage.” Sennacherib then claims that Hezekiah sent him “30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, precious stones, . . . (and) all kinds of valuable treasures,” inflating the number of silver talents that he actually received.

Note, though, that Sennacherib does not claim to have conquered Jerusalem. In fact, he says nothing about the crushing defeat his army suffered through divine intervention. According to the Bible, God’s angle took the lives of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. (2 Kings 19:35, 36) Says scholar Jack Finegan: “In view of the general note of boasting which pervades the inscriptions of the Assyrian kings, however, it is hardly to be expected that Sennacherib would record such a defeat.”

Trustworthy Prophecy

 About a hundred years before the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Isaiah declared that Jehovah God would call those proud conquerors to account for their insolence toward his people. “I shall make an accounting for the fruitage of the insolence of the heart of the king of Assyria and for the self-importance of his loftiness of eyes,” Jehovah said. (Isaiah 10:12) Furthermore, God’s prophet Nahum foretold that Nineveh would be plundered, its gates would be opened to its enemies, and its guards would flee. (Nahum 2:8, 9; 3:7, 13, 17, 19) The Bible prophet Zephaniah wrote that the city would become “a desolate waste.” – Zephaniah 2:13 – 15.

Those prophecies of destruction were fulfilled in 632 B.C.E. That is when Nineveh fell to the combined forces of the Babylonians and the Medes, bringing the Assyrian Empire to an inglorious end. A Babylonian chronicle of that event states that the conquerors “carried off the vast booty of the city and the temple” and turned Nineveh “into a ruin heap.” Today the desolate waste that was once Nineveh is marked by mounds of ruins on the east bank of the Tigris River, opposite the city of Mosul, in Iraq.

Assyria’s destruction also contributed to the fulfillment of yet another Bible prophecy. Earlier, in 740 B.C.E., Assyria took the ten-tribe kingdom into exile. About the same time that Assyria did this, God’s prophet Isaiah foretold that Jehovah would “break the Assyrian,” “thread him down,” and bring Israel back to its homeland. Isaiah wrote: “The remnant of his people who will remain over from Assyria . . . , he [God] will collect together.” That is exactly what occurred-about two hundred years later! – Isaiah 11:11, 12; 14:25.

A Promise You Can Trust

Long before Nineveh’s fall, while her kings still struck terror into the hearts of their enemies, Isaiah foretold the coming of a very different kind of ruler. He wrote: There has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us; and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called . . . Prince of Peace. To the abundance of the princely rule and to peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom in order to establish it firmly and to sustain it by means of justice and by means of righteousness, from now on and to time indefinite. The very zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.” – Isaiah 9:6, 7.

The rulership of the “Prince of Peace,” Jesus Christ, will embrace the entire earth. Psalm 72:7, 8 says: “In his days the righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moon is no more. And he will have subjects from sea to sea from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.”

Through this mighty “Prince of Peace,” Jehovah God will fulfill the promise at Psalm 46:8, 9: “Come, you people, behold the activities of Jehovah, how he has set astonishing events on the earth. He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the wagons he burns in the fire.”

As a prelude to the fulfillment of this Bible prophecy, Jehovah’s Witnesses are carrying out a Bible education program that teaches people the ways of peace, as Jesus did. Indeed, not man, but God will fulfill the Bible prophecy recorded at Isaiah 2:4: “They will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.” In contrast, today the world and its rulers spend a trillion dollars a years on military endeavors!

Accurate history and prophecy put the Bible in a class of its own, demonstrating to those sincerely searching for the truth that it is indeed a book worthy of our trust. In the next article in this series, we will consider ancient Babylon, the capital of the third great empire of Bible history.

* After the reign of King Solomon, the 12-tribe nation of Israel was split. Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom; and the other ten tribes, the northern kingdom. Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom, and Samaria was the capital of the northern.

Note: This article was originally taken from the Watchtower magazine entitle “Awake!” dated December 2010, pp. 26 – 28.

IS THE BIBLE TRUE? (PART 1)

Part 1

Bible Accounts About Egypt

(An English Translation from a Filipino article of  “Awake!” – November 2010 issue)

The Bible was written for 1600 years. This account of history and prophecies is connected with the seven world powers: Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and Anglo-American. Each of one will be discussed in one series of seven articles. Why? It is to show that the Bible originates from God and trustworthy, and the message of this is a hope that the suffering causes by man’s cruel domination will end.  

 

Egypt is well-known with its pyramids and Nile River, the first world power in the historical accounts of the Bible. Under its ruling, Israel was formed. Moses, who wrote the first five books of the Bible, was born and taught in Egypt. Is the secular history and archeology proven true his writings about that ancient nation? Let us see some example.

                   Accurate Historical Accounts

         Titles and terminologies. It is common to see in giving details – traditions, good manners, names and title of officials, and others – if the report of the history is right. Are the reports of Genesis and Exodus (the first-two books in the Bible) were right? In the accounts of Genesis about Joseph who is the son of a patriarch Jacob, and also the accounts of the Bible in Exodus, J. Garrow Duncan said in his book New Light on Hebrew Origins: “He [writer of the first two-Bible] is very well-known with the language, traditions, beliefs, good manners, and customs in the palace and ruling in Egypt.” He added: “He [the writer] used of right title which uses before and he uses it on how it is used before. … In fact, in the Old Testament, the use of Pharaoh in different ages of time is the very strong evidence that these writers have more knowledge about Egypt and reliable. Duncan also said: “When reporting of it he [the writer] has more knowledge about facing the Pharaoh, he gives correct details about customs in palace and he uses right language.”

Making bricks. When Israelites were slaves to Egypt, they are making bricks from mud which mixed with straw to make it strong. (Exodus 1:14; 5:6 – 18) Few years later, the book Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, says: There are only few places [which make brick], and the most in number is in Egypt. Here they dried the bricks in the sun like they used to do before. This is the common material which used in building in [Egypt]. The book also states about “the used of Egyptians of straw in making bricks,” which supports the additional details reported in the Bible.   

Shearing. Hebrew men have facial hair during ancient time. However, the Bible says that Joseph shove before he stand in front of Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:14). Why did he shave? It is to follow the tradition and good manners of the Egyptians. It is unclean for the Egyptians to have beard and mustache. “They [the Egyptians] are proud of the smooth shave of themselves,” says by the book Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt. In fact, there were seen blades, pullers, and mirrors, including its holder casing in the burial place. Clearly, Moses is a meticulous writer. It is the same with the other writers of the Bible who reported events about the ancient Egypt.  

         Commercialism. Jeremiah, who wrote two books of Kings have given specific details about trading of horses and chariots of King Solomon with the Egyptians and Hittites. One chariot has a value of 600 pieces of silver and horse for 150 or one fourths of price of one chariot, the Bible says. – 1 Kings 10:29.

According to the book Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, the Greek historian Herodotus and the discoveries of the archeologists have proven both the progressive selling of horse and chariots during the time of kingship of Solomon. In fact, “it designates the exchange of four horses . . . for one chariot of an Egyptian,” the book says. It is in conformity with the details in the Bible.

         Waging in War. Jeremiah and Ezra have told the attack of Pharaoh Shishak in Judah. They specifically told that it happens in the fifth year reigning of King Rehoboam [Judean] or in 993 B.C.E. (1 Kings 14:25 – 28; 2 Chronicles 12:1 – 12) In the course of long time, it is only in the Bible which can be read that account of attack. Afterwards, a relic was discovered in a wall of a temple in Karnak (early Thebes) in Egypt.

It can be seen in the relic the image of Shishak which standing before the god Amon. Shishak was helding up his hand and seems to hurt the captives. It is also recorded there the names of besieged city in the Israel, and many of it were stated in the Bible. And it is also told in the document the “Field of Abram” – the first assertion in the report of Egyptians with the patriarch of the Bible who is Abraham. – Genesis 25:7 – 10.

Clearly, the writers of the Bible had not written a fiction. Since they know that they will be accountable with God, they wrote what is true including those events which are not good – like the success of Shishak against Judah. That honesty is the reverse of exaggerated and beautified stories of early Egyptians scribes who did not record any events that will destroy the image of the rulers and the nation itself.        

 

Reliable Prophecies

         Jehovah God, the author of the Bible, the only one who can give prophecies which will not have fault. For example, notice what he had said when Jeremiah prophesied about the two cities in Egypt – the Memphis and Thebes. The Memphis, or Nop was a well-known center of commercials, politics, and religion. But God said: “Memphis will be made a desert, a ruin where no one lives.” (Jeremiah 46:19, TEV) And that happened. According to the book In the Steps of Moses the Law-giver, Arabians rob the big collapse of Memphis and they stolen the stones of it. The book also added that today, “you will not see even one pointed stone over the black land . . .  of the ancient city.”

That was also happened in Thebes, called before as No-amon or No, including its gods without power. With regards to this place which is the old capital of Egypt and the first center of worship of the god Amon, Jehovah said: “I am going to punish Amon, the god of Thebes, together with Egypt and its gods and kings … and hand them over to those who want to kill them, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.” (Jeremiah 46:25, 26, TEV) Like what is prophesied, the king of Babylonia defeated Egypt and its prominent city No-amon. And after Persian leader Cambyses II attacked the city in 525 B.C.E., it slowly weakens and fell down by the Romans. Yes, there is nothing like the Bible because of its accurate prophecies. Therefore we can hold on on what it is saying about our future.

 

Promise That Will Come True 

         The first prophecy which stated in the Bible was written by Moses when the world power by that time is Egypt.* According to the prophecy in Genesis 3:15, God will give a “seed,” or a child birth, that will crush Satan and with its “seed” – those who follow the wickedness of Satan. (John 8:44; 1 John 3:8) It was proven that the first major “seed” of God was the Messiah, Jesus Christ. – Luke 2:9 – 14.

Christ will rule over the earth. He will remove all the wickedness and the injustice ruling of people. People will not rule over people for its injustice. (Eclessiastes 8:9) Not only that, like what Joshua did before, who lead Israel to the Promise Land, Jesus will also lead “the great crowd” of those who have fear in God into a perfect “Promise Land” – a clean out earth which will become a worldwide paradise. – Revelation 7:9, 10, 14, 17; Luke 23:43.

That most beautiful hope reminds us of another prophecy which was recorded in time of the ancient Egypt. According to the prophecy in Job 33:24, 25, God will save people even they are in “grave” or tomb, by means of resurrection. Yes, not only those who will be saved from the coming destruction of the wicked, millions of dead of today will be resurrected and will have chance to live forever in the Paradise earth. (Acts 24:15) “The tent of God is with people,” states in Revelation 21:3, 4. “He will wipe all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying pain.”

The accurate report of history of the topic and reliable prophecy will be continued in the followed article of this series. It will discuss the ancient Syria, the next in Egypt of the world power.

*The prophecy which was stated in Genesis 3:15 was told before by God in the Garden of Eden and was written down by Moses.

THE MERNEPTAH STELA

         In 1896, the archeologists discovered the so-called Merneptah Stela in one temple in Egypt for the dead. This is a black granite pillar and it can be seen here the actions of King Merneptah of Egypt, which was said to be ruling during the last years of 13^th century B.C.E. It was engraved in the stela a hymn in which in a part of it says: “The Israel was fallen down by, its seed had disappeared.” This is the only discovered ancient record of Egypt which had assertion about Israel and the first assertion not only in the Bible.

The stela was made during the period of Judges in the Bible. This period of time can be read in the book of Judges in the Bible. However, unlike the reports about the pharaoh, of its success which were only stated, the book of Judges stated also both the success and fall of Israel. With regards with the fall, this is what said in Judges 2:11, 12: Then the people of Israel sinned against the LORD [Jehovah] and began to serve the Baals [the gods of Canaanites]. They stopped worshipping the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the God who had brought them of out of Egypt.” (TEV) This frankness of the writer can be seen in the whole Bible.

[For additional article about the Messiah see this link http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/jesus-the-messiah-4/]

A CALL FOR SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT (IN DEFENSE OF JW BELIEFS)

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

Note: Please see this link for additional study and explanations regarding the subject matter that were discussing.

http://searchforbibletruthsscriptureindex.blogspot.com/

http://defendingjehovahswitnesses.blogspot.com/

Question: If the Holy Spirit is God’s impersonal active force, why does he directly speak and refer to himself as “I” and “me” in Acts 13:2? 

Answer: Although it was the word of Jehovah it should not be concluded that the holy spirit is Jehovah. What the writer spoken of is that through the holy spirit (the active force of God) they have heard the voice of Jehovah. Remember, the holy spirit is the one use by God to perform his will (Psalms 104:30). Notice in the verse that if God sends his spirit the things are created thus he is using his spirit which is apart from himself to perform his will. Even in Genesis 1:2 it states that the spirit of God is not God himself which goes fro and tro above the waters. So the writer must be thinking that it was the holy spirit of God which God used to let him spoke to the early apostles. Jesus spoke of the holy spirit as “helper” and he said this helper will “teach”, “witness”, “speak” and “listen” (John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26 16:13). It is common in the Scriptures about describing something as being a person. For example, wisdom is said to have “children” (Luke 7:35). The sin and death were called as being “kings” (Romans 5:14, 21). Though there are texts that says holy spirit is speaking, the other texts explains that it was done through angels or persons (Acts 4:24, 25; 28:25; Mat. 10:19, 20; compare Acts 20:23 with 21:10, 11). In 1 John 5:6 – 8, it is not only the spirit that witness but also the “blood and water”. Therefore, there is no word in the texts for the holy spirit that it says it is a person.      

Question: The NWT translates the Greek words “ego eimi” as “I am” every time it appears (Jn 6:34, 6:41, 8:24, 13:19, 15:5, etc.), except in Jn 8:58 where it is translated as “I have been”. What is the reason for the inconsistency in this translation? If “ego eimi” was translated in Jn 8:58 the same way it is translated in every other verse in which it appears, how would Jn 8:58 read? 

Answer: There is no inconsistency about the translation of the NWT. What the translators did is just they exposed the explicit truth in the Bible. If you will read verse 56 to 57, Jesus was saying that he existed before Abraham because Abraham saw him and had enjoyed. The Pharisees asked him that he was not even 50 years old yet he saw Abraham. Jesus answered the question of them and explained what he was saying by saying that before Abraham was [existed] he was [existed]. The word “I am” that is used in the sentence denotes of existing as himself and no other or simply the word “I am” means “I exist as who I am.” Remember the proving of Rene Descartes in his thesis saying “I think, therefore I am.” He explained that just as he thinks therefore, he exists.

Question: In Rev 22:12-13, Jesus Christ, the one who is “coming quickly”, says of himself, ” I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end”. In Rev 1:17-18, Jesus, the one who “became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever”, refers to himself as the first and the last. Rev 21:6, in speaking of God, says, “…I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end …”. God is also referred to as the “first” and the “last” in Isa 44:6 and Isa 48:12. How can this be since by definition of these words there can only be one first and one last? 

Answer: First Jesus is never the Alpha and Omega. It only applies to Jehovah. Jesus can be the first as he is the first created being of God (Proverbs 8:22, 23; 30; Colossians 1:15; John 1:3; Revelation 3:14 [“the beginning of the creation of God”, see this interlinear (http://interlinearbible.org/revelation/3-14.htm ) and the first in all things (Colossians 1:18) and the “last” who will give back the authority to God, his Father (1 Corinthians 15:24 – 28). Just as there are some people in the Bible that speaks as they are saviors of men [like Othniel in Judges 3:9 and among others]but it must not to conclude that they are Jehovah; that Nabucodonosor was even called the king of all kings in Daniel 2:37 but he was not to conclude that he was Jesus; that the Christians are also called “light of the nations” (Matthew 5:14; Acts 13:47) but they are not Jesus who is called the “light of the nations” (John 8:12). Also it refers to spiritual Israel of God or the Christians (Isaiah 49:6; see verse 3).

Many people who believe in Trinity say that Revelation 22:12, 13 apply to Jesus but notice Revelation 21:5, 6, to whom the speaker refers to? It is none other than to Jehovah God since he is described as the one who sits on the throne and that the one who sits on the throne is the Alpha and Omega as stated in verse 6. If you can notice God is the one who sits on the throne in Revelation 7:10 in which Jesus was identified as the Lamb who is separated with God (compare also Revelation 3:21).

The Alpha and Omega
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Al´pha and the O•me´ga,” says Jehovah God, “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.”
This is the first among its three occurrences in Revelation in which Jehovah speaks from heaven. (See Revelation 21:5 – 8; 22:12 – 15.) It was clear and known to the first century Christians that Alpha and Omega are the first and two letters of the Greek alphabet. The way Jehovah calls himself using these two Greek letters only indicates that there is no God who is almighty who existed before him and that no God who is almighty will exist after him. He will resolve in victory the issue of being the Diety. He will be vindicated forever as the only true God who is Almighty and the Highest Sovereign to all creations.
Revelation 21:6,7 states, “6And he said to me: “They have come to pass! I am the Al´pha and the O•me´ga, the beginning and the end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the fountain of the water of life free. 7Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.

Notice that those who will conquer will become God’s son yet Jesus called those who will be with him in heaven as “his brothers” and not as “his sons” thus it is clear that the one speaking is the Heavenly Father of Jesus none other than Jehovah. (Matthew 25:40; compare Hebrews 2:10 – 12). The expressions of “I am coming quickly” in Revelation 22:12 does not always apply to Jesus since Jehovah is also called “coming” to give his judgments (Compare Isaiah 26:21). Malachi 3: 1 – 6 states of both the coming of Jehovah and his messenger of the covenant for the judgment.

Question: Jn 1:3 says that Jesus created “all things”, but in Isa 44:24, God says that he “by myself” created the heavens and the earth and asks the question “Who was with me?” when the heavens and the earth were created. How can this be since if Jesus was created by God, then he would have been with God when everything else was created?

Answer:  Revelation 3:14 states that Jesus was the beginning of creation of God and that he was founded or made by God (Proverbs 8:22, 23) and that he was the firstborn of all creation (1 Colossians 1:15). When God told he created all by himself the heaven and earth, what he is saying is that all the powers, thinking and authority were subject by himself alone and not with anyone else. The power, spirit and wisdom which he gave to Jesus was of course came from him and so he can rightly say that all by himself he made the heavens and the earth and only through him he gave authority, wisdom and power to Jesus to create all things along with him (Proverbs 8:30). If I say, “I built this good system of government by myself”, would it mean that I alone built the good system of government I have planned or I have used some people to help me doing in all my plans and that subject to my authority and power all things happened? If someone asked me as “Who built this house?” Don’t I have the right to say, “I built it by myself” if all the authority, power and will came from myself? Would it mean I have not used anyone to build the house I have? No. It only means that subject to my own will, effort, money, design, resources and authority the house was built through myself only and not with anyone else.   

Question: Col 1:16, in talking about Jesus, says that “… All [other] things have been created through him and FOR HIM”. If Jesus was Michael the Archangel at the time of creation, would an angel have created all things for himself? Isa 43:7 says God created “everyone … for my OWN glory…”.

Answer:  Jesus is the heir of all things in heaven and on earth (Hebrews 1:2; John 16:15; Psalms 2:8). God gives authority to Jesus to become heir of all things (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is the one described in Daniel 7:13, 14 who is coming before the Ancient Days [Jehovah] who sits on the throne in whom all rulerships were given to Jesus.

See the blogs here about Jesus as Michael the Archangel:

http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/jesus-as-michael-the-archangel/

Question: The Watchtower Society teaches that the 144,000 of Rev 7:4 is to be taken literally. If chapter 7 of Revelation is to be taken literally, where then does the Bible say that the 144,000 will come from? (See Rev 7:5- 8). 

Answer: In Revelation 20:4 – 6 it state that they are the first resurrected ones who will become kings and priests of God together with Jesus in heaven. They are numbered as 144,000 (Revelation 7:4 – 8). Are these literal Jews who came from Israel? No. Revelation 14: 1 – 5 states they were bought from earth and “bought from humanity” (v. 3, 4) or “bought from all tribes, languages and nations” to become priests of God and kings over the earth (Revelation 5:9, 10). Are these literal virgins? No. Peter is one of the apostles of Jesus Christ who will live on heaven yet he has a wife (1 Corinthians 9:5; Matthew 8:14; John 1:42). Is this the church of God which is composed of Christians? No. Since these 144, 000 will become kings over the earth. To whom they will rule if all Christians are kings in heaven? Why would the 144,000 become kings over the earth? 1 Corinthians 6:2 and Revelation 20:4, 6 state they will have to judge the earth for 1000 years in the millennial reign of Jesus.

Question: If the soul is the body, why does Jesus make a distinction between the body and the soul in Mt 10:28?

Answer:  It is because the “soul” also means “life” (see Greek-English Interlinear of Matthew 16:25 (http://interlinearbible.org/matthew/16-25.htm; Matthew 16:26 (http://interlinearbible.org/matthew/16-26.htm); John 10:15, 17(http://interlinearbible.org/john/10-15.htm; http://interlinearbible.org/john/10-17.htm)

Question: The NWT translates Jn 1:1 as “… and the Word was WITH God, and the Word was a god”. How can the Word (Jesus) be “a god” if God says in Deut 32:39, “See now that I-I am he, and there are NO gods together WITH me …”? 

Answer: It is true that there are no gods together with him. But the gods he is mentioning are the ones who cannot compare to him. Thus, what he is saying is that there are no gods like him who are with him. There are no gods who are equivalent to himself and who are together with him. He is the God alone and no one could ever match him. If we would just take the said verse in literal interpretations it would contradict the verses such as in Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalms 95:3; 97:9 and 1 Corinthians 8:5). Therefore, it must appropriate to take the meaning of it in its deeper sense of interpretation.

Question: Jesus Christ is referred to as “Mighty God” in Isa 9:6 (“For there has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us … And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God …”). Jehovah is referred to as “Mighty God” in Isa 10:20-21. How can this be if there is only one God (1Cor 8:4, Isa 43:10, 44:6)? 

Answer: Just as there are some people in the Bible that speaks as they are saviors of men [like Othniel in Judges 3:9 and among others]but it must not to conclude that they are Jehovah; that Nabucodonosor was even called the king of all kings in Daniel 2:37 but he was not to conclude that he was Jesus; that the Christians are also called “light of the nations” (Matthew 5:14; Acts 13:47) but they are not Jesus who is called the “light of the nations” (John 8:12). Also it refers to spiritual Israel of God or the Christians (Isaiah 49:6; see verse 3).

Question: If Jesus was executed on a torture stake, with both hands together over his head, why does Jn 20:25 say “…Unless I see in his hands the print of the nailS …”, indicating that there was more than one nail used for his hands? 

Answers: see this link for the answer: (http://www.watchtower.org/e/200604a/article_01.htm     

 http://defendingthenwt.blogspot.com/2009/09/nwt_7843.html

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_05.htm

http://www.jehovah.to/xlation/mi.html (see the explanation on this matter on its content)

Question: Jesus uses the phrase “Truly I say to you, …” over 50 times in the Bible. In the NWT, the comma is placed after the word “you” every time except in Lk 23:43, where the comma is placed after the word “today”. Why is the comma placed after “today” instead of after “you” in this verse? If the translation of this phrase in Lk 23:43 was consistent with the translation of this phrase in all the other verses in which it appears (see concordance), and the comma was placed after the word “you”, how would it read? 

Answer: It is because there is no person yet who is resurrected as spiritual being after Jesus died. The resurrection only takes place on the presence of Jesus as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:23 in relation to its fulfillment time in Revelation 6:9 – 11. Those who will be in heaven will be anointed by the will of God through the holy spirit and baptism. Thus, the proper rendering of comma should be placed after the word “today” indicating that Jesus is promising his words on the time he was saying it to the one who was also nailed and that he will be in the coming paradise earth by the time of resurrection of those who will have earthly hope. Jesus words saying that the one nailed who will be with him does not indicates that they would be present together at the same place or that the paradise is in heaven. One proof of showing together with or present with but not at the same place is in John 8:16, 29 where God [Jehovah] is with Jesus yet Jehovah is in heaven while Jesus was on earth by that time. [Compare Matthew 6:9 and 7:11 where Jesus said his Father was in heaven]  

Question: The NWT translates the Greek word “esti” as “is” in almost every instance in the New Testament (Mt 26:18, 38, Mk 14:44, Lk 22:38, etc.). See Greek-English Interlinear. Why does the NWT translate this Greek word as “means” in Mt 26:26-28, Mk 14:22-24, and Lk 22:19? Why the inconsistency in the translation of the word “esti”? If the NWT was consistent and translated the Greek word “esti” as “is” in these verses, what would these verses say?

Answer: For advance reading see this link about the word “was” or “meant” [http://www.jehovah.to/xlation/mi.html] and please see this link for the answer – (http://defendingthenwt.blogspot.com/2009/09/nwt_3365.html and http://onlytruegod.org/defense/estin.htm)

Question: In Jn 20:28, Thomas refers to Jesus in Greek as “Ho kyrios moy kai ho theos moy”. This translates literally as “the Lord of me and THE God of me”. Why does Jesus, in Jn 20:29, affirm Thomas for having come to this realization? If Jesus really wasn’t the Lord and THE God of Thomas, why didn’t Jesus correct him for making either a false assumption or a blasphemous statement? 

Answer: It is not wrong if Jesus was called “God” if Thomas had thought this. This is in conformity with quote of Jesus in Psalms in which people with power, judges, were called as “gods”. (John 10:34; 35, RS; Psalms 82:1 – 6). Jesus has greater duty compare with those called gods. Because of special position of Jesus in relation to Jehovah, he was called “the begotten god” in John 1:18 (NW; see also The Emphasized Bible by Rotherham and The Bible in Living English by Byington.) Jesus was also prophesied as “Mighty God” but never as “Almighty God”. All of these are in line with the entitlement of Jesus as “a god”, or “divine,” in John 1:1 (NW, The Bible – An American Translation). The contexts help us to have right knowing to this thing. When Jesus was near of his death, Thomas heard the prayer of Jesus as he called his Father as the “only true God” (John 17:3, RS). After Jesus was resurrected, he gave message to his apostles including Thomas, in which Jesus said “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17, RS). After the words of Thomas were stated when he saw and touched the resurrected Jesus Christ, this is what apostle John said: “But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.” (TEV, italics and underlined for emphasis) Therefore, if there is someone who will decide with the spoken words of Thomas that Jesus is the “only true God” or that Jesus is the “God Son” of the Trinity, he has to examine again the words of Jesus in verse 17 and the clear conclusion of apostle John in verse 31. (Compare also the words of Jesus Revelation 3:12; John 12:49, 50; 14:24; 15:15 and Hebrew 9:24). Also in Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed to his Father in heaven to take away the cup [his suffering] but not according in his own will but of his Father’s will. If they are not separated, his prayers would be worthless and was praying to himself and therefore it cannot mean that his will is different from the Father’s will. But we should also note that Thomas may be referring to both Jesus and God (the Father) thus when he addressed Jesus as his Lord he might also addressed the Father as his God by that time. We should know also the real thought of the speaker and not as to how the definite article is being referred to the person speaking to. See also this link about this subject matter.

http://www.jehovah.to/xlation/int.html

Question: If Christ will not have a visible return to earth, then how will he be seen by “ALL the tribes of the earth” (Mt 24:30) and by “EVERY eye” (Rev 1:7) when he returns?

Answer: The answer to this is using logical thinking. If Armageddon will come and if Jesus will return in America how would the people be able to see him in eastern part of the world? How come those who pierced him will see his coming when they are dead already? Only after Armageddon the resurrection for those who have earthly hope will happen. The wicked must be wiped out first. Thus, those who pierced him means it is not in literal but symbolical which means those who have acted against his name and in his Father’s name will also see his coming through perceiving that the time for God to act against all the wicked has come and the salvation for God’s people has also come. These will be perceived and know by all the people of earth. All will feel the presence of Jesus on his return on the great day of Jehovah. [Compare Ecclesiastes 1:4; Psalms 104:5; Proverbs 2:21, 22]

Question: If the Holy Spirit is God’s impersonal active force, how could he: Be referred to as “he” and “him” in Jn 16:7-8 and Jn 16:13-14; Bear witness – Jn 15:26; Feel hurt – Isa 63:10; Be blasphemed against – Mk 3:29; Say things – Ezek 3:24, Acts 8:29, 10:19, 11:12, 21:11, Heb10:15-17, Rev 2:7; Desire – Gal 5:17; Be outraged – Heb 10:29; Search -1Cor 2:10; Comfort – Acts 9:31; Be loved – Rom 15:30 ; Be lied to and be God – Acts 5:3-4?

Answer: (See the first explanation about spirit of God above and this link: Is Acts 5:3, 4 – Lied to the Holy Spirit…lied to God?

Acts 8:29 – “The spirit SAID to Philip…”

Question: What is the meaning of Rev 14:9-11, which says, “… If anyone worships the wild beast … he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur … And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever …”. Where could “anyone” be “tormented … forever and ever”?

Answer: Fire and sulphur is used in the Bible as a symbol for destruction just as stated in Isaiah 34:9, 10 and Judas 7. Here the places were destroyed by literal fire yet the fire does not exist anymore. Notice Jesus was also been placed in Hades which is translated by some Bible versions as hell (Acts 2:31) and this Hades was also used by Jesus in his illustration to a rich man who is suffering from literal fire which is described as Hades. (Luke 16:23 – 24) yet this Hades was described in Revelation 20:13, 14 that will give out its dead (those who died before) thus it means they will be resurrected just as Jesus was raised from the dead in Hades. Also in Job 14:13, Job prayed to let him be in “Sheol” (AS, RS, NE, JB, NW) or “hell” (Challoner-Douay Version).

[http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040401/article_02.htm]

http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/the-truth-about-soul-and-hell/

Question: Jn 1:3 says in reference to Christ, “All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence”. How could Christ have been a created being if ALL things came into existence through him? If Jesus was a created being, then according to Jn 1:3, Jesus would have had to create himself.

Answer: Yes all things in the universe were created through Jesus (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) but it does not include Jehovah, for Jehovah is the Creator of all which includes Jesus (see the Revelation 3:14 and its Greek-English Interlinear here – http://interlinearbible.org/revelation/3-14.htm). The Greek word used was “arche” which has a meaning of “beginning” just it also appeared in John 1:1. Other translations use to denote the word “arche” in Revelation 3:14 as “the Ruler” or “the Head” and ignoring the basic meaning as “beginning” which means literally as “initial”, “start” or “first”. Thus, when forcing the basic meaning of the word “arche”, one cannot reject the meaning of it as “beginning” or “start” so it has a very grand proof that Jesus is the first or the start of creation of Jehovah which in conformity with Proverbs 8:22, 23. Jesus is the co-creator of Jehovah as he is the master worker describe in Proverbs 8:30. One thing, Jehovah is the God of Jesus as described in Psalms 45:6, 7 which has a cross reference in Hebrew 1:8, 9. This is conformity with the verses in Psalms 2:6 – 8 and 1 Corinthians 15:24 – 28. Notice the italicized and underlined words in Romans 8:34, “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

For explanations of the translation of Revelation 3:14 in NWT please see this link (http://defendingthenwt.blogspot.com/2009/09/nwt_1692.html)

Question: Is there really everlasting punishment for the wicked as stated in Matthew 25:46 in KJV?

Answer: Matthew 25:46 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

The Greek word use for the translation of punishment in KJV is “kolasin” but kolasin has a literal meaning of “cut-off”. The Emphatic Diaglott [http://lookhigher.net/englishbibles/theemphaticdiaglott/matthew/25.html] can be read as “cutting-off” instead of “punishment”- (Mat 25:46 “And shall go away these into a cutting-off age-lasting; the and just ones into life age-lasting.”) A footnote states that kolasin was taken from the word kolazoo which means 1. Cutting-off; like cutting of branches of a tree, pruning. 2. Control, repression … 3.  castigation, punishment. The separation of one from life, or society, or controlling, refers to punishment – therefore from here the meaning shows the third deep usage of word. The first meaning is the one which should be followed since it is in conformity with the second phrase of the sentence. The righteous will go to life, the wicked into cutting-off from life, or death. [Compare 2 Thessalonians 1:9, “These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength.” (http://interlinearbible.org/2_thessalonians/1-9.htm] Please see also the real definition of the Greek word “olethros” which is translated as “destruction” in this interlinear link which is used in the said verse (http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/3639.htm).

Question: If the spirit of a man has no existence apart from the body, why does Stephen just before his death in Acts 7:59, pray to Jesus to “receive my spirit”? How could Jesus receive Stephen’s spirit if a man’s spirit ceases to exist when the body dies? 

Answer: The word “spirit” does not refer to being something in the body that has personality. It is a force of life that sustains one’s life (Read Psalms 104:29) and the spirit is subject to die (Read Psalms 146:4). In Ecclesiastes 12:7 it states, “Then the dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be and the spirit itself returns to the [true] God who gave it.” The Hebrew word used to translate as spirit is “ruach” which is not the same with the Greek word “nephesh” for the word “soul”. Ecclesiastes 12:7 does not mean there is a literal spirit that travelling towards the presence of God, but rather the hope of one in resurrection depends unto God. In the same words, we can say that if the buyer of the lot would not give required payment for the purchased lot, the lot will be returned to the owner. NASB uses “force of life”.

Ecclesiastes 3:19 For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity.

Luke 23: 46 And Jesus called with a loud voice and said: “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” When he had said this, he expired.

The Greek word used to translate as “spirit” is “pneuma”. When the spirit goes out from Jesus he did not ascend into heaven right after he died. Only after three days he was resurrected. And just like what Acts 1:3, 9 shows, it had passed 40 days before he ascended into heaven. So what was Jesus meant when he said it before he died? He was saying that after he died, his hope for resurrection depends in the hands of God. When Stephen prayed to let his spirit receive by Jesus, he does not mean to himself that Jesus is God [see Ecc. 2:7; Romans 8:34] but rather Jesus is the one who will be used by Jehovah God in resurrecting those people with hope [see John 5:25, 28, 29; John 11:25; John 5:22]. See this link below about explanation of “spirit” and “soul”. (“Soul” and “Spirit”—What Do These Terms Really Mean?)

Question: If the great crowd is to have everlasting life on paradise EARTH, why does 1Thess 4:17 say, “…we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR; and thus we shall always be with the Lord”?

Answer: 1 Thessalonians 4:17 could only be applied to those remnants of the 144, 000 who are still alive on earth when the Great Tribulation comes. Before Armageddon comes they will die and be resurrected in an instant and will ascend to heaven to rule with Christ. (Compare Revelation 5:9, 10 and Revelation 14: 1-4 and Revelation 20:6) Notice they were bought from humanity and from the earth – from different tribes and languages numbering 144, 000 and they will rule over the earth together with Christ for 1000 years. (Compare Psalms 37:9-11, 29; Proverbs 2;21, 22; Matthew 5:5 *If it is not stated in your Bible versions that righteous will live forever on earth please see the Interlinear for these verses. http://interlinearbible.org/matthew/5-5.htm

Question: If there are 144,000 spirit anointed people who have a heavenly hope, and a great crowd of people who have another hope of everlasting life on paradise earth, why does Paul say that there is only ONE hope (Eph 4:4), instead of two?

Answer: Yes there is only one hope and that hope is to have everlasting life either in heaven or on earth.See this link for additional explanation of this subject matter (http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/will-all-the-righteous-people-go-to-heaven/)

Question: Heb 9:28, speaking of Christ, says “… and the second time he appears…” How can Christ APPEAR a second time if he will not have a visible return to earth?

Answer: This is also in line with Revelation 1:7. What does “clouds” refers to? That is of being unseen. When an airplane is in the midst of thick clouds or above the clouds, it will not be seen by the people in the land, but they may hear the sounds of the airplane’s engine. Jehovah told to Moses that he comes in the midst of clouds. Moses did not see Jehovah, but that cloud suggests the unseen presence of Jehovah in the eyes of the sons of Israel. (Exodus 19:9; look also Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 11:25.) See also Genesis 46:4 which states that Jehovah will come down in Egypt but he did not come down literally but only his unseen presence was perceived by the Israel and Egypt. (Compare also John 8:16; 29; 16:32 which states by Jesus that Jehovah is with him when he was on earth but Jehovah is not literally beside with Jesus. He is with Jesus only in his unseen presence with Jesus because Jehovah is in heaven. (Compare Psalms 11:4 and Proverbs 15:3)
Question: In Rev 19:1, where does it say that the “great crowd” will be?
If Christians are persecuted for the sake of Jehovah’s name, why did Christ tell the first Christians that they would be persecuted for the sake of his (Jesus’) name instead of Jehovah’s (Mt 24:9, Mk 13:13, Lk 21:12, 17, Jn 15:21, and Acts 9:16)?

Answer: It is because Jesus’ name was to be preached by the early Christians and they were preaching that through him [as stated also by Jesus], salvation and forgiveness of sins will be possible and that they will have a close relationship with God only through Jesus’ name. (Hebrew 2:10; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22, 28; John 14:6) The name of God was known to them by that time since Jesus also proclaimed the name of his Father to his apostles (John 17:6, 26) and the Jews are not questioning the name of God but they are questioning of Jesus as if he is really the Son of God and that through him salvation and forgiveness of sins is possible. Most Jews did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah that is why those early Christians who were preaching for the sake of Jesus’ name were persecuted by those unbelievers of Christ. How come it is still connected on these days? Since many people in the Christendom as well as those who do not believe with the Jehovah’s Witnesses particularly on their Biblical doctrines just like Jesus is also Michael the Archangel (one of the claims of JW as the other NAME of Jesus in his preexistence and post-existence as human which rejects by many religions) as well as of not being part of the world, therefore many JW are persecuted by the people. The fact that Jesus name means “Jehovah is Salvation” [God is Salvation] according to some scholars as it was in the context clue of Matthew 1:21 which includes not only the Jews but also the Gentiles indicates that those who persecutes Christians because of Jesus Christ’s name also profane God’s name and since Jehovah’s salvation is through Jesus then it is also true that not accepting Jehovah is the same as not accepting Jesus as savior and as appointed by God and thus Christians who are persecuted in Jehovah’s name also persecuted in Jesus’ name (compare Matthew 25:40) since Jesus carries the name of God and that through him Jehovah will execute His will in His appointed time.

Question: In Col 1:15-17, the NWT inserts the word “other” 4 times even though it is not in the original Greek (see Gr-Engl interlinear). Why is the word “other” inserted? How would these verses read if the word “other” had not been inserted?

Answer: Please read the following links: 

http://defendingthenwt.blogspot.com/2010/11/adding-other-col-116-20-acts-1036-rom.html

http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/the-truth-in-colossians-11617/

Question: In Phil 2:9, the NWT inserts the word “other”, even though it doesn’t appear in the original Greek (see Gr-Engl Interlinear). What is the reason for inserting this word? Is the word “Jehovah” a name? See Ex 6:3, Ps 83:18, and Isa 42:8. How would the verse read if the word “other” had not been inserted? What does scripture say about adding words to the Bible? See Prov 30:5-6.

Answer: See this link for the same explanation of the word “other” (http://defendingthenwt.blogspot.com/2009/09/nwt-martin.html)The name of God is excluded with the names in heaven in which Jesus name is above. It is also in the context that God exalted Jesus and that God gave him a name which is above the [other] names in heaven. The giver is not the same with the receiver (compare Revelation 1:1).

Question: In 2Pet 1:1, the NWT inserts the word “the”. Why is it inserted? How would the verse read if the word “the” was not inserted? What does scripture say about adding words to the Bible? (See Prov 30:5-6).

Answer: Please read the link for the answer on this subject.

http://defendingthenwt.blogspot.com/2010/11/2-peter-11-and-titus-213-sharps-rule.html

Question: In the sermon on the mount, when Jesus was addressing the “great crowd” (Lk 6:17), why did he tell them in Lk 6:22-23, “…your reward is great in heaven …”?

Answer:  Jesus was explaining to his disciples that the reward of them was great in heaven. This should not be meant as they are all going to heaven and will be rewarded in heaven. Remember Jesus also spoke in Matthew 5:5 that meek people will inherit the earth (see Greek-English Interlinear and also Proverbs 2:21, 22 and Psalms 37: 9 – 11, 29; see Interlinear). Notice when Jesus said to his disciples to store up riches in heaven than to store up riches on earth (Matthew 6:20). He did not mean that his disciples should literally store up riches in heaven because they are still human. What Jesus meant was his disciples should be focus in spiritual things rather than material things. Jesus is not literally saying to store up riches in heaven because it is impossible for human to do so. What he wants from his disciples is to be spiritually minded than being materialistic people. Therefore, when Jesus spoke with the great crowd that their reward would be great in heaven it doesn’t mean that they will be going in heaven to receive their reward. Instead, they will receive rewards from heaven through the appointed son of Jehovah none other than Jesus Christ. What Jesus is saying is that their reward is from heaven or simply their reward comes from the Father and through himself who are both in heaven. 

Question: In Mt 1:23, who is Matthew referring to here that has been given the name which means “With Us Is God”?

Answer:   Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Im·man´u·el,” which means, when translated, “With Us Is God.”

They used it as proof text that Jehovah was with those persons before literally. However, we can find many biblical texts that show Jehovah is with his people but not literally. I suggest you see these verses that show Jehovah is with his people before – Isaiah 8:10; Deuteronomy 20:1 and Psalms 46:7, 11.

Question: In Rev 14:13, how can the dead be “happy” and find “rest” if there is no conscious awareness after death?

Answer: Those people who will die in union with Christ are happy in the sense that they have hope for resurrection. It says happy are those dead who will die in union with Christ. It is in a perfect tense signifying happy are those who will die in union with Christ for they will have hope from God. It means even they die they are considered as happy or lucky person for they have hope in God. (Compare Romans 6:21, 22, 23; Notice that there are only two ends – death and life. See also Romans 8:6) See this interlinear (http://interlinearbible.org/revelation/14-13.htm)

Question: If Jesus was executed on a torture stake, with both hands together over his head, instead of on a cross with both hands outstretched, why does Mt 27:37 say that the sign “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” was “posted above his HEAD” instead of being posted above his hands? How could it have been posted above his head if his arms were stretched out over his head?

Answer: A quote from blogspot about torture stake and not cross was used to Jesus:

Anonymous said…

Matt13weedhacker

JUSTIN MARTYR, (110 to 165 C.E.): “The Teacher of us [in] these things, and [who] was born for this [very] purpose was Jesus Christ, [who] was hung upon a torture stake by Pontius Pilate, [who] came to be the Procurator in Judea upon [the] times of Tiberius Caesar, [this one] we have learned [to be] a son of the actual-real God and hold him (ἐν δευτέρᾳ χώρᾳ) in second place, [and the] prophetic spirit (ἐν τρίτῃ τάξει) in third rank, therefore, after [this] discourse [we shall] aid and assit [in] showing [certain] proof [of this].” A Smoother Paraphrase Translation of Ap. 1, 13, – by Matt13weedhacker.

For viewing of this comment please see this link http://examiningthetrinity.blogspot.com/2009/09/history-of-christian-trinity-hist-part_14.html

See also this link: http://www.jehovah.to/exe/translation/cross.htm

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_05.htm

Question: In Lk 4:12, the NWT translates “kyrios” (Gr-lord) as “Jehovah”, which makes the verse read “… ‘You shall not put Jehovah your God to the test.'” See Gr-Engl Interlinear. Why is kyrios translated as “Jehovah” in this verse? Was the devil, in Lk 4:9-11, putting Jehovah to the test or JESUS to the test?

Answer: Jesus answered the Devil through Scriptures. His statement, “You shall not put Jehovah your God to the test” was taken from Deuteronomy 6:16. Jesus was being tested as well as Jehovah to send angels to save Jesus if he will let himself fall. If Jesus is God then why Satan aren’t aware that he was speaking to his Grand Creator? Why did he ask Jesus “if you were the son of God” and not “if you were God”? Could Satan ask Jesus to bow on him if Jesus was really God? Can the grand creator bow on his creature? He asked these tests to Jesus because he knew he is the son of God and he just wanted to deceive Jesus through these tests to show how loyal and faithful Jesus is to Jehovah God. It is very impossible to ask from the Creator to bow himself to a creature.

Question: The Bible says that ONLY God is our savior (Hos 13:4, Isa 43:11,45:21, etc.). How can it be then, that the Bible repeatedly says that Jesus Christ is our savior (Lk 2:11, Phil 3:20, Tit 2:13, 3:6, 2Pet 1:1, 2:20, 3:18, etc.)?

Answer: Just as there are some people in the Bible that speaks as they are saviors of men [like Othniel in Judges 3:9 and among others]but it must not to conclude that they are Jehovah; that Nabucodonosor was even called the king of all kings in Daniel 2:37 but he was not to conclude that he was Jesus; that the Christians are also called “light of the nations” (Matthew 5:14; Acts 13:47) but they are not Jesus who is called the “light of the nations” (John 8:12). Also it refers to spiritual Israel of God or the Christians (Isaiah 49:6; see verse 3). Therefore, it is not to conclude that since Jehovah is called Mighty God then he is also Jesus who is also called Mighty God. Why Jesus never called as Almighty God just like Jehovah is called as that? – Genesis 17:1; Revelation 16:7. (Compare 1 John 4:14 and 1 Timothy 2:5 and Galatians 3:20)

Question: Referring to Isa 14:9-17, if there is no conscious awareness after death, how could Sheol “… become agitated at you in order to meet you on coming in…” (v.9), how could the souls in Sheol “… speak up and say to you…” (v.10-11), how could the souls in Sheol when “…seeing you will gaze even at you; they will give close examination even to you, [saying,] ‘Is this the man’…” (v. 16-17), and how would you be aware that this was happening?

Answer: Sheol is not person so how come could it speak? Therefore, the soul in the sheol are only representation of those who are coming in Sheol. It is common in the Scriptures about describing something as being a person. For example, wisdom is said to have “children” (Luke 7:35). The sin and death were called as being “kings” (Romans 5:14, 21). In 1 John 5:6 – 8, it is not only the spirit that witness but also the “blood and water”. Therefore, it is not valid to say that soul is literally alive person after one dies. It is a metaphor of those people who are in Sheol and a personification of the Sheol. It was given life to give spiritual meaning of death.

Question: Heb 3:1 refers to “holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly calling”. In Mk 3:35, Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of God, this one is my brother …”. Therefore, according to the Bible, whoever does the will of God is a brother of Jesus and a partaker of the heavenly calling. How can this be if the Watchtower Society teaches that only 144,000 people go to heaven?

Answer: See this link for discussion of this subject:

http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/future-rulers-of-the-world-who-are-they/

Question: Heb 11:16, in speaking about some of the faithful people of the Old Testament (Abel, Noah, Abraham, etc.) says, “But now they are reaching out for a better [place], that is, one belonging to heaven…” and, “… their God for he has made a city ready for them.” The footnote on the word “city” refers to HEAVENLY Jerusalem of Heb 12:22 and Rev 21:2. How can this be since according to the teachings of the Watchtower Society, the only people who will go to heaven are the 144,000 spirit anointed who have been chosen from people who lived after Christ died?

Answer: http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/the-144000-and-the-future-earthly-human-beings/

Question: Rev 20:10 says, “And the Devil … the wild beast and the false prophet [already were]; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Where will the devil, the wild beast, and the false prophet be “tormented day and night forever and ever”?

Answer: Answer: Fire and sulphur is used in the Bible as a symbol for destruction just as stated in Isaiah 34:9, 10 and Judas 7. Here, the places were destroyed by literal fire yet the fire does not exist anymore. Notice Jesus was also been placed in Hades which is translated by some Bible versions as hell (Acts 2:31) and this Hades was also used by Jesus in his illustration to a rich man who is suffering from literal fire which is described as Hades (Luke 16:23 – 24) yet this Hades was described in Revelation 20:13, 14 that will give out its dead (those who died before) thus it means they will be resurrected just as Jesus was raised from the dead in Hades. Also in Job 14:13, Job prayed to let him be in “Sheol” (AS, RS, NE, JB, NW) or “hell” (Challoner-Douay Version). 

See the following links: http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040401/article_02.htm

http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/the-truth-about-soul-and-hell/

Question: In Lk 24:36-39 and in Jn 20:26-27, Jesus showed his disciples the wounds in his body as proof of his resurrection. If Jesus’ body had been destroyed by God after he died, how could Jesus show the disciples his body which had the wounds in his hands, feet, and side and claim that he is not just a spirit, “because a spirit does not have flesh and bones just as you behold that I have” (Lk 24:39)?

Answer: It is because Jesus can transform already into human flesh when he was resurrected just like the angels can transform into human flesh. How could he enter in the closed door if he is only human?  (John 20:26) Jesus was resurrected as spirit and was resurrected by God (1 Peter 3:18; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:24)

Question: If Christ was created by God and was the wisdom of God (Prov 8:1-4, 12, 22-31), then before Jesus would have been created, God would have had to have been without wisdom. How is it possible that God could have ever been without wisdom?

Answer: Jesus is a personification of the word “Wisdom” but it doesn’t mean that this wisdom [Jesus] is the wisdom of God. Jehovah gave wisdom and spirit to Jesus. Jesus is only the exact representation of God (Hebrews 1:3). He is just part or the concrete product of the wisdom of God for he was created by God (Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14).

For additional discussion see these links:

Does “Wisdom” at Prov. 8:22-30 refer to the Messiah, and does it say that he was created?

Prov. 8:22-30 “Wisdom” and Christ

Question: Rev 7:11 says that “before the throne” is in heaven where “all the angels were standing”. Rev 14:2-3 says “And I heard a sound out of heaven … And they were singing as if a new song before the throne …”. Rev 7:9 says, “… look, a great crowd … standing before the throne…”. Rev 7:14-15 says, “…There are the ones that come out of the great tribulation … That is why they are before the throne of God …”. Therefore, if “before the throne ” means in heaven (Rev 7:11, 14:2-3), and the “great crowd” is “before the throne” (Rev 7:9, 7:14-15), where does that mean that the great crowd will be?

Answer: See this link http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/the-144000-and-the-future-earthly-human-beings/

Question: If Jesus Christ is Michael theArchangel, how can Mt 25:31 say, “When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and ALL the angels with him, …”. Since “all the angels” would certainly include Michael theArchangel, is it possible that Jesus could return with himself?

Answer: http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/jesus-as-michael-the-archangel/

Question: In Lk 20:37-38, how could Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be “all living to him (God)”, since they all died hundreds of years before Jesus said this?

Answer: The words should not be taken literally, for if it is literally then it would violate the statements in John 3:13 (therefore Jesus is the first one resurrected and went into heaven); 1 Corinthians 15:23 and Revelation 6:9 – 10 and Revelation 20:4 – 6). Therefore, what this text mean is that all of them even they are dead already are still alive in the memory of God. They are in the memory of God and are to be resurrected at the right time.

Question: If the soul dies when the body dies, how could the “souls” of Rev 6:9- 11, who were of those who had been “slaughtered” (i.e., killed), cry out “with a loud voice, saying: ‘Until when Sovereign Lord …”?

Answer: It is because the soul means a person who is living. It was used to God’s people since they have died but they were resurrected at the time of invisible presence of Jesus on earth (see 1 Corinthians 15:23 and Daniel 2:44 as the beginning of the time of the invisible presence of Jesus).

Question: Is it wrong for a woman to have a short hair and wear pants?

Answer:  See this link for discussion of this matter:  http://www.jw-archive.org/2011/08/i-never-knew-this-was-reason-sisters.html

Question: If the soul dies when the body dies, how could the “souls” of Rev 6:9- 11, who were of those who had been “slaughtered” (i.e., killed), cry out “with a loud voice, saying: ‘Until when Sovereign Lord …”?

Answer: It is because the soul means a person who is living (http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_07.htm). It was used to God’s people since they have died but they were resurrected at the time of invisible presence of Jesus on earth (see 1 Corinthians 15:23 and Daniel 2:44 as the beginning of the time of the invisible presence of Jesus). See this link for deeper explanation. (http://www.jw-archive.org/2010/12/psyche-soul-response-to-accusations.html)

If the human soul IS the person, how could the soul go out of a person (Gen 35:18) or come back into a person (1Kings 17:21)?

Answer: It is because the “soul” also mean “life” (see Greek-English Interlinear of Matthew 16:25, 26; John 10:15, 17). Therefore the soul goes out of the body in Genesis 35:18 and come back into a person in 1 Kings 17:21 is the life itself. See the explanations above.

Question: The Watchtower Society teaches that the earth will never be destroyed or depopulated. How can it be, then, that God says in Isa 51:6, “… the earth itself will wear out, and its inhabitants will die like a mere gnat …”, and that Jesus says in Mt 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away…”, and that John says in Rev 21:1 that he saw “… a new heaven and a NEW earth, for the former heaven and the FORMER earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.”?

Answer: The earth itself will wear out indicate that the whole earth is subject to punishment but this does not indicate the earth will be destroyed. Psalms 37:9-11, 29 says that the earth will stay forever and Proverbs 2:21, 22 states that the righteous will remain on earth but the wicked will be uprooted out of the earth. Matthew 5:5 states by Jesus that the meek will inherit the earth. It says that the earth melt when the earth was punished by God yet it was not totally destroyed see this interlinear (http://interlinearbible.org/psalms/75-3.htm). The former earth means the former system of life on earth which includes the unrighteousness of the people on earth but not definitely the earth. See this blog about new earth. http://fromthesunrising.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/heaven-and-earth-will-pass-away-%E2%80%93-what-does-it-implies-reedited/

Psalms 75:2 “For I proceeded to take a set time;
I myself began judging with uprightness.

3 The earth and all its inhabitants being dissolved,
It was I that adjusted its pillars. – NWT

Psalms 75:²“When I select an appointed time,
It is I who judge with equity.
³“The earth and all who dwell in it ^[a]melt;
It is I who have firmly set its pillars. – NASB

 

to be continued . . .

 

IS THERE REALLY A RAPTURE?

CONCERNING 2 CORINTHIANS 12:1 – 4 (and among others)

I agree that what Paul’s vision reflects about the true Christians in God’s organization of today or in the last days. The man that was foreseen by Paul that caught into “third heaven” firstly refers to the anointed Christians then secondly to the Jehovah’s Witnesses who are both in the highest level of their spiritual consciousness or their position of their being in the superlative degree in spiritual matters since Daniel foreseen the vision that in the last days the truth will shine and become abundant (compare Daniel 12:3 – 4:10). The unutterable words which heard by him (the man) which are unlawful to speak by a man would mean about the sealed words of God which would be finally revealed to the anointed Christians specifically with the Faithful and Discreet Slaves of Jesus who gives the spiritual food at proper time. The revelation of God’s will which symbolizes by the seven thunders will only be revealed at the time when God will allow it to perceive by the anointed Christians and it already happened and continues to happen since we have lots of revelations about the deeper things of God. “But I believe there would be a final revelation or revelations that will be revealed by God through the Faithful and Discreet Slaves of Jesus before God will act against his judgment to all nations.” (This statement is not the general thought of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.) I speak through what the context says as the previous commentators also said. I hope that I have expressed this with an understanding heart through God’s help.

This vision of Paul would not mean of the so called “rapture” of a man then went through literal heaven which is being believe by some religions since no man with flesh and blood can inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50) and that mortal cannot possess immortality (as spiritual being) unless it dies (1 Corinthians 15:36, 42 – *44). Those anointed Christians who will live in heaven will possess the likeness of the Son of Man (Jesus) as he died and become spiritual being (1 Corinthians 15:48 – 49; Romans 8:29). What about 1 Corinthians 15:51 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17, does it convey of the so called “rapture” which would change the bodies of mortal into spiritual being? Again, from the Scriptures above it cannot happen. Notice the words said “we will not asleep on death” which would mean that those anointed ones in the last days will not be on the grave for a long time but rather in an instant as of the last trumpet sounds (v. 52) the dead will be raised and become changed. Paul believes that in order to change their bodies then they have to resurrect (v. 52 – 53; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). If you could notice, to whom the trumpet used for?  1 Thessalonians 4:16 speaks that the trumpet was used in the resurrection of those in union with Christ namely the anointed Christians and in 1 Corinthians 15:52 still the trumpet is used to those who are in union with Christ who will be resurrected and even Paul said they (though it refers to the last anointed Christians) will be changed in an instant, still they are part of those who will be resurrected (see the whole context of v. 52). When did the resurrection started? The start of resurrection started on the presence of Jesus as what said in 1 Corinthians 15:22 – 23 and it proves that this presence is not on the day when Jesus will come on earth to give the judgment of God (Armageddon) but it was seen that the resurrection of those who first asleep on death was when Jesus is already ruling in heaven (compare Daniel 2:44; Revelation 11:15 and Revelation 6:11 *note in the verse: until the complete number of slaves were fulfilled i.e. the 144,000). The resurrection of the dead is on the presence of Jesus which is proved by Revelation 6:11 in relation to Jesus ruling in heaven as the appointed king of God (compare also Philippians 3:11) Thus, the last trumpet (note at the time of the last trumpet which would mean not only on a single particular time) in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that would sound will be until on the Great Tribulation which the last anointed ones (beginning of the last days) will see (see Matthew 24:34) or until Jesus will come on earth (not to be seen literally) to give the judgment of God in all nations. Also notice that the seventh trumpet (last trumpet) marks the heavenly rulership of Jesus (Revelation 11:15) and as the resurrection of the anointed ones as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 which is also a mark of their rulership as heavenly kings (Revelation 20:4 – 6). Again, Romans 8:29 states that those who are first recognized by God according to God’s purpose will be conformed to the image of the Son of God and it would only be possible to possess the same image of the Son of God if those first recognized ones will undergo the same process as Jesus did but not as of the literal process of the death and resurrection of Jesus but the same as he died physically [as perfect and holy] then also resurrected spiritually [as perfect and holy] – 1 Peter 3:18 (compare Matthew 5:48 and 1  Peter 1:15 – 16; Revelation 20:6). Also notice 1 Corinthians 15:46 speaks first of the physical then afterwards spiritual. Although the first speaks of Adam as the physical man and the second speaks of Jesus as the spiritual person we can see that it refers also to those who have heavenly hope since Jesus became physical man then afterwards became spiritual person again. What would this indicate? This would mean that since God planned to buy people from all nations who will be on heaven then Jesus must become a physical man in order those who have bought by God will also become spiritual beings in the same way as Jesus did (Psalms 68:18; Ephesians 4:8 – 10; Philippians 3:21). Actually, 1 Corinthians 15:49 in relation to Romans 8:29 is the best clue as of how those who have heavenly hope will acquire their spiritual body. It says just as they acquire the image of the one who is made from dust (Adam) then they will acquire also the image of the one who is from heaven (Jesus). This means just as the mortal body is subject to die because of the original sin of Adam (Romans 5:12) then it could be raised as spiritual body just as of Jesus resurrection – the first among the new creation of God as spiritual beings (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5). Notice Colossians 1:18 states about Jesus “to become first in all things”. It would only give its true definition if Jesus is the first among those spiritual beings brought into heaven who were men and that those men bought by God in all nations who became spiritual beings will die first and be resurrected afterwards as spiritual beings. Thus, those men who will be taken from earth and would become spiritual beings on heaven would only be part of Jesus’ class (the class of kings) as Jesus is the first among that class if they really died and resurrected as spiritual being. To be a member of that class one must have qualifications that will give him a right to become a bonafide member of that class and that is through death and resurrection along with by being born again through the Spirit of God (i.e. as called by the Spirit of God and not by the will of man; see John 1:13; Romans 9:10 – 11; 16) and of the water (as of baptism).