[From ws 5/18 p. 22 – July 23– July 29]
“We are not ignorant of [Satan’s] schemes.”—2 Corinthians 2:11, ftn.
Introduction (Par.1-4)
(Par 3) “Apparently, Jehovah did not want to give Satan undue prominence by devoting large portions of the Hebrew Scriptures to discussing him and his activity.” “When that was accomplished and the Messiah arrived, Jehovah used him and his disciples to reveal much of what we know about Satan and the angels who joined him.”
The footnote refers to 18 mentions in the Hebrew Scriptures compared with 30 times in the Greek scriptures. On closer examination they seem to be adjusting for duplicate accounts in the gospels. Despite this it means the Hebrew Scriptures have only 2/3rds as many references as the Greek scriptures, but given the small numbers of citings involved we can hardly say Satan is a frequent topic even in the Greek scriptures. When a WT article says “apparently” that is Organization speak for “it is our interpretation not usually backed up by any facts, but accept it as truth”.
The more accurate picture to give is that the Bible only discusses Satan when something beneficial can be conveyed as a result. A review of the occurrences of the mention of Satan revealed the following which anyone can confirm for themselves.
- The book of Job helps us understand why there is so much wickedness in the world and Satan’s aims. It also shows imperfect humans can keep their integrity to God.
- The gospels show us Jesus has the power to bring Satan’s rule and that of the demons to an end and warns us of the traps he uses.
- The book of Revelation in general deals with how Jesus will end the influence of Satan and his demons.
- The other scriptures in between help us identify Satan’s traps so we can avoid them.
As with all of God’s Word which is inspired and beneficial for all things, the references to Satan and the Demons in the scriptures are there for a purpose and we can use these same principles ourselves if or when we are discussing Satan and the demons. (2 Timothy 3:16)
“What is the extent of Satan’s influence?”(Par.5-9)
Paragraph 5 gives us good reminders of how much assistance Satan has in the form of demons or fallen angels, and that he uses them to influence both governments and people. This is something the Organization has been very quiet about in recent years, with virtually no in-depth discussion as to how to avoid demonic attacks and influence leaving brothers and sisters at risk. Even this kind of article briefly discussing the Organization’s view of Satanic influence is rare in recent decades.[i] However, on the other hand, as the Bible record shows neither would we want them to give too much prominence to Satan.
When discussing human governments the paragraph also says “But no human government or individual ruler is capable of bringing about the changes mankind needs most.—Psalm 146:3, 4; Revelation 12:12”.(Par.6) While we wouldn’t disagree with this statement, we would also add that by the same principle neither can any human organization, especially religions. They are all human constructs despite their claims to the contrary, especially those with governments (governing bodies).
If the Organization’s understanding of these verses in Revelation 12 are correct when they say “Satan and the demons use not only governments but also false religion and the commercial system to mislead “the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9)” (Par.7) then inadvertently they are including themselves. How so? Any unbiased reviewer of many pages of this site would see that the Organization is blatantly teaching falsehoods and hence has to also be a false religion, as by definition a true religion would not teach falsehoods.
Therefore the next statement brings to our mind the saying “physician, heal yourself” when the article writes “As a result, sincere individuals who think that they are worshipping God are deceived into worshipping demons. (1 Corinthians 10:20; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15)” (Par.7). Indeed 2 Corinthians 11 says after mentioning Satan can transform himself into an angel of light “It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness.” (Par.7). How so? The Organization claims that it “abhors Child abuse” and yet it refuses to inform governmental authorities about such claims. These governmental authorities are backed by Caesar’s law which Christ himself said we should obey unless it conflicted with God’s law. Many governments now have laws regarding what obligation one has if there are confessions or accusations of child abuse. In many countries it is mandatory by law to report it to the secular authorities.[ii] True ministers of righteousness would not only want to be seen doing the right thing but would obey Christ’s command without hiding behind legalese.
So how do they claim people are being deceived into worshipping demons? By the following:
- “For example, this system often teaches people that the best way to be happy is to pursue money and gather many possessions. (Proverbs 18:11)(Par.7) “Often” is not as frequent as ‘usually’. Many parts of “this system” do not always teach that money and possessions are the best way to be happy. Instead they talk about ‘work-life balance’.[iii]
- Contrasted with: This Organization teaches people that the best way to be happy is to have little money and not pursue any career and gather very little possessions leaving them unable or in great difficulty to provide for themselves and their families. (1 Timothy 5:8)
- “Those who believe this lie spend their lives serving “Riches” rather than God. (Matthew 6:24)” (Par.7)
- Contrasted with: Those who believe this lie could spend their lives serving “the Organization’s spiritual goals or riches” rather than God and Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:29-30)
- Eventually, their love of material things can choke any love they had for God.—Matthew 13:22; 1 John 2:15, 16.” (Par.7)
- Contrasted with: Eventually, their love of the Governing Body and their rules can choke any love they had for God and his righteous principles. (Acts 5:29)
Paragraphs 8 & 9 go on to remind us that there are only two sides, Jehovah’s and Satan’s and that the costs of Satan’s side outweigh the gains. There are the accurate reminders about :
- Respecting governmental authorities
- Obeying the government’s laws when they don’t conflict with God’s standards.
- Remaining neutral in the political arena.
Sadly while these statements are based on God’s word, the reality is that the Organization itself has a poor track record in these areas.
We only have to mention
- Rutherford’s appeasement letter to Hitler, and when that failed, the very provocative proclamation against him.[iv]
- the get out clause on obeying governments, which instead of Caesars laws and God’s laws, become God’s standards, allowing them to claim such things as ‘God’s standards require two witnesses (untrue, its just their view of God’s standards which are actually their views masquerading as God’s),
- and their dalliance with the United Nations as an NGO member.
The latter two and more have been highlighted on this site many times. Making the mistakes in the first place is bad enough, but refusal to apologise for them compounds the problem. If they had been honest and apologised for these things then it would be unfair to keep mentioning them, but regrettably it seems they have no intention of doing so.
“Because we see what Satan is trying to do to Jehovah’s name and reputation, we feel more compelled to teach others the truth about our God.” (Par.9)
The Apostle John reminded us in 1 John 3:10-22 that “The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who does not carry on righteousness does not originate with God, neither does he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message which YOU have heard from [the] beginning, that we should have love for one another.” From this scripture it can be seen that carrying on in righteousness and having love for one another is the best course of action we can take to do our part to preserve the reputation and good name of Jehovah. Preaching without righteousness or love is a waste of time because who will listen if our actions don’t measure up to what we teach or preach?
“How does Satan try to influence individuals?”(Par.10-14)
Paragraph 10 reminds us that “Satan uses effective methods to influence individuals. For example, he uses bait to lure them into doing things his way. Also, he attempts to bully them into submission.”
Do you know an organization that lures people into it:
- by reassuring the public that shunning is not practiced,
- by claiming to keep to high moral standards,
- by emphasising that Armageddon is imminent and
- that members will live in a paradise earth, if they preach this message to others?
Do you know an organization which tries to keep its members by bullying tactics, such as:
- by pushing child baptism,
- shunning and loss of contact with family members if one leaves?
- Or that pushes out those who voice any disagreement with its teachings again, suffering the loss of family relationships.
- Or that constantly pushes evangelism way above every fruit of the spirit?
Perhaps the readers know of such an organization? If so who really is its ruler? 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 assists if you are still doubt. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-23 “Really, then, by their fruits YOU will recognize those [men].”
While discussing how to avoid being tempted by Satan’s lures of entertainment involving demonism it gives the following advice “We should not expect God’s Organization to supply a list of acceptable and unacceptable entertainment. Each of us needs to train his own conscience to be in harmony with God’s standards. (Hebrews 5:14)”
That is very good advice and a commendable stance. Surely it would also be following these same principles to allow each Witness to use their own trained conscience to make decisions on things such as whether men can wear beards and still be treated as spiritual people. This stance would also be very applicable to allow a Witness to decide on the basis of their own bible trained conscience what kind of medical treatment they can accept, and the like. This attitude should be found especially the more so on things in the scriptures that are a matter of interpretation.
Paragraph 13 also says “We could ask ourselves: ‘Will my choice of entertainment make me seem hypocritical?”. That is a good question for self-appraisal. So is the question ‘Would my choice of medical treatment make me seem hypocritical, when refusing whole blood and major components and yet being able to accept all minor fractions which if administered would result in the equivalent of a major blood component or even whole blood.’?
Paragraph 14 gives so called ‘examples’ as to how Satan may try to bully us when it says:
- “he can maneuver governments into banning our preaching work.” Governments can seek to ban a religion for many reasons. Perhaps because its members in some way, whether peacefully or violently, threaten its view of the state of its dominion. While the indication in Daniel 10:13 is that it was possible for demons to influence governments, (most likely to ensure the world has no peace) it would be presumptuous to lay the blame for all bans of any religion on Satan.
- “Or he can prompt our associates at work or in school to mock us because of our desire to live by the Bible’s moral standards. (1 Peter 4:4)” True Christians will always desire to live by the Bible’s moral standards. This will inevitably lead others to mock our stand as the cited scripture 1 Peter 4:4 shows. But how often Satan or the demons would bother to prompt our associates at work or in school to mock us is questionable. A lot would depend on the morals of those work associates or schoolmates.
People have always mocked those who do not fit in to their view of society, often because it makes them feel uncomfortable, so they seek to enforce consistency. Hence those with a different race, skin colour, accent, hair color, shape, height, income, dress code, etc, have always been targets. Is Satan behind it all? No. Some of it, perhaps. It may come as a shock to many Witnesses but there are religious groups and movements which promote morality, to the extent that they pledge to a group they join to remain virgins until marriage and let people know of their stand.[v] Some will mock them too because it makes them feel guilty about their life course and moral standards.
- “He might also influence well-meaning family members to discourage us from attending meetings. (Matthew 10:36)” Once again speculation is at play as to whether he has influenced family members to discourage our meeting attendance. Many factors can be at play such as:
- the closeness of the family members, and
- how pedantic the Witness may be at attending every meeting when the non Witness family may want to do some activity with them,
All these factors have a bearing on the attitude of non Witness family members.
You may have noticed “can” twice and “might” in bold. This is because the statements are all supposition, however by highlighting these points many WT readers will overlook the possibility and take it as a fact. This all helps contribute to a siege mentality in which Witnesses who experience these events (even if the problem is of their own making), convince themselves that they are part of God’s Organization otherwise Satan would not be attacking them. A whole tower of cards ready to tumble down is built by individual Witnesses based on carefully chosen speculation by the Organization.
“What are the limits is Satan’s Power” (Par.15-17)
As James 1:14 indicates “Satan cannot force people to act against their own will.”(Par.15) Rather, when we do wrong it is down to our own poor choices. “But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire.” We cannot lay the blame on Satan. Job showed that imperfect men could keep integrity when facing trials as “if we are resolved to do God’s will, there is nothing Satan can do to break our integrity.—Job 2:3; 27:5.”(Par.15).
As only Jehovah and Jesus are recorded in the Bible as having the ability to read hearts, the article makes the assumption that the demons cannot. Whether the demons can read hearts or not, is of little consequence. They can observe us and being intelligent spirit creatures that would usually give sufficient time for them to make a pretty accurate diagnosis of the state of our heart. They do not need the power to literally read our inmost thoughts and desires. What we should be concerned about is what do our actions show about our thinking and desires?
One thing we can be confident of is that Satan cannot stop us gaining everlasting life. Only we can do that as Apostle Paul made eloquently clear in Romans 8:36-39.
Yes, “if we oppose him [Satan], he will flee from us. (1 Peter 5:9).” (Par.17). It is possible to conquer Satan, indeed as 1 John 2:14 states “I write you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you and you have conquered the wicked one.”
Let us each do our best to ensure that the word of God remains in us.
[i] A search of WT online only revealed just over 200 instances of “Satan’s influence”. This article having 15 of those occurrences. In fact the top 5 articles or book chapters account for over 50, a quarter of all mentions, going back to 1950.
[ii] Please see the following articles on this site for a more in depth discussion of this topic. [ADD LINKS]
[iii] A quick search of the internet using ‘work-life balance’ will reveal articles from prominent newspapers, life insurance companies and other prominent organisations.
[iv] https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/hitler-nazi.php
[v] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginity_pledge
Archived Comments
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Comment by John of ARC on 2018-07-22 11:36:55
A dynamite discourse. Thanks, Tadua.
I particularly noted the following: “Eventually, their love of the Governing Body and their rules can choke any love they had for God and his righteous principles. (Acts 5:29)”. It is very sad too see so many “ex-witnesses” turning away from God altogether. The Organisation’s fundamentalistic and legalistic approach has much of the blame, I concur. (Mat 23:15).Reply by katrina on 2018-07-28 07:11:57
Rely on God's gift his holy spirit, have faith.
Comment by Bernardbooks on 2018-07-22 11:51:03
I heartily agree with the paragraph discussing par. 7 regarding false religion.
I find it very offensive the way they will never admit even when changing an understanding, that what was previously taught was FALSE. They just call it a misunderstanding.
One interpretation they hold that I was made aware of recently really struck me.
It was their view of the king over the demons in the abyss spoken of in Revelation 9:11. They may state their reasons for believing this is Jesus but it’s like they fail to see that if they’re wrong, which I believe to be so, they are equating Jesus with Satan or another wicked angel.
“They have over them a king, the angel of the abyss. In Hebrew his name is A·badʹdon, but in Greek he has the name
A·polʹlyon.”Reply by lazarus on 2018-07-22 19:26:25
That’s a new thought for me Rev 9:11. Can you explain your understanding that it is either Satan or someone else, thanks.
Reply by Bernardbooks on 2018-07-22 22:23:39
From my reading of Revelation 9
I personally think the locust seem to represent demons being released from the abyss to torment those not having the seal of God. These locust have a king over them who has the names meaning destruction and destroyer.
These are some of the reasons I feel it is possible that this king is Satan or one of the other wicked spirits.
This chapter is describing one of the “woes”, not something which I feel describes the preaching of the gospel by Christians.
Chapter 22 of the Organizations Revelation Book is a good example of how easily one false interpretation leads to another. They dedicate several paragraphs to teach that the locust in Joel 2 refers to the 1st century Christians and then imply the locust coming out of the abyss and their causing torments and harm in Revelation 9 is the Bible students in the years from 1918 forward. Because they interpret the locust as Christians and Revelstion says “they have over them a king”, the only way to interpret that is by saying Jesus is this king described. They also have to interpret the “coming out of the abyss” part as the Bible students coming out of an inactive state in 1918.
I feel there are so many problems with their interpretation of this part of Revelation but these are just my personal thoughts.Reply by lazarus on 2018-07-23 02:49:06
Thanks for your reply and answer. The Revelation Bible Book is a project I want to tackle. From a fresh perspective. Im sceptical at The societies interpretation as most of the events are from 1914 - 1922-1926. So I doubt the revealed truths hit the streets then. Otherwise the whole world would be talking about it.
So this information is something of note. I see that on this point that their are many leaning towards Satan or someone else or Jesus. Anyway, it means more food for thought. I never really thought about it.Reply by wild olive on 2018-07-24 17:35:48
That revelation book I think is now an embarrassment for the GB. So many things said in there that time has exposed as ridiculous.
As a side point, I came to the conclusion that the rider on the white horse in Rev 6 is Michael the archangel, not Jesus, just because he has a crown doesn't automatically make him Jesus, which is narrow GB logic.Reply by lazarus on 2018-07-26 22:34:57
Yes, I recall when we studied the Revelation Climax book as a congregation, Not once, twice but three times. 3 times for emphasis and possibly to force it into our minds. Also With the constant updates and adjustments to understandings of interpretation. It’s amazing we never woke up then. I remember much speculative discussion but our default programming answer was ultimately the GB is the final say.
We were anticipating the arrival of the Lord. As the “that generation” teaching was one of the imminent prophetic teachings to be fulfilled. It seems we were under that delusion spoken of in Thessalonians.Reply by wild olive on 2018-07-27 22:26:11
Yes the climax has turned out to be a fizzer. I remember all those study's in that book , I was an elder at the time and had the book study in my house, I don't ever recall anyone really understanding any of that material, it was just a matter of cover the material and get to the coffee afterwards .
One of the classics I do remember was Rev8:13 , three talks given by the judge at one of the land mark conventions were the three trumpet blasts,all I can do is laugh now .
Comment by Alithia on 2018-07-23 05:56:19
Thank you Tadua for pulling together this information to present what is a more balanced view of the influence and effects Satan can have on people. It would serve no good to blame everything bad on Satan and just as ridiculous to attribute everything positive as evidence of providence or as a miracle of God on our behalf.
However with regard to not much being said about Satan in the scriptures I do not think we can quantify this simply by the number of references or accounts, or the lack of thereof.
The Org lately seems almost superstitious in its approach to this subject which has been very unhelpful. Not to long ago we were told in a WT article that it is superfluous and a negative exercise to discuss the subject of Satan and the demons, any personal experiences or stories of how we or others had been harrassed by the demons, and that by doing so we would be giving them undue attention and prominence that they do not deserve. I disagree.
To me it seems so juvenile when one is talking about super powerful super intelligent super wicked spirit beings in this way, similar to a child hiding themselves behind their hands over their faces. To me it smacks of superstition such as "mention the Devil's name and he will appear"!
I fail to see how this view is scriptural or has any merit. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to ask among other things of primary importance , to pray for protection against temptation from the Evil one. Satan, and by extension the demons. Also a massive and very demonstrable feature of Jesus ministry was to bring relief to those who were being harassed or possessed by the demons. On one occasion the disciples wanted to know of the reason why they could not expel a demon? Jesus told them it was a strong demon and could only come out with faith!
So anyone can imagine a huge amount of discussion during the ministry of Jesus and the 70 disciples sent out, around demons and the personal effects on individuals. In fact it was so noteworthy that even the Pharisees said that he expels the Demons by the power of Beelzebub! Jesus had association with one woman who had been possessed by demons. Think of the many examples of Jesus ministry that involved demons. Jesus 70 came back and reported how even demons were made subject to them! Yet we are instructed to hush up about the subject, and not talk about it any more than is necessary than to acknowledge it.
I agree the Org has been very shy about broaching this subject to the extent required to protect their members from the effects of demonic activity and influences. When they do, it seems to be mostly in the watered down way of how Satan uses Politics, religion and the commercial world. Making the point that humans are influenced organisationally, in a corporate sense, herded like animals in a certain direction. (this being true at the same time also). Of course this suits their agenda just fine because as always the follow through is that you need to get behind the right, organisation that promises protection from these other Satanic organisations!
There is scant talk or discussions about any personal experiences with demonic manifestations in peoples lives, and how they have been managed or overcome, so that we could benefit from these, other than the general broad coverage of the categories of influences that can effect humans. (Political, religious and commercial magic, occult etc)
When my wife and I were first married we had extraordinary demonic harassment of the really, really spooky kind. Being slapped in the head when we were in bed, stones being thrown at our house from all directions,(without there being any stones), voices, tappings/banging on the walls, scratchings on the carpet like there was a type of animal tearing on the carpet around our bed etc etc. The list is long as it is chilling. The worst was always on the Saturday night prior to the Sunday morning meetings. You can imagine how easily we would have been influenced in this way to come to a certain conclusion! A very false and misleading one! (By the way if you are wondering, we were hard core goody goodies at the time, still are).
Not mentioning any of the above for any other reason except for when it came to seek assistance from the elders; we were completely surprised by the ignorance, stupidity and the ridicule that we received. For one most did not believe us, many in ignorance said they did not believe that wicked spirits affect people that way in modern times and the we were imagining it all. Others strongly suggested we get in a pest exterminator, others just laughed and did not know what to say, other than to recommend the use of the name Jehovah out loud.(Three Hail Marys!) Throw out heaps of stuff, furniture, keepsakes from relatives, gold jewlery you name it, we did it we were desperate. Nothing worked.
The upshot is we did our own extensive research and scoughed the publications and pondered on the scriptures, prayed really hard, and considered and what they had to say on the subject and were able to cope with this sort of stuff almost nightly for about 9 months, until I was physically thrown out of bed, which is when I decided we needed to leave the house and sell it which is what we did the very next morning. Amongst the many things, we learnt from the experience is that Jehovah may allow demonic activity for a couple of reasons, 1. there is a problem, and 2 you are alerted to the problem and can do something about it. We did do something, we moved out of the house and State away from certain people and the problem ceased immediately. We felt our prayers were answered in this way.
From our experiences we find that we can help others too who have been affected, when they express themselves. However because this subject is almost taboo due to the counsel given from the platform and the WT we find people, bros/sisters are reluctant to discuss their problem as ones including ourselves had been branded unspiritual etc that is why we were so affected. If we were truly spiritual we would not have been affected this way. Any mention of why Jesus was harrased was ignored as of not being relevant.
We have come across numerous witnesses who have had serious domonic problems yet are extremely shy and only whisper of these things in a very private manner to only trusted close friends, and to my knowledge rarely to any elder. I think this is an institutional problem that they would rather not have talked about like the child abuse scandal. The suggestion that witnesses could be affected by demons they may think, is demoralising, bad publicity, or a vote of no confidence in the "protection" afforded by burying ones head in this pretend "spiritual paradise".
Yes we need to put on the spiritual armour as Satan is attacking us and we are not ignorant of his designs. However I think the Orgs discourse on the subject is very general and not at the level that it needs to be or is as is revealed in the Christian scriptures at least.Reply by Tadua on 2018-07-23 07:57:10
Hi Alithia
Thank you so much for your comment. I agree with all you say. Because of the prevalent view in the organization it takes courage to speak out about these things. For those who have suffered or are suffering from attacks by demons like yourself, (and you are not alone in that by any means) I am sure your heartfelt comments will be of great help. Your experience of those mixed reactions by elders is so true.
Yet the Gospel accounts mention so many times about Jesus or the disciples throwing out demons so as to cure people of illnesses. But today if one makes any suggestion that any illness could be the result of demonic attack and you would be looked at as an unspiritual lunatic.
Have the demons changed their tactics? Highly unlikely.
Are there ‘Brothers and Sisters’ controlled or influenced by demons as you inferred? I would concur with that conclusion, shocking as that may be too many.Reply by John of ARC on 2018-07-23 18:22:45
Thanks for sharing your story.
In one of my former congregations, there was a young woman who had been deep into spiritism. I was about 25 at the time, and a special meeting was arranged for the younger cohort to listen to her story. Among other things, she had come to know the name Jehova from the demons, and that’s how she became interested in the JW.
Separately, I have also heard about youths in the fringes of the truth who have played around with spiritism, and been “scared back into the truth”.
From the above stories, I have an eerie feeling that the demons don’t mind assisting in getting people into the “truth. Why would they not prefer sending people to the Presbyterians or Catholics instead?
Interesting to hear if others on this forum have heard similar stories.Reply by wild olive on 2018-07-24 17:30:59
That is most disturbing that the name Jehovah was learnt from demons, maybe it's wrong after all?
Reply by John of ARC on 2018-07-24 18:11:20
The story is circumstantial (albeit hearing it from the woman directly, so not merely an urban legend). I think we were about 20 youths/young adults present, and the meeting was sanctioned by the congregation. I don’t think what I wrote above has anything to do with the name Jehovah per se. Just the organization, and it’s just speculation. The reason why I though about this only a few days ago (prior to reading the article above), was that I was investigating why and how Russell applied the great pyramid in his framework. What is concerning is not that he only used it as a “witness” for time periods, but that he also applied it as a an analogy to God’s temple; and his description is highly similar to the Freemasons’ version, which Russell himself points out in one of his sermons. When I found out about this, my though went to the story above about spiritism. Only a few years ago, a CO used much the same discriprion/wording in a talk as Russell of God’s temple, without referring to the pyramid itself. I am usually not into conspiracy theories and don’t like to spread rumors, but what I found out was quite shocking, also as it came from my own investigation and not something I bounced into on YouTube. Furthermore, using Russels own analogy, with the rule making and call on obedience, I feel the GB make themselves part of the capstone itself, which the rest of the organization is measured out from. I.e. taking Christ’s place, if you like, or at least becoming the mediating layer between the sheeps and Christ.
I am not very attached to my thoughts presented above, and would not be offended if anyone shoots these ideas down. I would really be happy to see it done, because I don’t like the idea that the Org is this bad.
Sources:
Devine plan of the ages
On pyramids: p242 Jesus as capstone and composition of God’s temple.
- Cf:
www.illuminatirex.com/illuminati-symbols/amp/
(See both description on pyramids and all seeing eye)
Temple of God sermon (Russell)
http://rlctr.blogspot.com/2016/11/temple.html?m=1
Compare also previous articles on beroeans on spiritism and the WTBTS.
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2018-07-25 09:25:42
Jehovah is just a translation, one of several, of the Tetragrammaton. For an excellent discussion of the meaning of God's name, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J84zSeKaDkU
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2018-07-25 09:27:24
The name "Jehovah" comes from back in the 12th Century. Tyndale popularized it when he made his Bible translation in the common tongue. It does not originate with the demons.
Comment by huang on 2018-07-23 09:51:34
I never had any problems until I moved to my present house. My wife started telling me of spooky encounters. Door knobs turning themselves, items going missing. Sounds and voices. My daughters would think they hear their Mom call them. I was skeptical until one day me and my wife both heard at the same time - a voice callin my wife’s name (two-witness rule) Now I am a believer! Quite a shock to me as I had thought we were protected in God’s org
Elders I consulted were not very helpful; the usual advice throw out anything I suspect having link to spiritism. One suggested there might be some tainted object inside the door knob or embedded in the wall plaster. Fortunately, it been quiet for sometime; seems like a “seasonal” occurrence.
Recently I read that subliminal mirror images in watchtower literature may well be suspect? Will dump my collection soon.
Comment by Joseph Anton on 2018-07-24 15:26:05
Witness elders can't get rid of demons anymore than they can give money to support cancer research. It takes a strong belief in Jesus Christ to do both. I've often wondered why Warwick doesn't have a branch devoted to casting out evil spirits - most modern religions do. We either believe in the supernatural or we don't. Tragically I think they, for the most part, don't.
Reply by wild olive on 2018-07-24 17:28:36
A demon casting department , now that is something .
It's true what you say JA for JWs it's out of sight out of mind when it comes to anything with the spirit realm. One of the things that I feel is overlooked is that Jesus ministry was three parts, he preached the kingdom, and I as a JW ticked that box with my "preaching", but he also healed people and cast out demons, can't tick those boxes.He also sent the twelve disciples out to do the same, and when they returned he sent out 70 who were not apostles to do the same again.
Then we have the command Jesus gave at Matt 28:19&20 to teach and do ALL that Jesus did, does that include expelling demons and healing ? Is there anywhere that Jesus or the apostles exclude these things?
As you said it takes a strong belief and faith in Jesus to accomplish any of the above, and we all know that that the org doesn't have that faith in Jehovah's appointed mediator .
I feel that is why sickness and depression abound in the org , they just won't obey and follow the example and lead of Jesus.
Reply by Leonardo Josephus on 2018-07-25 10:00:16
I would guess that if you really wanted to terrify an elder, you would ask him to help you deal with a case where the demons are getting at you.
Reply by Joseph Anton on 2018-07-25 16:01:43
I've been thinking about this a lot these last few years. When you get down to it, this almost disbelief in demons is a real poker tell when it comes to the depth of conviction of the flock and the shepherds. I get the feeling that demon attacks aren't talked about because it could be interpreted by the congregation or the elders as an indicator of being spiritually weak or corrupt - or even that God has removed his blessing from you. Even though the righteous seem to be at the mercy of evil spirits just as much as the wicked are given the right circumstances and environment. Most ex-Witnesses openly mock demonic experiences and beliefs. It makes me think that there is a huge percentage of Jehovah's Witnesses who when confronted with the paranormal they go anemic. They simply don't believe. I've had three paranormal experiences that involved visual and auditory evidence that I can't explain any other way. These three experiences have confirmed a belief in something 'else' for me.
Reply by Alithia on 2018-07-26 02:08:51
So true JA and this from an organisation that is so given to the word picture of 1 Peter 5:8. New American Standard Bible
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Used in the same way the Catholic Church has used the idea of hell, only to scare people into submission and compliance and as a warning of what might be the situation if one starts to think for themselves, and discover it might be advisable to separate from the Org and its teachings.
But when it actually comes down to the nuts, bolts and the detailed instructions on how to cope or the true "state of the nation" with regards to demonic attacks they are truly lost!
With regards to the righteous being affected, what did Jesus possess or what thoughts or attitudes did Jesus manifest that drew the demonic assaults? Nothing Anyone desiring to be a Christian will be persecuted in one way or another. No one who truly is a disciple can escape the attention of Satan and the demons.
Luke 22:31-34 New International Version (NIV)
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
At the same time James 3:14-16 identifies the root and fertile conditions that encourage the problem of demonic activities. After discussing the vile outcomes of the misuse of the tongue James says,
James 3:14-16 English Standard Version (ESV)
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
Other translations use the word arrogance etc. The Org has spent decades in misusing the tongue and pronouncing falsehoods and blasphemous pronouncements. How can this be anything else other than demonic activity? In fact from my personal view I think that the Org has more than its fair share of demonic affected individuals as it has the same disproportionate number of child abuse cases in its midst.
I used to wonder in fascination at the vision that Ezekiel saw when God asked him to bore a hole in the side of the temple and get an inside view of the goings on there. Ezekiel saw all the most creeping and unclean things adorning the inside of the temple!. The Org applied this vision to christendoms churches! Well the birds have truly come home to roost with the child abuse and for sure the mental health problems etc and demonic influences either together or as the catalyst for the condition of many of the adherents to the Org.
Pride before a crash for sure!! To proud to admit it of course.
Reply by Alithia on 2018-07-26 02:15:34
This is the situation with the brothers in Africa. We know bros from Africa where magic and spiritism is openly practised and is a part of the tribal cultures. It is so ingrained that there is much discussion, stories and much experiential data around this subject amongst the brothers. That is why too, I think that the Org wanted to put a lid on discussion around telling stories because it does not bode well with the sanitised narrative of a clean and safe Org free of uncleanness of demons etc. Not helpful or truthful, just prideful and arrogant.
Reply by Joseph Anton on 2018-07-26 10:31:19
Because the neo-utopian 'Spiritual Paradise' won't allow beards let alone demons. I have to imagine that if a true spiritual paradise ever existed it existed around Christ and his apostles 2000+ years ago. And there were plenty of ills and failings and evil spirits - and BEARDS - to deal with.
Reply by Alithia on 2018-07-26 01:43:15
So true, the usual reaction is a nervous laughter of disbelief, masking a trembling heart and a complete lack of experience and preparedness to be of any help, short of let me compile a list of WT references for you. There were so many occasions where elders declined to make a return visit with me on someone who interacted with the spirit world.
Reply by Alithia on 2018-07-26 05:09:37
JA I have given thought throughout the day to your comment about the need for genuine and a strong faith to deal with issues of a demonic kind. And it has prompted me to think of the account in Acts 19:11-21 regarding the sons of Sceva who seeing Paul have success casting out demons using the name of Jesus, (and even aprons and handkerchiefs carried from Paul had the affect of casting out demons), thought that they would like to do the same. The result was the demons beat them up real bad.
I am thinking what you said about a strong faith in Jesus and how it can relate such as the account where Jesus disciples could not cast out a demon, Jesus said you need faith for this kind of demon!. Perhaps the disciples were intimidated by a particularly ferocious display who knows? Peter when he stepped out onto the water looked about and began to feel afraid and started to sink and Jesus again talked about the need for faith to even think about undertaking such an enterprise as walking on water at Jesus command or casting out demons.
I suspect that the GB are scared witless of even discussing the issue at length let alone recommend or provide guidance and training in this regard. The reason being they have demonstrated a complete lack of the required faith in Jesus that would enable them to carry out this ministry and so are powerless, and even less able to empower others to do the same.
Thank you for this thought provoking comment.Reply by Joseph Anton on 2018-07-26 10:37:11
Thank you Alithia! Excellent thoughts yourself! The last time I happened to be confronted by 'something' supernatural. And it was pretty lively I can assure you. I just happened to be staying in a hotel where a few years before (I didn't find this out till I got home from my vacation) seven people were murdered during a church event in the room below mine. I grabbed my father's Bible. I didn't say anything just grabbed his Bible. And it all went away. And it was scary but with that Bible I found a weapon against it. Inside myself and inside that book. I could never tell that story at the Kingdom Hall, but feel comfortable telling it here.
Comment by Dan Adams on 2018-07-27 14:49:38
My grandmother was involved in spiritism before she became a Christian, and perhaps out if ignorance she continued in some elements of it afterwards. Thus my mother would recount to me various stories of demonic activity throughout her earlier years, and when I was growing up we attended a church that very much acknowledged the supernatural. I was always told that if I ever experienced anything myself, or if I was ever afraid, I should pray, recite a relevant verse, or just say the name of Jesus until the situation passed. My mother constantly quoted the verse (KJV) “…greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) I’m very grateful for this upbringing, for being given a healthy fear of the enemy and for knowing the power of Jesus’ name and the peace that comes from focusing our minds on Him.
I will say that the flipside of openly acknowledging the supernatural is the amount of fabricated or exaggerated stories you hear. It seemed like certain people were always looking for a demonic explanation of everyday events, or looking for demons around every corner, just sure they were waiting to attack you for listening to the wrong kind of music, etc. The wisdom of this article is so important. Balance is key. Know your enemy, but do not give him too much prominence.
It takes wisdom, I’m sure, and probably help from God’s spirit, to discern the truth when it comes to stories of demonic activity. But how can the elders begin to discern if they don’t first believe in the possibility? It’s like the skeptic assuming all the miracles of Jesus must have natural explanations because miracles don’t happen.
I for one, do believe that those without Jehovah’s protection can be influenced by demons to the extent of needing supernatural deliverance. But as verses quoted in this article make clear, the rest of us can be ready for the subtler (but no less deadly) attacks of the enemy by constantly utilizing the full suit of armor from God.