Meleti Vivlon
Articles by Meleti Vivlon.
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 11, 2013 | The Anointed |
It is interesting how commonplace Scriptures you’ve read dozens of times take on new meaning once you abandon some long-held prejudices. For example, take this from this week’s Bible reading assignment: (Acts 2:38, 39) .?.?.Peter [said] to them: “Repent,...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 27, 2013 | Jehovah's Witnesses |
Apollos forwarded this extract from Studies in Scriptures, Volume 3, pages 181 to 187. In these pages, brother Russell reasons on the effects of sectarianism. As witnesses, we may read this superb example of clear, concise writing and think how well it applies to...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 22, 2013 | The Anointed |
“Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) Let’s summarize what we’ve learned so far. We cannot prove with certainty that Rev. 7:4 is referring to a literal number of individuals. (See post: 144,000—Literal or Symbolic) The Bible doesn’t teach that the...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 20, 2013 | The Anointed |
[Note: To facilitate this discussion, the term “the anointed” will refer to those who have the heavenly hope according to the official teaching of Jehovah’s people. Likewise, “other sheep” refers to those with an earthly hope. Their use here does not imply that the...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 19, 2013 | The Anointed |
(Jeremiah 31:33, 34) . . .“For this is the covenant that I shall conclude with the house of Israel after those days,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I shall write it. And I will become their God, and they themselves...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 13, 2013 | JW Doctrine, The Anointed |
The exact phrase, “great crowd of other sheep” occurs more than 300 times in our publications. The association between the two terms, “great crowd” and “other sheep”, is established in over 1,000 places in our publications. With such a plethora of references...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 13, 2013 | Watchtower Commentor |
(Proverbs 26:5) . . .Answer someone stupid according to his foolishness, that he may not become someone wise in his own eyes. Isn’t this a great Scripture? It provides such an effective technique in reasoning with someone who is perpetrating a silly notion. Take the...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 9, 2013 | Watchtower Commentor |
One of the reasons we believe that the Bible is the Word of God is the candor of its writers. They do not try to hide their faults, but freely confess them. David is a prime example of this, as he sinned greatly and shamefully, but he did not hide his sin from God,...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 9, 2013 | Thought of the Day |
As a Jehovah’s Witness, I work for the Lord. The pay is not great. But The benefits package is out of this world.
by Meleti Vivlon | May 1, 2013 | Faithful Slave, Watchtower Commentor |
This is a follow up to the post Look! I Am With You All the Days. In that post we made reference to the fact that memorial attendance declined dramatically from 1925 to 1928–something on the astonishing order of 80%. This was due to the failure of Judge...
by Meleti Vivlon | Apr 29, 2013 | 1914, Thought of the Day |
“Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” (Acts 1:6) That kingdom ended when the Jews were taken into exile in Babylon. No longer did a descendant from the royal line of King David rule over a free and independent nation of Israel. The apostles...
by Meleti Vivlon | Apr 23, 2013 | General |
Today we are introducing a new feature to our forum. It is always best when topics can be debated so that all sides can have their say; so that opposing views can be aired and the reader can make his own decision based on all the available evidence. Russell did this...
by Meleti Vivlon | Apr 22, 2013 | Faithful Slave, Watchtower Commentor |
This post is a review of the second study article in the July 15 issue of The Watchtower which explains our new understanding of Jesus’ parable of the wheat and weeds. Before continuing, please open the article to page 10 and take a good look at the illustration at...
by Meleti Vivlon | Apr 15, 2013 | 1914, Watchtower Commentor |
We’re taking a break from our four-part review of the July 15, 2013 issue of The Watchtower to recap the study article for this week. We already dealt with this article in depth in a November post. However, one of the key points of this new understanding is so...
by Meleti Vivlon | Apr 8, 2013 | Thought of the Day, Watchtower Commentor |
I have a pet peeve. Don’t we all, you say! Sure, but I have a website, so there! My pet peeve—actually, I have a number of them, but you’re only getting one tonight—has to do with the penchant we have for extreme (and meaningless) precision in numbers...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 31, 2013 | Faithful Slave, General |
(Jude 9) . . .But when Michael the archangel had a difference with the Devil and was disputing about Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a judgment against him in abusive terms, but said: “May Jehovah rebuke you.” This Scripture has always fascinated me. If anyone...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 28, 2013 | Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower Commentor |
A number of you have been writing in of late to discuss what you perceive as a disturbing trend. It appears to some that there is undue attention being focussed on the Governing Body. We are a free people. We avoid creature worship and disdain men who seek...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 18, 2013 | JW Doctrine, The Anointed |
Back in January, we showed that there is no Scriptural basis for our claim that the “little flock” in Luke 12:32 refers only to a group of Christians destined to rule in heaven while the “other sheep” at John 10:16 refers to another group with an earthly hope. (See...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 17, 2013 | Thought of the Day, Watchtower Commentor |
This was contributed by one of the forum members by email, and I just had to share it with everyone. “In the preface of his Bible, Webster wrote: “Whenever words are understood in a sense different from that which they had when introduced, and different from...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 12, 2013 | Jehovah's Witnesses |
[This was originally a comment made by Gedalizah. However, given its nature and the call for additional commenting, I have made it into a post, since this will get more traffic and result in an increased interchange in thoughts and ideas. – Meleti ] The...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 6, 2013 | General, Jehovah's Witnesses |
Some have come to question our motivation in sponsoring this forum. In striving for a deeper understanding of important Bible topics, we have often come to be at odds with the established doctrine published by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Because there...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 2, 2013 | Thought of the Day |
Here’s an interesting quote from the book Unbroken Will, page 63: The judge, Dr. Langer, noted this statement [made by brothers Engleitner and Franzmeier] and asked the two Witnesses to answer the following question: “Is the president of the Watchtower...
by Meleti Vivlon | Feb 27, 2013 | Watchtower Commentor |
[This post is by way of an essay, and I would very much appreciate getting feedback from regular readers of this forum to help in better understanding what Isaiah is referring to.] In last week’s Watchtower study (w12 12/15 p. 24) titled “Temporary Residents United in...
by Meleti Vivlon | Feb 26, 2013 | Watchtower Commentor |
It astonishes me how easily we can take an idea we have and misappropriate the citing of scriptures to support it. For instance, in this week’s Watchtower in paragraph 18 we have this statement [notice the bible citations]. “With God’s help, we can be like courageous...
by Meleti Vivlon | Feb 26, 2013 | Jehovah's Witnesses |
When Jesus shocked the crowds, and apparently his disciples, with his speech about their needing to eat his flesh and drink his blood, only a few remained. Those few faithful ones hadn’t understood the meaning of his words any more than the rest had, but they stuck...
by Meleti Vivlon | Feb 13, 2013 | Faithful Slave, Watchtower Commentor |
This past week’s Watchtower study went to great lengths to show from Scripture that we, men and women both, are steward for the Lord. Par. 3 “…the Scriptures show that all who serve God have a stewardship.” Par. 6 “…the apostle Paul wrote that Christian overseers were...
by Meleti Vivlon | Feb 7, 2013 | Faithful Slave, Thought of the Day |
John speaking under inspiration says: (1 John 4:1) . . .Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. This isn’t a...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jan 31, 2013 | JW Doctrine |
I’ve always understood that the “little flock” referred to in Luke 12:32 represents the 144,000 kingdom heirs. Likewise, I’ve never before questioned that the “other sheep” mentioned in John 10:16 represent Christians with an earthly hope. I’ve used the term “great...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jan 30, 2013 | Faithful Slave, Watchtower Commentor |
This week’s bible reading caused me to think of a recent post. From the outline for this circuit assembly part on maintaining “oneness of mind”, we had this line of reasoning: “Meditate on the fact that all the truths that we have learned and that...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jan 30, 2013 | Jehovah's Witnesses |
Jomaix’s comment got me thinking about the pain that elders can cause when they abuse their power. I don’t pretend to know the situation that Jomaix’s brother is going through, nor am I in a position to pass judgment. However, there are many other situations...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jan 26, 2013 | Watchtower Commentor |
This week’s Watchtower study from the November 15, 2012 issue is “Forgive One Another Freely”. The final sentence in paragraph 16 reads: “Hence, what [the judicial committee] decide in such matters after seeking Jehovah’s help in prayer will...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jan 9, 2013 | Obedience |
“Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be submissive…” (Hebrews 13:17) In English, when we use the words “obey” and “obedience”, what thoughts come to mind? English words are often broadly nuanced with diverse subtleties of meaning. Is...
by Meleti Vivlon | Dec 30, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
One of our commenters brought an interesting court case to our attention. It involves a libel case brought against brother Rutherford and the Watch Tower Society in 1940 by one Olin Moyle, former Bethelite and legal counsel to the Society. Without taking sides, the...
by Meleti Vivlon | Dec 26, 2012 | Faithful Slave, Watchtower Commentor |
I don’t know how I missed this at our 2012 district convention, but a friend in Latin America—where they are now having their district conventions for the year—brought it to my attention. The first part of the Saturday morning sessions showed us how to use the new...
by Meleti Vivlon | Dec 23, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
“We need to guard against developing a spirit of independence. By word or action, may we never challenge the channel of communication that Jehovah is using today. “ (w09 11/15 p. 14 par. 5 Treasure Your Place in the Congregation) Sobering words, to be sure! None of...
by Meleti Vivlon | Dec 18, 2012 | 1914, Last Days, The Presence of Christ |
One of our regular readers submitted this interesting alternative take to our understanding of Jesus’ words found at Mt. 24:4-8. I am posting it here with the reader’s permission. —————————- Start of...
by Meleti Vivlon | Dec 11, 2012 | Thought of the Day |
One of the regular readers of this forum sent me an email a few days ago introducing an interesting point. I thought it might be beneficial to share the insight. – Meleti Hello Meleti, My first point relates to the “ruining of the Earth” mentioned at...
by Meleti Vivlon | Dec 3, 2012 | Armageddon |
It has long been our understanding that if someone is destroyed by Jehovah God at Armageddon, there is no hope of a resurrection. This teaching is partly based on the interpretation of a couple of texts, and partly on a line of deductive reasoning. The Scriptures in...
by Meleti Vivlon | Dec 2, 2012 | Faithful Slave, Watchtower Commentor |
The circuit assembly for this service year includes a four-part symposium. The third part is entitled “Keep This Mental Attitude—Oneness of Mind”. It explains what oneness of mind is in the Christian Congregation. Under that second heading, “How Christ Displayed...
by Meleti Vivlon | Nov 28, 2012 | Jehovah's Day, The Lord's Day, Watchtower Commentor |
The February 15, 2013 Watchtower has just been released. The third study article introduces a new understanding of Zechariah’s prophecy found in chapter 14 of his book. Before you read the Watchtower article, read Zechariah chapter 14 in its entirety. After you’re...
by Meleti Vivlon | Nov 11, 2012 | Thought of the Day |
I had a minor revelation from today’s Watchtower study. This point was completely tangential to the study itself, but it opened up for me a whole new line of reasoning that I had never considered before. It started with the first sentence of paragraph 4: “It was...
by Meleti Vivlon | Nov 10, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
Well, we finally have an official pronouncement in writing on the new position the organization has taken vis-à-vis the “faithful and discreet slave”, now available on www.jw.org. Since we’ve already dealt with this new understanding elsewhere in this forum, we won’t...
by Meleti Vivlon | Nov 7, 2012 | The Presence of Christ |
Peter speaks about the Presence of the Christ in the third chapter of his second letter. He would know more than most about that presence since he was one of only three who saw it represented in a miraculous transfiguration. This refers to the time when Jesus took...
by Meleti Vivlon | Nov 4, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
There is an interesting story-like account of the life of Abel in the January 1, 2013 Watchtower. Many fine points are made. However, marring the article is yet another example of a growing tendency to turn conjecture into fact. Consider please the following...
by Meleti Vivlon | Nov 3, 2012 | 1975 |
Recently, the study edition of the Watchtower has run a series of articles under the heading “From Our Archives”. This is an excellent feature which acquaints us with interesting elements from our modern-day history. These are very positive articles and as such are an...
by Meleti Vivlon | Nov 2, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
In the January 1, 2013 Watchtower, on page 8, there is a box entitled “Have Jehovah’s Witnesses Given Incorrect Dates for the End?” In excusing our wrong predictions we state: “We agree with the sentiment of longtime Witness A. H. Macmillan,...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 31, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
There has been an interesting series of events recently which, taken separately, might not mean much, but which collectively are pointing to a disturbing trend. Last service year’s circuit assembly program contained a part with a demonstration in which an elder helped...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 29, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3 tells us that there will be a cry of peace and security as a final sign before the arrival of Jehovah’s day. So what is Jehovah’s day? According to this past week’s Watchtower study “As used here, “Jehovah’s day” refers to the period that will...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 24, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
I’ve been reading the September 1, 2012 Watchtower under “Does God Care About Women?” It’s an excellent article. The article explains the many protections that women enjoyed under the mosaic law. It also shows how corruption to that understanding entered in as early...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 20, 2012 | General |
This comes from one of the readers of this forum and involves correspondence with the branch office in his country about clarification on our position as regards whether it is right or not to applaud when someone is reinstated. (In an aside, I find it astonishing...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 16, 2012 | 1914, 1919 |
This week’s Bible reading covers Daniel chapters 10 to 12. The final verses of chapter 12 contain one of the more enigmatic passages in Scripture. To set the scene, Daniel has just finished the extensive prophecy of the Kings of the North and South. The final verses...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 9, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
A new understanding of Matthew 24:45-47 was released at this year’s annual meeting. It should be understood that what we discuss here is based on hearsay accounts of what was said by the various speakers at the meeting on the subject of “the faithful and discreet...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 4, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
I recently got an e-mail from one of the forum members about a problem we’ve all observed. Here is an extract from it: ——————— Here’s an observation of what I believe is an endemic syndrome in the organization. It...
by Meleti Vivlon | Oct 3, 2012 | Revelation Climax Book |
If you have read the article on the Two Witnesses of Revelation 7:1-13, you’ll recall that there is strong evidence to support the idea that this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. (Our current official position is that it was fulfilled from 1914 to 1919.) In fact, a...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 29, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
Granted, this is a very minor point, but in the interests of accuracy, in next week’s Watchtower (w12 8/15) the following statement is made on page 14, par. 10: “Web sites that promote pornography pose an obvious threat to the spiritual health of Kingdom citizens. ...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 25, 2012 | General |
[This is not so much a post as it is an open discussion topic. While I am sharing my opinions here with all the readers of this forum, I sincerely welcome other viewpoints, opinions, and the insight gained from life experience. Please feel free to comment on this...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 25, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
We had a visiting speaker from an overseas branch office give our public talk this past weekend. He made a point I’d never heard before regarding Jesus’ words, “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave…” He asked the audience to...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 24, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
I wasn’t going to write about this, but sometimes it is just too hard to let something go. It concerns this sentence from yesterday’s Watchtower study: (w12 7/15 p. 28 par. 7) Although Jehovah has declared his anointed ones righteous as sons and the other sheep...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 20, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
One of our forum contributors stumbled across this. I thought it was an interesting insight into our position on the holding of contrary opinions on matters of a speculative or interpretive nature. It would be wonderful if we continued to hold this position, but I...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 17, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
Admittedly, this is a pet peeve of mine. For decades the Watchtower has used anecdotes to prove a point. We do it a lot less than we used to, but we still do it. I remember many years ago an anecdote in which a householder rejected the kingdom message because the...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 13, 2012 | 1914, The Presence of Christ, Watchtower Commentor |
The comment that Apollos made to our post, 1914—A Litany of Assumptions, shocked me. (If you haven’t read it already, you should do so before continuing.) You see, I was born in the 1940s, and I’ve been in the truth all my life, and I’ve always believed that the...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 13, 2012 | Revelation Climax Book, The Presence of Christ |
Chapter 16 of the Revelation Climax book deals with Rev. 6:1-17 which reveals the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and is said to have its fulfillment “from 1914 up to the destruction of this system of things”. (re p. 89, heading) The first horsemen is described in...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 9, 2012 | 1914 |
[For the original treatise on the whether 1914 was the start of Christ’s presence, see this post.] I was talking with a long-time friend a couple of days ago who served with me many years back in a foreign assignment. His loyalty to Jehovah and his organization...
by Meleti Vivlon | Sep 2, 2012 | Last Days, Revelation Climax Book |
Continuing our analysis of the Revelation Climax book for date-related prophecies, we come to chapter 6 and the first occurrence of the “messenger of the covenant” prophecy from Malachi 3:1. As one of the ripple effects of our teaching that the Lord’s day...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 30, 2012 | Last Days, Revelation Climax Book, The Presence of Christ |
This is the first in a series of posts investigating the impact of removing 1914 as a factor in the interpretation of Bible prophecy. We are using the Revelation Climax book as the basis for this study because of all the books covering Bible prophecy, it has the most...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 27, 2012 | 1914 |
Sir Isaac Newton published his laws of motion and universal gravitation in the late 1600s. These laws are still valid today and scientists used them to achieve the pinpoint landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars just two weeks ago. For centuries, these few laws...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 27, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
In paragraph 13 of today’s Watchtower study, we are told that one of the proofs of the Bible’s inspiration is its unusual candor. (w12 6/15 p. 28) This brings to mind the incident involving the apostle Paul when he publicly rebuked of the apostle Peter....
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 23, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
“Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?” (Mt. 24:45-47) In a previous post, several of the forum members provided valuable insights on this subject. Before moving on to other subjects, it would seem beneficial to summarize the key elements of this discussion....
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 20, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
Twice I started to write a post about this week’s Watchtower study (w12 6/15 p. 20 “Why Put Jehovah’s Service First?”) and twice I decided to trash what I wrote. The problem with writing a commentator piece on an article like this is that it is...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 15, 2012 | Doctrinal Changes |
This post started out as a comment reply to Apollos’ revealing comment on a previous post, “Drawing the Line”. However, as is often the case in such things, the line of reasoning led to some new and interesting conclusions which, it appears,are better...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 13, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
Something happened to me recently that, from discussions with various ones, is happening a lot more than I would have thought. It started some time ago and has been progressing slowly—a growing disenchantment with baseless speculation being passed off as Bible...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 10, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
Starting in paragraph 6 of this week’s Watchtower study article we can see examples of the blurriness that has crept into our teaching of late. (w12 06/15 p. 14-18) For example, “The Anglo-American World Power waged war with those holy ones. (Rev. 13:3, 7)” If you...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 7, 2012 | Thought of the Day |
I came across these two quotes today and thought how appropriate they are for those of us contributing to this bible study forum. “What is the first business of one who studies philosophy? To part with self-conceit. For it is impossible for any one to begin to...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 4, 2012 | 1914, This Generation |
There can be no disputing that there has been organization-wide resistance to the latest interpretation of Mt. 24:34. Being faithful and obedient Witnesses, this has taken the form of a quiet distancing of ourselves from the doctrine. Most don’t want to talk...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 3, 2012 | 1914 |
In other posts, we have postulated that the start of WWI in 1914 was a coincidence. After all, if you speculate on enough dates—which we did in Russell’s day, albeit with the best of intentions—you are bound to get lucky every once in a while. Therefore, the...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 1, 2012 | 1914 |
There is a contradiction in our prophetic interpretation involving 1914 that only just occurred to me. We believe that 1914 is the end of the appointed times of the nations, or the Gentile times (Luke 21:24) . . .and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations,...
by Meleti Vivlon | Aug 1, 2012 | 1914, Last Days, The Presence of Christ |
Okay, this one gets a little confusing, so bear with me. Let’s start by reading Matthew 24:23-28, and when you do, ask yourself when are these words fulfilled? (Matthew 24:23-28) “Then if anyone says to YOU, ‘Look! Here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There!’ do not...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jul 27, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
A little while ago at the elders school there was a part on unity. Unity is very big right now. The instructor asked what would be the effect on a congregation where one elder with a strong personality dominated the body. The expected answer was that it would...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jul 23, 2012 | JW Doctrine |
(John 11:26) . . .everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?. . . Jesus spoke these words on the occasion of the resurrection of Lazarus. Since everyone who exercised faith in him at that time did die, his words may...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jul 13, 2012 | 1914 |
[Note: I’ve already touched on some of these subjects in another post, but from a different viewpoint.] When Apollo first suggested to me that 1914 was not the end of the “appointed times of the nations”, my immediate thought was, What about the last days? It is...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jul 8, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
We’ve always given tacit approval to the idea of arranged marriages where these are culturally acceptable today. We weren’t so much saying that they are a good thing nor a bad thing. It was more a hands-off approach. After all, there were arranged...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jul 7, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
Preface When I set this blog/forum up, it was for the intention of getting a group of like-minded individuals together to deepen our understanding of the Bible. I had no intention to use it in any way that would disparage the official teachings of Jehovah’s...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jul 6, 2012 | Faithful Slave |
Inertia n. – a physical characteristic of all matter to preserve its state of uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force. The more massive the body, the more force is required to make it change its direction. This is true of physical bodies; it is...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 30, 2012 | Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower Commentor |
Something extremely troubling happened yesterday in the Friday sessions of this year’s district convention. Now, I have been going to district conventions for over 60 years. Most of my better, life-altering decisions—pioneering, serving where the need is greater—have...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 24, 2012 | Jehovah's Witnesses |
Let’s give credit where credit is due. We were among the first, if not the very first, to know and denounce Hitler and the Nazis for what they were. We did this fearlessly and unflinchingly. While the current Pope was training as one of the Hitler youth, we...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 21, 2012 | JW Doctrine |
[Apollos brought this insight to my attention some time back. Just wanted to share it here.] (Romans 6:7) . . .For he who has died has been acquitted from [his] sin. When the unrighteous come back, are they still held accountable for their past sins? For example, if...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 9, 2012 | Bible Hope |
[This point was brought to my attention by Apollos. I felt it should be represented here, but credit goes to him for coming up with the initial thought and subsequent line of reasoning.] (Luke 23:43) And he said to him: “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 7, 2012 | Resurrection |
(Luke 20:34-36) Jesus said to them: “The children of this system of things marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 In...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 2, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
I’m jumping the gun a bit and commenting on next week’s Watchtower. The article in question is “Betrayal An Ominous Sign of the Times!”. Within the context of an article on betrayal and disloyalty, we have this oddly disturbing passage: 10 The other good example we...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jun 1, 2012 | The Presence of Christ |
If you are a long-time reader of our publications, you likely have encountered the odd interpretation that left you scratching your head. Sometimes things just don’t make sense leaving you to wonder if you’re seeing things correctly or not. Most of our understanding...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 28, 2012 | 1919 |
What is the First Resurrection? In Scripture, the first resurrection refers to the resurrection to celestial and immortal life of Jesus’ anointed followers. We believe that this is the little flock which he spoke of at Luke 12:32. We believe their number is a...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 28, 2012 | Jehovah's Witnesses |
[Some years back, a good friend shared this research with me and I wanted to make it available here as I thought it might be beneficial for some. – Meleti Vivlon] Independent thinking is a term I’ve always disliked. One reason is the way it could be...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 27, 2012 | This Generation |
Synopsis There are three assertions regarding the meaning of Jesus words in Mt. 24:34,35 which we will endeavor to support both logically and Scripturally in this post. They are: As used at Mt. 24:34, ‘generation’ is to be understood by its conventional definition....
by Meleti Vivlon | May 14, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
There is a statement in this week’s study article that I cannot recall having ever seen before: “The other sheep should never forget that their salvation depends on their active support of Christ’s anointed “brothers” still on earth.” (w12 3/15 p. 20, par. 2)...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 7, 2012 | This Generation |
We recently had our 2012 service year circuit assembly. There was a four-part symposium on Sunday morning dealing with the sanctification of God’s name. The second part was entitled, “How Can We Sanctify God’s Name By Our Speech”. It included a...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 6, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
This paragraph describes a family that owned “three homes, land, luxury cars, a boat, and a motor home”. The brother’s concern is described thus: “Feeling that we must have looked like foolish Christians, we decided to make the full-time...
by Meleti Vivlon | May 6, 2012 | Watchtower Commentor |
The article stated: “Being perfect, he [Jesus] could discern the unspoken indignation of a Pharisee, the sincere repentance of a sinful woman, and the self-sacrificing attitude of a widow…. However, a servant of God does not have to be perfect to be a good observer.”...
by Meleti Vivlon | Mar 31, 2012 | Revelation Climax Book |
Revelation 11:1-13 relates a vision of two witnesses who are killed and then resurrected. Here’s a synopsis of our interpretation of that vision. The two witnesses represent the anointed. The anointed are trampled upon (persecuted) by the nations for a literal 42...
by Meleti Vivlon | Jan 10, 2012 | 1914, The Presence of Christ |
If we have such a thing as a sacred cow in Jehovah’s organization, it has to be the belief that Christ’s invisible presence began in 1914. This belief was so important that for decades our banner publication was titled, The Watchtower and Herald of Christ’s...
by Meleti Vivlon | Apr 4, 2011 | Armageddon, The Great Tribulation |
This essay was supposed to be brief. After all, it was only dealing with one simple point: How can Armageddon be part of the great tribulation when Mt. 24:29 clearly says it comes after the tribulation has ended? Nevertheless, as I developed the line of reasoning,...
