Tuesday, July 1, 2025

JW.ORG's Online Bible Study Lesson 3.2 & 3.3 "How Does God Save Us From Death?" and "How Will God End Suffering and Evil?"

I decided to take the WT up on their offer at JW.ORG and go through their short lessons to “Learn what the Bible teaches.” WT speak is in RED, my comments are in BLACK, anything else is in BLUE. I logged in to JW.ORG, and under "Online Bible Study Lessons" I clicked on "Get Started" or it may say "Pick a Lesson Now," OR for Bible Study Lesson 3.2 simply click here.

Before you begin reading, I strongly suggest you have, at the ready, the WT’s Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. You can download a free PDF copy here.

Lesson 3.2--How Does God Save Us From Death? After several slides a question is asked. "Why could Jesus provide the ransom." The right answer, according to the WT, He was a perfect man." The wrong answer according to the WT, "he was God." I have already talked about this WT error in this series, here. The WT's incorrect view of Jesus taints this entire lesson. A few slides later this question is asked, "Who will be resurrected?" and the answer, "Righteous people, or those who used their lives to do what God says is right, will be resurrected. In addition, even unrighteous ones, such as those who died without knowing about God, are in Jehovah’s memory. They too will be resurrected and given the opportunity to learn about him." The WT DOES NOT quote a verse where we can find this doctrine. Again, what the WT leaves out is very telling. Hebrews 2:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." NOTE: a person dies ONCE and then he is judged. The answer to the question, "Will there be a second chance for salvation after death?" is thoroughly answered here, at GotQuestions.org .

Lesson 3.3--How Will God End Suffering and Evil? As I went through this section I found numerous small errors. I chose not to write a small book about those small errors and pushed on to the last multiple choice question, "When will God’s Kingdom replace human governments?" The answer, "Soon, Correct. Although it’s not possible to know the exact time when God will bring an end to human rule and the suffering it causes, Bible prophecies and world conditions prove that the time is near."

It is interesting that the WT now states that "it is not possible to know the exact time when God will bring and end to human rule." Yet, in the past, they had no problem incorrectly predicting just such a time which I pointed out in a series of blogs listed below:

#1--Prophecy of 1878--The End of the Harvest, here
#2--Prophecy of 1914--The Destruction of Christendom and the End of Human Rulership here
#3--Prophecy of 1925--Resurrection of the Patriarchs here
#4--Prophecy of 1975--Armageddon Promised! here

CONCLUSION. In numerous places the WT states that, "You will not be taught religious traditions, only what the Bible teaches." Here I have blogged about the WT's efforts to hide the influence their religious traditions have on their translation of Holy Scripture, The New World Translation.

This JW Online Bible study continues the WT tradition of teaching doctrines of men INSTEAD of Bible truth. Click here to see a JW.ORG Video entitled, "What Happens at a Bible Study?"

This ends the WT Online Bible Study.

Sunday, June 8, 2025

JW! Are You INACTIVE, DISFELLOWSHIPPED, DISASSOCIATED or an APOSTATE?

Does the Title of this Blog describe you? Here are some definitions that may help.

INACTIVE. This would describe you if you stopped attending Kingdom Hall meetings and engaging in WT activities. This term applies whether you were baptized as a JW or not. An INACTIVE individual is someone who no longer participates in the preaching work, considered a key activity for JWs.

DISFELLOWSHIPPED. If you are DISFELLOWSHIPPED you are considered an "Ex-JW". Disfellowshipping is a form of congregational discipline for "serious sins" (these sins are determined by the WT). Those who are Disfellowshipped are typically shunned by JWs, including family members.

DISASSOCIATED: You are considered DISASSOCIATED if you stopped attending Kingdom Hall meetings and stopped the preaching work on your own volition without being disfellowshipped. You might be considered a "de facto apostate."

APOSTATE: You are an APOSTATE if you were a professing JW (and often a baptized JW), and you abandoned your faith and actively oppose Jehovah God, Jesus Christ and the "visible organization" of JWs.

IF ONE OF THESE TERMS DESCRIBE YOU, God, who is Sovereign, has caused you to leave a “False Religious System.” If there is a false, there has to be a “True.” I pray the following will encourage you to start on a journey that will lead you to the “True.” (Thank You, GOT QUESTIONS for the following.)

How can I be saved? Why do I need to be saved? We are all infected with sin. We are born with sin, and we all personally choose to sin. Sin is what makes us unsaved. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.

How can I be saved? Saved from what? Because of our sin, we all deserve death. While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin. All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God. Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite. What we need to be saved from is Eternal Destruction.

How can I be saved? How did God provide salvation? Because the just penalty for sin is infinite and eternal, only God could pay the penalty, because only He is infinite and eternal. But God, in His divine nature, could not die. So God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. God took on human flesh, lived among us, and taught us. When the people rejected Him and His message, and sought to kill Him, He willingly sacrificed Himself for us, allowing Himself to be crucified. Because Jesus Christ was human, He could die; and because Jesus Christ was God, His death had an eternal and infinite value. Jesus’ death on the cross was the perfect and complete payment for our sin. He took the consequences we deserved. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead demonstrated that His death was indeed the perfectly sufficient sacrifice for sin.

How can I be saved? What do I need to do? “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”. God has already done all of the work. All you must do is receive, in faith, the salvation God offers. Fully trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sins. Believe in Him, and you will not perish. God is offering you salvation as a gift. All you have to do is accept it. Jesus is the way of salvation.

Related Blog: "The Gospel of the Bible Explained" is here.

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Scientology--You are about to enter the TWILIGHT ZONE!

Over the years of writing this blog, I have received comments from people who were once JW's but are now following the teachings of a non-Christian religion or no religion at all. One came from someone heavily into Scientology.

With other religions, I have written about the religion's tenets compared to the Bible, failed prophecies, changing God's word, etc. However, with Scientology I am going to take a different tact. Scientology’s, “In the beginning beliefs” about the “Galactic Confederacy”, “Teegeeack”, “Xenu” and “Thetans”, upon which the entire system rests, are so unbelievable that merely reading them OUT LOUD, should be evidence enough that this system is false at its core.

As you view this video, you will see that Scientology resembles a poor science fiction novel.

SCIENTOLOGY'S INVERTED PYRAMID OF BELIEFS

If You Don't Believe in Xenu and Thetans

It All Comes Crashing Down

L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, stated: “You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion,” in response to a question from the audience during a meeting of the Eastern Science Fiction Association on 7 November 1948, as quoted in a 1994 affidavit by Sam Moskowitz.

The above quote and many similar ones can be found here.

This is what Scientology believes from their document: Operating Thetan III (OT III).

WARNING

Proceed with Caution

According to Scientology, the following knowledge is so powerful and dangerous, as noted on "Ron's Journal 67" cassette, that anyone learning this material, before he is ready could die. My son and I have known this information for years with no ill effects.

According to Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, Xenu was the dictator of the overpopulated "Galactic Confederacy," who 75 million years ago brought billions of his people to Earth (then known as "Teegeeack") in DC-8 like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Their souls (called Thetans by Scientologists),* however, lived on and floated up. Xenu didn’t want their souls (Thetans) to return so he constructed soul (Thetan) catchers in the sky. The souls (Thetans) were taken to a huge soul (Thetan) brain washing facility which Xenu had also built on earth. The souls (Thetans) were forced to watch days of brain washing material which tricked them into believing a false reality. Xenu then released the alien souls (Thetans) which roamed earth aimlessly in a fog of confusion. At the dawn of man, the souls (Thetans) finally got bodies that they could grab onto. They attached themselves to all mankind and to this day this causes all our fears, confusion and problems. Scientology will help you overcome these fears, etc.-----for a price.

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*a soul in Scientology is also called “A Body Thetan” or a BT, which is a disincarnate soul (free of or freed from the demands of the body ie disembodied). A Thetan is "stuck" in, on or near a human body, and all human bodies are said to be infested by these disembodied Thetans, or clusters of them. Body Thetans and how they came about were described by L. Ron Hubbard in a confidential auditing level called OT III. High-level Scientologists are told that Body Thetans are responsible for physical and mental ailments, and are told to telepathically exorcise them using Scientology auditing processes.

If you still believe in the tenants of Scientology--MEET YOUR LEADER.

Sunday, June 1, 2025

JW.ORG's Online Bible Study Lesson 3.1 "Why do Suffering and Evil Exist?"

Before you begin reading, I strongly suggest you have, at the ready, the WT’s Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. You can download a free PDF copy here.

In Lesson 3.1 I sailed through the first few slides with no major objections. Until I came to the slide asking a multiple-choice question, "What eventually happened to Adam after he disobeyed God?" The WT answer (He ceased to exist) goes along with their doctrine known as "soul sleep." Here the WT does their usual, only quote verses that promote their doctrine and ignore verses that contradict their doctrine. If all the verses, concerning "what happens to the soul upon death" are taken into account, one does not arrive at the doctrine of "soul sleep." I have blogged about this here.

Back to Lesson 3.1 Section 2--no major objections. When I finished the lesson I was given the option of getting more information on a number of topics. I decided to look into (1) "What is the Condition of the Dead?" and (2) "What is the soul?" Both of these I answered in my blog here. If you read the blog you will see that WT doctrine and Biblical doctrine are not the same.

One final question poised by the WT, "What is hell?" Once again I went to Got Questions which answers these similar questions, "Is hell real? Is hell eternal?" here.

The next Lesson 3.2 and 3.3 is here.

Friday, May 30, 2025

Searchable List of Posts in ALPHBETICAL ORDER

WE HAVE 3 SEARCHABLE LISTS.

(1) This is a LIST OF ALL POST TITLES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

(2) Go HERE if you are Searching for a Specific Scripture.

(3) A "Subject Index" is HERE. Our "Subject Index" is different than our "Search by Post," which zeros in on the Title of the Post. A Post may cover a number of "Subjects" which may not appear in the "Post Title."