John 12.24to28

I think it would have to be about 65 or 70 years old to understand the “Rube Goldberg” concept of making things ludicrously complicated reference in the proper perspective …. IF YOU HAD BEEN A FAN OF HIS ILLUSTRATIONS.
 
….. worth looking up.

Why didn't Jehovah just forgive Adam and Eve?
 
Adam and Eve weren't little kids. They were adults. They had perfect adult minds. The Bible doesn't say how long they had lived when they sinned. It could have been decades. We don't know. What we do know is that they never apologized. They never asked to have the situation fixed. They didn't care. They didn't want Jehovah. They didn't care that the kids would die. They didn't care. They just didn't want to respect any boundaries - they wanted to do their own thing even if it was rude and hurt other people. Jehovah couldn't just let them keep living forever, because then they'd keep hurting other people forever, and the world would be even more violent than it is today. Jehovah was kind enough to let them live several hundred years, for our sakes, so that we could be born and have a chance anyway, even though Adam and Eve didn't want us. Jehovah wanted us.
 
Three days isn't that long to be separated from someone. How can it be said that it was such a huge sacrifice?
 
Jesus was the firstborn of creation. He had been with Jehovah for countless eons of time. The group of angels in heaven is called figuratively God's "wife". Jesus came to earth for 33 1/2 years. Imagine your mate, kid, and best friend being gone for 33 1/2 years, and that's more like the sacrifice Jehovah made. It wasn't just the 3 days that Jesus was dead. Additionally, imagine watching your kid have to be born into a world where the ruler of the world was intent on attempting to murder that child/adult at any given opportunity. Imagine putting that child's care into the hands of imperfect people who had only been alive a couple of decades. Imagine not being there in person to talk to that child/adult as they are growing up in the world that you created with them and for them.
 
"All other things have been created through him and for him."
 
Why did Jesus have to come anyway?
 
You've got a tree. The root is rotting. The tree is still alive, but it's just a matter of time until it falls over. It's like Jesus came to be the replacement for the roots. All humans descend from God. We were meant to all be alive, the family is meant to be connected to God through Adam. That is how the headship of Adam is supposed to work. He should have been here still as the oldest, wisest, most experienced father for all of us. When Adam was removed from the equation (because of his own choice), someone had to fill that spot. We're not meant to live and die, one generation after another, without our original human family head. We're meant to all be alive, the complete family tree, at the same time.
 
"Remain in union with me, and I will remain in union with you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you unless you remain in union with me."
 
"So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
 
Jesus died to be fit for Adam's spot. Jesus acted as the family head. He took the lead. In order to take that spot, he had to understand what it's like to suffer and die, otherwise he couldn't fill the role. He had to take the lead in everything in order to be the head. Since all humans since Adam's time have died, the only way Jesus would be fit to be head is if he also knew what it is like to die. Otherwise he couldn't relate to them all the way. Now he can.
 
What does it matter? How is this knowledge practical for today?
 
The attention Jehovah and Jesus gave to the issue shows that it is very important to them what happens to the human family. Sending the oldest and highest angel to take Adam's place shows how close the universal family is. Imagine a family where the youngest child has a need and the oldest kid volunteers to fill that need. The oldest kids are actively concerned for the well being of the little ones. Humans were not just disposable to Jehovah or our older brothers, the angels. Each human is a direct reflection of Jehovah, one of his kids, just like the angels are his kids. Knowing how much He values each of us as individuals, as His children, helps us to realize that He will never leave us and is not far off from each one of us. We have a place in the universal family. Also, it helps us to understand Jesus' words "I will be with you in Paradise". It's literal, not figurative. He'll be here.
 
"“Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them.  And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."
 
Why is it taking so long to apply the ransom benefits? Why do we have to wait?
 
Kids can't learn calculus in a day. First they have to learn how to count. Much of humankind won't even follow Jehovah's basic directions, like don't stick body parts in places they don't belong. Some people don't even believe God exists. Why would He be educating everyone on the deeper things at this point, with people so prone to rebel against Him? And yet, He does educate us. 
 
There were issues in heaven that we only know a little bit about. The angel who became Satan made many false accusations. We only know about the ones recorded in the Bible. Surely when we are older, we will learn more about what else happened between those bad angels and Our Father. Age appropriate. Jehovah tells us what we need to know. If He isn't telling us everything right now, well, He must have a good reason. He tells us enough. He said if we keep reading the Bible, we will have what we need. If we need answers to our questions that bad, and we keep reading the Bible while asking Jehovah to give us understanding, He will answer that prayer in a way that satisfies our request.
 
Six thousand years or so isn't that long, considering how long it took God to make the universe. Six thousand years or so isn't that long compared to how long we're going to live. It feels long to us right now. When we were five, the summer felt really long. Things change as you get older.
 
Why couldn't God just fix Adam's children without Jesus coming? Isn't Jehovah God?
 
A computer code works within a certain system. The systems God put in place for the universe are balanced, and everything takes work to get a result. It took work for God to make Adam - it wasn't just some quick "poof!" thing. Imagine God like a craftsman, an artist, an engineer, building each of the types of cells necessary, composing the interplay of all the organs and nerves and parts, in a way that reflects how Jehovah operates - an image of Jehovah in human form. Imagine designing the brain with components for memory, joy, learning, motion... Jehovah put so much work into designing us. It took time and effort. Today on a device, a designer can zoom in and work on details on a photograph and then zoom back out. Imagine Jehovah doing something similar when designing the tiny parts in the body. Imagine Jehovah's hands working. We have hands because they reflect Jehovah the Spirit. He is Our Father. Then He leaned over and breathed into Adam's mouth, the very first breath. He was so close to His Human Son.
 
These things took work. They took time. Jehovah placed us in time. Time is a loving provision of Jehovah. We don't understand everything about what time really is, but in His wisdom, Jehovah is letting us see it's okay for time to go by during this trial. If He says it's okay, then it will be okay. Jehovah is bigger than time. He knows what He's doing. He is worthy of our trust. Kids don't always understand everything their parents are doing and why. Jehovah is a good parent, so He does explain things to us. We know enough about Him to stay faithful to Him.

Does @boyle count as five of the six?

Why didn't Jehovah just forgive Adam and Eve?
 
Adam and Eve weren't little kids. They were adults. They had perfect adult minds. The Bible doesn't say how long they had lived when they sinned. It could have been decades. We don't know. What we do know is that they never apologized. They never asked to have the situation fixed. They didn't care. They didn't want Jehovah. They didn't care that the kids would die. They didn't care. They just didn't want to respect any boundaries - they wanted to do their own thing even if it was rude and hurt other people. Jehovah couldn't just let them keep living forever, because then they'd keep hurting other people forever, and the world would be even more violent than it is today. Jehovah was kind enough to let them live several hundred years, for our sakes, so that we could be born and have a chance anyway, even though Adam and Eve didn't want us. Jehovah wanted us.
 
Three days isn't that long to be separated from someone. How can it be said that it was such a huge sacrifice?
 
Jesus was the firstborn of creation. He had been with Jehovah for countless eons of time. The group of angels in heaven is called figuratively God's "wife". Jesus came to earth for 33 1/2 years. Imagine your mate, kid, and best friend being gone for 33 1/2 years, and that's more like the sacrifice Jehovah made. It wasn't just the 3 days that Jesus was dead. Additionally, imagine watching your kid have to be born into a world where the ruler of the world was intent on attempting to murder that child/adult at any given opportunity. Imagine putting that child's care into the hands of imperfect people who had only been alive a couple of decades. Imagine not being there in person to talk to that child/adult as they are growing up in the world that you created with them and for them.
 
"All other things have been created through him and for him."
 
Why did Jesus have to come anyway?
 
You've got a tree. The root is rotting. The tree is still alive, but it's just a matter of time until it falls over. It's like Jesus came to be the replacement for the roots. All humans descend from God. We were meant to all be alive, the family is meant to be connected to God through Adam. That is how the headship of Adam is supposed to work. He should have been here still as the oldest, wisest, most experienced father for all of us. When Adam was removed from the equation (because of his own choice), someone had to fill that spot. We're not meant to live and die, one generation after another, without our original human family head. We're meant to all be alive, the complete family tree, at the same time.
 
"Remain in union with me, and I will remain in union with you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you unless you remain in union with me."
 
"So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
 
Jesus died to be fit for Adam's spot. Jesus acted as the family head. He took the lead. In order to take that spot, he had to understand what it's like to suffer and die, otherwise he couldn't fill the role. He had to take the lead in everything in order to be the head. Since all humans since Adam's time have died, the only way Jesus would be fit to be head is if he also knew what it is like to die. Otherwise he couldn't relate to them all the way. Now he can.
 
What does it matter? How is this knowledge practical for today?
 
The attention Jehovah and Jesus gave to the issue shows that it is very important to them what happens to the human family. Sending the oldest and highest angel to take Adam's place shows how close the universal family is. Imagine a family where the youngest child has a need and the oldest kid volunteers to fill that need. The oldest kids are actively concerned for the well being of the little ones. Humans were not just disposable to Jehovah or our older brothers, the angels. Each human is a direct reflection of Jehovah, one of his kids, just like the angels are his kids. Knowing how much He values each of us as individuals, as His children, helps us to realize that He will never leave us and is not far off from each one of us. We have a place in the universal family. Also, it helps us to understand Jesus' words "I will be with you in Paradise". It's literal, not figurative. He'll be here.
 
"“Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them.  And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."
 
Why is it taking so long to apply the ransom benefits? Why do we have to wait?
 
Kids can't learn calculus in a day. First they have to learn how to count. Much of humankind won't even follow Jehovah's basic directions, like don't stick body parts in places they don't belong. Some people don't even believe God exists. Why would He be educating everyone on the deeper things at this point, with people so prone to rebel against Him? And yet, He does educate us. 
 
There were issues in heaven that we only know a little bit about. The angel who became Satan made many false accusations. We only know about the ones recorded in the Bible. Surely when we are older, we will learn more about what else happened between those bad angels and Our Father. Age appropriate. Jehovah tells us what we need to know. If He isn't telling us everything right now, well, He must have a good reason. He tells us enough. He said if we keep reading the Bible, we will have what we need. If we need answers to our questions that bad, and we keep reading the Bible while asking Jehovah to give us understanding, He will answer that prayer in a way that satisfies our request.
 
Six thousand years or so isn't that long, considering how long it took God to make the universe. Six thousand years or so isn't that long compared to how long we're going to live. It feels long to us right now. When we were five, the summer felt really long. Things change as you get older.
 
Why couldn't God just fix Adam's children without Jesus coming? Isn't Jehovah God?
 
A computer code works within a certain system. The systems God put in place for the universe are balanced, and everything takes work to get a result. It took work for God to make Adam - it wasn't just some quick "poof!" thing. Imagine God like a craftsman, an artist, an engineer, building each of the types of cells necessary, composing the interplay of all the organs and nerves and parts, in a way that reflects how Jehovah operates - an image of Jehovah in human form. Imagine designing the brain with components for memory, joy, learning, motion... Jehovah put so much work into designing us. It took time and effort. Today on a device, a designer can zoom in and work on details on a photograph and then zoom back out. Imagine Jehovah doing something similar when designing the tiny parts in the body. Imagine Jehovah's hands working. We have hands because they reflect Jehovah the Spirit. He is Our Father. Then He leaned over and breathed into Adam's mouth, the very first breath. He was so close to His Human Son.
 
These things took work. They took time. Jehovah placed us in time. Time is a loving provision of Jehovah. We don't understand everything about what time really is, but in His wisdom, Jehovah is letting us see it's okay for time to go by during this trial. If He says it's okay, then it will be okay. Jehovah is bigger than time. He knows what He's doing. He is worthy of our trust. Kids don't always understand everything their parents are doing and why. Jehovah is a good parent, so He does explain things to us. We know enough about Him to stay faithful to Him.

Does @boyle count as five of the six?

Knock yourself out.

God's love is not partial. The same sun that touches the righteous touches the unrighteous. It is evidence of His love for them. His love is higher than anything we can imagine.
 
Jehovah says He will forget the sins of those who repent. But before they repent, even if they never choose to repent, He still shows them love.
 
They say "an elephant never forgets" but I don't know how true that is.
 
 
I do know this is true:
 
"Jehovah has comforted his people, 
And he shows mercy to his own afflicted ones.  
But Zion kept saying: 
“Jehovah has abandoned me, and Jehovah has forgotten me.” 
Can a woman forget her nursing child 
Or have no compassion for the son of her womb?  
Even if these women forget, I would never forget you. 
Look! On my palms I have engraved you. 
Your walls are always before me."
 
Jehovah does not forget any of His children. Even the ones who choose to stop loving Him. He knew them in the womb or when they were being made out of the dust, like Adam. Adam and Eve stopped loving Him, but we still know about them in the Bible. We will never forget about that. Jehovah loved them. They chose to leave Him, but that doesn't change His love for them. He couldn't let them keep living, because they would have gone around killing everybody. They had a choice, and they chose poorly, but that doesn't mean Jehovah forgot them.
 
The name of the wicked will rot in that they won't be around anymore, and all bad memories will fade, but love is not a bad memory. Jehovah hates what is bad, but He is not sorry that He made His children. He is not sorry that He loves. He gave them free will, and they all have the potential to reflect His glory. If they choose not too, that is a chance Jehovah is willing to take, even though it pains Him. But that doesn't stop His love from flowing. Jehovah never forgets love. He will always love you, He wanted you, that's why He created you, and His memory of the good things in you will endure even if you choose to disconnect from Him and fade into death. That's part of Jehovah's torture stake, the One He's carrying. (Jesus learned how to carry it from watching Jehovah.)
 
Jehovah's love is forever. The joy will outweigh the pain.
 
"Praise Jah! 
Give thanks to Jehovah, for he is good; 
His loyal love endures forever."
 
"It is because of Jehovah’s loyal love that we have not come to our finish, 
For his mercies never end.  
They are new each morning; your faithfulness is abundant."
 
"“Jehovah is my share,” I have said, “that is why I will show a waiting attitude for him.”
Good is Jehovah to the one hoping in him, to the person who keeps seeking him."
 
(I have nothing more to comment on this thread at present. You can believe what you want, @boyle @Pudgy et al. I believe in Jehovah and His Love, and I am one of Jehovah's witnesses, which includes being a witness of His love for you. Peace out, kiddos!🌍💖🙂)
 
 

As you wish.
 
 
"“With whom, therefore, should I compare the men of this generation, and whom are they like?  They are like young children sitting in a marketplace and calling out to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance; we wailed, but you did not weep.’  Likewise, John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, but you say: ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of man has come eating and drinking, but you say: ‘Look! A man who is a glutton and is given to drinking wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’  All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by all its children.”
 
Okay, @boyle dear. Bye for now then. I do hope you have a good afternoon.🌷💖

God's love is not partial. The same sun that touches the righteous touches the unrighteous. It is evidence of His love for them. His love is higher than anything we can imagine.
 
Jehovah says He will forget the sins of those who repent. But before they repent, even if they never choose to repent, He still shows them love.
 
They say "an elephant never forgets" but I don't know how true that is.
 
 
I do know this is true:
 
"Jehovah has comforted his people, 
And he shows mercy to his own afflicted ones.  
But Zion kept saying: 
“Jehovah has abandoned me, and Jehovah has forgotten me.” 
Can a woman forget her nursing child 
Or have no compassion for the son of her womb?  
Even if these women forget, I would never forget you. 
Look! On my palms I have engraved you. 
Your walls are always before me."
 
Jehovah does not forget any of His children. Even the ones who choose to stop loving Him. He knew them in the womb or when they were being made out of the dust, like Adam. Adam and Eve stopped loving Him, but we still know about them in the Bible. We will never forget about that. Jehovah loved them. They chose to leave Him, but that doesn't change His love for them. He couldn't let them keep living, because they would have gone around killing everybody. They had a choice, and they chose poorly, but that doesn't mean Jehovah forgot them.
 
The name of the wicked will rot in that they won't be around anymore, and all bad memories will fade, but love is not a bad memory. Jehovah hates what is bad, but He is not sorry that He made His children. He is not sorry that He loves. He gave them free will, and they all have the potential to reflect His glory. If they choose not too, that is a chance Jehovah is willing to take, even though it pains Him. But that doesn't stop His love from flowing. Jehovah never forgets love. He will always love you, He wanted you, that's why He created you, and His memory of the good things in you will endure even if you choose to disconnect from Him and fade into death. That's part of Jehovah's torture stake, the One He's carrying. (Jesus learned how to carry it from watching Jehovah.)
 
Jehovah's love is forever. The joy will outweigh the pain.
 
"Praise Jah! 
Give thanks to Jehovah, for he is good; 
His loyal love endures forever."
 
"It is because of Jehovah’s loyal love that we have not come to our finish, 
For his mercies never end.  
They are new each morning; your faithfulness is abundant."
 
"“Jehovah is my share,” I have said, “that is why I will show a waiting attitude for him.”
Good is Jehovah to the one hoping in him, to the person who keeps seeking him."
 
(I have nothing more to comment on this thread at present. You can believe what you want, @boyle @Pudgy et al. I believe in Jehovah and His Love, and I am one of Jehovah's witnesses, which includes being a witness of His love for you. Peace out, kiddos!🌍💖🙂)
 
 

I have unfortunately known more than my fair share of people who could be described with of any of the following descriptive phrases you used: "suffering from narcissistic disorder, and delusions of grandeur, overshadowed by a huge inferiority complex for which he constantly overcompensates by denigrating others." 
 
I personally don't believe in "narcissistic disorder" - I believe there are such things as extreme selfishness and also free will and that people choose their own adventure as far as personal naughtiness goes. 
 
I also have unfortunately known more than my fair share of people who like to act like snipers, who don't ever miss when they shoot, who don't like to play unless they can win at all costs, who try to cowardly take out others from the shadows. (For more details on how to play those kinds of games, you can ask @Just sayin. Hopefully he has retired from that kind of "gaming", but he still has lots of past experience and he can tell you about others who play that way too.) 
 
The Bible speaks of such ones, sniper types:
 
"Every one of these men could sling a stone to within a hairbreadth and would not miss."
 
The Bible also speaks of those who attack the innocent ones:
 
"See how the wicked bend the bow; 
They set their arrow on the bowstring, 
To shoot from the darkness those upright in heart."
 
"Shield me from the secret plots of wicked men, 
From the crowd of wrongdoers.  
They sharpen their tongue just like a sword; 
They aim their cruel words like arrows, 
To shoot at the innocent from their hiding places; 
They shoot at him suddenly, without fear.  
They hold fast to their evil intent; 
They discuss how to hide their traps.  
They say: “Who will see them?” 
They search out new ways of wrongdoing; 
They secretly devise their shrewd strategy; 
The thinking within each one’s heart is unfathomable."
 
"Why, O Jehovah, do you stand at a distance? 
Why do you hide yourself in times of distress?
The wicked one arrogantly pursues the helpless one, 
But he will be caught in the schemes he devises.  
For the wicked one boasts about his selfish desires 
And blesses the greedy one;
He disrespects Jehovah.  
In his haughtiness, the wicked man makes no investigation; 
All his thoughts are: “There is no God.”
His ways keep prospering, 
But your judgments are beyond his understanding; 
He scoffs at all his adversaries.  
He says in his heart: “I will never be shaken; 
For generation after generation I will never see calamity.” 
His mouth is full of curses, lies, and threats; 
Under his tongue are trouble and injury.  
He waits in ambush near the settlements; 
From his hiding place he kills an innocent one. 
His eyes are watching for an unfortunate victim. 
He waits in his hiding place like a lion in its lair. 
He waits to seize the helpless one. 
He seizes the helpless one when he pulls his net shut. 
The victim is crushed and brought down; 
The unfortunate ones fall into his clutches.  
He says in his heart: “God has forgotten. 
He has turned away his face. He never notices.”"
 
Jesus' example helps us to know how to deal with those who seem to be "suffering from narcissistic disorder, and delusions of grandeur, overshadowed by a huge inferiority complex for which he constantly overcompensates by denigrating others," like the Pharisees and scribes and others who wanted to kill Jesus. Several times the Bible says Jesus managed to evade death by slipping through the crowds or avoiding certain areas because it wasn't his time to die yet - he had more work to do. He wasn't going to purposely walk into the barrel of a gun, so-to-speak.
 
However, at the appointed time, he knew the "snipers" would get him. How did he put it? "What you are doing, get done more quickly."
 
When it's my time, I will not beg off. (I am a very fearful and anxious person by nature, but Jehovah always gives me the strength I need at the appointed time.) None of us know the day or the hour we might get "sniped". Jehovah can resurrect the dead, so we don't need to fear death. It is wise to not court death, thus we strive to be "as cautious as serpents and innocent as doves." 
 
What we do know is that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Whether Wally McNasty's lying or not, the "put down your sword" advice is for his own good, not just for mine. I hope he can live forever. The ransom has already been paid. Jehovah is not asking anybody to go to the moon and back. But people still have to choose their own adventure as far as getting life goes. 
 
People can choose to serve what are not real gods if they want to - like the god of evolutionary theory, or the god of weapons of mass destruction. Or they can worship themselves. I do believe that's what "narcissism" theory describes, self-worship. It's an active choice, to serve any of those gods. He'd be so much better off choosing Jehovah.
 
"Now if it seems bad to you to serve Jehovah, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods that your forefathers served on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amʹor·ites in whose land you are dwelling. But as for me and my household, we will serve Jehovah."
 
It would be wonderful to be able to all hang out together in Paradise. Jehovah is forgiving, and He's not partial. Praise Jehovah.

Well, then, hopefully he decides to put down his "sword" soon.
 
"Then Jesus said to him: “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.""
 
"If anyone has an ear, let him hear.  If anyone is meant for captivity, he will go into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed with the sword. This is where it calls for endurance and faith on the part of the holy ones."

"I will disguise myself..."
 
"Why are you concealing your identity?"
 
"So he disguised his sanity in their presence and acted insane while among them."
 
People have different reasons for their disguises. The King of Israel had one reason. Jeroboam's wife had a different reason. David had his own reason, a very good reason. There is an appointed time for everything under the sun, even an appointed time to wear a mask. I am not the judge of such things. Let Jehovah be the judge. A mask can conceal a face, but it cannot prevent love from reaching the heart. His love extends beyond the mask(s). All things will be revealed at the proper time. I am willing to wait for Jehovah's time. Praise Jehovah.
 
 
 
RPReplay_Final1682195310.mov

I wasn't offended. I was touched that you would think enough of me to offer advice, and thankful.
 
I know I come across in an awkward kind of way - I don't quite "fit" in. 
 
The only thing I can relate it to is not a perfect fit for an illustration, but I read the book with my kids "Facing the Lion" about Simone Liebster's experience. She was removed from her family for a few years during Nazi times and forbidden to talk to others, treated harshly, etc. When she came back home at the end of the war, her parents returned from the concentration camps as well. Some other local girls who had not been through the same types of experiences were together with her for a social event. She didn't fit in with them anymore. It was difficult for her to just "shoot the breeze" so-to-speak and to talk in a "normal" way. She noticed it, but couldn't really do much about it. (It's not a perfect illustration for my experience, but it might help.)
 
Sometimes there are trials we go through that change us. It doesn't mean we're better or worse necessarily - that depends upon how we meet those trials - but we are changed nonetheless. Even before I was "culled" from the congregation, I had been through two unique experiences that kind of changed my ability to "fit" in like before. I do my best to compensate to the degree I can and try not to totally blow off the social norms and what is "expected" as far as "appropriate accepted" rules of society. But I learned, when the dung hits the fan, so-to-speak, none of those "expected" rules of society matter anymore. Love matters. Trust in Jehovah matters. Faith and hope matter. It is what got me through that hell time.
 
I am completely convinced that everything Jehovah says will come true. I cannot tell you the details of why I know because it would take many many posts to share everything that Jehovah has gotten me through and much of the material would be not proper content for a public forum. There is no way I could have survived if it wasn't for Jehovah and His Word. I have "seen" His hand so many times, in so many ways, He is more real to me than any person on earth made of dust. It's like gravity. You can't "see" gravity, but if you think about it you are aware of it every moment of your life looking back. The earth is heavy. Jehovah is heavier.
 
 
Thank you. I said earlier "I love @boyle" (I think there's a saying somewhere probably that "@boyle has a way of growing on you")...how much more so I can say "I love @Pudgy". I am not afraid of showing love. Life is too short in this world not to express love at every opportunity, and we don't know all the details of what today or tomorrow will bring.
I hope everything works out well for you too, my brother.🌷

I am glad you were not offended by my butting into “your business”.  As stated, it was intended as “practical advice”., and of course, if it blew up it would be you to pay any consequences, not me.
I made many assumptions.
Hope it works out well for you.
 

… and it might help to seek out a congregation that is not nutso ….

"If anyone does not remain in union with me, he is thrown out like a branch and dries up. And men gather those branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."
 
This verse takes place after Jesus takes the throne:
 
"The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the reapers are angels.  Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things.  The Son of man will send his angels, and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness,  and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be.  At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Let the one who has ears listen."
 
The "Wally McNasty's" of the organization will be removed. They are not removed yet. They are still in power. But they will be removed. It'll be as clear as day who is a "righteous" one and who is not, because the fakers will be removed. No human could do it, but the Bible shows it's the angels who will do it. One angel took down 185,000 Assyrians in a night. It's no big deal for them to remove the fakers from the organization and bring back the faithful ones who left, and gather the innocent ones who don't know anything about Jehovah yet.
 
Things are going to change very quickly once Jesus takes the throne.
 
As far as that foolish FDS "overlapping generations" business...
 
"“Now learn this illustration from the fig tree: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near.  Likewise also you, when you see these things happening, know that he is near at the doors.  Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away."
 
All that Jesus meant is that when you start to see religion attacked, don't worry. It's going to be really bad and scary, but don't worry. Not everybody will die. It's going to seem like a lot of people will die once the Devil is cast out of heaven, because the Devil is the ultimate "Wally McNasty" but Jesus said people will survive. That's what "this generation will by no means pass away" means. Don't give up once the tribulation starts. Three and a half years might seem like a long time under such tribulation. But just like Jehovah kept the Israelites alive in the wilderness for 40 years, He can take care of us during the 3 1/2 years without a Bethel/borg. He's Jehovah. 
 
“Concerning that day or the hour nobody knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father.  Keep looking, keep awake, for you do not know when the appointed time is.  It is like a man traveling abroad who left his house and gave the authority to his slaves, to each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to keep on the watch.  Keep on the watch, therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether late in the day or at midnight or before dawn or early in the morning,  in order that when he comes suddenly, he does not find you sleeping.  But what I say to you, I say to all: Keep on the watch."
 
We don't know when Jesus will take the throne, but we know it's soon. The FDS are asleep. They're looking in the wrong place for that "peace and security" cry thing that they made up. They are the ones saying "peace and security" in the congregation, when there is no peace. The hour for such lawless ones to be removed is soon to come. They are asleep, it will hit them like a thief in the night.
 
(Speaking of sleep, I have to get some. Hope you have a good rest of your evening!)
 
 

Since we're talking about Evolution/Make-Believe, here is a make-believe conversation with someone who believes in evolution...
 
Jehovah's witness says: "God had the Bible written down."
 
Atheist says: "That's dumb. God couldn't write a book."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "Can you write a book?"
 
Atheist says: "Yes."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "So, you don't think God could write a book?"
 
Atheist says: "No."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "Okay. So, you don't believe God exists. How do you think everything got here?"
 
Atheist says: "In a primordial soup of pre-protein molecules with various complex pressurized changes over millions of millennia multiple mutations morphed in both micro- and macro-evolutionary configurations of quasi-deoxyribonucleic acid and eventually sporadically combined via unknown cataclysmic catalysts into the first living organism."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "That sounds like a lot of word salad. Now, how did all that happen? Did somebody put those things in place or something?"
 
Atheist says: "Nope. It all happened like magic. Nobody did it. It just happened all by itself."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "I can see you read a lot of fantasy books. Do you believe somebody wrote the fantasy books?"
 
Atheist says: "Yes."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "So, you believe somebody wrote the fantasy books, but you can't believe that God told somebody write the books of the Bible. You believe some invisible unknown process happened to cause life in the universe, but you can't believe an invisible person could possibly exist and direct the writing of a book to explain that creation process. Is that right?"
 
Atheist says: "Yes. I don't believe in what I can't see."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "Have you ever seen any of the authors who wrote your fantasy books? Have you ever seen any of the authors who wrote your evolution books? Have you ever seen any of the authors who wrote any of your school books?"
 
Atheist says: "No."
 
Jehovah's witness says: "Then how do you know they exist?"
 
Atheist says: "Some people on a forum told me, and they seemed pretty convinced. They even used really big vocabulary words."
 
Really big vocabulary words are overrated.
 
People can see witnesses. Jehovah had Jesus send out witnesses. There were many witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. There are no witnesses of evolution. You can decide for yourself what makes more sense to believe.
 
"At that time Jesus said in response: “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children.  Yes, O Father, because this is the way you approved.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father; neither does anyone fully know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son is willing to reveal him.  Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and you will find refreshment for yourselves.  For my yoke is kindly, and my load is light.”

"Therefore this is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: ‘Here I am bringing such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that it will make both ears of anyone who hears about it tingle.  And I will stretch out on Jerusalem the measuring line applied to Sa·marʹi·a and use the leveling tool applied to the house of Aʹhab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean, just as one wipes a bowl clean, wiping it and turning it upside down.  I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,  because they did what was bad in my eyes and were continually offending me from the day that their forefathers came out of Egypt to this day.’”
 
Jehovah has allowed the nations to "wipe" the "stain" away in the past. He will do it again shortly.
 
Then there won't be any more "Kingdom Halls". It'll just be good-hearted people doing the best they can to encourage one another for 3 1/2 years until the UN gets their time in the limelight complete. Jehovah will gather us together more like a real family instead of this bogus business corporation stuff. Then more people will want to hang out with us (us meaning Jehovah's friends, anybody who can help others learn about Jehovah's personality, from whatever background they are), instead of like how it is today, pushing people away all the time with the Pharisee-like coldness.

Satan's been having a field day in the congregations, especially at Bethel. Jesus said he'd fix all those problems in the congregation after he takes the throne. (That's why it's so ridiculous when the FDS says Jesus took the throne in 1914. If he took the throne then, there wouldn't be all these problems in the congregations today. It's so obvious that 1914 thing is a hoax.) Revelation 2,3 as well as the gospels show Jesus will remove the false teachings and the fake "leaders" as soon as he takes the throne. Happy day!
 
Then so many "ex-jw's" will return, just like in King Saul's day...
 
"So Saul and all the people with him assembled and went into the battle, where they found that the Phi·lisʹtines had turned their swords against one another, and the confusion was very great.  Also, the Hebrews who had previously sided with the Phi·lisʹtines and who had come up with them into the camp were going over to Israel under Saul and Jonʹa·than.  All the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im heard that the Phi·lisʹtines had fled, and they too joined in pursuing them in the battle."
 

The composite humorless, agenda driven Wally McNastys of the organization drive many (unknown number) away.

Zoologists are individuals, just like any other scientist. They are affected by their own personal beliefs and biases.
 
One famous evolutionary theorist is Richard Dawkins. He doesn't think there's a Creator.
 
"Richard Dawkins said so, so it must be true, it's like, magic of reality or something, yeah, evolution." Not! (Who is Richard Dawkins anyway and why does anybody trust him to teach about anything in creation when he can't even figure out that there is a Creator? Isn't that a little bit like going to an English teacher who doesn't know their ABC's?)
 
Here's some fantasy for sci-fi lovers: The subtle aspects of biological variation amidst the nuances of multiple complexities constantly shift to concepts that add up to equating unique traits. I mean, the significantly astronomical cognitive powers mutate and the evolutionary pressure culls off negativity to lead to optimal leaps. And because the selective pressures are changing, the unique traits of the old rusty Volkswagon can be directly linked to the environment, so if you wait like a billion years, all those small changes will add up and the old rusty Volkswagon will have AI or evolve into something like this...

Jesus never denounced anybody in a harsh way. He was straightforward, yes, but not overly harsh.
 
"You see, I was in fear of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and you reap what you did not sow.’  He said to him, ‘By your own words I judge you, wicked slave. You knew, did you, that I am a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?  So why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my coming, I would have collected it with interest."
 
The Master in the illustration was not the one who was harsh. It was the slave who was wicked and harsh. The slave was lazy and mean and bad. Even though the Master had given him everything he needed, that slave still refused to work, and then the slave had the nerve to call the Master bad names. 
 
Jesus is not harsh. Jesus has never been harsh.
 
2 Timothy 4 is talking about how to deal with false teachers in the congregation. The context of Revelation is different.
 
In Revelation, Jesus said to John: "What you see, write in a scroll and send it to the seven congregations: in Ephʹe·sus, in Smyrʹna, in Perʹga·mum, in Thy·a·tiʹra, in Sarʹdis, in Philadelphia, and in La·o·di·ceʹa...So write down the things you saw, and the things that are, and the things that will take place after these." Some of the things written to the congregations were specific to those ancient congregations. "The things that are." Some of the things written to the congregations are for our day. "The things that will take place after these."
 
In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, many times Jesus says that he will be coming soon to remove their lampstand or to reward the faithful in the congregation. He says some of the congregations are like a synagogue of Satan with lots of really bad things going on. He says for some Christians that being near those congregations is like being in prison. To other Christians he says they need more love. Right near the verses later about Armageddon, Jesus says to keep on outer garments that no one may see their nakedness. He is talking about being clothed with love. Jesus talked about love all the time. The illustration regarding being lukewarm or cold was also about showing love.
 
The congregation has evolved into a cold place. There are many faithful individual Christians in the congregations, but there is also a lot of coldness as far as love is concerned. Jesus is coming to remedy that situation very soon. In the meantime, any Christians who find themselves in figurative "prison" for the "ten days" must maintain their strong love and faith and hope. Jesus is coming to set us free from this particular situation shortly. (Disfellowshipping doctrine will be removed soon, at the beginning of the great tribulation.)

You just expose your heart every time you speak.

How to talk like an Evolutionary Theorist and Impress All Your Friends...
 
Randomly select four words from this list:
 
virtually
lineages
microorganisms
originated
process
common ancestors
organisms
fundamental
progeny
molecular
genes
mimicry
comprehensive
DNA
diversity
distinguishable
differences
modifications
successive
generations
fundamental
keystones
species
million
any word ending in "-ity"
any word ending in "-istry"
any word ending in "-ology"
any word with at least five syllables
any word that sounds like Spock might use
 
Add an adjective to every other word you selected from the above list and make a grammatically correct sentence. (It doesn't have to make sense, as long as it sounds good.)
 
Form the sentences into paragraphs until you fill several pages. Then go back to each paragraph and insert the name of somebody who published information on evolutionary theory (you can use Google if you want.)
 
Congratulations! Now you are a convert to the Cult of Evolutionary Theology! And you didn't even need to get a degree! 😃