John 12.24to28

…

Diagramming sentences can be fun puzzles. I liked grammar class. I prefer the math puzzles. And scriptural puzzles. Wrestling with "puzzles" has helped me cope during the many varied instances and extended circumstances regarding those "bigger problems down here where the rubber meets the road." Sometimes when it seems like the whole world has gone mad, immersing my mind and heart in study of creation and scripture has kept me alive.
 
"In this same way, when God decided to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,  in order that through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to the refuge may have strong encouragement to take firm hold of the hope set before us."
 
I love my children more than I love anyone else on earth. When I understood about being anointed, I had to "wrestle all night" with that figurative angel...how do you comprehend everlasting life separated from those you love? And the God of Love doing the calling? It just didn't make sense. All the things the organization says about the heavenly resurrection don't make sense. They don't fit with the Bible. I had to wrestle with that puzzle for a long time before things fell into place.
 
I begged Jehovah to help me understand. And He did. And it's only right to share that information, because it's just horrible for anybody to think that Jehovah would separate loved ones from each other. He's not like that. Satan is the one who invented the eternal torment doctrine, not Jehovah.
 
How could anyone think the God of Love would separate loved ones for all eternity, and that someone in heaven could see their loved ones but not be with them? That's horrible. That's not Jehovah's way.
 
"You must not boil a kid in its mother's milk." That was a law of Jehovah. He wasn't just saying it about cooking. It's the principle behind it.
 
Jehovah was separated from Jesus for a little while. It must have been horrible. But then they could be together again forever. Jehovah takes the lead in everything. Why would He ask us to do something that He wouldn't do himself? Jehovah would not separate Himself from His Son for all eternity. He would not ask us to do it either.
 
Jehovah designed us to be His kids. He isn't going to just watch everybody from heaven. That's not how He is. People don't understand yet that He's actually going to make a way to interact with His kids on the earth. 
 
It's kind of like when you know how to do trig, but you're teaching someone who doesn't know their 1-2-3s yet. You have to wait until they can count, then teach basic math, then algebra later, etc...
 
For so long, false religion has been teaching that "invisible" thing, and there are still remnants of it in Jehovah's Witnesses today that haven't been removed yet. Jesus will remove them in time.
 
Anyway, suffering is bad but good things can come of it. Jehovah doesn't cause the suffering, but He turns it into a blessing every time, like He did with Job, and Joseph, and Jesus. He will do that for all of us.
 
Thank you for sharing with me about trigonometry.💖
 
I like what Jesus said:
 
"“I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now.  However, when that one comes, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own initiative, but what he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things to come.  That one will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and will declare it to you.  All the things that the Father has are mine. That is why I said he receives from what is mine and declares it to you.  In a little while you will see me no longer, and again, in a little while you will see me.”

FOR 90 DEGREE RIGHT TRIANGLES
S = the sine of the angle being considered, in decimal degrees
H = the hypotenuse of a triangle in units (feet, meters, miles or whatever)
O =  the opposite side of the triangle from the angle considered, in units (feet, meters, miles or whatever)
C = the cosine of an angle being considered, in decimal degrees
T = the tangent of an angle being considered, in decimal degrees 
A = the adjacent side of the triangle to the angle considered in units (feet, meters, miles or whatever)
FROM LEFT TO TO RIGHT YOU MULTIPLY,    FROM RIGHT TO LEFT YOU DIVIDE 
S x H = O
C x H = A
T x A = O
…………………
O / H = S
A / H = C
O / A = T
Just write down vertically SHOCHATAO before you start doing trig !
SHO
CHA
TAO
But my very FAVORITE formula was simply SHOCHATAO = $.
Somebody paid me a lot of money to do that, for 40 years!

As far as how and where the anointed or the other sheep are resurrected I have no interest unless it involves needing a Space Suit, or SCUBA gear, a waterproof solar powered GPS, or heavy winter clothes.
Being resurrected AT ALL is the biggie.
The rest is irrelevant details.

Here is another set of verses that helps us to understand the timing of the heavenly resurrection:
 
"And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed for the witness they gave about Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had not worshipped the wild beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for 1,000 years.  (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.  Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years."
 
It says that the anointed "had not worshipped the wild beast or its image". 
 
The image of the wild beast is the UN.
 
The UN hasn't come to power completely yet.
 
The anointed will still be on earth during most of the 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation. They will keep their integrity during this time by remaining loyal to Christ Jesus as king. They will not worship the UN.
 
After most of the great tribulation has occurred, after the UN is the world power for a portion of the 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation, after the UN has "killed" the remaining anointed, then they will all be resurrected. First the 144,000 will be resurrected here on earth as spirit creatures with materialized bodies. Then they will ascend to heaven and fight alongside Jesus at the battle of Armageddon against Jehovah's enemies.
 
Then the anointed and Jesus will interact with those on earth to work toward making Jehovah's will come true. The anointed and Jesus will use materialized bodies to interact with their brothers on earth, because that's what Jesus did before he ascended to heaven and he told the man next to him on the torture stake "I will be with you in Paradise."
 
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.  I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “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.” And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”"
 
Praise Jehovah, Our Father, the God of Truth and Love.💖

I am one of Jehovah's witnesses. It is not right to desire something that does not belong to us. We all have to fight wrong desires. Every person on earth needs to fight against wrong desires. If we fall, we get up again. The ransom is enough. We just have to keep going forward. We can't change the past, but the future is so bright...don't give up, please, don't give up on Jehovah. He hasn't given up on you. He loves you.💖

(If you decide to come out of the closet, @Boyle, I will still talk to you. I don't shun people. I have faith in Jesus' ransom blood. But if you decide to keep wearing masks, that's your prerogative. I can tell you must be scared. You don't need to be afraid. Jehovah already knows everything, and He says the ransom is enough for you if you want it.) 

@boyle, I am sorry about your issues with your mother, and the Bible doesn't say it's wrong for a man to love another man (it's just the physical homosexual acts that are unclean because they are not natural). I know you are angry and you keep coming back on here with different faces. Please know you are loved, and if you ever decide to get over your anger and stop putting on fake faces, it will be easier for others to give you the friendship and affection you need.
 
(Also, I don't know if you do requests, but some of your personalities are much easier to get along with than others. I definitely didn't care for that Australian bloke you were pretending to be. Your Moise Racette was annoying but more tolerable than the esd-guy. Maybe sometime you'll add in a Caribbean accent or try a New York Bronx type speech, or perhaps Lingala or Ukrainian or New Zealander? I must say, kudos for being able to switch gears so quickly. Have you been an actor at some point professionally? Or maybe an author? Can you imagine if you and True Tom Harley wrote books together! Yikes! 😆)
 
Someday I hope you can have peace.💝

And I was wondering what you think about these things, since you asked the questions.

I know you believe in reincarnation @boyle/MoiseRacette/AllenSmith/etc/etc/etc, but this thread was originally about the heavenly resurrection. (By the way, you never did say if you liked my banana jokes.) Did you have any more comments or questions about the heavenly resurrection taking place after Babylon's fall?

(Spirit creatures don't need to sleep, but I do. Hope you guys have a good rest of your night.🙂)

(Spirit creatures don't need to sleep, but I do. Hope you guys have a good rest of your night.🙂)

I don't know what you are talking about. Jehovah is "Our Father", not our taskmaster/business-manager. You don't have to ask His "permission" to be His witness. You're getting it mixed up. We witness because He gives us the holy spirit; we don't witness because we fill out a request form permission slip and follow a flowchart. We witness because we love Him and what He stands for and because we're proud of Him. We don't carry Jehovah's name. He carries us.
 
 
A business corporation can't be one of Jehovah's witnesses. A business corporation can't love anybody. A business corporation is an imperfect man-made institution with roots in this world. It is not made in God's image. It is not set up like a family. It is set up like a business corporation. If you can't see the discrepancy, you must be blind. There's a lot of that blindness-thing going around these days, but Jesus will open everybody's eyes soon enough.
 
 
The Pharisees had "the right" to do business in the temple by means of their own laws. Jesus came to show them that their laws were not approved by God. Jesus will also show how God feels about the business corporation aspect of all those who claim to be Jehovah's witnesses.
 
 
Being one of Jehovah's witnesses is not a matter of being written down on a manmade list somewhere. David was still a witness of Jehovah when he was living in the wilderness, even though King Saul who sat on Jehovah's throne considered David a fugitive and a criminal. David still had Jehovah's holy spirit during that time. Jehovah knows who belongs to Him.
 
 
"sue, verb - TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST, take to court, bring an action against; charge, prosecute, prefer/bring charges against, bring to trial, summons, indict, arraign." (Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus)
 
Jesus, for one.
 
Countless faithful anointed ones throughout the centuries (we mentioned Wycliffe earlier for example.)
 
How many faithful witnesses of Jehovah have been taken to court in the congregation setting judicial process and disfellowshipped for maintaining integrity to what the Bible says?
 
If you say you haven't heard of any of these things, I will say you are not only blind but also need your hearing checked. 
 
 
Yes, by the Beloved One, Jehovah, and His Faithful Witness Jesus Who Always Judges Righteously Just Like His Father.💖

Amen! ☺️
 
"There is something distressing that I have seen under the sun, the sort of mistake made by those in power:  Foolishness is put in many high positions, but the rich remain in low positions. I have seen servants on horseback but princes walking on foot just like servants."
 
I have seen many immature prideful tyrants "serve" as "elders" and I have seen many brave and loving mature older brothers "not serving" as "elders". 
 
Jehovah can distinguish between the title and the man.
 
So can some of the sheep (mostly the ones that got bit by the wolves).
 
Jacob had twelve sons. Ten of them attempted to murder or were complicit in the kidnapping of their brother Joseph, because their works were wicked and his were righteous. Later, Joseph and Jacob forgave those ten wicked men, and all of them got an inheritance in the promised land. Joseph helped feed them and their families. The foundation of Israel includes those ten sons who earlier wanted Joseph dead.
 
The ransom blood is enough for all of us. The family will be healed. May Jehovah be praised for the riches of His undeserved kindness.

It would take 100,000 words to respond to that in a fair to everybody manner … so I guess we all need forgiveness for our sins of commission … and omission, which are many. Besides, it would just be “for the record”, anyway.
That’s why I never aspired to be an Elder.

… and it begins, again ….

Amen! ☺️
 
"There is something distressing that I have seen under the sun, the sort of mistake made by those in power:  Foolishness is put in many high positions, but the rich remain in low positions. I have seen servants on horseback but princes walking on foot just like servants."
 
I have seen many immature prideful tyrants "serve" as "elders" and I have seen many brave and loving mature older brothers "not serving" as "elders". 
 
Jehovah can distinguish between the title and the man.
 
So can some of the sheep (mostly the ones that got bit by the wolves).
 
Jacob had twelve sons. Ten of them attempted to murder or were complicit in the kidnapping of their brother Joseph, because their works were wicked and his were righteous. Later, Joseph and Jacob forgave those ten wicked men, and all of them got an inheritance in the promised land. Joseph helped feed them and their families. The foundation of Israel includes those ten sons who earlier wanted Joseph dead.
 
The ransom blood is enough for all of us. The family will be healed. May Jehovah be praised for the riches of His undeserved kindness.

Jehovah doesn't need anyone's permission to send someone as one of His Witnesses.
 
Jehovah's name doesn't belong to a corporation. It belongs to Jehovah.
 
If a corporation wants to say they represent Jehovah, and then Jehovah sends a witness who doesn't belong to that corporation, does the corporation have the right to sue Jehovah because one of His witnesses told the truth? When they sue one of His witnesses, it's like they are suing Jehovah. (Jesus also said "you did it to them, you did it to me.)
 
Jehovah is the True God, and the God of Truth. When witnesses speak truth, they are representing Jehovah.
 
When members of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses sue Jehovah's witnesses for telling the truth, how do you think that is going to work out for them? 
 
(I guess they'll see how that works out for them when Jesus comes.)

If you don't already know the answer to that question, True Tom, then I have no idea how you passed the questions for baptism.
 
(I can see all those questions for baptism in the OD book aren't having the desired result. Oh, well, the disciples in the first century didn't even have a Bible when they were baptized. Good thing pretty soon Jesus will come and remove all those Pharisaical traditions in the organization that don't seem to be working anyway.)

Obvious not everything "Kevin McFree" posts is good and righteous,  but some of his expose is right on. Jesus exposed Pharisees too. The bad conduct of those taking the lead in the organization has stumbled many people and pushed many little ones away from Jehovah. Those at headquarters would be better off acknowledging their faults and humbly admitting their mistakes, apologizing to "Kevin McFree" and asking for his forgiveness.
 
Someday those men at headquarters will repent; if they want to live forever they will have to. Jesus said so.
 
Good thing the ransom is so big.

"Kevin McFree" is in good company.
 
"In an endeavor to end the destructive papal schism, the Council of Constance was called in 1414 by Emperor Sigismund. Once again, the alarming effects of Wycliffe’s writings were up for consideration. The papacy could now see the results in two countries widely separated from each other, England and Bohemia. In 1415 Huss was condemned and burned at the stake despite a safe-conduct given him by the emperor. Wycliffe was declared the leader of heresy in that age. His books were to be burned, and his remains taken from his grave and cast out of ‘consecrated ground.’ To two successive bishops of Lincoln such an action was so repugnant that it was not carried out until 1428. Then, Wycliffe’s body was exhumed and burned, and his ashes were scattered over the nearby river Swift. It was natural for some to see in this despicable action a symbolic meaning: As the waters of the river conveyed his ashes to the wide ocean, so the teachings of Wycliffe were spreading throughout the world." (w80 8/1)
 
Wycliffe made the Pharisees so mad, they wanted to get him twice.

If you don't already know the answer to that question, True Tom, then I have no idea how you passed the questions for baptism.
 
(I can see all those questions for baptism in the OD book aren't having the desired result. Oh, well, the disciples in the first century didn't even have a Bible when they were baptized. Good thing pretty soon Jesus will come and remove all those Pharisaical traditions in the organization that don't seem to be working anyway.)

Jesus was of course perfect, an attribute that “Kevin McFree”, does not possess.
If they both made a paper mache volcano in  5th grade science class, Jesus’s volcano would spit real ash and lava.
Jesus’s two brothers used to complain to Mary that she loved Jesus more because “… he’s just so PERFECT!”

I think the difference is those who lifted the information from the organization (like "Kevin McFree" - who is not a slimeball any more than anyone in the service department or the legal department) and were sued had already been treated harshly by the Pharisees in the organization, so it was just adding insult to injury when the Pharisees at headquarters took those brothers to court.
 
It'd be like the three false comforters taking Job to trial for his wild talk. Or the townswomen harassing Naomi for wanting to be called Mara.
 
Those fellows at headquarters are just filling up the measure of their forefathers.
 
"Does any one of you who has a dispute with another dare to go to court before unrighteous men, and not before the holy ones?  Or do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to try very trivial matters?  Do you not know that we will judge angels? Then why not matters of this life?  If, then, you do have matters of this life to be tried, is it the men looked down on in the congregation whom you assign as judges?  I am speaking to move you to shame. Is there not one wise man among you who is able to judge between his brothers?  Instead, brother goes to court against brother, and before unbelievers at that! Really, it is already a defeat for you when you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather let yourselves be wronged? Why do you not rather let yourselves be defrauded?  Instead, you wrong and defraud, and your brothers at that!"

Its about a centurion ordered to find the body of Jesus. When he does find the risen/resurrected Jesus his life is transformed. Very good acting.