RUSSIA: Jehovah’s Witnesses Mobilize Global Response to Threat of Ban in Russia

[TrueTomHarley]

The USPS is ever in financial crisis because fewer and fewer use actual paper mail. It seems Jehovah's Witnesses have bought them some breathing space.

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

I reckon you could be right there Tom............it will certainly keep them busy for a while, and all the revenue from the postage may well keep "the wolf from the door" a little while longer!!!

[TrueTomHarley]

From Jeremiah 26:7-16:

"And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah.

"So when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him and said: “You will surely die…

"The priests and the prophets said to the princes and to all the people: “This man deserves the death penalty, because he has prophesied against this city just as you have heard with your own ears.”…

"Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets: “This man does not deserve the death penalty, for he spoke to us in the name of Jehovah our God.”   
……….
It is always this way. The princes have no problem with it. It is the priests and the prophets that oppose religious freedom.
Perhaps it will be that way with Putin, if he can withdraw his head from the lock of the Church.
 

[Melinda Mills]

1 hour ago, TrueTomHarley said:

It is always this way. The princes have no problem with it. It is the priests and the prophets that oppose religious freedom.

Good point!  We can use it at meeting this week in the Bible reading under "other spiritual gems".

 

[JW Insider]

@Bible Speaks I just tried creating postage from Montreal H3R 1K2 to Moscow and had no trouble for both letters or parcels through Canada Post. Also note that the message never said that they couldn't handle letters (documents) so it has no effect on the mailing of letters to Russia. 

[TrueTomHarley]

To follow Christ is now illegal in Russia. The government has given their verdict. Surely it has been played out as at Acts 26:26: ‘this thing has not been done in a corner.’ It has been played out so that all know and can take a stand.

It is Jesus at John 15:20: ‘Keep in mind the word I said to you: A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you.”

It is the Acts 28:22 words applied to first century Christians: ‘truly as regards this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.’

Who else, other than Jehovah’s Witnesses, could these words conceivably apply to today?

[JW Insider]

5 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Who else, other than Jehovah’s Witnesses, could these words conceivably apply to today?

Fundamentalist Muslims?

[Evacuated]

1 hour ago, JW Insider said:

Fundamentalist Muslims?

Now, Now! Don't be cynical!

[Bible Speaks]

@TrueTomHarley We are living in exciting times! Jehovah is in control. It will not be late! 

Jehovah Will Not Delay

“Even if [the vision] should delay, keep in expectation of it; for it willwithout fail come true. It will not belate.”—HABAKKUK 2:3.

[Anna]

6 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

To follow Christ is now illegal in Russia. 

No surprise there....

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

@TrueTomHarley..............how hypercritical is that..........perhaps the court should have gone to the Russian Orthodox church in Moscow and seen the vainglorious display of the "easter" service........I only watched a minute or two of this "over two hour" farce..............the words of Jesus at Matthew Chapter 15 come to mind: Matthew 15:8-11 ⁸ ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me. ⁹It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’” ¹⁰ With that he called the crowd near and said to them: “Listen and get the sense of it: ¹¹It is not what enters into a man’s mouth that defiles him, but it is what comes out of his mouth that defiles him.” 

Therefore "To follow Christ is now illegal in Russia" unless you are a practicer of Russian Orthodoxy.........that is "the jewel in the crown" of hypocrisy..........or perhaps I should have said "ONE of the jewels" as there are many more..........again, the words of Jesus come to mind, this time in Matthew Chapter 7:  Matthew 7:21-23 ²¹ “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. ²² Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ ²³And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’

[TrueTomHarley]

To find the modern day Christian successors of Acts 28:22 - 'spoken everywhere against - look for the people who are individually praised but collectively maligned.