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

[TrueTomHarley]

Whereas English has been around a long time, is a language heavily used in writing, and promptly seeks to incorporate new ideas and distinguish nuances, that is not true of many other languages. In Vietnamese for instance, anything mechanical was preceded by the word "may" (pronounced my) meaning 'machine.'  There would be (if memory serves)  'may bay' (machine that flies) for airplane, and 'may hut buoi' (machine that sucks dirt) for vacuum cleaner.

I'm not surprised if languages don't all show a clear contrast between plan and purpose.

(I better not hear JTR saying: Tom hut buoi)

[Evacuated]

Interesting discussion, despite meandering off the original post. I suppose for me (in English), Jehovah doesn't need to plan. He has a purpose and it will be accomplished, regardless of any obstacle. That's what His name is all about.

He does provide frameworks to his intelligent servants on earth in order for them to work and share in acheiving His purpose. The population mandate, the plans for tabernacle and temple, the Law Covenant, the Christian mission, are just some examples, but He is not dependent on their success to acheive His own.

Men do need to plan in the sense of mapping a route to achieve an objective, which includes consideration and contingency. Even then, human purpose may still continue to be interrupted due to inadequacy, or unforseen circumstance, or even opposition. When these things occur, men can re-route, and/or even adjust their goal, but with no complete guarantee their (revised) plan will succeed in achieving that goal. Also, purpose unfulfilled could be not always because men plan to fail, but simply because they fail to plan.

Jehovah is not subject to any of these limitations. That is why He can say:

"So my word that goes out of my mouth will be. It will not return to me without results, But it will certainly accomplish whatever is my delight, And it will have sure success in what I send it to do." Isaiah 55:11

[JW Insider]

3 hours ago, Melinda Mills said:

So it was gradually seen that the term “purpose” is the more appropriate one when referring to Jehovah.

While the Watch Tower Society was still publishing the "Divine Plan of the Ages" a few brothers and sisters started using the word "purpose." But it fell out of favor again, possibly because it was Maria Russell (who evidently co-wrote "Divine Plan of the Ages") who preferred the term God's "Eternal Purpose." In fact, after divorcing Charles Taze Russell, she wrote an entire book called "The Eternal Purpose."

More recently our 1959 history of Jehovah's Witnesses was called "Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose" and we even had a "Divine Purpose District Assembly" in 1974, where the problem with the words "Divine Plan" was discussed further. As Melinda pointed out, this was a "flash of light" per the 1995 Watchtower. Based on its history within the organization, however, I think it was merely deflected light, that took about 50 light years to get back to us.

[Evacuated]

27 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

I think it was merely deflected light, that took about 50 light years to get back to us.

Even Miles Coverdale has the expression "eternall purpose" at Eph.3:11 along with many other English translations since, so perhaps longer?

This shouldn't really be a surprise. Didn't Jesus say of his disciples (as Miles puts it) "O ye fooles and slowe of hert to beleve all that the prophetes have spoke" Luke 24:25 (Principle of, of course).

[TrueTomHarley]

v

 

[TrueTomHarley]

Moreover, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant*about those who are sleeping in death, so that you may not sorrow as the rest do who have no hope.....1 Thessalonians 4:13

"Let them stay ignorant!" says the Russian government. "Besides, maybe the house church will explain it someday."

[Bible Speaks]

@TrueTomHarley How can the Russian Orthodox Church read a Bible and not be extremists but JWs are? Maybe cause they don't read a Bible? 

I think when the UN gets involved it will all go bang ? Then oh well to bad you Great city Revelation 18 says as they see her smoking they only feel bad on the material things and money they lost! It says in the Bible "shameless luxury."

?????

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

Does the theme of these two paintings remind you of any thing????

They are from "The Augsburg Book of Miraculous Signs reveals a 16th Century society gripped by anxieties that we can relate to" in the book of Revelation. I just thought it interesting when I looked at the last post from Bible Speaks..........I happened to come across this when I was looking at the on-line digital BBC News, under Culture. 

PS. "Giant locusts swarm around a jagged aquamarine mountain. Great whales and strange beasts flounder amid stormy seas. Inky skies rain hailstones and blood. These bizarre and terrifying visions are found in the Augsburg Book of Miraculous Signs, also called the Book of Miracles. It is a beautifully illustrated manuscript created in the German city in the mid-16th Century but only recently discovered and now collected in a new edition, by Till-Holger Borchert and Joshua P Waterman."

[Evacuated]

4 hours ago, John Lindsay Barltrop said:

The Augsburg Book of Miraculous Signs reveals a 16th Century society gripped by anxieties that we can relate to

Great  Even better with the link  

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170421-the-eerie-historical-visions-that-predict-the-apocalypse

https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/classics/all/03107/facts.the_book_of_miracles.htm

[TrueTomHarley]

 “For a fact, the king to whom I am speaking so freely well knows about these things; I am convinced that not one of these things escapes his notice, for none of this has been done in a corner,” says the apostle Paul at Acts 26:26. So it is with the Russian ban on true religion. It has not been done in a corner. The Governing Body did not permit it to be done that way. Nobody who knows anything cannot have failed to hear of this.

The entire affair, which our Russian brothers always thought was a long shot, is publicized so that as few as possible can say they were unaware. Let them declare themselves on one side or the other of Christianity. Let the American Dream Church and the Independence Day Church, always intricately involved with the world, continue to pretend that they represent Jesus. All know who are truly following his command to ‘put down the sword.’ All know who are truly proclaiming ‘this good news of the Kingdom’ and living by its requirements even today.

Someone worries that other nations, far from being outraged, may take this as a template for banning Witnesses in their country, too. If it should happen, let it happen with maximum publicity, as this is receiving. How literally is Psalm 2:2 to be fulfilled? Let all publicly take their stand. Let it become clear before all who are God’s loyal ones and who are those who would fight against him. At some point the experiment of human self-rule must end. Has it not proven itself an obscene failure?

Our Russian brothers always thought it was a long shot. Rarely does the judicial branch in that country stand up to the executive branch, regardless of the evidence. It is the witness given that is most important. All have come to know that there is a nation in which every citizen cares personally about every other citizen. Our Russian brothers will forever know that their courageous stand, which they are prepared to continue, triggers massive traffic to jw.org – how could it be otherwise? as heretofore uninterested persons check to see if it is truly extremist. Of course, they will see that it is not. How will they respond to that?