Understanding the Scriptures of Jehovah's Witnesses to read. How can one help a Jehovah's Witness turn on his brain? Sect of Jehovah's Witnesses

Anatoly, what does it mean: love believes everything... from 1 Corinthians 13:7? Igor

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

It means:

1) She shows faith in God and His word in everything. - in various circumstances, trials and living conditions. She is not afraid to trust God (for example, in acts of kindness, giving in debt, in fulfilling agreements, etc.), even when there is a threat of deceit, the possibility of incurring some kind of damage, etc., knowing that everyone who loves God contributes to good.

2) Love is not attuned to suspicion and prejudice, that is, it preserves presumption of innocence. For example, being in love, we can eat without examination what is bought at the market (for example, believing the merchants that the goods are good), thanking God for the food, and not looking for all kinds of flaws in the goods. So in all cases, love does not tune in to doubts without good reasons in all life conditions and with all people. This does not mean that she is generally thoughtless, gullible or careless, it’s just that the principle of faith is in her essence, as opposed to fears, in which she is always ready to take calculated risks, relying on God, and not hide in a corner, constantly waiting for dirty tricks , deceit, mistakes and the like.

3) Love knows that the world lies in evil. She is ready for all sorts of suffering, hardships, persecution and battles. But in all this, she believes that God will take care of us, support, strengthen, deliver, make us better and let us grow in the knowledge of Him!

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Anatoly explain the passage from Hebrews 6:4-8. What kind of people is this talking about? Vacile

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

It speaks of people who, already mature in faith and having evidence of the real power of God, consciously, with all their hearts, denied God and embarked on the path of living in sin and resisting Jesus Christ. A detailed explanation can be read by clicking on the link in the section "Basic Commandments" :

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While reading the gospel of Matthew, this place touched me: And whoever leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for the sake of My name, will receive an hundredfold and inherit eternal life .(Matthew 19:29) I saw here that it is valuable and important for our Lord, since He told us about it. How to understand and accept all this in our life? North

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

This place tells us about life priorities. Are we ready, for the sake of Jesus, the good news of the Kingdom of God, and the fulfillment of God's will, to deprive ourselves of earthly blessings, the joys of family life, comfort, material possessions, and opportunities to strengthen our well-being (moving up the career ladder, developing a business, etc.)?

The Lord may give us some blessings in life, but at the same time he puts us before a choice: focus on these blessings or go further after Christ in order to acquire spiritual treasures. Recall, at least, the story when Jesus gave Simon, Andrew, John and James to catch a huge amount of fish - after that He called them to follow Him, and they did not stay to take advantage of all this blessing, but left everything and followed Jesus, to get something more!

When we leave loved ones, we deprive ourselves of the joy of seeing them and the opportunity to care for each other. Also, we miss out on benefits and are left without a certain amount of comfort if we leave houses, lands and our usual activities. And if a person refuses an inheritance, leaving his father’s house altogether, or sacrifices prospects in some area of ​​​​activity for the sake of Jesus and the ministry of the word of God: this is generally a step of initiation, affecting in general his way of life .

An ordinary person will not make such sacrifices, because he does not see any benefit in it, only a Christian, for whom the Lord is dearer than all blessings and who has known the superiority of the true love of Jesus Christ, can take these steps, showing that it is more important for him to fulfill the will of God than to ensure a comfortable stay on earth, where he is just an alien and a wanderer!

The Lord is very sensitive to people who at any moment of their lives are ready to leave something important in their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. He never forgets this and appreciates it very much, promising every disciple who takes such steps that he will not only not regret it, but will gain a hundred times more than what he left (here it should be emphasized that retribution is measured in God's categories, and not in human notions, that is, we get a hundredfold what in God has value, and is not measured by money or concepts of human well-being) already here on earth, and for us the barriers on the way to eternal life in the Kingdom of God are erased.

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"The soldiers also asked him: what should we do? And he said to them: do not offend anyone, do not slander, and be content with your salary" (Luke 3:14) Can we, as Christians, serve in the army? What is the answer to those Christians who say that Jesus said: "And he said to them: When I sent you without a bag and without a bag and without shoes, did you lack anything? They answered: nothing. Then He said to them: but now whoever has a sack, take it, and also the bag, and whoever does not have it, sell your clothes and buy a sword, for I tell you what must be done on me and this that is written: and I am numbered among the wicked. Me, comes to an end" (Luke 22:35-37)? Dmitry

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

Christians must obey the authorities and carry out their instructions, if this is not contrary to the commandments of the Lord. During the period of the law, it was permitted to hate one's enemies, to avenge the shed blood of a dead person by killing a criminal, to use all sorts of violence in response to aggression, or to fight battles at the direction of the Lord. But the age of the law ended in the time of John the Baptist, who came to call the people to repentance for not being able to meet even the requirements that had been established through Moses.

The reference that John did not forbid the soldiers to fight does not show permission for Christians to do so. Why? Yes, because the task of John was to prepare the way of the Lord, and not to bring a new doctrine. John came to bring to repentance all who sought to live by the law, to prepare the people to accept Jesus with His teachings, so he did not speaka lot of things from what Jesus later taught. Scripture says: "For the law was given through Moses; but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17) - only the Lord brought us the teaching of the New Testament, in which we see the word, in which God's requirements increase and the standards of holiness rise, because power and grace are given to fulfill the word of God, which the people of the Old Testament were basically deprived of.

So, let's see what the Lord taught in the New Testament:

38 You heard what was said: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
39 But I say to you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other ;
40 and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your coat ;
41 and who will force you to go with him one field, go with him two .
42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you. ,
45 May you be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not the publicans do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing do you do? Don't the pagans do the same?
48 Therefore be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.

(Mat. 5:38-48)

17 repay evil for evil to no one, but seek good before all men .
18 If it is possible for you, be at peace with all people .
19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath [of God] . For it is written: Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.
20 So, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink: for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. .
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good .

(Rom.12:17-21)

7 And it is already very humiliating for you that you have lawsuits among yourselves. Why would you rather not be offended? Why would you rather not endure hardship?
8 But you [yourselves] offend and take away, and moreover from the brothers.
9 Or don't know what the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God ?...

(1 Corinthians 6:7-9)

8 Finally, be all of one mind, compassionate , brotherly love, merciful, friendly , humbly wise;
9 do not return evil for evil, or swearing for swearing; on the contrary, bless knowing that you are called to this, that you may inherit the blessing.
10 For whoever loves life and wants to see good days, keep your tongue from evil and your mouth from deceitful speech;
11 turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and strive for it ,
12 because the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil , (to exterminate them from the earth).
13 And who will harm you, if you are zealots for good ?
14 But if you suffer for righteousness, you are blessed; but do not be afraid of their fear and do not be embarrassed.

(1 Peter 3:8-14)

14 We also implore you, brethren, admonish the unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be longsuffering towards all.
15 See that no one repays evil for evil to anyone; but always look for the good and each other and all .

(1 Thess. 5:14,15)

As we can see, what was permissible in the Old Testament (out of hardness of heart) is a crime in the New Testament (earlier an eye for an eye, but now do not resist evil). Before Jesus, murder was allowed as a type of spiritual struggle against sin and wickedness, but now we have another weapon - this is good: so if our enemies are hungry or thirsty, we should not kill them (or, as they used to hold the siege of the city, until they weaken from hunger and will not surrender), but to feed and drink, allowing God Himself to intercede for us! We are not in the ministry of condemnation, but in the ministry of justification, ready, like Jesus on the cross, to pray even for the most notorious villains: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" .

The essence of the New Testament is that you need to follow Christ, and this is the path of love that does no harm to your neighbor and loves enemies.And it is important to note that Jesus said that we must love not our enemy, but "your enemies"! So murder in the New Testament is not justified by anything.Now we are living in a period when the people of God carry out the ministry of justification and salvation, because Jesus did not come to destroy, but to save souls, which he commanded us.

Now let's move on to the actual scripture where Jesus talks about buying a sword. Why did he say this? To start fighting? Not! The Lord told Peter to take the sword not to defend himself, but to fulfill the Scripture: "and numbered among the wicked" . AT This is the essence of what Jesus said about swords!

Let's see Gospel of Matthew 26:51-54: “And behold, one of those who were with Jesus, stretching out his hand, drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest, he cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him: return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword; Or do you think that I cannot now implore My Father, and He will present Me more than twelve legions of angels? how will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" - here it is clear thatThe Lord did not allow the sword to be raised in His defense! By this heshows that the possession of a sword (as a sign of the fulfillment of the Scriptures about Jesus) and the use of it (even for defensive purposes) are completely different things! Nowhere, neither in theory nor in practice, do we see permission to use violence even in defense of one's own life.

Some people may object by saying that Jesus did not mean the literal fulfillment of His words, referring to the fact that He Himself did not turn the other cheek to those who hit Him. However, after reading "The Lord God opened my ear, and I did not resist, did not turn back. I gave My back to those who strike and My cheeks to those who strike; I did not hide My face from reproach and spitting. And the Lord God helps Me: therefore I am not ashamed, therefore I keep my face Mine is like flint, and I know that I will not remain in shame" (Isaiah 50:5-7) - we will see that the Lord gave the cheeks (cheeks) to those who strike Him. Also words "Then they spit in his face and slapped him; others struck him on the cheeks"
(Mat. 26:67) confirm that Jesus was slapped on both cheeks. I understand that many of the words of Jesus have a figurative expression of the commandments, but this does not give us reason for an arbitrary interpretation of His words (that is, the words "turn the other cheek" will never mean: "Hit him a good change so that he will be remembered for a long time").

The answer to this can be partially found above, but I emphasize again: God has not changed, but many of His laws and instructions, as well as assumptions, are changing. Let us remember what the Lord says about fornication, showing that already looking with lust before God is a sin! Hatred in the New Testament is equated with murder, and methods of retribution "an eye for an eye"(and others) by the Lord are changed into "do not resist evil" . It is not necessary to sew patches on old clothes or pour new wine into old wineskins, just as it is impossible to combine the Gospel with the Old Testament ministry of condemnation, when God through Israel performed His judgments on the Gentiles.

Therefore, the current position of Israel with the old Old Testament thinking is already objectionable before God! Even in those days, if you remember, the prophet Jeremiah I didn't show much patriotism, when he advised to obey the invaders and not resist them. Especially today, after the entry into force of the New Testament, we are called to reject all evil, violence and aggression against people.

So, let's answer the main question: is it possible for Christians to serve in the army? Obviously, in all areas of life, we are called to build our behavior on the basis of the word of God. Some people remember a passage in Scripture that says: “Let every soul be submissive to the higher authorities, for there is no authority other than from God; the existing authorities are established by God. Therefore, he who opposes the authority opposes God’s establishment. And those who oppose themselves will bring condemnation on themselves. Do you want not to be afraid of authority? Do good, and you will receive praise from it, for [the boss] is God's servant, it is good for you. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, avenging the one who does evil " (Rom.13:1-4) - by this they take as a basis that it is possible to work in law enforcement agencies and use weapons. But is this approach correct, if in other places of Scripture we see a clear prohibition on the use of weapons and violence?

If Scripture says that a person in power does not bear a sword in vain, this does not mean that a Christian with a clear conscience can be this person, since the essence of this place is this: "Do you want not to be afraid of power? Do good!" So where do we have the license to kill?

I also served in the army and became a believer during my service. There I openly confessed my faith and directly declared to the political officer of the unit that I would not shoot at anyone during hostilities, as this contradicts the word of God. As a result, I was banned from preaching the gospel, threatened with prison, and deprived of incentives. However, on the other hand, I had free access (a simple soldier) to the commander of the unit (I talked with him about God, prayed for some events in the unit at his request, etc.), because they saw the hand of God on my life .

A Christian can be in the civil service, but he must confess Christ there and be firm in his convictions within the framework of the Gospel. If God sees you work in these structures, you will be valued along with the Gospel you confess, and if there is no opportunity to be faithful to the Lord, then it means that there is no will of God to be there - it's time for you to leave these structures!

So, in the search for a job, I should not fuss, immerse myself in thoughts and my heart in the cares of life, for the sake of profit go to slyness, dubious deals, and so on. In power structures this principle is not canceled, as well as in ways of self-defense and so on, we must remain within the framework of the word of God. Therefore, it can be clearly said regarding the extreme measures provided for by the law - human laws in this case are not a guide for us! The Lord did not command Christians who work in law enforcement agencies to live according to the Old Testament, and the rest - according to the New. Everyone has one gospel, the meaning of which is contained in the unequivocal commands of Christ, and to look for some other meaning that contradicts the Lord's instructions is self-confidence and self-will!

God does not want people to come to salvation, and then, reassured by theories that contradict the word of God, that you can safely use weapons, commit violence, beat, kill, enmity, show aggression and deprive people of the chance of salvation, they sinned, living in self-deception, and then ended up in hell without understanding why they got there. And their blood will be exacted from those who taught them this lie!

Scripture does not allow us to raise persecution or use violence against those who disagree with us.But, unfortunately, conscience allows many deceived Christians through all sorts of reasons invented for personal justification (for the sake of self-defense, peace, assertion of their own way of life, or for the sake of "the Romans will come and take possession of both our place and our people" ) to use civil authorities to isolate or even kill those who, in their opinion, threaten their peace. We see this clearly in Ukraine, where the extermination of the population that does not agree with the policies of people who came to power through a riot and an armed coup (with the full support and complicity of many Christians deceived by the forces of darkness) is supported. So did priests with Jesus, Catholics with Protestants, and Orthodox with evangelical Christians. Will Christians again and again step on the same rake, welcoming sin and cooperating with Satan in his evil deeds?

With all our desire, we will not be able to ensure a safe life for ourselves, relying on our own strength and means (as it is written: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his rock" ). But believing in God, we will not be ashamed forever!!!

Some may say that a person in power is a servant of God, so a Christian can use the sword while in power - this will be part of his service to God. But alsoPilate was God's servant, having crucified the Lord of glory, did that really make him a righteous man? Nero and other Roman emperors are also all God's servants, but does this mean that it justifies their persecution of Christians? Is it written in the New Testament: if they hit - give back, use a sword in case of self-defense or a threat to your neighbors, defend your homeland or punish criminals on merit? .. Well, if there were no words contradicting these statements, then we can try to imagine that we are allowed to act. But after all, many places, both in commands and in practice, show that we cannot imitate those who beat or kill people! Jesus did not come to destroy, but to save, and if we begin to kill with a calm soul, then we stand on the same side with the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning (see ch. John 8:44 )!

The world lies in evil, and it is no secret that it solves its problems with the methods that it knows how, since it lives without God. They have no command of meekness, love of enemies, or non-resistance to evil, nor resources from God to resolve conflicts. And God did not command us to go out of the world, but commanded us to shine on it (which cannot be done by imitating its methods). Our war is not against flesh and blood, but against the forces of darkness for people, even if they do not see this and are at enmity against us. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, which is not of this world, and our task is to behave with dignity, so as not to be ashamed at the coming of our Lord!

If Christians adhered to evangelical principles, there would be no crusades, Bartholomew's night, the Inquisition, persecution of Protestants or evangelical Christians, the English Civil War (when Charles 1 was executed under Cromwell) and other large or small wars waged by Christian authorities. If the Christians in Germany had not supported Hitler, perhaps there would have been no World War II. Today there is a fratricidal war in Ukraine, and many Christians are accomplices of these lawlessness directly or indirectly! And on the face of the fact that a calm attitude towards the murder of Christians contributed to the shedding of rivers of blood!

So every Christian is called not to participate in the sins of unbelieving people, and, if possible, to carry the truth to all people, showing with his whole life how to act according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, even if you have to suffer, be persecuted or even die for it!

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Gospel of Mark 7th chapter. Can this place be attributed to music that a person creates according to his strength, having a special gift, wanting his ability without boasting, to play in church, according to his own will, so perform as he is inspired, not for satisfaction, but for people, for God? "Nothing that enters a man from outside can defile him, but what comes out of him defiles a man" (Verse 15) Tom

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

Not a very clear question. If we mean whether the music that he composes or his singing can defile a person, in accordance with the Gospel of Mark 7:15, then we can say the following. If a person is inspired by God and is not guided by sin, his own flesh or lust in writing music and songs, then such a service is pleasing before God, and he can grow in this according to the grace of God.

But if his music or singing comes from vanity, a desire to please his own or someone else's flesh, contains an incorrect foundation and other vices, then such music, no matter how good or professional it sounds, will defile him, since it comes from his heart. which has not yet been cleansed of such filth.

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If the owners of the restaurant keep the Sabbath, can they cook pork (dishes) and serve to people of other faiths who eat pork meat, etc.??? Tamara

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

Scripture says: "And by this we know that we are from the truth, and we calm our hearts before Him; for if our heart condemns us then [how much more God], because God is greater than our heart and knows everything. Beloved! if our heart does not condemn us, then we have boldness towards God and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:19-22) and further: "For the sake of food, do not destroy the works of God. Everything is pure, but it is bad for a person who eats to tempt. It is better not to eat meat, not to drink wine and not [do] anything [such] that your brother stumbles, or is offended, or faints. Do you have faith? have it in yourself, before God. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he chooses. And he who doubts, if he eats, is condemned, because not by faith; and everything that is not according to faith is a sin" (Rom.14:20-23) .

In accordance with these words of Scripture, you need to decide on several questions:

1) How is it with condemnation of the heart. That is, you need to make a menu so that the heart and conscience do not judge the decisions made, confirming your confidence that your actions correspond to the will of God and are pleasing before the Lord.

2) You need to make sure that your loved ones and brothers in faith will not stumble and be tempted by your actions in this regard. We are called to show love to our neighbors, and we need to consider how those who are less firm in faith will react to our actions.

3) You need to examine your heart whether you are acting by faith or not. Everything that is not of faith is a sin, so you need to decide what you can offer on the menu without any kind of doubt, and this will give you the opportunity to expect blessings from the Lord in this matter with a calm heart.

When you answer these questions, you will have no difficulty with what exactly to include on the menu and what ingredients to make certain dishes from.

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The righteous is saved from trouble, and instead of him the wicked falls into it. Explain what this means? GENA

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

A righteous person is a person who has received justification from God by faith and is in a right relationship with the Lord. To such a person, the Lord reveals dangers and calamities that can await people who deviate from the safe path of salvation, so that the righteous person can see the real state of things and go through the safe path designated by God, even when the forces of darkness are against him.

A wicked person is one who does not need the guidance and guidance of God. He is on his own mind and driven by sin and the desires of the flesh. Such paths will surely lead a person into trouble, even if he receives mercy from the Lord for the time being. Careless walking on the edge of the abyss will surely lead to disaster and death of the wicked, while the righteous will be preserved by God's grace, because they did not neglect the leadership of the Lord!!!

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And when the hour had come, He lay down, and the twelve Apostles with Him, and said to them: I longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you that I will no longer eat it until it is completed in the Kingdom of God. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he said, Take it and divide it among yourselves, for I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread and gave thanks, and broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:14-20) Here we see that there were two cups that the Lord Jesus gave to his disciples at the supper. Please, Anatoly, convey the deeper meaning of this action of two bowls, especially about the first bowl; what truth and what understanding is contained in it; how can we take it properly? North

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

About the second cup, which is the New Testament in the blood of Jesus, is described in detail in the material:. Concerning the first cup, this moment is generally forgotten, while it is not accidentally mentioned in Scripture. Therefore, we will consider what it means and why the Lord provided for its adoption. First, let's give it a name - "chalice of unity" , because the Lord commanded to accept it and divide it among themselves, which emphasizes the unity of the disciples.

Now consider what this bowl indicates. The Lord says in His word: "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will break the wineskins and flow out by itself, and the wineskins will be lost; but new wine should be poured into new wineskins; then both will be saved. And no one, having drunk the old [wine], will immediately want the new, for he says: the old is better" (Luke 5:37-39) - and this indicates what the disciples should take in the first place: instead of the old statement on the law we should share among ourselves the new teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ brought, accepting it into a new heart received at the new birth.

And the acceptance of this teaching should not be just theoretical knowledge, but as a basis for real life in practice, when the Lord fills the whole essence of our being: "The Lord is part of my inheritance and my cup. You hold my lot" (Ps. 15:5) .

Parallel to teaching, the cup of unity includes sharing with Jesus Christ in His sorrows for people. What does it mean? Let's look at Scripture first: “He said to them, What do you want me to do to you? They said to him, let us sit by you, one on your right hand and the other on your left in your glory. But Jesus said to them, you don’t know what you ask. Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They answered: we can. Jesus said to them: the cup that I drink, you will drink and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but let me sit on my right side and on my left - not from me [depends], but to whom it is prepared" (Mark 10:36-40) . So we will drink the cup that the Lord drank and be baptized with His baptism.

To understand how they differ, let's look at the example of the Lord when He drank His cup: "And he took with him Peter, James, and John; and began to dread and grieve. And said to them: my soul mourns to death; stay here and stay awake" (Mark 14:33,34) and further: " And He Himself departed from them a stone's throw, and, kneeling down, prayed, saying: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however, not my will, but yours be done. An angel appeared to him from heaven and strengthened him. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:41-44) - as we can see, this state of Jesus was different from the external sufferings, when He was interrogated, beaten, mocked and crucified, when at the same time He remained at peace of heart, this clearly indicates that the cup is the inner sorrows, horrors and disorder of people that the Lord experienced in His heart, bearing the inner pain from the state in which this world was. It is very difficult to explain, but it is precisely a part of such sorrows for people in our hearts that we are called to share with Christ.

The Apostle Paul said: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you and make up for the lack in my flesh of the sorrows of Christ for His Body which is the Church" (Col. 1:24) - when we take the cup of unity, then ready not only to empathize with people in their difficulties and show compassion , as written: "Rejoice with those who rejoice and cry with those who cry" (Rom.12:15) , but also to have the inner sorrow of Christ, which we endure not as part of our life's trials, but take part of the blow on ourselves, so that other Christians can have the opportunity to grow in faith and bear fruit, and unbelievers can have a chance to gain salvation: "Do we mourn, [mourn] for your comfort and salvation which is accomplished by enduring the same sufferings that we endure" (2 Corinthians 1:6) .

So, by participating in the acceptance of the cup of unity, we thereby testify that we are full of determination abide in the teachings of Christ in one thought and unanimity, be aware of your belonging to brothers and sisters , remaining indifferent to their lives, and share among themselves the sorrows of Jesus Christ for the Church for her growth in love and faith, as well as her multiplication in number by saving many more souls.

After the cup of unity, our hearts are already prepared to partake of the Body of the Lord in bread, by accepting which we testify that we are ready to share in His sufferings, being conformed to His death, that is, to be baptized with His baptism, dying to sin, the powers of darkness, the deeds of the flesh and my old self. And then we complete the supper with the acceptance of the Blood of Jesus Christ, to which we partake in a cup of wine - by this we not only partake of the Blood of Jesus by faith, but also express faith in the power of the New Testament, which is given to us for walking in a renewed life, guided by the Spirit Saints to fulfill the will of God in all its fullness!
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"Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth, it will be loosed in heaven" (Mat. 18:18) - how to understand and practically apply this verse in life, in which specific situations that God's action would actually be performed on a legal basis? Victoria

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

To understand the meaning of this passage of Scripture, we need to turn to the whole word of God, then we will have a fuller vision of what the Lord wanted to tell us:

15 He says to them, But who do you say that I am?
16 Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
17 Then Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonas, because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven ;
18 And I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it;
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven .

(Mat. 16:15-19)

15 If your brother sins against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone; if he listens to you, then you have gained your brother;
16 But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses.
17 But if he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you, like a pagan and a publican.
18 Truly I say to you: .
two of you will agree
20 for, .

(Mat. 18:15-20)

21 And Jesus said to them a second time, Peace be with you! as the Father sent me, [so] I am sending you.
22 Having said this, he blew, and said to them: receive the Holy Spirit .
23 To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain .

(John 20:21-23)

So, binding and loosening is necessarily preceded by the revelation of the Heavenly Father that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and He is the Lord of our lives. This revelation must become the stone of our affirmation, so that no attacks of the forces of darkness can overcome us.

Also the most important condition is the acceptance of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth, showing us the desires of God and His will for us. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not a single person is able to carry out all kinds of spiritual activities!

Some people believe that only a few people can bind and loose, but this is not true: Peter alone was promised this ability, and only then for a group of believers. In fact, it is more difficult for a few people to exercise this power, since they need to fulfill an additional condition: gather in the name of Jesus Christ (and not for yourself, your own interests, or just for the sake of communication, etc.) and have unity(having one heart and spirit, being in unanimity and harmony in their thoughts).

Therefore, it is not the number of people that determines the measure of the power of binding and loosening, but their ability to have living communion with the Holy Spirit and stay in unity with each other! It is better to have a couple of Christians with whom you have one heart than a thousand of those who are “on their own mind” and do not strive for unity based on the word of God!

Now let's consider the question of whether the heavens depend on our decisions or there is some other meaning. In fact, only binding or loosening under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will have a heavenly hold. If we do it without permission, then the Lord will not confirm this! But why was such an order given, if the decision in heaven does not depend on our power? The answer is very simple: the Lord decides that something must be bound or permitted, and He sends that guidance to His children through the Holy Spirit. They, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, exercise the authority given by the Lord, and God confirms in heaven that it was lawful and according to His will before the angels, to whom it is through the Church that the manifold wisdom of God is revealed.

In what cases is binding and resolution used? This mainly concerns two areas: relationships in the church and spiritual struggle.

In the first case, this concerns the ability to resolve conflict situations between Christians and judge whether someone is in sin, justifying it, or not. For example, in situations where there is a conflict between brothers or sisters in Christ, and they cannot resolve it, then a brother (or several brothers) more mature in spiritual age, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, should judge between them, indicating, according to the word of God, in than this or that brother needs to change his mind, repent of some sins and ask for forgiveness for some wrong behavior. If they listen, then the conflict will be settled. But if any of them continue to insist on their own, neglecting the word of God or distorting its meaning, then this authority must be exercised.

There are also people who, although they are not clearly in conflict with someone, nevertheless fall into errors or false teachings, starting to justify some sins and neglect certain commandments of God. Scripture says: "If anyone does not listen to our word in this message, keep him under notice and do not communicate with him to shame him. But do not consider him an enemy, but admonish him like a brother" (2 Thess. 3:14,15)- this is the first stage of binding, when a person is limited in confidential communication, his words for others can no longer be considered significant, on the contrary, the task of those communicating with him is to admonish him like a brother.

If a person is enlightened, then the ability to communicate with him is restored. But sometimes, unfortunately, everything happens differently - a person is not going to change his mind. Then you should act according to the word of God: “And I, absent in body, but present [with you] in spirit, have already decided, as if being with you: who has done such a thing, in your assembly in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in common with my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 5:3-5) and "But I wrote to you not to associate with one who, while calling himself a brother, remains a fornicator, or a covetous man, or an idolater, or a blasphemer, or a drunkard, or a predator; don't even eat with this. For why should I judge outsiders? Are you judging internally? Outsiders are judged by God. So cast out the perverted one from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:11-13) . That is, if a person considers it normal to be in sin, then it should be clearly stated that this person is already outside the protection of God and cannot be considered a brother (or sister) and is no longer part of the Church of Christ. Everything is again done under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This is the stronger principle of binding, when a person is excommunicated from the church, depriving himself of the right to be called a brother or sister, while Satan's hands are untied and given the right to lead to exhaustion the flesh of a former Christian so that he can realize his iniquities, stop justifying his beloved sins and turn from their delusions to the truth and return to their lost faith and salvation. Such measures are necessary in order to save the Church from the deceitfulness of those who are in sin and to give the person himself a chance to reflect on his condition and realize the seriousness of his situation, leading him straight to destruction.

If a person, through the sufferings of the flesh, finally understands that he was in the deception and hardening of the heart through the love of sins, he begins to lament and repent of his iniquities, wanting to turn back to the path of the true faith, then the person is again accepted into the fellowship of the saints as a prodigal son, because the Lord accepts every sinner who repents with all his heart. Thus the bonds of man are loosed, and the forces of darkness are bound in relation to him, since he has again turned from darkness to light. Again, this authority is exercised under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The second area where the power to bind and loose is used is spiritual warfare. The Lord points this out in Scripture as follows:

24 But when the Pharisees heard [this], they said: He does not cast out demons except by [the power of] Beelzebub, the prince of demons.
25 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided against himself: how can his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or how can anyone enter into the house of a strong man and plunder his things, unless he first binds the strong man? and then he will plunder his house .
30 He who is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with me, he squanders.

(Mat. 12:24-30)

1 And you, who are dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once lived according to the course of this world, according to [the will] of the prince of the power of the air , the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience

(Eph.2:1,2)

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,
12 because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spirits of wickedness in high places .

(Eph.6:11,12)

18 Truly I say to you: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven .
19 Truly I also say to you that if two of you will agree on earth to ask for any deed, whatever they ask, it will be for them from My Father in Heaven,
20 for, where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them .

(Mat. 18:18-20)

The forces of darkness keep unbelieving people in captivity, with all their might preventing them from turning to God and gaining eternal life. And in order for the property of the strong to be plundered, that is, the slaves of the demonic forces were freed, we need to tie them up in order to limit their influence on the personalities of the captives. We also loosen the bonds of human hearts in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that the strongholds of the powers of darkness do not obscure the light of the gospel for them, and they are able to hear the word of God.

How can spiritual warfare be carried out in this case, and who can conduct it? Unlike the first option, where power is applied in relation to people, not only brothers, but also sisters can bind the forces of darkness. But as before, the binding takes place directly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit by spiritually mature Christians. Again, this process is carried out as obedience to God, however, in this case, the consequence of this action is carried out in the sky of the earth - in the sphere of habitation of demonic forces that control this or that area.

The spiritual struggle against the forces of darkness that control any locality requires that we be able to soberly assess the state of personal faith and the spiritual authority that the Lord has endowed us with at this time. You need to be clear about your authority and not go beyond the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Lord says: "Or what king, going to war against another king, does not sit down and consult first whether he is strong with ten thousand to resist the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while he is still far away, he will send an embassy to him to ask for peace" (Luke 14:31,32) . And we must understand that, getting involved in spiritual battles, we will have a powerful opposition, which we may not be able to withstand.

Only the strongest can bind the strong, who by all means will try to resist his binding, trying to harm the attacker. Do we have enough strength from God? Are we ready for powerful opposition and counterattacks from the forces of darkness? Is there enough trust in God in our heart to overcome all the resistance of the enemy and win the victory by the power of the Holy Spirit?

Sometimes it is necessary to undergo various kinds of training and preparation for a certain time, strengthening spiritually, until the Lord can entrust such battles to us. After all, suffering for Christ, persecution, pressure from close people, misunderstanding and opposition on the part of believers, difficult external circumstances, sometimes life-threatening, blasphemy and bitterness of others, directed witchcraft, fiery temptations and other attacks of the forces of darkness should not shake our determination to fulfill the will of God in these battles, if we are among those to whom the promise of Jesus Christ applies: " He said to them: I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning; Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. " (Luke 10:18,19) .

Now let's define how binding and resolution are performed. In fact, our task is only to obedience to the Holy Spirit say the words , that limit, paralyze or destroy the actions, fruits and systems created by the forces of darkness in order to keep in slavery or under some kind of control human souls or their certain areas of life. According to the measure of authority and power that the Lord has given us, our words will influence and paralyze their activity.

Our power and efficiency is here depends on faith with which we speak the words of binding and prohibition, measures of obedience to God in what areas and which of the forces of darkness should be bound, personal walk in truth and sojourn in holiness (where we do not justify our sins and think in accordance with the word of God), as well as on how accurate our words will be (too generalized words like "in the name of Jesus Christ I bind the forces of darkness that are in this city" will not be as effective as those in which we bind specific forces, for example, drunkenness, drug addiction or avarice, ordering them to give up and not hold people, that are under their control).

Is it necessary to bind the forces of darkness periodically or is it enough to do it once? It depends on how the process of spiritual struggle takes place, what it is connected with and what our tasks are. For example, sometimes you need to bind the powers of darkness and then just trust that the Lord will take care of the rest. But in another case, we can enter into a whole process where, by binding the forces of darkness, we will then undergo an intensified counterattack of the spirits of evil in various areas of our life, and then, in order to show the firmness of our faith, we should continue to bind the forces of darkness until their resistance weakens, and we will not feel in the spirit the understanding from the Lord that we have won the victory.

After that, we can observe changes in the spiritual climate of the area where we waged a spiritual struggle, and more boldly proclaim the good news of salvation, declaring to people that they can get out of the bondage of sin and the powers of darkness, thereby resolving their bonds with the word of faith, just as the Lord says in Scripture:

8 Thus says the Lord: in an acceptable time I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you; and I will guard you, and I will make you a covenant of the people, to restore the land, to restore to the heirs of the heritage that was desolate,
9 say to the prisoners, "come out," and to those in darkness, "show yourself." . They will feed by the roads, and their pastures will be on all the hills;
10 they will not endure hunger and thirst, nor will the heat and the sun strike them; for He who has mercy on them will guide them and bring them to springs of water.
11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my roads will be raised up.
12 Behold, some will come from afar; and behold, some from the north and the sea, and others from the land of Blue .
13 Rejoice, heavens, and rejoice, earth, and shout, mountains, for joy; for the Lord comforted his people and had mercy on his sufferers.

(Isaiah 49:8-13)

In general, this is a very extensive topic, which has many features, so you should be careful and not take any hasty and frivolous steps in this area. We must act strictly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit within the framework of the word of God, then we can count on a victory that will not be in vain, but will contribute to the fulfillment of the will of God on this earth!

16 With alien gods they provoked Him, and with abominations they angered Him:
17 They offered sacrifices to demons, and not to God, to gods they did not know, new gods [who] came from neighbors and which your fathers did not think about.
18 And you forgot the Intercessor who gave birth to you, and you did not remember God who created you.
19 The Lord saw, and in his indignation despised his sons and his daughters,
20 and said, I will hide my face from them [and] see what their end will be; for they are a perverted generation; children in whom there is no fidelity;
21 They have provoked Me with things other than God; they have provoked Me with their vain things; and I will provoke them with a people other than a people;
22 For fire is kindled in my anger, it burns down to the hell of the underworld, and devours the earth and its products, and burns the foundations of the mountains;
23 I will gather calamity on them, and I will exhaust my arrows on them:
24 [they will] be exhausted by hunger, destroyed by fever and fierce infection; and I will send upon them the teeth of wild beasts, and the poison of those that crawl on the ground;
25 Outside, their sword will destroy, and in houses, terror will destroy both the young man and the maiden, and the suckling child, and the old man covered with gray hair.
26 I would say, I will scatter them and blot out the memory of them from among the people;
27 But he put it aside for the sake of embittering his enemies, so that his enemies would not think of him and say: Our hand is high, and the Lord did not do all this.
28 For they are a people who have lost their minds, and have no meaning in them.
29 Oh, that they would judge, think about this, understand what will happen to them!
30 How could one persecute a thousand, and two drive away darkness, if their Advocate had not betrayed them, and the Lord had not given them up!
31 For their intercessor is not like our intercessor; the enemies themselves are our judges in that.
32 For their grapes are from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their berries are poisonous, their clusters are bitter;
33 their wine is the poison of dragons and the fatal poison of asps.
34 Is this not hidden with me? is it not sealed in my storehouses?
35 I have vengeance and recompense when their foot is shaken; for the day of their destruction is near; soon will come what is prepared for them.
36 But the Lord will judge his people, and have mercy on his servants, when he sees that their hand is weakened, and there are neither prisoners nor those left [outside].
37 Then [the Lord] will say: Where are their gods, the stronghold in which they hoped,
38 who ate the fat of their offerings [and] drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, let them be a cover for you!
39 See now that I am I, and there is no God besides Me: I kill and I make alive, I strike and I heal, and no one will deliver from My hand.
40 I will lift up my hand to heaven and say, I live forever!
41 When I sharpen my shining sword, and my hand receives judgment, I will avenge my enemies and repay those who hate me;
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall be filled with flesh, with the blood of the slain and captives, with the heads of the chiefs of the enemy.
43 Rejoice, Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and render vengeance upon His enemies, and cleanse His land [and] His people!

(Deut. 32:15-43)

It clearly states in the prophetic word that Israel will grow fat and leave God. They will serve the gods, who are not really gods, but demonic forces that pretend to be gods. And the Lord decided to give them retribution, in which all the promises intended for the people of Israel will be received by faith by the Gentiles, who will not be a separate people, as Israel was, but at the same time they will still receive the status of the people of God, and this will not happen because the Gentiles they sought God and sought to know the truth, but simply by the grace of God, not understanding the greatness of this gift. This is what Paul says to the Roman church:

16 But not everyone obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says: Lord! who believed what they heard from us?
17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I ask: Have they not heard? On the contrary, their voice went through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
19 Again I ask: Did Israel not know? But the first Moses says: I will excite in you jealousy not by the people, I will irritate you by the foolish people.
20 And Isaiah boldly says: Those who did not seek Me found me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask about Me.
21 But he says of Israel, All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and stubborn people.

(Rom.10:16-21)

For Israel, the salvation of the Gentiles was a shocking phenomenon: they were able to receive for free what the Israelites could not achieve by any means. And this led some of the Jews to apostasy from God, and humbled others, revealing to them the ability to join the people of God, whom the Lord formed from all nations:

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, holy people, people taken as inheritance in order to proclaim the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 once not a people, but now the people of God; [once] unpardoned, but now pardoned.

(1 Peter 2:9,10)

11 Remember therefore that you who were once Gentiles according to the flesh, who were called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcised by the carnal [circumcision] done by hands,

12 that at that time you were without Christ, alienated from the society of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and being godless in the world. Yes Not

If we, or even an angel from heaven, preach to you not what we preached to you, let it be anathema ().

Our time can be characterized as an era of violent flowering of all kinds of sects and cults. Although distortions of the Christian faith (heresy) began to appear since apostolic times and even then were a problem for the Church, however, some of the modern false teachings are especially dangerous because of their aggressiveness and the huge material resources that they spend on spreading their teachings. They are especially dangerous because although they are extremely anti-Christian in their teaching, however, they widely use many Christian ideas and Christian terminology, referring to the authority of Jesus Christ and quoting the Bible, which seduces gullible people. Such militant anti-Christian teachings include Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Moonies, and New Age teachings.

While Roman Catholics and Protestants of various denominations (Lutherans, Baptists, Episcopalians, Adventists and the like) distort individual faiths, these newer, so to speak fourth and fifth "generation" sects pass off their fictional ideas as the original Christian teaching. Referring to the Bible, they unscrupulously distort its meaning and arbitrarily juggle the texts, adjusting them to their teaching. Some of these cults, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, have even gone so far as to change the very text of the Bible in places to suit their teachings, and the Mormons have added their own Book of Mormon to the Bible, which they pass off as divinely revealed.

Although each cult can be traced to its specific characteristics and history, they all share, to a greater or lesser extent, the following common features:

All of them appeared relatively recently and are sects fourth or fifth generation, - that is, they arose in the bowels of another sect, which in turn arose from some other previous one, etc.

They deny or significantly distort the basic truths of Christianity: firstly, the Divinity of Jesus Christ, then - the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the redemption of people, eternal life and other truths of faith. But since they use Christian terminology, it is difficult for people who are not experienced in theology to understand how they actually damage Christian teaching.

Contribute amendments to Scripture in the form of arbitrary translations or additions to it, which are passed off as divinely revealed.

They often have occult roots and receive revelations from various spirits.

customized extremely militant against the historical Church of Christ.

Wear dominant stamp of its founder who is passed off as a prophet.

Are under despotic under the control of their leaders and are held together by iron discipline.

They have huge financial resources that send for their distribution.

Upon closer examination, one finds serious moral violations on the part of their founders and leading leaders (sins of fornication, deceit, greed, pride and despotism).

Sect of Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most active propaganda organizations of our time. They flood the world both with their literature and with persistent enthusiastic preachers who go from door to door and convince people to join their teaching. They are especially successful among people who, in principle, respect the Christian faith, but have not received a religious upbringing. According to their own estimate, there are over three million Jehovah's Witnesses in the world. No wonder one of the former Jehovah's Witnesses called this cult "the most effective delusion of our time." If you happen to run into one of their preachers, then you will probably agree that the arguments of the witnesses sometimes sound logical. And if he did not shake your views, then in any case he could cause doubt in what you have hitherto taken as truth.

History of the witness sect

The Jehovah's Witnesses sect was founded by Charles T. Russell in the 1980s. Both he and his successors ruled the society of Jehovah's Witnesses with absolute power and left the imprint of their personality and their interpretation of the Bible on it. Therefore, according to the number of presidents, four periods can be traced in the evolution of the Society: 1) the period of Charles Russell, the founder of the sect (1872-1916); 2) the Judge Joseph Rutherford period (1917–1942), 3) the Nathan Khor period (1942–1977), and 4) the Fredrik Franz period (1977–1992). And since the Witnesses claim that God Himself is the author of their teaching, it is important to compare the varieties of their teaching in these four periods. This reveals the astonishing fact that every president of the Society understood the Bible precisely in my own way and often in contradictions with previous Presidents of the Society. This fact alone suggests that the assertion of the Jehovists that he is the author of their teaching is absurd, because God cannot contradict Himself. In other words, the Society is not led by God, but deluded people.

Founder of the Society Charles Russell(Charles T. Russell), having been brought up in Presbyterianism, he abandoned this doctrine as a young man and joined the Congregationalists, also, however, not for long. Later he became acquainted with the preaching of the Seventh-day Adventists. Then faith in the divine content of the Holy Scripture flared up in him, and Russell began to preach their doctrine. However, he also had to part with the Adventists on the basis of disagreements over the form of the Second Coming. Russell broke with them "in the firm conviction that no one before him had been able to correctly understand the Scriptures and that God had called him to explain to people its true meaning."

In 1879, Russell founded Zion's Watchtower magazine, and in 1881, the Watchtower Society, the immediate forerunner of today's Jehovah's Witnesses. During this time he began the publication of his seven-volume Study of the Scriptures ( Studies in the Scriptures), which he placed above Scripture itself. Russell claimed that The study came from God through the illumination of the Holy Spirit and is absolutely necessary for believers to understand the Scriptures correctly (Studies in Scriptures, vol. 7, 1918). He warned his followers that if any of them stopped reading it The study and begins to study the Bible directly, he will soon plunge into darkness. And vice versa, if a person has never even read the Bible, but only his The study, then he will remain in constant light. In other words, Russell taught that a new divinely inspired interpreter of Scripture is needed for its correct understanding, and that he, Russell, is this God-chosen teacher.

However, the modern teaching of the Tower Society clearly contradicts many of Russell's original tenets and "divine interpretations". It is not Russell, but the Society itself, that is now recognized as the inspired interpreter of the Bible, and it claims the same authority as Russell, namely, that only his understanding of the Bible is correct and that self-study of the Bible leads to darkness and heresy. Yes, their official magazine "Tower" denounces those “who say it is enough to study the Bible independently at home or in small home groups... Through such Bible study, they again fell into the apostate doctrines of the Christian clergy” ( The Watchtower, Aug. 15 1981).

It is curious that the Tower Society itself admits that if a person studies the Bible on his own, he will invariably come to the traditional Christian teaching. Nevertheless, Russell's writings, which he declared absolutely necessary for a correct understanding of the Scriptures, are currently ignored by the Society.

Although Russell's followers kept growing, his own life was going downhill. In 1912, Russell sued a Baptist pastor for libel. However, when considering his claim, he himself was exposed in a lie, because he could not name the letters of the original text of the New Testament, although he declared under oath that he knew the Greek language perfectly. In addition, it turned out at the trial that although Russell claimed the title of pastor, no one ordained him, and, therefore, he is an impostor. Further trouble ensued a year later, when his wife won a divorce suit against him, bringing charges against him as "insane pride, tyranny and inappropriate behavior with strangers." A little later, his dishonest dealings with "wonderful" wheat surfaced, which brought Russell a large cash income.

Such is the moral image of the founder of the sect of witnesses. Russell, who wrote seven volumes of Bible Interpretation, did not know any Biblical language, did not attend any theological school, was unfamiliar with philosophy, and completed only seven grades of elementary school. But he compensated for his ignorance with exorbitant aplomb.

Russell died in 1916. He was succeeded as leader of the new movement by a well-known lawyer and "judge" Joseph Rutherford(Joseph F. Rutherford), former Baptist and member of the Watch Tower Society from 1906. Under Rutherford, the organization became even more authoritarian. He ushered in an "era of change" by ignoring, modifying, and outright denying many of Russell's claims. Rutherford justified his changes with a "progressive revelation" which supposedly pushed him to shed "new light" on the ideas of his predecessor (Edmond Gruss, Apostles of Denial...Grand Rapids, MI 1972). For this reason, many of Russell's former followers, realizing that Rutherford had disowned his predecessor, left the Society. They believed that Russell was inspired from above and that therefore changing his teaching was tantamount to denying God. However, most of the members of the Society unquestioningly submitted to the changed teaching.

To get rid of the tarnished reputation of its founder, the members of the Society in 1931 began to be called Jehovah's Witnesses. The focus of the Jehovists' activity shifted from the study of the Scriptures to mass recruitment of new members. The Guardian Tower magazine began to be distributed free of charge on the streets. The tone of their sermons became sharper: Rutherford sharply denounced all forms of organized and aroused in his followers open hostility to all Christian churches.

During the third period, under the leadership Nafana Khor(Nathan H. Khorr, 1942-1977) The membership of the Society increased rapidly. Khor organized the Gilead Watchtower School. He expanded missionary work on a global scale, opening chapters throughout the world. Much attention was paid to the training of preachers in the specific understanding of the Bible, and publishing activities also expanded significantly.

During the reign of N. Khor, in 1950, a new translation of the Bible into English was made, known as the "New World Translation" ( New World Translation). The names of translators are kept in the strictest confidence. The text of this translation has been altered in many places to suit the teaching of the Witnesses. However, all major biblical scholars and experts in ancient languages ​​do not agree with this translation of Scripture, calling it inaccurate and tendentious.

President's board Frederick Franz(Frederick W. Franz, 1977-1992) can be described as an "era of crisis" because thousands of the Society's followers, becoming more familiar with the history and methods of the Society, became convinced that it was not a Divine organization and left it.

Even President Franz's nephew, Raymond, became disillusioned with the Tower Society. In his book Crisis of Conscience ( Crisis of Conscience) he proves in detail why the Society of the Tower does not dare to claim to be divinely revealed. As one of the Society's key leaders, Raymond exposes many of the secret machinations of the sect's rule. He paints a portrait of an authoritarian group of people who do not hesitate to use any means to keep power in their hands and give themselves the appearance of prophets, inspired from above. Raymond confirms his conviction that this society is not from God with the following facts: (1) perversion of the Biblical texts; (2) a heap of false prophecies; (3) abrupt changes in the creed of the sect; (4) lying and patronizing vices; (5) destruction of family ties. Here he also notes that many of the leaders of the sect are very poorly versed in the Bible. The whole emphasis is not on loyalty to God, but on loyalty to the Society. Society practices the method of threats against those who dare to question its authority.

But, unfortunately, many more naive people fall for the bait of aggressive Jehovists who promise to give answers to all religious questions, promise a way out of personal troubles and praise their own moral advantages.

Features of the sect

Since 1909, the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses has been located in New York, Brooklyn. Local groups (over 20,000 in number) refer to their centers as "Kingdom Palaces." They do not have the concept of priesthood, each active participant in the cult is called a "servant". Those who give their all to work for the organization are called "top publishers." Currently, the sect of witnesses is gaining strength in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Jehovah's Witnesses persistently recruit followers: they knock on houses and apartments, distribute literature, and stop passers-by on the streets. In addition, they are distinguished by a number of other curious features: they refuse blood transfusions (considering this a kind of cannibalism), they refuse to observe any holidays, religious or civil, be it Christmas, Thanksgiving and birthdays. They condemn saluting the national flag and serving in the armed forces, recognizing only their own organization as legitimate.

A lot of criticism was caused by the Jehovah's translation of Scripture, with which they want to replace the real biblical text. This translation is recognized as not corresponding to the original due to many distortions. Moreover, on the basis of this mistranslation, Jehovists make a whole heap of false predictions, which they declare to be divine prophecies. So, for example, they postponed the prediction of the end of the world many times to ever later dates: from 1877 to October 1914, then 1925, then successively 1930, 1931, 1933 ... Only for the period from 1940 to 1943 they Changed their doomsday dates 44 times! Moreover, repeated fiascos with predictions do not bother them at all, and they continue to set new dates. These and other fabrications of the witnesses, presented as divine prophecies, show how false their claim to direct God's revelation and all their teachings are.

But all these failures do not in the least weaken the aggressiveness of the sect of witnesses. The Tower magazine currently has a total circulation of 17.8 million copies in 106 languages, and their Awake! – 15.6 million copies in 34 languages.

In their distortion of Christianity, the Jehovists have reached the absurd assertion that their own, so to speak, "bible" is replenished weekly by 32 pages - with each new issue of their magazine "Guard Tower". Such a dismissive attitude towards the sacred text is very characteristic of some modern cults. The Mormon sect, for example, puts its Book of Mormon on a par with the Holy Scriptures.

Delusions of Jehovah's Witnesses

The Witnesses distort so profoundly and fundamentally that their teaching cannot be called Christian. They reject the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Deity of Jesus Christ, the Deity of the Holy Spirit. Their teaching about the Resurrection of Christ, about the soul, about the afterlife, about the Second Coming, about eternal life has a completely different content, invented by them and non-Christian. It would be much more honest on their part not to refer to the Bible at all, but to preach their teaching as a new religion, which it actually is. But they unscrupulously use the authority of the Bible, the name of Christ and Christian terminology in order to more successfully catch gullible people in their nets who, although they know little about Christianity, respect it in principle.

The Deity of Christ and the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity

We Christians believe that God, being one in essence, is trinity in Persons, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one three-person God. In other words, just as the Father is true, eternal, and omnipotent God, so His Son is true, eternal, and omnipotent God, and the Holy Spirit is also true, eternal, and omnipotent God. And at the same time, not three, but one God - the Trinity consubstantial and inseparable. This is the faith we received from the apostles.

Jehovah's Witnesses reject this doctrine and call it "satanic" and "pagan fabrication." They ridicule Christian teaching and say that we believe in "three gods" or "a three-headed monster."

Denying the Trinity, Jehovists also deny the Divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, considering Him created, like angels, unreasonably identifying Him with the Archangel Michael. By this they repeat the old error of the Arians, whose teaching was examined in detail and rejected at the First Ecumenical Council in 325 in the city of Nicaea. The Jehovists claim that when Jesus became incarnate, He laid aside His spiritual existence and became an ordinary person. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, Jehovah God made Him the Christ—a prophet, high priest, and anointed one. Having completed the assigned task, Jesus dies, nailed to pillar(they exclude the traditional form of the cross as a disgusting pagan symbol). For this feat rewards Jesus with immortality. He resurrects Jesus by pulverizing His body into its constituent elements and recreating Him as a “glorious spirit” so that He can lead Jehovah's worldwide organization.

This heresy is substantiated by reference to their erroneous translation of the first verse of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was one of the gods” (i.e. the creature). It is correct to read here: "And the Word was God."

The topic of the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is detailed by us in the appendix to this brochure. Having become acquainted with the arguments we have cited, an impartial reader cannot but agree that all Holy Scripture unambiguously teaches about the Divinity of the Savior. Therefore, if Jehovah's Witnesses are so strongly mistaken in the most basic dogma of Christianity, then, consequently, all their further theological constructions are also erroneous and must be rejected as an ungodly heresy.

Resurrection of Christ and the afterlife

Sectarian guards do not accept the Christian doctrine of the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after the crucifixion. They teach about three "Jesus": before the incarnation, it was the archangel Michael, created by God. During the incarnation, Christ became an ordinary man, who then suffered and died, and thus ceased to exist. At the resurrection from the tomb, Jesus emerged as a new being, deified, but not by nature.

A terrible distortion of the basic Christian truth, is in full harmony with their general denial of the immortality of the soul and the afterlife. From the Adventists, Russell adopted the idea that all life ceases from the body. At the Second Coming of Christ, the righteous will supposedly be created anew, according to the qualities that God has recorded in His memory. This is similar to, for example, the construction of a new chair according to the surviving drawings of an old model. It is clear to us that this Jehovah's "resurrection" has nothing in common with Christian teaching.

The Christian faith teaches that, having left the body at the moment of death, the soul continues to think, feel and desire as before. of a person, memory, consciousness of “I”, are completely preserved in the soul of a person. Death is a kind of sleep for the body. At the resurrection from the dead, the soul of each person will be united with his former body, but renewed, and so the person will rise immortal and incorruptible, as he should have been according to the original plans of God.

The Second Coming and the Millennium

The theme of the Second Coming of Christ and the millennium kingdom on earth is the main one in the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses. After all, Russell's whole interest in religion actually began with an attempt to calculate the date of the coming of Christ. By not entirely clear mathematical calculations, he concluded that Christ would come in 1874. When this did not take place, Russell began to teach that Christ did come, but in an invisible (!) way, and is now in the airy region, where He was met by a small herd of faithful witnesses. According to his calculations, in 1914 the period of the Gentiles came to an end, and in the aerial realm, Satan began his fierce war against Christ and His saints. Russell called it the year of the battle of Armageddon, after which Christ was to descend to earth. When this did not happen, the witnesses began to shift the date of the apparent coming to 1916, 1918 1924, 1928 and so on. Finally, "Judge" Rutherford came up with the ingenious explanation that the battle of Armageddon was postponed until Jehovah's Witnesses had finished their worldwide sermon and warned all the nations of the earth of the impending danger.

Correcting Russell, Rutherford taught that the devil was so embittered by Christ's accession that he started World War I, which ended only when the "cleansing of the Temple of Jehovah" took place in 1918 (opinion differs on exactly what this means). At the same time, the dead from the anointed elite were allegedly "recreated" and they joined the Lord in heaven. Since that time, Christ continues to judge the peoples, separating the "sheep" from the "goats", this process will end with the battle of Christ with in Armageddon (), a terrible and final battle for total destruction. Together with the devil, all world religious organizations, Christian and others, symbolized by the Whore of Babylon () will fight against Jehovah. This last battle is about to begin, so we urgently need to "enlighten" as many people as possible: after all, everyone who follows the devil against Jehovah's Witnesses will be exterminated.

The Witnesses base their doctrine of the battle of Armageddon and the millennial kingdom on a peculiar interpretation of the book of Revelation, especially its 20th chapter. It is known that the book of Revelation is deeply mysterious. It is full of symbolic visions and allegories, in which deep Divine secrets are hidden behind visible images, names and numbers. Therefore, it is wrong to take individual passages out of its context and interpret them literally. Under the thousand-year reign of the saints, Orthodoxy teaches us to understand not the political state of the future, but throughout the life of the Church beginning with the resurrection of Christ and ending with the end of the world. A thousand years is not an exact number, but a long period. We all live and participate in the events of the current “thousand-year” period. This is how the Orthodox understands the 20th chapter of the book of Revelation. See our brochures "Christian Doctrine of the End of the World" and "Knowledge of the Bible - The Book of Revelation".

All the misconceptions of the witnesses related to the Second Coming and what will happen after it directly follow from their disbelief in the immortality of the soul. According to Russell and his followers, man does not have an independent soul, since his body is the soul, and the soul is the body. When a person dies, he ceases to exist. There is no immortal soul. Died - and the person is gone. Russell argued that the words of Christ, spoken to the thief on the cross: "I say to you: today you will be with me in paradise" should be translated differently, namely: "Today I tell you, you will be with me in paradise." Amazing audacity on the part of a man who not only did not understand the original Greek language in which the Gospel was written, but did not even know the Greek alphabet!

According to Russell, in the millennium, resurrected, or rather recreated people, will be given a "second chance" under the terms of the New Covenant. Thus real life is not the only one. The Bible, of course, promises nothing of the kind. On the contrary, she says that “A man must die one day, and then judgment”(Heb. 9:27). The Witnesses insist that under the millennium it will be possible to live life again and correct your previous mistakes. Everything will depend on how a person will behave in new, more favorable conditions.

According to Russell, after the Judgment, people will be divided into three classes. The first class, consisting of 144,000 chosen Jehovah's Witnesses, will be taken to heaven and will reign there in an incorporeal state with Christ-Michael and govern the lives of people left on earth. Now the question is: if, according to their teaching, the number of 144 thousand was already recruited in 1935, then where will the rest of the witnesses who joined the Society after 1935 go? Why should they preach and work when they will not be among the privileged anyway?

The second class of "resurrected" will consist of the rest of the saved Jehovah's Witnesses. They will remain on earth in their body and will not be able to inherit the kingdom of heaven. On earth they will enjoy complete peace, prosperity, they will not suffer from wars or diseases. There will be no death. They will be able to marry and multiply and populate the earth. But what will happen to the earth because of the continuous growth of the population, when no one dies, is left to the imagination of the reader.

The rest, the third class, unworthy of life on earth will be destroyed along with Satan and his spirits. Witnesses deny both hell and eternal torment in the afterlife. According to their teaching, the dead simply cease to exist. The passages of the Bible that speak of hell and fiery hell, they interpret allegorically, and they call the Christian teaching about this a pagan myth.

In general, the whole teaching of the Witnesses about salvation is arbitrary and full of contradictions. They teach that Christ "did not bring a full atonement for sins, but only enabled man to earn salvation now or in the future millennium." There is nothing like it in the Bible. Scripture teaches that all people are called to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible does not make any "castes" of the saved. Moreover, salvation is not limited to some period of time (1000 years). Salvation begins from the moment a person turns to Christ and extends to all eternity. “Truly I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not go into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”().

A certain inconsistency is observed in other points of the dogma of this sect. The tower guards have changed their sharply negative attitude towards vaccination and are now allowed to be vaccinated. The leadership of the Watchtower spread the understanding of infallibility in matters of dogma from the first president of the sect to the entire modern leadership apparatus. At one time, the Jehovists officially asserted that the works of the first president now have no practical significance, but then they returned to them again, declaring them "prophetic." The official interpretation of the image of an angel in the 9th chapter of Revelation as Satan was later interpreted as the image of Jesus Christ. At an early stage, the Jehovists had nothing against the transfusion of blood to the sick, now they are irreconcilable to this. First the witnesses recognized the veneration of Jesus Christ, now they reject it. Originally, the resurrection of the dead was for everyone, but now only for some. Previously, Israel was perceived in the literal sense of a certain nation, and now is comprehended by Jehovists as a spiritual community, regardless of the nation. The understanding of Armageddon, the date of the Second Coming, the date of the millennial kingdom and the features of this kingdom were changed by them several times. These and similar changes in dogma show that the leadership of the sect by now, apparently, has become confused in its own fabrications, so that now it is very problematic for an ordinary sectarian to understand what is now presented as truth. This was among the important reasons why about 1 million Jehovah's Witnesses left the sect in the last ten years. Although the Witnesses openly oppose the established state structures, calling them diabolical institutions, when it suits them, they themselves turn to the protection of the state.

Influence of the occult

Even the apostle Paul warned Christians to be careful with any new revelations: “Even if we or an angel from heaven began to preach to you not what we preached to you, let him be anathema”(). Deeper acquaintance with the teaching of the witnesses, we find in it much in common with what modern spirits broadcast through their mediums (channalers).

Indeed, even "Judge" Rutherford claimed that angels assisted in the compilation of their periodical, saying that "God through His angels provides for His people to receive the necessary information in time" (J.F. Rutherford, Prophecy WBTS, Watchtower Bible and Track Society, 1929, riches, 1936, pp. 316; Vindication, 1932, p. 250). On another occasion, he confessed that "the holy spirit" ceased to be his teacher, as he was replaced by angels who inspired him with the necessary thoughts (The Watchtower, Sept. 1930 p. 263, Feb. 1 1935 p. 41).

The fourth president of the society, F. Franz, also speaks of angels leading the Tower Society. He said: “We believe that the angels of God guide Jehovah’s Witnesses” (William and Joan Cetnar, Questions for Jehovah""s Witnesses, Kunkletown PA 1983, 55). Tower magazine claims that angels enlighten, comfort, and bring fresh truth, and communicate revelation to "God's anointed people." Elsewhere, the magazine claims that "Jehovah's Witnesses today are reporting the good news of the kingdom under the direct guidance of angels" (The Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1972, p. 200).

Witness leaders do not even hesitate to use the terminology new century when they claim to be God's guides ( channels of communication) that are actively transmitting ( channel) revelation. In other words, they openly admit to being mediums (The Watchtower, Dec. 1 1981 p. 27). In the April 1972 issue of their magazine on page 200, they claim that they receive all spiritual guidance from invisible angels, that the very name "Jehovah's Witnesses" and their teaching about the invisible coming of Christ in 1914 were communicated to them (channeled, mediumistic way) through invisible angels ( Tower, Dec. 15, 1987 p. 7). Similar statements can be found in the journal Tower, March 1 1972 p. 155, Aug. 1 1987 p. 19).

These and other frank confessions of the leaders of the Society about the "angelic" revelation convince us that their teaching is not from God, as St. Paul warned: “The (Holy) Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons”().

Conclusion

The persistent house-to-house visits of Jehovah's preachers to attract new members, as well as the mass distribution of their literature in many languages, contributed to the fact that from a small group of people studying the Bible, the sect grew into a multi-million dollar organization with unlimited material resources. The leadership of the sect is carried out by a small group of leaders of the Society, who arbitrarily and categorically determine both the dogma and the policy of the sect.

A cursory review of all the absurdities of the doctrine of the Witnesses, full of contradictions and nonsense, leads to bewilderment how it is possible that it still exists and spreads. Spiritually, their whole system is complete bankruptcy. One can reread the entire vast collection of writings by Russell, Rutherford and their successors, and not find in them the slightest mention of the basic Christian virtues - humility, repentance, mercy. There is not a word about love for God or neighbor, there is no mention of the development of stamina, the suppression of passions, the bearing of the cross, the narrow path to the Kingdom of Heaven. The whole emphasis is: “Read, believe and sell Russell-Rutherford books, speak of God as Jehovah and all churches and governments as Antichrist. Do this and you will be saved!”

The teaching of the witnesses that "God never punishes in this life or in the next" opens the way to licentiousness and sin. No matter how you live now, it makes no difference to eternal life. Everyone will be given a second chance. And if you find yourself unworthy of the reward there, then you simply cease to exist. You will pass painlessly into oblivion.

Witnesses arbitrarily manipulate the Holy Text, completely ignoring historical facts and the most elementary rules of exegesis, literary logic and consistency. They deny the most important Christian truths - the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus Christ, the immortality of the soul, while other truths - about the resurrection, the Last Judgment and eternal life - are distorted beyond recognition.

Jehovah's Witnesses are preparing very seriously for the meeting of Armageddon, after which they expect the onset of a thousand-year earthly kingdom. The measure of their zeal is the energy with which they, combing quarter after quarter, spread their teachings. Every year they give away 150 million free copies of books and pamphlets in 106 languages. This organization does not allow the passivity of its members, but tries to conquer the world, using colossal means and the latest methods of propaganda.

The prophet Isaiah describes the feat of the voluntary self-abasement of the Messiah: There is no form or majesty in Him. And we saw Him, and there was no form in Him that would draw us to Him. He was despised and humbled before men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with sickness. And we turned our faces away from Him. He was despised and regarded as nothing. But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. And we thought that He was smitten, punished and humiliated by God. But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities. The punishment of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. We all wandered like sheep, each turned to his own way, and the Lord laid on Him the sins of all of us. He was tormented, but suffered voluntarily and did not open His mouth. From bondage and judgment He was taken. But his generation, who will explain?" (Ch.). With these final words, the prophet addresses the consciences of those who will reject their Savior, and, as it were, says to them: you turn away with contempt from the mocked and suffering Jesus, but understand that it is because of you sinners that He suffers so hard. Look into His spiritual beauty, and then, perhaps, you will be able to understand that He came to you from the heavenly world.

But voluntarily humiliating Himself for our salvation, the Lord nonetheless gradually revealed the secret of His unity with God the Father to those who were able to rise above the rough ideas of the crowd. For example, He said to the Jews: “I and the Father are one... He who has seen Me has seen the Father... The Father abides in Me and I am in the Father... All that is Mine is Yours (the Father) and Yours is Mine... We (the Father and the Son) will come and dwell with let's make it"(). These and other similar expressions clearly point to His divine nature.

Now we should clarify another, very important question related to this: where did Caiaphas, many Jews and even demons (!) Could get the idea that the Messiah would be the Son of God? There is only one answer here: from the Old Testament Holy Scripture. That's it paved the way for this faith. Indeed, even King David, who lived a thousand years before the birth of Christ, in three psalms calls the Messiah God (Psalms 2, 44 and 109). The prophet Isaiah, who lived 700 years before Christ, revealed this truth even more clearly. Predicting the miracle of the incarnation of the Son of God, Isaiah wrote: “Behold, the Virgin in the womb will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name: Emmanuel”, What means: " God with us". And a little further on the prophet even more definitely reveals the Properties of the Son who was to be born. : “And they will call His name: Wonderful, Counsellor, God is strong, Father of eternity... " (). Such names cannot be applied to anyone but to God. The prophet Micah also wrote about the eternity of the Child who had to be born (see:).

The prophet Jeremiah, who lived about two hundred years after Isaiah, calls the Messiah "Lord" ( Holy Scripture, could not hesitate to recognize in Christ the true Son of God (see the pamphlet "Old Testament about the Messiah" about this). It is remarkable that even before the Nativity of Christ, the righteous Elizabeth greeted the Virgin Mary, who was expecting the Child, with the following solemn greeting: “Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb! And where does it come from to me that Mother came my Lord to me"(). It is clear that the righteous Elizabeth could have no other Lord than the One whom she had served since childhood. As Ap. Luke, Elizabeth said this not from herself, but from inspiration from the Holy Spirit.

Having firmly assimilated faith in the Divinity of Christ, the apostles planted this faith in Him and among all peoples. With the revelation of the Divine nature of Jesus Christ, the Evangelist John begins his Gospel:

"In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God

And the Word was God...

Everything came into being through Him.

And without Him, nothing began to be that began to be...

And the Word became flesh

and settled among us,

full of grace and truth...

And we have seen His glory

Glory like the only begotten from the Father

No one has ever seen God;

only begotten son, who is in the bosom of the Father,

He revealed (God) "().

Name of the Son of God Word more than other names reveals the secret of the inner relationship between the First and Second Persons of the Most Holy Trinity - God the Father and God the Son. Indeed, the thought and the word are different from each other in that the thought resides in the mind, and the word is the expression of the thought. However, they are inseparable. There is no thought without a word, no word without a thought. Thought is, as it were, a hidden word within, and the word is the expression of thought. The thought, embodied in the word, conveys the content of the thought to the listeners. In this regard, thought, being an independent beginning, is, as it were, the father of the word, and the word is, as it were, the son of thought. Before thought it is impossible, but it does not come from somewhere outside, but only from thought and with thought remains inseparable. Similarly, the Father, the greatest and all-encompassing Thought, produced from His bowels the Son-Word, His first Interpreter and Messenger (according to St. Dionysius of Alexandria).

About the Divinity of Christ the apostles spoke with all clarity: “We know that the Son of God has come and given us light and understanding so that we may know the true God and may we abide in true His Son Jesus Christ"(). Born from the Israelites "Christ according to the flesh God who is over all" (). “We look forward to the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ”(). “If the Jews had known [the wisdom of God], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (). “In Him (Christ) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (). "Unquestioningly - the great mystery of piety: God appeared in the flesh" (). That the Son of God is not a creation, but Creator that he is immeasurably superior to all the creatures he created, the apostle Paul proves in detail in the 1st and 2nd chapters of his epistle to the Jews. Angels are only ministering spirits.

It must be remembered that calling the Lord Jesus Christ God - Theos - in itself speaks of the fullness of the Godhead. "God", from the point of view of the logical, philosophical, can not be "second degree", "lower level", limited. The properties of the Divine nature are not subject to convention, reduction. If "God", then wholly, not partially.

Only thanks unity Persons in God can combine in one sentence the names of the Son and the Holy Spirit along with the name of the Father, for example: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."(). "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all"(). "Three bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one"(). Here the apostle John emphasizes that Three are one - one Being.

Note: It is necessary to clearly distinguish between the concept of "person" and the concept of "essence". The word “person” (hypostasis, person) denotes a person, “I”, self-consciousness. The old cells of our body die off, new ones replace them, and consciousness refers everything in our life to our “I”. The word "essence" speaks of nature, nature, physis. In God, one essence and three Persons. Therefore, for example, the Son and God the Father can talk to each other, make a joint decision, one speaks, the other answers. Each Person of the Trinity has its own personal properties, in which It differs from another Person. But all Persons of the Trinity have one Divine nature. The Son has the same divine attributes as the Father and the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity reveals to people the inner, mysterious life in God, which is actually inaccessible to our understanding, but at the same time necessary for the correct faith in Christ.

Jesus Christ has one Person (hypostasis) - the Face of the Son of God, but two essences - Divine and human. In His Divine essence, He is equal to the Father - eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, etc.; according to the human nature he assumed, He is like us in everything: He grew, developed, suffered, rejoiced, hesitated in decisions, etc. The human nature of Christ includes soul and body. The difference is that His human nature is completely free from sinful corruption. Since the same Christ is both God and man at the same time, Holy Scripture speaks of Him either as God or as a man. Even more than that, sometimes human properties are attributed to Christ as God (), and sometimes Divine properties are attributed to Him as a person. There is no contradiction here, because we are talking about one Person.

Taking into account the clear teaching of the Holy Scriptures about the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, in order to stop any reinterpretation of the word Son of God and belittling His Divine dignity, decreed that Christians should believe:

"In the one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

The only begotten, born of the Father before all ages.

Light from Light true god from

true God, begotten , not created,

consubstantial with the Father (one essence with God the Father),

by which all things were created."

The Arians objected especially vehemently to the word consubstantial, because it could not be interpreted in any other way than in the Orthodox sense, namely, that it is recognized true God, equal in all things to God the Father. For the same reason, the fathers of the Council insisted that this word be included in.

Summing up what has been said, it must be said that faith in the Divinity of Christ cannot be planted in people's hearts either by quotations or formulas. Here you need personal faith, personal willpower. As it was two thousand years ago, so it will be until the end of the world: for many, Christ will remain " a stone of stumbling and a stone of stumbling... let the thoughts of their hearts be revealed.”(; ). It was pleasing to God by an attitude towards Christ to reveal the hidden direction of the will of each person. And then What He hid from the prudent and wise, He revealed to babes().

Therefore, this article does not aim to "prove" that Christ is God. It is impossible to prove this, like many other truths of faith. The purpose of this article is to help a Christian understand his faith in the Savior and give him the necessary arguments to defend his faith from heretics.

So, who, God or Man? - He God-Man. On this truth our faith must be established.

Probably, in every religion there is a group of fanatical believers, and there are also people who look more soberly at the teachings, at the leadership of their religion, and also do not want to go to extremes. But, it must be said, in some religions there are more fanatics, in others - much less. And if this fanaticism interferes with relatives or relatives, then it sometimes makes sense for them to develop tactics on how they could help such a believer look at the subject of their faith from other points of view and moderate their fanaticism, or even completely change their views and worldview.

Among the Jehovah's Witnesses there are also completely different people who have different views both on their faith, on the teachings of the organization (and at the same time do not advertise their unofficial views), and on why they are Jehovah's Witnesses. In part, I already wrote this in two topics: 1. “Why do people become Jehovah's Witnesses? A word about needs". 2. Why do people stop being Jehovah's Witnesses?

But, even if someone understands why exactly a person became a Jehovah's Witness, then this understanding may not help at all in overcoming the extreme points of view of a fanatical Witness.

So how can you help such people? And is it even possible?

First of all, it should be taken into account that it is useless in most cases to fight against fanaticism or stable views with various prohibitions or pressure. In addition, it is worth considering the peculiar thinking of many believers, in particular Jehovah's Witnesses - they are trained that "Satan" himself attacks their faith, even if this supposedly happens through people whom, according to the Witnesses, "Satan" uses in their purposes. Therefore, they will resist the pressure and will be very persistent in this, believing that they are fighting "Satan" himself or his attacks. This is how they were trained in the organization.

It seems to me that another way is much more effective - to ask questions that will call into question the correctness of biblical interpretations on the part of the leaders of the organization, the adequacy of certain actions of believing Witnesses and show that a number of things in this world clearly fall out of their understanding of the picture of the world. But doing all this is worth it not so much in the affirmative form, but in the form of questions that are well thought out and prepared.

Why questions? Because when a person is convinced that he knows some “truth”, that the Bible can explain almost everything in his picture of the world, when a person believes that God cannot be wrong or his decisions (as well as the decisions of the leaders of an organization that gives an understanding of the Bible "from God") cannot be harmful, but should only be for the good - such a person thinks that he knows the answers to almost all questions. In addition, the Witnesses believe that everything in the Bible is “coordinated” with them, that they know it perfectly (supposedly better than other believers and non-believers) and believe that they should “teach the truth” to everyone.

And therefore, they will either perceive the questions that you ask them as some kind of interest in their “truth”, or as some kind of “challenge” when they need to defend the “truth” and, moreover, convince themselves that they are really “in the truth.” that they can answer any question (or almost any) concerning the Bible, its interpretation, its "application" in life. The teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses are so rationalized that the simple certainty "we just believe it, although we cannot logically explain it" is usually absent. The Witnesses are taught that almost anything can be explained, especially in the area of ​​bible "consistency" and its logical interpretation, and consequently in the area of ​​interpretations of the doctrines they believe in as "biblical."

But in order to ask such questions and have such discussions at least from time to time, you need to be prepared yourself. To do this, it would be good to 1. Know what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and how they explain this or that doctrine. 2. Select good sources of information and critical analysis of the Bible or the teachings and activities of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Without the presence and study of sources from 2 points, you risk getting into a puddle pretty quickly. Although, in some cases, even a careful reading of the Bible with analytical skills may be enough. But, since in general there are not so many analysts in society, we will also consider the option with ready-made sources, where you can, as they say, “shoe”.

We must immediately make a reservation - it should be borne in mind that there are not so many sources with high-quality biblical analytics or criticism, at least in Russian. In other languages ​​- more, but even there you need to understand. Critical literature comes in very different qualities, even in a "scientific" environment. If you choose low-quality criticism, then again, you are likely to quickly get into a puddle or face a lot of denials or contradictions.

Atheistic-propaganda biblical "criticism", especially from the times of the USSR, is also hardly suitable. It is very original, intended for religiously uneducated people, and often written with the help of dubious arguments. Then, for a wide range of literature, no deep understanding of biblical nuances was required, and the authors were often unbelievers themselves and did not even understand how believing people could think, not to mention a deep study of the Bible or near-biblical history. Maybe there are such books from the times of the USSR, but I have not yet met such books.

But translated books by foreign scholars and researchers with dozens of years of experience in studying biblical texts are already available in Russian. Yes, and some studies are not translated, but those originally written in Russian are also available.
And if you read these sources (at least in the amount of several books, websites, several or several dozen articles) - you can get very good at talking with a Witness.

At the same time, I am convinced that it is not worth using the interpretation of the bible of other religions as some kind of “truth” and arguing about which interpretation is more correct with the Witness. Most likely, the discussion will turn into a dispute, where the Witness will do his best to prove that the understanding of the Bible by his leaders-ideologists (and therefore him too) is the most correct. The problem usually lies in the fact that in biblical texts there are a lot of contradictory and ambiguous words or phrases that some religions interpret in one way, others in another way, trying to reject any “contradiction” and in order to somehow “harmonize” these or those conflicting meanings. Therefore, these religions have always argued and will argue. And it’s much easier to have a conversation if you understand what exactly your interlocutor considers “dogma” or “correct understanding”, and what he never considered and will not consider as such.

If we talk about sources that I consider worthy and of quite high quality, I will definitely I will publish soon, both with titles and links for downloading or reading on the internet. It is possible that later I will expand this list even more, but even it will already be enough for good conversations with a Witness (and not only a Jehovah's Witness) regarding the Bible.

It is best to choose moments for questions or conversations when a person is more in a position to calmly think or talk. Don't do it aggressively. Because then it is emotions that will play a role that will not allow a person to approach critically. Or you can simply raise the issue and give the person time to prepare for discussion or to think. This is very good. A person will be able to try to prepare the arguments (or lack of them) that his leaders should provide him through reference literature. Now it has become much easier to search in the literature with the help of computer technology than only in paper form. So let him dig, let him search, let him try to find an answer to a question or a refutation of some information.

But here it is worth considering that people become Jehovah's Witnesses and continue to be Jehovah's Witnesses for completely different reasons. And by no means always the questions of doctrine and their truth are the most important for people. Many cling to religion because of society, someone because they can somehow show themselves there, someone because of a long career, although he may not already believe in all the teachings so much, who for other reasons.

And in general, if a person is satisfied with everything at the moment, then he is unlikely to want to change something in his life. True, the problem may be that while he accumulates a critical mass of negative observations and questions about the “truth” of certain teachings and actions, 10-20-30 years may pass, and, perhaps, the best years of his life. And very serious mistakes can be made that relate to relationships, health, property or something else. So if you see that a person is clearly fanatical and prone to extremes in religion and in life, then it’s probably worth trying to help him and it’s worth trying to do this more than once or twice, choosing convenient moments and using smart tactics.

You also need to consider that your goal cannot be some short-term “win” in the dispute. She does nothing on her own. It is important to encourage a person to begin to analyze his own beliefs, the same bible, but not as they are taught in the organization, using suggestion and pseudo-study. It is important that a person learns (again) to question everything and check the “truth” of what they are trying to present to him in the form of an immutable “truth”. Sometimes it's like moving a huge stone. But if this can be done, then the stone can roll by inertia faster and faster.

Unfortunately, fanaticism is blind. But when a person realizes that he can be wrong or that he can be deliberately misled, then he can again begin to think critically and take control of his beliefs and life.

Blog_Veniamin_Yakovlev_JW, tv_JW_ORG,

October 16th, 2017, 10:44 am

I saw here a new article from the Watchtower (for internal study of SI) for JANUARY 2018. And I want to write a few arguments about the article (there is no desire to analyze this opus in detail, there is a lot of everything there) - an article with the title "What is the difference between those who serve God and those who do not?"

In general, the article is as always: blah blah blah, we are so righteous, we are true Christians, others are not like that, they are dangerous, contagious spiritually, but we allegedly love them, but our "love" is manifested exclusively in the fact that that we need to prove to them that the SI is the organization where they need to be. The messages are clear, they are never new.

Now about some points in the article. For example, the article begins with the fact that the leaders of the SI inspire the idea that they are, as it were, "spiritual doctors", while other people (well, this is 99.9% on Earth) are "spiritually contagious." And that SI from them can be "infected" with wrong thoughts, attitudes, and so on. In short, in SI language "the spirit of this evil world."

Here's how it sounds at the beginning of the article:

"1 When doctors treat patients suffering from infectious diseases, they need to remember safety measures. Otherwise, helping others, they risk becoming infected themselves. We are in a similar situation. Many of us live and work among people whose attitude is dangerous for us. They exhibit qualities that grieve God."

For example, in paragraph 3 there is a BOLD italicized reference to READ MALACHI 3:18. And to what thought is the link? But to what!

"3 Paul wrote that "in the last days there will be extraordinarily difficult times." Then he listed 19 negative traits that would be characteristic of people living in that period of history. A similar list is found in Romans 1:29-31, but the list given in letter to Timothy contains words not found elsewhere in the Christian Greek Scriptures. However, these qualities will not be exhibited by all people. True Christians have very different traits. (Read Malachi 3:18.)"

The question remains: what does what is written in the Old Testament a few hundred years before Christ and the advent of Christianity have to do with Christians in general? Just a far-fetched verse.

And what is the question to paragraph 9 about children and "obedience to parents"?

"9. What will help children obey their parents?"

And here is paragraph 9:

"9 What can help children protect themselves from the "virus" of disobedience? Reflecting on what their parents do for them. It will be easier for them to show gratitude if they remember that obeying their parents is a requirement of God, our heavenly Father. When children respond kindly about their parents, they set a good example for their peers.Of course, it is not easy to obey parents if they are deprived of family feelings, that is, they do not feel affection for children.On the other hand, if children feel that their parents sincerely love them, it is easier for them to be obedient, even when the temptation to do something wrong comes in. “I often wanted to do things that my dad didn’t allow,” Austin admits, “but my parents set reasonable rules, explained why they needed to be followed, and were always ready to talk to me. This helped me obey them. I saw that they loved me, and I wanted to please them with my behavior.

It turns out that "obeying your parents is God's requirement." And then: "It is not easy to obey parents if they are deprived of kindred feelings, that is, they do not feel affection for children." Stop, stop, stop! But what about parents who use violence against children, and often without love, with cruelty (for example, they humiliate or beat children, starve them, can sexually exploit them?) Is it just getting by with the phrase "it's not easy to obey"? And at the same time - this is the "requirement of God"? Is it that simple? Where does the Watchtower consider WHAT to do with such children, including some families with such problems? Covering the Watchtower Society at the cost of your own health and mental damage? Otherwise, God forbid, someone will file a lawsuit and the OSB will be guilty and will have to pay fines of millions of dollars.

But most of all I was hooked by the hypocrisy at the end of 11 and 12 paragraphs of this article. Here is the quote:

“According to Jesus, loving one another is the hallmark of true Christians. (Read John 13:34, 35.) They should love even their enemies (Matthew 5:43, 44).

12 Jesus truly loved people. He went from city to city preaching the good news of God's Kingdom. He healed the blind, the lame, the lepers, and the deaf, and raised the dead (Luke 7:22). Jesus even gave his life for people, although many hated him. In showing love, he perfectly imitated his Father. Jehovah's Witnesses around the world look up to Jesus and treat others with love."

Here, let's stop together. So Jesus LOVED PEOPLE. Although "many hated him." Taught to love your enemies. And even "imitated his Father." And the SI, supposedly, "all over the world take an example from Jesus and treat others WITH LOVE." Really?

Well, let's look at the biblical examples and compare them with the teachings of the leaders of the Watch Tower Society.

Where did Jesus teach "to disfellowship"? And did Jesus himself (according to the teachings and interpretations of the SI) communicate with apostates*?

Could the fanatical Pharisees and Sadducees be considered "apostates" in Israel at the time of Christ? Did Jesus communicate with them?

So Satan is, in fact, the first and main apostate with whom Jesus communicated more than once. So "imitation of Jesus" includes the fact that he communicated, was not afraid of it. Did Jehovah himself communicate with Satan? Yes, I spoke, according to the Old Testament - more than once.

Move on. Judas - was an "apostate" according to the mythology of the New Testament? Yes, he became an "apostate" when he decided to betray Jesus. Did Jesus, according to the myths of the New Testament, know about this betrayal of Judas in advance? Yes, he supposedly knew. Did he communicate with Judas after he decided to betray him? The answer is communicate.

So are the SI really imitating the example of Jesus and God, or are they just talking about it?

In fact, the examples could go on. It’s just that all this “deprivation of fellowship” and an attempt to portray the SI as “loving enemies” according to the teachings of Christ is just empty puff if you carefully look at the Bible itself and the arguments of the SI leaders who are trying to lock Jehovah’s Witnesses on their organization and its “ideality”.

And finally, a video on the topic of comparing illustrations for this article from one enlightened SI and on his YouTube channel.

* I remind you that ALL former SI who want to leave this religion and change their religious views are considered "apostates" or "disfellowshipped". There is also a more specific concept: "active apostates" who somehow write, give interviews, conduct some kind of action against the actions or teachings of the Watchtower Society. "Disfellowshipped" (disfellowshipped) is a broader concept than "apostate" (for reasons of change of heart or for open criticism of the Watch Tower Society or teachings). Such people can be excluded for a variety of reasons, both moral and ethical, and others. Only some of them carry some kind of public danger, which coincides with violations of the criminal codes of different countries. Most of the excluded people are absolutely safe for society in terms of some kind of crime. The "disfellowshipped" lose contact both with Jehovah's Witnesses, whom they have known for many years, as often with relatives who are still JI. All this happens only because of the teachings of the leaders of the SI and religious manipulation of the minds of believers.