No More Tears

The Bible also says that the Dead are conscious of nothing and that the soul that is sinning will die, so if that is true and the Bible does not contradict itself, what can the scriptures that you quote mean?

 

Funny you seem "upset".

 

As I have said before the Bible is in some places literal and some places metaphor and in some cases both but it never changes to fit the occasion.

When the Bible plainly states the condition of the dead it is simple and straight forward, any child can understand it.
For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground;
In that day his thoughts do perish.
All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, the place to which you are going.

But Jesus spoke to the crowds by illustrations and thus the scriptures you refer to represents other things and are not straight forward statements of facts.

Thanks

True but the trouble is most people have no idea what love is and thus distort what the Bible says to fit their own idea of what love is.

 

That doesn't take away that there's more than one way to interpretate the bible.
By the way, I'm ok with not having complete understanding of the bible, it's not a simple consistent book, more several books together. However I can understand it's nice to have a single explanation/truth, it's rarely this simple. Something christianity always seemed to have trouble with...

 

Good question! Maybe your assumptions are invalid.

 

Good queston. "if" is the key.

 

If you look at the context, it doesn't appear that Jesus is speaking in parables. He seems to be explaining the parable, and the explanation seems to be hell. And if the Bible is as simple and understandable as you say, and should be read in context, what are ordinary people supposed to do with this? There are other explanations that are reasonable by reputable scholars who have studied scripture, and you dismiss them in favor of your Watchtower crew. Of course, what you have is a fool proof system for question dodging. One thing is literal, another that seems to be literal is metaphor, and only the Watchtower knows which is which.

 

you need to keep in mind that the scriptures were written thousands of years ago and in a different language. this means there is a time barrier and a language barrier obscuring the passages. also keep in mind some of these passages were written from the perspective of recording/doing the will of god, and others were written in the perspective of the spirit. there is only one meaning to each passage, although the meaning could be many layered.

 

If that is what you want to believe but God give it only one meaning, one "interpretation".

The main reason some people have no "problem" with the Bible having many different "interpretations" and not being "a simple consistent book" is that they have a "problem" with something the Bible plainly states shouldn't be done, that they want to do, so they make up some complicated reason why the Bible doesn't say what it says.

 

Perhaps so but since when the Bible says that the Dead are conscious of nothing and that the soul that is sinning will die are not part of a parable or illustration, it is more likely they mean exactly what they say, as opposed to the scriptures you cited that are part of the parables of Jesus, it more likely that there meanings are not as straight forward and easily understood, thus the need for his disciples to ask what they mean.

 

Actually no, it is not. I was just being polite and giving you the benefit of the doubt but in reality they are true.

 

This has not been my experience at all. My experience is that our understanding grows with time and practice, that we each understand to our own level of understanding, and that the truth is constructed in a way that accommodates each level.
I also feel that a hierarchy of god's, angels, and demons, is anything but simple, so complex as a matter of fact, that there are innumerable volumes of biblical helps and commentaries.
I have also noticed that on your attempt to explain your views that you often copy and past lots of commentary from these very sources. I truly think that you cannot, using the bible only, explain your theology.

 

I beg you pardon, where in any of my posts have I said anything about "the Watchtower" or a "Watchtower crew", what in the world are you talking about?

As for all the scriptures you cited being Jesus "explaining the parable" you know that is just not true.

And about the explanations of "reputable scholars who have studied scripture", some get it right, some don't, just like in any other field of study. You might also want to take into consideration Jesus' words; "I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes."

 

So that gets us back to square one. You've given some rhetorical questions in answer to my actual questions. We haven't heard about the specific hell references, except in sweeping generalities that they are metaphors and were of parables, when they don't seem to be. And the Midianites go unmentioned. The Bible may be straightforward but your answers never are.

 

Very true but remember none of those layers disagree with each other.

 

Yes, I do keep that in mind. I've discovered that even standard English translations of the Bible can differ from one another in important ways. And yet OWB is telling us it's all plain, simple and straightforward--if you know which one is right, as he claims to do.

 

Would you do the favor of crediting your sources as I often wonder what books you are lifting this copy and past information from?

Which do you consider yourself exactly? We all know already that you consider yourself to be one of those who "get it right", or are you one of the ones who are not wise or intellectual, a babe? I tell you babes have no knowledge of spiritual hierarchy, they simply love their parents.

 

I suppose I'll never get an answer to my question about the Midianites.

 

What do the letters F-IW mean in your signature?

 

Who are the laborers of the harvest, what is the harvest, and why should we pray for more laborers?