Human Rule—Weighed in the Balance, is the #publictalk title.
He reviews several forms of government: “anarchy, aristocrisy, communism, democracy plutocracy (gov’t by a Disney cartoon dog) [he says things like this] fascism, monarchy, totalitarianism, socialism, With some overlap
True some have worked very hard with limited positive results, ultimately unsuccessful, comes to Jer 10:23: “I well know, O Jehovah, that man’s way does not belong to him. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.”
Quotes, tendency not to solve problems but only to rearrange them, Oppressive government more to be feared to a tiger, Problems with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money, Tolstoy, others In its best state a necessary evil, in its worst, an intolerable one, Thomas Paine,
Speaker reads several quotes re gov’t from Tolstoy, Paine, Confucius, others. I like this beaut: “How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?” DeGaule
Isaiah 40:15 a film of dust on the scales, a drip from a bucket. It can change overnight, as with Babylon under Belshazzar.
Propaganda: “They are, in fact, expressions inspired by demons and they perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together to the war of the great day of God the Almighty.”
Of the new system, “There are some that might want to cue that Beatles song—imagine,” the public speaker says. This guy is an incorrigible Beatles nut and forgets the line, “above us only sky,” “and no religion too.” Atheists take this song as an anthem.
“Do You See What Zechariah Saw?“ watchtower study,
Theme verse: ‘By my spirit,’ says Jehovah of armies.”—ZECH. 4:6.
Said the WT conductor of the public talk: “You could have gone on for another half an hour, it would have been okay with me.” No when they said that to Oscar Oxgoad, he did not go 1/2 hour into the conductor’s time on his next visit. Who told you that?
Para 2 Got that foundation in quick, just one year
Para 3: They told King Artaxerxes that, among other things, the Jews were planning to rebel against him. (Ezra 4:11-16) The king believed their lies and ordered a ban on the temple construction. (Ezra 4:17-23) came to a halt.
Ha! The conductor called on another sis with the name of my wife. He knows better. My wife is sitting next to me. I turned around to look. The other sis changed her hair and masked up does indeed look like my wife (but I know the difference)
Para 4: “He raised up a fearless prophet named Zechariah and gave him a series of eight thrilling visions, which he was to share with the Jews for their encouragement. Those reassuring visions helped them to see that they had nothing to fear from their opposers and urged them to press ahead with Jehovah’s work.”
Para 4: The enemies told lies which the king believed and the latter banned the Jews. Exactly parallels to that of the spiritual Jews today
“When i saw that image, I see maple syrup and I couldn’t get pancakes out of my head,” one bro says of Para 6—inexhaustible oil filling the lamp stands
Para 7: “In the second year of his reign, he discovered that the ban on the temple construction was illegal. Darius then gave royal approval to complete the work. (Ezra 6:1-3) That news alone was enough to surprise everyone—but there was more. The king ordered the surrounding peoples to stop interfering in the rebuilding work and to provide funds and supplies to support it!” (Ezra 6:7-12)
Para 7 “And his house will be turned into a public latrine”, one sis quotes the verse. I hate it when that happens…Ezra 6:11…”I have also issued an order that if anyone violates this decree, a timber will be pulled out of his house and he will be lifted up and fastened to it, and his house will be turned into a public latrine for this offense.
Para 9: little one will become 1000. Choose your endpoints just right and that has more than come true. But in the last few dacades, no. So some like the Jews of old weeping at the rebuilt temple for they remember the old. …explosion of interest after 1991, those under persecution in Russia arn’t going away. ALl reports are that they are holding firm, perhaps another explosion of interest should the persecution let up.
Para 12: Eccles 7:10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” for it is not out of wisdom that you ask this. It is a meme of old codgers doing this. Who would have thought the Bible says it is a snare?
Para 13: “started to rebuild the house of God.” (Ezra 5:1, 2) That decision may have seemed ill-advised to some Jews. The work of temple building could not be hidden from the enemy, who would use every means available to make trouble.”
Para 16 Yeah, I love the pandemic example given. You can almost feel a little silly masked up in the Hall because they’re not masked anywhere else. They are optional…but we have a way of leaning into people. Ah well, the bros set at the outset that they’d be a a bit more cautious than the general world. This too will pass.
Opening prayer of the #midweekmeeting included mention of helping bros withstand in Russia, Ukraine, or anywhere else where “trouble is framed by decree.”
Gems: “Abner grew very angry over the words of Ishbosheth and said: ‘Am I a dog’s head from Judah? Until this very day, I have shown loyal love toward the house of your father Saul and to his brothers and his friends, and I have not betrayed you into the hand of David; yet today you call me to account for an error concerning a woman [Saul’s concubine, Rizpah]. (2 Samuel 3:8)…
This becomes more understandable with the explanatory comment that having relations with the king’s concubines, even a deceased king, was tantamount to treason. [Insight; Ishbosheth]
SOME PEOPLE SAY: “There’s only one God, so it doesn’t matter what you call him.”
“So what do you think about THAT?” says the 8-year old, giving her first talk 4. “Next question is…” and she adds some of her own.
“ Take care not to be scared out of your wits,” says another translation of Matt 24:6. GB Update.
High brow professor type says since Jews find pronouncing aloud God’s name offensive, he thinks its very disrespectful for others to say it. Well, who are you going to kiss up to, humans or God? Many scriptures make it inescapable that God wants his name made known.
And even Jews, though they don’t say the name, never removed it from translations. Churches come along and do just that.—KJB takes 7000 occasions of the name and reduces it to 4.
She didn’t even know his name, but she knew he couldn’t be so mushy as not to have an identity, in praying and searching for “the true god”
“Those who hate expect the worst. but those who love never lose hope.”
“Today I am weak, although anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Ze·ruʹiah, are too brutal for me. May Jehovah repay the evildoer according to his own evil.”
How come this tree that needs trimming is leaning into the wind, now away as you would expect. ‘Leaning into the light,’ the tree surgeon said. Okay, got it. Light trumps wind. A good analogy for withstanding persecution?
Often I would say of the LDC bro in our congregation, “yeah—don’t kid yourselves. Pete’s gonna make us all live in dormitories.”
At a small Pa town, we stood on the corner as a dozen woman bikers rumbled by at the intersection. ‘Sorry to interfere with your crossing,’ one in the lead said. Bikers who apologize! ‘It’s because they’re women,’ my wife said.
Everyone else at least a little disturbed. Either myriad conspiracy thermoses are waiting to be verified ar the crème of the crop of human wisdom produces a system that instantly frays under stress.
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