AN OPEN LETTER TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

[RR144]

"But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established" - Proverbs 4:18 (NWT)​

Let me ask you, when does light get brighter? Is there such a thing as old light? Well, the Watchtower thinks so, and not without reason. The Watchtower has, since the days of Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford made countless changes in doctrinal as well as organizational matters. And have attributed these changes to the bright light getting lighter and lighter (Prov. 4:18 NWT). The above quoted scripture is a verse often used by the Watchtower Society to prove or apologize for their doctrinal changes. It is their answer to the seldomly asked question; "Why are Jehovah's Witnesses constantly changing their teachings?" According to the Watchtower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses legal corporation) when the light gets brighter, it simply means that there is a new understanding, more insight on a particular subject. The Society has in the past made adjustments in their teachings and have used this scripture to support their doing so. "The light is getting brighter" they say. "We have a better understanding", but is that the case?

We won't argue the point that in reading and studying the Scriptures, one can gain much insight. We certainly get a clearer understanding of the Scriptures as we carefully read a certain verse, chapter or book, and will gain a better understanding from some texts that we had not noticed before. However, The Bible assures us that God's Word does not change, neither does Jehovah God change. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Yet the Society with their flip/flop doctrines have made Jehovah a God of confusion rather than a God of order. Which is in fact contrary to the Holy Scriptures.

The apostle Paul stated in his first letter to the brethren in Colossae; "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace". (14:33 KJV) In actuality what the Society is saying is that God is not sure of himself or his Plan for mankind. How so? Take for example what was taught in regards to the Sodomites, would the Sodomites be resurrected? According to the Watchtower Society's founder and first president Pastor Charles Taze Russell, they would be resurrected (Zion's Watch Tower - July 1879 p. 8). He based his teaching regarding the Sodomites on the fact that their judgment (proving that their judgment is future) would be more tolerable (proving that others would also have a judgment in the future) than Tyre and Sidon, even though their judgment would be less tolerable. (Matt. 11:22-24) However in 1952 it was stated that the Sodomites would not be resurrected (Watchtower June 1st). This, according to the Society, is a form of the bright light getting lighter and lighter. They now have a better understanding of the Scriptures in regards the future of the Sodomites - they have none. Jehovah by use of his holy spirit has corrected their thinking, their views on this matter. Now they are on the path of righteousness. The views of 1879 is now considered old light, error. In 1965 the Watchtower of August 1 stated that the Sodomites would be resurrected. Now what? What was once considered old light is now new light! Is that possible? Was not the first view considered wrong? Had not Jehovah set them straight in 1952? After all Jehovah God is directing the Watchtower Society! Isn't he, or is he? (Watchtower, November 01, 1956; p. 370). How can old light now become new light? It can't! Either the first view was correct and man changed it because he understood it to be so, and Jehovah corrected him. Or the first view was wrong, Jehovah corrected it and man reverted back to the false concept. If the latter is the case than Jehovah is not directing his organization properly, is he? He needs to correct them if indeed they did revert back to error. And that's exactly what he did according to the Watchtower, for in the June 01, 1988 Watchtower, it states the Sodomites will not be resurrected. Yet since then, that view has been changed back and forth. Either Jehovah God is not directing the Watchtower or he needs to abandon this organization for a new one.

The Watchtower Society has been so bold as to state that they are "the only organization on earth that understands the "deeper things of God'! (Watchtower July 01, 1973; p. 402). How can that be, when they do not even understand the simple things of God? What the Witnesses are actually being taught is that Jehovah is not sure himself what the outcome of the Sodomites will be. Yet do not the Scriptures teach that Jehovah is all-knowing? (Rom 11: 33, 1 Cor. 2:7) Light advances, it does not change. Views change because they are not in harmony with the Scriptures. Views can change numerous times. One day a view may be in harmony with the Scriptures, the next day it may not be. The important thing to remember is that the Scriptures, God's Word is the same, it will never change.

To indicate that God's word does change is not in harmony with the Scriptures. Furthermore, to say that Jehovah is in charge of an organization that is difficult to keep track of is absurd! Jehovah's Witnesses are being misled. They are taught they have the Truth of the Scriptures. Yet how can that be when the very ones who are teaching them to understand the Scriptures are in the dark? Truly this is a case of the blind leading the blind. (Matt. 15:14)

The issue of the Sodomites is just one of hundreds of doctrinal and organizational changes the Society has gone through. Changes have been made in the teachings of the Ransom, Chronology, Baptism, Hell, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the New Covenant, Prophecies, Salvation and countless others. Can this be God's organization? God's only channel of communication? Hardly! The only "Light" the Witnesses are in dire need of is the "Light" of the Scriptures, the Truth concerning our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. For our Lord said: "I am the light of the world" - John 8:12. The Witnesses are quick to apply 2 Corinthians 4:4 to those outside of their organization, which states; "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." They do not realize that it can and does apply to them. Jehovah's Witnesses should be commended for their many accomplishments and for their high morals. But unbeknownst to them they are being misguided. Some testify that they are sincere, but the Scriptures, testify that they are sincerely wrong.

RR

 

[Aunty Jane]

Some testify that they are sincere, but the Scriptures, testify that they are sincerely wrong.

And this is based on the assumption that there was nothing left to know after the death of Charles Russell....
Russel basically only scratched the surface, and he himself knew that he would die and that others would have to take his place, to continue the work......what makes you think that he knew it all in those early days? Revelation of truth has always been progressive. The light on the path has to get brighter, or you remain in the dark.

It’s over a hundred years since Russell died.....the Bible Students were left in the lurch without a leader. It was a time of testing and sifting....would God leave Russell without a successor at the most important time period in history? Here we are over a hundred years into the future, and the ones who rejected Rutherford’s leadership chose to stop learning and got trapped on the old path, because they built a fence with no way forward.....with no new light.

Daniel prophesied that in this “time of the end” “knowledge would become abundant” (Daniel 12:4, 9-10).....in Russell’s day, knowledge was only beginning to be explored....so much more has been revealed since his death. Just because Rutherford was a different kind of man who took the brotherhood on a somewhat different path, those who stuck to the dead man, didn’t want to accept change or any forward movement. That was their choice, but Jehovah’s Witnesses took their commission seriously and their preaching continued “in all the inhabited earth” before “the end” would come, as Jesus instructed right up until the present day. (Matt 24:14; Matt 28:19-20)
When Jesus sent out his disciples to preach, he instructed them....

“Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until you leave. 12 When you enter the house, greet the household. 13 If the house is deserving, let the peace you wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you. 14 Wherever anyone does not receive you or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.”

That preaching work was to go on until “the end” came......so, where are the Bible Students in that assignment?
Who has even heard of them? In all my years of door to door preaching, I have never even met one.
Who are known the world over for their kingdom preaching work....? I will let the evidence speak for itself. Could it be that you are the ones who are sincerely wrong? Jesus will let us all know soon enough.

We believe that “the end” is very close as Jehovah lifts the lid on the wickedness that has been festering under the surface all along. No formerly trusted institution will remain standing.

Our choices are ours to make......we can only hope that satan has not blinded us because we will be the last to know.

 

[RR144]

And this is based on the assumption that there was nothing left to know after the death of Charles Russell....
Russel basically only scratched the surface, and he himself knew that he would die and that others would have to take his place, to continue the work......what makes you think that he knew it all in those early days? Revelation of truth has always been progressive. The light on the path has to get brighter, or you remain in the dark.

As usual Jane, you avoid the discussion at hand. This has nothing to do with Russell. He didn't flip flop on doctrines. He never claimed "I am the Faithful and Wise Servant, God appointed me, you must do as I say" and then disfellowship anybody who didn't agree with him.

That preaching work was to go on until “the end” came......so, where are the Bible Students in that assignment?

We're not out to save the world. They didn't close the door to heaven and gather a Great Crowd to do our bidding. When you understand what the preaching work is all about you'll understand God's plan of salvation. There is no difference between JW's and Christendom in that regards. You both are out to save as many as possible before the end. They want to save people from the fires of hell, you want to save people from second death at armageddon.

Who has even heard of them? In all my years of door to door preaching, I have never even met one.

The ones searching for the Truth, that's who. We've had this discussion before. 7 years I've lived here and no one has knocked on my door or sent me a letter.

Who are known the world over for their kingdom preaching work....? I will let the evidence speak for itself. Could it be that you are the ones who are sincerely wrong? Jesus will let us all know soon enough.

The "join us or die at armageddon" shtick doesn't cut it with me. Besides you change your belief system so often, what is truth today may not be truth tomorrow. What teachings that may have brought a person into your organization may not be truth later. You convince someone "this is the Truth", only to change it a few years from now. That's not progressive, that's confusion.

We believe that “the end” is very close as Jehovah lifts the lid on the wickedness that has been festering under the surface all along. No formerly trusted institution will remain standing.

Wwll we agree on that at least.

Our choices are ours to make......we can only hope that satan has not blinded us because we will be the last to know.

Too late and you are the last to know

 

[Aunty Jane]

Your beliefs are your prerogative.....nothing to do with me.
I have done my job.....now shaking the dust off...have a nice life.

Its not over till the fat lady sings......all the best.

 

[Patrick1966]

Our choices are ours to make......we can only hope that satan has not blinded us because we will be the last to know.

I believe Satan deceives ALL of us, from one extent to another. The most deceived is, of course, the unbeliever.

 

[Aunty Jane]

I believe Satan deceives ALL of us, from one extent to another.

Satan cannot blind one who is a genuine believer as Paul said....
2 Cor 4:3-4...
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Those rejected by Jesus at the judgment are so sure that they have done what was necessary to be counted worthy of everlasting life....but Jesus points out that they lack the right actions to back up their words.

Matt 7:21-23...
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"

These call Jesus their "Lord" and yet he says he "NEVER knew" them.....and calls them "workers of lawlessness"....whose laws are they breaking? If they are genuine Christians then they will not be breaking Caesar's law, but they can be breaking God's law....how? By being in breach of the first Commandment....

Exodus 29:2-3...
"I am the LORD (Jehovah) your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before me."

"The LORD Jehovah" (Yahweh) was the monotheistic God of Israel, and he was known to them as a single entity, not a multiple personality of three gods in one head. There is no such god except the pretender who led mankind into sin in the first place. Triads of gods are found in paganism, but never mentioned in the Bible.



They are workers of 'miracles', but their power is not from God, but from the devil whom the apostle Paul says can perform his own miracles to deceive (2 Thess 2:9-12)....except his power is limited. He cannot (for example) raise the dead, restore withered or amputated limbs or make the blind see, or the deaf hear.
His "cures" are limited, whereas Jesus' cures were 100% successful. The holy spirit does not lack power, so unless we see miracles of the same caliber today as those of the first century, its a sham...a poor imitation of the original....a deception.

The most deceived is, of course, the unbeliever.

True that.....but even being a "believer" has conditions attached as James said...."the demons believe and shudder" (James 2:19)...so there is more to being a Christian than mere belief. We have to be found "doing" the will of the Father...."doing" is active not passive. We need works to back up our faith.
James 2: 24, 26....
"You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. . . . . .26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

 

[Patrick1966]

Satan cannot blind one who is a genuine believer as Paul said...

God the Father determines who can come to Jesus. Once he selects them, Satan is powerless to "blind" them from belief in his son. However, it is evident to me that many believers are "blind" to other things. For instance, there are Christians that firmly believe that abortion is perfectly moral.

However, and many don't share this belief, Satan is doing exactly what God created him to do. God permits every evil act by Satan to occur. Remember, Satan had to obtain permission from God to do harm to Job. I have no doubt that God permits Satan to deceive believers on a variety of matters, but not such much that they become apostates, or at least most of them.

Even Jesus said he came to bring division. We are not ready to be united under Jesus. Once the lesson of this world is complete, all will follow Jesus and then all will be given to God, per 1 Corinthians 15.

 

[Aunty Jane]

God the Father determines who can come to Jesus. Once he selects them, Satan is powerless to "blind" them from belief in his son. However, it is evident to me that many believers are "blind" to other things. For instance, there are Christians that firmly believe that abortion is perfectly moral.

It was said that if a Jew broke one law of God, he broke them all.....Jesus said that all of the laws given by God were based on two solid foundations....'Love for God and love of neighbor'. One cannot break one law of God without contravening one or both of those foundations.
Abortion, without a solid medical reason, is "murder".....no question.
But, if a mother's life is put at risk if the pregnancy continues and she has other children to care for, there are hard decisions to be made. One would not knowingly and willingly sacrifice a mother's the life for the sake of an unborn child. Rather the risk factors would have to be weighed up and a prayerful decision made in such circumstances. The other children need their mother. God does not expect life to be preserved at all costs.....all lives are sacred to him, so the circumstances would dictate the action.

We also have the hope of the resurrection, so that a life lost, is not lost forever.

However, and many don't share this belief, Satan is doing exactly what God created him to do.

God did not ever create satan or any other of his intelligent creatures to sin. Satan was a beautiful spirit creature who entertained some grandiose ideas about himself.
In an address to the King of Tyre, Jehovah was clearly addressing the devil, whom this King was emulating.....

"In Eʹden, the garden of God, you proved to be. Every precious stone was your covering. . . . . In the day of your being created they were made ready. 14 You are the anointed cherub that is covering, and I have set you. . . . . .15 You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you. . . . “Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor. Onto the earth I will throw you." (Ezekiel 28:13-17)

Satan envied the worship that humans would give to Jehovah, and wanted that worship for himself....but he had to separate the humans from God in order to attain it. He was there in the garden plotting how he would do that....and his plan worked. He deceived the woman in order to force her husband to divide his loyalties....and he chose to side with his disobedient wife who believed the lies of a snake.....but really all he did was appeal to self interest, which still works really well for him. Selfishness has permeated everything humans do on this planet....haven't we all noticed that?

God permits every evil act by Satan to occur. Remember, Satan had to obtain permission from God to do harm to Job. I have no doubt that God permits Satan to deceive believers on a variety of matters, but not such much that they become apostates, or at least most of them.

Why does God allow satan to wreak havoc in the lives of people.....even those who do not worship the true God? Think back to what satan said to the woman in Eden.....
The devil asked..."Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
Eve responded..."God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Why was God holding back a "knowledge of good and evil"? Wasn't it because he did not want anything to spoil the idyllic life he had planned for his human children? Like any good parent, he wanted only the best for them, but the devil wanted what he had no right to take.....and that was their obedience to God. He knew that it carried the death penalty, but he lied to the woman about that and she in turn offered the fruit to Adam, whose choice threw all of us under bus. (Romans 5:12)

As free willed creatures all three had choices.....and each one, for their own reasons chose badly, plunging God's original purpose into a detour that God could not avoid. He allowed the devil to have what he wanted...rulership over the humans...but why would he do that knowing that pain and suffering were sure to follow?

It seems apparent that neither the devil nor the humans could be told the value of obeying God.....even under threat of death....they had to be shown.....so God allowed them all to experience first hand what rulership under satan's control would result in. An object lesson of mammoth proportions from the point of view of an earth dweller, taking thousands of earth years....but that is only a short period for those who live in a timeless realm. (2 Peter 3:8)

The devil was to be the main target of this lesson, as he was the prime mover in the rebellion, proving to the humans, the value of obedience to their loving Creator, and gratitude for all that he did to give the worthy ones among them, an opportunity to come back to him.....to gain back the beautiful world that should have been theirs in the first place.

Even Jesus said he came to bring division. We are not ready to be united under Jesus.

There will never be unity among all who identify as "Christians" in this world.....those who are "ready for unity" have already attained it by "doing the will of the Father"....and means to understand why we are here....what went wrong, and how God gets us back everything we lost because of Adam's sin. It means taking on the role Jesus gave to his disciples...that of spreading "the good news of the Kingdom, in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations"....before "the end" comes at God's due time.....soon now. (Matt 24:14; Matt 28:19-20)

The devil and his hordes will never steal God's people away again because God will have trained them to put obedience to his commands first in their lives during the rulership of Christ in the Kingdom....those who want to put them second, will not be welcome in the world to come, so we had better learn obedience now before it is too late.

Once the lesson of this world is complete, all will follow Jesus and then all will be given to God, per 1 Corinthians 15.

The lake of fire awaits those who cannot, or will not learn obedience to Jehovah. Its a choice, based on our relationship with God, scriptural knowledge, logical thinking, and the examples we have in the Bible of those who did obey God and those who didn't. We have no excuse to be disobedient. Our choices should reflect that as a mindset....a determination NOT to disobey God in anything.

 

[Patrick1966]

It was said that if a Jew broke one law of God, he broke them all.....Jesus said that all of the laws given by God were based on two solid foundations....'Love for God and love of neighbor'. One cannot break one law of God without contravening one or both of those foundations.
Abortion, without a solid medical reason, is "murder".....no question.
But, if a mother's life is put at risk if the pregnancy continues and she has other children to care for, there are hard decisions to be made. One would not knowingly and willingly sacrifice a mother's the life for the sake of an unborn child. Rather the risk factors would have to be weighed up and a prayerful decision made in such circumstances. The other children need their mother. God does not expect life to be preserved at all costs.....all lives are sacred to him, so the circumstances would dictate the action.

We also have the hope of the resurrection, so that a life lost, is not lost forever.

God did not ever create satan or any other of his intelligent creatures to sin. Satan was a beautiful spirit creature who entertained some grandiose ideas about himself.
In an address to the King of Tyre, Jehovah was clearly addressing the devil, whom this King was emulating.....

"In Eʹden, the garden of God, you proved to be. Every precious stone was your covering. . . . . In the day of your being created they were made ready. 14 You are the anointed cherub that is covering, and I have set you. . . . . .15 You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you. . . . “Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor. Onto the earth I will throw you." (Ezekiel 28:13-17)

Satan envied the worship that humans would give to Jehovah, and wanted that worship for himself....but he had to separate the humans from God in order to attain it. He was there in the garden plotting how he would do that....and his plan worked. He deceived the woman in order to force her husband to divide his loyalties....and he chose to side with his disobedient wife who believed the lies of a snake.....but really all he did was appeal to self interest, which still works really well for him. Selfishness has permeated everything humans do on this planet....haven't we all noticed that?


Why does God allow satan to wreak havoc in the lives of people.....even those who do not worship the true God? Think back to what satan said to the woman in Eden.....
The devil asked..."Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
Eve responded..."God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Why was God holding back a "knowledge of good and evil"? Wasn't it because he did not want anything to spoil the idyllic life he had planned for his human children? Like any good parent, he wanted only the best for them, but the devil wanted what he had no right to take.....and that was their obedience to God. He knew that it carried the death penalty, but he lied to the woman about that and she in turn offered the fruit to Adam, whose choice threw all of us under bus. (Romans 5:12)

As free willed creatures all three had choices.....and each one, for their own reasons chose badly, plunging God's original purpose into a detour that God could not avoid. He allowed the devil to have what he wanted...rulership over the humans...but why would he do that knowing that pain and suffering were sure to follow?

It seems apparent that neither the devil nor the humans could be told the value of obeying God.....even under threat of death....they had to be shown.....so God allowed them all to experience first hand what rulership under satan's control would result in. An object lesson of mammoth proportions from the point of view of an earth dweller, taking thousands of earth years....but that is only a short period for those who live in a timeless realm. (2 Peter 3:8)

The devil was to be the main target of this lesson, as he was the prime mover in the rebellion, proving to the humans, the value of obedience to their loving Creator, and gratitude for all that he did to give the worthy ones among them, an opportunity to come back to him.....to gain back the beautiful world that should have been theirs in the first place.

There will never be unity among all who identify as "Christians" in this world.....those who are "ready for unity" have already attained it by "doing the will of the Father"....and means to understand why we are here....what went wrong, and how God gets us back everything we lost because of Adam's sin. It means taking on the role Jesus gave to his disciples...that of spreading "the good news of the Kingdom, in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations"....before "the end" comes at God's due time.....soon now. (Matt 24:14; Matt 28:19-20)

The devil and his hordes will never steal God's people away again because God will have trained them to put obedience to his commands first in their lives during the rulership of Christ in the Kingdom....those who want to put them second, will not be welcome in the world to come, so we had better learn obedience now before it is too late.

The lake of fire awaits those who cannot, or will not learn obedience to Jehovah. Its a choice, based on our relationship with God, scriptural knowledge, logical thinking, and the examples we have in the Bible of those who did obey God and those who didn't. We have no excuse to be disobedient. Our choices should reflect that as a mindset....a determination NOT to disobey God in anything.

I love and appreciate your heartfelt, scriptural, responses, my sister in Christ.

Jesus said that the devil was a murderer "from the beginning". But the beginning of what? The beginning of the ages? The beginning of mankind? Or something else? Anyway, some say that Satan can't be Lucifee because he was NOT a "murderer from the beginning". What are your thoughts, please?

 

[Aunty Jane]

I love and appreciate your heartfelt, scriptural, responses, my sister in Christ.

Jesus said that the devil was a murderer "from the beginning". But the beginning of what? The beginning of the ages? The beginning of mankind? Or something else? Anyway, some say that Satan can't be Lucifee because he was NOT a "murderer from the beginning". What are your thoughts, please?

From the beginning of his rebellious course.....he was once a perfect angel, but according to God's words through Ezekiel....
"You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you. . . . “Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor."

 

[Aunty Jane]

Satan is never called Lucifer in the Bible.

 

[Patrick1966]

Satan is never called Lucifer in the Bible.

Are they the same entity?

 

[Patrick1966]

From the beginning of his rebellious course.....he was once a perfect angel, but according to God's words through Ezekiel....
"You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you. . . . “Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor."

How is it that God made a bad fruit considering that Jesus said that a good tree cannot produce bad fruit? Jesus's statement leads me to believe that God either created Satan or deluded an angel into becoming Satan for the purpose of our edification.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Are they the same entity?

From a "Question from Readers" in our Watchtower magazine...

"• Is Lucifer a name that the Bible uses for Satan?


The name Lucifer occurs once in the Scriptures and only in some versions of the Bible. For example, the King James Version renders Isaiah 14:12: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!”


The Hebrew word translated “Lucifer” means “shining one.” The Septuagint uses the Greek word that means “bringer of dawn.” Hence, some translations render the original Hebrew “morning star” or “Daystar.” But Jerome’s Latin Vulgate uses “Lucifer” (light bearer), and this accounts for the appearance of that term in various versions of the Bible.


Who is this Lucifer? The expression “shining one,” or “Lucifer,” is found in what Isaiah prophetically commanded the Israelites to pronounce as a “proverbial saying against the king of Babylon.” Thus, it is part of a saying primarily directed at the Babylonian dynasty. That the description “shining one” is given to a man and not to a spirit creature is further seen by the statement: “Down to Sheol you will be brought.” Sheol is the common grave of mankind—not a place occupied by Satan the Devil. Moreover, those seeing Lucifer brought into this condition ask: “Is this the man that was agitating the earth?” Clearly, “Lucifer” refers to a human, not to a spirit creature.—Isaiah 14:4, 15, 16.


Why is such an eminent description given to the Babylonian dynasty? We must realize that the king of Babylon was to be called the shining one only after his fall and in a taunting way. (Isaiah 14:3) Selfish pride prompted Babylon’s kings to elevate themselves above those around them. So great was the arrogance of the dynasty that it is portrayed as bragging: “To the heavens I shall go up. Above the stars of God I shall lift up my throne, and I shall sit down upon the mountain of meeting, in the remotest parts of the north. . . . I shall make myself resemble the Most High.”—Isaiah 14:13, 14.


“The stars of God” are the kings of the royal line of David. (Numbers 24:17) From David onward, these “stars” ruled from Mount Zion. After Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the name Zion came to apply to the whole city. Under the Law covenant, all male Israelites were obliged to travel to Zion three times a year. Thus, it became “the mountain of meeting.” By determining to subjugate the Judean kings and then remove them from that mountain, Nebuchadnezzar is declaring his intention to put himself above those “stars.” Instead of giving Jehovah credit for the victory over them, he arrogantly puts himself in Jehovah’s place. So it is after being cut down to the earth that the Babylonian dynasty is mockingly referred to as the “shining one.”


The pride of the Babylonian rulers indeed reflected the attitude of “the god of this system of things”—Satan the Devil. (2 Corinthians 4:4) He too lusts for power and longs to place himself above Jehovah God. But Lucifer is not a name Scripturally given to Satan."
WT article

 

[Aunty Jane]

How is it that God made a bad fruit considering that Jesus said that a good tree cannot produce bad fruit? Jesus's statement leads me to believe that God either created Satan or deluded an angel into becoming Satan for the purpose of our edification.

If you read the Genesis account, you will see that there is nothing wrong with the actual fruit.....it wasnt poisoned or bad, but simply there as a test of their obedience and respect for what the Creator had placed in his own jurisdiction. It was figurative, representing God's Sovereignty over them as their God and law giver. He claimed that tree as his own property. To partake of the fruit meant stealing from their Sovereign, which carried the death penalty in nations ruled by monarchies.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Jesus's statement leads me to believe that God either created Satan or deluded an angel into becoming Satan for the purpose of our edification.

James 1:13-15...
"When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone. 14 But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death."

This is what happened in Eden.....the devil's desire was turned into action, and when the action was accomplished....death would be the result.
God did not cause the situation in Eden.....the three rebels did.....each one was "drawn out and enticed by their own desires".

 

[Patrick1966]

If you read the Genesis account, you will see that there is nothing wrong with the actual fruit.....it wasnt poisoned or bad, but simply there as a test of their obedience and respect for what the Creator had placed in his own jurisdiction. It was figurative, representing God's Sovereignty over them as their God and law giver. He claimed that tree as his own property. To partake of the fruit meant stealing from their Sovereign, which carried the death penalty in nations ruled by monarchies.

I respect your belief but I don't know what to believe and that's ok. I have a LOT of questions for Jesus! Maybe that's why he's letting me live a long life; he's putting off having to answer them!

 

[Patrick1966]

...nor does he himself try anyone...

Correct. That's Satan's job.

 

[Patrick1966]

God did not cause the situation in Eden

I believe he did! I believe that God allowed us to be lost for some time in order for us to learn that the only path to everlasting life and happiness is by following and obeying God. In the meantime, we'll try every other path and find ourselves lost - until we give in and follow the shepherd, Jesus.

Isaiah 45:7
King James Version
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

For what purpose? For our edification. Whatever Satan's backstory, he is operating within the boundaries that God created. He couldn't victimize Job without God's approval. None of what Satan did came as a surprise to God nor did God forbid Satan from tempting Eve to sin against him.

 

[Patrick1966]

If you read the Genesis account, you will see that there is nothing wrong with the actual fruit.....

I believe that God made them perfect but then permitted them to be corrupted. After all, why else would God have permitted Satan in the garden? Satan is doing what is necessary for our edification.