This is the last installment of 60 questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses
Question #54: If Jesus died on a torture stake with a single nail through both hands, why does John 20:25 say that NAILS were used for his hands?
The questioner already asked this question. It was answered here (#41)
Question #55: if Jesus died on a torture stake with arms positioned vertically above his head, then why does Matthew 27:37 say that the sign was posted above his head and not posted above his hands or arms?
The point is, the sign was not placed at his feet or on a stick stuck in the ground to one side. The sign was nailed to the stake above his head. It matters little that his arms were also above his head. So was the sign. Sensible people get the idea.
Question #56: How do you explain the contradiction that seems to be present between John 19:17 and Matthew 27:32. In John, it says Jesus carried the torture stake himself as he went out to the place of the skull. However, in Matthew it says that they made Simon carry the torture stake as they went out to the place of the skull. If a cross was used and it was in 2 pieces (pole and cross beam) during transport, the scriptures would not be a contradiction, but how do you explain it?
“Contradictions” can be fairly easily resolved if one is willing to use their mind to reason things out and not leap to unfounded conclusions. John and Matthew were both eyewitnesses to the events they described. Both wrote from their own perspective. It seems most likely that Jesus carried his torture stake originally, but because the place of execution was some distance from where Jesus stood before the judgment seat of Pilate, apparently Jesus gave out on the way.
This is entirely understandable since Jesus had been up all night being interrogated by the Jews, afterwards the Romans had a go at him, taking turns hitting him in the face. Having been whipped with a scourge and beaten, no doubt deprived of food and water, Christ had evidently reached his physical limit and could not drag the stake the rest of the way to the so-called Skull Place.
Just think of a wooden railroad tie, only longer. Most of you have probably not had the occasion to pick one up, but having worked in landscape years ago, I have. (along with another man) We are talking approximately 200 pounds. And factoring in the hilly terrain it would have been an arduous task for Jesus to drag a 200 pound pole a few miles even before he had been subjected to torture and deprivation.
Whereas, John simply says Jesus carried his stake, that statement would not be wrong. He did. Just not all the way. (Keep in mind John wrote his account more than a half century after the fact, so perhaps he didn’t wish to go into unimportant details.) Matthew, on the other hand, being a tax collector, was more given to detail. And one detail is important to note, which is as Matthew stated “As they were going out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon. This man they compelled into service to carry his torture stake. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, that is, Skull Place…”
The expression “as they were going out” indicates that Simon was pressed into service sometime after Jesus had already traveled an unspecified distance out to Golgotha dragging his stake. So, Jesus carried his stake part of the way and Simon carried it the rest of the way –one stake, not two.
Question #57: By explaining away old false teachings as receiving “new light”, it seems like the WatchTower is setting themselves up to never be wrong or accountable. What would prevent other false religions from using this same tactic to also justify their ever-changing false teachings? If this would happen, why would your religion be from God, but they would not?
“Other false religions”? It would appear that the questioner considers his own trinitarian claptrap as nothing more than false religion. That makes him a monumental hypocrite. He no more believes the nonsense he is ardently peddling than an atheist believes in the virgin Mary. He simply wishes to disprove Jehovah’s Witnesses to justify his disbelief.
But as regards false teachings, the questioner has spent considerable time trying to prove the trinity. However, his “proof” is easily refuted as the rubbish it is. Now, he categorizes the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses as ever-changing false teachings. That is a lie. The fact is, the core doctrines of the Watchtower’s teachings have never changed. No doubt the questioner is merely regurgitating the pap of exJW’s who can’t get over the fact that the Watchtower went back and forth over whether or not the men incinerated by the fire and sulphur Jehovah rained down on Sodom will be resurrected. Apparently, this is an insurmountable stumbling block for the spiritual toddlers.
As for the Watchtower being unaccountable to men, that much is true. But we all will stand before the judgment seat of the Christ. It is unavoidable, although by that time the Watchtower will have served its purpose and will no longer be necessary anyway.
Question #58: If old false teachings can simply be explained away by receiving “new light”, then it is theoretically possible that what you are teaching now may actually be false because in another 5 years or so there can be “new light” again. Since this is the case, wouldn’t Jehovah be responsible for spreading false teaching?
There is no possibility that Jehovah and Jesus are part of some mysterious trinity. That is primarily what the questioner has tried to prove and he has failed to make the case. Now he wishes to imply by innuendo that some unknown teaching is false without specifying what it is. This is merely the tactic of a weasel. If the questioner wishes to be specific he can write up another list of 60 questions, or whatever, and I will be happy to answer them.
Question #59: If you are being saved by taking in accurate knowledge, how much knowledge must you take in to be saved? Where is the line drawn? How can this be measured?
God is much more reasonable than humans. His basic requirements are that we know his name and the name of his son and the difference between the two. However, that simple requirement disqualifies most people who call themselves Christians.
Question #60: If you are being saved by taking in accurate knowledge, what date did Jehovah’s Witnesses first become eligible for salvation? Your teachings have been changing since day 1. For example, Jesus can be worshipped then Jesus cannot be worshipped. Jesus is not Michael the Archangel and now Jesus is Michael the Archangel. There is the changing generation definition, the ever-changing 1914 relevance, and so on. If Jehovah’s Witnesses only now today have accurate knowledge and can therefore be saved, what happens to the hundreds of thousands of JWs who have died since the organization was founded?
The questioner does not know the most elemental things of the truth. For example, the questioner is obviously ignorant of the fact that Jehovah intends to bring the vast majority of mankind who have ever lived and died back to life. We are talking about Hindus, Muslims, Philistines, animists —the whole lot, people who knew nothing about the truth, whatsoever. It doesn’t matter what they believed or didn’t believe. The same goes for true Christians who have died in this present age.
However, those early Bible Students who were just breaking away from the tyranny of the churches understood the basics of the truth. And that was very important. (Keep in mind the original Christians knew nothing about the fulfillment of prophecies, such as in Daniel and Revelation.) Knowing the basic truth qualified some of the Bible Students to receive the heavenly calling and the first resurrection, which is far superior to the general resurrection the aforementioned will receive. That being true, though, with the blessings come the tests. And Jehovah imposes a test of faith in various ways, one way is by allowing stumbling blocks to exist.
That should not be considered unfair or unusual. Many of Jesus’ original disciples were stumbled when he told them they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to be saved. Jesus apparently knew they were looking for a way out and he gave it to them. That is why Jesus said: “Happy is the one who finds no cause for stumbling in me.”
God shows the same consideration now. He allows stumbling blocks to exist in order that persons whose hearts are not complete towards him can excuse themselves and get lost. Jehovah is very considerate.
