GodlyDevotion

Oh dear. This could grow into a long text. One of the talks I am currently working on involves the events that happened in 66 C.E. I only recently realized how strongly Matthew draws parallels between those events and Jesus’ prophecy about the “last days.” In Luke 19, Jesus openly weeps over Jerusalem. He sees the future destruction of the city, and in that moment he pronounces a prophecy against it. However, just a couple of days later, Jesus was back in Jerusalem with his disciples. He noticed the poor widow contributing her two small coins, and the disciples began marveling at the temple and its beauty. It seems clear that they did not fully grasp what Jesus had meant earlier when the crowds tried to make him king. So Jesus repeated the prophecy again; this time in the temple itself. This leads directly into the scene preserved especially vividly in Matthew 24. However, it seems that the occasion is somewhat different from Matthew’s perspective. To him, he wrote When Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, his disciples approached him privately and asked: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” But Luke says, “When will these things actually be, and what will be the sign when these things are to occur.” Here, “when will these things be?” clearly refers to the destruction of Jerusalem. The disciples seem to be trying to understand why Jesus wept over the city, and why he repeated the warning at the temple. They were curious and confused. But then they asked two more questions: the sign of his presence and the conclusion of the system of things. This is significant. Jesus’ answer blends the destruction of Jerusalem with the sign of his future presence. Why? Because the disciples asked about both, and Jesus gave an answer that addressed their time and ours. There are indeed strong parallels between the experience of early Christians and the conditions Jesus said would mark his presence. Here is what I deduced: The “sign” and the “conclusion” appear to be two distinct phases. In Matthew 24:6, Jesus said that “these things” — the signs — must occur, but the end is not yet (Luke 21:9). If we follow that, then most, if not all, major features of the sign have already appeared. So we are either near the conclusion or in the final part of the sign of Jesus’ presence. Another important detail: Jesus said that when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies, its desolation was near. That surrounding was the final sealing of the prophecy, marking the beginning of the end for the city. In our time, the proclamation of “peace and security” seems to act as a similar final marker, an event that signals the beginning of the end. My personal opinion — and I acknowledge it could be wrong — is that the proclamation of “peace and security” may overlap with the destruction of Babylon the Great. Here is why: In 66 C.E., various Jewish factions overthrew the Roman fortresses, killed High Priest Ananias, and drove the Roman governor out of the city. Then the Romans tried to capture Jerusalem not once, but twice. But the days for meting out justice started when they surrounded the nations in 66 C.E. And it triggered the beginning of the end. But the prophecy was fulfilled in 70 C.E. So I think the cry of “peace and security” may be tied to the removal of false religion. And I think the cry of peace could happen in intervals too. I believe a series of peace and security could trigger a final assault on False Religion, which will lead the mission to be finally fulfilled. Since Jesus’ presence in 1914, we have seen the peace accord with the League of Nations, and the United Nations and countless peace accords. Maybe the finale of that peace and security is the end of the mother of the disgusting things (Babylon the Great) Again, I know I may be wrong, but I found this comparison interesting and worth exploring as part of my research. Wow. I didn’t know this would be too long

It’s understandable to feel strongly on this sensitive matter. Sadly, no human government can solve any of these problems 😔 Let’s keep praying for Jehovah’s kingdom to come soon 🙏…

Also, friends, I know this is a very sad situation. But please, don’t quickly be shaken by sudden reports and news from the media. While the area I stay is relatively calm and I don’t keep up with the news anymore, I have learned to not trust everything the media says. If it was a situation of national emergency, I would know and others in my area would know. Truth is, the killings of Christians and Muslims have been happening for a long time. I have learned to deal with it as part of the sign of the last days. “The love of the greater number will grow cold.” There is no evidence that the government is protecting them. As Christians, we need to avoid repeating hearsay and rumors from others. We would never give the impression that we are compromising our neutrality by criticizing the government. Please, refrain from this my brother. Please.

I wanted to share some thoughts on this matter that has come up recently — a topic that touches on personal conscience and my relationship with Jehovah. It is very important to me. This may be the first time some of us are hearing that a few people may engage in birthday anniversaries or other social customs without consciously connecting them to their original meanings. But when we reflect on such practices, we’re reminded of a vital principle shared in the recent update: “Does this practice honor Jehovah? And does it show love and consideration for our brothers and sisters?” That question has stuck with me. It helps us view our decisions not only through the lens of personal freedom but through the lens of love. Because in this spiritual family, our decisions don’t stand alone. They ripple outward — touching hearts, memories, and sometimes, old wounds. For many of us who came into the truth, refusing to celebrate birthdays was one of the earliest — and most difficult — changes we made. Some of us faced mockery, emotional pressure, or even rejection from our families. And yet, we made that decision because we came to love Jehovah’s standards more than our own comfort. Why do we take such a clear stand? Because birthdays are rooted in paganism and linked to astrology, false gods, and spiritistic ideas about guardian spirits. Because the Bible’s two mentions of birthdays are both tied to violent, ungodly events: the execution of Pharaoh’s baker and the beheading of John the Baptist. Because no faithful servant of Jehovah in the Bible is shown celebrating a birthday — not Jesus, not the apostles, not the prophets. And, most of all, because birthdays often place emphasis on exalting the self. The focus becomes “my day,” “my gifts,” “my wishes,” rather than glorifying Jehovah or drawing attention to him. So for Jehovah’s people, the choice has been clear. We don’t celebrate birthdays — not because we want to be different for the sake of it, but because we want to be different for Jehovah’s sake. Today, however, toasting has largely lost those overt spiritual connotations. In many settings, it’s just a casual gesture — a way of saying “Cheers,” “Congratulations,” or “To your success.” The update helped me see why toasting is treated as a matter of conscience — not a congregational rule. But here’s where we have to be very careful. Just because something isn’t “forbidden” doesn’t make it spiritually wise. Some toasts still exalt human pride, wealth, or achievement, things Jehovah has warned us not to glorify. So the question is not simply: “Is this allowed?” But rather: “Does this bring peace?” “Does this build others up?” “Does this reflect my love for Jehovah and my brothers?” That’s the spiritual maturity Jehovah is drawing out of us — not blind rule-following, but discernment driven by love. Brother Lett used a powerful illustration of a child who needs to hold the hand of his mother before crossing the street. A mature adult would not need his mother’s hand to cross the street. What I got from that illustration is this: If the mother, while crossing the street, has an accident that kills the child due to negligence, she will answer to Jehovah. But for an adult, if he dies through his own negligence, he will answer to Jehovah. This is one of those situations where our actions now are being observed by Jehovah, and He will be keenly interested in how we display love and make decisions. With more freedom comes greater responsibility before Jehovah.

I love this point. It reminds me of the article I read a couple of months ago. When wolves were exterminated from Yellowstone National Park in the early 20th century, deer and elk populations exploded. These herds overgrazed trees and shrubs, especially near rivers. The entire ecosystem tipped into imbalance. What if humans were removed from earth? What if we are removed? Would the earth sustain itself? From a purely ecological or physical standpoint: Yes — the Earth’s natural systems (water cycle, carbon cycle, ecosystems, etc.) can continue functioning without human intervention. But from Jehovah’s perspective, earth was designed for us. It wouldn’t be earth without humans. It is our home, stage, and inheritance. We complete the earth. We sustain the earth. Imagine a violin that still exists, still vibrates in the air, still collects dust. But no one plays it. Is it “sustained”? Technically yes. Is it fulfilling its reason for being? No. Yes, Jehovah doesn’t need us. The earth doesn’t need us. But we are Jehovah’s creation and we bring and add meaning to his creation. We do this because we are image-bearers of him. We were not made out of necessity. But astonishingly, we were made out of desire. That is a raw kind of love.

I am a little off with the timeline of the books. I would love to get back to reading them, but I am missing the piece. Bro Walker, would you kindly share more insights on the order of the “between the verses” series?

The cry of peace reminds me of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Over the years in this forum, I have seen a lot of speculation on this subject. I, myself, have made some speculations too. It is interesting that, as time passes, our speculation has changed over time. I imagine seeing Jehovah smile at our interesting attempts to unravel the sacred secrets of His will. Who can blame us? We are curious beings. I mean even the angels peer into these things. Back to my recent speculations that is, most likely, going to change over time. Before the destruction of the city, the city had enjoyed a supposed victory against the Romans after the Roman governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, led an army to Jerusalem but was unexpectedly defeated by Jewish rebels and forced to retreat. I remembered the Walk By Faith movie and the depictions of joy on the rebels' faces. All seemed well at first. However, it was towards the end of the movie that we saw the deplorable state of the city when the second couple came back. It was an easy destruction that was met without much retaliation from the Jews. Could this destruction be similar to the destruction of BTG? The destruction of BTG is the first of the fall of Satan's present system of things. Could the deplorable state of BTG continue until its final destruction? A look at the humiliation of Christendom in the Olympics was eye-opening to me, I think. I feel this humiliation will continue until the destruction comes on the world empire of false religion. Will it be met with retaliation? I don't think so. Maybe more of a pity or sadness.

And this was @Ferb reply 😂😂😂

Oh, I know you two! You both made jokes and laughed about my comment on the thread. I think that was some years ago. I think I said "True Love" as described in our movie is finding love in the most obscure places just as the sister depicted in the movies spilled drinks on the brother. Now that I think about it, why did I say that? 😭😭😭

"Love will find you if you are not looking." That's a generalised statement I have often heard. While I am not fully interested in a relationship, I tend to think of the aforementioned statement as not entirely true, at least for me. Thing is, if I don't find love and my future wife doesn't, how will we meet? Or maybe, there is just a miraculous way "true love" weaves itself. And yes, we have a movie "What is True Love?" that seems to support this narrative. Well, I thought to myself: "What if I could ask you dear married ones how you found love?" How did you meet your significant other? Did you wait for it? Did you seek it? Or you were not looking? A suitable experience in relation to the question will be most welcome. Let me go and grab my popcorn as I hear true love unravel its stories! 😂😂😂

Another one. Can't wait! Besides, are we going to see more paradise books in the future?

The reality is there is a lot of corruption in finance. I knew this would happen after an analysis of the foreign exchange market. Since the pandemic, there have been a lot of manipulations and crypto would be a target. I mentioned this a while back on a thread I think. I have been with cryptocurrency for some years. I lost trust in it when they introduced the futures contract. Before that, crypto used spot trading for trading contracts. Spot trading typically means you can buy and invest in it by trading it. With the majority of people buying, you can only expect its value to go up coupled with a sizeable amount of crypto coins released every period. Back then, you can not trade sell positions by shorting. You can only trade by buying it. Although, you can sell your coins to another person. With futures, however, the opportunity to short it now exists. This opens crypto to a lot of vulnerabilities meaning crypto is at the mercy of big financial banks, or who knows, the central banks. What happens when the feds have major banks decide to short (or trade it by selling) BTC with billions of dollars, wouldn't it instantly go to zero? That's what a decentralized gets it, no regulation or protection available in the financial markets. I have hence decided it is too much of a risk and not my cup of tea. Also, with the inflation happening, I expect something worse to come. How does inflation affect it? Risk on/risk off. This means that pairs directly traded with USD are targeted. Dollar goes up, they come down. This wouldn't happen if they stayed with spot trading because you only bought. But with futures, BTC would be dumping hard because traders will be shorting it, and who knows, financial banks. Lastly, I just don't trust my investment in the hands of an unknown figure that hasn't been found. I don't have a problem with the technology of blockchain. It looks too good and brilliant to be tossed away, but I don't think it is what it should be yet. And yes, I'm not a financial advisor 🙂

This is my plight. I haven't had covid at all, and I feel healthy. I am unsure if taking the vaccine is a good idea... I am always very cautious when it comes to vaccines. I don't believe in any conspiracy theories, but my body just doesn't react to vaccines well.

Here in my country, there is a devastating flood that is destroying homes and properties. It has spread to more than four states. Food supply is being impeded. Agriculture is being destroyed. I have no explanation for this as it has never happened like this before.

I was a little bit worried that a topic wasn't opened yet until I saw yours. Thanks, @Doak for starting the topic. I am about to watch it, and I am excited to see Neeta and Jade return to our screens.