The Resurrection

In the Bible, there is no hope more clear or taught more bright than that of the resurrection. When Jehovah's Witnesses witness about Jehovah and Jesus this is probably one of the greatest and most enduring truths in the Bible they share with people.

I knew of a sister who would always read the newspaper and the obituaries, and always wrote letters to relatives of victims she found in the newspaper, relatives of those who had lost loved ones in tragic ways. And she wrote to unknown and very known people all around the country. And made many converts to true Christianity in this way.

I have been to many a memorial service for dead loved ones, both people I have known or those close to me have known. And have seen many people that do not have the hope of the resurrection who attended these memorial services come away comforted by God with the Biblical hope of a future resurrection:

"Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."-John 5:28-29.

I was pondering about the resurrection today on hearing of the famous country singer Toby Keith's passing. At our Sunday public talk yesterday our speaker talked about speaking of the resurrection hope with the people wherever we may find them. And pray that God help us reach their hearts to see the beautiful reality and truth that he holds out to humankind. To give hope where there is despair. That God's comfort may reach all those mourning and grieving.

Here are a video and some music videos showing the beautiful promise of the resurrection:

The New World

Just Around the Corner

You Will See

Knock Knock

Funny, I was just talking about that subject in the thread:

Would you rather... (link to my first comment there)

I came here to invite you to read my commentary there, and in particular the songs I used. Since you might understand them a little better and like them (more so than some of the people I saw commenting in that thread, so I figured, better draw some attention from those who can understand why I used those songs in the places I used them, in terms of timing and responding to comments there; the songs are quite good).

Of course, everyone else is invited as well, it's not very complicated (i.e. a high IQ is not required for understanding). The songs should also be fairly familiar to all (they are famous Bob Marley and Michael Jackson songs). They have a message for all of you (whomever may read this).

To wet your appetite:

originally posted by: randomuser2034
...

I have been to many a memorial service for dead loved ones, both people I have known or those close to me have known. And have seen many people that do not have the hope of the resurrection who attended these memorial services come away comforted by God with the Biblical hope of a future resurrection:

"Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."-John 5:28-29.

...

A Christian View of Funeral Customs (1998)

...

Dignified Funeral Services

Funeral services conducted by Jehovah’s Witnesses do not include rituals intended to appease the dead. A Bible talk is given either at the Kingdom Hall, at the funeral parlor, at the home of the deceased, or at the graveside. The purpose of the talk is to comfort the bereaved by explaining what the Bible says about death and the hope of a resurrection. (John 11:25; Romans 5:12; 2 Peter 3:13) A song based on the Scriptures may be sung, and the service is concluded with a comforting prayer.

Recently, a funeral service such as this was conducted for one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who happened to be the youngest sister of Nelson Mandela, the president of South Africa. After the service, the president sincerely thanked the speaker. Many dignitaries and high officials were in attendance. “This is the most dignified funeral I have ever attended,” said a cabinet minister.

...

Something I ran into yesterday or the day before, after I read a comment on ATS about Nelson Mandela (and used that name in the online library searchbox). It was a bit too off-topic for that thread so I decided not to share it. Now I can.

originally posted by: randomuser2034
In the Bible, there is no hope more clear or taught more bright than that of the resurrection. When Jehovah's Witnesses witness about Jehovah and Jesus this is probably one of the greatest and most enduring truths in the Bible they share with people.

Resurrection for those who accept Jesus and His forgiveness, who repent?

Is there a resurrection for all those men in JW,org who abuse children
A resurrection for those leaders in JW,org who protect child abusers
Just like the Catholic Church of old, JW,org hides and protects paedophiles

Should I link a beautifully sung song
Maybe link with all the evidence
www.theatlantic.com...

Though you are not allowed to read those links are you?

So, jw members who abuse and harbour abusers, free ticket?

Part of one comment I made there (the Bible text leads in the song). I'm bolding another phrase now though (which should be obvious why):

originally posted by: whereislogic
...
2 Peter 2:1-3

However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among you. These will quietly bring in destructive sects, and they will even disown the owner who bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. 2 Furthermore, many will follow their brazen conduct,*[Or “their acts of shameless conduct.”] and because of them the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. 3 Also, they will greedily exploit you with counterfeit words. But their judgment, decided long ago, is not moving slowly, and their destruction is not sleeping.

English version:

Remember Indiana, "the shrewd one considers his steps"

(Pr 14:15, see my signature). Alternate rendering: "the shrewd one ponders each step." (NW Study Edition)

At least he didn't give up (talking about Indiana in the scene above).

By the way, that was a response to someone quoting Nelson Mandela.

Ah, you know what, since I don't want to deprive anyone here from the rest of the comment (and accompanying songs, the first few by Michael Jackson being even better and more familiar to the world than the ones above), here's the rest:

originally posted by: quintessentone
"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." Nelson Mandela

originally posted by: whereislogic
So what's your choice concerning the question and the scenarios presented in the OP? (try not to misinterpret or change the scenarios, or add another one) 2 choices in the OP.

LOL, Jehovah (Jah is the shortened version, also used in the Bible) has all the best singers:

Revelation 21:3-5 (second-to-last chapter in the Bible):

With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

5 And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful* [Or “trustworthy.”] and true.”

...

I probably should have used this text to lead in the first Michael Jackson song "Heal the World":

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage warfare* [“We do not wage warfare.” Lit., “we are not doing military service.” ...; Lat., non . . . mi·li·ta'mus.] according to what we are in the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful by God for overturning strongly entrenched things. For we are overturning reasonings and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God;” (2 Cor 10:3-5)

This is the last one in my playlist on youtube (so it may require a bit more background info, cause it's more of a summary):

a reply to: whereislogic

Nelson Mandela's wife became a Jehovah's Witness. I don't know if you knew that. She once said, people think is he is someone special, but he is just like everyone else. That may be why it was a Jehovah's Witness funeral. Perhaps others in his family also became Witnesses. Sounds like his youngest sister may have been one. Thanks for the ref.

ETA:

You probably know this but Michael Jackson was a baptized Jehovah's Witness. He would also preach. He was disfellowshipped and did not die as a JW.

a reply to: whereislogic

Here is a BBC article that talks about Nelson Mendela's wife's* faith:

Nelson Mandela death: The women who loved him

Nelson Mandela married Evelyn Mase, a cousin of his political mentor Walter Sisulu, three years after arriving in Johannesburg to avoid an arranged marriage in the rural region of Eastern Cape. He was 26 and she was 22.

"I think I loved him the first time I saw him," she is quoted as saying in Higher Than Hope, a biography of Mr Mandela that came out in 1990 when he was released from prison.

"Within days of our first meeting we were going steady and within months he proposed."

They were married for 13 years. During much of that time, her nurse's salary supported the family while Mr Mandela pursued his law studies.

Together they had four children. The death of their second child aged nine months had a devastating effect on Evelyn, who became more religious, while Mr Mandela became more political.

She was a Jehovah's Witness with no interest in politics.

''I could not give up my life in the struggle, and she could not live with my devotion to something other than herself and her family,'' Mr Mandela wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.

It was a bitter end to the marriage, and Mr Mandela returned home on bail after his arrest on treason charges to find she had moved out.

Five years after Mr Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in 1964, their eldest son Thembekile died in a car crash.

According to biographer Anthony Sampson, he sent Evelyn, who was then running a grocery store in a village in what is now the Eastern Cape, a message of condolence - it was their only communication while he was in prison.

When her former husband's release from jail in 1990 was compared to the second coming of Christ, she told journalist Fred Bridgland: "It's very silly when people say this kind of thing about Nelson.

"How can a man who has committed adultery and left his wife and children be Christ? The world worships Nelson too much. He is only a man."

But she later seemed to have grown accustomed to the adulation.

In an interview just after the general election which saw Mr Mandela elected as the country's first black president, she said she had not seen him since he had been released from prison, but she knew "the people love him very much".

"When I go to their houses to talk to them about Jehovah, I always see his picture on the walls. His strength has come from God.

"God uses people to do his work even if they are not righteous."

In 1998, more than 40 years after separating from Mr Mandela, Evelyn married Simon Rakeepile, a fellow Jehovah's Witness. She died in 2004.

I've started my own thread about it now, incorporating the songs and their teachings that I used previously in the other thread. I decided to do so after reading a news story this morning about a (mass) school shooting in Michigan. The news story was about (and this is also the link to my thread, borrowing the title of an article from The New York Times about it):

Mother of Michigan Gunman Found Guilty of Manslaughter

For those interested in listening to wholesome music as they heal your minds and hearts, or at least have that potential if one is receptive to it (unlike described at 2 Timothy 4:3,4).

a reply to: whereislogic

I don't know if you know what Rastafarianism is. But if you don't I think you would find it interesting doing a little research on it, and why Bob Marley uses "Jah" in his songs.