New English NWT Bible released as Annual Meeting is leaked online

Watchtower’s much-anticipated 129th Annual Meeting was held today at the Stanley Theater, New Jersey. In an unprecedented move, the event was streamed live to 1,830 locations – a global audience of nearly 1.5 million Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Sadly I was among those without an invitation. The Governing Body does not tend to welcome with open arms those like me who are critical of some of their teachings and policies.

But thankfully I have not been left entirely in the dark, and neither has anyone else for that matter! One brave blogger going by the name of “DrJohnChrist” who attended one of the streaming locations has provided a running commentary via a thread on the Reddit social network.

Much of the hype leading up to the Annual Meeting surrounded the fact that there has been a far-reaching shortage of New World Translations over the last few months, with congregation stocks running dry. This led to rumors that a new version of the English New World Translation was in preparation – and it seems these whispers were not wide of the mark.

It fell to Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson to announce the new release. Revised into 21st Century English with a grey cover and silver edges, a revision of the New World Translation bible has been released today with the PDF version available on Monday 7th (presumably on JW.org). This is what it looks like…

On-Screen Bible: Now on Quick Screen

When you subscribe to Proclaim, you don’t have to wait for the “new version” or buy additional software. When we create new features, you get them for free. In December, we announced the On-Screen Bible–a new tool that draws attention to your Scripture references with subtle animations and sends app Signals.
Now we’ve added the On-Screen Bible to your quick screen, so you can be even more prepared for last-minute adjustments and spontaneous Bible references. When you take Proclaim On Air, the quick screen appears next to your current slide, so it’s right there when you need it and out of the way when you don’t.
 
Click on the “OSB” (On-Screen Bible) slide,

Why Preach through Books of the Bible?

I had a conversation with a minister friend who had been involved in discussing what pastors were preaching in their churches. While most seemed to agree that exposition of the biblical text must have priority in the church, few thought it wise to preach consecutively through books of the Bible—particularly with series that extended beyond twelve weeks. I understand the challenge of longer series but also see the value in the long run. The forty-four sermons that I preached through Ephesians in 1990–91, literally transformed my life, theology, and congregation. Eight or ten sermons would not have sufficed to uproot faulty theology and set us on a right course. The fifty-two sermons in Hebrews in 2000–01, sharpened our understanding of the gospel and its application to the whole of life.

What would you say had you been involved in the discussion? Here are a few thoughts that I’ve ruminated on since that conversation.

(1) Pastors have the responsibility to preach the whole range of biblical revelation. Paul told the Ephesian elders, “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). He could not simply address his favorite issues but intentionally sought to address the issues of God’s will for sinners and for the redeemed. Do we address the range of God’s will for the Galatians or to those who first received First and Second Samuel, by picking one or two texts to expound to the neglect of the others?

Virtual recordings of the Bible — from anywhere in the world

When Faith Comes By Hearing first started recording Audio Bibles in the languages of the world, two or three recordings a year was considered successful. With digital technology improvements, the ministry now releases 90-100 new recordings annually.

Taking the next step in recording technology, we’re introducing Virtual Recording, which can potentially handle hundreds of recording projects simultaneously on the internet. An online presence, VirtualRecording.com, opens up participation in Scripture recording to anyone with a computer, microphone and Internet connection.

Siesta Summer 2014 Bible Study: Anybody Game for “Children of the Day”?

Hey, Everybody!

It’s almost May and, around here, that means it’s time to announce our Siesta Summer Bible Study for those who are itching to take a journey together. In all these years of doing summer Bible study together here on the blog, we’ve never gone through one I’ve authored. The biggest reason is that I really love to go through other authors’ courses with our blog community. That’s a refreshing blast of Holy Spirit-breath to me and you can count on us doing that again next summer.  The other reason is that the launch date of one of mine never coincided well with the beginning of summer.  With Children of the Day (an in-depth study of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians) coming out in May, the timing works out perfectly. I ask you to trust my heart on this and know that we’re not doing the study this summer so that I can drive up sales. I can’t prove my motives to you but I give you my word. That’s all I know to do. Any of you who still find it uncomfortable can, by all means, choose another Bible study by a different author and feel completely welcome to formulate your group right here in the comment section to this post. Just start your comment with the words in all caps “ANOTHER OPTION” and get together on line and choose which Bible study you’d like to do. There are so many fabulous ones available. You have my complete and joyful blessing to use this community to put your group together. Any way we can serve you is a tremendous honor to us.

For those of you who would like to do Children of the Day with our community this summer, here are a few important facts:

* We’ll start Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Around here at Living Proof, we formed the habit of Tuesday Bible study over the years so that’s why we choose it as our gathering day but you are welcome to commit to any day of the week that works for you. Simply adapt the instructions to that particular day.

* Children of the Day is an 8-week study so we will wrap it up on Tuesday, July 29, 2014.

* As we’ve done in past summers, we’re only asking you to commit to “gather” with us and/or with your group every other week since summers are so busy. We will still stay on schedule for each week’s homework but you’ll only need to check in once every 2 weeks.

Children of the Day Online Bible Study Week

Welcome back to online Bible study as we study Children of the Day by Beth Moore. We have about 700 women participating in this online Bible study so remember to pray for our leaders and the women participating in your groups. By now everyone should have their study books and hopefully you’ve started working through the book. A few women accidentally ordered the leaders book (28 pages) instead of the study guide/member book (240 pages) so you’re a tad behind on the lessons from where the rest of the group is right now. Please don’t worry about this if you are one of these women. Just pick up the book where you are today and move forward. You’ll make progress one page at a time and before you know it you’ll be on track with the group again.

What an absolute privilege to be joining you in this Bible study on Thessalonians! This study was just published and already has many positive reviews. Like any Bible study, it also as a few challenges as we get started and you might even feel like you’ve gotten in over your head! To overcome these challenges our leadership team has created this list of suggestions:

1. Pray before you begin your lesson each day and the Holy Spirit will lead you and convict you in your daily study

The Bible is Full of Real People and Places!

There are real people in the Bible! They lived in, travelled to, fought and fell in love inreal places!

 

The Bible is not Star Trek ,Star Wars or even Galaxy Quest . Those are detailed, science-fictional stories about fictional people in fictional places. Granted, they are interesting stories about interesting though unreal people—if, like me, you like that sort of thing.

We can envision the fictional drama of their made-up lives, and most importantly, we can relate to those made-up folks. Sometimes we can see a little of ourselves in their characters. We can imagine their lives that led to the vignettes in the books and films. It’s like our minds filled in the gaps of time and space so we can see and hear what they saw and heard. We reason and feel what they thought and felt. We like those stories in part because we can envision the characters and places in our minds’ eye.

Behold the Bible!

New Hope Publishers Launches Online Bible Study Community

New Hope Publishers launched a new online community—New Hope Women in Bible Study—atNewHopeDigital.com/women. The site is geared toward individuals, ministry leaders and others interested in resources and practical ways to engage women in Bible study and grow small groups while also getting to know the authors behind the studies.

The site was launched at an event, Heart to Heart, in October 2013. “This is a space where women using New Hope Bible studies as individuals or in small groups can meet authors, interact with one another, have access to unique content and learn more about New Hope Bible study resources and authors,” explained Andrea Mullins, New Hope publisher.

The Best Online Bible Study Tools

Nothing will ever replace the feeling of a well-worn, leather-bound old Bible in your hand that’s full of notes, highlights, underlines, and maybe a handwritten note from the person who gave it to you on the inside cover. But that’s a book for keeping safe by your bedside, not stuffing in your backpack for eight hours a day on campus. Besides, it takes years to wear in a Bible, and there is a promised land of Bible study tools available right now for use online.

It can be a bit daunting to start studying any book as thick as a full Bible. Young Christians are often advised to begin with the New Testament, while introductory Bible classes often start from the beginning with either the Book of Genesis or the Book of Job (the oldest book of the Bible). Especially if you choose to tackle the Old Testament first, a reading plan that sets aside a certain amount of time each day or each week is the best way to stick to it.

Wherever you begin, it’s important to remember that the Bible is a millennia-old work by dozens of authors from different walks of life, cultures, and time periods that’s been translated countless times over the centuries by translators with their own limitations, beliefs, and biases. While much of it can be read and understood on its face, you need to consult multiple versions, dictionaries, commentaries, and history itself, as well as compare the pieces to the rest of the Bible as a whole, to unlock deeper meaning from your study.

Healing in a Virtual World

There is a practice in the church that The Lord has provided for His people to enable them to be healed of disease or other afflictions. That practice is described in James 5 and relates to the laying on of hands and anointing with oil. When this process is followed correctly the power and authority to heal is given to the church so that the one suffering may be healed.

Prayer. Communication in a virtual world

And it works. I have seen it happen and can testify to the efficacy of this practice in my own life.

But there is also what I have called here, “Healing in a virtual world.” In this case it does not require the person to directly lay hands upon the sick person but the illness is brought under the power of God from a distance through other means.

We see an example of this in these few verses of Acts 19 where tremendous miracles and healings were done by Paul without his immediate presence. So let's take a look at this and what it means today.

Virtual Healing

When Jesus walked the earth we saw one instance where a healing was performed without Him being present with the sick person. What we saw in that instance was the faith of one man was recognised by The Lord and rewarded with the healing of that man's servant.

You can find this occurrence in Matthew 8:5-13.

Five Reasons why the Bible is the most important Book on Earth

The Bible is the single most important book ever written. It is an eyewitness account of historical events of such magnitude that they have literally shaped the world in which we live. Without this book the Western world and a good deal of the Eastern world would be completely different today than if the events of this book had never occurred.

It is not too much to say that the events recorded in this book are claimed by a significant percentage of people who have ever lived on this earth to be the most important events ever recorded in the history of the world. This book is foundational to just about everything mankind will ever know or accomplish. It has directly led to massive undertakings of good will and charity. Because of this book, great projects have been undertaken, hospitals have been built, multitudes fed and clothed and orphanages founded.

Here are five primary reasons why you need to read the Bible. This article was written by Dan Buttafuoco, president of the Historical Bible Society.
Reason #1:
The Bible has transformed the world

Importance of BibleIt would be impossible to claim to be an educated person in today's world without having at least some familiarity with the events contained in this book. Actually, all of the events contained in this book should be known by everyone.

    A good number of people around the world read portions of this book every day. It is one of the most published and printed books in the history of the world. It has been printed in just about every known language (including braille) and each year, since it was first written, it has been the world's greatest bestseller year after year. As time marches on it is continually printed in yet more languages. Collectors of rare books treasure it in every form.

English Bible History

English Bible History

The fascinating story of how we got the Bible in its present form actually starts thousands of years ago, as briefly outlined in our Timeline of Bible Translation History. As a background study, we recommend that you first review our discussion of the Pre-Reformation History of the Bible from 1,400 B.C. to 1,400 A.D., which covers the transmission of the scripture through the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, and the 1,000 years of the Dark & Middle Ages when the Word was trapped in only Latin. Our starting point in this discussion of Bible history, however, is the advent of the scripture in the English language with the “Morning Star of the Reformation”, John Wycliffe.

John Wycliffe

The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe, (also spelled “Wycliff” & “Wyclif”), was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!

John Hus

One of Wycliffe’s followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe

Why You Can Believe the Bible

It is the history of the Bible that makes it unique among 'sacred texts.' See who wrote the Bible, how it's reportive style is backed by archeology and historians...

History of the Bible - Who wrote the Bible?

The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years, by 40 authors. Unlike other religious writings, the Bible reads as a factual news account of real events, places, people, and dialogue. Historians and archaeologists have repeatedly confirmed its authenticity.

Using the authors' own writing styles and personalities, God shows us who he is and what it's like to know him.
There is one central message consistently carried by all 40 authors of the Bible: God, who created us all, desires a relationship with us. He calls us to know him and trust him.
The Bible not only inspires us, it explains life and God to us. It does not answer all the questions we might have, but enough of them. It shows us how to live with purpose and compassion. How to relate to others. It encourages us to rely on God for strength, direction, and enjoy his love for us. The Bible also tells us how we can have eternal life.
Multiple categories of evidence support the historical accuracy of the Bible as well as its claim to divine authorship. (Here are the subsections of this article, if you want to jump to any particular one.)

1. How does archaeology support the Bible?
2. Has the Bible changed over time, or do we have what was originally written?
3. Are the gospel accounts of Jesus reliable?
4. Do historians confirm what the Bible says about Jesus?
5. Are there contradictions in the Bible?
6. How were the books of the New Testament determined? Why not the gospel of Judas?
7. Why did it take 30 to 60 years for the Gospels to be written?
8. Does it matter if Jesus really did and said what is in the Gospels?

1. How does archaeology support the Bible?

Archaeology cannot prove that the Bible is God's written word to us. However, archaeology can (and does) substantiate the Bible's historical accuracy. Archaeologists have consistently discovered the names of government officials, kings, cities, and festivals mentioned in the Bible -- sometimes when historians didn't think such people or places existed. For example, the Gospel of John tells of Jesus healing a cripple next to the Pool of Bethesda. The text even describes the five porticoes (walkways) leading to the pool. Scholars didn't think the pool existed, until archaeologists found it forty feet below ground, complete with the five porticoes.¹
The Bible has a tremendous amount of historical detail, so not everything mentioned in it has yet been found through archaeology. However, not one archaeological find has conflicted with what the Bible records.²
In contrast, news reporter Lee Strobel comments about the Book of Mormon:

History of the Bible Timeline

The Bible is reported to be the biggest bestseller of all time, and its history is fascinating to study. As God's Spirit breathed on the authors of the Bible, they recorded the messages with whatever resources were available at the time. The Bible itself illustrates some of the materials used: engravings in clay, inscriptions on tablets of stone, ink and papyrus, vellum, parchment, leather and metals.
This timeline traces the unparalleled history of the Bible down through the ages. Discover how God's Word has been painstakingly preserved, and for extended periods even suppressed, during its long and arduous journey from creation to present day English translations.

History of the Bible Timeline

• Creation - B.C. 2000 - Originally, the earliest Scriptures are handed down from generation to generation orally.


• Circa B.C. 2000-1500 - The book of Job, perhaps the oldest book of the Bible, is written.


• Circa B.C. 1500-1400 - The stone tablets of the Ten Commandments are given to Moses at Mount Sinai and later stored in the Ark of the Covenant.


• Circa B.C. 1400–400 - The manuscripts comprising the original Hebrew Bible (39 Old Testament books) are completed. The Book of the Law is kept in the tabernacle and later in the Temple beside the Ark of the Covenant.