Jewish Lords' Witness

God Laughing?

​​​​​​​​Introduction

Some time ago I was going through a bit of crazy bible decoding work with Gordon, the Lords’ Witnesses’ President, when it struck me that God is a master puzzle-maker. I am certain that He had a lot of fun putting the scriptures together, using numerous different authors and two different languages in which to write the cryptic Bible Code. He must be having even more fun seeing his incompetent earthly children trying to make sense of His scriptural riddles today. I hope He is deriving some pleasure from seeing us being prepared to expend our efforts in this way to try to fully understand His lessons and messages for mankind.

I think that sense of fun-making is also present in the world of the physical sciences, especially in the area of quantum mechanics in which sub-atomic particular behaviour defies human intuition and common experience. Even Einstein himself said on this issue “Quantum theory yields much, but it hardly brings us close to the Old One’s secrets. I, in any case, am convinced He does not play dice with the universe.” It was addressed by Einstein to Max Born in a letter that he wrote to Born in 1926. Whilst I have the deepest respect for Einstein, both as a physicist and a believer in God, I find myself in disagreement with him on this one point. I believe that God DOES play dice with the universe and, once again, I think it gives Him great pleasure to provide these puzzles to His earthling children.

The more I think about it, there are most definitely some parallels between the bible code and quantum mechanics. Both require a leap out of mankind’s normal thought processes to enable some kind of sense to be made of these God-given puzzles. Anyway, as a result, I decided to take a look into the scriptures to determine the full extent of our God’s sense of humour. While numerous authors have worked on this thesis before, I hope my knowledge of both the Bible Code and quantum mechanics may help bring further insight into the topic. Amen.
 

God and Man

Ecclesiastes 3 is a good place to start in this quest, since it contains a couple of verses that seem to be supporting my view of God’s puzzle-making. In verses 10 and 11 we are being told that we have been given the ability to understand all His works, but that we have to pull hard on that ability:

10 I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of men, to be humbled by it.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has set eternity in their heart, without which man cannot find out the work that God makes from the beginning even to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3 GLT)

Also we should not forget that Adam was made in God’s image and, whilst we are no longer the perfect human beings God originally created, we must surely retain many of the emotional traits of our Heavenly Father:

27 And God created the man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female. (Genesis 1 GLT)

So if we have a sense of humour then, presumably, so must Jehovah.
 

A Time to Laugh

Ecclesiastes 3 also gives a large list of the attributes that we have inherited from God, including the ability to laugh albeit at the right time and in appropriate circumstances:

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3 KJV)

This notion of laughing appropriately is spelled out in the Gospel of Luke:

21 Blessed [are ye] that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are ye] that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. (Luke 6 KJV)

Job also has something to say on the matter of inappropriate laughter, suggesting that a righteous and God-fearing man can be the object of his unbelieving acquaintances’ scornful laughter:

4 I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor, I who called upon God, and he answered: The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock. (Job 12 ASV)

And this succinct verse from Solomon calling those foolish who think sin and contrition amusing:

9 Fools laugh at guilt offering, but among the righteous [is] favor. (Proverbs 14 GLT)

Telling jokes to cause laughter also appears several times in the bible. Unfortunately, in the following verse, we see that an honest warning from Lot to his sons-in-law was not taken seriously. This seems to be something of a pattern throughout the bible in that serious statements, made by God or man, cause laughter in the recipients: 

14 And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said: 'Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy the city.' But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that jested. (Genesis 19 JPS)

But it would also seem that joking must also be done in an appropriate way and not as a cover for deceit:

19 so [is] a man who deceives his neighbor and says, Am I not joking?
20 The fire goes out where there is no wood, [so] the strife ceases where [there is] no whisperer. (Proverbs 26 GLT)

Also dirty jokes are unsurprisingly frowned upon:

4 neither shameful conduct nor foolish talking nor obscene jesting, things which are not becoming, but rather the giving of thanks. (Ephesians 5 NWT)

In Jehovah’s eyes, the production of idols is seen as an adverse form of humour, i.e. mockery, of the One True God:

14 Every man is deprived of knowledge, every goldsmith is confounded because of his graven images; for he has cast false gods, there is no breath in them.
15 They are vain works, wrought in mockery; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. (Jeremiah 10 LXXb)

Earlier in the Book of Job, Bildad the Shuhite answers Job confirming that God will bring laughter to the innocent ones. God therefore must see appropriate laughter as a good thing:

20 Behold, God will not cast away the innocent, and He will not help the evildoers,
21 until He fills your mouth with laughter and your lips with rejoicing. (Job 8 GLT)

In a similar vein, the words of King Lemuel regarding the prophecy that his mother taught him about a virtuous woman, confirm that God was the cause of her laughter:

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come. (Proverbs 31 ASV)

God’s Laughter

So, if we can laugh then so can Jehovah! This we see explicitly in David’s writings. Here God is laughing at the vanity of the kings of the earth plotting against Him and His son, Jesus Christ. An ironical laughter perhaps, but laughter nonetheless. Here we see that God is not only capable of having a good laugh, but can also mock those who think they can defy Him. So, men and God are both capable of laughter and its dark form, that of mockery:

2 The kings of the earth set themselves; yea, the rulers have plotted together against Jehovah and His Anointed, [saying],
3 We will break their bands in two, and throw off their cords from us.
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall mock at them. (Psalms 2 GLT)

Again, we have God laughing at the short-lived exploits of the wicked upon the righteous ones:

12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. (Psalms 37 KJV)

And at those ignoring His wisdom:

25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (Proverbs 1 KJV)

And again, God laughs at the unbelieving nations. It would seem that God has little time to do much else than have a good chortle at the vain activities of sinful mankind:

8 But You, O Jehovah, shall laugh at them; you shall mock at all the nations. (Psalms 59 GLT)

Also, when the Jewish people went against God’s ordinances, He visited such curses upon them that they became a joke to their neighbouring nations:

13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. (Psalms 44 KJV)

I am not certain that God was laughing when He visited this response upon the Children of Israel for complaining that they had not eaten meat since He had freed them from Egypt. However, one can certainly see the mockery and the irony here from God. Yes, Jehovah would provide them only with meat to eat for a full month until they were thoroughly sick of it:

18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days,
20 but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? (Numbers 11 ASV)
 

Man’s Laughter

In the account of Elijah’s contest with the prophets of the false god, Baal, Jehovah’s prophet emulates his God by mocking at Baal’s inability to answer his prophets’ prayers. Again, another good belly-laugh for true believers:

26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked. (1 Kings 18 ASV)

As we saw in the previous section, Jeremiah goes a little further in condemning the makers and worshippers of idols as mocking God. Men effectively laughing at God sounds like the most serious capital offense of blasphemy to me, so not really very funny:

17 Every man has behaved so unreasoningly as not to know. Every metalworker will feel ashamed because of the carved image; for his molten image is a falsehood, and there is no spirit in them.
18 They are vanity, a work of mockery. In the time of their being given attention they will perish. (Jeremiah 51 NWT)

As we have seen, the ability of men to laugh is not just reserved for the righteous. In the next verse, Habakkuk describes the ungodly and all-conquering Chaldean nation as laughing with derision at their conquests:

10 And at kings it doth scoff, And princes {are} a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it. (Habakkuk 1 YLT)

Solomon, however, puts the laughter of fools into its proper context. That of an evil nation would surely fall into the same category:

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so [is] the laughter of the fool: this also [is] vanity. (Ecclesiastes 7 KJV)

23 To work out evil devices [is as] laughter to the foolish; so wisdom [is] to a man of understanding. (Proverbs 10 GLT)

Man’s laughter can also be brought about by extreme joy, as was the case of the Israelites released by God from their captivity. Whilst not strictly demonstrating a sense of humour, joy can lead to laughter as can pure amusement:

1 When Jehovah brought back those that returned to Zion, We were like unto them that dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing: Then said they among the nations, Jehovah hath done great things for them. (Psalms 126 ASV)

In considering that there may be other causes of laughter than pure amusement, is it possible that God tells jokes? Probably not, but He would have known that both Abraham and his wife Sarah would consider it highly amusing when God told them they would have a child in their old age:

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother] of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? (Genesis 17 KJV)

The following chapter of Genesis certainly suggests that God had not intended to tell a joke since He knew He would keep His Word on their child-bearing capabilities. This went so far as for God to challenge Sarah as to why she laughed. Perhaps He had hoped they would laugh for joy rather than amusement? Nonetheless He knew they would initially treat His promise as a joke even if that were not His intention:

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, [and] well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?
14 Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. (Genesis 18 ASV)

Jesus also had a similar effect on some of those He spoke to who thought He was joking about the status of a dead maid. Like His Father Jehovah, a joke was probably not intended, however He would have known His words to the crowd would bring a mirthful response:

24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. (Matthew 9 KJV)

Men can tell jokes of course. Those unbelievers hearing the apostles speaking in tongues joked that they must be drunk. Peter gave them the appropriate rebuff:

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day. (Acts 2 KJV)

Jeremiah also complained to Jehovah that his work as God’s prophet was causing others to mock and laugh at his prophesizing:

7 O Jehovah, thou hast persuaded me, and I was persuaded; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am become a laughing-stock all the day, every one mocketh me.
8 For as often as I speak, I cry out; I cry, Violence and destruction! because the word of Jehovah is made a reproach unto me, and a derision, all the day. (Jeremiah 20 ASV)

I must admit I feel a little bit like Jeremiah myself from time to time, when I know that my entreaties to my fellow men to take God seriously fall on deaf ears at best!
 

Laughter is Food for the Soul

The wise words of King Solomon should ring true for us all in that one’s positive outlook on life is good for one’s well-being. Whilst not necessarily caused by humour or manifest in laughter, it nonetheless helps to generate beneficial innermost feelings if only for a short time. As such it is a gift from God to help lift us from our daily burdens:

13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted [are] evil: but he that is of a merry heart [hath] a continual feast. (Proverbs 15 KJV)

22 A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17 KJV)

However, we are reminded that even in a joyful moment, laughter can conceal a heavy heart if the fundamentals of a person’s life are not in the right state:

13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth [is] heaviness. (Proverbs 14 KJV)

 
The Last Laugh

Well, it would seem that our God does have a sense of humour. But wait, check out this load of humorously written scriptures. Given the Bible is the Word of God then these verses must represent a deliberate set of messages from our God to us. So what should we make of them?

Well, let us start off with an absolute beauty:

11 And if men should strive together, a man with his brother, and the wife of one of them should advance to rescue her husband out of the hand of him that smites him, and she should stretch forth her hand, and take hold of his private parts;
12 thou shalt cut off her hand; thine eye shall not spare her. (Deuteronomy 25 LXXb)

Why on Earth would God even consider such a commandment could ever be required? Whose private parts are being referred to here? Every commentary I have seen on these verses assumes God is talking about the husband’s private parts to pull him away from his assailant. But if a wife is truly one flesh with her husband where is the sin in that? Surely if it were the husband, the wife would be disabling her spouse not his assailant? No, I think God is referring to the assailant’s private parts and stating that the grabbing of that one’s private parts to incapacitate him goes beyond the rules of engagement even if it saves her husband from harm. I am certain that God had a good chuckle when He put that statute on the Books! He was probably making sure we are paying attention!

And what is this verse in the Bible for? Cannot Elisha, a prophet of God, deal with 42 naughty boys laughing at his bald head? Did he really need to call on God to curse them? Did God really need to send 2 bears to kill them all?

23 And he went up from there to Bethel. And he was going up in the highway. And little boys came out from the city and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, bald head! Go up, bald head!
24 And he turned behind him and saw them, and declared them vile in the name of Jehovah. And two bears came out of the forest and tore forty two boys of them. (2 Kings 2 GLT)

Hmm, I think these verses require some serious decoding. Why repeat 'Go up, bald head', was Elisha deaf as well as bald? Why 42 boys, why 2 bears? Probably some encrypted chronology!

Now I can understand God warning His people off eating any dead animal they might find in the street, but give it to a visitor to eat, really? This must be God having a laugh:

21 Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou mayest give it unto the sojourner that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner: for thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother's milk. (Deuteronomy 14 ASV)

Well, this must be God’s version of being bored to death by the vicar’s sermon, literally. Again, quite why this is in the Bible, if not for a little amusement, one might conjecture upon. Maybe God was warning me against nodding off during one of Gordon's chronological Zoom meetings in case I fall off my office chair? After all, He knew I was going to write this paper didn't He? 

9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. (Acts 20 KJV)

Clearly, when one is speaking about religious matters, one should not overcook the message. This is my own view; one must tailor the discussion in a way that effectively engages the listener. One should not merely talk at the recipient of an important message.

Well, surely there might have been a more polite way to discuss which language was to be used in the following account? Again, this has the hallmark of God’s having a bit of a laugh:

27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? [hath he] not [sent me] to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? (2 Kings 18 KJV)

Another amusing account, but why is this in the scriptures? Please send your answers to Help Desk c/o the JLW; the winner will be announced at the end of this system: 

51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about [his] naked [body]; and the young men laid hold on him:
52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. (Mark 14 KJV)

And, I would have thought, bringing the Philistines’ severed heads would have been a more appropriate proof of death, unless Saul was having a laugh. After all, I am sure David could have bribed his local Mohel to provide the requisite dowry from his last week's stock, although Saul may have noticed their individual size limitations? 

25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.
27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. (1 Samuel 18 KJV)

And now to one of my own personal all-time favourites:

22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that [pertain] to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. (1 Samuel 25 KJV)

The phrase ‘pisseth against the wall’ clearly refers to the male folk of Nabal’s household in this account. It is a phrase that is used frequently in the OT scriptures. Now some translations try to moderate the language for the more delicate souls among us, but I have to say that the King James Bible has an accurate translation of the Hebrew text. So, why does God not just say ‘males’. Again, I think He is having a quiet chuckle in recognising the males by the capability of their genitalia rather than by any other means. 

There is little doubt in my mind that God has intended us to have fun in this life, albeit appropriate fun. Once again I am left with the distinct impression that we are more like our God than we dare imagine; a thought that I find both comforting and scary as to what the future holds in store for us.

Having gone through this final section, I have a feeling that my next paper may be to examine the pre-occupation our God seems to have with the male genitals!
 

Synopsis

1. Man was made in God’s image, so if we have a sense of humour then it follows that so does our God.
2. Scripture tells us that laughter has its place but that it should be reserved for appropriate times and circumstances.
   
3. One type of inappropriate laughter is when folk think that a serious statement is funny. Ironically the more serious the statement, the funnier is it thought to be by its recipients, particularly when God is involved. The opposite can also occur where a serious statement is made into a joke by the teller.
   
4. Dirty jokes are also singled out for condemnation.
   
5. Mockery is identified as a prevalent form of humour, albeit with a dark side to it. Both man and God are capable of mockery. Laughter at someone’s expense is a recurring theme in the scriptures be it for good or evil.
   
6. God ensures that laughter will come to the innocent ones. This is more the laughter of pure joy than that of amusement.
   
7. However, the unrighteous can laugh as well as the righteous but the former’s laughter does not come from God and therefore will be short-lived.
   
8. Jokes are intended to make others laugh but it is not clear that either God or Jesus deliberately told jokes to make those to whom they spoke laugh. Intended or not, on occasion their words did have that effect.
   
9. Laughter lightens man’s burden.
   
10. There seem to be several scriptures in the Bible that are just in there for a laugh; I think this must be a future decoding project for the Lords' Witnesses!

Addendum 1 - On A (Slightly) More Serious Note

Well, it did not take very long before Gordon and I started reviewing and decoding some of the items in the ‘Last Laugh’ section. It took till about 24 hours after the original publication!

So let us start out with our review of the Elisha account, both in terms of its literal and its greater decoded meanings. We need to look at several more of the verses in that account as well as using a different translation and taking note of the original Hebrew text:

21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying. (ASV)
21  וַיֵּצֵא אֶל-מוֹצָא הַמַּיִם, וַיַּשְׁלֶךְ-שָׁם מֶלַח; וַיֹּאמֶר כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה, רִפִּאתִי לַמַּיִם הָאֵלֶּה--לֹא-יִהְיֶה מִשָּׁם עוֹד, מָוֶת וּמְשַׁכָּלֶת (MMT)
22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake. (ASV)
22וַיֵּרָפוּ הַמַּיִם, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, כִּדְבַר אֱלִישָׁע, אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר (MMT)
23 And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead. (ASV)
23וַיַּעַל מִשָּׁם, בֵּית-אֵל; וְהוּא עֹלֶה בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּנְעָרִים קְטַנִּים יָצְאוּ מִן-הָעִיר, וַיִּתְקַלְּסוּ-בוֹ וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ, עֲלֵה קֵרֵחַ עֲלֵה קֵרֵחַ (MMT)
24 And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them. (2 Kings 2 ASV)
24וַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו וַיִּרְאֵם, וַיְקַלְלֵם בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה; וַתֵּצֶאנָה שְׁתַּיִם דֻּבִּים, מִן-הַיַּעַר, וַתְּבַקַּעְנָה מֵהֶם, אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁנֵי יְלָדִים (2 Kings 2 MMT)

Now the original literal understanding of this account (as determined by all the various translations that I looked at) was that the bears had actually killed or maimed 42 of the boys. Apart from anything else, this would seem like pretty harsh justice from our God for a children’s prank that caused no physical harm. Also, pure logic would dictate that it would be highly unlikely that two bears could catch and destroy 42 escaping boys without the bulk of them getting away. Also bears rarely attack humans unless they feel threatened: https://misfitanimals.com/bears/do-bears-eat-humans/. So, here we have another reason to suppose the translations are incorrect, although I expect that God could make the bears act outside their normal behaviour pattern if He so desired. But then why not use a more deadly killer such as a couple of lions? No, He used bears because they are large and scary but not necessarily lethal to mankind.

So, we had a closer look at the Hebrew word for ‘tore’ or ‘tare’ which is ‘וַתְּבַקַּעְנָה’. A more appropriate meaning would be ‘divide’ thereby indicating that the 42 boys were separated from the rest of their group rather than each of the 42 being individually split asunder. This is yet another worrying example of all readily available English translations being incorrect. No wonder the LWs have been called upon to decode God’s Word!!

In separating the 42 boys in the forest, one might assume that they got lost and that it took them some time to find their way back home, no doubt much to their parents' concern. Our view is that this was a warning to their parents to bring up their children to respect their elders. This particularly since Elisha had just cleaned up the town’s water supply thereby preventing further miscarriages. Those parents should have been more grateful for giving birth to their children in circumstances in which many of their neighbours has miscarried and should have taught their children to thank Elisha rather than mock him. In verse 24 above the Hebrew word for 'lads' is 'יְלָדִים' which literally means 'born ones'. So, I think this represents God's justice according to the Law of Moses of an 'eye for an eye....' whereby those parents were made to feel as if they had lost their children, albeit for a relatively short period of time.

Well, that’s our revised view of the literal meaning, so let us have a look at the greater meaning which Gordon had already previously largely decoded. Now bears have 42 teeth (https://a-z-animals.com/blog/bear-teeth/). Not a coincidence that matches the number of separated boys! Daniel’s vision includes a description of a bear:

5 And, see there! another beast, a second one, it being like a bear. And on one side it was raised up, and there were 3 ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and this is what they were saying to it, 'Get up, eat much flesh.' (Daniel 7 NWT)

Using our understanding of biblical chronology, 42 teeth getting up to eat much flesh counts as 84 times of Russian territorial expansion during WW3 (42 boys x 2 bears). Russia divides NATO for 84 days. Russia here is the greater meaning substitution for the (Russian) bear and NATO is that for the boys. The illustration of bears for Russia and boys for NATO sounds about right to this commentator! Given the current stand-off between Russia and NATO over the Ukraine this presents a current and prophesied war scenario. For the interested reader please check out 2Kings2: Elijah, Elisha and the 2 she bears on the main TBC website for the original understanding of this. So, despite the apparent humour in the Elisha account enhanced by the understanding that the boys did not actually get killed by the bears, the greater meaning when linked to the Daniel prophesy is far more sinister.

And now for some lighter relief. Reviewing the account of Eutychus literally falling off during one of Paul’s lengthy sermons, we need to have a look at the following verse to get the full meaning of the scripture. Paul resurrected Eutychus after his fall:

9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing [him] said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. (Acts 20 KJV)

No doubt, this would have been far more meaningful to his congregation than his lengthy sermon. Since no-one actually died in this account I think a belly laugh is still in order here!

Well, that’s it for this addendum folks. Watch this space for further addenda or papers to dissect the remaining examples in ‘The Last Laugh’.

 

​​Date of Publication of Original Paper: 8th February 2022

Date of Publication of Addendum 1: 12th February 2022

God’s Sense of Humour