Two Classes of Christians

by UnDisfellowshipped 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  UnDisfellowshipped

  The Watchtower Society teaches that there are TWO different classes of Christians -- One that will live forever on earth, and one that will live forever in Heaven.

  * Where does the Bible teach this, anywhere?

  The Apostle Paul wrote this:

  Ephesians 4:4-6 (NWT): 4 One body there is, and one spirit, even as YOU were called in the one hope to which YOU were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all [persons], who is over all and through all and in all.

  Where does Paul say that there are TWO hopes and TWO bodies of Christians?

  In addition, where does the Bible say that only 144,000 will have Jesus as their Mediator, be Born Again, and go to heaven, and all other Christians will live on earth, and NOT have Jesus as their Mediator or be Born Again?

  The Watchtower Society loves to use the following two verses to "prove" this doctrine:

  Luke 12:32 (NWT): “Have no fear, little flock, because YOUR Father has approved of giving YOU the kingdom.
  
  John 10:16 (NWT): “And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.

  But, the best, simplest explanation and exegesis for these verses is that the "Little Flock" were His Jewish disciples, and the "other sheep" were His Gentile disciples who would come into the Congregation later.

  Where does Jesus say anything about the "other sheep" not going to heaven, and not being Born Again, and not having Him as their Mediator?

  One last question for this thread:

  Why does the Watchtower Society teach that the 144,000 in Revelation is a literal number, but all of the other details about them (being virgins, being Jewish males) are symbolic? Plus, the Watchtower teaches that most other numbers in Revelation are symbolic.
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  leftbelow

  Great post and I would add show me one scripture that can connect "the other sheep" with any earthly hope
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  UnDisfellowshipped

  Leftbelow, great idea! Just added it!
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  PSacramento

  The two classes typically refered to gentiles and Jews, it was never really directed as two types of Christian.

  Of course many times people try to depart from where scripture ends and they interpret things to mean what they believe it should.
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  freeman

  Actually the witnesses destroy the validity of their own argument with the very scripture they cite. When they cite John 10:16 (NWT): “And I have other sheep which are not of this fold, (that is a demarcation, a distinction, however it does not proceed on to become a dichotomy (a branching off) as they have fooled themselves into believing, rather it ends with of all things a union, both groups end up in the same place!

  I’m reminded of their argument(s) with 1 John 1:1. They go through all sorts of acrobatics with Greek grammar, God or “a god”, Theos, ho Theos etc. However, they have a much bigger problem then that in the very beginning of the sentence. It seems this Word fellow shares something r ather significant with this God fellow. It seems they both were in attendance somewhere at the very same time, maybe they were watching a movie or went to a ball game together; no big deal lots of us do that with our friends. Oh wait, I see it wasn’t a ball game or a movie, it seems they arrived in a place called “the beginning”. They both existed in the beginning at the same time, not the little fellow first, not the big fellow first, but at the exact same time, in equality. Yes, that’s the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, that Word fellow is just as old that God fellow!

  The very dyslexic Freeman

  (Who thanks his English professor who drilled him on sentence structure until his eyes bleed)
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  yadda yadda 2

  Yes. These JW doctrines are some of the easiest to undermine. They are not naturally taught in scripture and are arrived at by unusual reasoning and scriptural interpretation.
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  LouBelle

  Hi Undisfellowshipped - excellent question.

  I also used to wonder how in one verse they apply both the literal and figurative - the Lamb being the figuritive representation of christ and then the 144 000 being a literal number...never made sense to me and still donesn't. Plus we all know that revelation is a book of signs /wonders / parables.