I realize your discussion is primarily between you and dear tec, dear designs (again, peace to you!), but you again make some erroneous comments and assumptions that I think will do you a world of good if cleared up. Dear tec (peace to you, as well!), my apologies if I seem to be taking over (hence, my PM - LOLOLOLOL!). If so, just let me know and I will refrain. For now, though, I'd like to share the following with dear designs, if you will permit me. Thank you!
What the theology of the NT, as stated by Jesus, is that he is Coming Again to Judge this world of humans, that is said in Matthew 25, he comes for his followers and the others get the Big Uhoh! So he is not the ultimate Pacifist some wish and imagine but a Knight Warrior and a lot of humans will die.
I am not sure when you left the WTBTS, dear designs, but I want to comment on this because I wrote to the WTBTS about it... and they published part of my letter in the October 15, 1995 WT. Prior to that time, the WTBTS taught that the "separating work" (where the sheep are separated from the goats) began in 1914. That is not true. I cannot be true because the separating work does not take place until AFTER the END of the great tribulation. Which, according to them, has not yet occurred. What does this have to do with your comment? Your comment (1) takes the events more than 1,000 years out of sequence, and (2) attributes to my Lord something that isn't true. Let me show you, please, and hopefully, THIS time, you will condescend to read what it says:
1. My Lord returns immediately AFTER the great tribulation "of those days" ends:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet sound, and they will gather his chosen ones together from the four winds, from one extremity of the heavens to their other extremity." Matthew 24:29-31
NEXT:
2. My Lord takes his chosen ones to the spirit realm (Father's "house") to be joined to him in spirit... as his Bride. This is the Lamb's marriage:
"For this is what we tell YOU by Christ [JaHVeH's Word], that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord shall in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death; because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first. (NOTE: This is the FIRST resurrection.) Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we shall always be with [the] Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
3. While the marriage takes place, Satan is abyssed (for 1,000 years):
"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he hurled him into the abyss and shut [it] and sealed [it] over him, that he might not mislead the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After these things he must be let loose for a little while." Revelation 20:1-3
4. Once they are joined, "New" Jerusalem (Christ and his Bride) comes down out of heaven":
"I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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 peoples. And God himself will be with them. 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.” Revelation 21:2-4
4. And "New Jerusalem" begins its reign:
"And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had worshiped neither the wild beast nor its image and who had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years." Revelation 20:4-6
5. This is the 1,000-years of rulership that Christ shares with his chosen ones:
"Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned; 41 two women will be grinding at the hand mill: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned. Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming. But know one thing, that if the householder had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have kept awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. On this account YOU too prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that YOU do not think to be it, the Son of man is coming." Matthew 26:36-44
This can NOT be "Armageddon"... for at least TWO reasons:
First, regarding THIS event, the people took NO note and did not see "it" coming. Yet, at "Armageddon" it is there coming against the Holy City that evoked the War! Second, some are taken, some are abandoned! At "Armageddon" ALL are destroyed by fire from heaven. So what is this event?
6. It IS the period of the separating work... what occurs DURING the 1,000-years:
“When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left." Matthew 25:31-33
[Did you notice that although the nations are gathered before him... there is no mention of anyone being resurrected?? That's because the GENERAL (second) resurrection doesn't take place... until the 1,000 years have ENDED ("the REST of the dead did not come to life UNTIL the 1,000 years had ended.")
“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, YOU who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for YOU from the founding of the world. For I became hungry and YOU gave me something to eat; I got thirsty and YOU gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and YOU received me hospitably; naked, and YOU clothed me. I fell sick and YOU looked after me. I was in prison and YOU came to me.’ Then the righteous ones will answer him with the words, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and receive you hospitably, or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to you?’ And in reply the king will say to them, ‘Truly I say to YOU , To the extent that YOU did it to one of the least of these my brothers, YOU did it to me.’ " Matthew 25:34-40
These, dear ones... are the "sheep."
“Then he will say, in turn, to those on his left, ‘Be on YOUR way from me, YOU who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I became hungry, but YOU gave me nothing to eat, and I got thirsty, but YOU gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, but YOU did not receive me hospitably; naked, but YOU did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but YOU did not look after me.’ Then they also will answer with the words, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them with the words, ‘Truly I say to YOU , To the extent that YOU did not do it to one of these least ones, YOU did not do it to me.’ And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.”Matthew 25:41-46
And these... are the "goats".
7. Also known as... "Gog." Notice, the sheep are allowed INTO the "kingdom"; the goats... are cut off. They are NOT destroyed (not yet) - they are just cut off from entering the "city". But they don't accept that and so are misled by Satan into believing they CAN get in... after the 1,000 years have ended:
"Now as soon as the thousand years have been ended, Satan will be let loose out of his prison, and he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Ma´gog, to gather them together for the war. The number of these is as the sand of the sea. And they advanced over the breadth of the earth and encircled the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city." Revelation 20:7-9
Did you notice:
a. The "war" is AFTER the 1,000 years (during which Christ and his Bride "separate" the sheep from the goats AND Satan is abyssed?
b. These advance over the breadth of the earth and number as the sands of the sea? Who are they if they were destroyed when Christ returned at the beginning of the 1,000 years??
c. They encircle the holy city? How can that be if (1) they were destroyed when Christ returned 1,000 years previously; (2) the holy ones are in heaven and they are on earth?
8. THIS, dear one... is the War of the Great Day of God Almighty...
"But fire came down out of heaven and devoured them. And the Devil who was misleading them was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur, where both the wild beast and the false prophet [already were]; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation 20:9-10
... fought in the "place" called Har-Maggedon... more than 1,000 years AFTER Christ returns.
The Bishops were very clever and subtle in their developing the Gentile Church.
They were. Which is why I no longer put my faith in religion.
The anti-semitism becomes more apparent as one studies the source religion of Judaism and then rereads the NT.
Here, I disagree with you. Paul even cried out to the Jews that they were KEEPING the traditions, yet, the Jews still found fault.
The errors about Judaism led to ethnic discrimination.
No, it was the false prophets and false christs... those who are wicked in heart... and used "the Bible" to seek their own evil ends.
Pointing to the 'Christ killers' inflamed the Gentile Followers against those who rejected him as the Messiah.
Yes, it did. Yet, my Lord NEVER taught his followers to do such a thing. There is another who is behind that. They, like the scribes and Pharisees "outed" by my Lord in his day in the flesh... are also the "offspring of vipers" and so from their "father"... the one who begat them, Belial, who is called "Satan" and "Devil."
This is what happens when lies and errors are taught as truth.
YES! But do you not see that you are also perpetuating lies and errors?
So if Jesus were really around while all of this was being developed he has to own the problems that resulted.
But he wasn't, and you know this. Even so, do you really think they would have listened to him? Seriously?
And if he was really in Heaven with 'all authority' why did he let such awful things take place in his Name, why didn't he protect the innocent men women and babies his followers were slaughtering.
He tried to warn them, dear one. He has tried to warn everyone. Unfortunately, few are listening. Few even believe he speaks. They would rather listen to a voice with words... rather than one that speaks via holy spirit.
Really why are his arms to short. 2000 years and waiting.
His arms are not too short... for those who hear... and follow him. Not those who SAY they are following him, but are actually following men.
