by dontplaceliterature 39 Replies latest jw experiences
Little off topic, but I just caught this.
Chalam said:
God will live on earth with His people, just as He planned back in Genesis.
And Genesis has God walking in the Garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve. That is a brand new idea to me, something to think about, so thanks for saying that!
"When questioned about the organization's forming of rules, [Ed] stressed that the Christian is not under law but under undeserved kindness (or grace). He said that faith and love were greater forces for righteousness than rules could ever be. Robert Wallen said, "But Ed, I like to have someone tell me what to do." Having in mind the apostle's words at Hebrews, chapter five, verses 13 and 14, that Christians should not be like babes but like mature persons "who through use have their perceptive powers trained to distinguish both right and wrong," Ed answered, "Then you need to read your Bible more.""
That stood out to me too. And the attitude about the rank and file that was shown while discussing easing some of the rules. It's obvious they think we would've been lost without them to tell us what to do. And that we would've turned into the worst sort of people, which really goes back to their emphasis on how sinful man naturally is and how evil the world is. Loving picture they had of us, huh? And yet there's the scripture in Hebrews, something they didn't allow. If they allowed that, there'd be no need for the GB would there?
@Chalam
I had considered that before: The scriptures that indicate that heaven will possibly be on Earth. This is the reason why I mentioned there may be some general translation issue or misunderstanding about the interchangability of the words "Heaven" and "Paradise" in the Bible. You would think that if there were actually two different hopes for salvation, they would both be mentioned in the same scripture so that the reader could draw on the clear difference between them. I don't know of such a scripture.
Thanks for the comments guys....keep em coming.
"Heaven" and "paradise" are one and the same. See here
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
Paradise is the garden, just as it was
9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Is and will be
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
The city comes down from "out of heaven" Revelation 21:2, Revelation 21:10 and the restoration is complete.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
Chalam thanks for the scriptures provided. I've been wondering about our hope as Christians being in heaven or earth for some time now. Your feedback on this is truly appreciated.
No problems Nobleheart :)
Just keep reading the scriptures. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide! He will point out everything you need to know John 14
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
There is ONE hope, JWs think they have two.
There is ONE Lord, JWs think they have two, "Jehovah" and "Jesus".
There is ONE God and Father, the Father and Jesus, the "Everlasting Father" who are one. JWs think they are two.
There is ONE who is over all and through all and in all, the Father and Jesus who are one God, one Creator and one Spirit. JWs think they are two.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
IMHO, the bible is clear that on our death, Our Spirit returns to God and where is God? Heaven, a ssuch We ( Our Spirit) goes to Heaven upon our death.
Of course to the JW's the spirit is nothing more than "energy", but that is their incorrect interpretation.
It is also made clear that, eventually, Heaven ( the City of God) will be here, on Earth and that is where we will be in our ressurected bodies.
For NOW and till that day, the kingdom of God is within US the moment we accept the HS and Jesus Christ into our lives and into his hands we commit our spirit.
We open our hearts to the HS and Our Father and Our Lord will live in Us.
PSacramento, How does your view pair with the scriptures in Ecclesiasties and Psalms about the condition of the dead - "conscience of nothing" ... "in that day their thoughts do perish"....etc....?
Chalam, I firmly believe that the Trinity is not a Biblical teaching, just for your reference. If you had read the whole Gospel from start to finish without ever having been taught that concept, you would never have picked up that Jesus was equal to God. The Gospel is loaded with verses that point out Jesus' inferiority to God. He himself mentions it several times.
If you had read the whole Gospel from start to finish without ever having been taught that concept, you would never have picked up that Jesus was equal to God.
Probably not if one was reading the NWT!
The Gospel is loaded with verses that point out Jesus' inferiority to God. He himself mentions it several times.
I prefer the term serviant rather than inferior, however point taken.
This passage describes all.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus came to serve. He didn't hold onto being equal with God but humbled Himself and came to serve the Father and, indeed us all. Amazing grace!
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
What should be said to a Witness teen on the cusp of leaving High School and considering the choices before them. Those are the questions, challenges and provocations that should be made to youths in various Religions.
Ray probably had that moment of choice and got sucked into a system that took the bulk of his adult life. I remember in 1966 having a School of Architecture picked out and the Awake article came out against College and higher education, well that derailed me for several decades.
Like Ray and his wife found out there are second chances.
