Armageddon Part II

by LostGeneration 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  LostGeneration

  One of the things that bothered me as a JW growing up was the idea that there would be a second Armageddon. They don't phrase it that way, but what else could it be when you read stuff like this from the 3/15 WT.

  "Obedient humans will gradually “be set free from enslavement to corruption.” If they remain faithful to Jehovah throughout the Millennium and during the final test that will come at the end of it, their names will be permanently written in “the scroll of life.” They will enter into “the glorious freedom of the children of God.”"

  So how pissed would you be if you are a loyal JW who happens to make it through the first big A, only to be faced with billions of rotting corpses and no services like electricity and running water? Once those problems are fixed, you are blessed with 40 bible studies a week, teaching all of the resurrected folk about how wonderful Jah is, although he just got done slaughtering 7 billion people.

  But just because you made it through the first time doesn't mean you are safe. As referenced above, the "final test" at the end of the 1000 years means a bunch of people aren't going to make the grade, and its once again time to kill them off. And the supposed "perfection" that will come to humankind wasn't much of a comfort, after all we know how Adam messed the bed when it came time to be tested.

  So how many die at the final test? And how many have ever lived? Wiki cites a study saying 106 billion, so lets just make it easy and say 100 billion. So once all 100 billion get indoctrinated about Jah for 1,000 years, Satan is released and the "final test" begins. The WT doesn't say how many die, going to the "sands of the sea" reference for the second death. I recall one talk from about 15 years ago where the speaker said we shouldn't be surprised if 1/3rd don't make it past the final test. Whatever the number, its going to be high when you start with 100 billion humans.

  Imagine...another 33 billion slaughtered on top of the 7 billion at the first Armageddon. A lot of killing for such a "loving" God. No wonder so many are starting to nibble and sip the emblems, just stay a faithful JW and you won't have to deal with all of this new world bullshit, waiting around for 1,000 years to pass and having to go through a second slaughter of humankind!
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  truth_b_known

  "Paradise" as defined by Jehovah's Witnesses is: Preaching to people for 1,000 years.

  Yes! After you give up all personal pursuits or any joy in this "old system of things" for a life of preaching an unpopular message to your neighbors you are rewarded by being spared at Armageddon. In addition to being spared, you get to preach that same message, but for an additional 1,000 years.

  There will be no time for personal pursuits. You will have even less personal freedom as you won't even get to decide were you will live while conducting this 1,000 year preaching work. When you are not preaching you will be working tirelessly with stoneage technology to provide food and shelter for yourself.

  Why waste your life pursuing anything in this temporary life and run the danger of losing out on this grand future that awaits us?
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  blondie

  The WTS teaches even if you make it through the 2nd test, "final" test, you could still rebel and be destroyed....even the 144,000.
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  Londo111

  Yes, this was the Belief I struggled with the most when I was a Witness. That a loving God would destroy billions everlastingly during Armageddon.

  In fact, the thought that if I didn't do well in the preaching work, I might be bloodguilty and get destroyed myself...or there would be some rule that I didn't follow, perhaps a book I shouldn't have read or watched a movie (for instance Lord of the Rings) or did some other thing and get judged adversly. And yet Hitler and evil people like him might get a resurrection...but I felt doomed.

  At the very least they don't teach eternal torment like other Fundamentalists.
• 

  Londo111

  Blondie,

  From my understanding, in Witness Theology, the 144000 are immortal--the second death does not hard them. They cannot be destroyed and they cannot rebel against God.
• 

  No Room For George

  So how pissed would you be if you are a loyal JW who happens to make it through the first big A, only to be faced with billions of rotting corpses and no services like electricity and running water? Once those problems are fixed, you are blessed with 40 bible studies a week, teaching all of the resurrected folk about how wonderful Jah is, although he just got done slaughtering 7 billion people.

  This is what always shook me. The literature always shows people in paradise with baskets full of fruit, and children playing with lions. It actually reminds me of vacation brochures for 2nd world countries, or promotional literature for hotels. Yeah the pictures of the beach and resort look groovy, but the pictures don't show the poverty and crime going on in the background, the same way the hotel flyers don't tell you about their cockroach problem or air conditioner issues prevalent in the summer.

  It's exactly the same with the WT's paradise fantasy. I work in a major downtown city, and during my lunch break I usually take a decent walk. Somedays I catch myself questioning the sanity of destroying the earth's inhabitants minus JWs, and then the work of turning the earth into a paradise. After looking at all of the buildings, streets, basic infrastructure, it would be lunacy to undertake such a massice project as destroying and then rebuilding. On top of that, there would still be weekly meetings, and neverending field service, to be honest I'd rather die at Armageddon. Satisfying work my azz!!!!

  The final test is just adding insult to injury. If there's any truth to that prophecy, is it any wonder why Satan's argument, if he even exists, is it any wonder his argument has some merit?

  Timeline of lunacy.............

  1. "This Generation" has a twofold meaning with it's final fruition coming over 2000 years later after Jesus original words were supposedly spoken.

  2. A sifting work by spreading the good news of the kingdom as the WT teaches

  3. The Great Tribulation culminating in God's prelude to a Final Solution resulting in the destruction of all nonJWs, and all non-WT infrastructure.

  3. The work of removing untold trillions of tons worth of concrete, nuclear materials, toxic materials, and God knows what else.

  5. While the 1000 year Greenthumb project is underway, free time will consist of bible studies and meetings

  6. Then the Devil will be let loose again to toy with people's temptations, but only for a little while*

  *considering the time lapse between Jesus' words on This Generation, and the end being right around the corner, and the 1969 Awake discouraging career choices because there's no way a career would be fulfilled , a little while could possibly mean anywhere from a century to several centuries.

  I have to ask, all of that for what? Because the Devil misled some hapless woman into eating some fruit she had no business chowing down on?
• 

  Larsinger58

  Actually, this is another example of how the Bible gets the wrap for a WTS false teaching. This is how it works:

  1) Based on Zech 13:8 where two-thirds of the Jews died in the Holocaust and 1/3rd preserved, when that is applied to the world population 2/3rds will not be chosen for the 1000-year rule of Christ, a very special time.

  2) Likely 1/3 will be killed immediately, those wanting to hold on to world control. Another third will survive Armageddon and die of old age. But both these groups will return on Judgment Day to be judged. THERE IS NO RESURRECTION DURING THE 1000 YEAR REIGN! This is one of the critical false teachings of the WTS. Read Revelation closely. The 2nd resurrection is clearly after Satan is destroyed and thus comes after that event. That means the 1/3 who are chosen for this special time and rule under Christ will be the ones being taught about Jehovah by the associate 1,440,000 king priests. This will establish people who in perfection know Jehovah's requirements and are uninfluenced by Satan or various worldly governments. Children will also be born during this time. After the 1000 years, Satan is let loose to test the millennium population. Many will rebel at this time against Christ's rule. Those that do and who follow Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. Then after that, Judgment Day starts. Those who overcome Satan's test will be judged and go to the trees of life and get everlasting life. Then after that, the 2nd resurrection takes place and those resurrected will be judged based on their moral choices during their life.

  The Bible clearly says books will be opened and they will be judged based on what is in the books. The books simply represent a record of their past lives. Of critical note, again, they are judged based on their own moral decisions during their previous lives. Furthermore, some are already condemned and some already get resurrected with their names already in the "book of life." So this concept that everybody who dies before Armageddon will get resurrected during the 1000-year reign is a false teaching and concept of the WTS. It is not what the Bible teaches.

  If you base the percentage of angels that rebelled against Jehovah and joined Satan, that is, 1/3rd of them, then likely one could suspect the same general percentage applied to the final world population. That is, likely 2/3rds would be considered worthy of eternal life, and 1/3 would be permanently destroyed in the lake of fire. That means that some who die at Armageddon or who are excluded from the milennium, might still end up getting eternal life.

  But some people, who want to be rich and want to have servants and like suppressing others will not be happy in a NWO where everybody is equal and multiculturalism and ethnic diversity are proactive elements. They would rather die than be poor or rub elbows with whom they consider inferior to them.

  Some might still have some frustration with God's choices in regards to who will live and who will die, but some of the frustration expressed here is based not on the Bible but on false WTS doctrine. Again, there is NO RESURRECTION DURING THE MELLENNIUM! That's a false teaching. Plus far more than JWs will survive Armageddon. Don't forget, Jesus sent out ten slaves to gather righteous people. The WTS is just one of those ten, only it ends up being the one "evil slave" who fails. Also, based on the WTS representing the ten virgins, where only half of them enter the kingdom, it is likiely at this point a liability to still be an active JW! The WTS is now a false and apostate organization. It is the "false prophet" organization mentioned in Revelation that is cast into the lake of fire along with Christendom, which is represented by the 666-Beast, meaning the trinity-believing churches of Christendom. The WTS is represented by the lamb-dragon beast that is also the "false prophet."

  LS
• 

  poopsiecakes

  Another exerpt from the March 2012 WT (members edition)...

  Soon, those who do not obey the good news will undergo judicial punishment. The way people
  react to our preaching will be a basis for judgment.
  - pg. 11 par. 8

  Actually, the whole WT is a scare-fest for JW's to get their shit in order NOW DAMMIT and pound that pavement because that's the only way to survive their loving god's gratuitous orgy of death that's coming soon to a corner near you. VERY SOON. Did we say soon? YES, VERY SOON! Why are you still sitting there? Don't you want the pleasure of seeing all those dead bodies piled up in bloody heaps? Oh and by the way, you'll get to do it all over again. YES! How very happifying that you have the opportunity to witness a second gratuitous orgy of death in a mere 1000 years. sigh...
• 

  jay88

  The way people react to our preaching will be a basis for judgment.

  .................

  Oh yeah,....according to whom?
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  LostGeneration

  @blondie- Do you have any quotes on that? I would like to compare to what is in the quote on the original post. I always thought their "book of life" teaching was that once you are in, you are good.

  @george- reminds me of a quote I read when I first lurked on the board. Something to the effect of "So the world is in this position because a snake gave an igorant woman a piece of fruit and told her is would make her smarter?"

  @letters-numbers - I tried to read some of your thoughts, but they are just a mess...Do i get points for at least trying?

  @poopsie - I agree, this WT is really a "scare them to keep them in the org" issue. Lots of "last days" and "soon" references. Disgusting.