A chance for the unrighteous?

by AlainAlam 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  AlainAlam

  The Witnesses teach that the "unrighteous" are brought back to life in order to learn about God during the 1000-year reign. I don't think that's a Bible teaching, for the following reason:

  1) No verse says that. Acts 24:15 doesn't say why they will be resurrected. Rev 20 doesn't say the "nations" during the Millenial Reign include unrighteous ones. Isaiah 11 doesn't say that the unrighteous will benefit from the increased knowledge during the Millenial.

  2) On the other hand, tons of verses that mention the unrighteous say they will be judged if they don't repent.

  3) The Bible does say we will be judged for what we do in this world. "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14). "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10). Although I think that's pretty stupid - The JW narrative (of the Kingdom coming to makes thing right again and teaching unrighteous the truth rather than the concept of judgment day for what we've done in the flesh) makes more sense and is more compatible with the concept of a just, loving god. It's just not biblical. I think it's just an attempt to make Jehovah look better than he is.

  What do you think? Do you have additional thoughts that go against the scripturalness of this doctrine, or do you think I am missing something and it is actually Scriptural?
• 

  neat blue dog

  You're right.
• 

  cofty

  How about Matt 25 and the separation of the sheep and goats?

  It takes a lot of mental gymnastics to conclude that their fate is decided by their future actions rather than their past actions.
• 

  AlainAlam

  JW claim the sheep and goats are people who are actually alive when the Kingdom comes, and that they're judged based on their past actions. So they wouldn't include the unrighteous who are resurrected during the Millenial Reign.

  On a related note, they claim that all the "goats" who die at Armageddon are beyond repentance. This not incompatible with Scripture, but it's not based on Scripture either. I think it's an another attempt to make Jehovah look better than he is.

  If anybody disagrees with any point please let me know!
• 

  The Fall Guy

  (John 5:28, 29) "Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did* good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced* vile things to a resurrection of judgment."

  * Past tense - not future! Their own physical death hasn't wiped out their evil deeds.
• 

  JoenB75

  Of course it is not a biblebased doctrine The JWs have. The strongest implication the proponents see is probably the second death concept. You have to be blessed somehow to fall from grace / die a second time. Hebrews, Jude and 1st John (circumcision writings like Revelation) probably speak of the same concept when they speak harshly of the twice dead, impossible to renew, sin unto death etc. When a person hears the jw message and rejects it, they fall into this category
• 

  Vanderhoven7

  Where are the universalists on this forum? Now is the time to speak up.
• 

  AlainAlam

  Thank you The Fall Guy, JoenB75!

  Vanderhoven what do you mean with "the universalists"?
• 

  Vanderhoven7

  Theological universalism posits that all of humanity will be saved in the end.
• 

  BluesBrother

  “ On a related note, they claim that all the "goats" who die at Armageddon are beyond repentance”

  If the ‘goats’ were the really evil people of this world, that might make a bit of sense. However, to be a ‘goat’ in the WT teaching, one simply has not accepted the beliefs of the WTS. Think of all the selfless individuals who are right now serving the community in these Covid infested days. All of them are due to become “manure on the ground “ , unless they are dubs ,which is unlikely.

  Back in the day they , me too I confess, used to love the scripture Zechariah 14 : 12 “ There will be a rotting away of their flesh, their eyes will rot in their sockets, their tongues will rot in their moths”

  That was if they did not listen to us at the door.

  Now, I don’t know where Zechariah was coming from, but I am sure it could not be that !