Today's second reading at Mass came from Rev 21:1-4. I pointed out to my wife that it said, "Behold, God's dewellling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them." How do the Jdubs reconcile that with their teaching that there are two hopes and that most will not be in heaven [where God is], but on a paradise earth without God. Seems clear to me...but then again, I was never a dub.
REV 21 and JW dealing with it!
by Yerusalyim 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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XQsThaiPoes
Because JWsare deist. They never think God can dwell anyplace on the mortal plane. Also we are unitarians so Jesus and friends would be considered doing all the actual dwelling and eddict spouting in behalf of God.
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Flash
The Witness view is that the 144,000 are a new creation. Humans living in heaven were not in God's original plan. 2Corinthians 5:17 Galatians 6:15
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patio34
Behold, God's dewellling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them. Rev. 21
Can this be understood as saying that God will come down and live on the earth?
Or, if interpreted as saying people will live in heaven, how does that reconcile with Matt. 5:3 about the "meek shall inherit the earth"? And Ps. 37:11, which is what Jesus was quoting.
Pat
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Euphemism
Funny you should ask, Yeru... this is one of the JWs' favorite field service scriptures, because it talks about tears and death and pain being no more.
Their explanation of this scripture, from the Reasoning book (pp115-116):
In what sense, then, could God "be with" mankind and how would the New Jerusalem ?come down out of heaven?? No doubt an indication is found in Genesis 21:1, which says that God "visited" Sarah, blessing her with a son in her old age. Exodus 4:31 tells us that God "visited" Israel by sending Moses as a deliverer. Luke 7:16 says that by means of Jesus? ministry God "visited" his people. [All from KJ and RS] Other translations use the expression God "turned his attention" to his people [NW] or ?showed concern? for them [NE]. So Revelation 21:2, 3 must mean that God will ?visit,? or be with, mankind by means of the heavenly New Jerusalem, through which blessings will come to obedient humans.
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Flash
I think it is important to remember the origin of death. It was the consquence for lawlessness (sin). It was never stated by God in His warning to Adam that death would lead to anything other than the end of his life. Genesis 2:17, 3:3
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DanTheMan
I always took Rev 21:3, 4 (as Euph pointed out, a JW favorite and one of the most frequently quoted or cited scriptures in WT literature) as evidence that the "true" teaching of the bible is that some will go to heaven, but also that Jerhover's got plans for the earth and it's toolmaking meaning-seeking primates.
"The tent of God is with mankind" is how the NWT phrases it I think. Tie that in with "No flesh can inherit the kingdom of heaven" and you get the dual hope, that some will 'inherit' the kingdom as transformed humans (not fleshly) but the rest of "mankind" will be under the kingdom's jurisdiction without actually being in heaven where the rulership is. A little shaky exegesis, but hey you can point out inconsistencies in anybody's interpretation. It's just a book.
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Yerusalyim
Patio,
"The Meek will inherit the earth"...remember, where God is, there is heaven...if God makes his dwelling amonst men, then earth becomes heaven.