by golden age 43 Replies latest watchtower bible
I was talking to a witness the other day and i was explaining from revelation how there is only one calling to heaven and there is not an earthly calling. And the JW asked me to explain the verse from pslam which states teh meek shall inherit the earth and reside in it forever, any one have any scripture to refute his argument.
Thanks
(New Testament | Luke 23:43)
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
..and before anyone rearranges that floating comma!!
(New Testament | 2 Corinthians 12:3 - 4)
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
However - I have to be on the JW side here I to believe in a paradise on earth:
(New Testament | Revelation 21:1 - 4)
1 AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 77:1)
1 Q. What is the sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter, and 6th verse of the Revelation?
A. It is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 77:1)
1 Q. What is the sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter, and 6th verse of the Revelation?
A. It is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state.
Some scholars contend the sea of glass represents the transcendence of God.
1 Co. 13:12, 1John 3:2 and Revelation 21:1 appear to support their line of thought.
The earth can also represent the people of the earth.
Honesty - sorry what do you mean by transcendence?
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/48545/1.ashx
golden, dont know if these thoughts of mine will be of any help, (click on url above) it discusses Matt 5:5 "Blessed are the meek" more so than Psalms but a lot of the arguments would be the same.
One point to remember is that JWs believe Jesus has inherited the earth even though he doesnt reside on it! They also believe that Matt 5:5 is applicable to the the 144000 rather than to the "great crowd" but this is addressed at the Url above
Honesty - sorry what do you mean by transcendence?
Transcendence - beyond what is normal, surpassing human experience.
golden age,
Just read Psalm 37 in its entirety. It is quite clear that it is not about individual everlasting life, but the eventual triumph of a category of people -- "the meek" or "righteous" -- and their descendents, vs. "the wicked," whose posterity will be cut off.
See also Farkel's thread on http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/89694/1.ashx and the various links from it.
In Matthew 5 Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth. I take his word on that.
Daytona
Daytona,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Would you conclude that those who will inherit the earth are not the same that will receive the kingdom of heavens, see God and get their reward in heaven? If not -- if those expressions are indeed equivalent and interchangeable -- I'm afraid you'll have to interpret "inheriting the earth" as meaning something else than "living eternally as humans on earth".
Anyone who heard those words by the Psalmist or by Jesus have died and not lived on the earth forever. Are we to conclude that no one was meek or that this means something else than what Jehovah's Witnesses say it means? Why bother to tell people that they will live on the earth forever if they die or if its meant to be a future event? For thousands of years people have died and no meek ones have yet "inherited the earth," per the Jehovah's Witness interpretation.
