Will the anointed remnant survive Armageddon?

by Bonnie_Clyde 26 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • blondie
    blondie

    The WTS has taught that Babylon the Great will be destroyed before Armageddon for many years.

    Perhaps you have Armageddon confused with the great tribulation in the WTS dogma. The WTS teaches that the great tribulation is made up of several components.

    Destruction of BTG

    Marriage of the bride and Christ

    Attack by Gog on the anointed JWs on earth

    Provoking God to destroy Gog (Satan) and his supporters at Armageddon.

    This 1997 WT outlines the steps of the great tribulation

    w97

    4/1 pp. 14-15 Deliverance Into a Righteous New World ***

    The "great tribulation" begins when the political elements suddenly turn on "Babylon the Great." They "will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire." (Revelation 17:16)

    Having destroyed false religion, the political elements turn on Jehovah’s servants. Satan, "Gog of the land of Magog" in prophecy, says: "I shall come in upon those having no disturbance, dwelling in security." Thinking that they are easy prey, he attacks them with "a numerous military force . . . , like clouds to cover the land." (Ezekiel 38:2, 10-16) Jehovah’s people know that this attack will fail because they trust in Jehovah.

    Jehovah then delivers the death blow to Satan’s system: "I will bring myself into judgment with [Gog], with pestilence and with blood; and a flooding downpour and hailstones, fire and sulphur I shall rain down upon him and upon his bands . . . And they will have to know that I am Jehovah." (Ezekiel 38:22, 23) All vestiges of Satan’s system are destroyed. The entire human society of God-ignoring people is annihilated. That is the Armageddon climax of the "great tribulation."—Jeremiah 25:31-33; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; Revelation 16:14, 16; 19:11-21

  • M.J.
    M.J.

    Thanks Blondie. The JW version of the Great Tribulation is a subject I never really looked into. It was my impression that JWs already felt they are in the GT and waiting for the Big A at any day. I better focus myself on this subject and get a better handle on it!

  • blondie
    blondie

    Until 1970, the WTS did teach that the GT started in 1914 and was suspended in 1918 to start up at a future date.

  • JCanon
    JCanon
    The question really is do those in the WTS organization who claim to be anointed think that they will die prematurely. We already see that several of the GB are in their 50's. Men are living to their mid 70's now so that means they have at least 20 years of life on earth still ahead. Do these JWs want to be taken by God prematurely into death much like they describe Enoch was taken?

    There are two anointed groups. At first all the "anointed" were together before the Messiah arrived. They are represented by the entire numbe of "ten virgins." But only five of them are wise and bring extra oil to understand the more advanced truth. The five foolish virgins are not concerned with an intense Biblical focus and follow the GB and their misguidance on this issue. So there are two groups of "anointed" and their varying beliefs now; the "wise virgin" class and the "foolish virgin" class. The wise virgin class know who they are.

    So in regard to the above question, the wise virgin class believe that Christ returns in the flesh and they along with Christ will be together in the flesh for the millennium, through the time Satan is let loose, and then as judges on the earth for Judgment Day which follows Satan being cast into the late of fire. That is the order of things as presented in Revelation.

    Therefore, if they are relatively healthy now and Armageddon comes within a year or two, they will remain alive. If they are elderly and happen to die, they will be resurrected back into the flesh for the millennium. Then all the anointed "together" (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

    Here is an explanation of the order of things at 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. Paul was discussing the concern about those who have died and those alive with Christ comes, whether those alive will get their reward before the dead and visa versa. Paul explains they will all be "togetehr" when they get their reward, because they are first brought back in the flesh and the resurrection to heaven does not take place until after the millennium and all the judging is done on the earth.

    15 For this is what we tell YOU by Jehovah’s word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord shall in no way precede those who have fallen asleep [in death];

    Paul is indicating everyone will get their reward at the same time, those living do not precede those who have died.

    16 because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first.

    Note that Christ first resurrects those who have died, but this is back into a physical body again! (1 Cor. 15:42, 46 "So also is the resurrection of the dead... Nevertheless, the first is, not that which is spiritual, but that which is physical.)

    17 Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we shall always be with [the] Lord.

    After the dead are resurrected then all of them together will be resurrected to spiritual life. This seems to be before the millennium but it is not. Per 1 Corinthians they do not get their reward until man's last enemy death is done away with. That is not until after the last person has been cast into the lake of fire on Judgment Day and the only ones remaining are those who get everlasting life. So when the actual "rapture" takes place is some 1000 plus years after their resurerction back into the flesh. That's why they all get their reward at the same time since they are all back in the flesh starting with the millennium.

    The popular JW doctrine that believes a scenario that some are already in heaven and will wait for those still alive is thus incorrect. Everyone has to get their reward at the same time. No one enters heaven before any other. So their belief system is flawed. The resurrection back into the flesh first before the millennium to joint those living and then being transformed later after the millennium and Judgment Day "in the twinkling of an eye" is consistent with Paul's scenario at 1 Thessalonians with the details provided by 1 Corinthians 15.

    If some are in heaven now and some still on the earth as witnesses teach, then that's a contradiction of the scriptures! The GB and the "foolish virgins" following them are in spiritual darkness and don't have the truth. The "wise virgins" have separated themselves from the foolish virgins and are not directly sharing their oil with them, their advanced understanding. When the foolish virgins finally "see the light" it will be too late, their seats in the kingdom will have been given to others. So don't expect the WTS to get this right, this is part of their lack of oil in their lamps.

    JC

  • Justin
    Justin




    survive Armageddon. Surviving Armageddon and living long enough to see the beginning of the resurrection would be two different things - the earth would have to be prepared to receive the resurrected ones and this would take some time.

    Blondie has a good point - how can the marriage supper of the Lamb proceed with some anointed still on earth? And as far as dieing prematurely, this is precisely what the early Bible Students expected, that the final ones would be killed in the persecution.

    Added: I couldn't possibly remember a statement from 1989, as I left in 1980! Perhaps I at one time read something similar to this.

  • EvilForce
    EvilForce

    No the annointed remnant will die out of old age as ALL the remnant before them.

  • greendawn
    greendawn

    As someone said further up this thread the whole JW concept of the FDS and Armageddon is completely wrong and false the GB are not fit to receive any good rewards because they are people without brotherly love and compassion and falsely claim divine appointment over the earth a most grandiose claim not borne out by the facts.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit