Very interesting topic. I read the entire New Testament last year and came away with a clear feeling that much of what the Watchtower Society teaches is completely counter to what the Scriptures actually teach. My understanding is that the Scriptures no where teach that humans are resurrected to live in heaven. Resurrections happen on planet Earth. Every example of resurrections recorded in the Scriptures take place on Earth and the ones resurrected lived on earth afterward. With one exception: Jn 3:13 states that 'no one has ascended into heaven except the One who came from heaven - the Son of Man.' (Holman Christian Standard Bible.)
Revelation chapter 20 describes events happening just prior to and after the 1,000-year reign of the Christ and his elect who also sit on thrones. These elect are the ones who take part in the first resurrection. Note that Revelation 5:10 states that these ones that the Lamb of God bought from the earth will be a kingdom and priests to God and that they will reign on the earth. Rev 20:6 states that these same ones will be priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with him for 1,000 years.
After the 1,000 years are over, Revelation describes all the dead, the small and the great, the righteous and the wicked, are gathered before the great white throne and are judged according to their deeds. The Scriptures teach that evil cannot exist in God's holy dwelling, that is, heaven. These righteous and wicked that are to be judged, then, must be resurrected to earth.
Revelation 21 describes the holy city New Jerusalem. It states that this city comes down out of heaven from God and that God will dwell or tent with mankind. This tells us a lot. The symbolic city comes down out of heaven. Therefore, it is not *in* heaven. Rather, the authority of this holy city, or kingdom, comes from God himself. Its authority issues forth from heaven. God will tent with mankind. Mankind -- not angelic spirit creatures. In other words, humans will still be humans after God has made all things new and he will dwell with humans.
Is there a precedent for God dwelling with humans? Absolutely. The Old Testament describes how God tented with his chosen nation in the tabernacle and later the temple. God was with his people as they traveled through the desert and also later once they settled in the land that was promised to them. The ark of the covenant represented God's throne when it was used back then. Genesis even describes how God would walk with and have discussions with the perfect man Adam. All things will be renewed by God and because of Jesus' sacrifice, humans can look forward to having a perfect relationship with God again.
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14Is the resurrection heavenly or earthly?
by jwfacts ini was looking for scriptures that discuss the heavenly resurrection, and did a google search on "heavenly resurrection".
to my surprise almost all links were discussing the beliefs of jehovah's witnesses.
apparently christians simply discuss the resurrection, specify it as a "heavenly resurrection" is very much watchtower terminology.
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14
Is the resurrection heavenly or earthly?
by jwfacts ini was looking for scriptures that discuss the heavenly resurrection, and did a google search on "heavenly resurrection".
to my surprise almost all links were discussing the beliefs of jehovah's witnesses.
apparently christians simply discuss the resurrection, specify it as a "heavenly resurrection" is very much watchtower terminology.
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Sorry for the double post. I corrected my comment and added carriage return formatting.
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The WTS will go more mainstream re 1914 in the decade after 2014
by yadda yadda 2 inwith the deaths of theodore jaracz and john barr imminent and likely to coincide with the fast approaching 100 year 'anniversary' of jesus "invisible presence" as king since 1914, there will be some broad-sweeping changes to the society's 1914 creed.
in the last decade or so we seen a fairly consistent trend of the society being prepared to fiddle with and drop certain date-based interpretations.
this has been the result of the march of time simply painting them into a corner and revealing more of these old esoteric date-based prophecies to be false or in need of major adjustment.
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I deleted this post because I incorrectly formatted the carriage returns. I posted again below. Sorry for the double-post.
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The WTS will go more mainstream re 1914 in the decade after 2014
by yadda yadda 2 inwith the deaths of theodore jaracz and john barr imminent and likely to coincide with the fast approaching 100 year 'anniversary' of jesus "invisible presence" as king since 1914, there will be some broad-sweeping changes to the society's 1914 creed.
in the last decade or so we seen a fairly consistent trend of the society being prepared to fiddle with and drop certain date-based interpretations.
this has been the result of the march of time simply painting them into a corner and revealing more of these old esoteric date-based prophecies to be false or in need of major adjustment.
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The Watchtower Society claims that Adam was created in 4,026 B.C. Who is to say that their understanding is correct? Some others teach that Adam was created around 4,004 B.C., and still others claim that it isn't possible to date the year of Adam's creation by using the Bible (because of contradictory genealogical listings). So, it seems premature for anyone to claim that they know the exact 6,000-year anniversary of Adam's creation. The very fact that the Watchtower Society has put any effort at all into trying to predict the year of the Lord's coming Scripturally proves them to be unwise.
Mt 24:48-51 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) == "But if that wicked slave says in his heart, 'My master is delayed,' and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, that slave's master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites."
• One could only conclude that the Master is delayed if that one has presumed to know when the Master is coming.
Luke 21:8 (HCSB) == "Then He said, "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is near.' Don't follow them."
• How many years has the Watchtower Society claimed that the time is near, or projected even the year that the end would likely come? How long have they claimed to represent the Lord on earth? How many people have been deceived by these claims?
Mattew 24:42 (HCSB) == "Therefore be alert, since you don't know what day your Lord is coming."
• Jesus Christ, the Word of God, makes it perfectly clear that it is not possible to figure out when he is coming.
Acts 1:6,7 (HCSB) == "So when they had come together, they asked Him, "Lord, at this time are You restoring the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority."
• It is not a Christian's place to attempt to have knowledge of things that God has decided to not share with humans. Or it's just the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge all over again (taking something for oneself that belongs only to God). -
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JUDGEMENT DAY
by RR inthe society has condemned just about everyone to second death, especially those who have been jusged in the past by jehovah [adam, sodom, flood victims, etc.
what do you friends say, does the society have an argument?
are those judged in the past to stay judged and dead?.
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Revelation 19:19-21, from the New International Version, says: "19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." In this Scripture, only the Wild Beast and the False Prophet (the two beasts described in Revelation 13; the Wild Beast coming from the sea, and the False Prophet coming from the earth) are described as being thrown into the lake of fire (the second death). Everyone else is described as being killed, but not as being thrown into the lake of fire with the two beasts. My understanding, then, is that these people executed at the battle of Armageddon will indeed be a part of the second resurrection described at Revelation 20:13.
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Good morning. Romans chapter 14 definitely touches on this. Especially look at vss. 1, 5, 13, 17, 18, and 22.