What happeded to all of the people between the time that Jesus was on the earth until Russell?
If the GB is god's ONLY means of communication, then how did those people receive instruction during their time period? Are they now all lost forever?
I have always wondered about this....
by Iwonder17 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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WTWizard
Supposedly, all honest hearted people between the apostle John's death and Russell are in heaven. That includes Isaac Newton (who, oddly, would never have made a good witless because he thought too much on his own). Then there are those in that period that the Washtowel is expecting will be resurrected for their judgment.
I think that is a pxxx poor explanation, though. Independent thinkers are supposedly in heaven, but any independent thinkers these days are termed apostates.
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wha happened?
Yes, all those people between Jesus and 1935 are in heaven. And they numbered no more than 144,000
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Seeker4
"Yes, all those people between Jesus and 1935 are in heaven. And they numbered no more than 144,000"
Yes, and a MASSIVE flaw in WTS teachings. Anyone who looks at that explanation reasonably would very quickly see that it completely blows the 144,000 as a literal number idea right out of the water.
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chicken little
I dont remember the wt saying that these ones are in heaven. I got the idea they will be part of the great ressurrection on earth after armaggedon...they cant be the 144,000 as there are far too many of them. I never understood this reasoning. Did the bibles message of heavenly life apply only to those alive in the apostles lifetime? When the apostacy came after the death of John did no one qualify for heavenly life, or just a few? What about all the christians thrown to the lions etc. during the roman persecution before Constantine "converted"? There were hundreds of thousands by that time who were christians. We were just told that God had been choosing a few from among all generations. Then why bother with the bible? If it was so few why not just find another way of picking them...why have the message written down as if everyone who read it had the chance of life in heaven?
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garybuss
That's always a problem for late entry exclusive religious groups . . . what to do with the people who lived before the promotions directed by the founding charismatic founder. That was no problem for Russell himself or for the Bible Students, but it is a problem for the modern leaders of the high control group the Rutherford directed corporation has turned into.
The nice thing about religion per-se, is that no proof is required for claims made. -
Iwonder17
Has anyone ever wrote to the WTBS about this question?
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Mr. Majestic
What happeded to all of the people between the time that Jesus was on the earth until Russell?
They all died.......