The teaching of the resurrection

by TooBad TooSad 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  ex-nj-jw

  Yes, the spirit survives death and if you "died in Christ," your spirit goes and stays with Him until the rapture/resurrection of the saints/Body of Christ, at which time Christ descends from heaven in the clouds (does not come all the way back to the earth at this time), and brings those spirits with Him, and their spirits and bodies are reunited at that time and instantly changed "in the twinkling of an eye" into immortal, incorruptible bodies like Christ has had since His resurrection. (1 Th 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15). Flesh and Soul (your mind/will/emotions/intellect) and Body are reunited at that time and instantly changed to eternal bodies fit for glory with Christ so we can "see him just as he is." Ditto for "we who are alive and remain" at the time of that rapture/resurrection of the saints in Christ. That group will never have to die at all, but will be "caught up" to the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and their bodies also will be instantly changed to immortal, incorruptible bodies.

  Lastly, the "judgment of these believers" is not a judgment as to salvation (since we were eternally sealed/saved upon putting faith in Christ's shed blood for our sins), but the "judgment" believers will face is the "judgment seat of Christ" a/k/a the Bema Seat Judgment, which is when believers will receive crowns and rewards or whether their crownds/rewards will be withheld. Salvation was already guaranteed at the time one puts faith in the finished work of Christ for our sins, but rewards are not an automatic "done deal":

  I'm sorry but that sounds just as stupid as what the JW's teach! I don't mean to sound consending but that just sounds like more BS to me! More fairtale crap.

  nj
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  jwfacts

  WTBTS teaches that there will be a resurrection to an earthly paradise

  I was quite shocked when I finally did research as, opposed to soak in Watchtower rhetoric, that the term earthly paradise does not appear in the bible, and when the Bible discusses paradise it describes it as being heavenly. See http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/earthforever.htm for a discussion of the scriptures.

  If God could make one of me, He could make two of me, then which was is really me?

  This is a great point. If we do not an eternal soul or spirit, but are just in God's memory after death, then God could make numerous of us. He could even make a clone of us when we are still alive. It devalues us and so I agree that the traditional concept of a soul is more attractive.
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  kurtbethel

  At this point it is apparent that WT doctrine is made up entirely to support getting followers doing what the GB wants them to do, while having gratitude that they make up channel such slop nourishing spiritual food. They invent doctine and search for supporting scripture after the fact, which usually poorly supports their crafted claims.

  The WT version of resurrection is so poorly thought out that instead of explaining the afterlife, it leads to even more questions that can have disturbing answers.

  I wrote several of them down, but there were so many that I thought it best to start another thread instead of hijacking this one.

  Thanks Abbagail for your comprehensive contribution to this topic. Really. No sarcasm.
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  LDH

  Wow that was overkill. Did anyone actually read it?
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  TooBad TooSad

  Thanks FLorida for ship wrecking my post.! I tried to look at my thread at the meeting

  Sunday morining and your million word essay, which was longer than the Watchtower

  Study crashed my blackberrry storm.

  TooBad TooSad
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  Perry

  Abbagail,

  Excellent information. Your post highlights the most important point to learn in this life. JW's, like atheists have utterly no concept of a final judgment to come, yet like everyone else, have no trouble in judging others. The fact that we humans judge others, is precisely why we ourselves will face a judgment. There is no escape from it:

  it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Heb. 9:27

  JWs must spiritualize God's Judgment to mean how people respond to the WT literature. In their way of thinking, either a person is marked for life or death based on the householder's response to the corporate literature. Otherwise, JW's would figure out they need a mediator....which the WT denies to its members. People will not be judged based on if they were receptive to some literature. People will be judged based on whether or not they have ever broken any of God's laws. Once, the members make the connection that they need a Mediator, for their own personal Judgment.... bada - bing, you start having real Christians.

  Catholics, on the other hand rely on their friends to pray them out of purgatory to reverse judgment. They have a bunch of mediators, Pope, Mary, Saints, priests, their friends etc. It's kinda a buddy system.

  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 1 Tim 2: 5

  The bible's teaching on the Mediator and Judgment is inextricably linked and this is what makes JW's, Catholics, and atheists so similar in their views toward these doctrines.

  As your post points out, all will face judgment; however most don't know that God has extended a choice for mankind where we can be judged. Man can choose to be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema Seat); or at the Great White Throne. No one will be in hell that doesn't choose to go there.

  And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. - John 5:40

  It really is sad that ironically, sometimes those that reject Christ as Sole Mediator, work the hardest at being good. I know my JW family has sinned a heck of a lot less than I have and work a lot harder at being "good" than I do. Yet, I will only be judged to see how many rewards I get.

  Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward ... of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. - Rom 4:3-5

  They, in turn are only accumulating more debt to God with each act of "goodness" to "gain life". They have chosen poorly.
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  Awakened at Gilead

  JW's, like atheists have utterly no concept of a final judgment to come, yet like everyone else, have no trouble in judging others.

  Ouch! You lumped atheists in with JWs and then generalize that all of us are judgmental because we don't buy into your fairytal theology? Gimme a break.

  What I will judge is that Abbagail's posts are waaaaayyyyy tooooo loooonnnngggg for atheists to read....
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  Perry

  You lumped atheists in with JWs and then generalize that all of us are judgmental

  Aag,

  All people have judged others by any number of standards that they themselves have violated. This is what puts man on the hook for judgment. The buck must stop somewhere.