Question about Jesus and Armageddon

by TheStumbler 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  TheStumbler

  I have a question about Armageddon.

  My understanding is that the Watchtower teaches that only JWs will survive Armageddon. Following the great trubulation and time of trouble, when the world's forces turn on true religion (JWs), God will step in an kill everone (apart from his true followers).

  I've been talking to a JW recently who seems to be suggesting that the casualties will be due to human warfare in the great tribulation so will be man's fault - not Jehovah's. Is this right? I've always thought that it was Jehovah, Jesus and some angels that were going to do the dirty work.

  Are there any Watchtower publications that state that Jesus/Jehovah will kill people directly in Armageddon?

  Thanks in advance
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  designs

  See the Revelation Grand Climax book by the Wt.. It shows a warrior Jesus riding to kill those not on his side.
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  Mum

  The WT Jesus (bearded or not) is so like an organized crime godfather.
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  transhuman68

  This from Paradise Lost To Paradise Regained (1958) pg. 208

  25 Soul-chilling terror will spread through the masses of people so that they will lose control of themselves; they will begin killing one another. "On that day a great panic from the LORD [Jehovah] shall fall on them, so that each will lay hold on the hand of his fellow, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other." (Zechariah 14:13, RS) Then "every man's sword shall be against his brother." (Ezekiel 38:21, AS) But their selfish fight to live will be all in vain, Those who escape being killed by their neighbors will be destroyed by God's heavenly armies.

  So it's not a new idea, although I think it was stated again in a recent magazine.
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  mP

  It seems the only way to be a good character in the bible is to be violent. Jesus on the horse coming to kill. That major hitler arsehole King David who never did a single good or kind thing somehow is the favourite king in the OT. Solomon was another arsehole, in fact he was such an areshole the northern kingdom split when he deid because he overtaxed them. How can Solomon be so smart, that he failed to realise that his leeching of the northern tribes would cause them to split or break away.
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  Perry

  The JW view is that Jehovah kills everyone at armageddon for not responding to Wt literature and getting saved by being in the organization (ark). The biblical view is that Jesus returns to save the remnant of Israel that turn to him during this time. At the time of his return about 2/3 of earth's population will already be dead from wars promoted by the Antichrist.
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  Tater-T

  everyone outside the walls of kingdom halls will be destroyed by jehovah... and some inside the walls of kindom halls will perish for not going door to door as much as they could have ..I heard from the platform.. no kidding
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  Bobcat

  In both Ezekiel 38:18-39:6 and Revelation 19:11-21 the military forces are killed off before "the rest" are done in.

  Babylon the Great is done in by human means. After that it is the 'kings of the earth and their armies' vs. Jesus and the heavenly armies. Then 'the rest are killed off by the long sword coming out of [Jesus]' mouth.'

  By the way, their is a certain 'stragegic' logic to the 'battle plan,' if you will. Both the US and USSR had targeting priorities with their nuclear forces. These priorities were, generally, Counter-Force (which meant destroying high value military targets), Command and Control (including national leadership) Economic/Population Centers (which would include cities and other important infrastructure - which might also include dams, nuclear plants, depots, etc.) The amount of forces available to employ would have an impact on target choice. And, of course, their would be some expected overlap (E.G. a military base near a big city).

  The idea of totally annihilating the population is not as common today, and it wasn't the strategic aim of the nuclear nations, but it may well have been an indirect result due to the nature of the weapons being employed. I think the idea of totally destroying a poulation would have not been so unheard of in the ANE.

  In both Rev and Ezek the military forces are done away with first (and some accounts, such as Ezek 38/39, Zech 14 etc - picture military forces being caused to turn on each other), national leadership is ended/collapses, then sweep up operations against individuals. Interestingly, Rev 6:15-17 depicts people from all walks of society fleeing or hiding in caves and hills. As if cities, as population centers, were targeted, forcing people to flee elsewhere. No doubt, some of this is figurative.

  As Spock would say, I'm not attempting to consider the moral implications of any of this, just taking a detatched look at it from a strategic planning perspective. There is a logic to the way the foretold destruction takes place. A logic that human military planners have also seen fit to use.
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  transhuman68

  It's actually complete bollocks whichever way you look at it- Ezekiel was a foaming-at-the-mouth lunatic, and the writer of Revelation was drugged to the eyeballs on hallucinogenic mushrooms- and all these scriptures lost their relevance soon after they were written anyway. To apply them now- out of context and out of time- is just silly.
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  Perry

  No foaming at the mouth transhuman. Just reliable prophecy as usual from a prophet of God.