Where did Jesus get the Idea of an After-life in Heaven?

by John Aquila 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  John Aquila

  The Ancient Jews did not believe in an after-life as far as I can tell, correct me if I'm wrong.

  The Watchtower says yes. They say all the prophets believed in a paradise earth.

  But the Old Testament does not show any prophet speaking about humans living forever in a paradise earth at some point in the future or for that matter an afterlife in heaven.

  In fact it teaches death is the end-- period.
  

  (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6) . . .but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, ... Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished,. . .

  Since this was the case, the Old Testament's admonition was for humans to do this while they are alive;

  (Ecclesiastes 9:10) Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom

  If the Jews didn’t believe in an afterlife, where did Jesus who was a Jew get the idea that the dead would go to heaven and live in heavenly homes?

  John 14:1 In my Father's house are many rooms; ---I am going there to prepare a place for you.

  Where did Jesus get the idea of a heavenly afterlife? It wasn't from the Hebrew Canon.
  

  This was a new teaching for the ancient Jew.
  
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  Dismissing servant

  Probably from Egyptian and Greek/hellenistic religion.

  The jewish society imported a lot of teachings......like Elysion, Hades and TArtaros and made their own interpretation of it.

  This probably happened centuries before Jesus.
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  paradisebeauty

  Well, christians will be taken to heaven and be with the Lord forever, so where the Lord will be, there the christians will also be. Jesus said he will come back on earth towards the end of tribulation, for the battle of Armaghedon and to rule on earth for 1000 years.

  Guess who is coming back to earth with Jesus - yes, the christians who were raptured before. They will help administer the earth from the earth, during the millennial kingdom.
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  OrphanCrow

  The idea of a heaven/hell was likely a Zoroastrian influence from Persia.

  http://www.religioustolerance.org/zoroastr.htm
  

  The religion was founded by Zarathushtra in Persia -- modern-day Iran. It may have been the world's first monotheistic faith. It was once the religion of the Persian empire, but has since been reduced in numbers to fewer than 200,000 today. With the exception of religious conservatives, most religious historians believe the the Jewish, Christian and Muslim beliefs concerning God and Satan, the soul, heaven and hell, the virgin birth of the savior, the slaughter of the innocents, resurrection, the final judgment, etc. were all derived from Zoroastrianism.
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  John Aquila

  Dismissing servant

  Probably from Egyptian and Greek/hellenistic religion.

  Thanks for your input DS. The problem I have with that is that Jesus was raised by a carpenter. Which means he had no access or any financial means to be educated in Greek or Egyptians schools. All his education came from listening to talks in the synagogues because people back then couldn’t even afford to buy Hebrew scrolls. They were rare and expensive. Only the elite could afford to buy books or attend schools. And everyone knew Jesus could not afford to go to school and get educated.

  John 7:15 The Jews then were astonished, saying, "How has this man become learned, having never been educated?"

  All the religious information Jesus had was from Hebrew hearsay. And Ancient Hebrews did not believe in an afterlife in Heaven from what I’ve read.
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  John Aquila

  OrphanCrow

  The idea of a heaven/hell was likely a Zoroastrian influence from Persia.

  Thanks for you input OC

  That may be true but the conversation between Jesus and his apostles seem to indicate that the apostles had never heard of Everlasting life after death.

  (John 6:68) . . .Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life. . .

  If the Apostles had heard of and afterlife in heaven/hell they never would have made the comment; You have sayings of everlasting life.
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  Clambake

  Ecclesiastes is a book of wisdom written by King Solomon which starts off describing the condition of men without god. Money is everything, When we are dead , we are just dead…………………………..oh wait………….Life sucks without god. That is the entire book in a nutshell.
  
  

  A coles notes bible for dummies is more of a threat to the WTS than any apostate. Understanding individual book of the bible and how they relate to each other is “ taking in accurate knowledge ‘.
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  Aroq

  It was in the Jewish culture as far as the Bible shows.

  Job 19:5 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
  And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
  26 “Even after my skin is destroyed,
  Yet from my flesh I shall see God;"

  Psalm 49:13-15
  13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
  yet after them people approve of their boasts.Selah
  14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
  death shall be their shepherd,
  and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
  Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
  15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
  for he will receive me.

  
  

  Daniel 12:2
  2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

  
  

  Isaiah 26:19
  19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
  You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
  For your dew is a dew of light,
  and the earth will give birth to the dead.

  
  This is just a few scriptures that show resurrection from the OT and the Jewish belief.
  
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  John Aquila

  Clambake

  Ecclesiastes is a book of wisdom written by King Solomon which starts off describing the condition of men without god. Money is everything, When we are dead , we are just dead…………………………..oh wait………….Life sucks without god. That is the entire book in a nutshell.

  Thanks for the input.
  

  I agree. But with God in the picture, the only reward the book of Ecclesiastes gives is this;

  (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14) . . .The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the [true] God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole [obligation] of man. 14 For the [true] God himself will bring every sort of work into the judgment in relation to every hidden thing, as to whether it is good or bad.

  From what I’ve read, the Jews believed that reward or judgment would be met out in this life, not an “Afterlife”

  If the ancient Hebrews believed in an afterlife, the writer of Ecclesiastes would have said something like this;

  For the [true] God himself will “Give Everlasting Life” to those that do Good.

  The Hebrews never entertained or talked about “Everlasting life” That’s why the Apostles refused to abandon Jesus because He was the only one who offered a reward of everlasting life. No other Jew or Prophet even entertained the idea.

  (John 6:68) . . .Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life. . .
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  John Aquila

  Aroq

  Thanks for your input

  From what I’ve been told, by some Jewish friends, the book of Job is believed to be a poem with poetic words, a play but not a literal real story. So the reference to, My skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see god”---- is poetic in nature and not to be taken as a prophetic future event.

  Psalms were songs of deep emotional feelings but not predictions of literal future events.

  Daniel 12:2 was added later to the book of Daniel and is debatable that it was part of the original writings.

  The context shows that Isaiah chapters 13 to 35 contain a series of pronouncements against many nations and a forecast of salvation to “The Land of Judah” (not individuals)

  (Isaiah 26:1-19) In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust,

  The idea of a resurrection was an absurd idea for the Hebrews. In fact the idea of a resurrection got the Apostle Paul in trouble.

  (Acts 23:6) . . .Over the hope of resurrection of the dead I am being judged. . .

  So this heavenly resurrection idea was not a normal idea for ancient Hebrews.

  So did Jesus make it up himself?