Matthew 7:13-14 and Revelation 7:9.

by Sergey Antonov 4 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Sergey Antonov
    Sergey Antonov

    In Matthew 7:13-14 says :“enter through the narrow gate, because wide is the gate and spacious the road that leads to destruction, and many go through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and Strait is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it. And revelation 7: 9 says of the great multitude, " after this I saw, and look. of all the Nations and tribes, and Nations, and languages, standing before the throne and the lamb, dressed in white clothes, there was a great crowd that no man could count; and in their hands was the palm branches."

    How Can the great multitude enter through the "narrow gate" Jesus spoke of? Or should the "narrow gate" refer to the anointed? And a Great many to all the inhabitants of the Earth? But why those who will not enter "the narrow gate" die?

  • venus
    venus

    Interesting question, and it is obvious that both cannot be reconciled because Jesus was contrasting those reaching destruction and those reaching life which includes both heavenly life and earthly life.

    If those reaching life are few, then they can definitely be numbered.

  • Sergey Antonov
    Sergey Antonov

    Interestingly, Jesus 'words about the" narrow gate " were most likely said for the anointed.Since if it were not so, then all Jehovah's Witnesses would have to accept and from the symbols, as Jesus said. But why do they refer Jesus ' words about the "narrow gate" to all people, and his other words only to the anointed?

  • waton
    waton
  • Doug Mason
    Doug Mason

    Matthew was written by a community living in 85 CE. The writers were telling the members of their community of their expectations in the light of the pressures they were experiencing, particularly at the hands of the Pharisees. Those Pharisees accepted Tradition to be on a par with the written text but the "Matthew" group were very strictly aligned to the letter of the Biblical Law (not a jot or tittle, as the KJV used to say).

    The Book of Revelation was composed by a very different group at a different time for a different purpose. It is a highly erotic symbolic flight of fancy. Clearly also very legalistic Jewish in its outlook. It is a compilation of material from the Jewish writings and I suspect that you will gain a far better insight by reading books such as 1 Enoch and Jubilees to determine whether you can locate the source of the particular passage in Revelation you are referring to.

    I suspect that the only place where Matthew and Revelation can be compared is with the 5th Discourse, often termed "The Little Apocalypse" (Matt 23ff).

    The passage at Matt 7 appears in the First Discourse formulated by the writers of Matthew.

    Doug

    PS. The words attributed to Jesus are actually the words of the writers placed on his lips.

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