They have always said one thing for public consumption and another for the internal hearers. Some Witnesses are more flexible on this issue, I know my family hold out a hope for me..... When you hear the GB speak though, it is clear . If you are outside at the end - - Goodbye!
Who will Survive Armageddon?
by Vanderhoven7 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Vanderhoven7
@Earnest
I believe JWs have slways held out hope of a resurrection for just about everyone who died before the Great Tribulation....but only JWs after the GT commences...with few exceptions.
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Earnest
Vanderhoven7, my reason for posting was to show that the reference peacefulpete made has not been expunged from digital rewrites.
It is similar to the quotes "Sergio" provided, "God looks at the heart. He sees accurately and judges mercifully. He has committed judgment into Jesus’ hands, not ours".
I particularly liked "if we humans were responsible to judge, how could we properly evaluate factors such as: ... did his genetic, family or religious background affect his response?" In my book the effects of "genetic, family and religious background" basically give a free pass to most of those rejecting the Kingdom message, excepting the members of JWD of course.
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Vanderhoven7
@Earnest,
Doesn’t the Governing Body judge peoples destiny based on their relationship to them? Do they consider that apostates may have good hearts? Might they be saved and survive Armageddon and be honored by Christ?
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FedUpJW
WT continually hammers home the point that to "take a stand for truth and righteousness" means one thing, and one thing only. One MUST become a baptized Jehovah's Witness.Do they believe that they are the only ones who will be saved?
No. . . Many now living may yet take a stand for truth and righteousness before the “great tribulation,” and they will gain salvation. -
TD
It was around 1972 that Singapore refused to recognize the JW’s as a organized religion, seized their assets and chattel, and banned the distribution of WTB&TS literature for among other things:
"The doctrine of the sect and nature of its propaganda are based on its claim that ‘Satan’ and its dispensation, are responsible for all organised Government and religion. The result of the impending ‘Armageddon’ will be the destruction of everyone except Jehovah’s Witnesses who will inherit the earth.”
JW's do not alter their beliefs in response to government pressure; they simply become less forthright about those beliefs. Ambiguous statements that seemed to imply others might survive Armageddon were only for PR. Interspersed with those, were stronger statements that only JW's would pick up on.
Stating, for example that only those speaking the "pure language" will survive has an esoteric meaning that outsiders are very unlikely to comprehend.
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TonusOH
That paragraph from the September 1989 Watchtower is a good example of how they operate. Only those they list have any "scriptural" hope of surviving Armageddon. Yet neither of the scriptures they provide say any such thing. You would need a very long and very intricate interpretation and explanation to even link those two scriptures together, much less explain how they refer to Armageddon, or how they refer to JWs specifically.
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Earnest
Vanderhoven7 : Doesn’t the Governing Body judge peoples destiny based on their relationship to them?
No. The September 1989 article above says that "for survival ... they have to remain organized with the anointed remnant, the 'chosen ones' ...". I think most Christian religions teach baptism is necessary for salvation (1 Peter 3:21), but I wouldn't describe that as a relationship to the Governing Body. It's a "relationship" with Christ, but it's also treated as an initiation into the Christian congregation i.e. you cannot be a Christian without being baptised.
But to get to the point, the question obviously arises what happens to those who are not baptised, or who have renounced their baptism. Although Paul was pretty damning about those who renounce their faith (2 Peter 2::20.21), I think when it comes to judging people, God "has committed judgment into Jesus' hands, not ours".
I agree with TD and others that ambiguity is largely there for public consumption, but there are no clear answers as to whether those who do not accept Jesus Christ (due to genetic, family or religious background ... or just plain ignorance) will be saved.
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Vanderhoven7
@Earnest
"Doesn't the Governing Body judge peoples destiny based on their relationship to them?"
Earnest: No.
Where does the GB stipulate that ex-Jehovah Witnesses who are honest-hearted apostates to Jehovah's organization may survive Armageddon?
Here to the contrary
The other sheep should never forget that their salvation depends on their active support of Christ's anointed "brothers" still on earth. WT March 15, 2003 p.25
"The Scriptures strongly support the conclusion that at Armageddon Jehovah will destroy the peoples of the earth, saving only those who obey his commandments to stand by his organization."
(Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993, p. 170)