I need some watchtower articles stating ,the only people who will make it into the new system are jws.My husband keeps saying that jws dont even know who will make it.I know he is lieing and i tell him that he must love himself alot to want to forget his family to live in the new system without us.He also asked me what is the difference if he went to church?He says they are trying to get to heaven.Anyone who can help answer these i can use all the help i can .I told him even if i believed the jws.Barf,i would not want to be one .I would rather die with my family. thanks kls
I need help
by kls 10 Replies latest jw friends
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onacruse
Well, here's a couple anyway (bold added):
*** w91 1/15 p. 29 The Pure Language Unites a Great Crowd of Worshipers ***
Public Talk and Concluding Comments"
Become United by the Pure Language" was the title of Friday’s public talk. The speaker showed that although three thousand different languages now act as barriers to unity, the pure language is a mighty unifying force. It has safeguarded Jehovah’s Witnesses against Babylonian errors, has taught them respect for the sanctity of life and blood, and has helped them to live by Bible principles that benefit them spiritually and physically. All need to be concerned about learning and speaking the pure language, for only those doing so will survive Armageddon. There is no time to lose in heeding the counsel at Zephaniah 2:1-3.
*** pe chap. 21 p. 181 Judgment Day and Afterward ***(1989)
So before Judgment Day begins, this present system of things made up of "the earth and the heaven" will pass away. Only those serving God will survive, while all the wicked are destroyed at Armageddon.—1 John 2:17.
*** Lmn p. 26 "Look! I Am Making All Things New" ***(1986)
Only meek persons, those who seek Jehovah and righteousness, may survive Armageddon into God’s peaceful new system. (Zephaniah 2:3; Isaiah 26:20, 21)
*** w71 1/15 pp. 63-64 Questions from Readers ***
Questions from Readers
• Can it be stated flatly that only baptized witnesses of Jehovah will survive Armageddon?—A. S., U.S.A.
It would be misleading to answer this question with either a simple "Yes" or a "No." The Scriptural answer of necessity must be a "qualified" one, and it is easy to see why.
At 1 Corinthians 7:14 the Bible shows that God can consider as "holy" the minor children of a Christian parent. Though they are young and not yet to the point of being personally responsible to Jehovah, their parent is trying to develop in them a love of God and of the way of righteousness. It seems clear that at the time of the destructive war of Armageddon God will preserve them on the basis of the family merit of the Christian parent, even though the children are not yet dedicated and baptized.
The reply must also be "qualified" because the Bible does not pointedly say how God is going to handle certain unusual cases, such as those involving mentally retarded persons who never had the capacity to learn about Jehovah and his purposes. Regarding these unbaptized persons, it is possible that family merit may apply as in the case of minor, irresponsible children who have a faithful believing parent or guardian.
Nonetheless, these special instances do not diminish in any way the importance of dedication and baptism for those desiring God’s favor and protection through the destructive climax of this wicked system of things. God urges those truly interested in survival to seek righteousness and to call on him in faith. (Zeph. 2:2, 3; Joel 2:32) That obviously means that a person must do all in his power to do God’s will. And what is that will as regards baptism?
Jesus was baptized in water, setting an example for Christians. (Matt. 3:13-17; 1 Pet. 2:21) Among his final instructions to his disciples is the command to "make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them." (Matt. 28:19, 20) And one has but to read the book of Acts to see that early Christians recognized that baptism was a necessary step of obedience for all desiring God’s favor.—Acts 2:37-41; 16:30-33.
Neither the Watch Tower Society nor any human today can lessen the force of that indication of God’s will. There appears to be no Biblical reason for thinking that a person who had a reasonable knowledge of Bible truth and knew the importance of dedicating his life to God and being baptized, but who held back from doing so, would be preserved by God through the coming destruction.
There are, of course, many other similar comments.
Craig
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onacruse
A couple more:
*** w99 12/1 p. 18 Be Happy Readers of the Book of Revelation ***
15
The message is clear: If we want to survive Armageddon, we must remain spiritually alert and keep the symbolic garments that identify us as faithful Witnesses of Jehovah God.*** T-18 p. 6 Jehovah’s Witnesses—What Do They Believe? ***(1992)
However, Jehovah’s Witnesses are convinced that many now living will survive when God’s Kingdom brings an end to all present governments. Then, just as Noah and his family survived the Flood, these survivors will live on to enjoy life on a cleansed earth. (Isaiah 11:1-9; 65:17; Matthew 24:36-39) In order to survive the end of the world, one must meet Jehovah’s requirements, for the Bible says: "The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it."—Proverbs 2:20-22; Psalm 37:9-11, 29.
*** ws chap. 19 p. 153 The Impending "War of the Great Day of God the Almighty" ***(1986)
3
Prior to the outbreak of God’s war, Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion, will have been destroyed. Satan the Devil and the irreligious political demolishers of Babylon the Great will resent the fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses will be the only religious group to survive. World rulers will not have attained their goal of a godless world. So, now, forward to the all-out attack upon the worshipers of Jehovah, whose universal sovereignty they deny and defy! Thus they will actually be fighting against God.—Revelation 17:14, 16; compare Acts 5:39. -
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onacruse
Geez, I better get reinstated. LOL
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Gerard
*** Watchtower 1989 January 15 p.15 How Baptism Can Save Us ***
How Baptism Can Save Us
"Immersion . . . saves us."-1 PETER 3:21, The Emphatic Diaglott.
JEHOVAH has specific requirements for those seeking salvation. They must acquire accurate knowledge, exercise faith, repent of their sins, be converted, make a dedication to God, and undergo baptism as believers. (John 3:16; 17:3; Acts 3:19; 18:8) Baptismal candidates must acknowledge publicly that on the basis of Jesus' sacrifice they have repented of their sins and have dedicated themselves to Jehovah. They must also understand that dedication and baptism identify them as Jehovah's Witnesses.
2 The entire baptismal arrangement, including this public expression of faith, is essential for salvation. (Romans 10:10) This was confirmed when the apostle Peter wrote: "Immersion . . . saves us." (1 Peter 3:21, ED) But exactly how should we understand these words? What does the context show?
How Baptism Saves
3 Peter indicated that as a resurrected spirit, Jesus preached a condemnatory message to the wicked spirits in prison, demons reserved in eternal bonds for the judgment of Jehovah's great day. They disobeyed by materializing fleshly bodies and cohabiting with women "when the patience of God was waiting in Noah's days, while the ark was being constructed, in which a few people, that is, eight souls [Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives], were carried safely through the water." Peter added: "That which corresponds to this is also now saving you, namely, baptism, (not [just the necessary] putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the request made to God for a good conscience,) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."-1 Peter 3:18-21; Genesis 6:1, 2; 2 Peter 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:1.
4 What did Peter mean when he said, "That which corresponds to this"? He meant that baptism founded on faith corresponds to the preservation of Noah and his family, who were carried safely through the floodwaters that destroyed those outside the ark. As Noah needed faith to build the ark, all who become baptized disciples of Jesus Christ and witnesses of Jehovah must have faith to withstand pressures brought against them by this faithless world and its god, Satan the Devil.-Hebrews 11:6, 7; 1 John 5:19.
5 Baptism itself is not what saves. And though we must 'put away the filth of the flesh,' that alone does not save us. Rather, salvation is "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Baptismal candidates must have faith that salvation is possible only because God's Son died a sacrificial death and was resurrected. They must also accept Jesus as their Lord having authority to judge the living and the dead. "He is at God's right hand," said Peter, "for he went his way to heaven; and angels and authorities and powers were made subject to him."-1 Peter 3:22.
6 Peter also associated baptism with "the request made to God for a good conscience." To acquire a good conscience, an immersion candidate must repent of his sins, turn around from a wrong course, and make an unreserved dedication to Jehovah God in prayer through Jesus Christ. If a baptized person maintains that good conscience by conforming to God's standards, he remains in a saved condition that does not call for Jehovah's condemnatory judgment.
Qualifying for Baptism
7 When Jesus commissioned his followers to baptize disciples, he did not tell them to sprinkle unbelievers by the thousands. But what have Christendom's missionaries done? Regarding India, Jesuit Francis Xavier wrote in 1545: "In the kingdom of Travancore . . . in the space of a few months I have baptized more than ten thousand men, women, and children. . . . I went from village to village and made Christians of them." That is not Jesus' way to 'make Christians.' People must qualify for baptism.
8 Even certain professed Christians of the post-apostolic period believed that those presenting themselves for baptism had to meet strict requirements. Concerning such baptismal candidates, non-Biblical canons, erroneously ascribed to the apostle Paul, say: "Let their manners and their life be inquired into . . . If they be unmarried, let them learn not to commit fornication, but to enter into lawful marriage. . . . If a harlot come, let her leave off whoredom, or else let her be rejected. If a maker of idols come, let him either leave off his employment, or let him be rejected. . . . He that is guilty of sins not to be named, . . . a magician, an enchanter, an astrologer, a diviner, an user of magic verses, . . . one that makes amulets, a charmer, a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, an observer of palmistry . . . , let these be proved for some time . . . and if they leave off those practices, let them be received; but if they will not agree to that, let them be rejected."
9 Jehovah's Witnesses do not follow unscriptural writings, such as that just quoted, but elders do hold discussions with those desiring to be baptized. Why? To make sure that these persons are believers who meet divine requirements and who have made a dedication to Jehovah. (Acts 4:4; 18:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:2) Discussing questions in the book Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry helps to determine whether a person qualifies for baptism. If some points are not clear to him, or he has not brought his life into harmony with divine standards, the elders are pleased to render spiritual assistance.
10 If we appreciate God's kindness in helping us to learn about his purposes, we will be like people to whom Paul preached in Antioch, Asia Minor. Despite Jewish opposition, "when those of the nations [Gentiles] heard [of the opportunity to be accepted by God], they began to rejoice and to glorify the word of Jehovah, and all those who were rightly disposed for everlasting life became believers." (Acts 13:48) Such believers got baptized.
Baptism in Youth
11 Those "rightly disposed for everlasting life" include some young people. It may be noted that although Samuel and John the Baptizer were devoted to God before birth, parents cannot make a dedication for their children. (1 Samuel 1:11, 24-28; 2:11, 18, 19; Luke 1:15, 66) But as a result of good Bible training, many young people progress to baptism. A missionary sister baptized as a teenager wrote: "It seems to me that I was dedicated to serve my Creator from the very age of realization that he existed, but with the acquisition of some accurate knowledge of him and his purposes, I wanted to be baptized in outward testimony of that fact. Nevertheless, Mother doubted that I knew what I was doing, so she suggested that I wait until someone else was ready to be baptized." A woman desiring baptism was found, and the sister adds: "There were no classes of special instruction for the candidates in those days, although the Society-appointed Service Director . . . did talk to me kindly about the seriousness of the step I was taking. I eagerly agreed to all the terms laid down, and on a bright Sunday morning in May 1921 [the woman] and I were baptized."
12 In 1914, C. T. Russell (then president of the Watch Tower Society) received a letter in which a fellow Christian asked if his 12-year-old son should be urged to make a dedication to God. "If I were you," Russell responded, "I would not press consecration [dedication] upon him, but I would hold it up before his mind as the only proper course for all intelligent people who have come to a knowledge of God and his gracious purposes . . . Without consecration none will ever gain everlasting life . . . Your son cannot be injured by consecration, but may be greatly helped. . . . Who shall say that a child of ten may not very fully and completely come to an appreciation of full consecration in thought and word and act? Looking back I can see that my whole consecration was first made at a little advance-beyond twelve years of age."
13 Zion's Watch Tower of July 1, 1894, said: "To all the dear children and young people who have given their hearts to God, and who are trying daily to follow Jesus, the WATCH TOWER sends its greeting. We know some of the very little ones who love Jesus, and who are not ashamed to stand up for Jesus among other children who do not love him or try to please him; and who are brave and true to God, even when laughed at and thought peculiar by their schoolmates to whom they tell the good news of the kingdom. And we are rejoiced to see some young people, who have bravely renounced the world and its ambitions and pleasures, among the most faithful of those who have [dedicated] their lives to the Lord. Some of our office helpers, as well as many of the successful colporteurs, are still young in years." Even if you are still young, why not talk to your parents about dedication to Jehovah God?
The Role of Parents
14 Consider benefits enjoyed by children who receive parental guidance that leads to baptism. (Ephesians 6:4) Thinking on spiritual matters helps them to escape worldly snares and entanglements. (1 John 2:15-17) They do not reap the bitter harvest that results from 'sowing with a view to the flesh.' (Galatians 6:7, 8) Since they have been taught to live a godly life, they display the fruits of God's spirit. (Galatians 5:22, 23) Being dedicated to God, they enjoy a close relationship with him. And because they have learned to "trust in Jehovah," they are guided by heavenly wisdom and walk in ways of pleasantness and peace.-Proverbs 3:5, 6, 13, 17.
15 Since dedication to Jehovah is so beneficial to young people, Christian parents should do all they can to shape the lives of their children. Like Timothy, young ones can be taught the Scriptures from infancy so that they 'continue in the things they have learned and were persuaded to believe.' (2 Timothy 3:14, 15) Godly parents can surround their offspring with the influence of their own exemplary lives, imparting to their young ones such knowledge as their own relationship with God, experience, and mature judgment can provide. When properly directed, these efforts are not lost on the young.-Proverbs 22:6.
16 By example and teaching, help your children to see how clearly the line is drawn between Jehovah's organization and that of Satan. Show them that there can be no compromising with this world, that Christians must renounce its underhanded things, godless pleasures, ambitions, and associations. (1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Corinthians 4:2) By your attitude, as well as your teaching and example, let your young ones see how hollow worldly pleasures are, how deluded people of the world are when compared with Jehovah's Witnesses. Explain how God has led you by means of his holy spirit, has kept you from straying onto paths that would lead to distress, has sustained you in times of affliction and sorrow. Never make the mistake of thinking that if your young ones are allowed to run in worldly paths of pride, ambition, frivolity, and folly, they will become believers. Before this world can ensnare your children, shield them from its vile influences and help them to center their affections and hopes in Jehovah.
Looking Beyond Baptism
17 Whether young or old, undoubtedly a baptismal candidate wants to remain faithful to Jehovah. So why do some baptized Christians experience a spiritual relapse? Though various factors may be involved, there seems to be one fundamental cause-a failure to understand all that is meant by dedication. It is not a matter of dedicating ourselves to a work. That would keep us busy but would not make us spiritual persons. We need to remember that we are dedicated not to a work but to a Person-Jehovah God. This helps us to avoid the mistake of viewing our dedication as a perfunctory step we had to take before getting on with the work. Making a dedication should be viewed as entering into a vital relationship that must always be guarded and maintained. In this respect, we have the example of Jesus Christ. Expressing his heartfelt attitude when presenting himself to Jehovah are the prophetic words: "I have come . . . To do your will, O my God, I have delighted, and your law is within my inward parts."-Psalm 40:6-8; Hebrews 10:5-10.
18 How was it that Jehovah's law was within Jesus' "inward parts"? He told a Jewish scribe that Jehovah our God is one and there is no other, thus stressing Jehovah's supremacy. Then Jesus showed that the essence of God's law consists of loving Jehovah with our whole heart, understanding, and strength, while loving our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:28-34) That is the basic reason why Jesus could say, 'I delight to do God's will.' He was able to stick to his course faithfully despite the greatest tests and sufferings, not just because he saw this as a good work but because he had a close relationship with Jehovah God. If we similarly acknowledge Jehovah's supremacy and love him with unbreakable attachment, we will live up to our dedication and baptism.
19 There is, of course, a connection between our relationship with God and the work we do. We manifest love for Jehovah by doing the Kingdom-preaching work. In this regard, the late Grant Suiter, a former member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, once wrote: "As I listened to [a certain traveling overseer] speak of the privileges of serving Jehovah and the responsibility to do so, I realized what I should do and what I wanted to do. Thus I made a personal dedication to Jehovah, and about the same time the other members of my family did also. On October 10, 1926, in San Jose, California, all of us together symbolized our dedication to Jehovah God by undergoing water immersion. . . . After the baptism . . . my father said to the elder overseeing the baptism: 'You folks go out with the literature, don't you? We want to do that work, too, now.' So our family started out in the field ministry." Today, qualified persons begin to have a meaningful share in field service even before getting baptized.
Baptism Can Save Us
20 By our works, we can show that "we belong to Jehovah." Why, salvation depends on working faithfully as his dedicated slaves! (Romans 6:20-23; 14:7, 8) In ancient times, slaves were often marked on the forehead. By the preaching work today, the antitypical 'man clothed in linen'-the remnant of Jesus' anointed followers-is 'marking' those who will survive the end of this system. In this work the anointed are assisted by their associates, the "other sheep." (Ezekiel 9:1-7; John 10:16) And what is the "mark"? It is the evidence that we are dedicated to Jehovah and are Jesus' baptized disciples who have a Christlike personality.
21 Especially now is it vital that we have the "mark" and retain it, for we are deep into "the time of the end." (Daniel 12:4) To be saved we must 'endure to the end' of our present life or of this system. (Matthew 24:13) Only if we thus remain faithful as witnesses of Jehovah will baptism save us.
*** Watchtower 19 88 November 15 p.10 Who Will Become Approved by Jehovah? ***
Who Will Become Approved by Jehovah?
5 Is it possible also for imperfect humans like us to gain God's approval? Happily, the answer is yes. When Jesus was born, angels announced: "Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill [eu·do·ki'as]." (Luke 2:14) In the literal Greek, the angels were singing of a coming blessing to "men of well thinking" or "men whom God approves." Professor Hans Bietenhard writes of this use of en an·thro'pois eu·do·ki'as: "The phrase refers to the men of God's good pleasure . . . We are not, therefore, dealing here with the good will of men . . . We are dealing with God's sovereign and gracious will, which elects for itself a people for salvation." Thus, as Jehovah's Witnesses have long explained, Luke 2:14 indicates that through dedication and baptism, it is possible for imperfect humans to become men of goodwill, men approved by God!
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gambit
Thanky You, Thank You, Thank You...
BTW --
*** T-18 p. 6 Jehovah’s Witnesses—What Do They Believe? ***(1992)
However, Jehovah’s Witnesses are convinced that many now living will survive when God’s Kingdom brings an end to all present governments. Then, just as Noah and his family survived the Flood, these survivors will live on to enjoy life on a cleansed earth.
Isn't this the same earth we now enjoy today, thanks to Noah ?! And I always thought that it was Adam/Eve, and then Jesus that gave us our oppotunity to experience humanity. What if Noah didn't get in that boat ? Oh, wait, because of evolution we would have eventually come back into being... So, does this mean, the higher order species can't really go extinct, since the lower order species will evolve to higher order ? Oh, never mind...
It's feels so good to
hearsee in writing all the things youforgot you heardwere told weren't really said...
Now, why did I forget ! -
hooberus
The last chapter of the "You Can Live Forever in Paraidse Earth" Big Red book states that you must be a part of Jehovah's Organization in order to receive everlasting life.
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undercover
*** w71 1/15 pp. 63-64 Questions from Readers ***
Questions from Readers
• Can it be stated flatly that only baptized witnesses of Jehovah will survive Armageddon?—A. S., U.S.A.
A simple yes or no answer will suffice, thank you.
It would be misleading to answer this question with either a simple "Yes" or a "No." The Scriptural answer of necessity must be a "qualified" one, and it is easy to see why.
So easy that we are going to spend another five paragraphs to do so.
At 1 Corinthians 7:14 the Bible shows that God can consider as "holy" the minor children of a Christian parent. Though they are young and not yet to the point of being personally responsible to Jehovah, their parent is trying to develop in them a love of God and of the way of righteousness. It seems clear that at the time of the destructive war of Armageddon God will preserve them on the basis of the family merit of the Christian parent, even though the children are not yet dedicated and baptized.
Okay, un-baptized kids are in.
The reply must also be "qualified" because the Bible does not pointedly say how God is going to handle certain unusual cases, such as those involving mentally retarded persons who never had the capacity to learn about Jehovah and his purposes. Regarding these unbaptized persons, it is possible that family merit may apply as in the case of minor, irresponsible children who have a faithful believing parent or guardian.
Okay, handicapped people "might" be spared.
Nonetheless, these special instances do not diminish in any way the importance of dedication and baptism for those desiring God’s favor and protection through the destructive climax of this wicked system of things. God urges those truly interested in survival to seek righteousness and to call on him in faith. (Zeph. 2:2, 3; Joel 2:32) That obviously means that a person must do all in his power to do God’s will. And what is that will as regards baptism?
Don't try for a "Section 8". It won't wash.
Jesus was baptized in water, setting an example for Christians. (Matt. 3:13-17; 1 Pet. 2:21) Among his final instructions to his disciples is the command to "make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them." (Matt. 28:19, 20) And one has but to read the book of Acts to see that early Christians recognized that baptism was a necessary step of obedience for all desiring God’s favor.—Acts 2:37-41; 16:30-33.
Jesus got baptized, so you gotta get baptized(even though outside the 144,000, you aren't really sons of God).
Neither the Watch Tower Society nor any human today can lessen the force of that indication of God’s will. There appears to be no Biblical reason for thinking that a person who had a reasonable knowledge of Bible truth and knew the importance of dedicating his life to God and being baptized, but who held back from doing so, would be preserved by God through the coming destruction.
Well, why didn't you say that to begin with. The answer is, except for kids and handicapped people, YES! -
kls
Thanks all,when someone asks for help here you sure get it.One more question?How do i answer him when he says ,people go to church to get into heaven.He asked me what the difference is if he went to church? You are the best. THanks Again KLS