Hi
Having been a Jw for 15yrs I have just recently began to question some of their beliefs. One of the lines of reasoning I have always used in connection with the earthly hope was that the ancient Hebrew Prophets had no concept of a heavenly hope and so they had salvation with-out being born again. That was until I read this:
Hebrew 11:16
16 But now they are reaching out for a better [place], that is, one belonging to heaven. Hence God is not ashamed of them, to be called upon as their God, for he has made a city ready for them . [NWT]But in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them. [NJB}
But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. [ASV}
But now they desire a better, that is to say, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. [douay]
But, now, after a better one, are they reaching, that is, a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be invoked as, their God, for he hath prepared for them, a city. [Rotherham ]
This had totally blown my mind it clearly states that they will have an heavenly hope, just wondered if anyone else had any thought on this, just goes to show how wrong we can be, and how when you read the scriptures independently from the ORG you see things you never knew were there.
Agape
Witnesspaul