Because the Watchtower teaches that the great crowd will live on a paradise earth and that only 144,000 anointed ones will go to heaven, Jehovah’s Witnesses like to stump Christians with questions we haven’t thought of regarding our final destination. Their purpose is to get us to doubt what we believe and make the Watchtower teachings more credible.
Let’s look at some of these questions and consider how to respond. Continue reading
In order to show you that there are two classes, Jehovah’s Witnesses will have you read Luke 12:32, where Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Then they will take you immediately to Revelation 7:4, which says, “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” Continue reading
The Watchtower claims that in order to be saved, members of the earthly class must prove worthy by their works many times. First, they must prove worthy to be resurrected or to survive Armageddon in order to enter Christ’s coming millennial kingdom on earth. If they make it that far, they will have to overcome their sinful nature during those 1000 years, attain perfection, and then prove worthy again by passing a final test by Satan. If they pass that final test, they will obtain everlasting life and be back to where Adam was before he sinned. They will still be capable of sinning, though, just as Adam was, so in order to escape annihilation they must continue to prove worthy throughout all of eternity.
Not all Witnesses are aware of these requirements. If they are aware of them, they may not have put them all together and seen that they are impossible to attain. In previous articles, I have cited Watchtower literature you can show them in order to establish all this. However, that method is pretty confrontational.
If you prefer a less confrontational approach that doesn’t require a lot of documentation, you might begin simply by asking this question: “Exactly what do I need to do to become acceptable to God?” Continue reading
How are the Great Crowd supposed to achieve moral perfection?As we saw last time, the Watchtower teaches that in order to obtain everlasting life, members of the great crowd must achieve moral perfection by the end of the millennial kingdom.
How are they supposed to accomplish this?
How will these imperfect, sinful humans ever manage to progress to and attain perfection? The Watchtower claims, “Throughout this time, as the result of the dripping and trickling down of righteousness from the ‘new heavens,’ the human soil of the ‘new earth’ will respond and become fruitful in a corresponding way.”[1]
What does that mean? I don’t know, and I’m sure if you ask them, Jehovah’s Witnesses won’t be able to explain it. Continue reading
The Great Crowd must attain perfection during the millennial kingdomAccording to the Watchtower, members of the great crowd must try to prove worthy of everlasting life by attaining perfection during the millennial kingdom.
If they prove worthy at the conclusion of this “old system,” they will enter the millennial kingdom on earth, either by surviving Armageddon or by being resurrected (re-created) from the dead in physical bodies. They will start with a clean slate. Their past sins will not be held against them.[1]
Continue reading
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