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.

We need to anticipate these questions and be prepared to respond.

Jehovah’s Witnesses expect to stump you with their questions, so it will surprise them when you give them answers.

Ordinarily, I advise Christians to ask questions rather than making statements.

This situation is an exception.

The Witnesses are asking for your answers.

They will disagree with you, but the fact that you have given them sensible answers can serve as stones in their shoes.

Let’s look at some of these questions and consider how to respond.

“What will you do in heaven all day?”

Jehovah’s Witnesses love to stump Christians who think they are going to heaven by asking, “What will you do in heaven all day?”

The best answer to that question is a short one:

  • I will worship God and be with Christ and I will do whatever they have for me to do after I get there.

If they scoff at that, you can ask:

  • What do you expect to be doing on earth for all eternity?

They might name a number of things.

Whatever they say, you can reply:

  • You will only be able to do things for so long before you get tired of doing them. 
  • The fact is that when we are talking about eternity, whether in heaven or on earth, none of us has a complete answer to that question, do we?

“Who will you reign over?”

Most likely, the Witnesses will point out to you Revelation 5:10, which says that those who have been redeemed from the earth will be “a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.”

They will try to stump you by asking, “If all Christians go to heaven, who will be left on earth for you to reign over?”

You can answer:

  • People in the millennial kingdom. I do believe there will be a millennial kingdom on earth.

If they ask who the subjects of that kingdom will be, you can answer:

  • People who survive the tribulation as well as their children who are born during the millennium.[1]

“Why does the Bible say that the earth will remain forever?”

 Jehovah’s Witnesses often cite several verses in order to prove that God created the earth to be inhabited and that it will remain forever.

The passages they mention most often are Matthew 6:10, Psalm 37:29, Psalm 104:5, Ecclesiastes 1:4, and Isaiah 45:18.

You can respond:

  • I believe that the earth will be inhabited by believers forever, but I don’t believe that means there are two classes of Christians.

Ask them to read aloud Revelation 21:1-3: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them.”

Say something like this:

  • That seems to me to be saying that at the very end, there won’t be two different classes of Christians. 
  • In fact, since God will dwell with his people on the earth forever, the distinction between heaven and earth will be abolished. 
  • All Christians will then share in all the promises of heaven and in all the promises of a paradise earth.

Summary

 Not surprisingly, Jehovah’s Witnesses will disagree with any statements you make which disagree with Watchtower teachings.

When they do, take it in stride and say something like: 

  • I don’t claim that everything I’ve said has to be correct. 
  • There’s a lot about the future that the Bible doesn’t tell us, so I think it’s important to keep our conclusions tentative and be humble enough to admit that we don’t have all the answers.

 Your comments should serve as stones in their shoes.

Pray that God will lead them to question Watchtower dogma and consider other possibilities.

 

[1] For a more detailed discussion of this point, see Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 2 (Colorado Springs: Victor, 1989, 2001 printing), p. 620

 

 

 

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