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The Persecuted Church

 

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Will the great crowd of Jehovah's Witnesses inherit the earth and only 144,000 go to heaven? The WATCHTOWER says, "YES,

Who Is the Great crowd?

Revelation 7:9-1 5. The great crowd Is a future people during a future time, the great tribulation.

What is the location of the great crowd?

"Before the throne" of God. Revelation 7:9, 15. Where are the 144,000? In exactly the same place, "before the throne" Revelation 14:1, 3. Compare 6:8-9; 6:9,11; 11:16.

Could being "before the throne" Possibly be integrated .in the sense of be in a before the queen of England while living In North America? No. The great crowd will serve God "in his temple". Revelation 7:1 5.

And where is the tabernacle of God which is spread over the great crowd? Heaven! Revelation 7:9,15a; 13:6; 15:5-6.

And where is the temple of God where the great crowd will serve? The temple of God is "in heaven." Revelation 11:19; 14:17; 15:5-6.

Couldn't we say the great crowd Is really to be on earth In the outer courts of the temple? No. The great crowd is going to be "in heaven". Revelation 19:1.

Oh. but couldn't the great crowd In heaven be a different great crowd than the great crowd of chapter 7 ?

1) Notice who is a part of the great crowd in chapter 7 and chapter 19. Chapter 19 - 24 elders, 4 beasts, servants, the bride or the saints, angels and an army (people). Chapter 7 - people from around the earth who live during the great tribulation, angels, the elders, four beasts.

2)Notice what the great crowd Is saying in chapter 7 mind chapter 19. Chapter 7 Salvation, glory, honor, power. Chapter 19 -- salvation, glory, honor, power. 3) Notice what the great crowd Is wearing in chapter I and chapter 19. Chapter 7 - Vs. 9 white robes, vs. 13 white robes, vs. 13 white robes washed in the blood. Chapter 19 Verse 8 fine linen clean and white which is the righteousness of the saints, Verse 14 fine linen white and clean (the blood washing Is implied in verse 13 referring to the blood of Jesus)

The burden of proof is on the Watchtower to prove the great crowd-for some reason cannot go to heaven… What is this "proof "?

"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever." Psalm 37:29. So will the great crowd never go to heaven? Are not 144,000 righteous? Don’t they go to heaven ? Then we could say they don’t inherit the earth. Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world !Then where is it until it comes to earth ?

But haven't you heard, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5. Are the meek, J.W.'s who miss heaven? Then why aren't J.W.s "poor In spirit", verse 3, or "pure in heart!', verse 8, "persecuted for righteousness sake'. Verse 10 , or reviled, persecuted or spoken evil against falsely, verses 11-12? These go to heaven and see God!

Don't you think God-had—a purpose in creating this earth a paradise for man to dwell In?

The inspired Scriptures declare "heaven" and "paradise" are synonymous and to be used interchangeably since the resurrection of Christ.              2 Corinthians 12:2, 4. Is there really a verse of Scripture which reads, "paradise earth"? No. Paradise is now found in heaven.

Someone inherits the "new Earth" somebody have to be here to live on it?

Revelation 22:1. Indeed' But does God slam the door of heaven shut and say, "Now you will never leave here again?" No. "The gates of it shall not be shut at all," verse 25 explains. Those who claim to have an earthly hope also hope their names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. There is better news. Those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will enter "it. Revelation 21:27. "It !' In the context of the chapter refers to heavenly Jerusalem. Believers get BOTH the new heaven and the new earth in the salvation package! "It" comes down from heaven with God to earth at the end of the Millennium.

Aim- the 144.000 rule as- kings and -priests over the earth, don't they have to have somebody to rule over?

Wrong question! The 144,000 rule "on" the earth. Revelation 6:10. The New World Translation says "over" but the Greek says "upon". The Watchtower insists a resurrected and glorified body could not go to heaven, so it tries to keep the kings and priests above the earth as only spirit creatures. Living Christians at the end of the great tribulation will populate the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ. Isn't it reasonable that the kings and priests will reign over them? Secondly, the 144,000 are never spoken of as being kings, priests or the bride of Christ in Revelation 7:3-8 or 14:1-6. They are a whole new group taken from Israel all at one time in the tribulation.

Didn't Jesus say He had other sheep of a different fold who would remain on the earth? John 10:16.1

No. Jesus was talking to Jews and introducing them to the world-wide evangelism of gentiles, who are the other sheep. Jesus did NOT say they would remain separate. Quite the opposite! "There shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Not 2 folds, one in heaven and one on earth. Eph. 2 says he broke down the middle wall of partition making them one all the sheep are in 1 fold and have 1 shepherd, Not 2 shepherds (John 10:11) one In heaven and one on earth. To take this Scripture and still insist there will remain 2 folds is to distort and misrepresent the Lord Jesus Christ and Scripture! Ephesians 1:1 0.

Isn't there an earthly hope for one group of Christians and a heavenly hope for a different group!

No. There is "one hope". Ephesians 4:4. The hope, or confidence, is to be wherever Jesus is. There Is only one body. I Corinthians 12:12,13,27; Ephesians 4:1116; Colossians 1:6. Scripture emphasizes "heavenly places". Ephesians 2:6. We become like our heavenly Jesus. Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2. We go to a heavenly kingdom. 11 Timothy 4:18. We go to the Father's house and be with Jesus. Where is the Father? Heaven. John 14:1-3. Those who sleep in Jesus will come with Him. I Thessalonians 4-14. After our earthly body is gone we get an immortal body in heaven. I Corinthians 15:42-66; 11 Corinthians 5:1,6-9. If you have believed on Jesus through the testimony of the apostles, you will be with Jesus. John 17:20, 24. Jehovah's Witnesses teach people from five different areas were all destined for heaven. I Peter 1:1, 4. Conservatively speaking, 144,000 people were saved from Acts 2:41-6:7, before Judge Rutherford took- away the heavenly hope in the 1930's. Matthew 23:13. The church at Ephesus alone was estimated from 20,000 to 26,000 people! The church of Jerusalem was larger than that. History tells us in 70 AD over 100,000 Jews fled Jerusalem to Pela because they remembered Jesus words of Jerusalem surrounded by armies. We have is heavenly calling, our citizenship (all believers)  is in heaven. Heb.11:13 tells us all who die in faith (not some) were strangers and pilgrims on earth, vs.16 they desired a heavenly country of which God has prepared a city for them.

But believers -from before the time of Christ cannot go to heaven, so won't they be resurrected to life on earth with the great crowd?

No. Old Testament saints will be in "heaven"! Matthew 8:1 1; Job 19: 25-26; Psalm 23:6; 73:24-25.  The Bible does not contradict itself. Abraham looked for a city made by God, was a stranger on earth, and goes to the heavenly city prepared by God, Heavenly Jerusalem! Hebrews 11:8-16; 12:22.

Are the 144,000 in the Jehovah's Witnesses grandpas and grandmas who claim to be anointed?.

The 144,000 will be virgins, not grandparents. Revelation 14:1, 4. They will be too busy serving God during the great tribulation to focus on watching out for the welfare of a family.  The 144,000 will be sealed in the future after the 6th Seal, the Day of Wrath and the holding back of the four winds (Revelation 6:12,17; 7:1,3).

What nationality will these 144 000 be?

According to Scripture, Jewish ONLY. Revelation 7:4. As the great crowd is from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, in contrast the 144,000 are sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, the twelve tribes (Revelation 7: 9,4). These are the same twelve tribes that come from Jacob. The 144,000 are not sealed to become Israelites, they are sealed OUT OF Israel to become members of the 144,000 Christian evangelists. In both Revelation 7 and 14, a clear distinction is made between the 144,000 sealed Israelites and "every nation." If we take "every nation" to be literal, we should also take "Israel" to be literal. For the Watchtower to go from literal to symbolic in the middle of a verse is complete Scripture twisting taking it out of the context it was written in. And how can anyone take 12 symbolic numbers, add them up and come up with a literal number of 144,000?  If the Watchtower correctly says they aren't Jews, then why is the number of 144,000 literal?  If they aren't Jews, then what is the long explanation of the tribes of Israel for? Rabbis, when asked if this is a literal list of the names of the tribes of Israel say it is authentic. The names vary in Scripture, due to serious sin and the loss of recognition of certain descendants of Jacob. The Jewish people were only laid aside temporarily so that Gentiles who are not of Israel can have salvation.  In the future Romans 11:1 6-26 says all of Israel (the nation) will be saved. In contrast to the 144,000, the future kings are from every tribe, tongue, people and nation which happens to be from their great crowd. (Revelation 5:9-10).

Doesn't the Watchtower have the correct light on Scripture through the faithful and discreet salve?

The Watchtower has serious problems trying to interpret Revelation. They published The Finished Mystery in 1917, Was the mystery all over as they boasted? No. The latest book, Revelation - lt's Grand Climax At Hand! is vastly different. The seven trumpets of Revelation lead from one trumpet into another according to Scripture. The order of the seven trumpets according to the Watchtower book is the 7, then 1,2,3,4,5,6. That’s no way to count to seven! God didn’t, why do they? Because they need to fit it in with their own peculiar teachings.

Is the great crowd really excluded from heaven? The Watchtower's, Vindication book three, on p. 204, makes it clear the great crowd is expected to go to heaven. Why? Ezekiel says so! "This picture shows the position of the 'great multitude'.  The prophecy of Ezekiel shows that such conclusion is erroneous. The fact that their position is to enter heaven they must be made spirit creatures." Was this message from the Watchtower light or darkness?  Did the Watchtower have the light of God's truth? Proverbs 4:18. If not, how does Scripture describe the teachers who taught this darkness? Proverbs 4:19.

Why did Jesus say you MUST be born again to enter the kingdom of HEAVEN ? John 3:3,6. He didn't!  He said you will not see or enter the kingdom of God unless you are born again. You will not reside in any part of God's kingdom unless you have been born of the Spirit. If this provision is only for the 144,000 then all the Jehovah's Witnesses today, those part of the great crowd will not have the kingdom! However It is all inclusive. I John 5:1.  If you have a kingdom message, its not suppose to be paradise earth but you MUST be born again into it.

 

 

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