Why do Trinitarians and Catholics think they are going to heaven?

Question

Don't make sense, they believe false doctrine. If only they understood that Jesus said that if you've seen him, you've seen his father. (God) Act's 2:38 is the only plan of salvation!! Believing in Jesus and "excepting him as your personal saviour" doesn't cut it.... No where in the bible will you find that.... Ohhh and mormons and jehovahs, i don't even want to go there. Those are as pagan as it gets. Joseph Smith was a false prophet. And Jehovahs have it all mixed up!! Well, in the end it's to each his own. I'm not bashing anyone. I just wish the world new the TRUE plan of salvation and God's word as it is written..... Thanx

Jerry

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses understand the Scriptures to teach that exactly 144,000 humans will join Christ Jesus as kings and priests to administer God's Kingdom (which will soon replace all earthly governments) after Armageddon.
(Daniel 2:44) God of heaven will set up a kingdom... It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite
(Revelation 14:1) Lamb [Jesus] standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand
(Revelation 20:6) they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him

Over whom will they rule? Over the vast majority of mankind, most of whom will have been raised from the dead after Armageddon.
(John 11:23,24) Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
(Acts 24:15) There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Until that resurrection, there is no suffering in "hell", or the grave. Sometime after the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire

Almighty Jehovah God selects those few who have the heavenly calling from among godfearing worshippers, including many who were never Jehovah's Witnesses. Today, each true worshipper "feels" his own hope and each person's hope remains unquestioned by his fellow Christians. Still the vast majority (literally more than 99.9%*) of Jehovah's Witnesses expect an EARTHLY hope, the same hope given to Adam and Eve.
(Genesis 1:28) God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill THE EARTH and subdue it [caps added]
(Genesis 2:17) You must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die [so never eating from that tree means never dying]

Interestingly, the Scriptures are full of references to this earthly hope.
(Psalms 37:11) 'the meek will possess the earth'
(Proverbs 2:21) 'upright will reside in the earth'
(Isaiah 45:18) 'God formed the earth to be inhabited'
(Matthew 5:5) 'the mild will inherit the earth'
(Revelation 21:3) The tent of God is with mankind

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/w/2000/10/1/article_02.htm

Answer 2

JERRY,

A term used since A.D. 200 to denote the central doctrine of the Christian religion. God, who is one and unique in his infinite substance or nature, is three really distinct persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The one and only God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet God the Father is not God the Son, but generates the Son eternally, as the Son is eternally begotten. The Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son, but a distinct person having his divine nature from the Father and Son by eternal procession. The three divine persons are co-equal, co-eternal, and consubstantial and deserve co-equal glory and adoration.

We need to know how we are created in God's image to grasp the concept of the Holy Trinity and I think your question is a good one.

To understand this better chart it out or use a diagram of two triangles of equal proportions like the Star of David. This allows an easier understanding of the relationship between the Essence and Existence of a thing. The words following should be distinguished in the following categories: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. These three words encompass everything in the Universe and make up the CREATIVE PROCESS to help describe the Creator, creatures, and creation.

God is spirit. He cannot be seen. If you were to examine all the creatures, the CREATOR has made a pattern emerges: angels and demons are intellectual creatures without a body; plants and animals do not have an intellect but a body and mortal soul. IT IS ONLY LIVING, HUMAN, BEINGS, that have a MIND, BODY, and SOUL. Only human beings have all three. Now, living, human, being is the existence of man. Those words describe the essence of man's mind, body, and soul. The Body is living, the Mind makes us human and distinguishing us from animals, and our Soul makes us the being that we become (good or evil).

Now, even Muslims will agree Allah is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (ever present). These words describe the existence of God. So, what is the essence of God? I will hold off answering this question till the end.

Now, if you think about the existence of a person they have a triple existence: physical (body), mental (mind), and spiritual (eternal soul). In fact, whenever we create something it has all three of these parts. When we cook we have a recipe (in our mind), we gather all the raw ingredients, and we cook (don't burn it, ha ha) what it is we are making. Cooking has the physical, mental, and spiritual parts. Same with engineering or technology it has three parts: the blueprints (to convey an idea), the raw materials (physical), and the workmanship (spiritual). If something goes wrong investigators will look for a design flaw, material flaw, or faulty workmanship. THIS DEMONSTRATES CREATION HAS THREE PARTS LIKE THE CREATOR.

Now, in the Bible it says Jesus is the visible likeness of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15) The ESSENCE OF GOD IS: Father (mental), Son (physical), Holy Ghost (spiritual). ONE TRUE GOD IN THREE JUST LIKE A PERSON. THREE PARTS ONE PERSON. When you are sick you send for a doctor; when you are mentally troubled, a psychiatrist; when spiritually seeking you seek out a holy person.

Answer 3

Wow, I never thought I'd actually run across a Oneness person. I appreciate the verses you've quoted, I've wondered where your theology is sourced in. I'm also glad you limited it to Acts 2:38, because that verse does nothing to promise that receiving the Holy Spirit would be accompanied by anything; rather, his indwelling is our birthright upon entering the kingdom.

As for the "plan", it's moot, isn't it? If I become baptized because I understand it to be obedience to Christ's words, rather than as a necessary seal of salvation, bottom line, I've become baptized.

And I'm curious as to how you would answer God's reference to himself in the plural in Genesis when he talks about making man in "our" image? Even if the word "trinity" is not said in the Bible, surely this makes reference to multiple manifestations of the same being. And John 3:16 makes it clear that God sent his Son, so that's 2, right? If you're going to declare rightly that Jesus is God, and God is God, and the Holy Spirit is also God, there you go.

Answer 4

Thank you for sharing your viewpoint...

I know that I am going to heaven (as promised by the Christian God). I believe in the Trinity based on what the Bible teaches.
--

Here is a brief synopsis of the Trinity:

There is only ONE God. He manifests himself in three personas/persons/manifestations for the purposes of the redemption of, and relationship with, human beings.

Contrary to what some people say, there is nothing irrational or illogical about this concept (of the Trinity).

For an explanation (and defense) of the doctrine of the Trinity, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/sect/doc/trinity.html

Cordially,
John

Answer 5

I will take exception to you including Pagans in your list. We have our own idea of what a heaven is like and don't force people to join our religion under threats or otherwise . Wher do you tink the Christian religion took most of its rites and rituals form. the PAGAN religion thats where.
As to your main question those people think they are all going to heaven because they attend church and pay their ten percent of wages and extra money to the church to make sure that their rooms are reserved.

Answer 6

Jesus ain't GOD,you make no senseJesus was the son of GOD

Answer 7

Just about anyone who believes in heaven thinks he or she is going there.

Answer 8

They own the place.

Answer 9

I can't wait to see Mother Teresa in hell

Answer 10

Because like all religious people they are deluded