If you did in fact convert me, does that mean that you'll give up your spot in heaven for me? What about your family? Would you give it up for them?
2006-09-24 19:22:59 · 7 answers · asked by munkees81 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses do not hope for a "seat in heaven" since that is not what the bible teaches as the hope of mankind.
Jehovah's Witnesses understand heaven to refer to the dwelling place of spirit creatures such as Jesus and the angels. They 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).
(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.”
Hell is NOT someplace/something mankind needs to fear; there is no suffering in 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. Each person "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]
Jehovah's Witnesses' official website:
http://watchtower.org
http://watchtower.org/library/jt/index.htm
2006-09-25 10:09:16 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to a couple of Jehovah's Witness answers to this question, it is God who decides who goes to heaven.
In the real world, though, it is obvious that among Jehovah's Witnesses, they simply decide for themselves whether they would rather go to heaven when they die or live on the earth forever.
Example: In a 1989 Watchtower, Brother Eric Cooke tells us that in 1935 when the identity of the earthly 'great crowd' was made known, he and his brother did not alter from their calling to heavenly life and continued to partake of the Memorial emblems reserved for those who God has called to heaven.
Then in 1952, the Watchtower published an article to "clarify" who God was choosing to go to heaven and after reading this article, BOTH Eric and his brother 'realized' they were not supposed to go to heaven after all, they were of the earthly class. So if God had been choosing and calling them, why would they cease to hear the call just because they read a Watchtower article?
Supposedly after 1935, the seats were all filled, yet people continue to 'feel' that God has called them. So the Watchtower publishes an article occasionally to discourage people from answering the call.
2006-09-26 11:01:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Speaking as one of Jehovah's Witnesses,
if Jehovah chooses you to be one of the heavenly calling, I would be very happy for you.
You will notice that it is not my seat to give or to keep. Only Jehovah decides who will be in the heavenly kingdom.
No matter which hope a person has, earthly paradise, or heavenly government, Jehovah has promised that all this servants will be happy for eternity.
2006-09-25 12:21:33 · answer #3 · answered by TeeM 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jehovah God is the only one who knows, who goes to heaven and who will live in earth, of course our behavior is also the key to get to be saved. Jesus also said not even for him was to take this decision (Mark 10:40) . Please read the Bible people.
2006-10-01 02:36:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the majority of them are not going to heaven
they will live on the earth
2006-09-25 02:25:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ummm.... doesn't God decide who goes to heaven?
2006-09-25 02:30:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
juvenille witness are messed up in the head i guess it could be worse
2006-09-25 02:26:08 · answer #7 · answered by asswiper 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋