They must not be motivated by a desire to serve God alone if they're can't give up their attachment to earthly pleasures like marriage and they think that is preferable to being one of the few in heaven.
2007-05-16 16:53:38 · 14 answers · asked by Joe S 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
JW preoccupation with living forever on earth is a Big Clue about their spiritual ill health. Christians just want to be with Jesus. If Jesus was on earth, that would be heaven for them. If Jesus is in heaven, that's where they want to be. The Apostle Paul was torn between dying physically (so that he could be with the Lord in heaven) and remaining on earth to build up the new believers in the faith (Phil 1:21-26): "I am torn between the two; I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far..."
He said that because Christ dwelt in him by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Christ was utterly real to him. Alas, hardly any JWs have Christ dwelling in them by the presence of the Holy Spirit. They publicly testify to this every year by NOT taking bread and wine at the Lord's Table. Only those who hope to go to heaven partake. Most JWs only know ABOUT Jesus. They don't know him. They never expect to see him. But as they are carnal, earthly, fleshly, unspiritual, (because they are not indwelt with the Holy Spirit) they cannot possibly be genuinely interested in being in heaven with the Savior!
It's actually good that they don't pretend to be interested in heavenly things for that shows the difference between them and those who have the one faith, the one hope, the one baptism of Christianity. The JW idea of only 144,000 being called to heaven to be with Christ arose around 1930. Because most JWs are not yet Christians, they don't see anything wrong with their lack of desire to be with Christ. Compare that with Paul:
"I consider [everything] rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found IN HIM... I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him... I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me HEAVENWARDS IN CHRIST JESUS... many live as enemies of the cross of Christ... Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil 3:7-21). The service JWs render they imagine to be to God alone. Sadly, it's to an ideology invented in the 1930s.
2007-05-17 08:52:17 · answer #1 · answered by Annsan_In_Him 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
If Jehovah's Witnesses are not motivated to serve God alone then no one is. They actively and zealously serve God alone, right now and look forward to doing so forever where ever God sees fit to place them.
They follow the Lord's command to preach and teach the good news of God's kingdom all over the world. (Matthew 24:14. Matthew 28:19,20)
They serve the true God, Jehovah, just as Jesus Christ did.
(Psalms 83:18, John 17:25,26)
They do not choose whether or not they will serve God in heaven or on earth. God does the choosing. They accept his will. (2Thessalonians 2:13-14)
Of course, the majority of mankind will live on earth since this was God's will from the beginning of creation and he did not change this.(Genesis 1:28, Malachi 3:6 )
2007-05-17 06:34:05 · answer #2 · answered by babydoll 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
I didn't know Jesus lived in 1930's, when he said the meek shall inherit the earth and that God would be with mankind.
(Matthew 5:5) 5 “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.
(Revelation 21:3-4) 3 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 peoples. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
I didn't know David lived in the 1930's when he said the
(Psalm 37:9-11) 9Â For evildoers themselves will be cut off, But those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth. × [Waw] 10Â And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. 11Â But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.
(Psalm 37:29) 29Â The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it.
I didn't know Solomon lived in the 1930's when he wrote:
(Proverbs 2:21-22) 21Â For the upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. 22Â As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.
The bible's hope for Mankind's has been to live in Paradise on Earth, ever since Adam lost that blessings.
Those that go to heaven are to rule with Christ, How many chiefs or kings are needed?
(Revelation 5:9-10) 9Â And they sing a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10Â and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.”
and the number is 144,000 (Rev 14:3)
2007-05-17 17:45:42 · answer #3 · answered by TeeM 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What earthly pleasures? It's going to be a lot of hard work to turn Earth back into a Paradise, then terraforn other planets for the expansion of perfect humans. That is God's work.
As for marriage, the Bible talks about a child of 100 years of age playing on the den of a viper. Whose having these children if not by married people?
Are you so disappointed in God's Creation that you need to get off it?
2007-05-17 01:31:23 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 0⤋
No.
Jehovah's Witnesses willingly submit themselves to God and Christ, and hope to live wherever the holy spirit directs.
While it is true that nearly 99.99% of Jehovah's Witnesses believe their hope to be eternal life on earth, it is NOT because they choose it to be so. The bible teaches that God informs a Christian that his hope is heavenly by action of the holy spirit; the Christian "feels" that his place is in heaven rather than on earth.
(2 Corinthians 1:21-22) He who guarantees that you and we belong to Christ and he who has anointed us is God. He has also put his seal upon us and has given us the token of what is to come, that is, the spirit, in our hearts.
(1 John 2:20) You have an anointing from the holy one; all of you have knowledge [of your heavenly calling]
(1 John 2:27) The anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to be teaching you [of your heavenly calling]
No human tells a Christian what his hope is, and there are absolutely no restrictions or earthly advantages connected with claiming a heavenly hope. An "anointed" person may not even qualify as a congregation elder or simply "deacon" among Jehovah's Witnesses.
One's personal preference and personal prominence are of no importance in the matter. Thus, it is truly remarkable that such a tiny minority among them profess a heavenly hope.
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20001001/article_01.htm
2007-05-17 00:45:11 · answer #5 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Well as you may or may not know yet we believe that there are only 144,000 who are called the anointed class who after they die they go to heaven to serve with Jehovah and Jesus now Jehovah's Witnesses like me are not of the anointed and if we remain faithful we know we will enjoy a perfect life after Armageddon
2007-05-17 14:07:18 · answer #6 · answered by Patrick S 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
read revelation about the 144,000 that will go to heaven, the bible also talks about the ones that no one can count that will live here on earth. Jehovah God did not change his mind because Adam and Eve disobeyed Jehovah and eat of the fruit. Jehovah did not destroy the earth in Noah's day but destroyed the wicked people but Noah and his family lived on the earth. Jehovah cannot lie. Jehovah will destroy the wicked again and we will live on a paradise earth that Adam and Eve lost. only the 144,000 of the anointed will rule with Jesus in heaven. if we where to live in heaven with Jehovah and Jesus Christ, why did Jehovah put human here on earth, to kill each other, hate each other, grow old, get sick and die, just to go back to heaven, we could of stay in heaven and never come to earth. if Jehovah wanted us in heaven. if Adam and Eve did not disobey Jehovah, Jesus would never been here on earth, to die for our sins and be resurrected. Jesus came to earth because they did not listen to Jehovah but listened to the devil instead.
2007-05-17 07:17:11 · answer #7 · answered by lover of Jehovah and Jesus 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Well I feel that since Jehovah's original intent for the Earth according to the Bible is for humans to live forever, perfect, in a beautiful planet, that it only makes sense for him to keep those same plans.
2007-05-17 13:33:27 · answer #8 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Where else would we go? It's like asking a whale where he would rather live..in the water or on land?
The whale was made for the water and the water for the whale.
Earth was made for man and man for the earth.
Jesus came to earth to straighten out God's people. They didn't take too kindly to him or his message..so he turned his attentions to the rest of mankind. He told the Jews they were vipers.
And all the vipers, murderers, fornicators, adulterers, occultists, liars, thieves, etc. will be gone...God commissioned Jesus to rid the world of the lawless and ungodly.
He told Jesus to look for those sighing over this system of things, the meek, the lovers of truth and the worshipers of the Almighty and protect them and guide them into the paradise earth where only righteousness will dwell.
Yes earth will be a wonderful place to raise children and greet my dead loved ones when they are brought back to life with new bodies.
I want to live..It is hard wired into my brain...I want to live on earth.
2007-05-17 00:08:51 · answer #9 · answered by debbie2243 7 · 11⤊ 1⤋
The choice is not ours to make.
If you studied the Bible you would learn that it speaks of two classes.The "little flock" which go to heaven and number 144,000 and the "great crowd" or "other sheep" which will have the priviledge of eternal life on the earth.
The best we can do is to be found worthy of survival once Armageddon begins.
2007-05-17 09:01:08 · answer #10 · answered by lillie 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋