Jehovah's Witnesses: Where specifically does the Bible say: The Great Crowd will live on earth?

Question

Is this the most important doctrine for the Jehovah's Witnesses?

Psalm 37:29 This means that they way of God leads to everlasting life.

Isaiah 45:18 Lord created the earth to be inhabited, not to be desolate, as Assyrians and Babylonians had left the land of Israel.

Like in 33:9 Fields and pastures throughout the region would be laid waste by the ruthless intruders.

and in 44:26,28 the rebuilding of the temple as the resettlement of the land after the devastation by Babylon inaugurated the new age ( 58:12, 61:4 )

Isaiah 55: 10,11 means God's Word like rainfall produces fruit ( Ps 147:15-20 ). Just as water enlivens a withering rose, God's Word produces life in the hearts of sinners.

So this is about Gospel falling on the hard heart, it sometimes works a change at last, and even if not so, it leaves men without excuse.

Matt 6:10 The prayer is composed of six requests. The first three ask for the kingdom to come and the last ( vv 9,10 ) three for God to meet the needs of the people.

Psalm 37:9-11, 29 Jesus quoted these words ' the meek shall inherit the earth ' in Mtthew 5:5, cofirming the Old Testament and showing the importance of the Psalms in His life. Like in 29 in this life people must choose to cling to God and righteousness, or to pursue evil.

Proverbs 2:21,22: does not talk about the great crowd...How can you say that Jws are the "blameless" when they clearly spread the false message?

Psalm 46:9 This picture here is of final judgment. The usual weapons of war, as well as those using them , are brought to an end

Pslm 72:7,8 The great King is pictured as the gentle rains of God's blessing on earth. His reign will lead to a true peace,the state of thngs as they really ought to be.The promises of God to Abraham included a promise that his descendants would have dominion over the land of Canaan. These verses expnd the the geographical dimensions to include the entire earth.

Psalm 46:9 This picture here is of final judgment. The usual weapons of war, as well as those using them , are brought to an end

Pslm 72:7,8 The great King is pictured as the gentle rains of God's blessing on earth. His reign will lead to a true peace,the state of thngs as they really ought to be.The promises of God to Abraham included a promise that his descendants would have dominion over the land of Canaan. These verses expnd the the geographical dimensions to include the entire earth.

Rev 21:3,4 God is described as dwelling among His people. This recalls the Incarnation, the fact that 'Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us' ( John 1:14 ),and is a fulfillment of the promise in 7:15 that God will dwell among His redeemed people ( does not talk about the great crowd..make sure you are ne of the redeemed.Noone canmake that decision for you, not even a trusted organization ). The last enemy...destroyed is death.

Psalm 83:18 Make sure that you are not the subject of God's wrath is the main idea. Make sure you are on the right side.

Verse16 prays for the destruction of wicked "so that men will seek your name, O Lord" God's honor - not organization's - was to be maintained.

Hannah P: This Revelation 7 you use as your proof text that the Great Growd will live on earth ...actually is the Scripture that proves just opposite.

Russell, the 1st President of the Watchtower Society, believed that the Great Crowd was not an earthly class but rather a heavenly class. He also interpreted Rev 7, as putting the Great Crowd in heaven.

7:9 After therse things I looked, and lo,a great multitude, which no man could number, out of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lanb, clothed with white robes, with palms in their hands"

In verse 9 we notice right away that the Great Crowd is in heaven. This is a heavenly scene. The heavenly throne and and the heavenly Lamb are there. The Great Crowd is standing before the throne.

Rev 6:17 Unbelievers ( the Great Crowd? ), no matter how strong, they will not be able to stand

Rev 6:17 Unbelievers ( the Great Crowd? ), no matter how strong, they will not be able to stand

Luke 22:36 Jesus here instructed the disciples to take a money bag, a knapsack, and a sword on their journeys in order to prepare for the rejection that was to come...

Answer 1

There simply is not any verse in the Bible that says a great crowd will live on earth, as per the JW doctrine. There ARE verses that speak of the meek inheriting the earth, and of Israel dwelling in a wonderfully restored earth, and of God creating a new heavens and a new earth. The JW take on those passages requires a particular interpretation of Jesus' words about having a little flock, and 'other sheep' to be joined to that little flock. Orthodoxoy takes that to mean Israelite believers in Christ, and then Gentile ones. JWs take it to mean 144,000 people who (alone) will go to heaven, and a great crowd of others who will stay forever on a paradise earth. The doctrine of the paradise earth is so integral to JW theology that if it were to be removed, the whole denomination would fall apart at the seams.

JWs are keen to delve into the Revelation passage where 'a great crowd' is standing before the throne in heaven, trying to prove that this actually means they are on earth. To do this, they have to swallow wrong Greek translation ideas. I'm not going into all that here but I've checked it out and their leaders are being utterly mischievious, playing on their members' ignorance. I'll just point out that if they take the number 144,000 in Rev. 7 as literal, they must take the location of the great crowd in that same chapter as literal also, as they do the location of the angels who are with the great crowd! They refuse to do this logical point, so they're not going to listen to harder points of Greek translation.

Answer 2

Dear Unique Me, I a a Never-Became but I do have an observation. For the past several years I've been reading the Bible from cover-to-cover every year and I have never once seen anything remotely saying that the great crowd will live on the earth. Now my mom who has been a jw for longer than I've been alive says she reads the whole Bible at the KH every 3 years. Problem with that is that it is really easy to get some of the details mixed up. It isn't just my mom, because I've read plenty of the published material that Mom has sent me and that has been given to me at my door. I agree with you that it isn't in the Bible. In fact to say that the great crowd will be separated from God is to say that they will be in eternal hell because that is what separation from God is. Thank you for asking. For His glory, JOYfilled - Romans 8:28

Answer 3

Psalm 37:29

What was God purpose when he created the earth? "He formed it even to be inhabited" (Isaiah 45:18;Genesis 1:27, 28; 9:1). God's purpose was for the earth to be inhabited by a perfect, righteous human family. God's purposes can never be thwarted. His purpose is irresistable. (Isaiah 55:10, 11) The Bible clearly shows that under the Kingdom rule of Jesus Christ, God's will for the earth will be accomplished (Matthew 6:10) The Bible makes this clear throughout all Scripture (Psalm 37:9-11; 29; Proverbs 2:21, 22; Psalm 46:9; 72:7, 8)

That is why Revelation 21:3, 4 says that "the tent of God is with MANKIND...and [God] 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". (emphasis added)

This is not the most important doctine. The sanctification of God's name and the vindication of his sovereignty is the most important thing. -Matthew 6:9; ; Psalm 83:18

Answer 4

No, that is not the most important scripture for Jehovah's Christian Witnesses.

The Hebrew Scriptures had never led faithful Jews to expect a reward of heavenly life.
Those scriptures pointed to the restoration of Paradise here on earth.
Daniel 7:13,14 had foretold that when "rulership and dignity and kingdom" would be given to the Messiah, "the ppl's, national groups and languages should all serve even him."
Those subjects of the Kingdom would be here on earth.

Jehovah God wanted man to make the whole earth a beautiful paradise for all to enjoy--Gen 1:28.
{Humans could have lived forever, if Adam & Eve had obeyed Jehovah.They were told not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good & bad--Gen 2:15-17.}
God's original purpose for all the earth to be a paradise populated by by those who appreciatively obey his laws will not go unfulfilled. Isa 45:18; 55:10,11.
That is why Jesus said: "Happy are the mild-tempered one's,
since they will inherit the earth."
That is also why he taught his disciples to pray:
"Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sactified.
Let your Kingdom come.
Let your will take place, as in heaven,
also upon earth." Matt 6:9,10.
In harmony w/ that,
Eph 1:9-11 explains God's purpose "to gather all things together in the Christ, the things in the heavens
and the things on the earth."
Heb 2:5 refers to 'the inhabited earth to come."
Rev 5:10 mentions those who, as joint heirs w/ Christ,
are to "rule as kings over the earth."
Rev 21:1-5 and 22:1 add delightful descriptions of conditions that will exist in the 'new world' and that remind one of the original Paradise in Eden w/ its tree of life.--Gen 2:9.
Everybody will have good things--Isa 65:21-23.
There will be a resurrection John 5:28,29; 11:25.
After bad ppl are killed off, nobody will die anymore.
Even the wild animals will not be dangerous.
Everyone will be happy forever--Rev 21:4;
Isa 65:25; Ps 37:11,29.
Jesus is our invisible King--Php 2:9-11 & Rev 19:16.

Psalms 37:9-11, 29: Live in a beautiful Paradise.
Jehovah & Christ Jesus love you & want you to live forever in Paradise--John 3:16.
Rev 21:1-22:21- A new heaven and a new earth.
Most especially Rev 21:1-5.

Answer 5

Matthew 25
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32 ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE FATHERED BEFORE HIM, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Revelation 7:9
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing BEFORE THE THRONE and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

enōpion - in the PRESENCE OF, before

How can they be before God here on Earth?

2 Timothy 2:14
Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them BEFORE God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

Romans 14:22
So whatever you believe about these things keep BETWEEN YOURSELF AND GOD. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

Galatians 1:20
I assure you BEFORE GOD that what I am writing you is no lie.

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So its clear that this great crowd is standing before God here on earth.

Doesn't matter if you translate it "before", or "in the sight of" - the great crowd is standing before God and the Lamb here on earth.

Answer 6

So, so true! Anyone that wants to protect God's sovereignty; I'm right there too. That is IMPORTANT. Protecting God's sovereignty you will not stand alone!
I don't know who Hannah is, but she got it right most of the time. Agreed.

Answer 7

Is this the most important doctrine? No, the most important thing to Jehovah's Witnesses is that God's name be sanctified and his sovereignty be vindicated. Both his name and his sovereignty were slandered in the garden of Eden. The sanctification and vindication make up the theme of the Bible. This is the most important issue.

As for the great crowd and their future, this is a reasonable question. Particularly in light of such scriptures as Revelation 7:9, 10 which speaks of these ones standing before the throne and before the lamb. Doesn't that mean that they are located in heaven? Not necessarily. It can also mean that they are in an approved condition. Compare for instance Revelation 6:17 which asks that when the day of wrath comes, who can stand. Stand? Yes, that is to say found in an approved condition. Look at Luke 22:36 where we find the strong admonition of Christ Jesus: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to STAND before the Son of man." King James Version.

But Revelation says "before the throne." Yes, but the Greek does not require that they be in heaven literally before a throne. They are simply in sight of God. Compare, please, Psalm 11:4 where we read that God's eyes examine the sons of men. Compare also Matthew 25:31-33. Notice that Jesus is here described as sitting on his glorious throne with the nations gathered before him. He is doing a separating work, yes? Where do the goats go? On his left, cursed for the everlasting destruction. Now are we to assume that Jesus took these goats to heaven only to turn around and kick them back out? No. Being before the throne does not necessarily mean literally in that location. It can and often does mean one's condition or position.

But that there will be righteous people on earth is readily seen throughout the inspired record, beginning with Genesis. Consider: Adam and Eve were given everything they needed in their home. They were given one command and death was introduced only as the result of disobeying that one command. If Adam and Eve had never disobeyed, where would they be? Some people feel that God created man on earth so that he could be tested to see if he deserved to live in heaven. If that is so, why were the angels created in heaven and allowed to live there before being tested? Moreover, if humans are only here to be tested for heavenly life, what happens to earth? Is it destroyed? But that contradicts God who plainly states that earth will be here forever. Psalm 115:16 tells us that he has given earth to us - the sons of men as our home. If now, those who pass the test go to heaven, and those who fail go to hell, will people continue to be born here on earth? For what purpose? To continue to be tested? Doesn't that mean that wickedness, sorrow and suffering will have an endless cycle here on earth? For what purpose?

"But 2 Peter says earth will be destroyed," some say. 2 Peter 3:7, 10 speaks of new heavens and earth, yes, that is so; while the present heavens and earth are stored up for destruction. Well what did the heavens do that made it deserving of destruction? Really, what did earth do that makes it deserving of destruction? Nothing. Even during the flood, what was destroyed? The earth or wicked people? And Revelation 21:4 which promises no more tears, sorrow, and death. "That's heaven," some say, "that's how God does away with it. The scripture says that these things pass away. Tears, death, mourning, outcry and pain have never existed in heaven.

It is quite true that many will be taken to heaven because the scriptures deal quite plainly with this honor. But who? And for what purpose? Revelation 5:10 and Revelation 20:6 teach us that it is for them to be kings and priests. Kings rule over others, yes? Priests serve on behalf of others, yes? Over whom then shall they rule? On behalf of whom shall they serve as priests? For if every righteous person goes to heaven, there will be none over whom to rule; none on behalf of which to serve as priests.

At Matthew 5:5, Jesus stated: "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." King James Version.

The great crowd will be on earth.

I apologize for such a long post and hope that this helped you a bit.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 8

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is a sub routine that is designed to cause chaos among other religious programs and their various subroutines. We once tried to have everything work perfectly together in Reality Version 1.0 but found that a perfect world drove everyone insane and we lost several crops. Now with Reality XP Pro we have just the right amount of Chaos Version 3.5 and productivity has actually gone up. If you really want a more stable environment try Reality OS X. Sorry but Reality Vista still has some bugs we are trying to work out.

Thank you for your time. Remember to take your blue pill.

Answer 9

Probably the same place it says that Jesus will return in 1914, 1918, 1889, 1976, and 1925.

Answer 10

the bible says it in the book of BOB