Jehovah's Witnesses: Earthly hope or heavenly hope?

Question

why do some have an earthly hope and others a heavenly hope?

do they get the hope from the Watchtower or does everyone just have the earthly hope to start with?

what if i was to have a heavenly hope, how would I know and how would everyone know I had this hope. I could go around telling people and others might say, sorry but you've got earthly hope.

i'm confused about all this. can someone explain it to me?

Answer 1

It would seem that a sincere bible student would first recognize God's purposes, and then somewhat later would recognize his own place in connection with those purposes.

An "anointed" Christian feels in his heart that the holy spirit has informed him of his heavenly calling. While a conscientious Christian may come to believe he had been mistaken and so cease identifying himself as "anointed", it does not seem that Jehovah ever changes the assignment of a Christian from heaven to earth. No human among Jehovah's Witnesses would ever pressure an "anointed" to identify himself different from what he knows himself to be.


God and Christ choose how and where each Christian will be assigned. There is a limited need for governmental administrators in heaven, and so the vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses expect to enjoy life as governmental subjects ON EARTH forever, rather than in heaven. 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

The men and women who make up the 144,000 are selected by God from among two thousand years of Christians. 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]

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20001001/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20001001/
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/

Answer 2

I never became a Jehovah's Witness (thank goodness!) but I will tell you how they explained it to me.

Supposedly the ones with a heavenly hope are led by God's spirit and adopted as "sons" - this is based on Romans 8:14-17. But when you read the context of the whole chapter, it's plain that if you aren't led by God's spirit as a "son", then you will not be saved at all. There's nothing said about a heavenly hope or 144,000 or not needing to receive the adoption by spirit if you want to live on the earth instead of heaven - that is all a Watchtower idea.

I think that if given the choice between heaven and hell, everyone will choose heaven. If given a choice between heaven and living forever on earth, most people would choose not to die,but there will always be some who would want to go to heaven. But according to Romans chapter 8, you better have the spirit of adoption, or you won't be living anywhere.

The unscripturalness of their view is evident by the fact that they "celebrate" the Lord's Supper by NOT eating bread and wine - the exact opposite of the ONLY way it was ever celebrated by Jesus and the apostles.

(Sasi, that is so interesting to see how the Watchtower developed this idea of "earthly hope" and "heavenly hope")

Answer 3

Jehovah picks who will be rulers of earth with Christ as king.

Most people desire the earthly hope of living forever on a paradise earth as the Bible teaches.
God created the earth to be inhabited by humans and humans will inherit the earth as promised in Matthew 5:5

Answer 4

The term “earthly hope” is sort of a misnomer in terms of the way you are using it. Jehovah has always purposed for humans to live on earth. For example, the criminal who was executed next to Jesus professed his hope that Jesus would remember him when he got into his kingdom. But, according to Paul, even unrighteous people are going to receive a resurrection regardless of whether they hoped for such a thing or not.

Really, the expression “earthly hope” that Jehovah’s Witnesses use has reference specifically to the great crowd who are destined to survive the great tribulation. Their “hope” is not the hope of a resurrection so much, but it is the unique hope of not dying at all.

Answer 5

troll to troll has it all wrong.

(1) These are not the 12 tribes of Israel, because "tribes" like Judah and Levi were not tribes at all. The real tribes are located in Numbers Chapter 1.

The Bible tells us they are not really Israel, but spiritual Israel.
Romans 9:6-8
6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.

James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:


(2) Just because they are "before the throne" doesn't mean they are in Heaven.

Men were said to be "before" Jehovah 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.

1 Timothy 5:21
I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

Galatians 1:20
I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.


The Bible tell that all nations will be gathered before Jesus himself here on Earth.

Matthew 25:31
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 gathered 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.

(3) Theres a difference between these two crowds, the 144,000 and the one that no man was able to number.


--==Earthly Hope and a Heavenly Hope==--
Some have a Heavenly hope because they were chosen to judge the world and reign with Christ in Heaven.

1 Corinthians 6:1-3
1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

Revelation 20:4
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

These with the Heavenly hope were the ones sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a SEAL, the promised Holy Spirit,

These are the one with a promise, and those who are sealed number to the 144,000.

Revelation 7:4
Then I heard the NUMBER OF THOSE WHO WERE SEALED: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

The selection started at Pentecost 33 C.E. and those prior to this event were not selected to goto Heaven.

Acts 2:34
For David did not ascend to heaven

John 3:13
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man

You also have Job, a man who did not expect to goto Heaven, but expected to be resurrected on the paradise earth.

Job 14:13-15

13 "If only you would hide me in the She'ol (Grave)
and CONCEAL ME till your anger has passed!
If only you would SET ME A TIME
and THEN REMEMBER ME!

14 If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service
I WILL WAIT FOR MY RENEWAL TO COME.

15 You will call and I will answer you;
you will long for the creature your hands have made.


You will know you have a Earthly hope because the new members that come into this organization will have an Earthly hope.

Answer 6

My parents became JWs in 1934/35, shortly after the death of their 1st born, aged 5. They had been brought up in a Protestant church. But their tragedy was followed by JWs knocking on their door and, in their emotionally vulnerable state, they eagerly grasped the hope that their child would be resurrected, physically perfect, in a few months' time. Such was their conviction, they used the money saved for a grave-stone to buy a car, to prosyletise their new faith. Now, this is relevant to the Q because this was just the time when Watchtower leaders had introduced a new doctrine - the great crowd with the earthly hope.

My parents had been brought up with the doctrine of the heavenly calling for all Christians. But they were told this number was limited to 144,000 people, virtually all of whom had been called now, so a new calling was opening up and they would be in that group - the Jonadabs. (The Jehu class were the anointed 'remnant' of JWs, who alone could be elders and leaders, who alone were entitled to be called 'Jehovah's Witnesses'.) This meant my parents had to bypass the bread and wine at the Lord's Supper. This they did because they believed this new teaching.

They both died, some 40 and 60 years later respectively, with no son resurrected and no gravestone on his unmarked site. They had themselves cremated. I dare say they could not bear the idea of joining their son's earthly remains, having relatives put up a stone and wondering why they hadn't done that for their own child. I fully understand why they acted as they did and have no ill will at all. I just feel so sorry for their largely wasted lives, devoted to a new religion with a new doctrine that is part of the false gospel of the JWs. They get annual articles in their Watchtower 'reminding' them, before the Memorial, why virtually nobody should take the bread and wine. JWs do as they are told / taught, for to question what their leaders say is tantamount to questioning God himself. I have some of the 1930s/40s JW books and their speil about the Jonadabs is almost laughable, especially as much of it is now disowned by them in view of 'new light'. Once you grasp the history of this doctrine, you realise how sad it all is.

Answer 7

These are doctrinal errors that have been proven wrong many times.

This is the "Great Crowd Doctine".

This is an errant dogma.

In The Revelation of Jesus Christ Chapter 7: 4 - 8 there are 12,000 of each tribe of Israel listed.

This is one group in heaven before the throne.

Now look at the other groups before the throne in Heaven in verses 9 - 11.
9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Groups here in these verses
1. the multitude no man can number (Great Crowd).
2. all the angels,
3. Elders,
4. the four beasts.

So there are five Groups listed before the throne of God and the Lamb in Heaven:
1. 144,000,
2. the multitude no man can number (Great Crowd).
3. all the angels,
4. Elders (24), and
5. the four beasts

Answer 8

It's said in the bible that 144,000 will rule with Jesus (heavenly hope)from heaven when God's people inherit the earth. The earthly hope is that the rest of us are resurrected to eternal life on earth, unless they should deny God's plan again. In that case they simply die and return to dust. I disagree with their misteachings but that's just me.

Answer 9

LOL...The WatchTower, a stupid magazine written by an American, Jehovahs Witnesses are sick, sick, sick, They are all Hypocrites, I have been married to an ex Jehovah for twenty three years and her family have wiped us off because we are the 'Black Sheep' One of my brother in laws is a practising JW and guess what? he's a closet Homosexual but that seems to be ok, lol.. anothers an alcoholic, that also seems ok, one bashes his wife but that's ok, I'm sick of Jehovahs Bloody Witnesses, hope they all rot in hell, cos they aint goin to "Paradise" lol... Have a nice day, See what happens when you mention Jehovahs Witnesses? lol. AAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

They are sincerely wrong in most things!