[from ws2/17 p3 April 3 – April 9]
“I have spoken, and I will bring it about. I have purposed it, and I will also carry it out” Isaiah 46:11
The purpose of this article is to lay the groundwork for the article next week on the Ransom. It covers what purpose Jehovah had for the earth and humankind. What went wrong and what Jehovah then put in place so his purpose would not be thwarted. In doing so there are key bible truths highlighted this week and it is good to mentally note them, both for our personal application but also so we are not misled by the ‘corrected view’ in next week’s study.
Our first key points are in paragraph 1 “The earth was to be an ideal home for men and women created in God’s image. They would be his children, and Jehovah would be their Father.”
Did you notice? The first key point is “The earth was to be an ideal home.”
The scriptures cited such as Genesis 1:26, Genesis 2:19, Psalm 37:29, Psalm 115:16, all back up this point. Tellingly Psalm 115:16 makes the point that “As for the heavens, they belong to Jehovah, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” So going forward to next week, we need to bear in mind the following questions to see if they are addressed scripturally. Did Jehovah change the destination for any of humankind? (Isaiah 46:10,11, 55:11) If so, where did his Son Jesus make this clearly known? Or did the Jews in the 1st century when listening to Jesus, understand him to be talking about everlasting life on earth?
Our second key point is “They would be his children, and Jehovah would be their Father.”
Luke 3:38 lists Adam as ‘son of God’. He was a perfect human ‘son of God’ just as Jesus was a spirit ‘son of God’. Genesis 2 and 3 shows how God had a personal relationship with Adam, with Adam hearing his voice in ‘the breezy part of the day’. It was by sinning that Adam and Eve rejected their father. Not being willing to obey the few rules he had set, Jehovah had no option but to remove them from the paradise home he had made for them and their prospective children.
Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:9 that “Happy are the peaceable since they will be called ‘sons of God’. Paul confirmed this in Galatians 3:26-28 when he wrote, “You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus.” He further went on to say, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman”. This is reminiscent of Jesus statement to the Jews in John 10:16 “And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold, those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.” However, until the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 when half a week after the Messiah was cut-off, (3.5 years later after Jesus death), this opportunity would not be available to non-Jews.
As we know the Bible records in Acts 10 how Jesus used Peter to fulfill this prophecy. This fulfillment was by the conversion of Cornelius, a Gentile or ‘Greek’, the Holy Spirit making it clear that this had God’s blessing. Scriptures such as Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2-4, show that the early Christian congregation was viewed as the flock of God. Certainly, the Greek or Gentile Christians had truly become one flock with the Jewish Christians, following the direction of Jesus and Jehovah. Acts 10:28,29 records Peter saying “You well know how unlawful it is for a Jew to join himself to or approach a man of another race; and yet God has shown me I should call no man defiled or unclean.” Initially some Jews were unhappy but when Peter pointed out that the Holy Spirit that had come upon them, had now been given to the Gentiles even before baptism, “they acquiesced and they glorified God, saying “Well then God has granted repentance for the purpose of life to people of the nations also.”” (Acts 11:1-18)
Question for meditation. Was there such an equivalent display of Holy Spirit in 1935 when the supposed two groups of anointed and other sheep were ‘revealed’?
Having clearly set out and proved that perfect humans would be God’s children, did you spot the subtle change of emphasis in paragraph 13 where it says: “God made arrangements to enable humans to restore their friendship with him”. Friendship is a very different relationship to father and children. With Father and children there is mutual love, but also respect from the children, whereas friendship is usually more based on mutual likes and dislikes and fellow equals doing things together.
Paragraph 14 highlights John 3:16. We have surely read this scripture so many times, but how many times do we read the context. The previous two verses make it clear we have to look to Jesus for salvation. Without having faith in Jesus we will miss out on everlasting life. Verse 15 says: ”that everyone believing in him may have everlasting life.” The Greek word translated ‘believing’ is ‘pisteuon’ which is derived from pistis (faith), so it means ‘I believe with confidence’, ‘I have faith in’, ‘I am persuaded’. Verse 16 also states that “God loved the world so much, that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”
Therefore, if you were a 1st Century Jew or Jewish disciple, how would you have understood this statement of Jesus? The audience only knew of everlasting life and resurrection back to the earth, even as Martha said to Jesus about Lazarus, “I know he will rise at the last day”. They based their understanding on such scriptures as Psalm 37, and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus highlighted everyone (one flock) and everlasting life.
The next paragraph cites John 1:14, where John wrote: “So the Word became flesh and resided (Greek Interlinear ‘tented’) among us”. This reminds us of Revelation 21:3 where the voice out of heaven from the throne said, “Look! The tent of God is with mankind and he will reside (tent) with them, and they will be his people and God himself with be with them”. This would not be possible unless those in the new earth had already become his sons, even as Revelation 21:7 says, “Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.” It does not say ‘friend’, rather it says ‘my son’. Romans 5:17-19 also cited in this paragraph completes the picture when Paul writes that “through the obedience of one person [Jesus Christ] many will be made righteous.” And verse 18 talks of “through one act of justification, the result to men of all sorts is their being declared righteous for life”. Either we all come under this one act of justification [the ransom sacrifice] and can be declared righteous in line for life or else we do not have any chance at all. There are not two destinations or two classes or two rewards spoken of here.
Then as Romans 8:21 says, (cited paragraph 17) “creation will be set free from enslavement [bondage] to corruption [decay] into the freedom of the glory of the children of God”. Yes, indeed freed from certain death because of sin and freedom to live forever as children of God.
Summing up the Bibles’ message nicely John 6:40 (paragraph 18) makes it clear Jehovah’s view on this matter. “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him, should have everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last [Greek – esxatos, properly final (furthest, extreme-end] day.”
The scriptures therefore teach a wonderful hope for all, both Jew and Non-Jew, which is laid clearly before us. Exercise faith in Jesus, and he will give all the promised everlasting life, after resurrecting them on the very last day of this wicked system of things as perfect children of God. No separate hopes, no separate destinations, no growing to perfection. God’s original purpose of the earth inhabited by righteous human children of God will be a reality. He will tent with them, what closer relationship could creation get than as children of him tenting with their heavenly Father thanks to the ransom of his dear Son.
Let us share the true reality of the ransom and what it means to all that we can, sticking to clear Bible truths, rather than doctrines of men.
Archived Comments
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Comment by simplyme on 2017-04-02 18:45:26
Very nice job Tadua,
We humans can make things so complicated in our minds whether intentional or unintentional.
I think Ephesians 4:4-6 sums it up "...one body...one spirit...one hope...one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all".Reply by katrina on 2017-04-04 04:09:14
But the GB say that the NT is mainly written for the anointed those with the heavenly, so what they have done is make a distinction and tell JW what they view is their hope, basically they have not progressed spiritually but have stuck by the Rotherford teaching of the two class other sheep lie.
Reply by Menrov on 2017-04-04 05:45:26
Hi Katrina, you said: "But the GB say that the NT is mainly written for the anointed those with the heavenly". Evidently, we can assume that xyz was thinking that by extension the bible might also apply to the other sheep. :-)
Reply by katrina on 2017-04-17 02:54:05
Para 1) The earth was to be an ideal home for men and women created in GODS' IMAGE, then the WT cited Gen 1:26 "let us make man in OUR image" verse 27 says and God went on to create man the man in his image, in his image God created both male and female he created them. NWT. Shouldn't the WT have just quoted verse 27?
Comment by THE DRIFTER on 2017-04-02 21:57:30
"and he will tent with them."
That simple phrase reached into me!
Beautifully writtenTadua, ...beautifully written...
d
Comment by LVReyes on 2017-04-02 22:15:15
The new heavens and the new earth cannot be the old heavens and the old earth, otherwise why call them new?
But Jesus did make a promise before he left this world: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3, NKJV).
In this scripture Jesus promises to go and prepare a place for believers in his Father's house. If the Father's house were on the Earth then why would Jesus go away from the Earth to prepare a place for believers? No, Jesus meant as he said. He left this earthly life to go join his Father in heaven, that's where God resides, and there he promises to go and make a place for us believers.Reply by Tadua on 2017-04-03 07:20:58
Hi LVReyes, thank you for your comment.
Of course the new heavens and new earth have to be such, but in what way is more difficult to discern.
Looking at the original Greek for those verses in John 14 is very interesting, I found it most beneficial. It is all to easy to jump to conclusions based on our existing view. It was an eye opener to me. I would like to share it with you here:
John 14:3,4 ‘If I go [Greek: travel] and prepare a place [Gr: topon = a marked off portion of space, like an inheritance] for you, I am coming [Gr: erchomai = come from one place(heaven) to another different place(earth?)] again, and will receive you [Gr: parakemsomai = close alongside with personal initiative] to myself. (4) where I am going [Gr: hypago = lead the way (faithful to death)] , you know [Gr: oida = mentally perceive].
John 14:23 is talking about those that showed love for them and others, God and Jesus ‘[we] shall come [from heaven] to him and make our abode with him.[on earth?] ’ Note: They would come to those faithful, not the faithful go to heaven to them. The same sentiment is expressed in John 14:28 ‘I am going away [to heaven] and I am coming back [to earth] to you.
Now while I fully accept that this does not make it 100% clear that it would be earth, at the same time I would think that most would understand that at least this scripture does not clearly teach it is heaven when examined closely, at least in the way as we have been taught by the organisation and is taught by Christendom.
P.S.
We have just been reminded by Meleti on the proper use of the comment feature here and rightly so. I have therefore purposely restricted my comments to your comment so as not to trigger a debate.
Comment by Leonardo Josephus on 2017-04-03 09:37:00
Spot on Tadua. Query one thing with the Organisation and they reply nicely that if you have more questions you should direct these to your BOE. Put a question to the BOE, obediently as instructed, and, when they cannot answer it, watch out for the restrictions on what you can do. Yes, loyalty to the organisation is paramount. Truth is second.
Comment by kyaecker on 2017-04-09 12:55:13
Great article. Just a question that goes beyond this article. You mentioned "No separate hopes, no separate destinations, no growing to perfection.(1000years) God’s original purpose of the earth inhabited by righteous human children of God will be a reality.. " this seems to fit well but after this "1000 years thing" Satan is going to be released again to try and screw it all up. Just does not seem practical. That' has always rubbed me the wrong way.
Comment by The Ransom—A Perfect Present From the Father | Beroean Pickets - JW.org Reviewer on 2017-04-09 18:04:38
[…] However, does such a distinction exist in the scriptures? We have examined this subject in last week’s Watchtower review and other articles on this site. We will also examine it closer […]
Comment by Matrix101 on 2017-04-15 11:52:18
Thank you for this awesome topic...
Quoting you :
"Summing up the Bibles’ message nicely John 6:40 (paragraph 18) makes it clear Jehovah’s view on this matter. “For this is the will of my Father, cthat everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him, should have everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last [Greek – esxatos, properly final (furthest, extreme-end] day.”
My question is around the very last sentence : those who will be ressurected on the last day ARE those who receive everlasting life... after their death... So which hope is there for those who WILL NOT DIE -still alive - when Jesus'coming back ? This is verily the Big Problem for me, to "unlearn" my 50 years of old "Truth" teachings.Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2017-04-15 15:28:23
Hi Matrix101 and welcome.
Jesus was speaking to his disciples. All those he spoke to would fall into the category of those who would die and need to be resurrected. Jesus spoke the truth, but it wasn't an exclusive truth. There was more to reveal, but he chose not to reveal it at that time. Years later, Paul was inspired to reveal the rest. He said, "Look! I tell you a sacred secret." (1Co 15:51) So what he was about to reveal was a secret. He continued: "“. . .We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1Co 15:51, 52)
So there is the same hope of everlasting life for both groups.