Geoffrey Jackson’s New Light Blocks Entry into God’s Kingdom

Within hours of the closing of the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, a kind viewer forwarded me the entire recording. I know other YouTube channels got the same recording and produced exhaustive reviews of the meeting, which I’m sure many of you have seen. I held off doing my review until now because I only had the English recording and since I produce these videos in English and Spanish, I needed to wait for the Society to produce its Spanish translation, which it has now done, at least for the first part.

My purpose in producing reviews like this one is not to ridicule the men of the Governing Body, as tempting as that may be given the preposterous things they say and do at times. Instead, my purpose is to expose their false teachings and help the children of God, all true Christians, to see what the Bible really teaches.

Jesus said, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones. Look! I have forewarned you.” (Matthew 24:24, 25 New World Translation)

I confess that it’s wearisome to watch the Organization’s videos. In my youth, I would have eaten this stuff up, relishing all the “new light” revealed from the platform. Now, I see it for what it is: baseless speculation intended to promote false teachings that hinder sincere Christians from learning the true nature of our salvation.

As I said in a previous review of a Governing Body member’s talk some months ago, it is a documented scientific fact that when a person is being lied to and knows it, the area of the brain that lights up under MRI scans is the same area that becomes active when they are viewing something disgusting or repugnant. We are designed to find lies disgusting. It is as if we are being presented with a meal made up of rotting flesh. So, listening to and analyzing these talks is no easy task, I assure you.

Such is the case with a talk given by Geoffrey Jackson at the 2021 Annual meeting in which he introduces what the organization likes to call, “new light”, on the JW interpretation of John 5:28, 29 which speaks of two resurrections and Daniel chapter 12 which, spoiler alert, he thinks refers to 1914 and on into the New World.

There is so much material in Jackson’s New Light talk that I’ve decided to divide it into two videos. (By the way, whenever I say, “new light” in this video the air quotes are assumed, since I use the term derisively as it deserves to be used by serious Bible students.)

In this first video, we’re going to deal with the issue of the salvation of humanity. We will examine everything Jackson says in the light of Scripture, including his new light on the two resurrections at John 5:28, 29. In the second video, to be released a week or two after the first, I will show how the Governing Body, in dispensing more new light on the Book of Daniel, has yet again unwittingly undermined their very own cornerstone doctrine of the 1914 Presence of Christ. David Splane first did it back in 2014 when he nixed the use of antitypes, but now they’ve found yet another way to undercut their own teachings. They are truly fulfilling the words of Proverbs 4:19.“The way of the wicked is like the darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.” (Proverbs 4:19)

By the way, I’ll put a link to that David Splane revision of “new light” in the description of this video.

So let’s play the first clip from Jackson’s talk.

Geoffrey: Whose names are in this book of life? We’re going to consider together five different groups of persons, some of whom have their names in the book of life and others don’t. So, let’s watch this presentation that discusses these five groups. The first group, those who have been selected to rule with Jesus in heaven. Are their names written in this book of life? According to Philippians 4:3, the answer is “yes,” but even though they’ve been anointed with Holy Spirit, they still need to remain faithful in order to have their names written permanently in this book.

 Eric: So, the first group are the anointed children of God which we read about at Revelation 5:4-6. No problem. Of course, whether Fred Franz, Nathan Knorr, JF Rutherford, and CT Russell are in that group is not for us to say, but whatever…let’s not get bogged down at this point.

Geoffrey: The second group, the great crowd of Armageddon survivors; are the names of these faithful ones, now written in the book of life? Yes. What about after they survive Armageddon, will their names still be in the book of life? Yes, how do we know? At Matthew 25:46, Jesus says that these sheeplike ones depart into everlasting life, but does that mean they are granted everlasting life at the beginning of the thousand-year reign? No. Revelation 7:17 tells us that Jesus will guide them to springs of waters of life, so they don’t immediately receive everlasting life. However, their names are written in the book of life in pencil, as it were.

Eric Geoffrey, where does the Bible speak of a great crowd of Armageddon survivors? You need to show us a scriptural reference. Revelation 7:9 does speak of a great crowd, but they come out of the great tribulation NOT Armageddon, and they are part of the first group you mentioned, the anointed, members of the first resurrection. How do we know this, Geoffrey? Because the great crowd is standing in heaven before the throne of God, and worshipping God day and night in his sanctuary, the innermost part of the temple, the holy of holies, which is called in Greek, the naos, the place where God is said to reside. This hardly fits with an earthly class of sinners who are not part of the resurrection of the righteous.

If you wonder why Geoffrey Jackson doesn’t share this little revealing tidbit from the Greek language with his audience, I think it is because he is depending on the trusting naivete of his audience. As we progress through this talk, you’ll see him make many statements without backing them up with Scripture. Jehovah warns us:

“The naive person believes every word, But the shrewd one ponders each step.” (Proverbs 14:15)

We are no longer naïve as we once were, Geoffrey, so you’ll have to do better.

Here’s another fact Mr. Jackson wants us to ignore: Armageddon is only mentioned once in Scripture at Revelation 16:16 and in no place is it connected to the great crowd. They are said to come out of the great tribulation, which is only mentioned once in Revelation in this context, and that tribulation is never linked to Armageddon. We’re dealing with a flood of speculation here, as will become even more evident as this talk continues.

Geoffrey: The third group, the goats who will be destroyed at Armageddon. Their names are not in the book of life. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 tells us: “These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.” The same could be said of those who have deliberately sinned against the Holy Spirit. They too receive everlasting destruction not everlasting life.

Eric: Jackson is saying that Matthew 25:46 doesn’t mean what it says. Let’s read that verse for ourselves.

“These will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.” (Matthew 25:46 NWT)

This is the verse that concludes Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats. Jesus tells us that if we don’t act mercifully toward his brothers, feeding and clothing the poor, attending to the sick, consoling those suffering in prison, then we end up in “everlasting cutting-off”. That means we die forever. If you read that, would you assume it doesn’t mean what it says? Would you assume it means that the goats don’t die forever, but continue alive for 1,000 years and only if you keep acting the same way, will they finally, at the end of a 1,000 years, end up dying eternally? No, of course not. You’d rightly understand that Jesus means what he says; that when Jesus sits on his judgment seat—whenever that is—that his judgment is final, not conditional. In fact, as we’ll see in a moment, that is also what Geoffrey Jackson believes about the goats, but only about the goats. He thinks the other half of the sentence is conditional. He thinks the sheep don’t get everlasting life, but instead get a 1000-year-long chance at attaining to it.

Jesus judges the sheep and tells them that they are righteous and are to depart into everlasting life. He doesn’t say they are provisionally declared as righteous but he’s still not too sure about them so they need an additional 1,000 years before he can be sure to give them everlasting life, so he’ll only write their names in the book provisionally in pencil, and if they continue to behave for a millennium then and only then will he pull out his ballpoint pen and write their names down in ink so they can live forever. Why is it that Jesus can judge the hearts of the anointed within a single human lifetime and grant them immortal life, but he needs an additional 1,000 years to be sure about this so-called righteous group of Armageddon survivors?

In an aside, let us remember that this is a parable and like all parables, it isn’t meant to teach an entire theology, or to create a theological platform for some manmade doctrine, but rather to make a specific point. The point here is that those who act toward others without mercy will be judged without mercy. How do Jehovah’s Witnesses fair when measured against that standard of judgment? Do they abound in acts of mercy? Do charitable works form a visible part of the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses? If you are one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, can you point to examples of your congregation, not individuals… your congregation feeding the hungry, clothing those who are destitute, providing shelter for the homeless, hospitality for the foreigner, care for the sick, and comfort for those suffering tribulation?

Nuf’ said.

Returning to Jackson’s talk.

Geoffrey: Now let’s talk about two more groups, those who will be resurrected in the New World. First, though, let’s read together Acts 24:15; there the apostle Paul says, “I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” So, the fourth group are the righteous who have died. These include some of our loved ones.

Eric: “In pencil, as it were”.

This is an excellent example of how eisegesis can mislead us away from the truth of God into the teachings of men. Jackson has to support a doctrine that teaches that the vast, vast majority of Christians are not anointed with holy spirit, do not have Jesus as their mediator, must abstain from partaking of the bread and wine that symbolize the life-saving flesh and blood of our Lord, and must resign themselves to striving for an additional 1,000 years to measure up so they can finally be granted eternal life after facing yet another final test, as if Armageddon wasn’t enough. Of course, there is no place in Scripture—let me be clear—there is no place in Scripture where such a secondary class or group of faithful Christians is described. This group only exists within the publications of the Watch Tower corporation. It is a complete fabrication dating back to the August 1 and 15, 1934 issues of The Watchtower, and is based on a mountain of man made and made-up and ridiculously over-extended prophetic antitypical applications. You have to read it for yourself to believe me. The concluding paragraphs of that study series make it very clear that it was intended to create a clergy/laity class distinction. Those issues have been removed from the Watchtower library, but you can still find them on line. I would recommend the web site, AvoidJW.org, if you are interested in finding old Watch Tower publications.

So, saddled with the need to support an unscriptural ideology to suit his theology, Jackson grasps at a single verse, Revelation 7:17, as proof “because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.”” (Revelation 7:17, NWT)

But is that proof? Could this not apply to anointed Christians? John wrote this at the end of the first century and anointed Christians have been reading it ever since. During all those centuries, has not Jesus, the Lamb of God, been guiding them to waters of life?

Let’s look at it exegetically, letting the Bible explain itself rather than eisegetically imposing an organization’s preconceived theological view upon Scripture.

You see Jackson needs us to believe that the Great Tribulation is linked to Armageddon—a link made nowhere in Scripture—and that the Great Crowd of Revelation refers to the other sheep of John 10:16—another link made nowhere in Scripture.

Jackson believes the Great Crowd are Armageddon survivors. Okay, let’s read the account in Revelation 7:9-17 from the New World Translation with that in mind.

“After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd [of Armageddon survivors], which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.” (Revelation 7:9a)

Okay, logically speaking the great crowd mentioned here can’t be Jehovah’s Witnesses because the Organization numbers them every year and publishes the number. It is a number that can be counted. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not constitute a great crowd which no man can number.

…standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; (Revelation 7:9b)

Hold on, according to Revelation 6:11, the only Christians who are given white robes are anointed Christians, aren’t they? Let’s read a little bit more.

“These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 6:11)

That doesn’t seem to fit with the other sheep of Jehovah’s Witnesses who are not allowed to partake of the wine that represents the lifesaving blood of Jesus. They have to refuse it when it is passed in front of them, don’t they?

That is why they are before the throne of God; and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them. (Revelation 7:15)

Wait a minute. How could this correspond to humans on earth who are still sinners during the 1000-year reign of Christ? As I mentioned at the beginning of this video, the word for “temple” here is naos which refers to the inner sanctuary, the place where Jehovah was said to reside. So that means the great crowd is in heaven, before God’s throne, in his temple, surrounded by God’s holy angels. That doesn’t fit with an earthly class of Christians who are still sinners and therefore denied entrance into the holy places where God resides. Now we get to verse 17.

“because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them, and will guide them to fountains of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

Okay! Since Jackson loves to make assertions, let me make one, but I’ll back mine up with some scripture. Verse 17 refers to anointed Christians. That’s my assertion. Later on, in Revelation, John writes:

And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also, he says: “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” And he said to me: “They have come to pass! I am the Alʹpha and the O·meʹga, the beginning and the end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the fountain of the water of life free. Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:5-7)

This is obviously speaking to the children of God, the anointed. Drinking from water. Then John writes:

16 “‘I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear witness to YOU people of these things for the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.’”

17 And the spirit and the bride keep on saying: “Come!” And let anyone hearing say: “Come!” And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free. (Revelation (Revelation 22:16, 17)

John is writing to congregations of anointed Christians. Notice again the same language we see at Revelation 7:17 “because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.”” (Revelation 7:17). Are we to believe that with all this evidence pointing to anointed Christians with a heavenly hope, that the Great Crowd are sinful human Armageddon survivors?

Let’s continue:

Geoffrey: So the fourth group are the righteous who have died. These include some of our loved ones. Are their names written in the book of life? Yes. Revelation 17:8 tells us that this book has been in the existence since the founding of the world. Jesus referred to Able as living from the founding of the world. So we can assume that his name was the first name written in that book. Since that time, millions of other righteous ones have had their names added to this book. Now here’s an important question. When these righteous ones died were their names taken out of the book of life? No, they’re still living in Jehovah’s memory. Remember Jesus said that Jehovah is a God not of the dead, but of the living, for they are all living to him. The righteous will be restored to life here on earth with their names still written in the book of life. They did good things before they died, so that is why they will be part of the resurrection of the righteous ones.

Eric: I’m not going to spend much time on this as I’ve already done an extensive video on the application of the sheep and goats parable. Here’s a link to it, and I’ll put another in the description of this video. Witnesses are taught that this parable is not just a parable, but a prophecy that proves that everyone on earth will die eternally. But God promised Noah that he would never again destroy all humans as he did in the flood. Some might think that only means that God won’t use a flood to wipe out all humanity, but that he is still free to use other means. I don’t know, I kind of look at that as if saying I promise I won’t kill you with a knife, but I’m still free to use a gun or a spear, or poison. Is that the reassurance that God was trying to give us?  I don’t think so. But my opinion doesn’t really matter. What matters is what the Bible says, so let’s see what the Bible says when using the word “flood.” Again, we have to consider the language of the time. In predicting the utter destruction of Jerusalem, Daniel writes:

“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off, with nothing for himself. “And the city and the holy place the people of a leader that is coming will bring to their ruin. And the end of it will be by the flood. And until [the] end there will be war; what is decided upon is desolations.” (Daniel 9:26)

There was no flood, but there was a desolation such as a flood causes, not a stone being left upon a stone in Jerusalem. It swept everything before it. So that was the imagery Daniel uses.

Remember, Armageddon is only mentioned once and it is never described as an obliteration of all human life for all eternity. It is a war between God and the kings of the earth.

The timing of the sheep and goats parable is not tied to Revelation specifically. There is no scriptural connection, we have to make an assumption again. But the biggest problem with the JW application is that they believe the sheep are humans who continue as sinners and who become subjects of the kingdom, but according to the parable, “the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, YOU who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for YOU from the founding of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)

The children of the king inherit the kingdom, not the subjects. The phrase “prepared for you from the founding of the world” shows he is speaking of anointed Christians, not a group of Armageddon survivors.

Now, before we get to the fourth group, which is where things really go off the rails, let’s review Jackson’s three groups so far:

1) The first group are the anointed righteous resurrected to heaven.

2) The second group is a great crowd of Armageddon survivors that somehow stays on earth despite being scripturally identified in heaven with God’s throne and are never referenced within the context of Armageddon.

3) The third group are from a teaching parable, gone prophetic, that supposedly proves that the goats are all the non-witness people who will die eternally at Armageddon.

Okay let’s see how Geoffrey is going to classify the fourth group.

Geoffrey: So the righteous ones are resurrected into the New World and their names are still in the book of life. Of course, they need to remain faithful during the thousand years to keep their names in that book of life.

Eric: Do you see the problem?

Paul speaks about two resurrections. One of the righteous and another of the unrighteous. Acts 24:15 is one of the ONLY places in Scripture where the two resurrections are referred to in the same verse.

“And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15)

The other verse is John 5:28, 29, which reads:

“Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28, 29)

Alright, fellow critical thinkers, let’s put Geoffrey Jackson’s logic to the test.

He is telling us that the fourth group which comprise an earthly resurrection of righteous ones, yes, righteous ones, will come back as sinners and have to maintain their course of loyalty for a thousand years to get everlasting life. So, when Paul speaks of a resurrection of the righteous in Acts and Jesus says that those who did good things will come back in a resurrection of life, as recorded by John, of whom are they speaking?

The Christian Scriptures answer that question:

1 Corinthians 15:42-49 speaks of a resurrection to “incorruption, glory, power, in a spiritual body.” Romans 6:5 speaks of being resurrected in the likeness of Jesus resurrection which was in the spirit. 1 John 3:2 says, “We do know that when he (Jesus) is made manifest we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.” (1 John 3:2) Philippians 3:21 repeats this theme: “But our citizenship exists in the heavens, and we are eagerly waiting for a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our humble body to be like his glorious body by his great power that enables him to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20, 21) Throughout the book of Acts, there are multiple references to the good news concerning the resurrection of the dead, but always in the context of the hope of the children of God, the hope of being in the first resurrection to immortal heavenly life. Perhaps the best definition of that resurrection is to be found at Revelation 20:4-6:

“And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed for the witness they gave about Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had not worshipped the wild beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for 1,000 years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years.” (Revelation 20:4-6 NWT)

Now, you notice that it speaks of this as the first resurrection, which would naturally correspond to the first resurrection which both Paul and Jesus mention.

If you had never before heard the interpretation that Jehovah’s Witnesses give to these verses, would you not simply conclude that the first resurrection Jesus mentions, the resurrection of life, would be the one we’ve just read about at Revelation 20:4-6? Or would you conclude that Jesus is just completely ignoring any mention of the first resurrection and speaking instead of a totally different resurrection of righteous people? A resurrection not described anywhere in Scripture?

Is it logical that without any preamble nor follow up explanation, Jesus tells us here not about the resurrection he has been preaching all along, of the righteous into the kingdom of God, but of a whole other resurrection to life on earth still as sinners, with only the hope of everlasting life being held out at the end of a thousand-year period of judgment?

I ask that because that is exactly what Geoffrey Jackson and the Governing Body want you to believe. Why would he and the Governing Body wish to deceive you?

With that in mind, let’s listen to what the man has to say to millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide.

Geoffrey: Finally, let’s talk about the resurrection of the unrighteous. For the most part, the unrighteous didn’t have an opportunity to develop a relationship with Jehovah. They did not live righteous lives, so that’s why they are called unrighteous. When these unrighteous ones are resurrected, are their names written in the book of life? No. But their being resurrected gives them an opportunity to have their names eventually written in the book of life. These unrighteous ones will need a lot of help. In their former life, some of them practiced horrible, vile things so they’ll need to learn to live by Jehovah’s standards. To accomplish this, God’s kingdom will sponsor the greatest education program in all human history. Who will teach these unrighteous persons? Those who have their names written in pencil in the book of life. The great crowd and the resurrected righteous ones.

Eric: So according to Jackson and the Governing Body, both Jesus and Paul are completely ignoring the righteous children of God who are resurrected as kings and priests, the first resurrection. Yes, both Jesus and Paul are making no mention of that resurrection, but instead are talking about a different resurrection where people come back still in a sinful state and still needing to behave for a millennium before they can get a crack at everlasting life. Does the Governing Body provide any proof of this wild speculation? Even a single verse that provides these details? They would…if they could…but they can’t, because there ain’t one. It’s all made up.

Geoffrey: Now for a few moments, let’s think about those verses in John chapter 5, 28 and 29. Up to now we have understood Jesus’ words to mean that the resurrected ones will do good things and some will do vile things after their resurrection.

Eric: I agree that there is going to be a resurrection of the unrighteous because the Bible clearly states that. However, there is no earthly resurrection of the righteous ones. I know that because the Bible makes no mention of it. So, the idea that this group who have their names written in pencil in the book of life will be engaged in a worldwide teaching work is just fanciful speculation. Everyone resurrected to earthly life in the new world will be unrighteous. If they were judged righteous by God at death, they would come back in the first resurrection. Those of the first resurrection are kings and priests, and as such will have the job of working with the resurrected unrighteous to reconcile them with God. They, that Great Crowd of anointed Christians serving God in his temple day and night, will serve him by educating the unrighteous about the way they can get back into the family of God.

Geoffrey: But notice there in verse 29– Jesus didn’t say “they will do these good things, or they will practice vile things.” He used the past tense, didn’t he? because he said “they did good things, and they practiced vile things, so this would indicate to us that these deeds or actions were committed by these ones prior to their death and before they would be resurrected. So that makes sense doesn’t it? because no one’s going to be allowed to practice vile things in the New World.

Eric: Just in case you are not clear on what the “old light” was, here’s a recap.

Jesus’ words in John chapter five must be understood in the light of his later revelation to John. (Revelation 1:1) Both “those who did good things” and “those who practiced vile things” will be among “those dead” who will be “judged individually according to their deeds” performed after their resurrection. (Revelation 20:13) (w82 4/1 p. 25 pars. 18)

So according to the “old light,” those who did good things, did good things after their resurrection and so got life, and those who did bad things, did those bad things after their resurrection and so got death.

Geoffrey: So, what did Jesus mean when he mentioned these two factors? Well, for a start we could say the righteous ones, still, when they are resurrected have their names written in the book of life. It’s true Romans chapter 6 verse 7 says that when someone dies his sins are canceled.

Eric: Seriously, Geoffrey?! That makes sense, you say? The great scholars of the Watch Tower have taught the opposite of this since I was a little boy and they are only now realizing that their understanding of a doctrine as fundamental as the resurrection of the dead didn’t make sense? Doesn’t build confidence, does it? But wait, if you stop believing in two resurrections of the righteous, one as kings and priests and another as lowly sinful humans, then a simple straightforward reading of John 5:29 makes perfect and obvious sense.

The chosen ones, the children of God are resurrected to everlasting life because they did good things as anointed Christians while on earth, they make up the resurrection of the righteous, and the rest of the world is not declared righteous as God’s children because they did not practice good things. They come back in a resurrection of the unrighteous on earth, since flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of the God.

Geoffrey: Even such faithful men as Noah, Samuel, David and Daniel will have to learn about the sacrifice of Christ and exercise faith in it.

Eric: Ah, no it doesn’t, Geoffrey. If you only read that one verse, it may appear that Jackson is right, but that is cherry picking, which demonstrates a very shallow approach to Bible Study, as we’ve already seen repeatedly! We don’t give way to such techniques, but as critical thinkers, we want to view the context, so rather than just read Romans 6:7, we’ll read from the start of the chapter.

What are we to say then? Should we continue in sin so that undeserved kindness may increase?  Certainly not! Seeing that we died with reference to sin, how can we keep living any longer in it?  Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 So we were buried with him through our baptism into his death, in order that just as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in a newness of life. 5 If we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old personality was nailed to the stake along with him in order for our sinful body to be made powerless, so that we should no longer go on being slaves to sin. 7 For the one who has died has been acquitted from his sin.” (Romans 6:1-7)

The anointed have died with reference to sin and so by that symbolic death, they have been acquitted from their sin. They have passed from death to life. Notice that this scripture speaks in the present tense.

“Moreover, he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:6)

Geoffrey would have us believe that the unrighteous who return in the second resurrection don’t have to answer for their sins. Does the man only read Scriptures that are quoted in the Watchtower? Does he never just sit and read the Bible by itself. If he did, he would encounter this:

“I tell you that men will render an account on Judgment Day for every unprofitable saying that they speak; for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”” (Matthew 12:36, 37)

Jesus does not expect us to believe that a murderer or a rapist who is resurrected will not have to answer for his sins? That he will not have to repent of them, and more, do so to those he has hurt. If he cannot repent, then what salvation will there be for him?

You see how a superficial study of scripture can make fools of men?

What you are perhaps starting to appreciate now is the incredibly low level of scholarship that comes from the teaching, writing, and research staff of the Watch Tower Corporation. In fact, I think I’m doing a disservice to the word “scholarship” to even use it in this context. What comes next will bear that out.

Geoffrey: Even such faithful men as Noah, Samuel, David and Daniel will have to learn about the sacrifice of Christ and exercise faith in it.

Eric: I wonder if anyone at headquarters really reads the Bible? It would seem all they do is look up old Watch Tower publications and then cherry pick verses from the articles. If you read the 11^th chapter of Hebrews, you’ll read of faithful women and faithful men, like Noah, Daniel, David and Samuel who

“. . .defeated kingdoms, brought about righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the force of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from a weak state were made powerful, became mighty in war, routed invading armies. Women received their dead by resurrection, but other men were tortured because they would not accept release by some ransom, in order that they might attain a better resurrection. Yes, others received their trial by mockings and scourgings, indeed, more than that, by chains and prisons. They were stoned, they were tried, they were sawn in two, they were slaughtered by the sword, they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, while they were in need, in tribulation, mistreated; and the world was not worthy of them. . . .” (Hebrews 11:33-38)

Notice it concludes with the inspiring statement: “and the world was not worthy of them.” Jackson would have us believe that he and his cohorts, towering figures like Anthony Morris, Stephen Lett, Gerrit Losch, and David Splane are the ones who are worthy of getting everlasting life to rule as kings and priests with Jesus, while these faithful men of old still have to come back and prove their faithfulness throughout a thousand years of life, still living in a state of sin. And what astonishes me is that they can say all that with a straight face.

And what does it mean that those faithful men and women did all this so “they might attain a better resurrection”? The two classes that Jackson speaks of are virtually identical. Both must live as sinners and both must attain to life only after a thousand years. The only difference is that group one has a bit of a head start on the other. Really? That is what faithful men like Moses, Daniel, and Ezequiel were striving for? A bit of a head start?

There is no excuse for someone who claims to be a religious leader for millions to have missed the meaning of those verses in Hebrews which conclude by saying:

“And yet all of these, although they received a favorable witness because of their faith, did not obtain the fulfillment of the promise, because God had foreseen something better for us, so that they might not be made perfect apart from us.” (Hebrews 11:39, 40)

If anointed Christians are made perfect by the trials and tribulations they pass through, and they are not made perfect apart from those pre-Christian servants of God, does that not indicate they are all in the same group as part of the first resurrection?

If Jackson and the Governing Body do not know this, then they should step down as teachers of God’s word, and if they do know this and have chosen to hide this truth from their followers then…well, I’ll leave that in the hands of the judge of all humanity.

Jackson now jumps to Daniel 12 and tries to find support for his theological platform in verse 2.

“And many of those asleep in the dust of the earth will wake up, some to everlasting life and others to reproach and to everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2)

You’re going to love the word play he employs next.

Geoffrey: But what does it mean when it mentions there in verse 2 that some will be raised to everlasting life and others to everlasting contempt? What does that really mean? Well, when we notice that we notice this is a little different from what Jesus said in John chapter 5. He spoke about life and judgment, but now here it’s talking about everlasting life and everlasting contempt.

Eric: Let’s be clear on something. The entire chapter of Daniel 12 pertains to the last days of the Jewish system of things. I did a video on that called “Learning to Fish” which teaches the viewer about exegesis as a superior Bible study methodology. The organization does not use exegesis, because they cannot support their unique teachings that way. Up until now, they have applied Daniel 12 to our day, but now Jackson is creating “new light” and applying it to the new world. This undermines the 1914 teaching, but I’ll leave that for the next video.

When you read Jesus saying that the first group is coming back in a resurrection of life, what do you understand him to mean?

When Jesus said at Matthew 7:14 that “narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it”, was he not speaking of eternal life? Of course, he was. And when he said, “if your eye is making you stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you; it is finer for you to enter one-eyed into life than to be thrown with two eyes into the fiery Ge·henʹna.” (Matthew 18:9, NWT) Was he not speaking of everlasting life. Of course, otherwise it would make no sense. And when John refers to Jesus and says, “by means of him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4, NWT) was not John speaking of eternal life? What else makes sense?

But Geoffrey can’t have us think that way, otherwise his doctrine falls flat on its face. So he cherry picks a scripture out of Daniel that has nothing to do with the New World and claims that since it says “everlasting life” there, then 600 years later when Jesus spoke of the resurrection to life, and he didn’t mention everlasting, he didn’t mean everlasting.

They really treat their followers as stupid people bereft of any reasoning ability whatsoever. It’s actually insulting, isn’t it?

My fellow Christians, there are only two resurrections. This video is already quite long, so let me just give you a thumbnail sketch. I will be dealing with all of this in detail in the series “Saving Humanity” which I’m currently producing, but it takes time.

Christ came to gather those who will oversee a heavenly administration made up of spirit anointed humans who will rule with him as kings and acts as priests for the reconciliation of humankind. That is the first resurrection to immortal life. The second resurrection consists of everyone else. That is the resurrection of the unrighteous who will return to life on earth during the 1000 year reign of Christ. They will be cared for by the kings and priests who are represented by the symbolic number of 144,000, but who make up a Great Crowd which no man can number out of all tribes, peoples, nations and tongues. This great crowd will rule on the earth, not from far away in heaven, because the tent of God will come down to earth, the new Jerusalem will descend, and the unrighteous nations will be healed of sin.

As for Armageddon, of course there will be survivors, but they won’t be restricted to members of any particular religious sect. For one thing, religion will be done away with before Armageddon, because judgment starts with the house of God. Jehovah God promised Noah and through him the rest of us that he would never again destroy all human flesh as he had once done in the flood. The survivors of Armageddon will be unrighteous. They will be joined by those resurrected by Jesus as part of the second resurrection of the unrighteous. All will then have the opportunity to become reconciled back into the family of God and benefit from living under the Messianic reign of Christ. That’s why he selects the children of God and creates this administration. It’s for that purpose.

At the end of the thousand years, the earth will be filled with sinless humans and the death that we have inherited from Adam will be no more. However, the humans then on earth will not have been tested as Jesus was tested. Jesus, and his anointed followers who will make up the first resurrection, will have all learned obedience and been made perfect by the tribulation they suffered. This will not have been the case for Armageddon survivors nor the resurrected unrighteous ones. That is why the devil will be released. Many will follow him. The Bible says they will be so numerous as to be like the sand of the sea. That will probably take some time to happen as well. Nevertheless, eventually many of them will be destroyed forever together with Satan and his demons, and then humanity will finally resume the course God set us on when he first created Adam and Eve. What that course will be we can only guess.

Again, as I mentioned, I’m working on a series of videos titled Saving Humanity in which I’ll provide all the relevant scriptures to support this little summary.

For now, we can come away with one basic truth. Yes, there are two resurrections. John 5:29 refers to the first resurrection of the children of God to heavenly spirit life, and the second resurrection of the unrighteous to earthly life and a period of judgment after which they can attain to sinless human life on earth.

If you are a dyed-in-the-wool member of the other sheep class as defined by Jehovah’s Witnesses and want no part in the first resurrection, take heart, you will, in all likelihood, still come back in an earthly resurrection. It just won’t be as someone declared righteous by God.

As for me, I’m reaching out for the better resurrection, and I recommend you do too. No one runs a race hoping to just win the consolation prize. As Paul said, “Do YOU not know that the runners in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that YOU may attain it.” (1 Corinthians 6:24, New World Translation)

Thank you for your time and listening to this unusually long video and thank you for your support.