Comments on: A Tactical Approach to Sharing with Jehovah Witnesses http://biblicalworldviewacademy.org/206/a-tactical-approach-to-sharing-with-jehovah-witnesses/ Equip followers of Jesus Christ Sun, 20 May 2012 00:44:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: admin http://biblicalworldviewacademy.org/206/a-tactical-approach-to-sharing-with-jehovah-witnesses/comment-page-1/#comment-46 admin Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:06:13 +0000 http://biblicalworldviewacademy.org/?p=206#comment-46 TJ, I appreciate your thoughtful reply. Many of your issues I have already answered in a series of blogs called, "Accurately Interpreting the Scriptures." Check out the 5 part series, as I deal indepth with the issues of the 144,000. You may want to begin your reading with the post "Lacking Biblical Knowledge" that was the motivation for my series. Steve TJ,
I appreciate your thoughtful reply. Many of your issues I have already answered in a series of blogs called, “Accurately Interpreting the Scriptures.” Check out the 5 part series, as I deal indepth with the issues of the 144,000. You may want to begin your reading with the post “Lacking Biblical Knowledge” that was the motivation for my series.

Steve

]]> By: TJ http://biblicalworldviewacademy.org/206/a-tactical-approach-to-sharing-with-jehovah-witnesses/comment-page-1/#comment-45 TJ Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:34:24 +0000 http://biblicalworldviewacademy.org/?p=206#comment-45 I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and this tactic is not really new at all. The insistence that the 144,000 <i>literally</i> be Jewish isn't a great argument. For one thing, in Revelation 7:4-8, they are said to be not just from the tribe of Judah, but from <i>all</i> the tribes of Israel. But this isn't fleshly Israel; it's the spiritual Israel of God, those who are members of the new covenant. How do we know? The tribal listing in Revelation is different from the one that appears throughout the Old Testament. The tribe of Joseph has been added, as well as the priestly tribe of Levi, emphasizing how they will all be priests. And they do not have to be <i>literal</i> virgins or males, but they are referred to such in a spiritual sense. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, telling them that he wished to present them "as a chaste virgin to the Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2) Many of these people were married. Paul elsewhere wrote that among the anointed Christians "there is neither male nor female; for you are all one person in union with Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) Revelation speaks of the anointed in similar <i>spiritual</i> terms, not fleshly ones. Peter said plainly, "there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell." (2 Peter 3:13) Who is it that will live on that "new earth"? TJ I’m one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and this tactic is not really new at all. The insistence that the 144,000 literally be Jewish isn’t a great argument.

For one thing, in Revelation 7:4-8, they are said to be not just from the tribe of Judah, but from all the tribes of Israel. But this isn’t fleshly Israel; it’s the spiritual Israel of God, those who are members of the new covenant. How do we know? The tribal listing in Revelation is different from the one that appears throughout the Old Testament. The tribe of Joseph has been added, as well as the priestly tribe of Levi, emphasizing how they will all be priests.

And they do not have to be literal virgins or males, but they are referred to such in a spiritual sense. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, telling them that he wished to present them “as a chaste virgin to the Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2) Many of these people were married. Paul elsewhere wrote that among the anointed Christians “there is neither male nor female; for you are all one person in union with Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) Revelation speaks of the anointed in similar spiritual terms, not fleshly ones.

Peter said plainly, “there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Peter 3:13) Who is it that will live on that “new earth”?

TJ

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