Warning: Undefined array key "HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE" in /var/www/minitokyo/www/includes/common.inc.php on line 360 What Will Armageddon Mean for You? - Minitokyo

What Will Armageddon Mean for You?

What Is Armageddon?

The war of the great day of God the Almighty
14 votes
A nuclear holocaust or World War III
6 votes
I don't know...
10 votes

Only members can vote.

page 1 of 2 1 2 Next » 35 total items

DarkIngram

DarkIngram

Urzu 7

What Is Armageddon?
The term "Armageddon" is derived from a word found in the Bible book of Revelation, known for symbolic language. Therein the apostle John wrote: "I saw three unclean inspired expressions that looked like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the wild beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are, in fact, expressions inspired by demons and perform signs, and they go forth to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together to the war of the great day of God the Almighty. . . . And they gathered them together to the place that is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon."--Revelation 16:13-16

Armageddon, or Har-Magedon, is a transliteration of the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew expression Har Meghiddohn' meaning "Mountain of Megiddo," or "Mountain of Assembly of Troops." It is linked with "the war of the great day of God the Almighty." So Armageddon is not a political skirmish, an economic disaster, a nuclear holocaust, or a human conflict. Rather, Armageddon is God's war...

Why Will It Be Fought?
Armageddon will be fought because God is righteous and will no longer tolerate evil. (Psalm 11:7) Satan the Devil's organization, comprising both demons and rebellious humans, responsible for millenniums of wickedness and woe, must therefore be destroyed. (Compare Genesis 3:15.) Jehovah's universal sovereignty will be upheld at Armageddon, and that war will clear his name of the reproach heaped upon it for centuries. As God declared through his prophet Ezekiel: "I shall no more let my holy name be profaned; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah."--Ezekiel 39:7

God's war of Armageddon will actually prevent the destruction of all mankind. :) Jehovah created the earth to be inhabited, not destroyed in a thermonuclear war among humans or otherwise rendered unfit for life. (Isaiah 45:18) He will "bring to ruin those ruining the earth." (Revelation 11:18) But the psalmist declared: "Jehovah himself has become king. The productive land [Hebrew, tevel'; the earth, as fertile and inhabited, the habitable globe] also becomes firmly established so that it cannot be made to totter." (Psalm 96:10)

What God does at Armageddon will be in complete harmony with his principal attributes of justice, wisdom, power, and love. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Job 12:13; Isaiah 40:26; 1 John 4:8) He will act against "ungodly sinners," not against the upright. (Jude 14, 15) Only 'the wicked ones will be given to the sword.' (Jeremiah 25:31) This will pave the way for the restoration of Paradise, fulfilling the divine purpose for the earth and humankind. (Luke 23:43)

Where Will It Take Place?
Since the term "Armageddon" comes from a Hebrew expression meaning "Mountain of Megiddo," some may conclude that this war will be fought on a lofty eminence bearing that name. However, there never was a mountain named Megiddo. Some 60 miles [100 km] northwest of Jerusalem there was a hill town, or city, called Megiddo, but only a mound about 70 feet [20 m] high now marks its site. (Joshua 17:11)

That ancient city overlooked "the valley plain of Megiddo." (2 Chronicles 35:22) Associating Armageddon (or Har-Magedon) with that vicinity is apropos because it was the location of decisive battles. For instance, there God enabled Judge Barak to inflict a crushing blow upon Canaanite king Jabin and his military forces commanded by Sisera. (Judges 4:12-24; 5:19, 20) In that vicinity Gideon and his small band routed the Midianites. (Judges 7:1; 8:35) There too Kings Ahaziah and Josiah were killed. (2 Kings 9:27; 23:29, 30)

It is noteworthy, however, that this valley plain, also called the Plain of Esdraelon, is only 20 miles [32 km] long and 18 miles [29 km] wide at its eastern end. The kings of the entire inhabited earth and their military forces could never fit into such a small area. Besides that, neither a mound (the tell of Megiddo) nor a plain is a mountain. Clearly, then, Armageddon will not be confined to some mountainous location in the Middle East. Rather, Armageddon (or Har-Magedon) is symbolic of a worldwide situation, although it draws some of its significance from Megiddo and what took place in that area...

When Will Armageddon Occur?
Since Megiddo was in the land of God's ancient people, what happens at Armageddon relates to Jehovah's Witnesses in this "time of the end." (Daniel 12:4) Har-Magedon applies to "the place" to which the earth's political rulers are gathered in opposition to Jehovah and his Kingdom by Jesus Christ. (Revelation 16:14, 16) But that "place" (Greek, to'pos) denotes a world situation. Armageddon will occur when a certain situation develops that affects Jehovah's Witnesses around the earth...

The spiritual prosperity of Jehovah's Witnesses infuriates Satan the Devil, who will soon launch an all-out attack against these seemingly defenseless Christians. This worldwide assault by Satan, or Gog, is described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Under the Devil's influence, the nations will march against Jehovah's peace-loving people gathered out of all nations. Yes, satanic opposition will be manifested by global action against Jehovah's earthly servants, the visible representatives and proclaimers of God's Kingdom...

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/2558/armageddonfc2.jpg

A battle is often known by the place where it is fought. Thus, God's mighty defense of his people can be called the battle, or war, of Armageddon. When Jehovah rises up to defend his servants against Gog's attack, Armageddon will be in progress! Human governments will collapse. Flooding cloudbursts, devastating hailstones, streaking fire and sulfur, raging pestilences--truly acts of God--will cause world panic outside the ranks of Jehovah's Witnesses. Their human foes will turn their weapons against their own ranks. And those whom this suicidal warfare does not kill off, Jehovah will annihilate. (Ezekiel 38:18-23; Daniel 2:44)

In terror, every man's hand will be turned against his neighbor in a frenzied but futile struggle for survival. (Zechariah 14:12, 13) "Those slain by Jehovah will certainly come to be in that day from one end of the earth clear to the other end of the earth. They will not be bewailed, neither will they be gathered up or be buried. As manure on the surface of the ground they will become." (Jeremiah 25:33) Any attempt to remain neutral in God's war will cost you your life at Armageddon!

What Armageddon Will Accomplish
Armageddon will remove the last vestige of Satan's earthly organization. Moreover, the Devil and his demons will be abyssed. (Revelation 20:1-3) What blessings will then flow to Jehovah's people, the joyful survivors of his great war of Armageddon! They will happily proceed with reconstruction that will transform the entire earth into a paradise, free from pollution, pain, mourning, tears, and death. (Revelation 11:15, 18; 21:3, 4) And you can be there if you take to heart the psalmist's words: "Hope in Jehovah and keep his way, and he will exalt you to take possession of the earth. When the wicked ones are cut off, you will see it." (Psalm 37:34) Indeed, you may live to see the war of the great day of God the Almighty and become a happy survivor when Armageddon strikes!
_____________________________

Armageddon is different from what most people think. For the Bible describes the war at Armageddon, not as a cataclysmic war among earthly nations or blocs of nations, but as "the war of the great day of God the Almighty." It is God's war against "the kings of the entire inhabited earth"--meaning the rulers who refuse to submit when God's kingdom 'comes' to cause his will to be done on earth. It is God's great act of destroying wicked nations and men, in preparing the way for Messiah's peaceful reign of 1,000 years... :D

What do you think of Armageddon? A day of "fear" or a day of "hope"? :)

CyberDragoon

The Prince of Nothing

For me Armageddon is when the Religious Right take over the US and then the world. That is TRUE terror if you think about it.

You have some very good information in there. Some of the history about the land was informative. I can't say that I agree with absolutely everything stated in your post, but most reflect my beliefs as well. (Just don't get me started on events that would lead up to armageddon, because I won't go there).

Quote: Indeed, you may live to see the war of the great day of God the Almighty and become a happy survivor when Armageddon strikes!


Don't forget that at one point, the bible says 1/3 of the earth's population will be wiped out. Then of the remaining, 2/3's will be wiped out. (I'm going from memory, it may have been 2/3s then 1/3 of the remaining). Joining with the people of any religion won't guarentee you will make it past those wipe outs. I am going to guess if this word is true (and of course, my belief is it is), then there will be many Christians (and I include Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, Prodestant, etc), Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, the list goes on, that will perish. That will all be 'pre-armageddon'.

If you actually believe Armageddon will happen, there is only one way you can be sure to be around for it. Pray! Read your Bible daily. Repent. Live with Jesus as your role model. Repent again (because we're human, and we do mess up). Keep a close eye on world events, but do not be decieved by what the media tells you. Pray for wisdom and understanding of what God is doing in the world. Don't listen to anyone who would say "Everything will be alright", because the world is going to be a very harsh environment before Armageddon finishes.

Ok, I'm done paraphrasing. I'm not going to put any more time in on the subject.

Actually, it is the people whose religion incorporates armageddon (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that will be decimated by Armaggedon (or whatever they believe will happen to them when the time comes). Those whose faith don't include armaggeddon (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc) will remain unscathed. Life goes on as usual. After all, their existence lies in a different path where life is continuous and not subjected to being wiped out by God. And they don't need to read the Bible at all.

Don't forget, when the fellas who wrote the Bible said about wiping population, they have never knew about the existence of Hinduism and Buddhism, both which are older than Christianity.

CamiChick

Crimson Moon

I come from a "dysfuctional" family so I'd like to quote comedian Chris Tidus: "When the world's ending and everyone's going crazy, 37% of us (those from dysfunctional families) will be going Hey..No one's watching the Lexus dealership. We're going out in style!"

But, seriously...Either way, I'm gonna die. Whether Christ comes back and takes me or the world is destroyed by war and/or nuclear holocaust...I'm dead either way. And, somehow, it doesn't scare me. I don't fear Death...I haven't since I was suicidal in high school. If it's my time or whatever to die, then I'm ready to go. It's not being negative or pessimistic--it's acceptance. The world is gonna end someday. *shruggs* Whatcha gonna do?

tobiast88

tobiast88

No patience for fools.

I would be nice if you could prove that John wasn't high on something when he wrote these idiocies.

"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis, Litterature Nobel Prize winner.
Join the groups!
http://mt-atheists.minitokyo.net/ ---> for science vs religion discussion
http://mt-gay-straight-club.minitokyo.net/ ---> for tolerant people

Armageddon> That would be the day i can finally get a good night's rest and actually hear myself think

ether92

ether92

Missing that little Devil.

First of, i'm really tired of all of you talking God this, God that, Armageddon, Devil, End of days.....
alright dudes! all of you better hear what I'm about to say,
First:
Do you think God give us life so we can be good and then fight with him against the Devil!
A father wouln't do that, and besides, God is almighty, so he can terminate evil anytime, Right?
Second:
Why evil exist?
I think God most have a good reason for evil,
Good and Evil, does this sound like two brothers who are diferents,
If God don't want any evil, He should just banish that from the memorial of time, I think God has good reason for this two brothers.
And Finally:
For me there is a reason for everything,
open your eyes and see, Armageddon or not we are the ones who will end our lifes.

Signature
	Image
Hey... I was wondering, maybe after we die... will there be... cake?

melikecookies

melikecookies

cookie monster

armageddon is when all (or most of us) die, from any of the reasons listed above

Hi

joemighty16

joemighty16

Hope is an optimist

I did an essay on prophetic texts, especially doom prohpecies, in the Bible.

Bottomline, according to Daniel, the world should have ended just during Greek dominance of the Near East (2nd cent BC). Because Daniel was largely written in this time (just after the Maccabean revolution).

According to Revelations the world should have come to an end in the late 90s AD, during the reign of Diomition. Meanwhile the beast (copied from Daniel) would have risen, the false prohpet would have walked, and Nero (666 can be decodified to mean Caesar Nero) would have risen to end the Roman Empire and establish an dominant Eastern Empire.

Can't explain it better than this. Did my essay a long time ago and frankly couldn't be bothered to look up the details. Either way, the end of the world has been prophesied ever since the first prophet appeared.

Quote by tobiast88I would be nice if you could prove that John wasn't high on something when he wrote these idiocies.

HA! My exact sentiments!

On a more serious mood: I translated the first half of Revelations when I studied Greek and I can quite honestly say that the Greek of Revelations is the worst in the entire Bible, if not ever! It has more grammar mistakes than shold be allowed! Alright, I know that the quality doesn't reflect the message, but I believe that the only reason it was ever included in the Bible collection was because it was Christian and prohesied the destruction of pagans (even if by whishfull thinking).

Sorry, but I'm cynical and at best sceptical.

Life is a game played by gods who are bored and who fight over the rules.

Signature
	Image

Well we never had any guarantees that whatever ancient written is always true.. So it doesn\'t matter if john is high or not actually...

Armaggeddon.... the day of reckoning and judgement... i have always wonder why God must sent such a day of judgement on humans like us... Why cant we live on undestined years?

I cant help but feel that if god exist... Was he playing some sort of game on us humans.... just like we played those normal video games? It is hard to know which is the real god.. some religion believe in multiple gods.... some believ there is only one god... there are so many different ideal versions of god... How can you be sure that the one you believe in is the real god?

Only one thing keeps us believing in that the god you believe in is true-faith- that is all we have...

Signature Image
Newbie at work
My Artworks: Haruhi's Busy Day At The Club & Suigintou

Carmen

Carmen

Alaba a Dios

Armageddon, the name, I mean, is a greek term for the Valley of Meggido, a place situated in Israel. Basically, Armageddon refers to the place in wich will take place the Holy war of God against His enemies (before the millenial kingdom). It did not refer to an asteroid hitting earth (thanks Hollywood), or to any other signal like that. Today that is only a place, mentioned a lot of times in the Bible, like the valley of blood, the Valley of the Sons of Hinom and like the Valley of Meggido (sorry if I misspel something, I read the Bible in Spanish most of the time)

Quote by DarkIgramArmageddon will be fought because God is righteous and will no longer tolerate evil.


Why does it tolerate evil currently if it is planning on not being intolerant of evil later?

Armageddon is when god destroys the world becouse not enought people are chrisitans, jews or muslims or whatever religoun he might have.

This is soooo typical from Jehova\'s Witnessses...
Of course I believe the reing of evil on Earth will come to an end, and a there will be a new Jerusalen, etc, etc.

But I have a few questions:

When will it happen? Witnesses have foretold they know when, but always failed.

What would happen to the rigtheous people who died BEFORE Armagedom? Where would they souls be? Because you believe that the soul dissapears, and only 144,000 LIVING chosen ones will inherit the Reign.

Who will rule the world after Armmagedom? (Everyone else: guess who. Their officess are already in New York).

What will happen to everyone who isn\'t a Jehova\'s Witness?

embershadow

embershadow

Quincy Archer Hates You

Seeing as I am an atheist and do not believe in God or the Bible, I have to say that I don't believe in Armageddon either.

I'd also like to remind you that while you are free to believe in the Bible as strongly as you wish, there is still no way to prove the statements of the Bible (I'm not referring to the statements of true historical events; I'm talking about God, Adam & Eve, and the like) in solid facts. Until that day comes, which it never will, I will not believe in God.

But, while I do not believe that a religious Armageddon will ever come, I believe that there may--no, that there will be, a human-induced apocalypse caused, perhaps, by nuclear war; or maybe just by people exhausting the earth past its limits and then dying out on a barren planet. A third option is that the ozone layer may deteriorate to a point where a gigantic natural disaster of some sort strikes and wipes out continents at a time.

The end of humanity, I believe, will ultimately be caused by humanity, not by some faraway, omniscient god.

Signature
	Image
Bleach-Central | Anime Story Club
My Latest Submission: Nino

Dear embershadow:
The Bible IS NOT a biology book, nor a history book (altough it has many books that are about history) nor an oracle.

It is a book that talks about God. The deepest parts are writen between lines.

I invite you to read those lines.

Take GENESIS as an example. The story about ADAM and EVE and the CREATION talks that everything comes from God, and that everything created was created for goodness.

JOB is a beatyfull piece of poetry and a deep reflection about suffering in this life.

The world wasn\'t made in seven days. It took thousands of millions of years, of course. Creationist have always screw it on that point.

But the symbols and deep reading is the important thing. It was part of the Jew culture of those times. If you read it literally, you lose the important messages

merged: 09-21-2006 ~ 12:09am
DarkIngran, you haven\'t answered...


merged: 09-21-2006 ~ 12:11am
Who appointed the Jehova Witnesses as the ONLY representatives of God? The same man who sold \"magic seeds\" to farmers?

merged: 09-21-2006 ~ 11:35pm
Helloooooo! darkingram? Are you there?

Why only 144,000 people, who are precisly Jehovah\'s earthly servants, the visible \"representatives and proclaimers of God\'s Kingdom\"will be saved?

The 144,000 followed by a GRAT MULTITUDE represent the 12 tribes of Israel?

What will happen if the end of the world is not tomorrow, nor in your lifetime? What will happen to you? What if you\'re not alive? Where your soul would be?

ProgramZERO

ProgramZERO

The Lost Generation

Nothing. It'll never happen.

Sleeping peacefully on the edges of No Man's Land... Not all good is rewarded, not all evil is punished.

Dear ProgramZERO: It'll happen eventually. We haven't reached the level of evil for it to happen. Yes, the world has the chance to BECOME EVEN WORST THAN IT'S NOW.

But I'm CHASING DarkIngram's BUTT, because he never answers to the post that debate his/hers ideas

pentsive

pentsive

Rawr

I think there will be some kind of catastrophe that'll lead to the end of the war. Since i'm not catholic i can't say i believe there will be God or anything like that but i think that the end of the world will come. I think it'll end in a war or something like that.

Down it Down!

A new era.

Mene, mene, tekel, parsin

sukumei

sukumei

Running A Critiquing Service

Maybe a bit like ragnarok (the world dies) but the world will start agian prehaps. I think that well planet explosion and absence of all human life is the end of the world for me.

I would like to run a friendly critiquing service for Minitokyo artists. I will try to make my opinions professional and defiantly unbiased although i will speak ideas for the general public. Critiquing service MT thread

When are you going to answer DarIngram? Or do you truly believe that you're rigth and everyone else is wrong? So we write our pitiful opinions that don

DarkIngram

DarkIngram

Urzu 7

Quote by murfleDon't forget that at one point, the bible says 1/3 of the earth's population will be wiped out. Then of the remaining, 2/3's will be wiped out. (I'm going from memory, it may have been 2/3s then 1/3 of the remaining). Joining with the people of any religion won't guarentee you will make it past those wipe outs. I am going to guess if this word is true (and of course, my belief is it is), then there will be many Christians (and I include Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, Prodestant, etc), Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, the list goes on, that will perish. That will all be 'pre-armageddon'.

How can you say that the Bible tells us that 1/3 of earth's population will be wiped out? What verse in the Bible?

False religion will lead to destruction, so make sure you've joined the right religion to guarantee your salvation...

Quote by kiopi Actually, it is the people whose religion incorporates armageddon (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that will be decimated by Armaggedon (or whatever they believe will happen to them when the time comes). Those whose faith don't include armaggeddon (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc) will remain unscathed. Life goes on as usual. After all, their existence lies in a different path where life is continuous and not subjected to being wiped out by God. And they don't need to read the Bible at all.

Don't forget, when the fellas who wrote the Bible said about wiping population, they have never knew about the existence of Hinduism and Buddhism, both which are older than Christianity.

There will be a resurrection of righteous & unrighteous... so the others will be given a second chance to know about Jehovah God & His purpose... after Armageddon, there will be a "Judgement Day"....

Quote by ether92First of, i'm really tired of all of you talking God this, God that, Armageddon, Devil, End of days.....
alright dudes! all of you better hear what I'm about to say,
First:
Do you think God give us life so we can be good and then fight with him against the Devil!
A father wouln't do that, and besides, God is almighty, so he can terminate evil anytime, Right?
Second:
Why evil exist?
I think God most have a good reason for evil,
Good and Evil, does this sound like two brothers who are diferents,
If God don't want any evil, He should just banish that from the memorial of time, I think God has good reason for this two brothers.
And Finally:
For me there is a reason for everything,
open your eyes and see, Armageddon or not we are the ones who will end our lifes.

God is not the cause of sufferings or evil but He only allows it....

Why Does God Allow Us to Suffer?

Quote by joemighty16 On a more serious mood: I translated the first half of Revelations when I studied Greek and I can quite honestly say that the Greek of Revelations is the worst in the entire Bible, if not ever! It has more grammar mistakes than shold be allowed! Alright, I know that the quality doesn't reflect the message, but I believe that the only reason it was ever included in the Bible collection was because it was Christian and prohesied the destruction of pagans (even if by whishfull thinking).


I've read the Bible book of Revelation, how can you say it's the worst book in the Bible?

Quote by MidnightHeiressWell we never had any guarantees that whatever ancient written is always true.. So it doesn\'t matter if john is high or not actually...

Armaggeddon.... the day of reckoning and judgement... i have always wonder why God must sent such a day of judgement on humans like us... Why cant we live on undestined years?

I cant help but feel that if god exist... Was he playing some sort of game on us humans.... just like we played those normal video games? It is hard to know which is the real god.. some religion believe in multiple gods.... some believ there is only one god... there are so many different ideal versions of god... How can you be sure that the one you believe in is the real god?

Only one thing keeps us believing in that the god you believe in is true-faith- that is all we have...

It seems you don't understand what I've posted in this thread, pls read before you post your reply...

I understand your voice, there are lots of gods (false gods)...

The history of man, and in particular as recorded in God's Word, the Bible, does not allow us to hold that all religion is good. The nation of Israel suffered incalculable harm by adopting the religions of the people round about them with their idolatries, sex worship and human sacrifices. During the Dark Ages and even until modern times, intolerant fanatical zealots have committed shocking crimes in the name of religion. In many parts of the earth animal worship still abounds, and reports of suttee--where a widow is persuaded or coerced into immolating herself on the funeral pyre of her husband--are still heard. Why, the most infamous, heinous crime in all the history of humankind, the murder of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was instigated by religious leaders. Clearly, not all religion is good. Those who hold that it is are as mistaken as those who hold that all religion is bad. (John 8:44; 1 John 3:12)

Who is the instigator of such religious confusion? The Bible identifies Satan the Devil as "the god of this system of things." (2 Corinthians 4:4) It warns us that "the things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God." (1 Corinthians 10:20) How vitally important, then, to make sure that we really are worshiping the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and that our worship is pleasing to him!

2 Corinthians 11:14, 15: "Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness." (Here we are cautioned that not everything that originates with Satan may appear hideous. One of his chief methods of deceiving mankind has been false religion of all kinds, to some of which he gives a righteous appearance.)

Quote by alexjohnc3Why does it tolerate evil currently if it is planning on not being intolerant of evil later?

"Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance."--2 Peter 3:9

Because his patience has extended down till our day, we have the opportunity to demonstrate that we are repentant and that, instead of making our own decisions as to good and bad, we want to submit to Jehovah's righteous rulership...

"What shall we say, then? Is there injustice with God? Never may that become so! . . . If, now, God, although having the will to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known, tolerated with much long-suffering vessels of wrath made fit for destruction [that is, he tolerated the existence of wicked people for a time], in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory [that is, he would use the time to extend mercy to certain ones, in harmony with his purpose], namely, us, whom he called not only from among Jews but also from among nations, what of it?"--Romans 9:14-24

Thus God put off the destruction of the wicked so as to allow time to select people whom he would glorify with Christ as members of the heavenly Kingdom. Has God's doing that been an injustice to anyone? No; it is part of Jehovah's arrangement for blessing people of all sorts who will be favored with the opportunity to live forever on a paradise earth... (Compare Psalm 37:10, 11)

Quote by MIREYA This is soooo typical from Jehova\'s Witnessses...
Of course I believe the reing of evil on Earth will come to an end, and a there will be a new Jerusalen, etc, etc.

But I have a few questions:

Quote: When will it happen? Witnesses have foretold they know when, but always failed.

"Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father," said Jesus. (Matthew 24:36)

Quote: What would happen to the rigtheous people who died BEFORE Armagedom?
Where would they souls be? Because you believe that the soul dissapears, and only 144,000 LIVING chosen ones will inherit the Reign.

Who will rule the world after Armmagedom? (Everyone else: guess who. Their officess are already in New York).

We do not have a soul that is separate from our body. Each one of us is a soul. And since people have inherited sin from the first man, Adam, the Bible says: 'The soul that sins will die.' (Ezekiel 18:4)

What, then, is the condition of the dead? Since Jehovah is the one who created humans, he also knows what happens to us when we die. His Word teaches that the dead are lifeless, unable to hear, see, speak, or think anything. The Bible says:

* "The dead . . . are conscious of nothing at all." (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

* "Their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished." (Ecclesiastes 9:6)

* "There is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in [the grave], the place to which you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Think about what the Bible says about our first ancestor, Adam. Jehovah formed Adam "out of dust from the ground." (Genesis 2:7) If Adam had obeyed Jehovah's law, he would have lived forever in happiness on earth. However, Adam disobeyed Jehovah's law, and the penalty was death. Where did Adam go at death? God said to him: "You [will] return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19)

Where was Adam before Jehovah created him from the dust? He was nowhere. He did not exist. So when Jehovah said that Adam would "return to the ground," He meant that Adam would again become lifeless, like the dust. Adam did not live on in the spirit world. He did not 'cross over' to the realm of ancestral spirits. He did not go to heaven or hell. He returned to a state of lifelessness; he ceased to exist.

Does the same thing happen to humans in general? Yes, it does. The Bible explains: "[Both humans and animals] are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust." (Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20)

The Scriptures make clear that it was a happy earthly home that God gave humankind to start with, and purposed that they should enjoy it. There is no indication in the Bible that God ever promised the first human pair, Adam and Eve, that they would be transported to heaven to become angels if they continued faithful to God for a time on earth. In fact, in all the inspired Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi, no promises of heaven were held out to humans; nor did any person go to heaven...

We have the word of Jesus Christ for this. He said: "No man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man." (John 3:13) Jesus' apostle Peter thus said about the faithful servant of God, David: "He both deceased and was buried and his tomb is among us to this day. Actually David did not ascend to the heavens."--Acts 2:29, 34

A heavenly hope was not held out to those persons who lived before the death of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus said that "there has not been raised up a greater than John the Baptist; but a person that is a lesser one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is." (Matthew 11:11) Yet if a heavenly hope was not held out to faithful servants of God before Christ came to earth, why does God promise to take certain Christians to heaven? The reason is connected with God's original purpose to have an earth-wide paradise populated with happy, healthy humans... :)

To carry out this original purpose, God introduced a new thing--a new government to rule over the earth. God designated his Son, Jesus Christ, to be the king of this government, which is called in the Bible the "kingdom of God" or "the kingdom of the heavens." (Luke 8:1; Matthew 4:17) And since the days of John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus, God has been selecting from humankind persons to be corulers with his Son in that heavenly government. The Bible says: "They are to rule as kings over the earth." (Revelation 5:9, 10) One prospective ruler, the apostle Paul, wrote to another, the man Timothy: "If we go on enduring, we shall also rule together as kings."--2 Timothy 2:12; Luke 22:28-30.

So the reason God takes people to heaven is to form a heavenly government to rule this earth. It is not to populate heaven, to pick children--"beautiful flowers"--for himself. No, for those that God selects for heavenly life are tried and tested persons who qualify to be corulers with Christ. (Revelation 20:6; 2:10) Only a limited number will be taken to heaven to make up this heavenly government, the Bible giving the number as "a hundred and forty-four thousand."--Revelation 14:1, 3.

How grand it will be in the future when Christ and his 144,000 Kingdom associates rule the earth! Among their earthly subjects will be billions of resurrected dead, including such faithful men of pre-Christian times as David and John the Baptist. The sure promise is that then "death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."--Revelation 21:4 (John 5:28, 29)

Quote: What will happen to everyone who isn\'t a Jehova\'s Witness?

Billions that have lived in centuries past and who were not Jehovah's Witnesses will come back in a resurrection and have an opportunity for life. Many now living may yet take a stand for truth and righteousness before the "great tribulation," and they will gain salvation. Moreover, Jesus said that we should not be judging one another. We look at the outward appearance; God looks at the heart. He sees accurately and judges mercifully. He has committed judgment into Jesus' hands, not ours. (Matthew24:21; 25:31)

page 1 of 2 1 2 Next » 35 total items

Back to Religion & Science | Active Threads | Forum Index

Only members can post replies, please register.

Warning: Undefined array key "cookienotice" in /var/www/minitokyo/www/html2/footer.html on line 73
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Read more.