I need Jehovah's Witnesses feed back.Because I always think I am interpreting it right.But am wrong.

[Brian2]

because that was Pauls audience.

Christians were Paul's audience. That they were the anointed class is something that comes from the Governing Body's interpretation of Revelation and imposing that interpretation on the rest of the New Testament, thus depriving all but a literal 144000 or the New Covenant, being Born Again (receiving Holy Spirit) being part of the Body of Christ etc. They have changed the gospel message for millions and this because of an interpretation of Revelation, the toughest book to interpret it seems.

It is very much supported by scripture and make perfect sense.

The earth is mankinds home. Adam was created here and given the instructions to 'subdue it'
Adam wasnt told to live here on earth for a short while then and then you'll come to heaven to be an angel.

Even Jesus spoke of a second group of people who would 'inherit the earth'
Matthew 5:5 “Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth.

They were described as a group of 'others' who were not of the same 'fold' as his disciples
John 10:16 “And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold;+ those too I must bring in, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.+

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/bc/r1/lp-e/1001070147/389

I don't see anywhere that it talks about one group going to heaven and one staying on earth.
Maybe the tree of life would have made Adam immortal and given him a transformed body so that he could go to heaven if it came up.
Matt 5:5 could be referring to the nations who did not become Christians, it also could be referring to all Christians. Jesus inherits the earth and Christians share in that inheritance after all. AND the New Jerusalem is said to come down from heaven and God will be there with Jesus. God in the OT said that He would be forever in Jerusalem/Zion, that is where He wanted to be forever, not in heaven.
The nations will bring their wealth to this New Jerusalem, not to some place in heaven. (Rev 21:26)
John 10:16 in context is about the other sheep that weren't Jews but who would be brought to join the little flock so that they could be one big flock with the one shepherd, Jesus.
If you read the scriptures with the words of the GB ringing in your ears and in the scripture study guides then you will interpret things the way they see things.

Matthew 5: 3 “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need,+ since the Kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.

Matthew uses the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" instead of "Kingdom of God" because he wrote for Jews who replaced certain words with others. The meaning is the same.
But the meaning of Kingdom is not a "government" as the GB tells you, it is everything that the King rules over.

Rev 11:15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
That is a realm, not a Government.
Luke 13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.…

Are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Government in heaven?

Luke 12:32

“Have no fear, little flock, because your Father has approved of giving you the kingdom.”

Those going to be with Christ in heaven are called a 'little flock' for a reason. If all mankind were going to be in heaven, then you would not call these people a 'little' flock would you?

The number of all true Christians is also a little flock compared to the rest of humanity.
And at the time when Jesus spoke the words and at all times after that the number of true Christians was a little flock compared to everyone else. But the Kingdom is given to all Christians and not to others (even though at the judgement we cannot say whom Jesus will have mercy on and be allowed into the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the earth.)
Matt 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
These are people from the nations who have not been Christians.
But I don't say that they are necessarily going to go to heaven. I imagine there may not be a need to go if God and the Lamb in the New Jerusalem have come down to earth.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Oh my goodness! Naysayers keep trying & failing.
It’s “one faith”, not one hope.
Look it up, Frank

 

[Frank Goad]

Oh my goodness! Naysayers keep trying & failing.
It’s “one faith”, not one hope.
Look it up, Frank

In Ephesians 4:4.In the KJV.I think it says one hope.

 

[cataway]

4 One body there is, and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

In Ephesians 4:4.In the KJV.I think it says one hope.

Oh, ok, I see that, I was looking at vs.5.

verse 4 does say “one hope”… but notice the rest: it applies to “those called”. Is everyone called?
Jehovah’s love for people encompasses all those who don’t even serve Him, those who have been kept from knowing our Creator. (They’ve been misled through no fault of their own (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9). And they haven’t lived according to God’s standards, doing what is good to them .. or their gods. Can you imagine being an Aztec Indian, and sacrifice human beings?! .But that was their culture. Did our Creator approve of that? No way!
But guess what? They’re gonna get another chance at life, when they are resurrected!

Do you think they are called to Heaven?
They are part of the “unrighteous” who will be resurrected (Acts of the Apostles 24:15), but they’ll have to be taught differently, and learn to act differently. Do they deserve to called brothers of Christ, though?

(I’ve rambled, haven’t I ? Sorry)

The point I want to tie in, here, is found at Revelation 22:17… “Anyone who wishes” can gain everlasting life.

But few are “chosen”.


It seems though, that all Christians of the 1st Century were given that favored position…if they remained faithful. Some may not have, as Paul, John & Peter indicated, those who were “subverting the faith of some.” And “twisting the Scriptures.”

So at that time, only those “baptized into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3)” with “the Heavenly calling” were living.

Understanding this helps to explain why the Bible speaks of different resurrections… example: “the earlier resurrection of the dead” is the one Paul hoped for.

(If there’s an “earlier” one, then there must be a later one, right?)

You can search these things for yourself at wol.JW.org