How to become an angel!

[myth-one.com]

Two type of bodies are defined in the Bible, natural and spiritual (I Corinthians 15:44). Man is a natural bodied being and God and the angels are spiritual bodied beings (John 3:6). All men will die (Hebrews 9:27), and all spiritual bodied beings will live forever. (Luke 20:36).

The two testaments of the Bible are covenants or wills between God and mankind. The inheritance which heirs receive under either covenant is everlasting life. Each Bible testament describes the path to everlasting life for mankind under that particular covenant.

The path to eternal life under the first covenant was to never sin (Romans 6:23). However, there was a fault in the first testament in that all mankind sinned! (Romans 5:12) Since the first covenant contained a fault, God created a second or New Testament (Hebrews 3:6).

Under the New Testament Covenant, one must believe in Jesus as their Savior to gain everlasting life (John 3:16). Here is how that came to be:

The Word (a Spirit) was made flesh as the man Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Being a man (1Timothy 2:5), Jesus was included as a possible beneficiary under the original covenant between God and mankind.

In fact, Jesus became the only human to become an heir to immortality under the Old Testament Covenant! (1 Timothy 6:16).

His future inheritance belongs solely to Him, it is His possession, He owns it! And He is the only human that "hath immortality" as an inheritance.

But Jesus freely chooses to offer His inheritance as a gift to humans who believe in Him as their Savior. This is codified in the New Testament Covenant! (John 3:16)

But how can the one everlasting life which is Jesus' inheritance be distributed to more that one believer? Here's how that is justified in the scriptures:

Since many sinned due to one man (Adam), it is only fair that likewise many should be saved by the gift of everlasting life offered freely by the one man, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:15)

Once the Word was made flesh as Jesus, Jesus had no choice but to die His first death – as it is appointed unto man once to die. So Jesus’ death, while required, is not what saves us.

What saves us is that Jesus offers His just inheritance of everlasting spiritual life received by His living a sinless life under the Old Testament Covenant to those humans who accept Him as their Savior from the wages of their sins under the New Testament Covenant.

Believers receive their inheritance of everlasting life by being born again of the Spirit (John 3:6) at the second Coming (Romans 5:15).

Conclusion: Whosoever believeth shall be born again of the Spirit, as a spirit, into the spiritual Kingdom of God, at the Second Coming. When this occurs, we will become equal unto the angels.

That is how any human may become an angel.

If you want to debate the above explanation, please do so with scripture references to support your claims.

[myth-one.com]

You said, "Thus, these new spirits being produced to replenish the earth should be less inclined to revolt."
Are you suggesting that the first spirits God created were more likely to revolt? Does God create flawed beings? What makes one "less inclined to revolt"?

Good morning 2timothy316.

The angels created in the original creation in Genesis 1:1 were created "good" or "very good" for their purpose, which was to care for the newly created earth.

I do not know what that entails, but one characteristic which they required to fulfill their assignment was freedom to make independent choices. They could reason and consider multiple choices and actions, and then make a decision as to what they would do.

They were given power over the earth and commanded by God to care for the earth. But a third of them under the command of Lucifer (or Satan) chose to rebel against God. As a result of their rebellion the earth reached a state of empty, void, and dark.

God then returned to the earth, re-created it, created mortal mankind, and commanded mankind to replenish the earth.

Can one expect less insubordination in the Kingdom of God as compared to the past? Yes, this should be the case as the newcomers (mankind) have undergone a training period. The original angels were created directly as spiritual beings. Satan and his followers desired more power, so they rebelled. Man was then made a little lower that the angels, but is given the opportunity to become equal to the angels through his own personal choice. Man can also choose to not participate in eternity by simply opting out through everlasting death.

So man is in training to learn that his way of living is not the best way. Satan and his angels did not have this indoctrination period. The Bible teaches us that following the laws of God is the best way to live. Most humans learn this the hard way. Perhaps not you, but as many of us reach retirement age, we reflect back over our lives and generally conclude something to the effect of "What a fool I was."

Consider this: Colossians 1:15 says of Jesus, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." If Jesus was the firstborn of all creation, that would make him an angel right?

No, Jesus was not an angel. Jesus was made as a man:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus Christ was made to be "a little lower than the angels," exactly as man was created:

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ...For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,

And another thing, why would spirits 'replenish the earth'? Ps 115:16 says, "As for the heavens, they belong to Jehovah, But the earth he has given to the sons of men." Not spirits but men.

Power over the earth was originally given to the spirits created for that purpose under the command of Lucifer (AKA Satan, the serpent, or the devil). He still has power over the earth today:

And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whosoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

One of the reasons Jesus is coming back to the earth is to defeat Satan.

While mankind thinks highly of ourselves, we are actually "Plan B."

[1213]

...
The New Testament is a better covenant with better promises:

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

And there was a fault in the first Testament:
...

Hi, I don't think that means the fault was in the covenant itself, it was good, but people broke it, which caused fault in it.

[Purple Knight]

This is not to say JWs have it ALL figured out. Because as people remind us constantly of our swings and misses. But you'd be hard pressed to find any group of people trying harder trying to find out, not what people want out of a religion but what does God Almighty want out of a religion.

Mormons score decent marks for knowing their own lore, too.

Sometimes talking to mainstream Christians is like going to a Star Trek convention full of people who don't know who Worf is.
Me: "Remember that episode where Worf broke his spine and had to reevaluate some of his Klingon pride so he could get it fixed?"
Them: "Who is Worf?"
Me: "What...?"
Them: "Star Trek is about love."
Me:

This scenario would bother me. I actually can't imagine how people must feel about it who believe their stories are real and people are doing this... then turning around and calling the ones who actually know half a fish about it fake Christians.

A lot of them are "feelgood" Christians who either just want the religion for what it means to them and don't bother to learn about it, or actively brush off whatever they don't like.

[myth-one.com]

Hi, I don't think that means the fault was in the covenant itself,

Hi 1213.

The purpose of the covenant was to produce replacements for the angels who left their first estate (the earth):

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

But until Jesus was born and died, exactly ZERO replacement angels had been produced by the first covenant. So the first covenant was a total failure at producing what it was designed to create.

... it was good,

And the New Testament Covenant was infinitely better!

[2timothy316]

Consider this: Colossians 1:15 says of Jesus, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." If Jesus was the firstborn of all creation, that would make him an angel right?

No, Jesus was not an angel. Jesus was made as a man:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus Christ was made to be "a little lower than the angels," exactly as man was created:

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ...For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,

So who is Colossians 1:15 talking about?

[onewithhim]

[Replying to myth-one.com in post #1]
A person cannot ever become an angel.

Speaking of humans who shall inherit the Kingdom of God in the world to come, Jesus states:

Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Equal means the same as, or identical.

No, it does not. When we say that some animals, if not all, are equal to humans in their ability to communicate amongst each other, we would never say that they are equal to us.

Humans can never be called "angels."

[onewithhim]

A person cannot ever become an angel. Angels were created long before humans, and there were just so many angels created. Their numbers are not added to. Humans die and go back to the dust (Genesis 3:19), and the memory of them is in Jehovah's mind. He will resurrect them in due time. But they are not anywhere until they are brought back to life in the Resurrection. (John 5:28; John 6:40,44)

This is a good example of JWs knowing their own lore better than most other Christians.

The idea that a human can become an angel, that its spirit is the same as that of an angel, doesn't even pass a basic smell test of the lore.

Why would Lucifer be so upset about these new things, these humans, and so jealous, and object so much, if the new things were just angels in fleshy shells?

He wouldn't. Humans are not the same as angels and not interchangeable. If they were, there would be no huge beef between God and Lucifer to be had.

Yes, I never said that humans can become angels. Thank you for your honest comment.

[Abigail]

Angels were envoys, messengers

Maybe we're all angels here when we deliver messages to one another in a discussion forum.

Angel- "Both are from Late Latin angelus, from Greek angelos, literally "messenger, envoy, one that announces," ...https://www.etymonline.com/word/angel

[myth-one.com]

Consider this: Colossians 1:15 says of Jesus, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." If Jesus was the firstborn of all creation, that would make him an angel right?

No, Jesus was not an angel. Jesus was made as a man:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus Christ was made to be "a little lower than the angels," exactly as man was created:

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ...For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,

So who is Colossians 1:15 talking about?

Hi 2timothy316,

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Verse 15 is definitely referring to Jesus Christ. He was born a man in the image of God, and "firstborn" has the Old Testament meaning of "first in position." It correctly indicates that He is the first in position, being the only man to become an heir to everlasting life under the Old Testament Covenant.

He became the first of many heirs. But every other heir unto salvation becomes so under the New Testament Covenant.

[Tcg]

Angels were envoys, messengers

Maybe we're all angels here when we deliver messages to one another in a discussion forum.

Angel- "Both are from Late Latin angelus, from Greek angelos, literally "messenger, envoy, one that announces," ...https://www.etymonline.com/word/angel

This is a debate forum not a discussion forum. But if those posting on a debate forum also ascend and descend from heaven on a stairway then sure, they can be considered angels in a Biblical sense:

Genesis 28:12

12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Tcg