Helping Gauleiter88

[ttruscott]

Hello. I am new to the forum and don't know how to use it yet. I am an American male, 85 years old, retired and now living in northern California. I was raised as a Christian, but not very seriously and soon became an agnostic. Now that I am older, I am more open to the idea of some kind of life after death. I have looked at several religions, but found nothing satisfactory. I have many questions. I don't want preaching, just personal answers.

This post was stuck into another topic so I rescued the thought to give it its own weight. Good luck, Gauleiter88... ask your questions here.

[catnip]

"Evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land [or, as the margin says: the earth].

"The meek shall possess the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.

"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever." (Psalm 37:9,11,29, Darby)


Why are these scriptures unknown to churches that don't agree with JWs?


"6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted beast together, and a little child shall lead them. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:6,9, Darby)

We have the scriptures and have studied them ad infinitum. I am sure that nothing has escaped the notice of the greater church. We simply do not read them the way you do.

But then sometimes I have noticed something that you believe and wonder how you could considering what scripture says.

How do you view the above Scriptures? They are obviously talking about the physical earth---animals, land/earth, etc.

If you read the entire passage, you will see that the ruler will slay his enemies and you will see that it predicts an end to the diaspora and all the Jews will return to the Holy Land. So, I think that passage has long created problems in its interpretation.

In the Beatitudes Jesus does predict that the meek shall inherit the earth. I hope so. But I don't think that is heaven. And he did say of heaven that we would be like the angels. Matt 19.

[catnip]

[Replying to post 24 by catnip]




[center]Big time news in my book
Part One[/center]

lol
I rather agree with you to an extent--if we are going to be very literal about it.

Say WHAT now?

We agree to something to an extent if we are going to be very literal about it?
Could you elaborate a bit so that I know precisely what I should be celebrating about?

If you are going to be very literal about it, yes. Descriptions of heaven in the OT sound stifling. But you may recall that I do not read the scriptures literally and leave them there.

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 32 by catnip]


[center]Big time news in my book
Part Two: Maybe I got a bit too optimistic[/center]

If you are going to be very literal about it, yes.

Gee willikers, ok, why don't I be very literal about it?
Im not sure what you mean by that.

I was trying for itsy bitsy literal.

Descriptions of heaven in the OT sound stifling.

Yeah, they should open the window..

I told you about strawberry fields, well, there's another place you can go.
Here is another clue for you all.. the walrus was Paul.

But you may recall that I do not read the scriptures literally and leave them there.

Nope, memory very bad here.
And I don't read each and every word you write.

I read a few.
Im trying to figure out what people are talking about is all..and

Trying to make a dove tailed joint, looking through a glass onion.
Seeing how the other half lives

Trying to fix a hole in the ocean....

[onewithhim]

"Evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait on Jehovah, they shall possess the land [or, as the margin says: the earth].

"The meek shall possess the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.

"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever." (Psalm 37:9,11,29, Darby)


Why are these scriptures unknown to churches that don't agree with JWs?


"6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted beast together, and a little child shall lead them. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:6,9, Darby)

We have the scriptures and have studied them ad infinitum. I am sure that nothing has escaped the notice of the greater church. We simply do not read them the way you do.

But then sometimes I have noticed something that you believe and wonder how you could considering what scripture says.

How do you view the above Scriptures? They are obviously talking about the physical earth---animals, land/earth, etc.

If you read the entire passage, you will see that the ruler will slay his enemies and you will see that it predicts an end to the diaspora and all the Jews will return to the Holy Land. So, I think that passage has long created problems in its interpretation.

In the Beatitudes Jesus does predict that the meek shall inherit the earth. I hope so. But I don't think that is heaven. And he did say of heaven that we would be like the angels. Matt 19.

The Jews returned to the Holy Land back in the 5th century before Christ was on earth, when Cyrus allowed them to return to Jerusalem after their captivity in Babylon. That is old news. Isaiah 11:1-9 is referring to the time when "the branch from the root of Jesse [David's father] will bear fruit," and he, the Messiah, will rule with righteousness, and will slay the wicked, making the earth like Jehovah wanted it to be from the beginning. It goes from speaking about the Messiah's rule to what the earth will be like under his rule. So, doesn't this look like it is speaking about the physical earth? I asked before---wouldn't it have to be the physical planet, referring to things like animals, and children with snakes that don't hurt them? Explain how this could be referring to anything but the earth.

I think you are right that Jesus in Matthew 5:5 wasn't referring to heaven.

It is also true that the people who go to heaven will be like the angels. But everybody isn't going there. Most of us will be here on the earth, watching our children playing with the animals, even snakes that will not hurt them.

[onewithhim]

I have been looking forward to Catnip's explanation of how Isaiah 11:6-9 could be referring to something other than the physical earth.

[myth-one.com]

I have talked to several Christians who believe in the physical resurrection of the body and claim that we will have young healthy bodies forever in heaven.

Believers will be resurrected or born again with everlasting spiritual bodies -- not physical bodies.

Physical bodies do not possess everlasting life -- they perish:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Are we destined for an eternity in heaven without sex or children?

God created marriage to produce families. The sexual act within marriage procreates the human race. In the Kingdom of God, there are no humans and thus no marriage. There we will be like the angels which live forever. Since angels live forever, there is no need to reproduce themselves:

For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

And actually, the Bible never states that Christians will live eternally in Heaven.

God the Father rules from Heaven. His rule extends over the entire Kingdom of Heaven. This will eventually include the earth which will be ruled by Jesus and born again believers.

The Kingdom of Heaven is larger than Heaven itself.

[onewithhim]

I have talked to several Christians who believe in the physical resurrection of the body and claim that we will have young healthy bodies forever in heaven.

Believers will be resurrected or born again with everlasting spiritual bodies -- not physical bodies.

Physical bodies do not possess everlasting life -- they perish:

Then after God created Adam, when was he supposed to die?

[myth-one.com]

I have talked to several Christians who believe in the physical resurrection of the body and claim that we will have young healthy bodies forever in heaven.

Believers will be resurrected or born again with everlasting spiritual bodies -- not physical bodies.

Physical bodies do not possess everlasting life -- they perish:

Then after God created Adam, when was he supposed to die?

The wages of sin is death:

For the wages of sin is death . . .

And sin is the transgression of God's laws, or commandments:

For sin is the transgression of the law.

God gave one commandment to Adam, and explained the consequences of disobeying that one commandment in Genesis chapter 2:

And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Adan would die within the day that he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

A day to God is like a thousand years.

Adam died at the age of 930 years of age, which was within that God day in which he ate of the forbidden fruit:

For a thousand years in thy sight are but yesterday when it is past... (Psalm 90:4)

But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (II Peter 3:8)

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 38 by myth-one.com]



[center]
How does God measure a day?
Part One[/center]

A day to God is like a thousand years.

____________

Question:

• 
  
  Does the average length of the period during which God's planet makes one rotation on its axis take 8,766,000 hours?
  
  

____________

[myth-one.com]

[Replying to post 38 by myth-one.com]



[center]
How does God measure a day?
Part One[/center]

A day to God is like a thousand years.

____________

Question:

• 
  
  Does the average length of the period during which God's planet makes one rotation on its axis take 8,766,000 hours?
  
  

____________

If the planet you're referring to as "God's planet" is the earth -- then the average length of the period of rotation on its axis for that planet (as defined by earthlings themselves) is one "day."