Christians' heavenly hope
(CONTINUATION)

2. ARE THERE BELIEVERS WHO DO NOT GO TO HEAVEN? DID THE BELIEVERS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT GO TO HEAVEN?

2.1. The unity of all believers

In order to treat this question correctly, we should clear up that the New Testament speaks about the unity of all believers, as we can see in the passage above (that all the believers are blessed together with Abraham), or also in other passages:

Luke 13:25-29 shows clearly that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, together with all the prophets and all the saved ones will be together in the kingdom of God.

And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from me, all you evildoers.' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. "And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. (Luke 13:22-29)

Jesus answers the question about the number of those who are being saved. He shows how seriously we should take the fight, not only to hear His words, but also to fulfil them. He speaks of only two categories of people: those who are not saved, and those who are saved – who will sit together in the kingdom of God. Those who "come from the east and west and from north and south" are mentioned in contrast to those in that time who rejected Jesus. It includes all those who will accept Jesus.

The New Testament believers – even in the view of Jehovah's Witnesses – have heavenly hope(18). Hence, according to this passage, they will enjoy the same fellowship with God as Abraham and the prophets.(19)

It is also expressed in the letter to the Hebrews, that God prepared the same gift, the same fullness for those believers who lived in the Old Testament as for those of the time of the New Testament (Hebrews 11:8-10.16.39-40).(20)

The only way to conclude that people in the Old Testament are deprived of their heavenly hope is to interpret the above-mentioned passages outside of their context.

If Jehovah's Witnesses state, that contrary to these clear statements, the Old Testament believers and many from among the New Testament believers have another kind of hope – an earthly one - they should provide clear passages for this. Let's examine some of the misinterpreted passages used by them for this purpose(21).

2.2. Are there people who do not go to heaven?

The first proof in their train of thought is to show that there are believers who don't go to heaven. They base this idea mainly on John 3:13, by taking it to mean that up until the time when Jesus spoke, no-one had gone into heaven. Hence, the people in the Old Testament did not go to heaven, but just have an earthly hope.

Help in finding the right explanation of this verse is to look at the context of the passage.

Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. (John 3:11-13)

It is emphasised that nobody from among those who live on Earth has gone into heaven (in the way only Jesus did), so no one can reveal what Jesus has revealed.(22) He is the only one who has a heavenly origin, who came from the presence of the Father from above and has the knowledge and authority to speak about heavenly things and to invite us there. Jesus didn't intend to say anything about the fate of the dead.

The same idea is also expressed later on in chapter 3:

He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. (John 3:31-34)

Additionally, the Jehovah's Witnesses take some specific examples of important persons from the Old Testament, claiming that these people are not and will not be in heaven(23):

a. David (Acts 2:34 "For David did not ascend to heaven...")

Again it is help in finding the right explanation of these passages to examine the context in which they were written.

Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know-- this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says of Him, I saw the Lord always in my presence; for He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. 'Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; moreover my flesh also will live in hope; because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow your holy one to undergo decay. 'You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with your presence.' Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to SEAT one OF his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to My Lord, "Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for Your feet."' Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ - this Jesus whom you crucified. (Acts 2:22-36)

Peter wants to prove that Jesus' resurrection was prophesised and that the Old Testament prophecy cannot be fulfilled in David, since he did not rise in the same way as Jesus did. Only Jesus' body didn't remain in the grave. This contrast is aimed at highlighting Jesus' resurrection, but it does not say anything about the state of David in eternity.

b. Job (Job 14:7-15)

For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its shoots will not fail. Though its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the dry soil, at the scent of water it will flourish and put forth sprigs like a plant. But man dies and lies prostrate Man expires, and where is he? As water evaporates from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dried up, So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, he will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep. Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, that You would set a limit for me and remember me! If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait until my change comes. You will call, and I will answer You; You will long for the work of Your hands.(Job 14:7-15)

Job 14:7-15 expresses the hopeless words of a man in suffering; words, which are later disproved of by Job himself (See Job 19:25-27).(24) He does not express anything about what is after death, nor does he deal with the question of Earthly or heavenly hope at all.

c. John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11-12)

Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. (Matthew 11:11-12)

Jesus wanted to show the people that the Good News he preaches has a higher spiritual value than all else found in the Old Testament. So He expresses in a pictorial way that although John the Baptist is the greatest prophet, he nevertheless belongs to the Old Testament (being the last prophet of the Old Testament), therefore anybody in the Kingdom of God (those who live in the time of the preaching of the kingdom – the good news of Jesus – in the New Testament) is greater than him, since they already know the salvation of Jesus.(25)

In a similar way – by looking at the context – it is possible to uncover the misuse of the other passages as well.(26)

3. IS THE PROMISE OF "INHERITING THE EARTH" GIVEN TO ANOTHER CATEGORY OF BELIEVERS?

An often-heard argument of Jehovah's Witnesses is that the Bible also speaks about the promise of "inheriting the Earth", and that this must therefore refer to another category of believers. Is this really the case? Jesus spoke about this promise in the sermon on the Mount:

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12)

All the blessings: "to inherit the Earth", "to receive the kingdom of heaven", "to be filled", "to obtain mercy", "to see God" and "to become children of God" express the deep joy and fulfilment which God promises to those who seek Him with a pure heart. All the "conditions" described for inheriting these blessings: "to be poor in spirit", "to be merciful", "to be meek" and "to hunger and thirst after righteousness" express this honest and deep longing for God. It is impossible to divide these into two categories of people and two categories of blessings.

4. DO REVELATION 7 AND 14 SUPPORT THE TWO-CLASS THEORY?

Jehovah's Witnesses say that Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5 speak about those who inherit a heavenly hope, and 7:9-17 about those who will live in an Earthly paradise.

The pictorial expressions used in the Book of Revelation are often not easy to understand, which is why this Book is often misused to defend different theories.

In this case there are several contradictions and logical mistakes in the argumentation of the Jehovah's Witnesses:

If they understand the tribes from Israel in a symbolic sense (i.e. that they do not represent Jewish Christians, but certain Christians chosen from all nations), then what is the basis for understanding the number 144,000 literally? 12x12=144 is a symbolical number. Likewise a "thousand" is also symbolic, possibly representing fullness.

Both the 144,000 (in Revelation 14:3) and the great multitude (in Chapters 7, 9 and 15 - where they serve in His temple!) stand in front of the throne of God (so it is arbitrary to say that 144,000 are in heaven and the great multitude on the Earth!).

Those who belong to the great multitude are dressed in white clothes, which is the promised reward of those "who will overcome" (Revelation 3:5) together with the certainty of being written in the Book of Life (and so the right to enter the heavenly Jerusalem!). Similarly, those who overcome will be in the Temple of God (Revelation 3:12) and will sit on Jesus' throne (Revelation 3:21).

There is no hint to show that there were 2 groups of people who overcome, and that some would just be dressed in white clothes but would not receive the other promises.

5. FINAL THOUGHTS AND CONCLUSION

As a last passage, we can examine John 10:14-16:

Jesus declared: "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."

According to the Jehovah's Witnesses' interpretation, the "other sheep" are not accepted in the new covenant between God and the spiritual Israel, but they are those who inherit an Earthly promise(27). This interpretation is in clear contradiction to the last statement in the passage.

That "there will be one flock and one shepherd" is fundamental to the New Testament. In the time of the Old Testament and also in the time of Jesus, there was enmity between the Jews and gentiles. Jesus came to destroy this enmity, and to unite in one body all those who believe in God(28). This is the mystery of God: that He brings all his children together, giving them the same gift and uniting them deeply.

The Jehovah's Witnesses want to destroy this mystery by saying that "the one will be two" when the Bible says "the two will be one".