Question: Please discuss the doctrinal beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses. Regarding Everlasting life on earth: "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it" (Psa. 37:29). 1. From 'ad 05703 (from 05710) TWOT 1565a; n m 2. Leupold: The thought in the mind of the writer is that in spite of his disappointment at the way things are going with regard too the wrongdoer a man is, nevertheless, not to let down the bars or forget certain basis requirements that are still to be expected of the righteous. Not being abandoned into the hand of the wicked, but rather possessing the land and dwelling upon it (304-5). 3. Re. forever ('ad) 'ad like 'olam, is used only in connection with prepositions, as an adverbial accusative or as a gentive in a construct chain. This word is used only twice relative to the past (Job 20:4; Hab. 3:6). Otherwise it always denotes the unforeseeable future. (TWOT.1565) Compare Psa. 61:8: "So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows." While we would agree that the saved will sing and praise God eternally, that is not David here was saying. He was referring to what he would do daily while here in this life; as performing his vows. Another way of saying, "As long as I live." 4. Compare Ex. 21:6. The Hebrew slave could choose to serve "forever." Same word. "Nation will not lift up sword against nation" (Isa. 2:4). This is applied to a future utopia upon earth. Notes from Isaiah 2 intro From the dark picture of Zion as a forsaken shed in the midst of desolation (1:8) and as an unfaithful wife who had become a harlot (1:21), Isaiah turns to the future and sees Zion glorified above all cities and nations (2:1-4). He is then called back to reality once more and sees the city in its present condition, polluted with sin, the fruit of idolatry (2:5-4:1). The glorious ideal can be reached only through judgment and cleansing by Jehovah (4:2-6) (H.45) 1-4: Glorious future Zion 5-11: Judah's present corruption 12-22: The Day of the Lord. 1) Saw: this was a vision. (H>H) 2) Latter days: Messianic. Dan.2:28 (shows reference was to Roman Empire); Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17; 3:24; 1 Pet. 1:20; Heb. 1:2. mountain: Zech.8:3; Heb. 12:18-22; Jer.51:25. house 1 Tim. 3:15. The church of the living God. Zion: Where the temple was built. What this meant to the people: a fortress, security; a place of protection. mountains His government would be above all others; rule above all others. Young: "Mountains and hills, all that is high will sink in importance before Zion. The first participle, established, expresses the thought that Zion is so fixed that she cannot be moved; the second, exalted, sets forth her position as elevated and higher than the hills." Nations & Peoples, plural: heathen nations. 3) Many people: different national backgrounds; many nations: Jews & Gentile. Will go parallels the "will flow" of v.2. They will learn from the true God. Also this evinces a dissatisfaction on the part of the people with their present condition. Many will abandon their idolatry and their false belief and will flow unto Zion. No longer does merely one nation know the Lord, but all nations know Him. (Young) Come let us go. They are truly seekers after the Lord, for they exhibit the genuineness of their conversion in their desire to persuade others also to go to Zion. (Y.) we shall walk. As a consequence of being taught, men want to walk in God's ways. Teaching is practical. Jerusalem: Lk. 24:46-47; Acts 1:8; 2:1ff. 4) God would be the judge. He determines who will be saved. Determines the destinies of nations (Acts 17:25ff.) Character of the citizens. (of the kingdom o the latter days). Swords into plowshares: who? Those who make up the house. cf. Isa.11:9. cf. Zech.9:9-10/Matt.21:5. Peace: Eph. 2:17. Within the spiritual kingdom is to be found the peace of which Isaiah speaks. Has nothing to do with war in the heathen nations. The nations of the world will always fight. Spiritual nature of kingdom Jno.18:36ff; Heb. 12:22-28. cf. 2 Cor. 10:3-5. 5) After prophesying of the mountain of the Lord's house", Isaiah looked to the present condition of corruption, and the inevitable judgment which must come against it (2:5-4:1). Then in 4:2-6, he returns to his Messianic theme. J.W.'s: The whole earth will eventually be brought to a gardenlike state (Isa. 35:1,6,7). cf. 2 Pet. 3: J.W.'s: Isaiah 11:6-9 speaks of peaceful relations between animals in the paradise earth. Answer: This involves a perversion of Isa. 11:6-9, and an ignoring of its context, as the following considerations show. 1. Isa. 11:1-5 deals with the character of the Messiah. 2. 11:6-9 Deals with the character of the citizens of the kingdom. v.6: Combination of the wild and domestic animal. All of these natural foes now dwell together in peaceful co-existence. Peace and tranquility, but it is to be found only among those inhabiting God's holy mountain. v.9: Where is it that they would neither hurt nor destroy: in the holy mountain (cf. 2:2-4; Zech. 8:3; Heb. 12:18-28). New creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Old man crucified with Christ. cf. Mt. 18:3. Swords into plowshares. Full of Knowledge: the word of the Lord is taught in Jerusalem (cf. Col. 1:23). v.10: When will that be? This is the key. Looks back to vv. 1- 5. In that day. Nations will seek Him. Quoted in Rom. 15:12. Applied to the right of the Gentiles to come to Christ. And the ground of their rejoicing. Application to the present day. Day that the Gentiles have the right to come in under the Messiah. Character of the citizens who respond. Those under the Messiah. "If the whole passage is not now fulfilled in Christ, then the Gentiles have no basis of hope" (H.H.124). J.W.'s: "Of course, there are requirements to be met if we are to live forever in the coming Paradise on earth. Jesus showed a principal one, saying in prayer to God: This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ--Jno. 17:3 But cf. Jno. 14:1ff. In their literature, the following statement is seen: "Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotations are from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures." 1. This is a version that is not recognized by anyone as a legitimate translation. 2. Consider how they rendered Jno. 1: The word was "a god." They have Jesus, instead of saying, "before Abraham was, I have been," instead of "I AM." Their "translation" has Paul (Col. 1:16) saying all "other" things were created by Him, because they believe Jesus is not eternal, they believe He is not deity, but rather that He is a created being. Class notes on Isa. 35 The Way of Holiness Intro: Contrasts the desolation of the nations and Edom with the future glory of Zion. (H.293). 1,2) Describes the beauty, in contrast to Edom. Luxurious growth at all times. Lebanon, snow-covered peaks, massive cedars, and fir trees--wooded Carmel, Sharon carpeted with flowers (H.294). 3) Now in Jehovah is new vibrant Life. 4) We need not fear for God has said: Heb.13:5; Phil.4:5. 5) Vision: Spiritual eyes and ears: open. cf. 6:9-10. 8) text: NIV: "And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it." (Also NASB). Fool: ch. 32:5. So holy and lofty, that a fool will not make the mistake of stumbling into it. 1. To be identified with the beasts (v.9) which shall not be found on the road. 2. [Heb.evil] occurs 26X; in no instance is it used of an inexperienced or an uneducated or unlearned person. a. The word is used of the despiser of wisdom (Prov.1:7); b. Despises his father's correction (Prov.15:5). c. One who despises wisdom, being wise in evil instead, will not make the mistake of walking on it (H.Hailey.297). The Redeemed: It is limited to a select few (H.H.296). Not the unclean, only the redeemed. 9) Wild animal nature will not be there. Those who manifest ugly disposition, etc. are not really in the way. Meekness, submission, walking in the way of God. 10) The redeemed will be there. Let us come in that spirit of rejoicing and thanksgiving so beautifully pictured by Isa.; for we are heirs of all that to which the prophets pointed (H.H.298).