Paradise on Earth

[onewithhim]

When I learned that the Bible speaks of a restored Garden of Eden and the restoration of mankind to the perfection and endless life that Adam forfeited, I was thrilled. Who doesn't want to keep living on this beautiful earth, with our loved ones, and being able to do all the things we love to do---endlessly?

If God said to you today, "When do you want to die?" would you say "now!!"? I don't think very many people would say that.

We CAN live forever here on Earth. The Bible tells us that we can.

Matthew 5:5
Psalm 37:9-11,29

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 1493 by JehovahsWitness]

as long as there is time we must draw peoples attention to the time we are living in.

How do JWs do that?

What do you say "the time we are living in" actually is?

Why do you "draw peoples attention to" that?

I dare say, you know how we draw people's attention to the time we are living in. Remember....we have gone door-to-door just as Christ did, and we have met people on the streets and in any venue where there are people, just as He and His followers did. The time we are living in is called "the last days," or, "the harvest time (as per Matthew 13)."

We draw people's attention to it because Jesus told us to. It's not an easy thing to do, but we do it, relying on Jehovah's Holy Spirit.


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[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 1493 by JehovahsWitness]

as long as there is time we must draw peoples attention to the time we are living in.

How do JWs do that?

What do you say "the time we are living in" actually is?

Why do you "draw peoples attention to" that?

I dare say, you know how we draw people's attention to the time we are living in. Remember....we have gone door-to-door just as Christ did, and we have met people on the streets and in any venue where there are people, just as He and His followers did. The time we are living in is called "the last days," or, "the harvest time (as per Matthew 13)."

We draw people's attention to it because Jesus told us to. It's not an easy thing to do, but we do it, relying on Jehovah's Holy Spirit.

Yes, I am aware of some of what JWs do to draw attention to God and to Jesus.

In a general sense I give a thumbs up, but obviously not so much to some details.

"The last days" is a well used expression that basically means "the last generation". However, 1 John treats it as having already arrived then, and Hebrews attaches it to Jesus ministry.

What do you say "the harvest time" of Matthew 13 is?

[JehovahsWitness]

"The last days" is a well used expression that basically means "the last generation".

I dont think I've ever heard a non-witness use the expression "last days" and I don't know what they would mean even if I did. I presume when you say "last generation" you mean the end of humanity but Jehovahs Witnesses don't believe "the last days" means {quote} "the last generation" ar all. When it comes to bible terminology, there isn't much we agree with as to meaning with the maajority; as a rule its usually best to ask a Witness what they mean before objecting their meaning is wrong.


JW

[Checkpoint]

"The last days" is a well used expression that basically means "the last generation".

I dont think I've ever heard a non-witness use the expression "last days" and I don't know what they would mean even if I did. I presume when you say "last generation" you mean the end of humanity but Jehovahs Witnesses don't believe "the last days" means {quote} "the last generation" ar all. When it comes to bible terminology, there isn't much we agree with as to meaning with the maajority; as a rule its usually best to ask a Witness what they mean before objecting their meaning is wrong.
JW

Yes. When I used the term "last generation" I was thinking only of those in the world.

As for non-JW believers, they term "the last days" as "the end-time" (especially evangelicals), and seem to refer to a last seven year period.

As to JWs, you tell me, please, what do you mean by "the last days"?

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 1493 by JehovahsWitness]

as long as there is time we must draw peoples attention to the time we are living in.

How do JWs do that?

What do you say "the time we are living in" actually is?

Why do you "draw peoples attention to" that?

I dare say, you know how we draw people's attention to the time we are living in. Remember....we have gone door-to-door just as Christ did, and we have met people on the streets and in any venue where there are people, just as He and His followers did. The time we are living in is called "the last days," or, "the harvest time (as per Matthew 13)."

We draw people's attention to it because Jesus told us to. It's not an easy thing to do, but we do it, relying on Jehovah's Holy Spirit.

Yes, I am aware of some of what JWs do to draw attention to God and to Jesus.

In a general sense I give a thumbs up, but obviously not so much to some details.

"The last days" is a well used expression that basically means "the last generation". However, 1 John treats it as having already arrived then, and Hebrews attaches it to Jesus ministry.

What do you say "the harvest time" of Matthew 13 is?

The harvest time is the time leading up to the Great Tribulation, which we are living in now. It coincides with "the time of the end" of Daniel 12:4 & 9.


.

[onewithhim]

"The last days" is a well used expression that basically means "the last generation".

I dont think I've ever heard a non-witness use the expression "last days" and I don't know what they would mean even if I did. I presume when you say "last generation" you mean the end of humanity but Jehovahs Witnesses don't believe "the last days" means {quote} "the last generation" ar all. When it comes to bible terminology, there isn't much we agree with as to meaning with the maajority; as a rule its usually best to ask a Witness what they mean before objecting their meaning is wrong.
JW

Yes. When I used the term "last generation" I was thinking only of those in the world.

As for non-JW believers, they term "the last days" as "the end-time" (especially evangelicals), and seem to refer to a last seven year period.

Non-JW believers are wrong as to their "seven year period." They get that from Daniel 9:27, and it's too bad they are so far off. That whole passage refers to something that happened 2,000 years ago at the time of Jesus' preaching and death.

There is absolutely no clear statement in the Scriptures as to how long the Great Tribulation will last. The only hints are one or two verses that say "except that the days will be cut short, no flesh would be saved" (Matt.24:22), and "pray that your tribulation doesn't come in Winter." (Matt.24:20) It seems that the GT will be a rather short event, certainly not 7 years, possibly one season or part of a season.

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[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 1499 by onewithhim]

Checkpoint wrote:

What do you say "the harvest time" of Matthew 13 is?

The harvest time is the time leading up to the Great Tribulation, which we are living in now. It coincides with "the time of the end" of Daniel 12:4 & 9.

That is about what I thought the answer might be.

We all have our answers to many questions.

Here is the answer Jesus gives us:

Matthew 13:

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.

39 The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace,

[/i]

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1499 by onewithhim]

Checkpoint wrote:

What do you say "the harvest time" of Matthew 13 is?

The harvest time is the time leading up to the Great Tribulation, which we are living in now. It coincides with "the time of the end" of Daniel 12:4 & 9.

That is about what I thought the answer might be.

We all have our answers to many questions.

Here is the answer Jesus gives us:

Matthew 13:

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.

39 The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace,

Are you suggesting something Onewithim said in out of harmony with the above scripture? If so, what?




JW

[JehovahsWitness]

As to JWs, you tell me, please, what do you mean by "the last days"?

We mean the last "days" (final period) of this present system of things.



For more details see below (scroll down)
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#1000181



JW

[PinSeeker]

As for non-JW believers, they term "the last days" as "the end-time" (especially evangelicals), and seem to refer to a last seven year period. As to JWs, you tell me, please, what do you mean by "the last days"?

Well, I'm certainly not a Jehovah's Witness, obviously, but I'll answer to this if you'll permit me. Actually, I will answer to it anyway...

Actually, what you're talking about here is a how dispensational believers view the 70 weeks of Daniel 9, what Jesus says in Matthew 24, and the millennium, or "thousand years" of Revelation 20 (which has been discussed at length in recent threads on this forum). Subscribers to dispensational theology make up the majority of Christians in the West, but not worldwide.

Covenant theology is the prevailing view of Scripture worldwide. I'm certainly in this camp. I'm not sure Jehovah's Witnesses would really fall in with believers who understand the Bible covenantally, but I agree at least somewhat with what JH and OWH are saying here.

Covenental believers would certainly say that the terms "these last days" and "the end time" -- and even "the tribulation" and "the Millennium" -- all refer to the Church Age, which commenced at Pentecost -- the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Helper Whom Jesus promised in John 14 -- and will continue to transpire to Christ's return, which is still yet to happen.

As for the specific term "great tribulation" used by Jesus in Matthew 24 and also found in Revelation 2 and 7, covenant believers such as myself see this as a period at the end of the church age -- the length of which is not specified anywhere in Scripture -- where the tribulation finally ramps up to a heightened degree, even extremely so, leading up to the Day of Christ.

Grace and peace to all.