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

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 1572 by onewithhim]

We have shown why we know that 1914 was a significant year (Bible chronology; scriptural evidence) yet it is ignored

OK, please specify the relevant posts that have done this, including which threads these are in.

I do not think I have ever read such, and certainly would like to do so.

Thanks, onewithhim..

[JehovahsWitness]

please specify the relevant posts ...I do not think I have ever read such, and certainly would like to do so.

Did you forget participating in some of the following threads?


WHEN

When did God's kingdom begin ruling?
viewtopic.php?p=883378#p883378

If Jesus has been ruling since 1914 why have there been no significant improvements in world conditions?
viewtopic.php?p=883772#p883772

How could Jesus be appointed king in 1914 if he was given "all authority" in 33 CE?
viewtopic.php?p=829355#p829355

Did Jesus just sit around doing nothing from 33 to 1914?
viewtopic.php?p=883622#p883622

What has Jesus been doing from 1914 to the present time?
viewtopic.php?p=886989#p886989

If God's kingdom started operating in 1914 Why do Christians still pray for it to come?
viewtopic.php?p=890123#p890123

[tam]

Sorry (peace to you), this post was not yet complete...

[Checkpoint]

please specify the relevant posts ...I do not think I have ever read such, and certainly would like to do so.

Did you forget participating in some of the following threads?


WHEN

When did God's kingdom begin ruling?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 378#883378

If Jesus has been ruling since 1914 why have there been no significant improvements in world conditions?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 772#883772

How could Jesus be appointed king in 1914 if he was given "all authority" in 33 CE?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 355#829355

Did Jesus just sit around doing nothing from 33 to 1914?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 622#883622

What has Jesus been doing from 1914 to the present time?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 989#886989

If God's kingdom started operating in 1914 Why do Christians still pray for it to come?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 123#890123

Yes, I did.

Did you forget that none of them appear to contain what I was actually asking about?

"why we know that 1914 was a significant year (Bible chronology; scriptural evidence)"

Where is this spelled out?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1577 by Checkpoint]

You asked to be directed to the posts that deal with why we know 1914 is a significant year, I provided links.... and yet no " thank you".

[Replying to post 1 by Checkpoint]




JW



Further reading: 1914 A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/book ... -prophecy/
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/book ... last-days/

1914: THE KINGDOM

Is it possible to identify the exact year the kingdom started from the composite sign Jesus provided?
viewtopic.php?p=891124#p891124

What happened to dead Christians and in 1914?
viewtopic.php?p=917374#p917374

When did JWs first come to understand the significance of the year 1914?
viewtopic.php?p=891141#p891141

1914: JESUS

Has Jesus not ALWAYS been king?
viewtopic.php?p=830982#p830982

What was Jesus before 1914 (titles) ?
viewtopic.php?p=1015344#p1015344

Did Jesus just sit around doing nothing from 33 to 1914?
viewtopic.php?p=883622#p883622

What has Jesus been doing from 1914 to the present time?
viewtopic.php?p=886989#p886989
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 41#p867841

How could Jesus be appointed king in 1914 if he was given "all authority" in 33 CE?
viewtopic.php?p=829355#p829355

If Jesus has been ruling since 1914 why have there been no significant improvements in world conditions?
viewtopic.php?p=883772#p883772

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

LAST DAYS and ...THE GENTILE TIMES and ....1914

GLOSSARY OF TERMS [END TIMES]

[PinSeeker]

You are, I think, confusing Christ's parousia with his return at Armageddon. His becoming the working-for-disciples'-commission-on-Earth (from heaven) King in 1914 is different from his taking up full Kingdom power after Armageddon. According to the Scriptures, Jesus would once again represent Jehovah's King-ship like the Davidic kings did in the past, in the year 1914. The book "Pay Attention to Daniel's Prophecy" explains it very nicely. Daniel wrote down everything we would have to know about when the Messiah would first show up and then when he would take his Kingly throne and start to rule. His rule is in two stages, if you will. From 1914 to now, he has been guiding his disciples in their preaching work (Matthew 24:14). After the Great Tribulation he will conquer evil by eliminating the wicked and casting Satan into a figurative abyss. Then he will entirely rule the world for a thousand years.

Nope, nope, and nope. I'm not "confusing" anything, OWH. I'm okay with you thinking that, but nope. It all happens at the end of the Church Age. John's reference in his Revelation to Armageddon is connected to the final eschatological battle between Christ and the dragon, that day when Satan turns his full wrath upon the church, only to find himself crushed by Jesus Christ and cast into the lake of fire:

The reference to Armageddon is not a description of a literal military battle.
That's dispensationalistic nonsense. Instead, we have an apocalyptic image of the kings of the earth being gathered together by the dragon to wage war against Mount Zion, which is symbolic of the church of Jesus Christ.

This is the same event depicted from another "camera angle" in Revelation 19:19-21 when John sees the beast and the false prophet being thrown into the lake of fire.

It is also described in Revelation 20:9-10, where those deceived by Satan after he is released from the Abyss, "marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

It is certainly correct to think of Armageddon as the final and ultimate battle between Christ and his enemies. But, again, this battle has nothing to do with the armies of the world fighting against Christ. John is giving us an apocalyptic vision of Satan's final assault upon the church (Mount Zion, Har Magedon, the Mount of Assembly), an assault which is crushed by Jesus Christ at his return to earth in judgment. On that day, says John, Satan and all his henchmen (the beast and the false prophet), along with the kings and nations who serve them, are thrown into the lake of fire. This is judgment day, when God's wrath is completed.

So, to make a long story long... ...it all happens in rapid succession. The King returns -- which hasn't happened yet but surely will at the appointed time -- and there is a final confrontation (certainly not as mild as that might make it sound), and the final Judgment will occur, concluding with those on Jesus's left -- unbelievers -- following Satan and his minions into that place of outer darkness, where they will remain under judgment for eternity.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 1572 by onewithhim]

We have shown why we know that 1914 was a significant year (Bible chronology; scriptural evidence) yet it is ignored

OK, please specify the relevant posts that have done this, including which threads these are in.

I do not think I have ever read such, and certainly would like to do so.

Thanks, onewithhim..

It would take me awhile to find the posts. There have been various times and threads, and I don't know where to start looking. I will repeat some of the information, and hopefully it will be helpful. Decades before 1914, JWs had said that it would be a significant year. What is the evidence? What were the significant developments?

Well, Luke 21:24 recorded that "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations until the appointed times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." Jerusalem had been the capital city of the Jewish nation, the seat of rulership of the Davidic line of kings (Psalm 48:1,2). However, these kings were unique among the nations' leaders. They sat on "Jehovah's throne" as representatives of God himself (I Chronicles 29:23). Jerusalem was thus a symbol of Jehovah's rulership. How was God's rulership "trampled on by the nations"? In 607 BC Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon, Jehovah's throne became vacant, and the line of kings descended from David was interrupted. (2 Kings 25:1-26)

How do we know that this "trampling" would not go on forever? Ezekiel prophesied regarding Zedekiah (Jerusalem's last king): "Remove the turban, and take off the crown....It will not belong to anyone until the one who has the legal right comes, and I [Jehovah] will give it to him." (Ezekiel 21:26,27) The one who has the legal right to the Davidic crown is Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32,33). So....the trampling would end when Jesus became king. When??

Jesus showed that the Gentiles would rule for a certain period of time. The account in Daniel chapter 4 holds the key to knowing how long that period would last. It tells of a dream experienced by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He saw a tree of great height being chopped down. An angel declared: "Let seven times pass over it [the stump]." (Daniel 4:10-16)

Now, in the Bible trees are sometimes used to represent governments/ rulership (Ezekiel 17:22-24; 31:2-5), so the chopping down of the tree represents how God's rulership---as expressed through the kings in Jerusalem---would be interrupted. But....this "trampling of Jerusalem" would be temporary, a period of "seven times." How can we figure how long that would be? Here's where we have to pay scrutinous attention. Try to follow.

Revelation 12:6,14 indicates that three and a half times equal "1,260 days." "Seven times" would last twice as long, or 2,520 days. The prophecy covers a much longer period of time than literal days. On the basis of Numbers 14:34 & Ezekiel 4:6, a "day" equals a year. So the "seven times" would cover 2,520 YEARS.

The 2,520 years began in October of 607 BC when Jerusalem fell to Babylon and the Davidic king was taken off his throne. The period ended in October of 1914. At that time, "the appointed times of the nations" ended, and Jesus Christ took over the Davidic throne, being installed as God's heavenly King (Psalm 2:1-6; Daniel 7:13,14).

Just as Jesus predicted, his parousia as heavenly King has been marked by dramatic world incidents---World Wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence (Matthew 24:3-8; Luke 21:11). Such developments bear powerful testimony to the fact that 1914 did indeed mark the birth of God's heavenly Kingdom and the beginning of "the last days" of this present wicked system of things.


.

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 1577 by Checkpoint]

You asked to be directed to the posts that deal with why we know 1914 is a significant year, I provided links.... and yet no " thank you".

[Replying to post 1 by Checkpoint]

God's kingdom refers to his heavenly government which has been in operation since the year 1914 (compare Daniel 4:10-16; Ezekiel 17:22-24; 31:2-5 ; Revelation 12:6, 14). In view of this yes, it is present (in operation) and future in the sense it has not yet taken control of the planet earth (Mat 6:9, 10).

When God's kingdom government does take control of the planet (earth), all human governments will be destroyed and the earth will at long last be the paradise-like "garden" God intended it to be (Dan 2:44; Mat 5:3).



JW



Further reading: 1914—A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/book ... -prophecy/
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/book ... last-days/

RELATED POSTS

When did God's kingdom begin ruling?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 378#883378

Is it possible to identify the exact year the kingdom started from the composite sign Jesus provided?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 124#891124

If Jesus has been ruling since 1914 why have there been no significant improvements in world conditions?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 772#883772

How could Jesus be appointed king in 1914 if he was given "all authority" in 33 CE?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 355#829355

Did Jesus just sit around doing nothing from 33 to 1914?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 622#883622

What has Jesus been doing from 1914 to the present time?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 989#886989
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 841#867841

If God's kingdom started operating in 1914 Why do Christians still pray for it to come?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 0123#89012

When did JWs first come to understand the significance of the year 1914?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 1141#89114

My thanks to you, JW, for presenting what you have brought together and linked to in this and your previous post to me.

Those links did have some things that were helpful and informative at times.

I will not comment further at this point.

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 1572 by onewithhim]

We have shown why we know that 1914 was a significant year (Bible chronology; scriptural evidence) yet it is ignored

OK, please specify the relevant posts that have done this, including which threads these are in.

I do not think I have ever read such, and certainly would like to do so.

Thanks, onewithhim..

It would take me awhile to find the posts. There have been various times and threads, and I don't know where to start looking. I will repeat some of the information, and hopefully it will be helpful. Decades before 1914, JWs had said that it would be a significant year. What is the evidence? What were the significant developments?

Well, Luke 21:24 recorded that "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations until the appointed times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." Jerusalem had been the capital city of the Jewish nation, the seat of rulership of the Davidic line of kings (Psalm 48:1,2). However, these kings were unique among the nations' leaders. They sat on "Jehovah's throne" as representatives of God himself (I Chronicles 29:23). Jerusalem was thus a symbol of Jehovah's rulership. How was God's rulership "trampled on by the nations"? In 607 BC Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon, Jehovah's throne became vacant, and the line of kings descended from David was interrupted. (2 Kings 25:1-26)

How do we know that this "trampling" would not go on forever? Ezekiel prophesied regarding Zedekiah (Jerusalem's last king): "Remove the turban, and take off the crown....It will not belong to anyone until the one who has the legal right comes, and I [Jehovah] will give it to him." (Ezekiel 21:26,27) The one who has the legal right to the Davidic crown is Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32,33). So....the trampling would end when Jesus became king. When??

Jesus showed that the Gentiles would rule for a certain period of time. The account in Daniel chapter 4 holds the key to knowing how long that period would last. It tells of a dream experienced by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He saw a tree of great height being chopped down. An angel declared: "Let seven times pass over it [the stump]." (Daniel 4:10-16)

Now, in the Bible trees are sometimes used to represent governments/ rulership (Ezekiel 17:22-24; 31:2-5), so the chopping down of the tree represents how God's rulership---as expressed through the kings in Jerusalem---would be interrupted. But....this "trampling of Jerusalem" would be temporary, a period of "seven times." How can we figure how long that would be? Here's where we have to pay scrutinous attention. Try to follow.

Revelation 12:6,14 indicates that three and a half times equal "1,260 days." "Seven times" would last twice as long, or 2,520 days. The prophecy covers a much longer period of time than literal days. On the basis of Numbers 14:34 & Ezekiel 4:6, a "day" equals a year. So the "seven times" would cover 2,520 YEARS.

The 2,520 years began in October of 607 BC when Jerusalem fell to Babylon and the Davidic king was taken off his throne. The period ended in October of 1914. At that time, "the appointed times of the nations" ended, and Jesus Christ took over the Davidic throne, being installed as God's heavenly King (Psalm 2:1-6; Daniel 7:13,14).

Just as Jesus predicted, his parousia as heavenly King has been marked by dramatic world incidents---World Wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence (Matthew 24:3-8; Luke 21:11). Such developments bear powerful testimony to the fact that 1914 did indeed mark the birth of God's heavenly Kingdom and the beginning of "the last days" of this present wicked system of things.


.

Wow!!

Thankyou so much for this post, and the time and effort you put into it.

I posed a specific question, and you answered it accordingly. Well done, onewithhim, much appreciated.

Now that I have what I was looking for, it is time for me to examine it more closely, so for the time being am unlikely to be further discussing this aspect.

[onewithhim]

The beauty of it all! Jesus is finally ruling in heaven and getting ready to come back in full-blown power to execute the evil people and set up his Kingdom completely over the earth, so that Paradise will be restored to Earth and mankind. God's original purpose for the Earth cannot be foiled. Adam chose to disobey, but that didn't mean that Paradise was lost here on Earth forever. Jesus will see to it that what his Father planned in the beginning will be brought to fruition, for our benefit and exultation. We will exult in peace and joy, the way it was intended to be from the start. This planet will be fully restored to perfection, to be enjoyed by obedient humans. What a hope set before us now!

.