—REVIEW—
This article is a sequel to the article, “The members of the Governing Body have devalued and restricted the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
The Christian Greek Scriptures speak of four different kingdoms, 1) the nation of Israel, 2) the Kingdom of my beloved Son, 3) the heavenly Kingdom/Kingdom of God, and 4) the earthly Kingdom that has been prepared from the founding of the world.
In order to be a part of the Kingdom of God, a person is first called by God and then chosen by God.
The promise or covenant to Abraham was that all nations could bless themselves by means of his seed. The nation of Israel was the fleshly seed of Abraham. The people of Israel were the Kingdom of God, and they could be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, and be the nation by which other nations could bless themselves. But God’s Kingdom was taken from Israel and given to spiritual Israel that produced its fruits.
In order to become a member of spiritual Israel, a person had to receive a new birth. Paul identifies spiritual Israel and shows that its members are the real seed of Abraham by whom all the nations could bless themselves.
A basic subject in the illustrations of Jesus regarding the heavenly Kingdom was to show that some prospective members of the Kingdom would be saved and others would be rejected. This is seen in Romans chapter 11 which is discussed in detail. The olive tree represents the Abrahamic covenant. The Jews had the opportunity to present 144 000 branches, but they failed. So, Jewish branches were broken off and branches from the nations were grafted into the trunk. All spiritual Israel will be saved when the full number of Jews plus the full number of people of the nations are gathered and chosen by God.
The heavenly Kingdom was established in the year 1914 when Jesus began to reign in the midst of his enemies. Persons who are called and chosen are said to enter the Kingdom of God, and therefore, persons who have been rejected are said to be taken out of the Kingdom. It is important to note that the illustrations of Jesus including the words “the Kingdom of the heavens/the Kingdom of God” exclusively relate to matters inside the spiritual Israel who are given the Kingdom of God. When the members of the Governing Body apply an illustration to other issues, then they contradict the purpose of Jesus by telling his illustrations.
Jesus’ illustrations of the dragnet gathering fish of every kind, the marriage feast to the king’s son, and the five foolish and the five discreet virgins are discussed. These illustrations exclusively relate to the situation inside the Kingdom of God with the theme, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” The illustrations cannot be applied to things outside of the Kingdom.
THE ILLUSTRATION AND PROPHECY OF THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS
There was a group of true Christians in the 1st century CE. But during the centuries until the time of the end, there should not be any distinction between true and false Christians. In the time of the end, a tightly knitted group of Christians should be made, symbolized by the wheat. The weeds would be thrown into the fiery furnace and be burned to ashes. The members of the Governing Body believe that the weeds symbolize all the false Christian denominations in the world. But strong arguments are presented showing that the weeds are false Christians that associated with the loosely connected group of Bible Students at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, according to the theme, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” The illustrations cannot be applied to things outside the Kingdom.
THE ILLUSTRATION AND THE PROPHECY OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
Contrary to the view of the members of the Governing Body, strong arguments are presented that the words in Matthew 25:31 that the Son of man will sit down on his glorious throne do not refer to the great tribulation but to the establishment of God’s Kingdom in the year 1914.
I show that the words in 25:34 that the sheep should inherit the Kingdom that was prepared for them from the founding of the world refers to the earthly Kingdom that God will make after the great tribulation.
The view of the members of the Governing Body is that the prophecy in 25:31-46 refers to all the nations of the world; that Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive the great tribulation but the inhabitants of all the nations will be eternally annihilated. I demonstrate that this conclusion is contradicted by the Greek text in verse 32. While the words, “For many are called, but few are chosen” only refer to the prospective members of the heavenly Kingdom, the same principle is applied by Jesus in the prophecy by the sheep and the goats. I show that the sheep are sincere persons who have accepted the ransom sacrifice of Jesus and who will survive the great tribulation. The goats are persons who have been a part of the Christian congregations who have rejected the ransom sacrifice and refused to support the brothers of Jesus and not the inhabitants of the nations of the world.
In the holy Scriptures, four different kingdoms related to God are mentioned, 1) the nation of Israel, 2) the Kingdom of God’s beloved Son, 3) the Kingdom of the heavens, and 4) the earthly Kingdom prepared from the founding of the world. The focus of this study is the destiny of people who were part of one of these kingdoms but who later were rejected.
In his illustration about the wedding feast, Jesus said according to Matthew 22:14: “For many are called[1], but few are chosen.” (RSV) The important questions are: To what were persons called, and to what were they chosen?
The word “called” is translated from the Greek word klētos, and the use of this word confirms that Jesus had those who had the possibility of entering the Kingdom of God in mind.
Romans 1:6, 7 6 among which nations you also have been called (klētos) to belong to Jesus Christ—7 to all those who are in Rome as God’s beloved ones, called (klētos) to be holy ones:
Romans 8:28 28 We know that God makes all his works cooperate together for the good of those who love God, those who are the ones called (klētos) according to his purpose;
1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called (klētos) to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
Jude 1 a slave of Jesus Christ, but a brother of James, to the called ones (klētos) who are loved by God the Father and preserved for Jesus Christ:
All these passages show that the word “called” (klētos) refers to persons who have been called to become heirs of the Kingdom of God; Jude also says that the called ones “are loved by God the Father.” The Greek adjective eklektos is translated by the English word “chosen.” Romans 8:28-33 shows that this word is used with reference to those who have been declared to be righteous and are approved by God as members of his Kingdom. Second Timothy 2:10 shows that those who are called will rule as kings together with Jesus Christ, and 1 Peter 2:9 shows that those who are called and chosen are a royal priesthood and a holy nation, i.e., they are members of spiritual Israel.
Romans 8:28-33 28 We know that God makes all his works cooperate together for the good of those who love God, those who are the ones called (klētos) according to his purpose; 29 because those whom he gave his first recognition he also foreordained to be patterned after the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 Moreover, those whom he foreordained are the ones he also called (kaleō); and those whom he called called (kaleō)are the ones he also declared to be righteous. Finally those whom he declared righteous are the ones he also glorified. 31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who will be against us? 32 Since he did not even spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, will he not also, along with him, kindly give us all other things? 33 Who will file accusation against God’s chosen ones (eklektos)? God is the One who declares them righteous.
2 Timothy 2:10 For this reason I go on enduring all things for the sake of the chosen ones (eklektos), so that they too may obtain the salvation that is through Christ Jesus, along with everlasting glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy: Certainly if we died together, we will also live together; 12 if we go on enduring, we will also rule together as kings; if we deny, he will also deny us.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are “a chosen (eklektos) race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies” of the One who called (kaleō) you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 For you were once not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not been shown mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The important point in this section is that illustrations of Jesus starting with the words “The Kingdom of heaven is like” exclusively refer to what happens with the members of “the Kingdom of his beloved Son” or “the kingdom of the heavens/of God.” When the members of the Governing Body apply one or more of these illustrations to those who are outside the Kingdom, this is a serious error.
[1]. NWT13 uses the word “invited” instead of “called.” From one point of view, this choice is logical because people are invited and not called to a wedding feast. However, the Greek word klētos is a technical word used for those whom God wants to be members of the heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, it is fine to use the English word “call” in all cases where klētos occurs.
ISRAEL WAS THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The patriarch Abraham was God’s friend, and Jehovah said to him according to Genesis 22:18 (NWT84).
And by means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves due to the fact that you have listened to my voice.’”
The verb bārakh (“bless”) is 3rd person plural hithpael. Many translations give this verb the passive meaning “will be blessed.” However, the basic meaning of the hithpael stem is reflexive, and therefore, the reflexive rendering of NWT84, “will certainly bless themselves” is excellent. The adverbial “certainly” is used because the verb is perfect with future reference and therefore suggests emphasis. The rendering of the verb in NWT13 is inaccurate. It says, “will obtain a blessing for themselves.” This is misleading because the text does not speak of “a blessing” (one blessing). But the text opens for the possibility that the blessings that all the nations can acquire for themselves are without limit in time and scope.
Abraham had the sons Ishmael and Isaac as well as six other sons. It was through Isaac the seed would come by whom the nations would bless themselves. Isaac was the father of Jacob who was the ancestor of the nation Israel, and to this nation God said according to Exodus 19:5, 6:
6 Now if you will strictly obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will certainly become my special property out of all peoples, for the whole earth belongs to me. 6 You will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”
The kings and priests of a nation will govern and help the individuals of that nation. If the nation of Israel kept the laws of God, this nation would serve as God’s kingdom in relation to other nations who could bless themselves by means of Israel. History shows that the nation of Israel violated God’s laws by worshipping idols and by the wicked actions of the people. According to Daniel 9:24, the Jewish nation got a period of grace of 70 weeks, from 455 BCE to 36, CE to demonstrate that they would follow the laws of God. But the nation continued on its wicked course, and to the Jewish leaders who had rejected him Jesus said according to Matthew 21:43:
This is why I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruit.
The Jewish nation would no longer serve as God’s earthly kingdom, but a nation producing the right fruits would now be given the Kingdom of God. Which nation is that?
SPIRITUAL ISRAEL WAS GIVEN THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS/OF GOD
The Kingdom that we are talking about is called “the Kingdom of the heavens” and “the Kingdom of God.”
The word “heavens” in the expression “the kingdom of heavens” is plural. In Hebrew, the word heaven (shamayim) is dual. But that does not mean that the reference is to two heavens in the Hebrew Scriptures. The word “water” (mayim) is also dual, but it does not refer to two “waters” or to two ponds. Thus, the dual construction does not have any semantic meaning. Jesus spoke Hebrew, and when he used the word shamayim, it was translated into Greek by ouranōn (“heavens”) which is plural masculine genitive. So, the word “heavens” in the expression “Kingdom of heavens” does not refer to two heavens or many heavens but to the one heaven where the throne of God is.
The first letter of Peter was addressed to “temporary residents” who were scattered about in different countries. These persons had received “a new birth” and their inheritance was in heaven according to 1 Peter 1:3:
Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for you.
The word that is translated as “a new birth” is anagennaō which according to Mounce has the meaning “to beget or bring forth again.” John uses a similar expression, namely, the two words gennao (“beget, generate) and anōthen (“again”) in John 3:3-6:[1]
John 3:3-6 In response Jesus said to him: “Most truly I say to you, unless anyone is born again (gennaō anōthen), he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 Nic·o·deʹmus said to him: “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter into the womb of his mother a second time and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered: “Most truly I say to you, unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. 6 What has been born from the flesh is flesh, and what has been born from the spirit is spirit.
We note that “to be born again” is a requirement for those who will enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus explains that “to be born again” means “to be born from water and spirit.” Entering the Kingdom of God in its literal sense means that a person must die and get a heavenly resurrection as a spirit creature. Paul discusses this in 1 Corinthians 15:42-52:
1 Corinthians 15:42-50 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised up in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised up in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised up in power. 44 It is sown a physical body; it is raised up a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, what is spiritual is not first. What is physical is first, and afterward what is spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth and made of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 Like the one made of dust, so too are those made of dust; and like the heavenly one, so too are those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the one made of dust, we will bear also the image of the heavenly one. 50 But I tell you this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Look! I tell you a sacred secret: We will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, and we will be changed.
Returning to the first letter of Peter, we can now better understand “the living hope” the “was reserved in the heavens” for the “temporary residents” to whom Peter addressed his letter. They looked forward to dying and getting a heavenly resurrection. I will now quote the words in 1 Peter 2:9-10 that connects this group with the nation of Israel:
9 But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies” of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 For you were once not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not been shown mercy, but now you have received mercy.
In Exodus 19:6, the nation of Israel was called “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The Greek Septuagint has the words basileion hierateuma kai ethnos hagion, and exactly the same Greek words are used by Peter except for the word kai (“and”). This means that Peter now applies the words that were addressed to the nation of Israel to the “temporary residents” to whom he addressed his letter. These persons had experienced “a new birth to a living hope…reserved in the heavens.” Peter says in verse 10 in chapter 2 that they were once not a people but now are God’s people, and this shows that Israel no longer was God’s people.
Paul shows that this group of Christians that now were God’s people was viewed as “spiritual Israel.” We see this in Romans 2:28, 29 and 9:6-8.
28 For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision something on the outside, on the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit and not by a written code. That person’s praise comes from God, not from people.
6 However, it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who descend from Israel are really “Israel.” 7 Neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s offspring; rather, “What will be called your offspring will be through Isaac.” 8 That is, the children in the flesh are not really the children of God, but the children by the promise are counted as the offspring.
We note that Paul speaks of two “Israel” nations, and he shows that even though “fleshly Israel” literally were Abraham’s offspring, not all of this nation were the children of God. The “Israel” that was not “fleshly Israel” must be termed “spiritual Israel,” as Paul implies in 1 Corinthians 10:18. Paul discusses the same issue in the letter to Galatian Christians, most of whom were not fleshly Jews. In Galatians 6:15, 16 he says:
15 For neither is circumcision anything nor is uncircumcision, but a new creation is. 16 As for all those who walk orderly by this rule of conduct, peace and mercy be upon them, yes, upon the Israel of God.
Paul does not only use the word “Israel,” but he uses the expression “the Israel of God” which must be different from fleshly Israel. The identity of the members of “the Israel of God” is seen by the words that “they walk orderly by this rule of conduct.” The demonstrative pronoun “this” (outos) must be anaphoric and refer to something that already is mentioned, namely to the contrast that is mentioned. The rule of conduct that pleases God is not to circumcise the male member but it is to be born again and become a new creature. So, those who have become new creatures are “the Israel of God.”
Before Paul mentions “the Israel of God,” he identifies the members of this spiritual nation, and he shows that it contains both Jews and people of the nations. In Galatians 3:26-29 Paul says:
26 You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. 29 Moreover, if you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s offspring, heirs with reference to a promise.
Now we have the full circle. The promise was that all the nations of the world could bless themselves by means of the seed of Abraham. (Genesis 22:18) The members of fleshly Israel were literally Abraham’s seed, and God offered them to become “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” by which other people could bless themselves. The members of the nation of Israel did not keep the commandments of God, and they rejected the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus said: “the Kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits.” (Matthew 21:43)
Peter shows that persons who are new creatures because they are born again are “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” This nation is producing the fruits of the Kingdom, and the members of this nation are given the Kingdom of God. Paul shows in the letter to Romans and in 1 Corinthians that this new nation is “spiritual Israel,” and in the letter to Galatians, he shows that this nation is the real seed of Abraham by which all nations can bless themselves. This means that in addition to the members of spiritual Israel there must be another group that will bless themselves by means of this nation. This is an important side of this issue that I will return to later.
[1]. In addition to the meaning “again,” the adverbial anōthen can also have the meaning “from above.” So the words of Jesus translated by John can have a double meaning.
THE “FULL NUMBER” OF THE JEWS PLUS THE “FULL NUMBER” OF PEOPLE OF THE NATIONS LEAD TO THE SALVATION OF “ALL ISRAEL”
Jesus showed that the Kingdom of God was taken from the nation of Israel and given to a people that produced kingdom fruits. But the important question on the basis of the rejection of the Jewish nation was what would happen to the individual members of that nation. Would each one be rejected together with the nation? In the congregation in Rome, there were both Jews and people of the nations, and Paul discusses this question in his letter to the Romans, particularly in chapter 11.
The center of Paul’s argument in chapter 11 is a symbolic olive tree. The Watchtower of May 15, 2011, page 23, has the following comments regarding this olive tree:
13 The apostle Paul goes on to compare those who become part of Abraham’s seed to branches on a symbolic olive tree. (Rom. 11:21) This cultivated olive tree represents the fulfillment of God’s purpose with regard to the Abrahamic covenant. The root of the tree is holy and represents Jehovah as the one who gives life to spiritual Israel. (Isa. 10:20; Rom. 11:16) The trunk represents Jesus as the primary part of Abraham’s seed. The branches collectively represent “the full number” of those included in the secondary part of Abraham’s seed.
These comments are logical, and they accord with what the Scriptures say about the promise of Abraham. Paul shows in the letter to the Galatians that Jesus is the seed of Abraham and that his anointed followers are the secondary part of the seed of Abraham. The important point of this article is the rejection of different persons by God, and this point is expressed by the words of Jesus in Matthew 13:41, “the angels…will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness.” I will look at this rejection in connection with the branches of the olive tree that were broken off.
The focus of Paul’s discussion is seen in 11:26, “In this manner all Israel will be saved.” The expression “in this manner” (houtōs) refers to what previously has been discussed. So, we can ask; “In which manner?” The word “Israel” is used, and as I have shown, Paul speaks of fleshly Israel and spiritual Israel in his letter to the Romans. As the context in chapter 11 shows, the reference in verse 26 must be to spiritual Israel.
We should then note that Paul is speaking of a finite number of the members of “Israel” that will be saved. This is seen by the fact that there is not one infinite trunk on which both Jews and people of the nations can be grafted. But there is one tree with a finite number of branches. Before a person can be grafted into the trunk, one branch must be broken off. It is also seen by the fact that the word “full number” (plērōma) is mentioned two times in the chapter. I will elucidate this below.
Verses 12, 25, and 26 in chapter 11 are particularly important:
12 Now if their false step means riches to the world and their decrease means riches to people of the nations, how much more will their full number (plērōma) mean!
25 For I do not want you to be unaware of this sacred secret, brothers, so that you do not become wise in your own eyes: A partial dulling of senses has come upon Israel until the full number (plērōma) of people of the nations has come in. 26 and in this manner all Israel will be saved. Just as it is written: “The deliverer will come out of Zion and turn away ungodly practices from Jacob.
Paul’s argument is that “the full number” of the Jews must come in plus the “full number” of people of the nations. “and in this manner all Israel will be saved.” As evidence that “all Israel will be saved” Paul refers to Isaiah 59:20, 21, and 27:9. These are prophecies that refer beyond fleshly Israel and to spiritual Israel. And this confirms that “Israel” in verse 26 is “spiritual Israel.”
But what is “the full number” of the Jews and “the full number” of the nations? In Revelation 7:9–10, 13–14, a great crowd without number is seen. They are the ones who will be coming out (erkhomai, present medium participle, “coming”: ek “of, out of, from”) of the great tribulation. Since the great tribulation occurs on the earth, the great crowd will come out of (survive) the great tribulation and continue to live on the earth.
In contrast to the great crowd without number that is mentioned in Revelation 7:9–10, 13–14, there is a group numbering 144,000. (Rev. 7:1–9) The same group is seen in 14:1 (NWT13), and verse 4 says that the members of this group “were bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” They are standing on the heavenly Zion (Hebrews 12:22), and they are identical to the brothers of Jesus who have the heavenly calling. Mount Zion represented the ruling power. This means that the full number of the seed of Abraham is 144 000.
WHO WILL BE SAVED AND WHO WILL BE REJECTED ACCORDING TO ROMANS CHAPTER 11?
Now I will return to the idea of rejection. In Romans 11:1-5, Paul shows that while the nation of Israel has been rejected as God’s Kingdom, individual Jews could still be the sons of God. In verse 5 Paul uses the Greek word leimma (“remnant”) which according to Louw and Nida refers to “a relatively small part that exists.”
Originally, fleshly Israel was invited to produce 144 000 branches of the trunk of the olive tree. The nation did not achieve that because of violations of God’s laws. Therefore, Jewish branches were broken off the trunk except for a relatively small number. And persons from the nations were grafted in instead of the Jewish branches. However, those who were grafted in from the nations could be broken off if they did not continue to behave as God’s sons. And similarly, if individual Jews who had been broken off would change their course of life and start to do God’s will, they would be grafted in on the trunk. This is discussed in verses 19-24 in chapter 11:
19 You will say, then: “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true! For their lack of faith, they were broken off, but you are standing by faith. Do not be haughty, but be in fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Consider, therefore, God’s kindness and severity. There is severity toward those who fell, but toward you there is God’s kindness, provided you remain in his kindness; otherwise, you too will be lopped off. 23 And they also, if they do not remain in their lack of faith, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them back in. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree that is wild by nature and were grafted contrary to nature into the garden olive tree, how much more will these who are natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!
Paul wrote that “all Israel” would be saved. But what about the members of the Jewish nation that lived in the days of Paul, and the members of the nations of the world, as well as the Jewish branches and the branches of the nations that had been broken off? Would all these persons perish forever? It is very important to understand that Paul is only discussing how spiritual Israel with 144 000 members will be saved, and how some branches on the tree representing the Abrahamic covenant would be broken off and others would be grafted in. And he does not discuss the destiny of other persons who lived in his days. The purpose of the Christian preaching in the 1st century CE was to gather sincere persons who would become new creatures and become Abraham’s offspring. And the purpose was not to separate all humans in two groups, those who would be saved and those who would be eternally destroyed.
The words of Jesus in Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” can be used as the heading to Paul’s discussion of the olive tree in Romans chapter 11. Jews and people of the nations were called, but only those who were worthy were chosen. |
In my article, “The members of the Governing Body have devalued and restricted the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ,” I show that Jesus by his death bought all of Adam’s descendants. I also show that every descendant of Adam must have a minimum chance to accept or reject the ransom. Those who lived before Jesus gave his life as a ransom sacrifice did not have this chance, although many individuals became servants of God. Most of the persons who lived in the 1st century did not have this chance, and therefore all those who did not have this chance must get a resurrection in the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ. This is confirmed by Jesus himself in Matthew 11:20-24:
20 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his powerful works had taken place, for they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Cho·raʹzin! Woe to you, Beth·saʹi·da! because if the powerful works that took place in you had taken place in Tyre and Siʹdon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more endurable for Tyre and Siʹdon on Judgment Day than for you. 23 And you, Ca·perʹna·um, will you perhaps be exalted to heaven? Down to the Grave you will come; because if the powerful works that took place in you had taken place in Sodʹom, it would have remained until this very day. 24 But I say to you, it will be more endurable for the land of Sodʹom on Judgment Day than for you.”
The members of the Governing Body do not accept these words of Jesus and by this, they are misleading the whole community of Witnesses. The important point to keep in mind is that Paul in Romans chapter 11 only discusses the situation inside spiritual Israel that had received God’s Kingdom. He does not discuss the destiny of the branches that were broken off.
WHEN WAS THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS/OF GOD ESTABLISHED?
The prophecy that is quoted in most instances in the Christian Greek Scriptures is Psalm 110:1, 2:
1 Jehovah declared to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.” 2 Jehovah will extend the scepter of your power out of Zion, saying: “Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.”
The Lord who is mentioned is Jesus Christ, and the verses show that at one time the Kingdom of the heavens would be established and Jesus would start to reign in the midst of his enemies. Hebrews 10:12, 13 shows that in the early 60s, when the letter probably was written, Jesus had not yet started to reign in the middle of his enemies. Revelation 1:1 shows that the prophecies in this book referred to a time after it was written at the end of the first century CE. Revelation 12:10 says:
10 I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God!
The establishment of the Kingdom of the heavens had to occur after the end of the first century CE, and Jehovah’s Witnesses have presented strong evidence that this happened in the year 1914 CE.
WHEN WAS THE KINGDOM OF GOD’S BELOVED SON ESTABLISHED?
Even though the Kingdom of the heavens would first be established almost 1900 years after Jesus’ sojourn on earth, the Kingdom of God was a basic theme of his preaching according to Mark 1:14, 15:
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galʹi·lee, preaching the good news of God 15 and saying: “The appointed time has been fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent, and have faith in the good news.”
What did the words, “the Kingdom of God has drawn near” actually mean? Luke is the only writer who uses the phrase “the Kingdom of the heavens.” But he also uses the phrase “the Kingdom of God.” In Luke 17:20 we read:
20 On being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, he answered them: “The Kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness; 21 nor will people say, ‘See here!’ or, ‘There!’ For look! the Kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Jesus was the prospective king in the Kingdom of the heavens, and even though this Kingdom was not yet established, he had already received some kingly power. Therefore, when he was among the Pharisees, he could say that the Kingdom of God was in their midst because Jesus used his kingly power to heal sicknesses and expel demons. An example of the use of his kingly power is seen in Matthew 12:28:
But if it is by means of God’s spirit that I expel the demons, the Kingdom of God has really overtaken you.
After his death, Jesus ascended to heaven, and while the Kingdom of God was not yet established, his use of kingly power entered a new phase. This is seen in Paul’s words in Colossians 1:13:
13 He rescued us from the authority of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 by means of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins.
The Watchtower of April 1, 1966, page 198 (above), and of October 1, 2002, page 18 (below), had the following comments on the mentioned “Kingdom”:
The Kingdom promises first began to be realized when Christ Jesus was resurrected to heaven. On Pentecost 33 C.E. he poured out holy spirit on those believers present who were in line to be joint heirs with him in his kingdom. He thus began ruling as king toward such ones. That is why the apostle in his day could say that God “delivered us from the authority of the darkness and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.” (Col. 1:13) God chose them to be heirs with his Son in the heavenly kingdom.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, he did not immediately take up the scepter of rulership over the peoples of the world. (Psalm 110:1) However, he did receive a “kingdom” with subjects that obeyed him. The apostle Paul identified that kingdom when he wrote: “[God] delivered us [spirit-anointed Christians] from the authority of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.” (Colossians 1:13) This deliverance began at Pentecost 33 C.E. when holy spirit was poured out on Jesus’ faithful followers.—Acts 2:1-4;1 Peter 2:9.
Those who were baptized on Pentecost in 33 CE and later were “rescued” and “transferred into the Kingdom of his beloved Son,” and Jesus acted now as a king toward the members of “the Kingdom of his beloved son,” i.e., the members of the Christian congregations. It is important to note that the world of mankind consisted of two different groups or entities: “the authority of the darkness” and “the Kingdom of the Son of his love.” Christians were rescued from one group and transferred to the other group.
Table 1.1. The different kingdoms
From 1513 BCE to 36 CE | The Jewish nation was the Kingdom of God. |
From 29 to 33 CE | Jesus used his kingly power to heal persons and expel demons. |
In the year 33 CE | The Kingdom of his beloved Son was established. |
In the year 1914 | The Kingdom of God was established. |
After the great tribulation | The earthly Kingdom will be established. |
BEING TRANSFERRED INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS FROM THE AUTHORITY OF DARKNESS
In order to understand the illustrations about the wheat and the weeds and the sheep and the goats, that are the focus of this article, we need to understand that sincere persons are transferred into the kingdom of the heavens from the part of the world of mankind that is ruled by Satan the Devil. Moreover, we must also understand that some of these who are transferred into the kingdom of the heavens later are rejected by God because they proved to be unworthy. Both Jesus, Barnabas, and Paul spoke about entering the kingdom of God:
Matt. 5:20 For I say to you that if your righteousness does not surpass that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of the heavens.
Matt. 7:21 “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.
Matt. 18:3 and said: “Truly I say to you, unless you turn around and become as young children, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of the heavens.
Matt. 19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Truly I say to you that it will be difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of the heavens.
Matt. 23:13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut up the Kingdom of the heavens before men; for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in.
Acts 14:22 There they strengthened the disciples, encouraging them to remain in the faith and saying: “We must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.”
One question we need to consider is how it was possible to enter the Kingdom of God at a time when the Kingdom of God was not yet established. Jesus was the prospective king of the Kingdom of God, and he would start ruling in the midst of his enemies in the year 1914. However, from the day of Pentecost in 33 CE he was ruling as king toward those who had experienced the new birth and who were the seed of Abraham. This means that “entering into the Kingdom of God” for persons in the first century CE meant entering “the Kingdom of his beloved Son.” Persons who died as faithful servants of God would after the Kingdom of God was established in 1914 literally enter the Kingdom of God by a heavenly resurrection.
TAKING UNWORTHY PERSONS OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS
One important issue in the preaching of Jesus, which I stressed in the last section, was that sincere persons who wanted to serve God could enter the Kingdom and become a part of it. Another important issue discussed by Jesus was that some persons who had been called, such as members of the Jewish nation, were rejected, and that others, after being counted worthy of entering the Kingdom, in time, proved to be unworthy and had to be removed or taken out of the kingdom.
Matt. 13:47-50 47 “Again the Kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet let down into the sea and gathering fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, they hauled it up onto the beach, and sitting down, they collected the fine ones into containers, but the unsuitable they threw away. 49 That is how it will be in the conclusion of the system of things. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous 50 and will cast them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be.
The catch of the dragnet included “fish of every kind” but not all fish in the whole world. After these “fish” were caught, the wicked were separated from the righteous. The words of Jesus, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” fits this situation.
Matt. 22:2-14 Once more Jesus spoke to them with illustrations, saying: 2 “The Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to a king who made a marriage feast for his son. 3 And he sent his slaves to call those invited to the marriage feast, but they were unwilling to come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Look! I have prepared my dinner, my bulls and fattened animals are slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the marriage feast.”’ 5 But unconcerned they went off, one to his own field, another to his business; 6 but the rest, seizing his slaves, treated them insolently and killed them.7 “The king grew wrathful and sent his armies and killed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The marriage feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore, go to the roads leading out of the city, and invite anyone you find to the marriage feast.’ 10 Accordingly, those slaves went out to the roads and gathered all they found, both wicked and good; and the room for the wedding ceremonies was filled with those dining. 11 “When the king came in to inspect the guests, he caught sight of a man not wearing a marriage garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Fellow, how did you get in here without a marriage garment?’ He was speechless. 13 Then the king said to his servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the darkness outside. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.’14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (RSV)
Having entered the marriage feast as a guest means that a person had entered the Kingdom of God. One guest did not have the marriage garment, and he was thrown into the darkness outside. This action affected one of the guests at the marriage feast and not all the persons who were not invited to the marriage feast.
Matt. 25:1-12 1 “Then the Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were discreet. 3 For the foolish took their lamps but took no oil with them,4 whereas the discreet took oil in their flasks along with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom was delaying, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.6 Right in the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Go out to meet him.’7 Then all those virgins got up and put their lamps in order. 8 The foolish said to the discreet, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are about to go out.’ 9 The discreet answered, saying: ‘Perhaps there may not be enough for both us and you. Go instead to those who sell it, and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 While they were going off to buy it, the bridegroom came. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward, the rest of the virgins also came, saying, ‘Sir, Sir, open to us!’ 12 In answer he said, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you.’
This illustration is again restricted to those who have entered the Kingdom of God, and who are waiting to meet the bridegroom, and it does not include the inhabitants of the whole world. The words of Jesus, “For many are called, but few are chosen” would also excellently fit this situation.
Jesus also gave illustrations about the Kingdom of the heavens that do not start with the words, “The Kingdom of God may be likened to…” One example is found in Luke 13:23-30:
23 Now a man said to him: “Lord, are those being saved few?” He said to them:24 “Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to get in but will not be able. 25 When the householder gets up and locks the door, you will stand outside knocking at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ But in answer he will say to you: ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 Then you will start saying, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our main streets.’ 27 But he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, all you workers of unrighteousness!’28 There is where your weeping and the gnashing of your teeth will be, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown outside. 29 Furthermore, people will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the Kingdom of God. 30 And look! there are those last who will be first, and there are those first who will be last.”
We know that this illustration is about the Kingdom of God because this is said in verse 28. This illustration stresses the basic theme of the illustrations about the Kingdom of God, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” because Jesus said that persons must exert themselves vigorously to get through the narrow door leading into the Kingdom of God.
Jesus also told illustrations that did not relate to the Kingdom of the heavens, and one of these illustrations referred to the adverse judgment of persons outside the Kingdom of the heavens. We see one example in Luke 20:9-13 that is similar to Mark 12:1-9 and Matthew 21:33-45.
Luke 20:9-13 9 Then he began to tell the people this illustration: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to cultivators, and he traveled abroad for a considerable time. 10 In due season he sent a slave to the cultivators so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. The cultivators, however, sent him away empty-handed, after beating him. 11 But again he sent another slave. That one also they beat and humiliated and sent away empty-handed. 12 Yet again he sent a third; this one also they wounded and threw out. 13 At this the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my son, the beloved. They will likely respect this one.’ 14 When the cultivators caught sight of him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him so that the inheritance may become ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill these cultivators and will give the vineyard to others.”
The adverse judgment was that the cultivators of the vineyard were killed, and the vineyard was given to others. The same words are used in Mark 12:9, but Matthew has another ending:
41 They said to him: “Because they are evil, he will bring a terrible destruction on them and will lease the vineyard to other cultivators, who will give him the fruits when they become due.” 42 Jesus said to them: “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone that the builders rejected, this has become the chief cornerstone. This has come from Jehovah, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 This is why I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits. 44 Also, the person falling on this stone will be shattered. As for anyone on whom it falls, it will crush him.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they knew that he was speaking about them.
Matthew tells that the cultivators would experience “a terrible destruction.” He also shows that the cultivators were identical to the Pharisees and that the Pharisees understood that Jesus was speaking about them. We learn from the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke that there is a difference between the application of illustrations beginning with the words, “The kingdom of the heavens/of God is like” and illustrations without these words. When the kingdom of the heavens is mentioned, the illustration exclusively refers to those who have entered the Kingdom of God, those who have experienced a new birth because they have been anointed by holy spirit. Other illustrations can refer to someone outside the kingdom of the heavens. In the illustration of the man who planted a vineyard, it is explicitly mentioned that the illustration referred to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the leaders of the nation, and when Jesus said that God’s Kingdom would be taken from them, that would apply to the whole Jewish nation. The Pharisees were sinning against the holy spirit according to Matthew 12:31, 32, and therefore they deserved to get “a terrible destruction.”
THE ILLUSTRATION AND PROPHECY ABOUT THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS
Now we have a good background for the right understanding of the illustration of the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43:
24 He presented another illustration to them, saying: “The Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to a man who sowed fine seed in his field. 25 While men were sleeping, his enemy came and oversowed weeds in among the wheat and left.26 When the stalk sprouted and produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared. 27 So the slaves of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow fine seed in your field? How, then, does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy, a man, did this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go out and collect them?’29 He said, ‘No, for fear that while collecting the weeds, you uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest season, I will tell the reapers: First collect the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them up; then gather the wheat into my storehouse.’”…
36 Then after dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said: “Explain to us the illustration of the weeds in the field.” 37 In response he said: “The sower of the fine seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world. As for the fine seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom, but the weeds are the sons of the wicked one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the reapers are angels. 40 Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness, 42 and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be. 43 At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Let the one who has ears listen.
Most of the illustrations of Jesus express general truths and are time indifferent. The illustration about the man who planted a vineyard in Luke 20:9-13 speaks about the killing of the son of the man, and this may refer to the killing of Jesus in 33 CE. Apart from this, I am aware of only four illustrations that have a clear time element, namely the illustration of the wheat and the weeds, the illustration of the sheep and the goats, the illustration of the dragnet, and the illustration of the minas. All four illustrations give several concrete details, and they must be viewed as prophecies.
Verse 24 in chapter 13 shows that this is an illustration about the Kingdom of the heavens, and this means, as I previously have shown, that all the prophetic elements of the illustration exclusively refer to the group of those who are called and chosen for life in heaven and not to persons outside this group.
In the 1st century CE, the fine seed was sown when sincere persons entered the Kingdom of God, i.e., the Kingdom of his beloved Son. In the last part of that century, Satan the Devil sowed weeds when persons in the Christian congregation introduced false teachings and violated of God’s laws. This bad influence is described in 1 John, 2 John, and Revelation which were written at the end of the 1st century CE. In the second century, elders gave themselves more power and they made themselves into bishops. And later a clergy with priests and bishops developed. Throughout the centuries, only a few sincere persons served God in spirit and truth according to the illustration. But there was no separate group of true Christians. This situation would continue until the harvest.
In the explanation of Jesus, there is a clear time frame. Verse 39 says that the harvest is synteleia aiōnos, which can correctly be translated as “a conclusion of a system of things” as does NWT13. In Matthew 24:3 we find the expression synteleias tou aiōnos, which is the same as the expression in 13:39. In 24:3, Matthew parallels synteleias tou aiōnos with the parousia (“presence”) of Jesus. And this presence began in 1914 when Jesus started to reign in the midst of his enemies and the Kingdom of God was established. This period is also called “the time of the end” in Daniel 12:9.
At the beginning of this harvest time, aka “the conclusion of the system of things,” aka “the time of the end, aka “the presence of Jesus” between the year 1914 and the great tribulation the angels would do the harvest work.
According to verse 41, the angels “will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness” How can we understand these words? We note the words “The Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to…,” and this shows that the illustration relates to the heavenly kingdom and to the 144 000 who would be chosen to reign with Jesus Christ in the heavens. In The Watchtower of March 1, 1984, page 31, the following question was discussed:
In Jesus’ parable of the wheat among the weeds, do the “weeds” include those who recently have become apostates?
No, for strictly speaking they are not “weeds.”
This illustration and Jesus’ explanation of it are found at Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43. In the “field,” which is the world, the “Son of man” sowed “fine seed,” representing “the sons of the kingdom,” genuine anointed Christians. Then the Devil sowed “weeds” that might appear to be “wheat,” but are actually “the sons of the wicked one,” evidently imitation Christians that exist at the same time as the wheatlike true Christians. This developed particularly after the apostles died. (2 Thessalonians 2:6, 7) Through the centuries there have been many who merely claimed to be Christians, including the clergy who have spread false teachings.
Jesus said that during the harvest period, the “conclusion of a system of things,” the “weeds” would be collected out and “burned with fire.” Some might view the small number of persons who recently turned apostate as “weeds” being collected out. But Jesus did not say that the “weeds” had once been “wheat” and then turned bad. They were sown as “weeds” and remained such, consistent with the genetic rule that vegetation reproduces “according to its kind.” (Genesis 1:11, 12) We need to bear in mind, though, that in speaking of the “weeds” Jesus was foretelling a particular sort of false, or imitation, Christians who would appear. He was not discussing individuals of the “wheat” class who might go bad, becoming like rotten wheat stalks.
The explanation that “the weeds” are false Christians “including the clergy who have spread false teachings” is only partially true. It is true that from the last part of the 1st century CE false Christian groups developed, and in time these evolved into false Christian denominations. The illustration shows that from the end of the 1st century CE and through the centuries there should be sincere individuals who served God among the false Christians. But no group of sincere Christians would be formed.
However, this situation would change in the harvest time, which began in the year 1914. Historically speaking, the change started in the 1870s. Sincere persons from different false Christian denominations came together to study the Bible in order to find the true Christian doctrines. This group was led by Charles T. Russell. In the 19th century, there was a loosely connected group of Bible students. But it was first some years after the death of Russell in 1916 that the group of Bible students became a united group under the leadership of Joseph F. Rutherford. This new situation could be seen as the fulfillment of the words of verse 30 in chapter 13 that the angels “would gather the wheat into my storehouse.”
But what about the “weeds”? According to verse 41, the angels would collect the weeds “out from his kingdom.” In the examples discussed above where it is said that some persons would “enter the Kingdom of the heavens,” this meant that they would enter “the Kingdom of God’s beloved Son” because the Kingdom of the heavens was first established in 1914. Jesus Christ ruled over the Christian congregations with the members of the ones who were chosen to reign with him after their heavenly resurrection. In the examples discussed above beginning with the words “The Kingdom of the heavens is like,” the unsuitable fish and the man not wearing a wedding suit were taken out of the Kingdom dragnet and out of the Kingdom wedding feast. In a similar way, the expression “collected out from his kingdom” in the illustration of the wheat and the weeds must mean that persons will be collected out of the Kingdom of his beloved Son, out of the group of chosen Christians.
The argument of The Watchtower is that the weeds cannot be apostate Christians because the wheat symbolizing true Christians was not turned into weeds. This argument holds good for most of the harvest time, the conclusion of the system of things. But it cannot be used in the last years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century. How so? The good and unsuitable fish were collected into the Kingdom dragnet, and then the unsuitable fish were thrown away. And the man without a wedding dress entered the Kingdom wedding feast with the others who had wedding dresses, but later he was thrown out. In a similar way, it happened with the Bible students during the days of Russell and the first years of Rutherford. Many different persons associated with Russell and other Bible students at a time when there only was a loosely connected group. The illustration says that the wheat was gathered into God’s storehouse, which suggests a tightly united group consisting of different congregations with members who were chosen by God and therefore could be viewed as wheat would be formed.
In the process of catching fish by a dragnet, both good and unsuitable fish were gathered. Only during the sorting process did the different qualities of the different fishes become known. In a similar way, a number of people gathered around Russell and his friends. But it was not clear from the outset who was like the wheat and who was like the weeds. However, in time, the spiritual quality of each person would become visible, and persons who showed that they were weeds were collected by the angels. So, the situation was not that some who were like wheat became weeds. But the situation was that time was needed to show who would turn out to be wheat and who would turn out to be weeds.
The book Faith on the March by A.H. Macmillan, who was an associate of Russell, and different history books published by the Watchtower Society, can be used to see the difference between the wheat and the weeds during the time of Russell and the Bible Students. Nelson Barbour cooperated with Russel for some time. But then he discarded the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and he and his followers showed that they were weeds. After the death of Russell, P.S.L. Johnson started a rebellion, and he and his friends showed that they were weeds. To this day, there are some groups of Russelites in different countries that originated in this rebellion.
It is very important to understand that Jesus by telling the illustration about the wheat and the weeds, did not refer to the preaching work during the time of the end and that people would be separated into two groups. The focus of the illustration is the formation of a tightly united group of persons who are chosen to reign with Jesus Christ in the heavenly Kingdom. And this separation would occur in the time of the end after the time when there was no distinction between true Christians and false Christians
The members of the Governing Body believe that the false Christian religions of today are the weeds. But this is a wrong view because these religions have never been a part of the heavenly Kingdom, and therefore it cannot be said that they will be collected out of the Kingdom. So, the illustration about the wheat and the weeds fits the basic theme of the other illustrations about the Kingdom of the heavens: “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
THE ILLUSTRATION ABOUT THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
The only denomination of which I am aware that is teaching that there are two different groups that will get everlasting life, one group of 144 000 that will rule with Jesus Christ in heaven, and another group without number that will live on the paradise earth, is Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The only hope that is given in the Hebrew Scriptures is that there will be a resurrection on the paradise earth. This is, for example, seen in Isaiah 61:21-25. The hope that is given in the Christian Greek Scriptures is that persons will be called and chosen to rule with Jesus Christ in heaven. However, that there will be a heavenly class and an earthly class is also clearly expressed in the Christian Greek Scriptures. One example is Hebrews 2:5, where we read about “the coming inhabited earth (oikoumenē “inhabited earth”; mellō “to occur at a point of time in the future”). Hebrews 2:11-12 speaks about “the children of God” who are “the brothers of Christ,” and 3:1 says that these have “the heavenly calling.” The letter of Hebrews discusses Jehovah’s spiritual temple, and 10:19 says that based on his ransom sacrifice Jesus has opened a way for his brothers into the holy place, which means heaven.[1]
In most instances where Jesus speaks about the future, either directly or by illustrations, he refers to the heavenly hope. But in his great prophecy about his presence and the conclusion of the system of things in Matthew chapters 24 and 25 he also discusses the earthly hope about the coming paradise. In 25:1 he speaks about the Kingdom of the heavens as a setting for the illustration of the foolish and discreet virgins, and in 25:31-46 he speaks about the coming earthly kingdom. I will elucidate this.[2]
The prophecy in Matthew 25:31-46 refers to the presence of Jesus and not to his coming in the great tribulation
From the year 1923 and for 72 years the view was that the words in 25:31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne” refer to the establishment of the heavenly Kingdom in the year 1914 when Jesus Christ started to rule in the midst of his enemies. But The Watchtower of October 15, 1995, pages 22, 23, presented a different view:
21 How, though, will people in those nations fare when the Son of man arrives in his glory? Let us find out from the parable of the sheep and the goats, which begins with the words: “When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him.”—Matthew 25:31, 32.
22 Does this parable apply when Jesus sat down in kingly power in 1914, as we have long understood? Well, Matthew 25:34 does speak of him as King, so the parable logically finds application since Jesus became King in 1914. But what judging did he do soon thereafter? It was not a judging of “all the nations.” Rather, he turned his attention to those claiming to make up “the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17) In line with Malachi 3:1-3, Jesus, as Jehovah’s messenger, judicially inspected the anointed Christians remaining on earth. It was also time for judicial sentence on Christendom, who falsely claimed to be “the house of God.” (Revelation 17:1, 2; 18:4-8) Yet nothing indicates that at that time, or for that matter since, Jesus sat to judge people of all the nations finally as sheep or goats.
23 If we analyze Jesus’ activity in the parable, we observe him finally judging all the nations. The parable does not show that such judging would continue over an extended period of many years, as if every person dying during these past decades were judged worthy of everlasting death or everlasting life. It seems that the majority who have died in recent decades have gone to mankind’s common grave. (Revelation 6:8; 20:13) The parable, though, depicts the time when Jesus judges the people of “all the nations” who are then alive and facing the execution of his judicial sentence.
24 In other words, the parable points to the future when the Son of man will come in his glory. He will sit down to judge people then living. His judgment will be based on what they have manifested themselves to be. At that time “the distinction between a righteous one and a wicked one” will have been clearly established. (Malachi 3:18) The actual pronouncing and executing of judgment will be carried out in a limited time. Jesus will render just decisions based on what has become evident about individuals.—See also 2 Corinthians 5:10.
25 This means, then, that Jesus’ ‘sitting down on his glorious throne’ for judgment, mentioned at Matthew 25:31, applies to the future point when this powerful King will sit down to pronounce and execute judgment on the nations. Yes, the judgment scene that involves Jesus at Matthew 25:31-33, 46is comparable to the scene in Daniel chapter 7, where the reigning King, the Ancient of Days, sat down to carry out his role as Judge.
26 Understanding the parable of the sheep and the goats in this way indicates that the rendering of judgment on the sheep and the goats is future. It will take place after “the tribulation” mentioned at Matthew 24:29, 30 breaks out and the Son of man ‘arrives in his glory.’ (Compare Mark 13:24-26.) Then, with the entire wicked system at its end, Jesus will hold court and render and execute judgment.—John 5:30; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
27 This clarifies our understanding of the timing of Jesus’ parable, which shows when the sheep and the goats will be judged. But how does it affect us who are zealously preaching the Kingdom good news? (Matthew 24:14) Does it make our work less significant, or does it bring a greater weight of responsibility? Let us see in the next article how we are affected.
The person who wrote this article and the members of the Governing Body that read the article and approved it for publication showed that they did not know Greek, and therefore, they had not analyzed the Greek text of the verses. The reason I can say that is that the Greek text contradicts the basic claim of the article, that the illustration shows that all the nations of the world shall be judged as sheep or goats. I will show below that it is not all the nations of the world that will be judged as sheep and goats. But this judgment refers to some individuals that are members of these nations. Before I discuss this I will look at the time setting.
The word “comes” in 25:31 is erkhomai (“come”) and we can find its reference on the basis of the context. In Acts 1:11 the word refers to his return as king in 1914. But in Matthew 24:30, 42, 44. 46 it refers to the coming of Jesus in the great tribulation. However, the words about the transfiguration of Jesus on the holy mountain can help us find the correct time setting.
I will now compare the words in Matthew 25:31 with what the gospel writers say about the transfiguration:
Matthew 25:31: 31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne.
Matthew 16:27, 28: 27 For the Son of man is to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each one according to his behavior. 28 Truly I say to you that there are some of those standing here who will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his Kingdom.”
Mark 8:38, 9:1: 38 For whoever becomes ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 1 Furthermore, he said to them: “Truly I say to you that there are some of those standing here who will not taste death at all until first they see the Kingdom of God already having come (erkhomai, perfect participle active) in power.”
Luke 9:26, 27: 26 For whoever becomes ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death at all until first they see the Kingdom of God.”
There are three important points in Matthew 25:31, 1) “comes in his glory,” 2) “with the angels,” and “sit down on his glorious throne.” In the presentation of the transfiguration, the three gospel writers use the words “glory” and “angels” that we also find in Matthew 25:31. And the words “sit down on his glorious throne” in Matthew 25:31 has a parallel as well.
Six days after Jesus spoke his words, the apostles saw his transfiguration, and what they saw was not Jesus acting as judge in the great tribulation, but they saw “the kingdom of God” and “the Son of man coming in his Kingdom.” These words can only refer to the Kingdom of God that was established in the year 1914. The words of Mark are particularly illuminating. He uses the perfect active participle of the verb erkhomai (“come”), and the translation must be “see the Kingdom of God having come.” (The word “already” in NWT13 is added and is not in the Greek text.) The point here is that the transfiguration showed that the Kingdom of God had come, it was established. And what they saw was not the great tribulation that was the end of the presence of Jesus but rather its beginning.
One of the apostles who were on the holy mountain with Jesus and who saw his transfiguration was Peter. In his second letter, he referred to the transfiguration, and his words are important. 2 Peter 1:16-18 says:
16 No, it was not by following artfully contrived false stories that we made known to you the power and presence (parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ, but rather, we were eyewitnesses of his magnificence. 17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory when words such as these were conveyed to him by the magnificent glory: “This is my Son, my beloved, whom I myself have approved.” 18 Yes, these words we heard coming from heaven while we were with him in the holy mountain.
Peter confirms the conclusion I already have reached that the transfiguration referred to the coming of Jesus as king in the year 1914 and the establishing of the heavenly Kingdom. Peter says directly that the transfiguration showed the presence of Jesus. When the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31 parallels his words about the transfiguration, we have strong evidence that the words in verse 31 refer to the presence of Jesus from the year 1914 and not to his coming on the great tribulation.
The earthly kingdom that will make the earth a paradise
The illustration of Jesus does not refer to the Kingdom of the heavens as does the illustration of the five discreet and five foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. But verse 34 in chapter 25 shows that the reference is to the coming earthly Kingdom:
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
When we look for clues that can identify “the Kingdom” that is mentioned, we need to consider the time factor that is mentioned in the verse, namely “the founding of the world.” According to Luke 11:50, 51, the foundation/founding (katabolē) of the world (the human family) was laid at the time of Abel when children were born to Adam and Eve. Hebrews 11:11 confirms that katabolē is connected with the procreation of children.
The expression “the founding of the world” is used in the letter to the Ephesians. We read in 1:3, 4, and 2:6:
3 Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in union with Christ, 4 as he chose us to be in union with him before the founding of the world, that we should be holy and unblemished before him in love…
6 Moreover, he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus.
These verses show that the hope of members of the congregation in Ephesus was to rule with Jesus Christ in his heavenly Kingdom. What is particularly important in 1:4 is the use of the preposition. The verse says that the Ephesians whose hope was the heavenly Kingdom were chosen before (pro) the founding of the world. However, the Kingdom that the sheep would inherit according to Matthew 26:34 was prepared from (apo) the founding of the world. The two prepositions are mutually exclusive, and this shows that the Kingdom mentioned in 25:34 is a kingdom that is different from the heavenly Kingdom. The only alternative is the earthly Kingdom that will exist on the earth during the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ. That there is both a heavenly Kingdom and an earthly Kingdom is confirmed by Hebrews 2:5 where we read about “the coming inhabited earth” and 3:1 where we read about those who are “partakes of the heavenly calling.” We appreciate very much that Jesus mentions both the heavenly and the earthly Kingdoms in his great prophecy about his presence.
The two different hopes, the heavenly one and the earthly one are not only seen in the use of the preposition apo (“from”) in contrast with the preposition pro (“before”) in the letter to the Ephesians. But it is also seen in the relationship with the persons that are mentioned.
The word “sheep” refers to persons who have God’s approval and who will inherit the earthly Kingdom. But there is another group that is mentioned, namely, the brothers of Jesus in 25:40. We have already seen that the group called the brothers of Jesus in Hebrew 2:11, who also are children of God, according to 2:13, are “partakes of the heavenly calling” according to 3:1. This suggests that the brothers of Jesus that are mentioned together with the sheep also are partakers of the heavenly calling.
This conclusion is confirmed in the letter to Romans chapter 8. Verses 29 and 30 say that Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers,” whom God called to the heavenly Kingdom. Being brothers of Jesus, these individuals are also the children of God. Just as is the case in Matthew 25:31-46, two different groups are also mentioned in Romans 8:17-33:
14 For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” 16 The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 If, then, we are children, we are also heirs—heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ—provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of the present time do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. 19 For the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves also who have the firstfruits, namely, the spirit, yes, we ourselves groan within ourselves while we are earnestly waiting for adoption as sons, the release from our bodies by ransom.
Paul shows that he and the Romans to whom his letter was addressed were God’s sons or children (verses 14, 15). They were also joint heirs with Christ (verse 16), and they were earnestly waiting for the release of their bodies (Verse 23). Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:50 that “flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom,” and in verses 35 to 49 he shows that in order to reign with Jesus Christ in heaven a person must die and get a spirit body in his resurrection. This is “the release from our bodies.”
In addition to the mentioned group of God’s children who have the heavenly calling, there is another group, “the creation” (verse 19), which refers to Adam’s descendants. They are “subjected to futility” (verse 19). But with the help of God’s children in the heavenly government they “will be set free from enslavement to corruption” during the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ. Att the end of this period when they have reached perfection, they themselves will “have the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Thus, we see that the earthly Kingdom is mentioned together with the heavenly Kingdom in Romans chapter 8 and Hebrews chapter 2, and it is implied together with the earthly Kingdom in Matthew chapter 25.
The identity of the goats
I have already mentioned the conclusion in The Watchtower of October 15, 1995 that the words in Matthew 25:31 that Jesus “will sit down on his glorious throne” means that he will “judge people of all the nations finally as sheep or goats” in the great tribulation” is contradicted by the Greek text of verse 32. I will elucidate this below but first I will discuss the view of the members of the Governing Body as to what is the basis for the adverse judgment of the goats. We find this in the book, Our Incoming World Government —Gods Kingdom (1977), pages 170-172:
NONSUPPORTERS OF THE INCOMING WORLD GOVERNMENT
17, 18. What judgment is pronounced on the “goats,” and why?
17 In contrast with the King’s invitation to “inherit the kingdom [realm] prepared for [the righteous sheep] from the founding of the world,” there is the judgment pronounced upon the symbolic “goats” of the illustration. Regarding these the parable goes on to say:
18 “Then he will say, in turn, to those on his left, ‘Be on your way from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I became hungry, but you gave me nothing to eat, and I got thirsty, but you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, but you did not receive me hospitably; naked, but you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but you did not look after me.’ Then they also will answer with the words, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them with the words, ‘Truly I say to you, To the extent that you did not do it to one of these least ones, you did not do it to me.’”—Matthew 25:41-45.
19 Here we might well ask, Does the King consider the matter as a mere unintentional oversight on the part of the “goat” class? Does he account their conduct as expressing merely ignorant neglect on their part? Certainly not, when we see that he calls these neglectful ones “cursed” and orders them to go off into the “everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” The King must rate or judge them as being wicked, according to the Scriptural rule: “The curse of Jehovah is on the house of the wicked one, but the abiding place of the righteous ones he blesses.” (Proverbs 3:33) But why should the “goat” class be cursed for mere failure to come to the aid and relief of Christ’s “brothers”?
20 If we say that the symbolic “goats” were “cursed” and condemned to destruction with the Devil and his angels merely for ignorantly neglecting Christ’s “brothers,” then, logically, we must argue that the symbolic “sheep” were blessed and rewarded with a place in the Kingdom realm merely for ignorantly doing good to Christ’s “brothers.” What real merit would there be, then, in the good that the “sheep” did to Christ’s “brothers”? Or what demerit in the neglect that the “goats” did not realize that they were committing? Where, then, is the justice in rewarding the one ignorant class and punishing the other ignorant class? Justice is apparently nowhere in such treatment.
21 Let us grant that both classes were ignorant of the rule that what they did or did not do to Christ’s spiritual “brothers” they did or did not do to Christ himself. Still, they were not ignorant of the fact that they were dealing with his “brothers”! Why not?
22 We have to take Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats along with what he said earlier in his prophecy on “the sign of [his] presence and of the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matthew 24:3) He spoke of the approved work for his spiritual “brothers” when, at Matthew 24:14, he told them: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.” Not just to the so-called Christian nations or to Christendom, but to “all the nations” in “all the inhabited earth.” Yet Jesus also told his spiritual “brothers”: “Then people will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name.”—Matthew 24:9.
23 Hatred on account of his name means that Christ’s “brothers” would identify themselves by their preaching of “this good news of the kingdom” world wide and by their making disciples for him, baptizing these. (Matthew 28:19, 20) In general, the people or the national governments that these people support refuse to acknowledge that these preachers of the Kingdom “good news” are Christ’s spiritual “brothers.” But does this really disprove that they are actually Christ’s spiritual “brothers”? No!
24 This general refusal of people to recognize Christ’s spiritual “brothers” as being such, and this international hatred of them because of what they are preaching about the Kingdom have influenced people in their treatment of these. Where a nation has a Bill of Rights defending freedom of worship, individuals may not join in violently persecuting Christ’s “brothers.” But out of fear of public opinion or because of agreeing with it, such abstainers from persecution refuse willfully to aid, relieve or support Christ’s “brothers.” So their negative attitude, their neglect, is not excusable.—Proverbs 29:18.
25 Jesus’ illustration of the sheep and the goats takes all of this into consideration. Failure to come to the aid and relief of Christ’s “brothers” carries along with it a failure to aid and support Christ’s kingdom, the incoming world government. This is a serious matter, and there is no middle ground, no compromise, no straddling of the fence, with respect to the issue of world government. Jesus Christ the King hates lukewarmness. (Revelation 3:16) Jesus also said: “He that is not on my side is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23) On this basis there is no injustice on Jesus’ part in declaring that the goatlike nonsupporters of his “throne” or kingdom are “cursed” and to be punished with the Devil and his angels. The title “Devil” means “Slanderer,” and these “goats” are classed with the Chief Devil because they listen to the slanders of the Devil and his angels and are prejudiced against Christ’s “brothers.” (Revelation 12:10) They should share his fate.
26 Let us, then, not be guilty of making excuses for the “goats” and thereby call into question the justice of Christ the King. Regardless of whether anyone likes the thought of it or not, Jesus’ illustration closes with regard to the judgment executed on the faulty “goats” and the righteous “sheep,” saying: “And these [symbolic goats] will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.” (Matthew 25:46) When will Christ the King tell these cursed “goats” to go off into the symbolic “fire,” the “cutting-off” (Greek: koʹla·sis)? After the preaching of the Kingdom good news has been carried on earth wide by his spiritual “brothers” and “the end” comes on this system of things that is now in its “conclusion.” (Matthew 24:3, 14) Then the “great tribulation” will break out world wide, but the “goats” will never survive it.—Matthew 24:21, 22.
27 The everlasting “cutting-off (koʹla·sis) of the “goats” is the opposite of the “everlasting life” with which the “sheep” are rewarded. It is an everlasting punishment, because this form of punishment will never be lifted from these “goats” who are executed in the “great tribulation.” They will never have a resurrection from the dead. They suffer that other death that the Bible speaks of, “the second death,” which is symbolized by “the lake of fire.” They will no more be released from this symbolic “lake of fire” than Satan the Devil and his demon angels will. (Revelation 20:10-15; Genesis 3:15) They will perish in the “great tribulation” that will reach its peak in the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” at Har–Magedon.—Revelation 16:14, 16; 19:11-21.
The main point in this text is that the sheep are Jehovah’s Witnesses who will survive the great tribulation, and the goats are all the other persons on the earth. And the goats will be eternally annihilated. The arguments that are used to support this conclusion are without basis.
In order to understand this, we need to understand the rules regarding Greek nouns and the pronouns that refer back to these nouns. The rules in English regarding pronouns that refer back to nouns are quite similar to the rules in Greek. In order to illustrate the issue, I use an English example, namely, Matthew 5:28.
But I say to you that everyone who keeps on looking at a woman (gynaika, feminine singular accusative) so as to have a passion for her (autēn, third person feminine singular accusative) has already committed adultery with her (autēn, third person feminine singular accusative) in his heart.
*But I say to you that everyone who keeps on looking at a woman (gynaika, feminine singular accusative) so as to have a passion for him (auton, third person masculine singular accusative) has already committed adultery with him (auton, third person masculine singular accusative) in his heart.
The first quotation is grammatical because the pronouns referring back to the woman are feminine and “woman” (gynaika) is feminine. The second clause is marked by an asterisk because it is ungrammatical. It is not possible to use a masculine singular pronoun to refer back to a feminine singular noun. The rule is the same in Greek. A pronoun that refers back to a noun must have the same gender and number as this noun. Now we understand the rules that can help us answer the questions regarding the goats and the nations and whether the nations that are mentioned in Revelation 20:8 are those who are rebelling against God.
Below is my translation of Matthew 25:32
And all the nations (panta ta ethne, plural nominative neuter) will be gathered before him. And he will separate them (autous, third person masculine plural accusative) from each other (allēlōn; masculine plural genitive), just as the shepherd is separating the sheep from the goats.
Just as “him” in the ungrammatical example above cannot refer back to “the woman,” the pronoun “them” that is masculine cannot refer back to “the nations” that are neuter. The conclusion is that those who will experience everlasting cutting-off are not all the inhabitants of the nations of the world who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses, but they are some unidentified persons among these inhabitants. A parallel example is found in Matthew 28:19, with my literal translation (above) and NWT13 (below):
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations (ta ethnē, neuter plural accusative), baptizing them (autous, personal pronoun third masculine plural accusative) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations (ta ethnē, neuter plural accusative), baptizing them (autous, personal pronoun third masculine plural accusative) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.
The grammatical construction in Matthew 28:19 is similar to the construction in 25:32. “All the nations” are neuter and the following personal pronoun is masculine. Therefore, the personal pronoun cannot refer back to all the nations. The translators of NWT13 realized this, and therefore they added the words “people of” before “all the nations.” Thus, the personal pronoun “them” refers back to “people of” all the nations. Because the construction of 28:19 is similar to the construction of 25:32, those who are separated as goats are people of all the nations and not all the inhabitants of all the nations.
There is also a parallel example in Revelation 20:8, 9, and my translation is:
8 And he [Satan] will go out to mislead (planaō, aorist active infinitive) the nations (ta ethnē, neuter plural accusative) those in the four corners of the earth, the Gog (masculine singular accusative) and Magog to gather (aorist active infinitive) them (autous, personal pronoun third person masculine plural accusative) to the war, those being (ōn, relative pronoun, masculine plural accusative). And their (autōn, personal pronoun third person masculine plural accusative) number like the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down out of heaven and devoured them (autous, personal pronoun third person masculine plural accusative)
In verse 8, the verb “mislead” (planaō) is aorist infinitive. An infinitive has no temporal reference, and this infinitive shows the purpose of Satan, namely, “to go out to mislead the nations.” But the text does not say that he succeeded in misleading the nations. To the contrary, the text says that Satan will “gather them.” The personal pronoun “them” is masculine, and therefore it cannot refer back to the nations that are neuter.
So, the situation is exactly the same as with those that would be baptized (Matthew 28:19): people of all the nations and not all the nations would be baptized. The situation is also the same as with the goats: they are not the inhabitants of all the nations, but some of these inhabitants. Satan will not mislead the nations at the four corners of the earth, but some people of these nations. This is seen by the use of the masculine personal pronoun three times in Revelation 20:8 and 9.
What about Gog and Magog? The word “Gog” has the masculine singular article, and therefore, Gog cannot refer back to the nations that are neuter plural. The word Magog does not have the article, but grammatically speaking, when two names are connected with “and” only the first name has the article, and the article is implied in connection with the second name. This means that Gog and Magog are grammatically dual, and because of this, the plural pronoun “them” can refer back to Gog and Magog. This means that “Gog and Magog” are not designations of the nations at the four corners of the earth, but designations of those who attack the encampment of the holy ones and the beloved city are called “Gog and Magog.”[1]
[1]. The distinction between the nations of the earth and those who will be judged is seen by expositors of the gospel of Matthew. For example, Robert H. Gundry says in his book Matthew A Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art, page 512, “The shift from the neuter panta ta ethnē, “all the nations,” to the masculine autous, “them,” implies individual rather than national judgment (cf. 28:19, 29).
[1]. The personal pronoun that the NWT13 translates as “the people” is autous, which is third person masculine plural accusative. If the personal pronoun referred back to “nations” that is neuter, the pronoun must have been auta, which is third person neuter plural accusative. The antecedent of autous is not grammatical but logical, namely, unspecified persons from the nations. I would, therefore, have translated autous by “persons” and not by “the people,” with explanations in a footnote.
It was important for the author of the book about the Incoming World Government to show that the goats do not get an adverse judgment because of ignorance. It is correct that the prophecy says that the goats are wicked, and this means that they are responsible for their actions. But the responsibility that the article ascribes to the goats simply is fiction. Verse 40 in chapter 25 says that the goats will be judged because they did not do the right things to “these my brothers.” And Jesus said according to verse 45 that “to the extent that you did not do it to one of these least ones, you did not do it to me.” As I have shown above, Hebrews 3:1 says that those who have the heavenly calling are viewed as the brothers of Jesus. Therefore, it is correct as the Incoming World Government text says that the goats did not do the right things to the anointed group of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
However, the explanation of this is weird. In the article, “The members of the Governing Body have devalued and restricted the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ” I show that more than 75% of the world population, more than 6 billion humans, have not had any chance to consider the good news of the Kingdom and accept or reject the ransom sacrifice. This number will increase in the time before the great tribulation comes. In countries where 30% of the population live and can hear the good news of the Kingdom, most people do not understand what this message is all about. Therefore, it is impossible to say that they have consciously refused to come to the aid and relief of the brothers of Jesus. This means that most of the world population is ignorant in connection with the brothers of Jesus, and therefore, they cannot get an adverse judgment and be eternally annihilated.
The real issue is that the members of the Governing Body have looked in the wrong direction and have completely misunderstood the words of Jesus. I have shown that the words that fit many of Jesus’ illustrations about the heavenly kingdom are: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” These words can only be applied to anointed persons with the heavenly calling. But this principle can be applied to the whole group of true Christians. Above I showed that the weeds in the illustration of the wheat and the weeds, that the angels collected out from his Kingdom, were not the false Christian denominations but were persons who belonged to the group that later became the Christian organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This must also be true with the goats.
I have shown above that Jesus did not say that the nations of the world would be separated as sheep and goats. But he said that people from these nations would be separated. Please take a look at the verses in Matthew 25:41-46 one time more:
41 “Then he will say to those on his left: ‘Go away from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. 42 For I became hungry, but you gave me nothing to eat; and I was thirsty, but you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger, but you did not receive me hospitably; naked, but you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but you did not look after me.’ 44 Then they too will answer with the words: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying: ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of these least ones, you did not do it to me.’ 46 These will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.”
In order to refuse to come to the aid and relief of the brothers of Jesus (these least ones), the goats must have identified and known these brothers of Jesus. The only place where that would be possible would be inside the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses where the anointed brothers of Jesus are. This means that the goats are not the several billion humans outside the Christian congregations who live on this earth. But the goats are persons who in one way or another have been associated with Jehovah’s Christian congregations, but who have followed the bad example of some anointed Christians that we read about in Hebrews 6:1-8:
1 Therefore, now that we have moved beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying a foundation again, namely, repentance from dead works and faith in God,2 the teaching on baptisms and the laying on of the hands, the resurrection of the dead and everlasting judgment. 3 And this we will do, if God indeed permits.4 For as regards those who were once enlightened and who have tasted the heavenly free gift and who have become partakers of holy spirit 5 and who have tasted the fine word of God and powers of the coming system of things, 6 but have fallen away, it is impossible to revive them again to repentance, because they nail the Son of God to the stake again for themselves and expose him to public shame. 7 For the ground receives a blessing from God when it drinks in the rain that frequently falls on it and then produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is rejected and is near to being cursed, and in the end it will be burned.
The persons who are mentioned in these verses were not ignorant. They had been enlightened, and they had the chance to accept the ransom sacrifice of Jesus. But instead of accepting this free gift, they fell away. The word parapiptō has the meaning “to abandon a former relationship or association.” These persons consciously rejected the worship of Jehova and the kingship of Jesus Christ, and therefore they deserved to get an adverse judgment. In a similar way, the goats have also rejected the ransom sacrifice, and they have refused to support the brothers of Jesus who have taken the lead in the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom. The dichotomy of the members of the Governing Body that Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive the great tribulation because they are the sheep but all others will be annihilated forever because they are the goats is utterly false. Most persons who live on the earth when the great tribulation comes will get the chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice during the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ.
WHAT THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY DO NOT UNDERSTAND
The illustration of the wheat of the weeds shows that the true Christian organization should be formed in the conclusion of the system of things. The loosely connected group of Bible Students around C.T. Russel in the last part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century was able to understand the basic doctrines of the Bible. This group became organized, and in 1931 they took the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. I see the formation of this group as the fulfillment of Matthew 13:30 “to gather the wheat into my storehouse.”
The members of the Governing Body do not understand the real purpose of the true religion in relation to the nations of the world. Their Lack of understaning is seen in that they have given themselves dictatorial power, which is a clear violation of Bible principles; they have introduced several false teachings, and they have caused tens of thousands of Witnesses to be disfellowshipped because of human commandments that they themselves have made. In this section, I will discuss the relationship between the true religion and the nations of the world.
Jesus Christ is the king of the Kingdom of God, and he is the ruler of the Christian congregations. No human has the right to govern other Christians (a governing body). Chapters 2 and 3 in my book, My Beloved Religion — And The Governing Body, third edition, show that there is no basis in the Bible for the existence of the Governing Body, and its position as “the faithful and discreet slave” of the nine members of the Governing Body is pure fiction. My articles, “The Governing Body’s new view of the resurrection is contradicted by the Scriptures,” “The members of the Governing Body have devalued and restricted the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ,” and “The implementation of the elder arrangement was a blessing — the creation of the Governing Body has been a disaster,” all three articles in the category “The Governing Body,” have many examples of false doctrines that recently have been introduced. Chapters 5 and 6 in the mentioned book show that 37 of the 48 disfellowshipping offenses mentioned in the Watchtower literature are made up and invented by the Governing Body without any basis in the Bible. The consequence of this is that more than 70,000 of the 80,000 that were disfellowshipped last year should not have been disfellowshipped.
The members of the Governing Body have arranged for the fulfillment of the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:14 of preaching the good news of the Kingdom to all the nations. They have also followed the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19, 20 of making disciples of people of all nations. As a result of his, around 300,000 new disciples have been baptized each year. From the 1870s until the year 1935, Jehovah called persons who would be kings and priests together with Jesus Christ in the heavenly Kingdom. But from 1935 onward until the present, most of the the new disciples have the hope of living forever in the earthly paradise.
The very purpose of the preaching and the teaching is to find and support persons who were called to the heavenly Kingdom, and to educate godfearing persons who will survive the great tribulation and who will organize the building work and the teaching work in the first part of the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the Christian organization is not to separate all the humans on the earth into two groups, the one group that will get everlasting life in heaven or on earth and the other group whose members will be annihilated forever. This is the belief of the members of the Governing Body, and this definitely contradicts the Holy Scriptures!
In my article “The members of the Governing Body have devalued and restricted the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ” I show that Jesus by his death bought all the descendants of Adam and that each one must get the chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice. I also show that most persons who lived before Jesus came to the earth have not had this chance and must get a resurrection on Judgment Day. And the same is true with most persons who lived before Jesus became king in the year 1914. I have already shown that more than 6 billion of the present world population have not had this chance, and this number will increase every year until the great tribulation.
In chapter 7 of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John, we have the same situation that we see in the great prophecy of Jesus about his presence in Matthew chapters 24 and 25. In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus spoke about those who will inherit the heavenly Kingdom, and in 25:31-46, he spoke about those who will inherit the earthly Kingdom. In Revelation 7:4-8, the group of 144,000 that will inherit the heavenly Kingdom is mentioned, and in 7:9-17, a group of persons without number, who have accepted the ransom sacrifice, and who will survive the great tribulation are mentioned.
But what about those who live when the great tribulation starts but who have not accepted the ransom sacrifice because they have not had any chance to do so? They are neither mentioned in Matthew chapter 25 nor in Revelation chapter 7 — those who will experience the everlasting cutting off, are persons who have rejected the ransom sacrifice. All Adam’s descendants must have a chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice, and does that mean that several billion people who are not true believers will survive the great tribulation? Only Jehovah God knows what will happen in the great tribulation.
But in chapter 38 of Ezekiel, we find some food for thought. The words about God of Magog (verse 2) who “will come against my people Israel in the final parts of the days” (verse 16) logically is a prophecy of how Satan the Devil before the great tribulation will lead his servants in an attack on the people of God. What will happen in connection with this attack is mentioned in Ezekiel 38:18-23:
18 “‘On that day, the day when Gog invades the land of Israel,’ declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘my great rage will flare up. 19 In my zeal, in the fire of my fury, I will speak; and in that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.20 Because of me the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the wild beasts of the field, all the reptiles that creep on the ground, and all humans on the surface of the earth will tremble, and the mountains will be thrown down, and the cliffs will fall, and every wall will collapse to the ground.’ 21 “‘I will call for a sword against him on all my mountains,’ declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘Every man’s sword will be against his own brother. 22 I will bring my judgment against him with pestilence and bloodshed; and I will rain down a torrential downpour and hailstones and fire and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many peoples with him. 23 And I will certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.’
Can we believe that Ezekiel describes a scenario that literally will happen? The words “Every man’s sword will be against his own brother” can hardly be symbolic, and this lends credence to the view that Ezekiel describes a literal situation. This is also corroborated by the words in Zechariah 14;12-13 where a literal fight among God’s enemies is described.
12 “And this is the scourge with which Jehovah will scourge all the peoples who wage war against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot away while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot away in their sockets, and their tongues will rot away in their mouths.13 “In that day confusion from Jehovah will be widespread among them; and each one will grab hold of the hand of his companion, and his hand will come against the hand of his companion.
There will be a great earthquake and every wall will collapse to the ground. The enemies of God will fight each other, hailstones and fire and sulfur will rain down, and pestilence and bloodshed will occur. If all these things really will happen, the result will be that a huge number of people will die. God is only indirectly responsible when “every man’s sword will be against his brother,” and the same is true in connection with the earthquake and the celestial phenomena.
Some of the persons who will experience the mentioned disasters have attacked the people of God. Does that not mean that they are God’s enemies and deserve to be eternally annihilated? This is not a necessary conclusion. Revelation 19:19-21 describes how the armies of the wild beast and the kings of the earth will wage war against Jesus Christ (verse 19). The result is that the wild beast and the false prophet will be hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulfur, which is the symbol of total annihilation (verse 20). However, “the others, that may or may not include the kings and all the soldiers of their armies were “killed off” and not hurled into the fiery lake which is a symbol of total annihilation.
The important issue in connection with those who die as a result of the disasters mentioned by Ezekiel, and those who die when they fight against Jesus Christ is whether they have had the chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice. If not, they will get a resurrection on Judgment Day. And I have already shown that most of the people who are alive when the great tribulation starts have not had this chance. The words of Ezekiel and Zechariah show that a great number of persons will die at the time of the great tribulation, “such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now.” (Matthew 24:21). And this suggests that most of the persons who have not gotten the chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice will have died and will get a resurrection.
If we now return to Revelation 7:9-17, there is a description of the great crowd that will survive the great tribulation. We cannot draw the conclusion from this description that only the great crowd will survive the great tribulation. Why not? In the great prophecy of Jesus about his presence, those who will inherit the heavenly Kingdom is mentioned (the five discreet virgins), and those who will inherit the earthly Kingdom (the sheep). But what will happen with those who live when the great tribulation starts is not mentioned, except for the goats, who were associated with the Christian congregations and who have rejected the ransom sacrifice. We see a similar situation in Revelation chapter 7: the 144,000 heirs of the heavenly Kingdom are mentioned, and the great crowd who will inherit the earthly kingdom is mentioned. What will happen to persons who have “not washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14) because they have not had the chance to do so is not mentioned.
But how shall we understand the words in Matthew 24:29, 30 (above) and Luke 21:25-28 (below)? Would the words about all the tribes of the earth indicate that all human beings except the servants of God will be adversely judged?
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief (koptomai), and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
25 “Also, there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation. 26 People will become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 But as these things start to occur, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is getting near.”
The Watchtower of April 1, 1997, page 15, § 8, (above) and The Watchtower May 1, 1999, page 13, §§ 17, 18 (below), say:
8 At some point after the “great tribulation” begins, but before Jehovah executes his judgment upon the rest of this world, supernatural events will occur. Note the effect they will have. “Then the sign of the Son of man [Christ] will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29, 30) “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, . . . while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.”—Luke 21:25, 26.
17 Referring to the tribulation just ahead of us, Jesus said: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days [the destruction of false religion] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”—Matthew 24:29, 30.
18 Hence, Jesus himself says that “after the tribulation of those days,” celestial phenomena of some sort will occur. (Compare Joel 2:28-32; 3:15.) This will so startle and shock disobedient humans that they will “beat themselves in lamentation.” Many will “become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” But this will not be the case with true Christians! These ‘will lift their heads up, because their deliverance is getting near.’—Luke 21:25, 26, 28.
The Watchtower views the celestial phenomena as something that literally will happen. This is a natural conclusion in view of similar words written in Ezekiel chapter 38. The book God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years has Approached, page 327, says that the sign of man refers to Daniel 7:13, 14, and this is correct. Because of the events that are happening, people throughout the earth will understand that this sign signifies that the Son of man is coming in power. However, in connection with this, the wrong view of the Governing Body shines through. The book God’s Kingdom Rules (2014), page 226, says:
In another part of this same prophecy about the last days, Jesus gives more details about the judgment that will be pronounced at this time. We find that information in the parable of the sheep and the goats. (Read Matthew 25:31-33, 46.) Loyal supporters of God’s Kingdom will be judged as “sheep” and will “lift up [their] heads,” realizing that their “deliverance is getting near.” (Luke 21:28) However, Kingdom opposers will be judged as “goats” and will “beat themselves in grief,” realizing that “everlasting cutting-off” awaits them.—Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7.
All the tribes of the earth will see the sign of the Son of man, and the quotation says that they are judged as goats, and they will beat themselves in grief because they realize that their “everlasting cutting-off awaits them.” As I have shown above, the goats are persons inside the Christian congregations that have discarded the ransom sacrifice of Jesus, and not all the tribes on the earth.
The Greek word that NWT13 translates as “beat themselves in grief” is koptomai, and according to Louw and Nida the meaning is “to beat the breast and lament as an expression of sorrow.” Why do all the tribes of the earth lament as an expression of sorrow? The explanation in the quotation is completely untenable and has no basis in the text. It is impossible that all the humans on the earth will realize that they will be destroyed forever. Luke has the following explanation: “People will become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” It is natural that when people see the celestial phenomena and the big earthquake, as well as pestilence and bloodshed, they will become faint of fear and lament in sorrow. There is no connection with this and the sign of the Son of man in the text.
This is again a clear example showing that the members of the Governing Body do not understand that the purpose of the true religion is to collect the full number of the 144 000 heirs of the Kingdom and to find and educate sincere persons who will survive the great tribulation and take the lead in the great building and education work that will occur. The purpose is also to separate true and false Christians that have been a part of the Christian congregations because the basic theme of Jesus’ illustrations of God’s kingdom is, “For many are called but few are chosen.” The purpose is not to separate all the humans in the world into two groups, one group consisting of sheep and the other group consisting of goats.
[1]. A discussion of different passages in the Christian Greek Scriptures where both the heavenly and the earthly hopes are mentioned is found in my book, My Beloved Religion — And The Governing Body, second edition, pages 29-33.
[2]. A detailed discussion of Matthew 25:31-46 is found in my article. “An analysis of the evidence used to show that the Governing Body is “the faithful and discreet slave.” In the category, “The Governing Body.”
CONCLUSION
The basic point of this study has been to show that the view of the Governing Body that only Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive the great tribulation and all the inhabitants of the nations of the world will be eternally annihilated is contradicted by the Scriptures.
The words that have been applied throughout the study are “For many are called but few are chosen.” It is shown that those in Jesus’ illustrations about the heavenly Kingdom who received an adverse judgment are persons in the Christian congregations who have rejected the ransom sacrifice and who are not worthy of the Kingdom. They are not all the false Christians of the world who are outside the Christian congregations, which is the view of the members of the Governing Body.
The members of the Governing Body have devalued and restricted the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and they do not understand that most of all those who have lived on the earth have not had the chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice, and therefore they will get a resurrection and get this chance during the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ.