JEHOVAH’ S WITNESSES HAVE MADE A FILM OF THE LIFE OF JESUS WITH 12 EPISODES OF ONE HOUR EACH. THE WITNESSES BELIEVE IN JESUS. BUT THE MEMBERS OF THEIR GOVERNING BODY REJECT AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT HIS RANSOM SACRIFICE AND WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD. BOTH THE RANSOM SACRIFICE AND THE RESURRECTION HAVE BEEN RESTRICTED AND DEVALUED. THE ARTICLE GIVES THE DETAILS.
INTRODUCTION
The words in the heading are taken from 2 Corinthians 11:4, and I quote verses 2-5:
2 For I am jealous over YOU with a godly jealousy, for I personally promised YOU in marriage to one husband that I might present YOU as a chaste virgin to the Christ. 3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, YOUR minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ. 4 For, as it is, if someone comes and preaches a Jesus other than the one we preached, or YOU receive a spirit other than what YOU received, or good news other than what YOU accepted, YOU easily put up [with him]. 5 For I consider that I have not in a single thing proved inferior to YOUR superfine apostles.
In the congregations of Corinth, there were some whom Paul called “the superfine apostles.” After Paul had referred to the preaching of “a Jesus other than the one we preached,” he mentioned the superfine apostles. So, it was evident that they preached a Jesus other than the one Paul preached. How should those who believed in the Jesus preached by Paul react to the preaching of the superfine apostles? I quote 1 Corinthians 11:18, 19:
18 For first of all, when YOU come together in a congregation, I hear divisions (skhisma) exist among YOU; and in some measure I believe it. 19 For there must also be sects (hairesis) among YOU, that the persons approved may also become manifest among YOU.
The word skhisma has the meaning “a division into parties, schism.” (Mounce), and he word hairesis has the meaning “religious party; division, faction; false party or teaching.” (UBS Lexicon) The words of Paul show that unity should not be upheld at any cost. If something is wrong, those who want to serve God must distance themselves from it, even though that would result in a division. The point of Paul is that divisions existed in the congregation in Corinth because it had to be clear who those were who wanted to stick to the truth.
This means that when we today see that “a Jesus other than the one preached by Paul” is preached by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, we have to speak up and point this out to the whole world.
The truth about Jesus Christ is as follows:
- He came to the earth as a perfect man.
- He sacrificed his life to provide the ransom sacrifice.
- He was resurrected as a spirit.
- He ascended to heaven and presented his ransom sacrifice before Jehovah.
- By his death, Jesus bought Adam and all Adam’s descendants.
- Jesus came to save the world (the human family). So, all Adams descendants must get a personal chance to choose salvation, to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice.
- All Adam’s descendants who have died will get a resurrection, except those who have rejected the ransom sacrifice.
| The members of the present Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses accept points 1-6, but they reject points 5, 6, and 7. Therefore, they are preaching a Jesus other than him that Paul preached. |
THE CORRESPONDING RANSOM
The Greek word antilytron can be translated as “a corresponding ransom,” and it occurs in 1 Timothy 2:6:
6 who gave himself a corresponding ransom (antilytron) for all (pas) — [this is] what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times.
The Greek word lytron means “ransom.” The preposition that is prefixed to lytron is anti, and its meaning is “over against; hence, in correspondence to, answering to.” (Mounce) When the two words occur as a unity, the rendering “corresponding ransom” is accurate.
THE MEANING OF “A CORRESPONDING RANSOM”
The meaning is that the price paid for the item should be exactly the same as the price for which the item was sold. The Watchtower of December 1, 1965, page 723, has a good definition of the corresponding ransom:
59 Thus the one man Adam was counterbalanced by the Son of man, Jesus Christ. The effects of what Adam did are counterbalanced by what Jesus Christ has done. How could this be so? It is so because Jesus Christ died as a ransom sacrifice for all of Adam’s descendants, whom Adam had “sold” into slavery under sin with death as a penalty for such slavery. Adam brought death upon all. All were dead. As the apostle Paul says, “the love the Christ has compels us, because . . . one man died for all; so, then, all had died.” (2 Cor. 5:14) For those who were dead through Adam, Jesus Christ died as a ransom sacrifice, just as it is written: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all.”—1 Tim. 2:5, 6.
I will also bring a quotation from the book “Things in Which it is Impossible for God to Lie”(1965), page 233.
When he sinned and was sentenced to death. Adam’s race or were all unborn in his loins, and so they all died in him. By natural in heritance they have been born dying. They died by the mishap of birth from sinner Adam. Jesus as a perfect man had a race or offspring unborn in his loins. when he died innocently as a perfect human sacrifice, and this possible human race died with him. He died as an unmarried man who had not raised a family of his own. Jesus’ dying as a childless man, his unborn human offspring counterbalanced all the race that Adam has repro- duced till now.
In this way Almighty God provided in his Son Jesus Christ a “corresponding ransom for all.” One perfect man. Jesus Christ, was thus able to die for all mankind. On the third day Jehovah God raised him from the dead, after which he ascended into heaven with the full value of his corresponding ransom, to present it to the God of absolute justice, in behalf of all mankind,—Hcbrcws 9:24.
By offering a ransom for the offspring of Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ redeemed Adam’s offspring as his own.[1]
Both quotations give excellent descriptions of the corresponding ransom of Jesus. The exact correspondence is between Jesus and Adam, and the descendants of Adam and the possible descendants of Jesus. Please note that the quotations do not say that the ransom sacrifice is Jesus and his unborn descendants. The ransom sacrifice is Jesus alone corresponding to Adam alone. But the consequence of the sin of Adam was that all his offspring became sinners. Because they were unborn when he sinned, they were included in the corresponding ramson. In order to illustrate the exact parallel the book mentions that Jesus could also have had descendants that would have inherited him.
The present view of the members of the Governing Body regarding the corresponding ransom of Jesus is very far from the view presented in the two quotations. I quote from on online article:
How is Jesus’ sacrifice a ransom for many?
How does the ransom work?
In the Bible, the term “ransom” involves the following three elements:
- It is a —Numbers 3:46, 47.
- It brings about a release,or redemption.—Exodus 21:30.
- It corresponds to the valueof what is paid for, or covers it.
Consider how these elements apply to the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
- The Bible says that Christians were “bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23) That price is the blood of Jesus, with which he “bought people for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”—Revelation 5:8, 9.
- Jesus’ sacrifice provides a “release by ransom” from sin.—1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:15.
- Jesus’ sacrifice corresponds exactly to what Adam lost—one perfect human life. (1 Corinthians 15:21, 22, 45, 46) The Bible says: “Just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one person [Jesus Christ] many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19) This explains how the death of one man can pay the ransom for many sinners. In fact, Jesus’ sacrifice is “a corresponding ransom for all” those who take the steps necessary to benefit from it.—1 Timothy 2:5, 6. [2]
The most important difference between the present viewpoint of the members of the Governing Body and the viewpoint of the 20th century is that the ransom sacrifice is not for all Adam’s descendants but “for many” At the beginning of this article, Matthew 20:28 is referred to: “to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” I show in my book, The Atonement Between God and Man, pages 41-43 that the Greek word polys (“many”) in connection with the ransom sacrifice refers to all Adam’s descendants.
Points 1. and 2. saying that the ransom is a payment, and it leads to release are correct. But the first comments under “Correspondance” are misleading. Jesus’ sacrifice corresponds exactly to Adam and not to what Adam lost. Jesus bought Adam with his unborn offspring, and he did not buy something abstract, namely, perfect human life. It is true that the ransom sacrifice gives the possibility of perfect human life at the end of the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ. But this is a consequence of the corresponding ransom and not the corresponding ransom itself.
In the next section I will quote some texts showing that the ransom sacrifice is not for “many” but for “all” Adam’s descendants. The members of the Governing Body have in the 21st century worked hard to explain away the texts saying that all descendants of Adam have been ransomed.
One example is seen at the end of the quotation above. They says that the that the pronoun “all” in 1 Timothy 2:6 in the expression “a corresponding ransom for all” does not refer to all Adam’s descendants but for “those who take the steps necessary to benefit from it.” These words represent a direct rejection of the Word of God and the ransom sacrifice as it is explained by Paul, and it preaches “a Jesus other than the one preached by Paul.”
ADAM AND “THE CORRESPONDING RANSOM”
As I have showed above, Jesus counterbalanced Adam because he was a perfect man exactly as Adam was before he sinned. Therefore, the ransom sacrifice of Jesus covers Adam and all his descendants, Adam and all his descendants were bought by Jesus. When the members of the present Governing Body deny this, they no longer believe in “a corresponding ransom.”
But we must ask one question. If Adam is included in the ransom sacrifice, will he get a resurrection with the possibility of everlasting life? This question was discussed in detail in The Watchtower of March 15, 1965, and one reason why the ransom sacrifice, while being paid both for Adam and his ancestors, will not give Adam a resurrection, is the situation of Adam in the Garden of Eden.
We can illustrate the situation with a part of the law of Moses. When a person in Israel killed a man by accident, he could run to one of the six refuge cities in the land. And as long as he stayed in the city as long as the high priest lived, he could not be killed. When the high priest died, the manslayer could leave the refuge city. But what about a man who killed another man with intent? Numbers 35:18-21 discuss this situation, and I quote verses 30 and 31:
30 “‘Every fatal striker of a soul should be slain as a murderer at the mouth of witnesses, and one witness may not testify against a soul for him to die. 31 And YOU must take no ransom for the soul of a murderer who is deserving to die, for without fail he should be put to death.
A ransom could be paid for different offenses. But for a willful murderer no ransom could be accepted. This was a law in Israel, and this law is not valid in the Christian community. But the principle is still valid that when a ransom is available, it cannot be paid for a willful lawbreaker, a person whose actions are not caused by his inherited sin but by his own wickedness. But as the mentioned article in The Watchtower pointed out, even when the ransom sacrifice was available for Adam, it could not be applied to him because he was a perfect man that violated God’s law willfully. There is one situation that I later will mention where the ransom sacrifice is available but cannot be applied, and that is when someone sins against the holy spirit.
| Jesus corresponded to Adam — a perfect man for a perfect man. The ransom sacrifice includes Adam and all his descendants. But Adam will not enjoy the benefits of the ransom because he was perfect when he sinned, and therefore his sin was willful. |
I will demonstrate below that in the 20sh century, the members of the Governing Body preached “a Jesus” that was close to the Jesus preached by Paul. But in the 21th century, the members of the Governing Body have preached “a Jesus other than the one preached by Paul.”
[1]. “Things in Which it is Impossible for God to Lie” (1965), page 233.
[2]. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/502016129
JESUS BOUGHT ADAM AND ALL HIS DESCENDANTS WHEN HE DIED
Whether a person believes in the Jesus that Paul preached can be seen by his or her view of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus and of the resurrection from the dead that is made possible because of the ransom sacrifice.
In the year 1965, 11 articles about the resurrection were published in The Watchtower.[1] These articles were close to the presentation of the resurrection by Paul, and throughout the 20th century several articles appeared in The Watchtower presenting the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the same way as Paul presented it.
However, in the 21th the members of the Governing Body rejected the the ransom sacrifice and the resurrection as these are presented in the Christian Greek Scriptures. In this century, they have preached a Jesus other than the one Paul preached. I have already shown how the present members of the Governing Body have rejected the words of 1 Timothy 2:6 and tried to explain away the meaning of antilytron (“a corresponding ransom”). I will now give some examples of the difference between the correct view of Jesus and the ransom sacrifice that was presented in the 20th century and the wrong view that has been presented in the 21st century.
| THE CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES:
THE RANSOM SACRIFICE 1 Timotheus 2:6
2 Corinthians 5:14
Hebrews 2:9
THE RESURRECTION 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22
THE WATCHTOWER LITERATURE IN THE 20TH CENTURY: THE RANSOM SACRIFICE The Watchtower of April 15, 1972, page 237, says:
The Watchtower of November 15, 1972, page 688, says:
THE RESURRECTION The Watchtower of March 15, 1965, page 179:
Knowledge That Leads to Eternal Life (1995), page 88:
THE WATCHTOWER LITERATURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE RANSOM SACRIFICE The Watchtower of July 15, 2014, page 30, says:
The Online article, “How is Jesus’ ‘a Ransom for Many’” says:[2]
THE RESURRECTION Luke 10:12-15:
Study note to Luke 10:12:
|
Let us compare the quotations in the frame above. I start with the Christian Greek Scriptures. 1 Timotheus 2:6, 2 Corinthians 2:14, and Hebrews 2:9 say that Jesus died for all humans, which means that his ransom sacrifice covers all Adam’s descendants. Regarding the resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 23 says that all who die because they have inherited sin from Adam will get a resurrection.
During the 20th century, The Watchtower literature contained several articles showing that Jesus died for all humans, and that he bought all Adam’s descendants with his death. It also showed that the vast majority of mankind would get a resurrection on Judgment Day. I have already shown that Adam was also bought by Jesus because of the corresponding ransom. But the ransom sacrifice could not be applied to him because his sin was willful.
In Matthew 12:31, 32, Jesus shows that all kinds of sin will be forgiven but sin against the holy spirit will not be forgiven. This means that some humans are in the same situation as Adam. They have been bought by Jesus Christ by his death. But they have sinned against the holy spirit by doing sins because of their own wickedness. Therefore, the ransom sacrifice cannot be applied for them. So, these people do not die because of the sin they have inherited from Adam, but they die because of their own wickedness.[3]
They will not get a resurrection. But all the other descendants of Adam who are dying because of Adam’s sin will get a resurrection, just as 1 Corinthians 15:23 says. Because of the nature of the sin against the holy spirit, we can believe that only a few of Adam’s descendants have committed this sin. This is the reason why The Watchtower in 1965 said that “the vast majority of dead mankind” will get a resurrection and not all Adam’s descendants.
In the 21st century, the members of the Governing Body have rejected the view of the ransom sacrifice and of the resurrection that was published in the 20th century. They no longer believe in a corresponding ransom sacrifice, even though they claim so. Their ransom sacrifice no longer is corresponding to what was sold, namely, Adam and his unborn offspring. They have expressed that Jesus did not die for all Adam’s descendants, but that he died for all kinds of people. In other words, he only died for “those who take the steps necessary to benefit from it.” Because of this, they are preaching a Jesus other than the one Paulus preached.
[1]. See my book, The Atonement between God and Man, note 13, page 81.
[2]. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/502016129.
[3]. See the article “Sin against the holy spirit”.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE WORDS THAT “ALL WHO ARE DYING IN ADAM” WILL GET A RESURRECTION
There are many examples that the members of the Governing Body do not accept what a text of the Bible says. But they try to explain the words away because they do not fit their doctrinal view. One example given above is that they reject the words of Jesus sayng that the inhabitants of Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida will be present on Judgment Day. In what follows I will make a detailed study of 1 Corinthians 15:22, 23, verses telling that all who die because of inherited sin will get a resurrection. But this is explained away by the members of the governing Body:
21 For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.
There are several texts in the Christian Greek Scriptures that can be interpreted in different ways. But the words quoted from Paul are crystal clear. All persons who die because they have inherited sin from Adam, will get a resurrection. The words that all who die in Adam will get a resurrection have only been discussed one time in the 21st century, namely in The Watchtower of December 2020, pages 5, 6:
15 Note that Paul said that “in the Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22) Paul’s letter was written to anointed Christians in Corinth, who would be resurrected to life in heaven. Those Christians were “sanctified in union with Christ Jesus, called to be holy ones.” And Paul mentioned “those who have fallen asleep in death in union with Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:2; 15:18; 2 Cor. 5:17) In another inspired letter, Paul wrote that those “united with [Jesus] in the likeness of his death” will “be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Rom. 6:3-5) Jesus was raised as a spirit and went to heaven. So that will be the outcome for all “in union with Christ,” that is, all spirit-anointed Christians.
As we see, the members of the Governing Body claim that the pronoun “all” does not refer to all who die because of inherited sin. But it refers to the members of the 144,000 that will get a heavenly resurrection. They appeal to the context, but the context contradicts this view.
WHY DO THE ANOINTED CHRISTIAN DIE?
The issue here is who are “all” those who die in Adam who will get a resurrection? They do not include the Corinthians to whom Paul gave a detailed description of the resurrection. How can we know that? The position of the Corinthians is described in 2 Corinthians 5:16-19:
16 Consequently from now on we know no man according to the flesh. Even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, certainly we now know him so no more. 17 Consequently if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away, look! new things have come into existence. 18 But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of the reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was by means of Christ reconciling a world (kosmos) to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and he committed the word of the reconciliation to us.
The text mentions two groups, the new creations and the world. the new creations are those who are declared righteous and from God’s point of view do not have sin. The group of 144,000 who will reign together with Jesus Christ in heaven are new creations, and the Corinthian Christians were included in this group. The “world” (kosmos) refers to all human descendants of Adam, whom God had reconciled to himself by means of Christ.
Those who are included in “the world,” Adam’s descendants, “die in Adam,” they die because they have inherited sin from Adam. The “new creations” does not “die in Adam,” they do not die because of inherited sin — they have no inherited sin. But they die because they sacrifice their fleshly bodies in order to get the same resurrection that Jesus got. Let us take a closer look at this.
In The Watchtower of September 1, 1972, page 519, we read:
When Jesus died, he certainly did not die as a sinner. What, then, about those of the Christian congregation, the spirit-begotten sons of God, anointed by his spirit? (1 John 2:27; 3:1) These, according to the Scriptures, number 144,000 and are joint heirs with Jesus Christ, to be kings and priests in the heavens with him. (Rev. 14:1-4; 5:9, 10) At their death they likewise do not die as sinners. Why not?
As a justification of the words of The Watchtower I quote Romans 6:3-7:
3 Or do YOU not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him through our baptism into his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, we also should likewise walk in a newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall certainly also be [united with him in the likeness] of his resurrection; 6 because we know that our old personality was impaled with [him], that our sinful body might be made inactive, that we should no longer go on being slaves to sin. 7 For he who has died has been acquitted from [his] sin.
The words of Paul are clear. The anointed Christians experience a death like the death of Jesus Christ, and he died because he sacrificed his life. Because they no longer are slaves to sin, they do not “die in Adam,” they do not die because of the sin they inherited.[1]
We have already seen that Paul is showing that the Corinthians are new creations in 2 Corinthians 5:17. This is also confirmed in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Paul presents many arguments showing that Jesus Christ did get a resurrection. Then he shows what would be the situation if that was not true in 15:17-19:
17 For if the dead are not to be raised up, neither has Christ been raised up. 17 Further, if Christ has not been raised up, YOUR faith is useless; YOU are yet in YOUR sins. 18 In fact, also, those who fell asleep [in death] in union with Christ perished. 19 If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.
Paul shows that if Jesus did not be raised up, “you are yet in your sins.” But Jesus has been raised up, and therefore they who have been declared righteous are not “in their sins.” Therefore, they cannot die “in Adam” because they are sinners. They die because they sacrifice their lives in order to get a resurrection like the resurrection of Jesus.
| All anointed Christians, in including the Corinthians, have been declared righeteous and have become new creatures. Therefore, they do not “die in Adam,” and therefore they are not included among “all” who will be made alive in the Christ. |
TWO DIFFERENT RESURRECTION BODIES ARE MENTIONED IN 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 15
Paul’s words about the resurrection were directed to the Corinthians who were new creations, and the focus in chapter 15 is on the heavenly resurrection where the resurrected ones receive spiritual bodies. However, the setting of the chapter is the ransom sacrifice of Jesus that were effectuated through his death and his resurrection, when he presented the value of the ransom sacrifice to Jehovah God in heaven. (Hebrews 9:24) This is the reason why Paul, while his focus is on the heavenly resurrection, also mentions the earthly resurrection in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I start with verses 35-38:
35 Nevertheless, someone will say: “How are the dead to be raised up? Yes, with what sort (poios) of body are they coming?” 36 You unreasonable person! What you sow (speiroō) is not made alive unless first it dies; 37 and as for what you sow, you sow, not the body that will develop, but a bare grain it may be, of wheat or any one of the rest.
38 but God gives it a body just as it has pleased him, and to each of the seeds (sperma) its own body (sōma).
The Greek word poios has the meaning, “of what kind, sort of species.” (Mounce), and the verb speiroō has to meaning, “to sow seed.” So, the question Paul poses is the nature of the resurrection body. Paul uses an illustration with sowing a grain in the earth. And already, by pointing in verse 37 to different kinds of seeds (sperma), such as wheat or other seeds, he opens for the possibility that the resurrection bodies will be different. In verse 38, then, he shows this explicitly.
We need to understand the relationship between verb speiroō with the meaning “to sow” and the noun sperma with the meaning, “that which is sown, seed”. In verse 36, Paul uses the verb speiroō in his illustration, and then he continues his illustration in verse 38 by using sperma (“seed”). The important point is that sperma (“that which is sown, seed”) is used for the body that is laid down in death. And God gives different sperma (that which is sown, seed) different bodies (sōma).
When the verb speiroō stands without any expressed subject, the implied subject is sperma, which refers to the body that is laid down in death. This is important to remember because the word sperma only occurs in verse 38. But the verb speiroō occurs four times in verses 42-44 without an expressed subject. This means that sperma (the body laid down in death) is the subject for speiroō in verses 42-44.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It (the body laid down in death) is sown (speiroō) in corruption, it (the body laid down in death) is raised up in incorruption. 43 It (the body laid down in death) is sown (speiroō) in dishonor, it (the body laid down in death) is raised up in glory. It (the body laid down in death) is sown (speiroō) in weakness, it (the body laid down in death) is raised up in power. 44 It (the body laid down in death) is sown (speiroō) a physical body (sōma), it (the body laid down in death) is raised up a spiritual body (sōma). If there is a physical body (sōma), there is also a spiritual one.
Paul showed which kind of resurrection body the Corinthians, who were new creations, should get. Then he connects the resurrection with the work of Jesus, his ransom sacrifice, and then he points out that there are two kinds of resurrection bodies. I quote verses 45-49:
45 It is even so written: “The first man Adam became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.46 Nevertheless, the first is, not that which is spiritual, but that which is physical, afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is out of the earth and made of dust; the second man is out of heaven. 48 As the one made of dust [is], so those made of dust [are] also; and as the heavenly one [is], so those who are heavenly [are] also. 49 And just as we have borne (foreō, aorist) the image of the one made of dust, we shall bear (foreō, future) also the image of the heavenly one.
Paul shows the contrast between Adam, who became a living soul on the earth, and Jesus, the second Adam, who became a life-giving spirit. Regarding resurrection, he draws a conclusion in verse 48. The temporal reference in this verse is generally wrong in all Bible translations of which I know, including NWT84. The problem is that the verse does not have any verbs, so, the temporal reference must be construed from the context. It is clearly not present, but it must be future. I make a word-for-word translation below:
48 just as the earthly one of such kind also the earthly ones and just as the heavenly one of such kind also the heavenly ones.
Who are “the heavenly ones”? According to the context, this expression refers to those who will get a spiritual body (verse 44) in the heavenly resurrection. Because they will get their resurrection in the future, during the presence of Jesus Christ, Paul could not use present reference and describe how they were at the time Paul wrote his letter. This is shown by the use of a future verb in verse 49: “We shall bear also the image of the heavenly one.” Thus, the perspective of Paul in verse 49 is future, and, therefore, the perspective in verse 48 must be future as well. I translate verses 48 and 49 in the following way:
48 Just as the earthly one was, of such kind also the earthly ones will become, and just as the heavenly one is, of such kind also the heavenly ones will become. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall bear also the image of the heavenly one.
Because “the heavenly ones” refer to those who will get a heavenly resurrection with a spiritual body, “the earthly ones” must refer to those who will get an earthly resurrection with an earthly body, those who will be present on Judgment Day.
I will now show how this understanding corroborates Paul’s words in previous verses, and I start with verses 35-37:
35 Nevertheless, someone will say: “How are the dead to be raised up? Yes, with what sort (poios) of body are they coming?” 36 You unreasonable person! What you sow (speiroō) is not made alive unless first it dies; 37 and as for what you sow, you sow, not the body that will develop, but a bare grain, it may be, of wheat or any one of the rest.
38 but God gives it a body just as it has pleased him, and to each of the seeds (sperma) its own body (sōma).
Paul uses the illustration of sowing a seed (sperma) in the earth. The word sperma represents the body that is laid down in death. And Paul shows that this sperma, the body laid down in death, must die before there can be a resurrection.
Then Paul shows that there are different kinds of sperma (bodies laid down in death). And God gives each kind of sperma its own body. Because Paul shows in verses 48 that there are heavenly ones and earthly ones in the resurrection, we can conclude that there are two kinds of sperma (bodies laid down in death).
What are these two kinds of bodies that die? Those who will get an earthly resurrection have bodies that will die “in Adam,” bodies that will die because of inherited sin. Those who will get a heavenly resurrection have bodies that they sacrifice, in order to get the same kind of death and resurrection that Jesus got. These two kinds of bodies (sperma) are laid down in death, and in the resurrection each sperma will get different bodies, earthly bodies and heavenly bodies respectively.
This is also corroborated by verses 39-42:
39 Not all flesh is the same flesh, but there is one of mankind, and there is another flesh of cattle, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 And there are heavenly bodies (sōma), and earthly bodies (sōma); but the glory of the heavenly bodies is one sort, and that of the earthly bodies is a different sort. 41 The glory of the sun is one sort, and the glory of the moon is another, and the glory of the stars is another; in fact, star differs from star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It (the body laid down in death) is sown in corruption, it (the body laid down in death) is raised up in incorruption.
In order to illustrate his point in verse 38 that each kind of sperma (bodies laid down in death) gets different bodies, Paul points out that there are different kinds of flesh. This is an illustration of difference because no one is resurrected as cattle or birds. After pointing out this difference he refers to earthly bodies (sōma) and heavenly bodies (sōma). Because of the use of the Greek word sōma, the mentioned bodies cannot refer to inanimate heavenly objects. But they must refer to the bodies of living persons. Paul continues his illustration in verse 41, showing the different glory of the sun the moon and the stars.
Verse 42 starts with the Greek word hōutos (“in this way”), and we read, “So also is the resurrection of the dead.” The word hōutos (“in this way”) must refer to verse 40. In the resurrection, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, and these differ in glory, just as the sun, the moon, and the stars differ in glory. This is exactly the same that Paul says about the heavenly ones and the earthly ones in verse 48.
ALL THOSE WHO DIE IN ADAM WILL BE RESURRECTED
Paul’s letters are addressed to those who have the hope of reigning with Jesus Christ in heaven. In chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, Paul has a long discussion of the resurrection where the focus is on the heavenly resurrection. But he also has some words about the earthly resurrection. We read verse 22, 23:
22 For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each one in his own rank (tagma): Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence.
The words of Paul tell us that the vast majority of Adam’s descendants but not all of them will get a resurrection.
THOSE WHO DO NOT DIE “IN ADAM”
I have already shown that those who are new creations do not “die in Adam,” because of inherited sin. But they die because they sacrificed their lives in order to get a heavenly resurrection just as Jesus did.
The other group that do not “die in Adam” is mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 12:31:
31 “For this reason I say to you, every sort of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven. 32 For example, whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the holy spirit, it will not be forgiven him, no, not in this system of things nor in that to come.
All those who are sinning because of the sin they have inherited from Adam will get forgiveness of their sins because of the ransom sacrifice, regardless how serious their sins are. However, the cause of the sins of those who are guilty of sin against the holy spirit, are not their inherited sin but their own wickedness. For such sins there is no ransom sacrifice.[2] The Awake! magazine of May 22, 1963, page 28, contained an article with the theme, “Resurrection — for whom?” This article has an excellent description of those whose sins are not caused by their imperfectness, by their inherited sin, but by their own wickedness:
There will not be a resurrection for the willfully, deliberately, incorrigibly wicked, those without the slightest spark remaining of conscience or love of righteousness.
Sin against the holy spirit can be committed by persons who are not serving God, as some pharisees, and by those who have been serving God. I will now make a quotation dealing with the last group indicating that persons who are sinning against the holy spirit, do not die “in Adam,” because of inherited sin. I quote Hebrews 10:26-31:
26 For if we practice sin (hamartanō) willfully (ekousiōs) after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, 27 but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a burning indignation that is going to consume those in opposition.
28 Anyone who has disregarded the Law of Moses dies without compassion on the testimony of two or three. 29 How much greater punishment do you think a person will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God and who has regarded as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt (enybrizō)? 30 For we know the One who said: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again: “Jehovah will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The important points here are that servants of God may commit sins that are not covered by the ransom sacrifice because these sins are not committed because of their inherited sin. But they are committed “willfully.” The consequence is that the judgment will consume them as God’s vengeance. These people do not die because of their inherited sin but because of God’s judgment.
These people are in the same situation as Adam was. He was bought by Jesus like all his descendants. But his sin was made “willfully,” and therefore, the ransom sacrifice did not cover his sin. Those mentioned in the quotation above also sin “willfully.” They have been bought be Jesus Christ, and the ransom sacrifice is ready for them. But they have rejected the ransom sacrifice, and therefore it does not cover their sins.
On the basis of the discussion above we understand that the words of the book Knowledge That Leads to Eternal Life, published in 1995, page 88, are true:
By far the majority of those who have died will be resurrected to a paradise earth.
All descendants of Adam, except the group of 144,000 who will reign with Jesus Christ in heaven and the few who have sinned against the holy spirit, will get a resurrection on the thousand-year Judgment Day to get the possibility of getting everlasting life. All of these have died “in Adam,” because of their inherited sin, and the ransom sacrifice will be applied to them.
“EACH ONE IN HIS OWN RANK”
All those who “die in Adam” will get their resurrection on the thousand-year-long Judgment Day. But what do the words “in his own rank” mean? The Greek word is tagma and let us see how this Greek word is used in the Septuagint. I quote Numbers 2:3 (above) and 2 Samuel 23:13 (below) from the NETS translation of the Septuagint:
3 “And those camping eastward toward the sunrising will be the [three-tribe] division (tagma, dægæl) of the camp of Judah in their armies, and the chieftain for the sons of Judah is Nahʹshon the son of Am·minʹa·dab.
13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band (tagma, hayā) of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim
The Greek word tagma has the meaning “anything placed in order; in NT order of succession, class, group.” (Mounce) In Numbers 2:3, tagma refers to the divisions of the camp of the sons of Judah. The Hebrew word that is translated with tagma is dægæl, and its meaning is “standard, banner — standard, partic. of separate tribes of Isr.” (BDB Lexicon). Each tribe in Israel had a standard (a banner), and both the Greek word tagma and the Hebrew word dægæl refer to the practice of organizing the camp with different tribes under different banners.
In 2 Samuel 23:13, tagma is used of a group of Philistines. The Hebrew word that is translated by tagma is hayā, with the meaning “band, army; people, home.” (Kohlenberger and Mounce). The word hayā comes from a root meaning “life,” and a band or an army consists of many “lives” or living people.
We do not know exactly what Paul had in mind when he used the word tagma, but as shown, in the Septuagint the word refers to different groups.
According to Revelation 7:9, 14 a great crowd of righteous persons will survive the great tribulation. Evidently, these will make the earth ready for the resurrection by building houses, cultivating the land, and store food for those who will be resurrected. Unrighteous persons can cause problems if there are not righteous persons who can check them and help them to follow the laws of God.
In view of this, it is likely that the righteous ones will first get their resurrection. If that is the case, there will be a great number of righteous persons who will take care of the unrighteous ones when they gradually get their resurrection. So, the different “ranks” (groups) may refer to these two groups. We should note that if the meaning of tagma was “order,” this would also fit the situation of the resurrection of the righteous coming first, and the resurrection of the unrighteous coming after that.
Verse 23 in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 says that, “Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence.” The NWT84 has a colon after “rank,” which indicates that what follows — the resurrection of Christ, and the resurrection of those belonging to the Christ during his presence — is a part of the word tagma “rank.” This is misleading. There is no relationship between the first clause ending with “rank” and the next clause beginning with “the firstfruits” in the Greek text.
Because those “who belong to the Christ” are not dying “in Adam,” they are not dying because of inherited sin, their resurrection cannot be a part of the word “rank” (tagma). Therefore, the expression “each one in his own rank” must exclusively refer to the earthly resurrection, indicating that there are at least two different groups that will be a part of this resurrection.
I have discussed the two kinds of resurrection, the heavenly one and the earthly one in a topical way. Now I will make a chronological table.
Table 1.1 The heavenly and the earthly resurrection according to 1 Corinthians chapter 15
| VERSE | COMMENTS |
| 22 | All descendants of Adam, except the 144,000 and the few who sin against the holy spirit will get an earthly resurrection during the thousand-year-long Judgment Day. |
| 23 | The group of 144,000 will get a heavenly resurrection during the presence of Jesus. |
| 38 | There are two kinds of bodies that are laid down in death, the bodies of those who die because of inherited sin, and the bodies of those who die because they sacrifice their lives. |
| 38 | God gives different kinds of resurrection bodies to the two kinds of bodies that are laid down in death. |
| 40 | The two kinds of resurrection bodies are mentioned, heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. |
| 48 | Those who get an earthly resurrection get bodies that resemble the body of Adam. Those who get a heavenly resurrection get bodies that resemble the body of the life-giving spirit, Jesus Christ. |
This discussion has shown that the comments of The Watchtower of December 2020, pages 5 and 6, that “all who die in Adam” and who will get a resurrection refers to the new creations with a heavenly hope is wrong. This shows that the members of the Governing Body try to explain away the clear words of Paul. They do not believe that “all who die in Adam,” all who die because of inherited sin, will get a resurrection. This is, in reality, a rejection of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus, a rejection of the truth that Jesus bought all Adam’s descendants when he died. The members of the Governing Body preach “a Jesus other than the one” preached by Paul.
[1]. I strongly recommend the article “A death that brings gain” in The Watchtower of September 1, 1972, page 517.
[2]. See the article, “Sin against the holy spirit.”
WHY DO THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY NOT ACCEPT THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE?
Revelation 19:10 says:
Worship God; for the bearing witness to Jesus is what inspires prophesying.
The words show that we must worship God. But they also show that the prophecies that he inspired the prophets to write down, points to his Son Jesus Christ and to his role as savior. Therefore, if we preach “a Jesus other than the one Paul preached,” we do not worship God in the right way.
What is the reason why the members of the Governing Body do not accept the clear words of Paul that Jesus bought all Adam’s descendants and that all who die because of inherited sin will get a resurrection? The reason is that they have a completely wrong understanding of the position of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the purpose of God.
The members of the Governing Body believe that the duty of Jehovah’s Witnesses is to preach the good news of the Kingdom in order to separate all humans into two groups, those who believe in God in the right way, and all others who do not believe in God in the right way. The believers will survive the great tribulation, and the others will be eternally annihilated, except possibly some persons among them that God picks out for life.
This view is completely wrong! In the first century CE, the purpose of the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom was to call persons who would become heirs of the heavenly Kingdom. The purpose was not to separate all people into two groups. In our time, the purpose of the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom has been to find sincere persons who want to serve God and gather them into one group. This group will survive the great tribulation, and they will be used to make the earth ready for the resurrection of billions of Adams descendants. The purpose of the preaching is not to separate all humans into two groups. and the group of nonbelievers will be eternally annihilated.
The basic weakness of the view of the members of the Governing Body is that if this view were correct, this would mean that billions of humans would be eternally annihilated without having had a personal chance to accept or reject the ransom sacrifice. This violates both God’s righteousness and his love. Obviously, a ransom sacrifice that will cause “all who die in Adam” to be resurrected does not fit into the beliefs of the members of the Governing Body. Therefore, they try to explain away texts saying that Jesus died for all and bought all by his death.
The truth is simple, and this truth was discovered by C.T. Russel and the Bible Students in the 1870s after a short time of Bible study: All Adam’s descendants have inherited sin, and this fact, and their personal situation in this world governed by Satan, have prevented them from becoming servants of God. Because of the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom, 144,000 persons have been selected as a heavenly government and a great crowd have been selected to survive the great tribulation.
All other descendants of Adam, except the few who have sinned against the holy spirit, have not, because of their imperfection, had a real chance to serve God. All these will get a resurrection on the thousand-year-long Judgment Day to get a full chance. At the end of Judgment Day, all will have become perfect and without sin. They are now in exactly the same position as Adam before he sinned. They will now get the full possibility to choose if they will serve God or not.
This is an excellent expression of God’s righteousness and love. All his human sons and daughters will get a personal chance and a full opportunity to make their choice of serving him or not.[1]
[1]. See the articles, “Getting Adam’s chance” and “The members of the Governing Body have devalued and restricted the ransaom sacrifice.”
