The divine plan of the ages opens for the possibility that most of the about 30 billion descendants of Adam who have lived on the earth will pass the last test and get everlasting life.
This would sanctify and honor the name of Jehovah because his purpose with the human family will have been fulfilled — most of this family will live forever.
The view of the present leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses opens for the possibility that most of the about 30 billion descendants of Adam who have lived on the earth, including the 8 billion+ people who die in the great tribulation, will not be present at the last test and will not get everlasting life.
This would profane and dishonor the name of Jehovah because his purpose with the human family has failed — most of this family will be everlastingly annihilated.
THE REAL ISSUE: WILL GOD MAKE THE FINAL JUDGMENT OF ADAM’S DESCENDANTS BASED ON WHAT THEY DO WHEN THEY ARE IMPERFECT SINNERS?OR WILL HE RESURRECT ALL THOSE WHO HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF ADAM’S SIN, AND MAKE HIS FINAL JUDGMENT OF THEM BASED ON WHAT THEY DO AFTER THEIR RESURRECTION AND AFTER THEY HAVE BECOME PERFECT HUMANS WITHOUT INHERITED SIN?THIS ARTICLE WILL ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. |
THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES — WHAT IT MEANS
When Adam broke God’s law, he passed on sin and death to all his descendants. God’s purpose for the world is a complete restoration of the paradise in Eden. This means that Adam’s descendants will have to die because of inherited sin. All who die because of inherited sin will be resurrected to life on earth. During the thousand years, all will be brought to perfection, and then everything will have been restored. There are now billions of Adam’s descendants who are perfect and without sin. Then all will have the same personal opportunity that Adam had. Without being hindered by inherited sin, they will choose whether they will worship and serve Jehovah or not.
C.T. Russell and The Bible Students believed that the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ guarantees each descendant of Adam a full personal chance to choose to serve Jehovah or not. The present leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses deny this, which means that a great number of Adam’s descendants can be everlastingly annihilated without having had a full personal chance to choose to serve Jehovah or not.
The Bible teaches that the ransom sacrifice includes all Adam’s descendants and is a guarantee that all Adam’s descendants who have died because of Adam’s sin, including those who died in the great flood in Noah’s days, in Sodom and Gomorrah, and those who die in the future great tribulation, will have a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus. At the end of the thousand years, they will be perfect like Adam before he sinned. Then they will have the full personal opportunity to choose to serve Jehovah or not — they will have Adam’s chance!
The present leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that the ransom sacrifice encompasses all Adam’s descendants — it includes only those who will be saved — and they deny that all Adam’s descendants who die because of Adam’s sin will get a resurrection to become perfect and get the same chance as Adam to choose to serve Jehovah or not. They claim that most of Adam’s descendants will get a final judgment on the basis of what they do in this life when they are sinners. This belief implies that billions of Adam’s descendants, including the 8 billion+ that will die in the great tribulation, will be eternally annihilated without hope of a resurrection, and without having had a full chance to choose to serve Jehovah or not.
Jehovah’s purpose with Adam and his descendants was that they should live forever in the paradise on earth. If most of these descendants pass the final test and attain everlasting life, his purpose will have succeeded. If most of these descendants get their final judgment when they are sinners, they will not live when the final test starts, and Jehovah’s purpose with the human family will have failed.
PART I of this study will show that the Bible Students had a correct view of God’s eternal purpose and the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, with some minor errors.
PART II is a historical study that examines the various viewpoints that evolved among the Bible Students and Jehovah’s Witnesses in relation to The Divine Plan of the Ages and the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Between 1886 and 1937: The view was that the ransom sacrifice includes all Adam’s descendants — each one will get a personal chance to choose to serve God or not.
Between 1937 and 1965: The view was that the ransom sacrifice does not include all Adam’s descendants, only those who will be saved. Each one will not get a personal chance to choose to serve God or not.
Between 1965 and 1988: The view was that the ransom sacrifice includes all Adam’s descendants. Most of them will get a personal chance to choose to serve God or not — but not all of them.
Between 1988 and 2025: The view is the same as it was between 1937 and 1965. The ransom sacrifice does not include all Adam’s descendants, only those who will be saved. Each one will not have a personal chance to choose to serve God or not.
One reason why the present members of the Governing Body do not believe in the full restoration of all things and hold a flawed view of the ransom sacrifice is a total misunderstanding of five accounts in the Bible that deal with the destiny of some ungodly people, particularly the illustration of the sheep and the goats.
PART III and IV discuss these five accounts and the destiny of ungodly people in detail. It shows that none of these accounts contradict the Bible teaching that all who die because of Adam’s sin will get a resurrection.
PART V discusses the details of the restoration of all things and examines biblical passages that reveal what will happen on the thousand-year Judgment Day.
THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES MEANS A SANCTIFICATION OF JEHOVAH’S NAME
Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.” (Matthew 6:9) What does it mean to sanctify God’s name? We can learn something by reading Ezekiel 36:19-23:
19 And I proceeded to scatter them among the nations, so that they were dispersed among the lands. According to their way and according to their dealings I judged them. 20 So they came in to the nations where they came in, and people proceeded to profane my holy name in saying with reference to them, ‘These are the people of Jehovah, and from his land they have gone out.’ 21 And I shall have compassion on my holy name, which the house of Israel have profaned among the nations where they have come in.”
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Not for YOUR sakes am I doing [it], O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which YOU have profaned among the nations where YOU have come in.”’ 23 ‘And I shall certainly sanctify my great name, which was being profaned among the nations, which YOU profaned in the midst of them; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘when I am sanctified among YOU before their eyes.
24 And I will take YOU out of the nations and collect YOU together out of all the lands and bring YOU in upon YOUR soil. 25 And I will sprinkle upon YOU clean water, and YOU will become clean; from all YOUR impurities and from all YOUR dungy idols I shall cleanse YOU.
27 And I will give YOU a new heart, and a new spirit I shall put inside YOU, and I will take away the heart of stone from YOUR flesh and give YOU a heart of flesh. 27 And my spirit I shall put inside YOU, and I will act so that in my regulations YOU will keep and actually carry out.
28 And YOU will certainly dwell in the land that I gave to YOUR forefathers, and YOU must become my people and I myself shall become YOUR God.’
Do we understand this situation? The nations knew that the God of Israel was Jehovah. Because the Israelites violated God’s laws, they were dispersed among the nations. This was a profanation of God’s name because the nations would conclude that Jehovah was a weak god who was not able to keep his people in their land.
Because of his name, Jehovah would take his people out of all the nations and gather them in their own land. And he would bless them and give them a new heart. His name would be sanctified among the Israelites and also among the nations when they saw what Jehovah had done.
Today, God’s name is profaned all over the world: “If there is a god, how can he look at this world with so much wickedness and suffering?” “How can he be an almighty and loving God when he allows this bad world to continue to exist?” “How can it be right that we humans die from inherited sin that our parents have given us, while we have not asked for this situation?” These and similar questions are often posed, and because few can answer these questions, the name of God is profaned.
The purpose of Jehovah, which he has clearly expressed in the Bible, is that all Adam’s descendants who die because of inherited sin shall have the opportunity to become perfect like Adam and be present at the final test after the thousand years.
If all these Adam’s descendants are present at the final test, Jehovah’s purpose has succeeded, in the same way as when he collected his people and led them back to their own land. Jehovah’s name will be sanctified.
If billions of Adam’s descendants are everlastingly annihilated and are not present at the final test, as the members of the Governing Body teach, Jehovah has failed to “lead his people back to their land.” Jehovah’s name will be profaned.
For Russell and the Bible students, The Divine Plan of the Ages was the foundation of all other doctrines in the Bible, because it opened for the restoration by a resurrection of all those who died because of Adam’s sin, and because of this, for the sanctification of Jehovah’s name.[1]
The view of the present leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses opens for a limited restoration because only some of those who have died because of Adam’s sin will get a resurrection. This means that Jehovah’s eternal plan that the whole human family shall live forever in the earthly paradise has failed. And because of this, his name is profaned.
THE RANSOM SACRIFICE INCLUDES ALL DESCENDANTS OF ADAM AND NOT ONLY “ALL SORTS OF MEN”
One of the theme verses in Russel’s six volumes of The Divine Plan of the Ages is Acts 3:19-21:
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get YOUR sins blotted out, that seasons (kairos) of refreshing may come from the person of Jehovah 20 and that he may send forth the Christ appointed for YOU, Jesus, 21 whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself until the times (khronos) of restoration (apokatastasis) of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time.
The “restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time” refers to the purpose of God in having the whole earth populated with the descendants of Adam living in a paradise. The basis for this restoration is the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as we read in 1 Timothy 2:4-7. The translation above is from NWT84, and below is my academic translation of the same verses.[2]
3 This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, 4 whose will is that all sorts of (pas) men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator (mesitēs) between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a corresponding ransom (antilytron) for all (pas)—[this is] what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times (kairos).
3 This is good and acceptable in the presence of God, our savior. 4 who wants that all (pas) humans shall be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one who acts to bring about reconciliation (mesitēs) between God and human beings, the human being Jesus Christ, 6 who have given himself as a corresponding ransom (antilytron) for all (pas) — a testimony in the particular appointed times (kairos).
The basic linguistic differences between the NWT84 translation and my translation are as follows: The rendering “all sorts of men” in verse 4 is wrong because it lacks contextual support. I use the literal rendering “all humans.” The Greek word mesitēs in verse 5 has the meaning “one that acts between two parties; a mediator, one who interposes to reconcile two adverse parties.” (Mounce) I use the more descriptive rendering “one who acts to bring about reconciliation” instead of “mediator.” Everything God wants will happen. The word “should” in the expression “should be saved” is modal and expresses uncertainty. I use the form “shall” to show that there is no uncertainty: “all men” will be saved.
One aspect of Paul’s words that is often overlooked, but was stressed by the Bible students, is the meaning of the Greek word kairos in verse 6. The rendering “particular times” of NWT84 is too weak because kairos has the meaning “appointed time”, as is the case in Acts 3:19, that is quoted above, and Luke 21:24. The point of Paul evidently is that the role of Jesus as “one who acts to bring reconciliation between God and human beings” should only be understood at the appointed times for this, i.e., The Divine Plan of the Ages should first be understood at the time God had decided for this understanding.
ATTEMPTS TO DENY THAT THE RANSOM SACRIFICE INCLUDES ALL ADAM’S DESCENDANTS
The ransom sacrifice is the most significant event that has happened in my life. Because of this sacrifice, I have the hope of a resurrection and to reunite with my dear wife. I thank Jehovah many times every day for the ransom sacrifice. But I am very sad to see that the present members of the Governing Body reject the most basic side of the ransom sacrifice, that all Adam’s descendants will get the benefits of this sacrifice. The truth is that all humans will get the benefits of the ransom sacrifice without any conditions, such as faith in God!
The leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the late 1930s tried to explain away the words that Jesus was “a corresponding ransom for all” by using the expression “in behalf of all,” instead of “for all.” They interpreted “in behalf of all” as indicating that all humans had the possibility of benefitting from the sacrifice, but “all humans” were not included in the sacrifice and would benefit from it — and Jesus did not die for all Adam’s descendants.
The leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses today try to explain away the words that Jesus was “a corresponding ransom for all” by using the expression “for all sorts of men” in 1 Timothy 2:4 and applying this rendering in a footnote to 2:6 as well. In the present Watchtower literature, it is said that the ransom sacrifice includes “all sorts of men” but not “all men — all descendants of Adam.” And “all sorts of men” are those who will be saved.
Both these attempts represent a manipulation of the text of the Bible, to read something into the text of the Bible that is not there. This is, in reality, a deliberate distortion of the text of the Bible in order to mislead the readers.
Just before the ransom sacrifice again was rejected by the members of the Governing Body (in the 21st century), the real meaning of the ransom sacrifice was expressed in a beautiful way in The Watchtower of March 15, 2000, page 3:
When Adam sinned and was sentenced to death, his as yet unborn offspring were still in his loins and therefore died with him. The perfect man Jesus, “the last Adam,” willingly did not produce a family. (1 Corinthians 15:45) He had unborn offspring in his loins when he died as a perfect human sacrifice. Therefore, it might be said that the potential human race within his loins died with him. Jesus took Adam’s sinful, dying family as his own. He gave up the right to have a family of his own. By sacrificing his perfect human life, Jesus repurchased all mankind descended from Adam so that they could become His family, making Him their “Eternal Father.”—Isaiah 9:6, 7.
This is an excellent description of the ransom sacrifice. This sacrifice is the body and blood of Jesus, and the mention of “a potential human race” is an illustration of like-for-like and is not a part of the ransom sacrifice.
THE FALSE TRANSLATION OF “ALL SORTS OF MEN”
The New International Version and 30 other English translations render the last part of 1 Timothy 2:4 as “wants all (pas) men to be saved” or similar words. But NWT84 has the words “that all sorts of (pas) men should be saved.” First Timothy 2:6, NWT84 has the sundering “a corresponding ransom for all (pas).” But the footnote has the alternative “or, ‘all sorts of people’.” When 1 Timothy 2:4-6 has been discussed in the Watchtower literature in the 21st century, it has consistently been stated that the ransom sacrifice of Jesus is for “all sorts of people” and not “for all” of Adam’s descendants. This is a false teaching!
1 TIMOTHY 2:1 NWT84: “ALL SORTS OF MEN”
The issue is whether the Greek pronoun pas (“all, every, the whole”) should be rendered in the all-inclusive sense of “all,” or whether it should be rendered in the relative sense of “all sorts of.”
The word pas occurs 1,082 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and in most instances, pas is translated in the all-inclusive sense of “all, every, or the whole.” However, it can also be used in the relative sense of “all other,” as in Luke 21:29 (above), and of “all sorts of” in Acts 2:17 (below):
29 With that he spoke an illustration to them: “Note the fig tree and all the other (pas) trees.
17 “And in the last days,” God says, “I shall pour out some of my spirit upon every sort (pas) of flesh, and YOUR sons and YOUR daughters will prophesy and YOUR young men will see visions and YOUR old men will dream dreams.
Because the fig is a tree, the rendering “and all other trees” is correct. We know that the holy spirit will not be poured out on wicked people, and therefore, the rendering “every sorts of flesh” is correct.
Translation principles express that words should be translated in their basic senses — here “all, every, the whole” — and only when the context clearly requires a rare sense — here “all other; all sorts of,” should this sense be used. There is nothing in the context of 1 Timothy that requires the relative rendering “all sorts of” in 1 Timothy 2:4, 6.
I quote 1 Timothy 2:1 NWT84:
1 I therefore exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, offerings of thanks, be made concerning all sorts of men.
There is no contextual reason for the rendering “all sorts of.” The Greek text suggests that one phrase is in apposition to another phrase. The phrase hyper (for) pantōn (all) anthropōn (men) is in apposition to hyper (for) basileōn (kings) kai (and) pantōn (all) tōn (those) en (in) hyperokhē (authority) ontōn (being). Both clauses begin with hyper (for) and “kings and those with authority” is an explanation of “all men.” Thus, “all men” does not refer to “all men” in the world but to “all men” in high positions.
Moreover, the phrase “all sorts of men” does not fit, because Paul does not exhort his readers to pray for the hundred or more kinds of men in the world, but only for those in high positions. The purpose of the prayers supports this conclusion, namely, that Christians can lead a calm and quiet life. Those who can cause this situation are those with high authority, and not all the different kinds of men in the world.
Thus, the context does not require the rendering “all sorts of people.” The situation of verse 1 is similar to 2 Timothy 1:15:
15 You know this, that all the men in the [district of] Asia have turned away from me. Phy·gelʹus and Her·mogʹe·nes are of that number.
Paul does not say that all the thousands of inhabitants of the province of Asia turned away from him. But “all the men” refers to all who were members of the Christian congregations in Asia. Similarly, in 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul does ask Christians to pray for all sorts of men in the whole world, but only for “all men” who are in high positions.
1 TIMOTHY 2:4 “ALL SORTS OF MEN”
I quote 1 Timothy 2:3-6 NWT84:
3 This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, 4 whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved (sōzō) and come to an accurate knowledge of truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all—[this is] what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times.
The footnote to 1 Timothy 2:4 in the NWT84 says:
all sorts of people: While the Greek expression used here may more literally be translated “all people,” the rendering “all sorts of people” is appropriate because of the context. (For other examples, see study notes on Joh 12:32; Ac 2:17.) God wants all people “to attain to repentance” (2Pe 3:9), so he impartially offers salvation to everyone, regardless of their gender, ethnic background, financial status, or social position. (Mt 28:19, 20; Ac 10:34, 35;17:30) However, the Scriptures clearly indicate that many people will reject God’s invitation and will not be saved. (Mt 7:13, 21; Joh 3:16, 36; 2Th 1:9) So the rendering “all sorts of people” is in harmony with those verses. A similar rendering is also appropriate in the preceding verses, where Paul urges fellow Christians to pray “concerning all sorts of men, concerning kings and all those who are in high positions.”—1Ti 2:1, 2.
The reason for the rendering “all sorts of men” is illuminated by a comment in Reasoning from the Scriptures (1989), page 357, about the similar rendering in Titus 2:11:
What about texts such as Titus 2:11, which refers to “the salvation of all men,” according to the rendering of RS? Other texts, such as John 12:32, Romans 5:18, and 1 Timothy 2:3, 4, convey a similar thought in RS, KJ, NE, TEV, etc. The Greek expressions rendered “all” and “everyone” in these verses are inflected forms of the word pas. As shown in Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London, 1962, Vol. I, p. 46), pas can also mean “every kind or variety.” So, in the above verses, instead of “all,” the expression “every kind of” could be used; or “all sorts of,” as is done in NW. Which is correct—“all” or the thought conveyed by “all sorts of”? Well, which rendering is also harmonious with the rest of the Bible? The latter one is. Consider Acts 10:34, 35; Revelation 7:9, 10; 2 Thessalonians 1:9. (Note: Other translators also recognize this sense of the Greek word, as is shown by their renderings of it at Matthew 5:11—“all kinds of,” RS, TEV; “every kind of,” NE; “all manner of,” KJ.
We note that no linguistic reason is given for the rendering “all sorts of.” But the reason is that it “is harmonious with the rest of the Bible.” This means that because the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses had changed their minds in 1937, a view that still held when the NWT was made in the 1940s, they believed that Jesus did not die for all men but only for some men; they deviated from the literal rendering “all men” and used “all sorts of men.”[1]
The rendering “all sorts of men” is linguistically possible. But it is not what the text literally says; the translators’ theological views are read into the text. This means that this rendering misleads the readers about the meaning of Paul’s words. Therefore, we must conclude that this is a deliberate distortion of the biblical text.
[1]. The NWT1950 and NWT1984 are the best and most accurate English translations. The rendering “all sorts of men” is one of the very rare examples where these translations deviate from the original text and read something into the text that is not there.
Below is a list of all the instances in which the word pas occurs in 1 Timothy, illustrating that only when the context without question shows that the rendering “all” is not possible, should a rare alternative meaning be used:
1:15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full (pas) acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these, I am foremost.
2:1, 2 First of all (pas) , then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made concerning all sorts of men (pas) , 2 concerning kings and all those who are in high positions, so that we may go on leading a calm and quiet life with complete godly devotion and seriousness (pas) .
2:4 whose will is that all sorts of people (pas) should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.
2:6 who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all (pas) —this is what is to be witnessed to in its own due time.
2:8 So I desire that in every (pas) place the men carry on prayer, lifting up loyal hands, without anger and debates.
2:11 Let a woman learn in silence with full (pas) submissiveness.
3:4 a man presiding over his own household in a fine manner, having his children in subjection with all (pas) seriousness.
3:11 Women should likewise be serious, not slanderous, moderate in habits, faithful in all (pas). things.
4:4 For every (pas) creation of God is fine, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
4:8, 9 For physical training is beneficial for a little, but godly devotion is beneficial for all (pas) things, as it holds promise of the life now and the life that is to come. 9 That statement is trustworthy and deserves (pas) full acceptance.
4:15 Ponder over these things; be absorbed in them, so that your advancement may be plainly seen by all (pas) people.
5:2 to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters, with all (pas) chasteness.
5:10 having a reputation for fine works, if she raised children, if she practiced hospitality, if she washed the feet of holy ones, if she assisted the afflicted, if she devoted herself to every (pas)good work.
5:20 Reprove before all (pas)onlookers those who practice sin, as a warning to the rest.
6:1 Let those who are under the yoke of slavery keep on considering their owners worthy of full (pas) honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may never be spoken of injuriously.
6:10 For the love of money is a root of all (pas) injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.
6:13 Before God, who preserves all things (pas) alive, and Christ Jesus, who as a witness made the fine public declaration before Pontius Pilate, I give you orders
6:17 Instruct those who are rich in the present system of things not to be arrogant, and to place their hope, not on uncertain riches, but on God, who richly provides us with all the things (pas) we enjoy.
I have shown that the words “all sorts of” in 2:2, 4 are a manipulation of the text. NWT84 and NWT13 have also “all sorts of” in 6:10. This is not a manipulation of the Greek text, because the rendering is possible. But all translations I know of have the rendering “all.” It gives good meaning to say that “love of money is the root of all injurious things.” This means that all examples of pas in 1 Timothy are uses with the meaning “all,” the literal meaning of pas.
But what can we say about the statement that God’ will is that “all men shall be saved” in 2:4? Everything that God wills will happen. So, would it not be better to use “all sorts of men” instead of “all men” so the reader would not think that Paul speaks about universal everlasting life, which is contradicted by Jesus. (Luke 20:35)?
No, it is God’s will that all men shall be saved? How so? The meaning of the Greek word sōzō is “to save, rescue; to preserve safe and unharmed, to cure, heal, restore to health, to save, preserve from being lost, to deliver from, set free from, in NT to rescue from unbelief, convert.” (Mounce) The footnote of 2:4 confirms these meanings:
be saved: The terms “to save” and “salvation” are sometimes used by Bible writers to convey the idea of deliverance from danger or destruction. (Ex 14:13, 14; Ac 27:20) Often, though, these terms refer to deliverance from sin. (Mt 1:21) Since death is caused by sin, people who are saved from sin have the hope of living forever.—Joh 3:16, 17; see study note on 1Ti 1:1.
The different meanings of sōzō show that there is a big difference between “being saved” and “getting everlasting life.” In which sense did Paul use “save” in 2:4? The answer is found in verse 6 that Jesus is “a corresponding ransom for all.” Verse 6 is an explanation of verse 4. I quote again the excellent explanation of the ransom sacrifice in The Watchtower of March 15, 2000, page 3:
When Adam sinned and was sentenced to death, his as yet unborn offspring were still in his loins and therefore died with him. The perfect man Jesus, “the last Adam,” willingly did not produce a family. (1 Corinthians 15:45) He had unborn offspring in his loins when he died as a perfect human sacrifice. Therefore, it might be said that the potential human race within his loins died with him. Jesus took Adam’s sinful, dying family as his own. He gave up the right to have a family of his own. By sacrificing his perfect human life, Jesus repurchased all mankind descended from Adam so that they could become His family, making Him their “Eternal Father.”—Isaiah 9:6, 7.
The different meanings of sōzō show that there is a big difference between “being saved” and “getting everlasting life. “God wills that all men shall be saved, and this happened when Jesus died and bought all Adam’s descendants. His ransom sacrifice includes “all men” in a literal sense of the word; it also includes the few who have sinned against the holy spirit. All men “will come to an accurate knowledge of truth” after they have been resurrected in the thousand-year reign of Jesus.
1 TIMOTHY 2:6 NWT84: “A CORRESPONDING RANSOM FOR ALL (PAS)”
Why have both NWT84 of NWT13 the rendering “for all” and not “for all sorts” in 1 Timothy 2:6? The word pas is an adjective. In many instances, an adjective modifies a substantive, as in the expressions “all (pas) men,” where “all” modifies “men,” and in the expression “a yellow house,” where “yellow” modifies “house.”
An adjective can also be substantivized, which means that while it still is an adjective, it functions as a substantive. The word “elder” is an example. It is the comparative form of the adjective “old.” It stands alone without modifying a substantive, and it refers to a man who has some responsibility in a Christian congregation.
The word pas in 1 Timothy 2:6 stands alone without modifying a substantive. It is substantivized and functions as a substantive. It is linguistically and grammatically impossible to translate the substantivized adjective pas by anything other than the all-inclusive sense “all.” This is done by both NWT84 and NWT13. But in order to try to persuade the readers that the ransom sacrifice does not include all Adam’s descendants, there is a footnote in both versions saying:
For all: Or “all sorts of people,” —Mt 20:28; Joh 3:16; see study note on 1Ti 2:4.
This footnote is a falsification of the text of the Bible. I have already pointed out that “all sorts of people” in 2:4 is linguistically possible. However, it misleads readers into believing the text says the opposite of what it actually says. Therefore, it is a deliberate distortion of the biblical text. The rendering “all sorts of people” in the footnote of 2:6 is not even linguistically possible. Therefore, it clearly is a deliberate distortion of the text.
1 TIMOTHY 4:10 NWT84: “ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE”
The correct rendering of 1 Timothy 4:10 support the above conclusion that all Adams descendants who have died because of inherited sin will get a resurrection:
10 For to this end we are working hard and exerting ourselves, because we have rested our hope on a living God, who is a Savior of all sorts of men (pas anthropōs), especially of faithful ones.
According to the footnote to 1 Timothy 2:4 in NWT13, the “all sorts of men” who will be saved are persons who have repented and are believers. However, Paul says in 4:1 that Jesus is not only a Savior for the faithful but also for wicked people. The apostle John supports this in 1 John 2:1, 2:
1 My little children, I am writing YOU these things that YOU may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. 2 And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.
On the basis of the words of Peter and John, and a great number of passages that I will quote below, I show that the ransom sacrifice includes all of Adam’s descendants. The rendering “all sorts of” is a theological rendering having the motive of persuading the readers that the ransom sacrifice does not include all of Adam’s descendants.
The situation is the same as in 2:4. The rendering “all sorts of men” is linguistically possible. But it is not what the text literally says; the translators’ theological views are read into the text. This means that this rendering misleads the readers about the meaning of Paul’s words. Therefore, we must conclude that this is a deliberate distortion of the biblical text.
The conclusion of this section is that Jesus bought all Adam’s descendants when he died, and his corresponding ransom will be applied to all those who have died because of Adam’s sin, both righteous and unrighteous persons.
[1]. Behind the words “The Divine Plan of the Ages” was Ephesians 3:11: “according to the eternal purpose (prothesis) that he formed in connection with the Christ, Jesus our Lord.” The Greek word prothesis has the meaning “purpose, plan, will” (UBS lexicon), “that which is planned or purposed in advance.” (Louw and Nida) Russell used the word “plan.” But because God is almighty, he does not make plans, but he has a purpose. Therefore, we today use “purpose” rather than “plan.” A fine discussion of this subject is found in the book, God’s “Eternal Purpose” Now Triumphing for Man’s Good (1974).
[2]. The expression “an academic translation” refers to a translation where all the small nuances of the original text are presented.
TEXTS SHOWING THAT THE RANSOM SACRIFICE INCLUDES ALL ADAM’S DESCENDANTS
We have seen that the attempts by members of the Governing Body to demonstrate that the ransom sacrifice does not encompass all of Adam’s descendants have failed. I will now quote some other scriptures in addition to 1 Timothy 2:4, 6 and 4:1 showing that the ransom sacrifice includes all Adam’s descendants.
TITUS 2:11 NWT84: “SALVATION TO ALL MEN”; NWT13: “ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE”
I quote Titus 2:11-14 NWT84:
11 For the undeserved kindness of God which brings salvation to all sorts of men (pas anthropos) has been manifested, 12 instructing us to repudiate ungodliness and worldly desires and to live with soundness of mind and righteousness and godly devotion amid this present system of things, 13 while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of [the] Savior of us, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave himself for us that he might deliver us from every sort of lawlessness and cleanse for himself a people peculiarly his own, zealous for fine works.
Paul wrote to Titus, who was an anointed servant of God, who would be among the 144,000 who would rule with Jesus Christ in heaven. The pronoun “us” in verse 14 must refer to Paul, Titus, and the other living anointed Christians. These were cleansed to become “a people peculiarly his [God’s] own.
This people will experience salvation when they get a heavenly resurrection. However, there are others who will also receive salvation, as expressed by the Greek words pas anthropos (“all men”). The contrast to “a people peculiarly his own” is not “all sorts of people” but “all people.” The anointed ones will experience salvation, but this will also “all men.”
The situation is the same as in 1 Timothy 2:4 and 4:10. The rendering “all sorts of men” is linguistically possible. But it is not what the text literally says; the translators’ theological views are read into the text. This means that this rendering misleads the readers about the meaning of Paul’s words. Therefore, we must conclude that this is a deliberate distortion of the biblical text.
What does it mean that God’s undeserved kindness “brings salvation to all men”? The same words are found in 1 Timothy 2:4 and 4:10, and because of the explanation of these words in 1 Timothy 2:6, that Jesus is “a corresponding ransom to all men,” the meaning is that Jesus bought all Adam’s descendants, and they have been saved as a part of his family, and all those who die because of Adam’s sin will be saved from death by a resurrection in the thousand-year reign of Jesus. (Hosea 13:14; Hebrews 5:7).
HEBREWS 2:9 NWT: “HE MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERY”[MAN]”; NWT13: “HE MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERYONE”
I quote Hebrews 2:9 NWT13:
9 But we do see Jesus, who was made a little lower than angels, now crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, so that by God’s undeserved kindness he might taste death for everyone (pas).
The adjective pas functions as a substantive, just as in 1 Timothy 2:6. This means that the rendering “all sorts of people” is linguistically and grammatically impossible. Yet NWT84, but not NWT13, has the footnote “or, ‘every kind of’.”
This footnote is a falsification of the text of the Bible, as is the case in the footnote of 1 Timothy 2:6. Because the adjective pas stands alone and is substantivised, the rendering of the footnote “every kind of” is linguistically impossible. Therefore, this footnote clearly is a deliberate distortion of the text.
To whom does “everyone” refer? I quote 2:15, 2:2, and 3:1:
15 and [that] he might emancipate all those who for fear of death were subject to slavery all through their lives.
5 For it is not to angels that he has subjected the inhabited earth to come, about which we are speaking.
1 Consequently, holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest whom we confess—Jesus.
The words of 2:15 show that Jesus tasted death for all descendants of Adam who will die because of Adam. These consist of two groups, those who will live in the coming inhabited earth, according to 2:5, and those who have the heavenly hope, according to 3:1. This scripture also shows that the ransom sacrifice includes all of Adam’s descendants. This is exactly the same statement as in 1 Timothy 2:4, 6.
JOHN 1:29; 3:17, AND 1 JOHN 2:2: “THE SIN OF THE WORLD”
I quote John 1:29 (above) 3:16, 17 (middle), and 1 John 2:1-2 (below):
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said: “See, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world for him to judge the world, but for the world to be saved through him.
1 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. 2 And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.
The catchword in these verses is “world” (kosmos). John 1:29 says that Jesus takes away the sin of the world, 3:17 says that the world will be saved through Jesus, and 1 John 2:2 says that Jesus is a propitiatory sacrifice for the whole world. What does this mean? According to John 3:16-17, there is a distinction between salvation and eternal life. To attain everlasting life, one must exercise faith in Jesus Christ. But the world will be saved without any conditions.
Let us see what “the world” encompasses. I quote 1 John 2:15-17 (above), 3:13 (middle), and 5:19 (below):
15 Do not be loving either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; 16 because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. 17 Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.
13 Do not marvel, brothers, that the world hates YOU.
19 We know we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the [power of the] wicked one.
The word “world” (kosmos) refers to all the humans who are living on the earth. The Devil rules the world, humans in the world do the actions of the Devil, and some humans in the world hate Christians. Yet, God loves all these humans, Jesus came to save all these humans, and he is a propitiatory sacrifice (hilasmos, “atoning sacrifice”) for each human in the world.
All humans will be saved, but only those humans who exercise faith in Jesus Christ will get everlasting life. Only if we understand The Divine Plan of the Ages can we see that this situation is not contradictory of any passages in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
God’s purpose is to gather 144,000 persons who exercise faith in Jesus Christ as a heavenly government. These anointed Christians will rule together with Jesus during the thousand years when the earthly resurrection will occur. These persons must be gathered from the human family while they are imperfect sinners. However, God knows that these persons have a good heart condition, even though they are sinners. Therefore, he has called them and baptized them with holy spirit.
The eternal destiny of these 144,000 anointed descendants of Adam will be decided by God in the situation when they are imperfect sinners. The only other group whose destinies will be decided when they are imperfect humans are those who are permeated by wickedness, who practice sins that are not caused by their imperfection that they inherited from Adam, but are caused by their own wickedness. There is no sacrifice for these sins against the holy spirit, and these people will be everlastingly annihilated.
All other humans, who are the great majority of Adam’s descendants, are loved by God, even though they do the actions of the Devil and hate Christians. God knows that these persons of “the world” do bad actions because of inherited sin. Therefore, God does not count their sins against them as a basis for their eternal judgment.
Here, the ransom sacrifice comes into play. Jesus died as a propitiatory sacrifice for all these humans, and he bought them. Therefore, all those who die because of Adam’s sin will get a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus, and they will gradually be led to perfection without inherited sin. And now, when they are in the same position as Adam, perfect and without sin, their eternal destiny will be decided based on the final test after the thousand years.
Now we can understand the verses about the world in the gospel of John and in his first letter. All the descendants of Adam who, without their decision, became a part of Satan’s world, are loved by God. And because of the ransom sacrifice, they will be saved, which means that they are bought by Jesus and will get a resurrection during the thousand years. But they will first get everlasting life when they exercise faith in Jesus Christ and pass the final test.
Table 1.1 Expressions showing that the ransom sacrifice includes all Adam’s descendants
| 1 Timothy 2:4 | all men shall be saved. |
| 1 Timothy 2:6 | who gave himself as a corresponding ransom for all. |
| 1 Timothy 4:10 | God who is a savior of all men, especially the faithful ones. |
| Titus 2:11 | which brings salvation to all men. |
| Hebrews 2:9 | he might taste death for everyone. |
| John 1:29 | who takes away the sin of the world. |
| John 3:17 | For the world to be saved through him. |
| 1 John 2:2 | he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s. |
THE RESURRECTION OF ALL THAT DIED BECAUSE OF INHERITED SIN
Jesus showed that the resurrection from the dead was taught in the law of Moses, as we see in Luke 20:37:
37 But that the dead are raised up even Moses disclosed, in the account about the thornbush, when he calls Jehovah ‘the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob.’ 38 He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living, for they are all living to him.”
The point here is that the words of Moses that Jehovah was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, imply that there will be a resurrection. In verse 38, the Greek word “him” is in the dative case, which expresses the idea that the dead are living from his point of view, because they will get a resurrection. The Hebrew Scriptures speak directly about a resurrection. I quote Isaiah 26:19 (above), Hosea 13:14 (top middle), Daniel 12:13 (bottom middle), and John 11:24 (below):
19 “Your dead ones will live. A corpse of mine—they will rise up. Awake and cry out joyfully, YOU residents in the dust! For your dew is as the dew of mallows, and the earth itself will let even those impotent in death drop [in birth].
14 “From the hand of Sheʹol I shall redeem them; from death I shall recover them. Where are your stings, O Death? Where is your destructiveness, O Sheʹol? Compassion itself will be concealed from my eyes.
13 “And as for you yourself, go toward the end; and you will rest, but you will stand up for your lot at the end of the days.”
24 Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
All these passages demonstrate that the Jews before Jesus’ time on earth believed in the resurrection from the dead. The words of Martha demonstrate that sincere Jews in the days of Jesus believed in a future “day” when the dead would be resurrected. This is the great Jubilee sabbath of a thousand years.
DYING IN ADAM AND NOT DYING IN ADAM
Paul uses the words “dying in Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:22. According to the law of God, the penalty for sin is death. (Romans 6:23) The expression “dying in Adam” means that because humans have inherited sin from Adam, they die as a penalty for their sins. I have stressed, and I will stress, that every single individual who “die in Adam” will, because of the ransom sacrifice, get a resurrection, become free from sin during a period of a thousand years, and get the final test as perfect humans without sin after the thousand years.
But there are some humans who have not “died in Adam.” To understand this, we must comprehend what the ransom sacrifice truly entails. In my book, The Atonement Between God And Man, pages 38-64, there is a detailed discussion of the different sides of the ransom sacrifice.
The important point that the present members of Governing Body do not understand is that to be a corresponding ransom, Jesus bought Adam and all his unborn descendants. If Adam was not bought and included in the sacrifice, there was no corresponding sacrifice (antilytron) — like-for-like. But will Adam have the possibility of a resurrection? No. Why is this?
I use the following illustration: Every human being, due to inherited sin, has a debt of $ $1 million. This was also the case with Adam. When Jesus died, He paid $1 million for Adam and for each one of His descendants. This means that Adam and all his descendants were debt-free.
However, Adam had incurred another debt of $500,000 in addition to the $1 million. This debt is based on the fact that, although he was perfect, he violated Jehovah’s law. So, even though Jesus paid $1 million for Adam, he is not debt-free, and he will not receive a resurrection.
Jesus paid $1 million for each of Adam’s descendants. However, some of them, probably only a few, have also incurred an additional debt of $ 500,000. And even when Jesus has paid the price of $1 million for each of these persons, they are not debt-free, and they cannot receive a resurrection. Jesus confirmed this according to Luke 20:35:
35 but those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.
Some will not be worthy of having a resurrection in the thousand-year reign of Jesus. But how have these descendants of Adam incurred this debt of $ 500,000? In the Christian Greek Scriptures, this is referred to as sin against the holy spirit.
THOSE WHO ARE NOT DYING IN ADAM
The debt of $500,000 is incurred when a person is not sinning because he or she is imperfect and has inherited sin from Adam. But he or she is sinning because of his or her own pure wickedness that is practiced.
Jesus spoke about this sin in Matt 12:31, 32:
31 “On this account 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.
Any sin will be forgiven except sin against the holy spirit. What is this sin? When we violate God’s law and do wrong actions, we are responsible for that. But the deepest reason for our sins is that we have inherited sin from Adam. The ransom sacrifice covers all the sins we commit due to our imperfection, because we have inherited sin.
Sins against the holy spirit are sins that a person commits because he chooses to act in a wicked way and not because he has inherited sin. Essentially, these are sins that people engage in over time despite knowing they are wicked actions.[1] For sins that are not inherited from Adam, there is no ransom sacrifice.
Jesus gave an example of sin against the holy spirit in the verses before he spoke about this kind of sin, in Matthew 12:25-28:
25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself comes to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 In the same way, if Satan expels Satan, he has become divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand? 27 Moreover, if I expel the demons by means of Be·elʹze·bub, by means of whom do YOUR sons expel them? This is why they will be judges of YOU.
Why were these Pharisees (not all Pharisees) guilty of the unforgivable sin? The sons (disciples) of these Pharisees were able to expel demons — evidently because the Devil wanted to show that these Pharisees were good people who served God. When the disciples of the Pharisees expelled demons, the Pharisees magnified this and argued that this was proof that God supported them.
However, when Jesus did miracles and expelled demons, the Pharisees said that this was from Satan. Because their own servants expelled demons on a smaller scale than Jesus, these Pharisees knew that when they accused Jesus of standing in league with the Devil, this was a false accusation. The Pharisees were not tempted to say this because of their imperfection and inherited sin. But they said this because they were wicked, and Jesus threatened their position as leaders of the people. Their sin was not covered by the ransom sacrifice and was unforgivable.
In contrast with this, Jesus pointed to a situation of grave sin — of someone speaking against the Son of man — that would be covered by the ransom sacrifice. We read Matthew 11:21-24:
21 “Woe to you, Cho·raʹzin! Woe to you, Beth·saʹi·da! because if the powerful works had taken place in Tyre and Siʹdon that took place in YOU, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Consequently 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 Haʹdes 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 Consequently I say to YOU people, It will be more endurable for the land of Sodʹom on Judgment Day than for you.”
For long periods, Jesus had stayed in each of the three cities: Corazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida. He had preached extensively about the kingdom of God and performed many miracles. Yet, the inhabitants spoke against him and did not believe in him. Nevertheless, Jesus said that they would receive a resurrection on Judgment Day—they had not sinned against the Holy Spirit.
When he died, Jesus paid $1 million for each one of Adam’s descendants. All these will get a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus, the great Jubilee sabbath, except those who have incurred an extra debt of $500,000 by sinning against the holy spirit.
A more detailed discussion can be found in my book, The Atonement Between God and Man, which is available for free download at mybelovedreligion.no.
THOSE WHO ARE DYING IN ADAM
It is very important to distinguish between those who die in Adam and those who do not die in Adam. This is the key to understanding a great number of passages in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
The resurrection of the dead is associated with the ransom sacrifice. This is the case in the Hebrew Scriptures, in Hosea 13:14:
14 “From the hand of Sheʹol I shall redeem (H: pādā, G: ryomai)) them; from death I shall recover (H: gā’āl, G: lytrōsomai) them. Where are your stings, O Death? Where is your destructiveness, O Sheʹol?
The Hebrew word pā’dā has the meaning “redeem, ransom, deliver,” and gā’āl has the meaning “redeem, deliver.”(Kohlenberger/Mounce) The Greek word ryomai has the meaning “drag out of danger, rescue, save,” and lytrosomai has the meaning “to ransom, redeem, deliver.” (Mounce)
The two Greek words and the two Hebrew words refer to salvation or redemption. The Greek verb lytrōsomai (“to ransom”) is related to the Greek noun antilytron (“corresponding ransom”) in 1 Timothy 2:6. From what should people be saved or redeemed, according to Hosea 13:14? From sheōl or from “death.” The same idea is found in the Christian Greek Scriptures, as we see in Hebrews 5:7:
7 In the days of his flesh [Christ] offered up supplications and also petitions to the One who was able to save (sōzō) him out of death, with strong outcries and tears, and he was favorably heard for his godly fear.
Jesus was saved from death by a resurrection. This is an important point, as I have already stressed. As I have pointed out, there is a difference between everlasting life and salvation. When the word “salvation” is used, it often refers to salvation from death, to a resurrection. But the words “everlasting life” are either used with reference to the 144,000 who get a heavenly resurrection or to those who pass the final test after the thousand years.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:21, 22 ALL WHO ARE DYING IN ADAM WILL BE MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST
Paul provides a detailed account of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I will now discuss verses 21 and 22:
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.
In the 20th century, the Watchtower literature made some fine and correct comments on these verses. In the 21st century, members of the Governing Body have rejected the interpretation of this verse and attempted to lead readers to believe that it says the opposite of what it actually states.
The Watchtower of March 15, 1965, page 167, makes some fine points.
13 Pointing further to that resemblance between Adam and Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul writes in his matchless chapter on the resurrection: “It is even so written: ‘The first man Adam became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a man. For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.”—1 Cor. 15:45, 21, 22.
14 So, just as all of us humans had to depend upon the first man Adam for the earthly life that we enjoy today, so now all of us who are dying have to depend, one and all of us, upon Jesus Christ, “the last Adam.” There will not be another person on earth like Adam; so, if we desire to gain everlasting life on earth, we shall have to gain it through this “last Adam,” Jesus Christ.
The point here is that the words “will be made alive” refer to every single one of us who are dying because of Adam’s sin. The book Reasoning from the Scriptures (1989), page 357, makes a completely correct statement:
Does 1 Corinthians 15:22 prove that all humans will eventually be saved? It says: “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (RS) As shown in the surrounding verses, what is under discussion here is resurrection. Who will be resurrected? All whose death is attributable to Adamic sin (see verse 21) but who have not also personally committed the willful transgressions set forth in Hebrews 10:26-29. As Jesus was raised from Hades (Acts 2:31), so all others who are in Hades will be “made alive” by means of the resurrection. (Rev. 1:18; 20:13) Will all of these gain eternal salvation? That opportunity will be open to them, but not everyone will take hold of it, as is indicated at John 5:28, 29
This is the first time I have seen a wholly correct statement about who will receive a resurrection and who will not in the Watchtower literature, in the same paragraph, after World War II.
| CORRECT STATEMENT: All humans whose death is attributable to Adam’s sin will get a resurrection. Only those who have sinned against the holy spirit will not get a resurrection. (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1989) |
The person who wrote the words about the resurrection in Reasoning from the Scriptures had a correct understanding of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But in the 21st century, false teachings regarding the ransom sacrifice and the resurrection were introduced.
The Watchtower of December 2020, page 5, introduced a completely new interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:20:
THOSE WHO “WILL BE MADE ALIVE”
13 How could the death of one man bring life to millions? Paul gives a logical answer to that question. He draws a contrast between what Adam brought on mankind and what is possible through Christ. With regard to Adam, Paul wrote: “Death came through a man.” When Adam sinned, he brought disaster on himself and his descendants. We still feel the tragic effects of his disobedience. How different is the outcome made possible because God raised his Son! “Resurrection of the dead also comes through a man,” Jesus. “For just as in Adam all are dying,” Paul reasoned, “so also in the Christ all will be made alive.”—1 Cor. 15:21, 22.
14 What did Paul mean when he said that “in Adam all are dying”? Paul had in mind Adam’s descendants, who inherited sin and imperfection from Adam and thus are in a dying condition. (Rom. 5:12) Adam is not among those who “will be made alive.” Christ’s ransom does not cover him, for Adam was a perfect man who willfully disobeyed God. The outcome for Adam is the same as what is ahead for those whom “the Son of man” will judge as “goats,” namely, “everlasting cutting-off.”—Matt. 25:31-33, 46; Heb. 5:9.
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. (bold letters in the original.)
According to these comments, the words “in the Christ all will be made alive” do not refer to all who die in Adam, because of Adam’s sin, but all the 144,000 with a heavenly hope. This interpretation contradicts the text’s meaning and leads the readers astray.
However, the interpretation of “all” would deteriorate even further, as we read the following in “Bible questions answered,” page 105:
Misconception: First Corinthians 15:22 teaches universal salvation by saying that “in the Christ all will be made alive.”
Fact: The context of this verse discusses the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:12, 13, 20, 21, 35) So the phrase “in the Christ all will be made alive” simply means that all who are resurrected receive this blessing through Jesus Christ.—John 11:25[2]
The major error in the Fact commentary is the use of the relative pronoun “who.” Its use shows the opposite of what the text says. The words “all who are resurrected” show that not all who die in Adam receive a resurrection. The correct rendering would be “all are resurrected and receive the blessing through Jesus Christ.” As we see in the parallel below, this is exactly what the text says.
Here we see an example of the members of the Governing Body deliberately trying to mislead readers into believing that the text says exactly the opposite of what it says. This was also the case with the previous comment that “all” refers to the 144,000 who will rule with Jesus in heaven.
| hōsper (just as) gar (for) en (in) tō Adam (Adam) pantes (all ) apothnēskousin (will die) |
| houtos (so) kai (also) en (in) tō Khristou (Christ) pantes (all ) zōopoiēthēsontai (will be made alive) |
We see there is a perfect contrast between the two clauses. In contrast to the claim of the members of the Governing Body, the text undisputably says that every person who dies because of inherited sin from Adam will get a resurrection. This accords with the words quoted from volume I of Studies in the Scriptures (Study IX, A 149).
The Restitution Guaranteed by the Ransom—Not Everlasting Life, but a Trial for it, Secured by the Ransom.
The resurrection of all who die in Adam does not give them everlasting life. But they will be resurrected and granted life during the thousand-year reign of Jesus. They will gradually become perfect, and after the thousand years, they will undergo the final test, showing whether they are worthy of everlasting life.
The important point is that, as imperfect humans with inherited sin, they do not have a real personal chance to choose to serve Jehovah or not in this world. Their inherited sin prevents them from such a personal chance. The ransom sacrifice will give them all the opportunity to quit their inherited sin, so they can have their personal chance to choose to serve Jehovah or not as perfect humans.
There are several passages in the Christian Greek Scriptures that support Paul’s words, stating that all who die in Adam will have a resurrection.
REVELATION 20:12, 13: ALL WHO ARE IN HADĒS AND THE SEA WILL GET A RESURRECTION
The Hebrew Scriptures say that those who die because of inherited sin go to sheōl, and the Christian Greek Scriptures show that those who die in Adam go to hadēs, which is the Greek word corresponding to sheōl. So, hadēs is the place where all those who die in Adam go, and all those who are in hadēs will get a resurrection, as we read in Revelation 20:4, 12, 13:
4 And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had worshiped neither the wild beast nor its image and who had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for a thousand years.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrollswere opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Haʹdes gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds.
Verse 4 shows that the 144,000 who will reign with Jesus in heaven experience the first resurrection and rule as kings for a thousand years. During these thousand years, the earthly resurrection will occur. Verse 13 shows that hadēs “will give up” the dead, which means that it will be emptied of dead ones. Because those who die in Adam come to hadēs, these words convey the same meaning as 1 Corinthians 15:22, “all who die in Adam will be made alive in Christ.”
In order to show how comprehensive the resurrection will be, verse 13 also says that “the sea” gave up those dead in it.” This includes all who died in the great flood in the days of Noah.
JOHN 5:28, 29: ALL WHO ARE IN THE MEMORIAL TOMBS WILL GET A RESURRECTION
Revelation was given to John by Jesus, so Jesus is the source of the words that all the dead in hadēs will get a resurrection. Jesus also expressed this truth when he was on earth, as we read in John 5:28, 29:
28 Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all (pas) those in the memorial tombs (mnemeion) will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.
Jesus says that all (pas) the dead in the memorial tombs (mnemeion) will come out. The Greek word mnemeion contains an element of memory. However, Jesus spoke Hebrew and evidently used the word qæbær, which is the normal word for “grave.” In a similar way, mnemeion is the normal Greek word for “grave.”
All those who are in the memorial tombs are those who have died because of Adam’s sin. And Jesus says the same as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:22 and John said in Revelation 20:13. All (pas) who have died because of Adam’s sin will get a resurrection.[3]
| 1 Corinthians 15:22 | All who die because of Adam’s sin will be resurrected, |
| Revelation 20:13 | All who die because of Adam’s sin come to hadēs. All the dead in hadēs will get a resurrection. |
| John 5:28, 29 | All who die because of Adam are put in memorial tombs, and Jesus says that all who are in the memorial tombs will get a resurrection. |
In view of all the passages in the Christian Greek Scriptures saying that the ransom sacrifice includes all Adam’s descendants, and that all who die because of Adam’s sin will be resurrected, it is mind-boggling that the present members of the Governing Body deny this. Because of this, they can be viewed as false teachers.
[1]. If you have sinned gravely, and you wonder if you have sinned against the holy spirit, you have not done this unforgivable sin. Your consideration of whether you have committed this kind of sin is evidence that you have not sinned against the holy spirit. If you have done that, you have been hardened in your conscience, and you would not care to ask whether you have done an unforgivable sin.
[2]. Quoted on July 23, 2025. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/502016130#h=13:0-15:249
[3]. The words «a resurrection of life” and “a resurrection of judgment” refer to the final destiny of those who will be resurrected. A detailed discussion of this is found in my article, “The Governing Body’s new view of the resurrection is contradicted by the Scriptures.” https://mybelovedreligion.no/2022/08/26/the-governing-bodys-new-view-of-the-resurrection-is-contradicted-by-the-scriptures
THE PARTICULAR APPOINTED TIMES OF THE TESTIMONY OF THE RANSOM SACRIFICE
The expression “appointed times” has different references. It refers to the period between 455 BCE and 29 CE, when Jesus started his work. It refers to the period between 607 BCE and 1914 CE, when the presence of Jesus and the time of the end started. It refers to the Jubilee sabbath, which is the thousand-year reign of Jesus. That the words “appointed times” are connected with the ransom sacrifice in 1 Timothy 2:6 is completely overlooked by the members of the Governing Body. I quote 1 Timothy 2:5 (my translation)
5 For there is one God, and there is one who acts to bring about reconciliation (mesitēs) between God and human beings, the human being Jesus Christ, 6 who have given himself as a corresponding for all — a testimony in the particular (idios) appointed times (kairos).
The Jews knew Jehovah God, who was the savior of the Jewish nation. But now, there was also another savior, Jesus Christ. And the message after the death and resurrection of Jesus was that “ there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.” (Acts 4:12)
The focus of the preaching in the first century was to gather sincere persons who would reign with Jesus in heaven. The sins of these people were forgiven on the basis of the ransom sacrifice. They were baptized with holy spirit, and in time, they would sacrifice their fleshly bodies so they could receive spiritual bodies in their resurrection and could reign with Jesus in heaven.
The death of Jesus ransomed Adam’s descendants, so they could fulfill the purpose of God of living forever in a paradise earth. It could not give heavenly life to anyone. But on the basis of this sacrifice, sincere persons could be declared as perfect humans. These perfect humans were baptized with holy spirit and born again as new creatures. Now they had the right to have a heavenly resurrection and get spiritual bodies. This is discussed in the different parts of the Christian Greek Scriptures.
The nature of the ransom sacrifice and the process of becoming new creatures on the basis of this sacrifice were understood by the first Christians. But how the ransom sacrifice would be used for all Adam’s descendants was not understood in the first century CE.
How can we know that? Jehovah God had established prophetic types through the laws regarding the sabbaths, sabbath years, and the Jubilee year. However, the fulfillment of the antitype was not understood. This can only be understood through a study of Revelation, which was first written near the end of the first century CE.
In the late first century CE, numerous false prophets emerged, and by the second century CE, Christian doctrines had become diluted, with doctrines and actions contradicting the word of God being introduced. This means that even after Revelation was written, the full application of the ransom sacrifice could not be understood. Paul refers to the ransom sacrifice as “a testimony in the particular (idios) appointed times (kairos).” The words of Paul show that these “particular appointed times” refer to a distant future when the full extent of the ransom sacrifice should be understood. To understand the time referred to by the words “the particular appointed times,” I quote the words of Jesus in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43:
24 Another illustration he set before them, saying: “The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man that 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 blade sprouted and produced fruit, then the weeds appeared also. 27 So the slaves of the householder came up and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow fine seed in your field? How, then, does it come to have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy, a man, did this.’ They said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go out and collect them?’ 29 He said, ‘No; that by no chance, 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 go to gathering the wheat into my storehouse.’”…
36 Then after dismissing the crowds he went into the house. And 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 that sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things (synteleia aiōn), 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 forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing 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 him that has ears listen.
The illustration shows that there should be no difference between Christians and other people throughout all the centuries from the first century CE until the “conclusion of the system of things.” Chapter 8 in my book, When Was the Book of Daniel Written? A Philological, Linguistic, and Historical Approach demonstrates that synteleia aiōn is the same as Hebrew ‘ēt qēts (“the time of the end”).
The illustration suggests that God should have a people who are distinct from other people and organizations in the time of the end. This is supported by Daniel 7:25 (above) and 12:7 (below):
25 And he will speak even words against the Most High, and he will harass continually the holy ones themselves of the Supreme One. And he will intend to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, and times and half a time.
7 And I began to hear the man clothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream, as he proceeded to raise his right [hand] and his left [hand] to the heavens and to swear by the One who is alive for time indefinite: “It will be for an appointed time, appointed times and a half. And as soon as there will have been a finishing of the dashing of the power of the holy people to pieces, all these things will come to their finish.”
Both the contexts of Daniel, chapters 7 and 12, are the time of the end. So, both “the holy ones” and “the holy people” refer to God’s people in the time of the end in accordance with the words of Jesus in the illustration of the wheat and the weeds. There is one more point that is connected with the time of the end, as we see in Daniel 12:4, 9. 10:
4 And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of [the] end. Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge will become abundant.”
9 And he went on to say: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end. 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand.
Based on the quotations above, we understand that the people of God who would be created in the time of the end would comprehend the part of the Bible that had been sealed until the time of the end.
God would not use inspiration in the time of the end, but he would use direction.[1] This means that he would let his people observe various things, so they could draw the right conclusions. Daniel 12:10 says that “the ones having insight” will understand the sealed parts of God’s word. However, verse 4 says that “many will rove about,” and the Hebrew word has the meaning to go in circles rather than following a straight line. This could suggest that understanding the sealed passages would come gradually, rather than all at once. This also accords with the way God directs his people.
Now comes the high point of this section. The testimony that Jesus was “the corresponding ransom for all” should be revealed at “the particular appointed times,” which, according to the words of Daniel and Jesus, refer to the time of the end.
| The meaning of the ransom sacrifice, that it was the basis for the resurrection of the anointed Christians, and that it included all who die in Adam, was understood in the first century CE.
But the words of Paul that it would be “a testimony in the particular appointed times” indicate that first, in the time of the end, God’s people would fully understand how the sacrifice would be applied for all humans who die in Adam. |
Part II of this study shows that the Bible Students in the 1870s, under the leadership of C.T. Russell, were the only ones who understood how the ransom sacrifice should be applied to all Adam’s descendants. They described this in The Divine Plan of the Ages.
WILL THOSE WHO DIE IN ADAM BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS BEFORE THEIR DEATH?
The question in the heading is based on the fact that God will decide the everlasting destiny of those who die in Adam in the final test after the thousand years. On this background, it is natural to ask whether those who die in Adam will be held responsible for their actions before they die.
The primary point of this article has been that the ransom sacrifice of Jesus includes all Adam’s descendants, and all those who die because of inherited sin, will get a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ without God setting any conditions.
One objection to this could be: If all who die because of inherited sin will get a resurrection, people today can do what they like without being held responsible for what they do. This will include criminals, immoral persons, and murderers. If all these are to be resurrected, it means people in this system of things can live a bad life, even destroy others’ lives, and yet still be saved, — so, anything goes. This cannot be righteous and just. This is a logical objection. But we can understand the situation better in the light of the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:36, 37:
36 I tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day; 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”
These words show that people who live in this old system of things are responsible for what they do. But how will those who get a resurrection on Judgment Day render an account for every unprofitable saying they speak? One side of the answer is seen in Romans 6:23 (above) and 6:7 (below)
23 For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.
7 For he who has died has been acquitted from [his] sin.
The penalty for sin is death, as 6:23 says. Jehovah always follows his principle like-for-like, and this means that a person cannot be judged two times for the same offense. This is confirmed in 6:7, which shows that when one dies, he or she is acquitted for his or her sins, and their previous sins cannot be held against them. But how, then, will a person render an account for every unprofitable saying on Judgment Day?
After Jesus had uttered the words about rendering an account for unprofitable words, he said, according to Matthew 12:41, 42:
41 Men of Ninʹe·veh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because they repented at what Joʹnah preached, but, look! something more than Joʹnah is here. 42 The queen of the south will be raised up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn (katakrinō) it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solʹo·mon, but, look! something more than Solʹo·mon is here.
The words «this generation» («this wicked and adulterous generation,» verse 39) refer to the whole Jewish population in the days of Jesus. The people of this wicked and adulterous generation would be resurrected on Judgment Day together with the inhabitants of Nineveh. The Greek word katakrinō has the meaning, “condemn, pass judgment on.” (UBS lexicon)
The inhabitants of Nineveh listened to Jonah and believed in Jehovah. The words they spoke in connection with this were positive. There were only 120 believers on the day of Pentecost in the year 33. So, this wicked and adulterous generation refused to believe in Jesus and the preaching about the kingdom of God. The words they spoke against Jesus and his followers were negative. But in which sense did the inhabitants of Nineveh “condemn” this wicked and adulterous generation? The words Jesus spoke in a similar situation help us understand the meaning. I quote Matthew 11:20-24:
20 Then he started to reproach (oneidizō) the cities in which most of his powerful works had taken place, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Cho·raʹzin! Woe to you, Beth·saʹi·da! because if the powerful works had taken place in Tyre and Siʹdon that took place in YOU, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Consequently I say to YOU, It will be more endurable (anektos) 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 Haʹdes 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 Consequently I say to YOU people, It will be more endurable (anektos) for the land of Sodʹom on Judgment Day than for you.”
The inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida were a part of the “wicked and adulterous generation” that would have a resurrection on Judgment Day. Jesus started “to reproach these cities.” The Greek word oneidizō has the meaning “reproach, denounce, insult.” (UBS lexicon) This means that oneidizō (reproach) has about the same meaning as katakrinō (“condemn”).
The issue is what it means that the inhabitants of Nineveh condemned the people of this wicked and adulterous generation. We find the answer in what it meant that Jesus reproached the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida. The condemnation or reproach is expressed by the words that it will be more endurable for the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon and Sodom than for the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida on Judgment Day.
Now we can understand the meaning of the saying that humans in this old system of things must render an account for every unprofitable word on Judgment Day. The words we speak reveal our preferences, our attitude, and our personality. When we speak unprofitable words, whether we lie or support actions that violate the laws of God, we cannot be judged for these actions on Judgment Day, because our death has cancelled all our sins. However, a person is resurrected with the same personality and conscience that he or she had before death, and this will influence the person in a good or bad way on Judgment Day.
To understand this, I quote Matthew 12:36, 37 one time more:
36 I tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day; 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”
James 3:2 says, “If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man.” All of us have spoken “unprofitable words” on many occasions, and this seems to be a petty sin. So why are our unprofitable words so serious that we must render an account on Judgment Day? The unprofitable words in themselves are not what is important, but rather what is behind these words. Jesus shows this, according to Matthew 15:18
18 However, the things proceeding out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those things defile a man. 19 For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false testimonies, blasphemies. 20 These are the things defiling a man; but to take a meal with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the heart represents the conscience and the personality of a man. Paul speaks of “the motives in men’s hearts. (1 Corinthians 4.5) As Jesus showed, what a person says reveals what is in the heart. This also goes the opposite way; what a person speaks and does influences the heart.
During our lives in this old system of things, we develop a personality that is deeply connected to our hearts. Our words can show that we have an “unreceptive heart” (Acts 28:27), “a foolish heart” (Romans 1:21), “an unrepentant heart” (Romans 2:5), “a hardened heart” (Ephesians 4:18), “a heart that always goes astray” (Hebrews 3:10), “an unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12), and “a selfish ambitious heart” (James 3:14).
But our words can also show that we have “a sincere heart” (Acts 2.46), a believing heart” (Romans 10:8), “a wide open heart” (2 Corinthians 6:11), and “a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). What we have spoken shows what is in our hearts. Why is this so important on Judgment Day? We get an answer in Acts 16:14:
14 And a certain woman named Lydʹi·a, a seller of purple, of the city of Thy·a·tiʹra and a worshiper of God, was listening, and Jehovah opened her heart wide to pay attention to the things being spoken by Paul.[1]
What helped Lydia to accept God’s truth was that he opened her heart wide. The point here is that our hearts, which represent our motives and personality, must be opened wide to accept the truth. This will be the same on Judgment Day.
And now we can understand how we must render an account for our unprofitable words. The words we have spoken reveal what is in our hearts, and our words and actions also influence our hearts. Revelation 20:12 shows that scrolls will be opened during the thousand-year reign of Jesus. And “the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.”
It is obvious that whether we “will pay attention to the things” in the books, as Lydia did regarding the words of Paul, depends on which personality we have developed, in this old system of things, what is in our heart. It is clear that if we have a sincere heart, or a pure heart, or a believing heart, it will be much easier to follow the things written in the scrolls than if we have an unreceptive heart, an unrepentant heart, or a selfish, ambitious heart.
We are held responsible for our actions and words in this system of things on Judgment Day because our actions and words form our heart and personality. And our heart and personality will either help us to pay attention to the contents of the scrolls and follow their direction, as did Lydia, or our heart and personality will prevent us from making spiritual progress on Judgment Day.
The inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon would have followed the laws of God if they had been revealed to them, according to Jesus. They evidently had a sincere heart and a believing heart. This will help them to repent and follow the laws of God during the thousand years. In spite of the preaching of Jesus and the miracles they saw he did, the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida refused to believe in him. Their words showed that they had “unreceptive hearts,” “hardened hearts,” and “unbelieving hearts.” Because of this, it will be much more difficult for them to repent and follow the instructions in the scrolls than the Ninevites.
As Jesus said, “It will be more endurable (anektos) for Tyre and Siʹdon on Judgment Day than for YOU” (the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida).
To show how great the responsibility of the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida was, Jesus compared them with the inhabitants of Sodom. These inhabitants were guilty of serious sins, such as homosexual actions, and even rape in connection with Lot and his family. They lacked sincere, believing, and pure hearts. So, they would struggle to change their serious sins and repent on Judgment Day. But even if their sins were great, the sins of the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida were greater. Therefore, Jesus said, “It will be more endurable for the land of Sodʹom on Judgment Day than for you.” (the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida).
The important points are: Imperfect humans with inherited sin are not qualified to make a fair and just decision regarding their own eternal destiny, but this will be done in the final test after the thousand years.
We can view our lives in this old system of things as our primary school, where we are continually taught and experience various things. Our exam is not when we finish primary school and die as a penalty for our sins. But our high school continues after our resurrection. If we have been good students and learned good things in our primary school, it will be easier to make progress in high school. At the end of the thousand years is the exam, and if we have been good students both in primary school and in high school, we have a good basis for passing the exam.
From this discussion, we understand that even though God will not decide our eternal destiny during this old system of things when we are imperfect sinners, we cannot just live debauched lives, because we feel that God will not hold us responsible for what we do. Everything we do and experience during our lives will have a bearing on our eternal destiny. But God’s judgment regarding our final destiny will first occur after the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ.
[1]. When the Bible says that Jehovah does something, it often does so indirectly. Jehovah did not force Lydia to accept the word of truth. But the whole situation that God had caused by sending out preachers appealed to Lydia, who had a receptive and believing heart.
UNDERSTANDING THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS
How was the situation aligned in the time of the end for the understanding of the full application of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ? In the 1870s, several men and women discovered that their religions had several false doctrines. They formed a group and united their efforts to find the true doctrines in the Bible. The Bible was complete with Revelation as the last book, and the reason God directed this group to understand the full application of the ransom sacrifice was that they were sincere truth-seekers, and they would follow the Bible regardless of where their systematic study led them. Let us look at what they found.
The Greek word translated as “restoration” is apokatastasis, and it only occurs one time in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The corresponding verb is apokathistēmi with the meaning “to restore.” Its meaning is to make something that has been destroyed exactly as it was before it was destroyed. A good example is Acts 1:6:
6 When, now, they had assembled, they went asking him: “Lord, are you restoring (apokathistēmi) the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
According to Peter’s words in Acts 3:21, “all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets” will be restored. All the prophecies centered around this subject refer to the restoration of the earthly paradise in Eden, which had been lost. (Isaiah 65:22-25; 11:1-10)
The salvation of mankind was an important part of the preaching of Jesus, and therefore, we see that the focus is on Adam in Luke 19:10
10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Adam lost his position as a perfect man without sin. And according to Jesus, this is what He would save. So, “the restoration of all things” is the same as “to save what was lost.” This will happen in the thousand-year-long Jubilee-sabbath, and in order to understand the real purpose of this Jubilee-sabbath, I use the following illustration:
Think of a 12-year-old child who is going to take her final exam in primary school. But she is given the exam for first-year University students. She will inevitably fail the exam because, as a child, she has not studied the subjects of a university student. All Adam’s descendants have, without asking for it, inherited sin. This means that they are not able to follow the requirements of God — their inherited sin will prevent them from this. They are in the same situation as the child who was asked to take a university exam. This situation could be remedied by letting the child grow up, study the University curriculum, and then take her exam.
There is only one remedy for the situation of Adam’s descendants. This is to remove their inherited sin, allowing them to become perfect exactly as Adam was, and then to ask them to take their “exam” — without sin preventing them, and using their free will to choose whether they will serve God or not. This is the same as getting Adam’s chance! This is The Divine Plan of the Ages!
The penalty of sin is death, and all Adam’s descendants will eventually die. Paul shows in Romans 6:7 that when a person dies, he or she has paid for all his or her sins and therefore is acquitted from sin. But that does not help these people because they are lying there without life. Now the ransom sacrifice of Jesus comes into play, by saving what was lost. According to Matthew 19:29, there is a “recreation.” The dead will be resurrected or re-created just as they were before they died. By their death, they have paid for all their sins. But because they are re-created, they still have their inherited sin. However, the ransom sacrifice will not only be applied to them by a resurrection. But during the period of a thousand years, the Jubilee sabbath, the ransom sacrifice will apply to them, so they gradually will lose their inherited sin, and proceed toward human perfection. Then, at the end of the thousand years, all humans are perfect as Adam was. And now, they can, without the handicap of inherited sin, make their decision as to whether they will serve God or not. Now, they have Adam’s chance!
This means that because of the application of the ransom sacrifice, all that was lost — the perfect life of Adam and his right to live on the earth— have been saved. And, “all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets” have now literally been restored. The situation for billions of his descendants is now exactly the same as it was before Adam sinned. All the bad things that Satan, the Devil, introduced into the human family are now gone. And Satan and all his demons are eternally annihilated. The name of God that has been profaned by so many because he has allowed wickedness for 6,000 years, has now been sanctified because all humans have been given the chance of Adam!.[2]
| Because of the ransom sacrifice, God will not make the final judgment of Adam’s descendants based on what they do when they are imperfect sinners.
He will resurrect all those who have died because of Adam’s sin, and make his final judgment of them based on what they do after their resurrection, as perfect humans without inherited sin? This means that those who died in the great flood in the days of Noah, those who died when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, and those who die in the great tribulation, and most of the about 30 billion people who have lived on the earth will have a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ. |
When we understand God’s purpose in connection with saving Adam’s descendants, those who die in Adam, we feel that we can exclaim the same words as Paul did in Romans 11:33-36:
33 O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments [are] and past tracing out his ways [are]! 34 For “who has come to know Jehovah’s mind, or who has become his counselor?”35 Or, “Who has first given to him, so that it must be repaid to him?” 36 Because from him and by him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
[1]. A detailed discussion of the difference between inspiration and direction can be found in my article, “The importance of the year 1914 — The Bible Students’ basis for the date 1914 (Part IV).” https://mybelovedreligion.no/2025/07/06/the-importance-of-the-year-1914-the-bible-students-basis-for-the-date-1914-part-iv/
[2] . See the article, “Why has God allowed wickedness for so long?” https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/10/09/why-has-god-allowed-wickedness-for-so-long/
