THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES — AN ANALYSIS OF PASSAGES SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH EVERLASTING ANNIHILATION (PART IV)

INTRODUCTION

The primary reason for J.F. Rutherford’s rejection of The Divine Plan of the Ages in 1924, and why this rejection remains, is the illustration of the sheep and the goats, which has been totally misinterpreted. This was discussed in detail in Part III.

The second most important reason for the rejection of The Divine Plan of the Ages and for the view that billions of people will be everlastingly annihilated is the account in 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10. This account will now be discussed in detail, as well as the illustration of the wheat and the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-42), the words of Peter in 2 Peter 3:7 and their context, and the account of the armies of the kings that will be killed (Revelation 19:19-21).

WHAT DO THE WORDS “EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION” IN 2 THESSALONIANS 1:9 MEAN?

Jehovah God acts according to the principle of like-for-like. To save the human family, God arranged for a corresponding ransom — a perfect man for a perfect man (like-for-like).

Verse 6 says that it is “righteous to repay tribulation for tribulation for those who make tribulation for you.” (like-for-like)

Verse 8 says that God will “bring vengeance” (ekdikesis = punishment on the basis of what is rightly deserved — like-for-like) “for those who do not know God, and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus”

This punishment is described as “everlasting destruction” in verse 9. This cannot refer to everlasting annihilation because:

• God’s righteousness requires making tribulation for those who deserve tribulation (like-for-like) and not everlasting annihilation.

• God will bring vengeance upon “those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus”. The righteous punishment for these persons is death — the punishment for sin (like-for-like) and not everlasting annihilation. It is not righteous or just to bring everlasting annihilation upon those who are ignorant, who “do not know God.”

This article shows in detail that the words “everlasting destruction” refers to a death from which there is a resurrection.

Paul’s second letter to the congregation in Thessalonica tells about the revelation of Jesus Christ in the great tribulation, when particular groups of people will be judged. Second Thessalonians 1:9 says:

⁹ These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction (olethros aiōn) from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength.

The Governing Body have used this verse to show that all those who are living when Armageddon comes and who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses will be eternally annihilated. The Watchtower of May 2024 has some comments on this verse. And these comments show that the members of the Governing Body have not changed their view regarding those who will die in Armageddon. We read on page 10:

10 Will all who die during the events of the great tribulation be destroyed forever with no hope of a resurrection? The Scriptures make it clear that outright opposers whom Jehovah and his forces will destroy at Armageddon will not be resurrected. (2 Thess. 1:6-10) But what about others, for example, who may die from natural causes, from accidents, or at the hand of other humans? (Eccl. 9:11; Zech. 14:13) Could some of these people be among the “unrighteous” who will be resurrected in the new world? We simply do not know.

As I show in Part II, the words in this quotation deceive the readers, and lead them to get a wrong impression of what the members of the Governing Body really teach.

Point 1: Those who will not get a resurrection are called “outright opposers,” in The Watchtower and the reference is to 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10. These verses do not refer to outright opposers of God. But the verses say that those who will “undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction (olethros aiōn)” are “those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.” By calling these “outright opposers” they try to hide the fact that they teach that billions of ignorant people, who have never had a full opportunity to serve God, will be everlastingly annihilated without any hope of a resurrection.

Point 2: The members of the Governing Body also try to hide what they really teach by the way they use their words. They write that  it is possible that some who die of natural causes during the great tribulation may  get a resurrection.

These words of the members of the Governing Body contradict what they say in other places. The illustration of the sheep and the goats is the main basis for the view of the destiny of the inhabitants of the world during the great tribulation. The words about the possibility that people who die natural deaths may get a resurrection contradict the way the members of the Governing Body interpret this illustration. Now, there are three possible groups, 1) those who serve Jehovah, who are “sheep,” 2) those who do not serve Jehovah, who are “goats,” and 3) People who do not serve Jehovah but die natural deaths in the great tribulation, who are neither “sheep” nor “goats.”

However, the illustration only depicts two groups, and the members of the Governing Body do not teach about a third group. The words about the possibility that people who die of natural causes in the great tribulation may get a resurrection are the same as pulling wool over the eyes of the readers. We can say this because of an article in the Watchtower of September 2024 about the sheep and the goats. We read on page 20:

¹ WE LIVE in a climactic time! Soon, Jesus will judge every living person.

³ Just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, Jesus will separate those who loyally support his anointed followers from those who do not.

These words show that in the great tribulation, “every living person” is judged. So, there is no group of people who die natural deaths and who are not judged by Jehovah. This is confirmed by the last words in the quotation, saying that all who are not “sheep” are “goats.” In other words, all who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses are “goats” and will be everlastingly annihilated in the great tribulation.

We understand that the teaching of the members of the Governing Body, in contrast to the cheating words about the possibility that some who die natural deaths possibly may get a resurrection, is that the 8 billion+ humans who live when Armageddon comes, most of whom are ignorant regarding God’s purpose, will be everlastingly annihilated without any hope of a resurrection. Only Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive Armageddon.

THE JUDGMENT BASED ON GOD’S  RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE

The judgments of God are always just because they are based on his righteousness. The basic principle of all God’s judgments is found in Exodus 21:23, 24:

²³ But if a fatal accident should occur, then you must give soul for soul, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand.

The principle here is like-for-like. These verses show that God’s punishment is built on strict justice. It is not more severe than that wrong action, and it is not less severe than the wrong action. But it is exactly of the same seriousness as the seriousness of the wrong action.

We can see a positive application of this principle in connection with the ransom sacrifice. I quote 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 (above), and Romans 5:17, 18 (below):

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.

 ¹⁷ For if by the trespass of the one [man] death ruled as king through that one, much more will those who receive the abundance of the undeserved kindness and of the free gift of righteousness rule as kings in life through the one [person], Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ So, then, as through one trespass the result to men of all sorts was condemnation, likewise also through one act of justification the result to men of all sorts is a declaring of them righteous for life.

Adam was a perfect man who used his life in a selfish way. Because of this, all his descendants inherited sin. Jesus was a perfect man who used his life in an unselfish way, and he gave his life as a sacrifice. By this, he bought all Adam’s descendants, and because of this, their inherited sin can be removed.

The righteous principle is the perfect man Jesus instead of the perfect man Adam (like-for-like).

I will apply this just principle to God’s judgment as it is described in 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10, which I quote and discuss in detail in the next section:

The situation here parallels the one described in the great prophecy about his presence in Matthew 24:1-25:46. Several events Jesus mentions had a miniature fulfillment in the first century CE, extending to 70 CE, and these events will have their fuller fulfillment after the year 1914.

THE FULFILLMENT IN THE FIRST CENTURY CE

The Greek word olethros means “perdition, destruction.” (Mounce). The Greek word aiōn can refer to the characteristics of a particular period of time, and it can be translated as “system of things,” as does NWT84 and NWT13. However, it can also exclusively refer to time. In that case, the meaning is “pertaining to an unlimited duration of time.” (Louw and Nida) The two words together must refer to a destruction without any time limit. The view of the Governing Body is that the destruction of those who are destroyed is eternal.

The important question is who these persons are who supposedly will be destroyed forever. Paul shows that the members of the congregation accepted the good news under difficult conditions. 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 7 says:

⁶ And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, seeing that you accepted the word under much tribulation with joy of holy spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Mac·e·doʹni·a and in A·chaʹia.

The situation that Paul probably had in mind is described in Acts 17:1-10:

¹ They now journeyed through Am·phipʹo·lis and Ap·ol·loʹni·a and came to Thes·sa·lo·niʹca, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² So according to Paul’s custom he went inside to them, and for three sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and proving by references that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and [saying]: “This is the Christ, this Jesus whom I am publishing to YOU.” ⁴ As a result some of them became believers and associated themselves with Paul and Silas, and a great multitude of the Greeks who worshiped [God] and not a few of the principal women did so.

⁵ But the Jews, getting jealous, took into their company certain wicked men of the marketplace idlers and formed a mob and proceeded to throw the city into an uproar. And they assaulted the house of Jaʹson and went seeking to have them brought forth to the rabble. ⁶ When they did not find them they dragged Jaʹson and certain brothers to the city rulers, crying out: “These men that have overturned the inhabited earth are present here also, ⁷ and Jaʹson has received them with hospitality. And all these [men] act in opposition to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus.” ⁸ They indeed agitated the crowd and the city rulers when they heard these things; ⁹ and first after taking sufficient security from Jaʹson and the others they let them go.

Paul says that the Thessalonians “accepted the word under much tribulation.” One example is that a mob threw “the city into an uproar” because of the Christians. Verse 4 in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, speaks about “all your persecutions and the hardships that you are suffering.” But no details are given. So, the situation was that the Thessalonians experienced tribulation and were suffering. But there is no account telling that any of the congregation were killed.

THE FULFILLMENT IN THE GREAT TRIBULATION

The important verses are 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10, which I quote:

³ We are obligated to give God thanks always for YOU, brothers, as it is fitting, because YOUR faith is growing exceedingly and the love of each and all of YOU is increasing toward one another. ⁴ As a result we ourselves take pride in you among the congregations of God because of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the hardships that you are suffering. ⁵ This is a proof of the righteous judgment of God, leading to your being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are indeed suffering (paskhō). ⁶ This takes into account that it is righteous on God’s part to repay (anapodidomi) tribulation to those who make tribulation for you. ⁷ But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels ⁸ in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance (ekdikēsis) on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. ⁹ These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction (olethros aiōn)from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, ¹⁰ at the time when he comes to be glorified in connection with his holy ones and to be regarded in that day with wonder among all those who exercised faith, because the witness we gave met with faith among you.

I will now look at the details:

Verse 6 says:

It is righteous on God’s part to repay (anapodidomi) tribulation to those who make tribulation for you.

These words refer to the fulfillment in the first century that those who caused tribulation for the Thessalonians will experience tribulation themselves (like-for-like). But at the same time, these words are the first part of the words that refer to the bigger fulfillment in the great tribulation.

Please note that God’s actions are based on his righteousness. This is seen by the use of the Greek word anapodidomi (“repay”) with the meaning “to pay something back to someone as the result of an incurred obligation.” (Louw and Nida) This means that anapodidomi (“a corresponding payment”) is a word parallel to the word antilytron (“a corresponding ransom,” 2 Timothy 2.6).

The verse shows that in connection with punishment, tribulation must be repaid for tribulation. (like-for-like)

Verse 8 says:

He brings vengeance (ekdikēsis) on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.

These words refer to the revelation of Jesus, which occurs in the great tribulation. The important Greek word here is ekdikēsis (“vengeance”) with the meaning, “to punish, on the basis of what is rightly deserved.” (Louw and Nida)

Let us compare the two important words in verse 6 and verse 8:

Verse 6: anapodidomi — “to pay something back to someone as the result of an incurred obligation.” (like-for-like)

Verse 8: ekdikēsis — “to punish, on the basis of what is rightly deserved.” (like-for-like)

The meaning of both words is parallel; they both refer to a corresponding payment. In verse 6, the corresponding payment is tribulation for tribulation. In verse 8, the nature of the punishment is stated, namely, olethron aiōnion (“everlasting destruction”), and the sins paid for are not knowing God or not obeying the good news.

The members of the Governing Body interpret “everlasting destruction” as everlasting annihilation without any hope of resurrection. But this interpretation causes a great problem. Both verses 6 and 8 speak of a corresponding punishment (like-for-like). But that does not fit the punishment of everlasting annihilation. How so? What are the actions for which everlasting destruction is given? The answer is found in verse 8:

He brings vengeance (ekdikēsis) on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.

Here we can see the real problem. The actions that are punished are not knowing God, and not accepting the preaching of the good news of the kingdom. Paul stresses in verses 6 and 8 that the punishment must be corresponding; it must be just as severe as the wrong action, not more severe and not less severe. The punishment must be based on the principle of like-for-like.

But punishing some persons for what they do not know and other persons because they do not act in accordance with what is preached, with everlasting annihilation without any hope of a resurrection, would be extremely unjust. God who loved the world so much that he sent his Son to save the world — all humans (John 3:16, 17) will never annihilate forever any of those he has created who have not had a full chance to choose to serve him or not.

The interpretation of the members of the Governing Body is not only absolutely wrong. But it is also a disgrace to Jehovah God! His name is dragged through the mud because he is described as a cruel and unjust God!

What would be a just punishment? What would be like-for-like? Only persons who have a Christian personality will survive the great tribulation. This is necessary because these will be used by God to cultivate the earth and make it ready for the resurrection. If persons who violate God’s laws were to survive, they would cause problems for God’s servants, so they cannot survive.

The penalty for sin is death, and therefore it will be just that all those who are not servants for God will die in the great tribulation. Because the death of Jesus is a corresponding ransom, all those who die in the great tribulation will have a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus. This is a perfect application of the principle like-for-like.

All those “who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus” will learn the truth about Jehovah God and his Son after their resurrection. When they have become perfect and without sin at the end of the thousand years, they will have a personal chance to choose to serve God or not.

The next section will show that the semantic meaning of the words olethron aiōnion (“everlasting destruction”) support the view that those who die in the great tribulation will have a resurrection.

THE JUDICIAL PUNISHMENT OF EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION  

In order to understand the nature of the punishment, we need to analyze the words used by Paul.

THE WORDS “EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION” DO NOT REFER TO “EVERLASTING ANNIHILATION”

If the interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 1:3-10 of the members of the Governing Body is wrong, how shall we understand the words of verse 9 that those who live when the war of Armageddon comes “will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction (olethros aiōn)”?

As an illustration, I refer to the destiny of the “goats.” According to Matthew 25:36 the goats will experience “everlasting cutting-off (aiōnios kolasis).” The adjective aiōnios refers to a time period with unknown length. This period may or may not last forever. The word kolasis can refer to cutting branches of trees, and it can also refer to punishment.

The point here is that the two Greek words together clearly refer to some kind of destruction. But there is no linguistic reason why these words must refer to eternal annihilation with any hope of a resurrection. However, because verse 41 says that the “goats” will be “cursed into the eternal fire that is prepared for the Devil and his angels,” and we know that the Devil will experience the second death and be everlastingly annihilated, we know that the “goats” will be everlastingly annihilated without any hope of a resurrection. Therefore, everlasting cutting-off in this context refers to everlasting annihilation.

In 2. Thessalonians 1:9, we find the two words olethros aiōn. The adjective aiōn in this verse is the same word as in Matthew 25:46, and it may or may not refer to a time period that lasts forever. The noun olethros can refer to destruction, but the word does not necessarily refer to disintegration, to something that is completely lost and does not exist anywhere. This means that the semantic meaning of the words aiōnios kolasis in Matthew 25:46 is not everlasting annihilation without any hope of a resurrection, neither is the semantic meaning of the words olethros aiōn in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 in themselves everlasting annihilation without any hope of resurrection.

The conclusion is that while the context of Matthew chapter 25 explicitly shows that the words “everlasting cutting-off” refer to everlasting annihilation, the context of 2 Thessalonians chapter explicitly shows that the words olethros aiōn (“everlasting destruction”) do not refer to everlasting annihilation — ignorant persons without any chance to serve God cannot lose their lives forever.

A POSSIBLE USE OF HEBREW IDIOM

Paul was an educated Jew. Time and again he refers to the Hebrew Scriptures, and he also uses word plays that only can be fully understood by persons who know Hebrew. The words in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, which the members of the Governing Body interpret to refer to eternal annihilation, can possibly be understood on the basis of Hebrew idiom.  In many situations of judgment, the focus is not on the continued life or not continued life  of those who are judged but rather on the judgment itself and on its nature. I quote Matthew 18:8 (above). Mark 9:43-48 (middle), and Isaiah 66:22-24 (below):

⁸ If, then, your hand or your foot is making you stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is finer for you to enter into life maimed or lame than to be thrown with two hands or two feet into the everlasting fire (pyr to aiōnion)

⁴³ “And if ever your hand makes you stumble, cut it off; it is finer for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go off into Ge·henʹna, into the fire that cannot be put out ⁴⁴  —— ⁴⁵ And if your foot makes you stumble, cut it off; it is finer for you to enter into life lame than with two feet to be pitched into Ge·henʹna ⁴⁶  —— ⁴⁷ And if your eye makes you stumble, throw it away; it is finer for you to enter one-eyed into the kingdom of God than with two eyes to be pitched into Ge·henʹna, ⁴⁸ where their maggot does not die and the fire is not put out.

²² “For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making are standing before me,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “so the offspring of YOU people and the name of YOU people will keep standing.”

²³ “And it will certainly occur that from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath all flesh will come in to bow down before me,” Jehovah has said.  ²⁴ “And they will actually go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that were transgressing against me; for the very worms upon them will not die and their fire itself will not be extinguished, and they must become something repulsive to all flesh.”

Isaiah speaks about new heavens and a new earth and of the carcasses of persons who were transgressing against Jehovah. He is not discussing the destiny of the persons to whom the carcasses belong, whether they will get a resurrection or not. But he is discussing the judgment itself, which is final and complete.

There are no worms that will not die and no fire that cannot be extinguished. However, Isaiah uses the words “the very worms upon them.” This indicates that worms will consume the carcasses, and they will not die as long as there is flesh to eat. Fire is often associated with God’s judgments, so dead bodies, particularly the bones, can be consumed. The point here is that the fire will not be extinguished as long as there are bones that can be burned.

So, again, the focus is not on the eternal destiny of individuals. But it is on the completeness of the judgments against the transgressors. Their bodies will be completely destroyed.

The idea of Gehenna was not known in the days of Isaiah. The question remains whether Gehenna in the days of Jesus symbolized a death with no hope of a resurrection. Jesus quoted the words of Isaiah, and like Isaiah, his focus was on the completeness of God’s judgment. The noun aiōn refers to a time whose length is unknown. So, the expression “everlasting fire” refers to a fire whose extinguishing end we do not know.

Jesus applies the words in a similar way to how Isaiah did. The worms would eat the flesh of dead bodies that were thrown into Gehenna. And the fire that was burning to consume garbage that was thrown into the valley would not be extinguished as long as there were bones and garbage to burn.

We can see how the Hebrew idiom that I mentioned is used in connection with the city of Tyre in Ezekiel 26:18-20:

¹⁸ Now the islands will tremble in the day of your downfall. And the islands that are in the sea must be disturbed owing to your going out.”’

¹⁹ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘When I make you a devastated city, like the cities that are actually not inhabited, when [I] bring up over you the watery deep, and the vast waters will have covered you, ²⁰ I will also bring you down with those going down into the pit to the people of long ago, and I will cause you to dwell in the lowest land, like places devastated for a long time, with those going down into the pit, in order that you may not be inhabited; and I will put decoration in the land of those alive.

²¹ “‘Sudden terrors are what I shall make you, and you will not be; and you will be sought for, but you will no more be found to time indefinite,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

The prophet Ezekiel does not speak about the final destiny of the inhabitants of Tyre. But he shows that they will go down into the grave, and the city and its inhabitants will no longer be found. However, Jesus said according to Matthew 11:21, 22 that the inhabitants of Tyre will get a resurrection.

I will use one more example, namely, the destruction of Edom. I quote Isaiah 34:9, 10:

⁹ And her torrents must be changed into pitch, and her dust into sulphur; and her land must become as burning pitch. ¹⁰ By night or by day it will not be extinguished; to time indefinite its smoke will keep ascending. From generation to generation she will be parched; forever and ever no one will be passing across her.

As in the case of Tyre, Isaiah was not discussing the eternal destiny of the inhabitants of Edom. But he discussed the complete destruction of Edom, which was illustrated in that the smoke of the devouring fire would continue to ascend for a long time with no end in sight.

On the background of these Hebrew examples, I return to the words of Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10. The setting is the relief that the Thessalonians will get when God executes those who have persecuted the Thessalonians. If Paul follows the Hebrew idiom, the words “everlasting destruction” refer to the completeness of this destruction. Now the Thessalonians can have full relief because their persecutors are found nowhere. And the destruction of those who live at the revelation of Jesus Christ will also be complete. This would mean that Paul was not discussing the eternal destiny of the persecutors or those who will die in the great tribulation.

The fact that those who “will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction” are persons who do not know God and persons who do not accept the preaching of the kingdom, indicates that Paul used the Hebrew idiom: The completeness of the judgment is stressed and not the everlasting destiny of those who will be judged. No person who knows Jehovah God will claim that he will annihilate ignorant persons forever.

I demonstrated in Part II that more than 6 billion people who will be alive during the great tribulation have had no opportunity to discover the truth about God. So, they do not “know God.” Of the 2 billion others, less than 20 million have obeyed the good news about our Lord Jesus. From this, we understand that the facts on the ground when the great tribulation comes, are exactly those that Paul describes in 2 Thessalonians 1:8: Those who lose their lives are 8 billion “who do not know God and who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.”

WHO ARE THE WEEDS IN MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43?

The weeds are not the 2.4 billion members of the Christian denominations and their clergy, as the members of the Governing Body claims.

Just as the “goats” in the illustration in Matthew 25:31-46 are members of the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses who have rejected the ransom sacrifice and have not supported the brothers of Jesus, the weeds are Christians with the heavenly hope, who practice lawlessness and whom the angels will collect out of the Christian congregations.

The letter to the Hebrews shows that anointed Christians who have rejected the ransom sacrifice will not get a resurrection but will be everlastingly annihilated.

The illustration and prophecy of the sheep and the goats, which I discussed in Part III, show how some persons with the hope of living forever in the earthly paradise will reject the ransom sacrifice and will be eternally annihilated.

In the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses during the presence of Jesus, there has also been a small group of anointed Christians with the hope of reigning with Jesus Christ in heaven.  The illustration and prophecy about the wheat and the weeds show how some of these will reject the ransom sacrifice and will be eternally annihilated. I quote Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43:

²⁴ He presented another illustration to them, saying: “The Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to a man who sowed fine seed in his field. ²⁵ While men were sleeping, his enemy came and oversowed weeds in among the wheat and left.²⁶ When the stalk sprouted and produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ So the slaves of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow fine seed in your field? How, then, does it have weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy, a man, did this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go out and collect them?’²⁹ He said, ‘No, for fear that while collecting the weeds, you uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest season, I will tell the reapers: First collect the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them up; then gather the wheat into my storehouse.’”…

³⁶ Then after dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said: “Explain to us the illustration of the weeds in the field.” ³⁷ In response he said: “The sower of the fine seed is the Son of man; ³⁸ the field is the world. As for the fine seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom, but the weeds are the sons of the wicked one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things. ⁴¹ The Son of man will send his angels, and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be. ⁴³ At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Let the one who has ears listen.

Most of the illustrations of Jesus express general truths and are time indifferent. The illustration about the man who planted a vineyard in Luke 20:9-13 speaks about the killing of the son of the man, and this may refer to the killing of Jesus in 33 CE. Apart from this, I am aware of only four illustrations that have a clear time element, namely the illustration of the wheat and the weeds, the illustration of the sheep and the goats, the illustration of the dragnet, and the illustration of the minas. All four illustrations give several concrete details, and they must be viewed as prophecies.

THE TIME FRAME OF THE ILLUSTRATION OF THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS

In the first century CE, the fine seed was sown when sincere persons entered the Kingdom of God, i.e., the Kingdom of his beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13) In the last part of that century, Satan the Devil sowed weeds when persons in the Christian congregation introduced false teachings and violated God’s laws. This bad influence is described in 1 John, 2 John, 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which were written in the last part of the first century CE.

In the second century, elders gave themselves more power and became bishops. And later, a clergy with priests and bishops developed. Throughout the centuries, only a few sincere persons have served God in spirit and truth, as the illustration shows. And there was no separate group of true Christians. This situation would continue until the harvest.

In the explanation of Jesus, there is a clear time frame. Verse 39 says that the harvest is synteleia aiōnos, which can correctly be translated as “a conclusion of a system of things” as does NWT84. In Matthew 24:3, we find the expression synteleias tou aiōnos, which is the same as the expression in 13:39. In 24:3, Matthew parallels synteleias tou aiōnos with the parousia (“presence”) of Jesus. And this presence began in 1914 when Jesus started to reign in the midst of his enemies, and the Kingdom of God was established. This period is also called “the time of the end” in Daniel 12:9.

At the beginning of this harvest time, aka “the conclusion of the system of things,” aka “the time of the end, aka “the presence of Jesus” between the year 1914 and the great tribulation the angels would do the harvest work.

THE FULFILLMENT DURING THE PRESENCE OF JESUS

Which harvest work has been done by the angels during the presence of Jesus since the year 1914?

THE INTERPRETATION OF THE WEEDS BY THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

The Watchtower of March 15, 2010, pages 19, 22, said:

⁵ Who is the enemy, and who are the weeds? Jesus tells us that the enemy “is the Devil.” The weeds are described as “the sons of the wicked one.” (Matt. 13:25, 38, 39) In a literal sense, the weeds that Jesus referred to were probably the bearded darnel. This poisonous plant closely resembles wheat in its early stages before it reaches maturity. What a fitting picture of imitation Christians, those who claim to be sons of the Kingdom but do not produce genuine fruitage! These hypocritical Christians who claim to be followers of Christ are really part of the “seed” of Satan the Devil.​—Gen. 3:15.

¹² How long does the judgment last? Jesus referred to the harvest as a “season,” so it continues over a period of time. (Rev. 14:15, 16) The judgment of the individual members of the anointed continues throughout the time of the end. It will last until they are finally sealed.​—Rev. 7:1-4.

¹³ Who will be collected out from the Kingdom, and how do they cause stumbling and do lawlessness? (Matt. 13:41) The weedlike clergy of Christendom have misled millions for centuries. They have done this by means of God-dishonoring teachings, “things that cause stumbling,” such as the doctrine of eternal punishment in hellfire and the confusing and mysterious Trinity. Many religious leaders have set a bad example for their flocks by their adulterous friendship with this world and in some cases by their flagrant immoral conduct. (Jas. 4:4) Additionally, Christendom has become increasingly tolerant of immorality among its members. (Read Jude 4.) Despite all of this, they continue to maintain an outward show of piety and godliness. How happy the sons of the Kingdom are to be separated from such weedlike influences and corrupt teachings that cause stumbling!

¹⁴ How do the weedlike ones weep and gnash their teeth? (Matt. 13:42) “The sons of the wicked one” are tormented by the fact that “the sons of the kingdom” have exposed the spiritually poisonous condition of these weedlike ones. They also bemoan the diminishing support they receive from their church members, as well as their loss of control over the laity.​—Read Isaiah 65:13, 14.

¹⁵ In what sense are the weeds collected and burned with fire? (Matt. 13:40) This refers to the final outcome for the weeds. Their being thrown symbolically into the fiery furnace indicates that they are headed for eternal destruction. (Rev. 20:14; 21:8) The imitation, weedlike Christians, the impostors, will be eradicated during the “great tribulation.”​—Matt. 24:21.

The explanation of The Watchtower is that the weeds are the clergy of Christendom and all who claim to be Christians but do not produce the right fruit. The Christian religions in the world count 2.4 billion members, and what The Watchtower says is that all these people will experience eternal destruction with no hope of a resurrection.

THE IDENTIFICATION GIVEN BY THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY IS FALSE

We can definitively conclude that the interpretation of the members of the Governing Body is wrong because of the words of Jesus in Matthew 13:41:

41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace.

The setting of the illustration is the kingdom of heaven, according to verse 24, and this kingdom was established in the year 1914. According to 13:30, during the harvest, the wheat was gathered and brought into the barn. Historically speaking, the wheat, which symbolizes the sons of the kingdom (verse 38), was collected from the 1870s when the Bible Students started their preaching, and during the whole presence of Jesus.

The members of the Governing Body apply the “weeds” to the clergy of Christendom and to all persons who claim to be Christians but do not produce the right fruits — this group includes 2.4 billion people. The basic reason why this interpretation is wrong is that verse 41 says that the weeds will be gathered “out of his kingdom.” And neither the clergy nor all the 2.4 billion Christians have been a part of the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, they cannot be collected “out from his kingdom.”

The illustration of the dragnet supports this conclusion. I quote Matt 13:47-51:

⁴⁷ “Again the kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet let down into the sea and gathering up [fish] of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it got full they hauled it up onto the beach and, sitting down, they collected the fine ones into vessels, but the unsuitable they threw away. ⁴⁹ That is how it will be in the conclusion of the system of things: the angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous ⁵⁰ and will cast them into the fiery furnace. There is where [their] weeping and the gnashing of [their] teeth will be.

People who are symbolized by fish are gathered into the kingdom of heaven, and after that, the wicked are separated from the righteous. In both illustrations, the wicked are collected out of the kingdom, i.e., they have had a relationship to this kingdom but have proved that they were not worthy of the kingdom. So, it is clear that the weeds cannot symbolize the 2.4 billion persons who claim they are Christians but do not have the right fruits.

THE TRUE IDENTIFICATION OF THE WEEDS

It is true that from the last part of the first century CE, false Christian groups developed, and in time, these evolved into false Christian denominations. The illustration shows that from the end of the first century CE and through the centuries, sincere individuals who served God would be among the false Christians. But no group of sincere Christians would be formed and separated from the false Christians.

However, this situation would change during the harvest time, which began in the year 1914. Historically speaking, the change started in the 1870s. Sincere individuals from various Christian denominations gathered to study the Bible and discover the true Christian doctrines. This group was led by Charles T. Russell. In the 19th century, there was a loosely connected group of Bible students. But it was first some years after the death of Russell in 1916 that the group of Bible students became a united group under the leadership of Joseph F. Rutherford. This new situation could be seen as the fulfillment of the words of verse 30 in chapter 13 that the angels “would gather the wheat into my storehouse.”

But what about the “weeds”? According to verse 41, the angels would collect the weeds “out from his kingdom.” We can see situations that may be a fulfillment of these words in the days of C.T. Russel and J.F. Rutherford. Many different persons associated with Russell and other Bible students at a time when there was only a loosely connected group. The illustration suggests that the wheat was gathered into God’s storehouse, indicating a tightly united group consisting of different congregations with members called by God, who could be viewed as “wheat.”

In the process of catching fish with a dragnet, both good and unsuitable fish were gathered. Only during the sorting process did the different qualities of the different fish become known. In a similar way, a number of people gathered around Russell and his friends. But it was not clear from the outset who was like the wheat and who was like the weeds. However, in time, the spiritual quality of each person would become visible, and persons who showed that they were weeds were collected by the angels. So, the situation was not that some people who were like wheat became weeds. But the situation was that time was needed to show who would turn out to be wheat and who would turn out to be weeds.

The book Faith on the March by A.H. Macmillan, an associate of Russell, and various history books published by the Watchtower Society, can be used to discern the difference between the wheat and the weeds during the time of Russell and the Bible Students. Nelson Barbour cooperated with Russell for some time. But then he discarded the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and he and his followers showed that they were weeds. After Russell’s death, P.S.L. Johnson led a rebellion, and he and his friends demonstrated their true colors. To this day, there are some groups of Russelites in different countries that originated in this rebellion.

One way to show that a person is anointed with holy spirit and a member of the 144,000 who will reign with Jesus Christ in heaven is to eat of the bread and drink of the wine at the memorial of the death of Jesus Christ. If we look at the numbers of these, we can see a fulfillment of the illustration.

We do not know exactly how many faithful anointed Christians lived in the first century CE. But after Jesus had preached for three and a half years, there were only 120 of his followers who were present on the day of Pentecost in 33 CE. We read in the Christian Greek Scriptures about 3,000 and 5,000 that were added to the congregation. But according to Matthew 22:14 Jesus said, “For there are many invited, but few chosen.” So, we can expect that a few thousand anointed Christians were members of the Christian congregations in the first century C.E.

According to the illustration, no true believer was separated from false Christians between first century CE and the days of C.T. Russell. What have we seen regarding anointed Christians during the presence of Jesus Christ? In the year 1935, there were 52,000 Witnesses who claimed to be anointed. In the year 1961, when I became a Witness, there were 14,000 who claimed to be anointed, and in 2023 there were 20,000 who claimed to be anointed. If we add the numbers of all different persons who claimed to have been anointed during the 110 years of Jesus’ presence, the number will be several hundred thousand. Some of these may be sincere Christians who wrongfully believed that they had the heavenly hope. But a number of the several hundred thousand mentioned, evidently, can be viewed as “weeds,” in the fulfillment of the words of Jesus.

The focus of Jesus when he told his illustrations was the kingdom of heaven and how its members were called, and it was not on the world in general. It is very important to understand that Jesus, by telling the illustration about the wheat and the weeds, did not refer to the preaching work during the time of the end, and that people would be separated into two groups. The focus of the illustration is the formation of a tightly united group of persons who are chosen to reign with Jesus Christ in the heavenly Kingdom and the separation of these from unworthy persons. And this separation would occur in the time of the end, after the time when there was no distinction between true Christians and false Christians.

THE DESTINY OF THE WEEDS

The destiny of the weeds is expressed in Matthew 13:41, 42:

⁴¹ The Son of man will send his angels, and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be.

 Pitching the weeds into the fiery furnace corroborates the setting of the illustration. In the harvest, the weeds were burned to ashes. These words in themselves do not show that the humans who are symbolized by the weeds are everlastingly annihilated.  However, the situation suggests that the destiny of the weeds is everlasting annihilation. How so? We can conclude this from Hebrews 6:4-6 (above), and 10:26-29 (below):

⁴ For it is impossible as regards those who have once for all been enlightened, and who have tasted the heavenly free gift, and who have become partakers of holy spirit, ⁵ and who have tasted the fine word of God and powers of the coming system of things, ⁶ but who have fallen away, to revive them again to repentance, because they impale the Son of God afresh for themselves and expose him to public shame.

²⁶ For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, ²⁷ but [there is] a certain fearful expectation of judgment and [there is] a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition. ²⁸Any man that has disregarded the law of Moses dies without compassion, upon the testimony of two or three. ²⁹ Of how much more severe a punishment, do YOU think, will the man be counted worthy who has trampled upon the Son of God and who has esteemed as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt?

Those who are symbolized as weeds have been anointed Christians. But they have rejected the ransom sacrifice and have practiced lawlessness. The ransom sacrifice is no longer available for them, and they will not have any resurrection in the thousand-year reign of Jesus.

The prophecy speaks about “their weeping and gnashing of their teeth.” This corresponds to the words “a fearful expectation of judgment” (10:27) Before they lose their lives by being “thrown into the fiery furnace,” they will expect the judgment with fear, as if they wept and gnashed their teeth.

THE JUDGMENT OF UNGODLY PEOPLE (2 PETER 3:7)

The false teachers in the Christian congregations who “will disown even the owner that bought them,” will be everlastingly annihilated.

The ungodly people who are living when the great tribulation comes and heaven and earth will be burned, will get a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus.

The illustration of the sheep and the goats, which was discussed in Part III, shows how some persons who were a part of the group with the hope of living in the earthly paradise, rejected the ransom sacrifice and were separated from the “sheep” to experience everlasting annihilation. The illustration of the wheat and the weeds, which was discussed above, shows how some persons with the hope of reigning with Jesus Christ in heaven, rejected the ransom sacrifice, and were cast out of God’s kingdom to experience everlasting annihilation.

Now I will discuss the destiny of some persons who are false teachers inside the Christian congregations and some who have not been a part of God’s people, that are mentioned by Peter. The second letter of Peter speaks about new heavens and a new earth (3:13). It also speaks about the judgment of ungodly people in 3:3-7:

 ³ First of all know this, that in the last days ridiculers will come with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires ⁴ and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as they were from creation’s beginning.” ⁵ For they deliberately ignore this fact, that long ago there were heavens and an earth standing firmly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; ⁶ and that by those means the world (kosmos) of that time suffered destruction (apollymi) when it was flooded with water. ⁷ But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are reserved for fire and are being kept until the day of judgment and of destruction (apoleia) of the ungodly people.

Awake! of March 22, 1993, page 9, has the following comment on Peter’s words:

At times the Bible uses the terms “heavens” and “earth” in figurative ways. “Heavens” may be used to mean Satan, the god of this world; world rulers under his control; and wicked spirit forces in heavenly places​—all of which exercise demonic influence over mankind. (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:12) “Earth” is frequently used to refer to the peoples on the earth. (Genesis 11:1;1 Kings 2:1, 2; 1 Chronicles 16:31; Psalm 96:1) It is these symbolic heavens and earth of this present wicked world that 2 Peter 3:7 says are to be destroyed by “fire.”​—Galatians 1:4.

The words about the heavens, the earth, and the fire are, of course, figurative. In 3:13, Peter speaks of “new heavens and a new earth.” The new heavens refer to the kingdom of God that will be the government over the new earth, which refers to the new system of things that will be functioning during the thousand-year reign of Jesus. In a similar way, the old heavens must refer to the governments of this old system of things. And the new earth must refer to the people who will live in the new system of things.

Who are “The ungodly (asebēs) people” that will experience destruction (apoleia)?

We get some clues in 2 Peter 2:1-3:

¹ However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among YOU. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive (apoleia) sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction (apoleia) upon themselves. ² Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. ³ Also, with covetousness they will exploit YOU with counterfeit words. But as for them, the judgment from of old is not moving slowly, and the destruction (apoleia) of them is not slumbering.

Peter says that false teachers will exploit the members of the congregations with counterfeit words, even reject the ransom sacrifice. These people will experience a speedy destruction. The word translated as “destruction” is apoleia, the same word that is used in the expression, “destruction of the ungodly people” in 3:7. This means that the ungodly people whom Peter says will be destroyed according to 3:5 must refer to the false teachers in the Christian congregations who rejected the ransom sacrifice of Jesus. This is not all, because we read in 2:4-7:

⁴ Certainly if God did not hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tarʹta·rus, delivered them to pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and he did not hold back from punishing an ancient world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly (asebēs) people; ⁶ and by reducing the cities Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah to ashes he condemned them, setting a pattern for ungodly (asebēs) persons of things to come.

The destruction of ungodly people in the great flood and when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed are said to be a pattern for the destruction of ungodly (asebēs) people in the future. This idea is repeated in 3:5-7:

⁵ For they deliberately ignore this fact, that long ago there were heavens and an earth standing firmly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; ⁶ and that by those means the world (kosmos) of that time suffered destruction (apollymi) when it was flooded with water. ⁷ But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are reserved for fire and are being kept until the day of judgment and of destruction (apoleia) of the ungodly (asebēs) people.

There is a contrast in these words. Long ago, there were literal heavens and a literal earth, and the world (kosmos) of mankind was destroyed by water. The literal heavens and the literal earth are still standing. Therefore, when Peter speaks about “the heavens and the earth that now exist,” he must refer to figurative heavens and a figurative earth. As Awake! pointed out, the heavens must refer to human governments, and the earth must refer to the people on the earth. The figurative heavens and the figurative earth will be destroyed by fire:

• The ungodly persons that will be destroyed: The false teachers in the congregations.
• The heavens: The human governments will be destroyed.
• The earth: The inhabitants of the earth will be destroyed.

The focus of this discussion is the Greek word apoleia (“destruction”). It is applied to false teachers who reject the ransom sacrifice. Because it is the ransom sacrifice that is the basis for a resurrection, these people will be eternally annihilated without any hope of a resurrection.

 It is also applied to the humans on the earth who will be destroyed in the great tribulation. All these people will get a resurrection because they have not had a full chance of accepting or rejecting the ransom sacrifice. The only exception is those who have sinned against the holy spirit —  they will not get a resurrection. Only God knows who has done this unforgivable sin.

The word apoleia means “destruction,” and it can refer to a destruction that will lead to a resurrection and to a destruction that is everlasting. There is nothing in 2 Peter that indicates the nuance of apoleia.

Because Hebrews says that those who reject the ransom sacrifice will be everlastingly annihilated, it is obvious that the mentioned false teachers will be everlastingly annihilated as well.

Because we know that the ransom sacrifice covers all who will be killed in the great tribulation, we know that those who are said to experience “judgment and destruction” (3:7) when heaven and earth will be burned, will have a resurrection during the thousand-year reign of Jesus.

WHO ARE THE ARMIES OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH (REVELATION 19:19-21)?

The climax of God’s purpose is described in the book of Revelation, and we read in 19:17-21:

¹⁷ I saw also an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice and said to all the birds that fly in midheaven: “Come here, be gathered together to the great evening meal of God, ¹⁸ so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of military commanders and the flesh of strong men and the flesh of horses and of those seated on them, and the flesh of all, of freemen as well as of slaves and of small ones and great.”¹⁹  And I saw the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the one seated on the horse and against his army. ²⁰ And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs with which he misled those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who worship its image. While still alive, they both were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulfur. ²¹ But the rest were killed off with the long sword that proceeded out of the mouth of the one seated on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Verse 19 says that the armies of the kings of the earth waged war against the judge Jesus Christ. How can this be? According to the vision of Paul in Acts 9:3-5, when he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the followers of Jesus, persecuting his servants is the same as persecuting Jesus. This means that because Jesus is invisible, the armies of the kings of the earth will wage war with Jesus by waging war with his followers on the earth. Exactly how this will happen, we do not know, but the context suggests that this will happen shortly before or during the great tribulation.

What is the destiny of the soldiers in the armies of the kings? Verse 20 shows that the wild beast and the false prophet, which are symbols of organizations, will be hurled into the symbolic lake of fire. But verse 21 says that “the rest” will be killed by the judge Jesus Christ. This probably includes the soldiers of the armies.

Will the killing of the mentioned persons indicate eternal annihilation? The lake of fire is the symbol of the second death, eternal annihilation, and those persons who at the end of the thousand-year reign of Jesus will not serve God, are said in 20:15 to be hurled into the lake of fire, thus being annihilated forever. Because “the others,” which may include the soldiers in the armies of the kings, are said to be killed but not hurled into the lake of fire, it is logical to conclude that they will be in line for a resurrection because they were bought by Jesus Christ.

Who are the soldiers in the armies of the kings? Of course, we do not know their identity, and neither do we know how many soldiers are in the armies of the kings. However, they can hardly exceed 28 million, as this is the total number of soldiers worldwide today. The number is probably much smaller because it is difficult to believe the armies of all the 195 countries of the world will be united in an all-out attack on the people of God.

We must also inquire about the personal responsibility of each soldier in the armies of the kings. The members of the Governing Body say that the enemies of God, those who are “outright opposers,” will be destroyed in the great tribulation. However, Paul was an “outright opposer” who became a follower of Jesus. The soldiers in an army just obey the orders of their superiors, and they do not necessarily have any animosity toward the people of God. We must therefore expect that they will get a resurrection like all others who die in the great tribulation, except those who have sinned against the holy spirit.

How shall we understand the words of Revelation 19:15 (above) and 14:14-20 (below) where we read:

¹⁵ And out of his mouth protrudes a sharp, long sword with which to strike the nations, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron. Moreover, he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

¹⁴  Then I saw, and look! a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.¹⁵ Another angel emerged from the temple sanctuary, calling with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: “Put your sickle in and reap, because the hour has come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” ¹⁶ And the one seated on the cloud thrust his sickle into the earth, and the earth was reaped.¹⁷  And still another angel emerged from the temple sanctuary that is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.¹⁸ And still another angel emerged from the altar, and he had authority over the fire. And he called out with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, saying: “Put your sharp sickle in and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes have become ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and he hurled it into the great winepress of God’s anger. ²⁰ The winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress as high up as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

The King Jesus Christ shepherds the nations with a rod of iron, and the meaning of this is seen in the prophecy in Psalm 2:9:

You will break them with an iron scepter, And you will smash them like a piece of pottery.”

That Jesus shepherds the nations with a rod of iron means that the members of the nations will die in the great tribulation, and they will get a resurrection. Regarding the wine and its grapes, The Watchtower of July 1, 1967, page 407, says:

Speaking of the victorious army under Jesus Christ, Revelation says: “He treads too the press of the wine of the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty.” (Rev. 19:15) This global winepress will crush the political vine of the earth with all its political branches, huge clusters of grapes, wicked deeds and oppression, which are the fruitage produced by their kingdoms. Grapes are usually crushed at wine-making by human feet, but not so with the vine of the earth. God threshes with horses’ hoofs the product of this vine. The Word of God and his heavenly armies leap into the winepress and stamp it out until they completely express the “anger of the wrath of God the Almighty.” It is a time of victory, and just as in Palestine wine–making was a festive time, the treaders will doubtless shout and sing as they trample out the grapes. (Jer. 25:30; 48:33) It will result in a terrible destruction, but it will be selective, Jehovah God destroying only those who really are against him and his kingdom and the interests of all men.​—Rev. 14:18-20; Joel 3:12-17.

The Watchtower speaks of “the political wine,” and this may or may not be correct. There is nothing in the context that identifies the wine. As in Revelation 19:21, there is a difference between the political nations and persons who live in these nations. The Governing Body claims that all humans who live when the war of Armageddon comes, except Jehovah’s Witnesses, will be eternally annihilated. This is not written anywhere in the Scriptures. Revelation 19:21 says that “the rest” (hoi loipoi) were killed by the long sword that proceeded out of the mount of the one seated on the horse. This rest is not identified. The grapes of the wine symbolize humans. But these humans are not identified.

It is important to note that there is only one passage in Revelation saying that some humans will be eternally annihilated without any hope of a resurrection. This is Revelation 20:15, where we learn about the destiny of those who follow the Devil in his rebellion against Jehovah after the end of the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ. Because they are perfect, their judgment is final.

So, we must draw the conclusion that all those who are mentioned in the different accounts in Revelation and who are said to be killed will get a resurrection on Judgment Day.

A TABLE SHOWING THE CONCLUSIONS

CONCLUSION

The members of the Governing Body have rejected The Divine Plan of the Ages, and they have rejected the most important side of the ransom sacrifice, that all Adam’s descendants were bought by Jesus and the sacrifice will be applied to all of them without any conditions.

Parts III and IV have discussed the five accounts that the members of the Governing Body use to prove that billions of Adam’s descendants will be eternally annihilated. It is true that four accounts show that some will be eternally annihilated. These are persons  who have belonged to the Christian congregations, who have had the heavenly or earthly hope, but who have rejected the ransom sacrifice. They will be everlastingly annihilated.

There are three accounts showing that people outside the Christian congregations will lose their lives. But there is nothing in these accounts suggesting that anyone will be everlastingly annihilated. All these persons will have a resurrection on the thousand-year reign of Jesus.

All the four parts of this study  show that the view of the members of the Governing Body that the eternal destiny is decided while people are imperfect sinners, and that billions will be everlastingly annihilated, do not have any basis in the Holy Scriptures. The eternal destiny of Adam’s descendants will be decided when they have become perfect at the end of the thousand years and how they act when they get the final test.