After having studied the WT lesson yesterday, Sunday, March 26, several questions arose in my mind.If the price of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus blood 'bought' the anointed, both in the initial sealing in 33 C.E. and now in the final sealing, then what 'price' is paid for the great crowd, who are also Christians? Are we 'grandfathered' in? Is our salvation through 'association' with the remnant?
Jesus’ sacrificial death bought all of Adam’s dying children. In a sense, Christ became the father of the human race by virtue of his purchase. He is the new Adam and empowered to give life to all of his offspring, provided that they have faith in him and obey him as Lord.
The vast majority of Adam’s offspring will be resurrected onto earth after the war of Armageddon sweeps this present evil system into oblivion. Their future life prospects will be determined by their course of life after their resurrection. However, Revelation reveals that a “great crowd” of people will survive Armageddon due to their washing their robes in the blood of the Lamb – meaning, of course, that they are counted worthy of salvation because of having faith in Christ and acting upon that faith.
As the study article brought out, though, there are two aspects to the ransom. It is Jehovah’s purpose to gather both a heavenly and earthly group. Since the ransom price that Christ paid bought the entire human race from sin and death, Jehovah also wills that a chosen few from among mankind should become spiritual sons in order to rule with Christ in heaven. In their case the ransom is applied in a different manner. Whereas, the surviving great crowd is considered righteous, they are not “declared righteous.” What's the difference? Being “declared righteous” means that God judges them to be sinless. God applies Christ’s sacrifice to them in a way that allows God to credit them with perfection – even though they are sinful. Being declared sinless allows God to transform sinful humans into immortal spirits upon their resurrection.
On a side note: The reason Jehovah made the provision for a select few of mankind to become a new creation of incorruptible and immortal spirit beings is undoubtedly for the purpose of providing an unequivocal answer to the charge that Satan brought against Jehovah in Eden; namely, that God was selfish and would not allow any creature to be like him. The fact that God bestows immortality upon the 144,000 of the new creation means that they become as much like God as is possible. Essentially, the new creation is unanswerable to God but completely devoted to him. Christ’s ransom makes that possible in their case.
So, while the salvation of the great crowd comes about because of their faith in Christ too, it is God’s purpose to use the anointed as ministers to his other sheep.
Does the great crowd experience two 'tests'? The first 'test' is surviving the G.T. and Armageddon and the second 'test' is at the end of the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ. Why?
Yes. There are two tests. The reason that is so is because at the end of the 1,000 year reign all traces of Adam’s sin will have been removed. Both the great crowd and the multitudes of resurrected persons, plus any children born during the millennium, will have been rehabilitated to the point of becoming sinless. They will attain to the human perfection that Adam and Eve briefly enjoyed.
However, in regards to the “things in the heavens” – the 144,000 kings and priests – Revelation 20:6 says that the second death has no authority over those who are privileged to experience “the first resurrection.”
“The rest of the dead,” referred to in the previous verse, is in reference to those resurrected onto earth during Christ’s reign. But even though they “come to life” at the end of the 1,000 years in the sense of coming out from under the condemnation of death due to Adam's sin, they are still subject to the second death. The second death is the penalty for willful sin – such as Adam and Eve committed.
Just as God tested Adam and Eve by prohibiting them from eating of a certain tree, so too, at the end of the 1,000 year reign, Satan is let loose from his dungeon for a brief period in order to test mankind in their perfect state. Those who fail that test experience the second death, which is permanent death from which there is no resurrection.
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Friday, March 31, 2006
Is our salvation through 'association' with the remnant?
There is a discreet as well as an evil slave in the household of faith. The remnant are not clearly identified yet, as they have to make their calling "sure" for themselves by being faithful to the end. That has been the criteria past and present. However, during the time of the end there will be a special spirit power in operation as during the Festival of Pentecost when Christ poured out holy spirit upon his disciples. So in the near future, during the actual conclusion of the system of things, a remnant will be empowered to deliver a final witness to the nations for 42 months or 1260 days, as represented by the two witnesses in the book of Revelation. Anyone not obeying the evident demonstration of God's spirit then will forfeit their opportunity for life in God's new system of things. It is evident from Scripture that a "great crowd" will have responded positively to this final message. Those that disobey go down with the wild beast at Armageddon because they choose to follow after the wild beast admiringly after it has been revived into the 8th and final king of Bible prophecy. So during this time of judgment, when God evidently also put on the mantle of a warrior, he may empower others to carry out his judgment. He empowers his Son, Christ Jesus, the greater Moses. Christ may also empower others the same as God has empowered him. This arrangement will be quite recognizable in the end of time; just at it was when God empowered Moses and Aaron against the wicked Pharaoh. The Israelites and the vast mixed company were able to clearly identify that God’s spirit was with Moses. Thus they made the choice to associate or go with him. However, it is essential that we begin to follow after Jehovah now, and not delay this process by looking at the things behind that are unbecoming to persons who want to serve God. –2 Peter 1:10; Acts chapter 2; Joel 2:29; Revelation 11:3; Micah chapter 5; Revelation 7:9,14; 17:12-14; Daniel 7:24-27; Exodus 3:10; 4:13; Revelation 2:26-29.
Friday, April 21, 2006
“Does the great crowd experience two 'tests'? The first 'test' is surviving the G.T. and Armageddon and the second 'test' is at the end of the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ. Why?”
It appears that there is only one test, not two tests as presented on this forum. The great crowd that comes out of the great tribulation owes their salvation to Christ by reason of the fact that they have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb, meaning that they exercise faith in the ransom. So by and large their salvation is the result of their repentance and integrity-keeping course. In fact all who are loyal to God and Christ are saved whether of the little flock or the great crowd. Nonetheless, each group is tested once as was Adam & Eve, and this test is based on (1) the imputed perfection or righteousness for the sons of the kingdom who are in the new covenant even in their present imperfect state and (2) the perfection realized by the vast majority of mankind by the end of the millennium under the oversight of Christ and his associate kings and priests. So there is no reason why God would test someone twice if that is what the reader is referring to. Rather he gets them into a position as they are willing to be tested by him for the ultimate goal of obtaining his approval for everlasting life as sons and daughters. God's balanced view of this is seen by the fact that even now those in the new covenant that forfeit their calling and anointing may sin against the holy spirit, a sin that Jesus said has no forgiveness in this system or the one to come. We may conclude that this is what happens to the evil slave of Jesus’ illustration in contrast to the faithful slave whom he appointed over all of his belongings upon his final inspection of his spiritual temple. So both groups, the little flock and other sheep (or great crowd), are tested once. Christ's anointed congregation has been undergoing this test since its inception at Pentecost up until the last ones of these are gathered to heavenly Jerusalem during the great tribulation. By the end of the millennium, the vast majority of mankind on earth undergoes this same test in relation to God's holy spirit. Like Judas who was one chosen by God, anointed ones who sin against God's spirit become "son[s]of perdition." By sinning against the holy spirit, they subject themselves to the second death in this present system. At the end of the millennium after mankind in general has been purged of Adamic sin and death, they undergo this same test. This is when all in opposition including Satan and the demons are destroyed and relegated into the symbolic lake of fire, which means the second death.
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