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A problem common among
Jehovah's Witnesses is the feeling that they are not
going to make it to live past Armageddon. Even though
they keep a rigorous schedule of activities designed to
earn them a righteous standing with Jehovah, the
Witnesses themselves are keenly aware that they fall far
short of the perfect standard set by God.
Why do so many Jehovah's
Witnesses consider suicide at one time or another? The
Watchtower has made surviving Armageddon a major goal for
every Jehovah's Witness, but it is not an easy goal. The
Society teaches that only faithful Jehovah's Witnesses
qualify to survive Armageddon but faithfulness is not
good enough unless one finishes completely faithful. Any
slacking off before Armageddon may disqualify you. The
entire world including disqualified Jehovah's Witnesses
will be killed by such things as earthquakes, fire,
hailstones, lightning and floods. According to the
Watchtower, everyone alive on earth at the time of
Armageddon who is not a faithful Jehovah's Witness will
be executed by Jehovah God and will never see a
resurrection. But what about people who have died before
Armageddon? The Watchtower's teaching is that everyone
who dies before Armageddon, aside from Jehovah's
Witnesses who have been expelled from the Watchtower
Society, will go into the common grave of mankind and all
will be resurrected onto paradise earth to have a second
chance. That means that all Jehovah's Witnesses and
non-Jehovah's Witnesses alike get a second chance as long
as they die before Armageddon.
Why does death guarantee a
resurrection into paradise yet being alive at the time of
Armageddon means destruction for everyone not worthy
enough? The Watchtower teaches that at death one's record
of sin is wiped clean. Because of this clean slate, a
person is fully qualified for a resurrection. But for
Jehovah's Witnesses who are alive at the time of
Armageddon, their slate has not been wiped clean,
therefore their acceptance in Jehovah's eyes will be
based on the amount of their good works and their
faithfulness to the organization. If you ask a Jehovah's
Witness if they have done enough, if they are worthy
enough of surviving Armageddon, you will find that they
do not have any assurance of their survival. The best
that they can say is "I hope that I have been faithful
enough. I hope that I have done enough." But today's good
works are never enough to give them assurance, because
any slacking before Armageddon, any tiredness in their
regiment of good works would disqualify them from life.
Because of the tremendous pressure to do enough to
qualify them to survive, many Jehovah's Witnesses have
contemplated suicide at one time or another as a way out
of this life and a way into paradise. For Jehovah's
Witnesses there are no guarantees this side of Armageddon
aside from death. It is a sad situation when a dead
Jehovah's Witness comes out better off than a living
Jehovah's Witness.
The teaching that there is
no assurance of your salvation in this lifetime is a
common teaching of all false religions. Any religion that
basis the acceptance of God on the works of man will
never be able to give any concrete assurance that one has
done enough to merit life. In contrast, Bible believing
Christians have found great assurance of their acceptance
with Jehovah in the words of the Bible. 1 John 5:13 says
"These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have
eternal life..." This assurance, this knowing that we
have eternal life right now is not only for a select few
because John said in 1 John 5:1 "Whoever believes
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..." For those who
put their trust in Jesus, he has promised to send a
helper to walk alongside them and will be in them to help
them. "And I will pray the Father and He will give you
another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the
spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him for
He dwells with you and will be in you." John
14:16-17.
If you want assurance that
you are acceptable to God, you will never find it in the
Watchtower. No earthly organization died for you, and no
organization can save you no matter what they claim. Only
Jesus is worthy of our trust.
Go
to Part Two What will Paradise be like?
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