Response to Chapter Three of
the Bible Teach book
In this chapter the Bible Teach book explains the
Witness view of the “new earth.” As was noted in our response to the Preface,
the subject of the new earth is one of the Witnesses’ main beliefs. We cited the section from the Catechism
of the Catholic Church to show that historic Christianity also shares a
belief in the “new heavens and the new earth.”
Revelation
21:1-5 gives us the description:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away
every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be
mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed
away." And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all
things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are
trustworthy and true."
This passage describes what theologians describe as “the
final state.” Heaven and earth (the “new heaven and the new earth”) are joined
together. The passage refers to the New Jerusalem “coming down out of heaven
from God” to the new earth. Notice particularly these words, repeated three
times: “the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them…and God
himself will be with them.” In the first paradise, Adam and Eve had a foretaste
of this special fellowship with God. Adam and his wife spoke directly with God. There “the man and his wife heard the sound of
Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” (Genesis 3:8, NJB) It
was only when the first human pair turned away from God that they experienced
the fear and shame that is connected to sin. In the new heavens and new earth
that special relationship with God is restored.
Here is where
we begin to see some of the differences between what the Bible really teaches
on this subject and what Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. When the Bible speaks of
the “new earth,” it always speaks of it together with the “new heavens.”
(2
Peter 3:13; Revelation
21:1; Isaiah
66:22) They are never referred to separately. Why? Because, as already
noted above they are shown as joined together. The Witnesses separate the new
earth from heaven. What is the result? The passage from Revelation chapter 21
quoted above says that in the new heavens and new earth “God himself will be
with them (mankind).” In the Witness view of things, God remains in heaven and
the people on the new earth never actually experience God himself dwelling
among them. Adam and Eve were able to communicate directly with God. But the
humans in the Witnesses’ new earth will never communicate directly with God.
At this point, read the complete description of the “new
heavens and new earth” in Revelation
chapter 21 and Revelation
chapter 22. The New Jerusalem (which is the Church, the Bride of Christ) is
shown coming down from heaven. It is described as an immense great city with
gates that open for all to enter. God promises:
“To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:6-8)
There are two rewards pictured here: access to the fountain of water of life or the second death. After describing the great beauty of the New Jerusalem, Revelation 22:1-4 mentions this “water of life”:
“Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads.”
Adam and Eve heard Yahweh’s voice. Here God’s people will
“see his face.” Adam and Eve were denied access to the “tree of life.” (Genesis
3:22) Here the “tree of life” is given for all the nations. Are these
nations kept away from the New Jerusalem? Notice these words:
“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it, and its gates shall never be shut by day -- and there shall be no night there; they shall bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.” (Revelation 21:22-27)
New Jerusalem is described as an immense city with open gates. Who goes into the City and who cannot? The passage above says “those whose are written in the Lamb’s book of life” will enter the City. Revelation 22:14 and 15 explains further:
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood.”
If one is denied access to the City they do not have access to the “tree of life.” Those outside of the City are those accursed by God.
Witnesses often ask: “If those in the New Jerusalem ‘shall reign for ever and ever,’ who do they reign over? (Revelation 22:5) The best answer is that it’s not who they reign over but what. Those in the New Jerusalem reign over the new creation. Revelation 5:10 referred to this earlier when it spoke of Christ the Lamb:
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and by your blood did ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth.” Here the Witnesses’ New World Translation says they “rule as kings over the earth.” Their Kingdom Interlinear of the Greek Scriptures shows that the traditional rendering is correct, for it shows the Greek text says : “they are reigning upon the earth.”
Ask the Witnesses studying with you:
1) Will God’s people be able to see God in the “new heavens and new earth”?
2) Will God actually dwell with mankind in the new heavens and new earth?
3) Will God’s people be able to enter the New Jerusalem or will they be outside of it?
4) If my name is written in the “Lamb’s book of life” will I be able to enter the New Jerusalem?
At this point the Witnesses will most likely explain
their understanding of the “two hopes” for Christians which we referred to
earlier in our response to the Preface
of the Bible Teach book. We will elaborate more on that in later chapter
responses, but it is enough to ask the Witnesses now:
1)
Doesn’t Revelation chapter 21 & 22 indicate that
the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to the earth?
2)
How do you explain Revelation 22:14 & 15? If one is
outside the City aren’t they condemned?
3)
Doesn’t the Bible always refer to the “new heavens and
new earth” together and not separately?
Further reading:
Is Your
Hope Bible-Based? Questions and Reflections for Jehovah's Witnesses
No
Heavenly Hope for the Old Testament Saints? Responds to the Witness view that the Old Testament servants of
God did not have a heavenly hope.
The description of the “new heavens and new earth” in the
Catechism of the Catholic
Church.
Commentary in the New
Testament Commentary by Simon J.
Kistemaker.
He gives this
overview of Revelation chapter 21:
“After
the final judgment, John shows his readers a picture of perfection that differs
radically from the present world. The
old order has passed away and all things are
new. Cosmic time has been turned into
eternity; separation from God has become
intimate communion with him. Death belongs
to the past, for the saints drink the
water of life. The wicked are in the
lake of fire, while the saints are with God and
belong to his family. The new Jerusalem
is a picture of perfection with respect to
measurement, adornment, and glory. This
picture reveals a river of life flowing from
the throne of God and the Lamb with
fruit-bearing trees on either side of this river.
With the curse removed God’s servants
serve him and the Lamb. This is Paradise
restored. Note the connection between
the first creation recorded in Genesis and the
new creation of heaven and earth in
Revelation. In Paradise before the Fall, God
intimately communed with Adam, gave him
instructions, and provided for his needs
(Gen. 2:15–25). On the new earth, God
dwells with his people in intimate fellowship:
“Look, the tabernacle of God is with
people, and he will dwell with them” (v. 3a).
After the Fall, Adam and Eve hid
themselves from the presence of God (Gen. 3:8); at
the restoration God dwells with them
forever in his tabernacle.The Garden of Eden
was a place without fear, pain, crying,
and death; the new creation is a place where
“there will no longer be death, or
grief, or crying, nor will there be pain anymore” (v.
4).
The second half of the chapter (vv. 9–27) is a description of the new Jerusalem
regarding its holiness, perfection,
adornment, and glory. This portrait of the city
related in human language of time and
space depicts, be it inadequately, the beauty of
the new heaven and the new earth. The
somewhat disjointed flow of thought shows
that the writer is attempting to
transmit as many details as he is able. Nonetheless,
throughout his discourse John develops
his basic theme that God is with his people in
a holy and perfect setting.”
For a detailed commentary on these chapters read:
Kistemaker's
Commentary on Revelation 21 (Click on the >> at the bottom of the
page
Kistemaker's
Commentary on Revelation 22 to go
to the next page of the commentary.)
Go to
the Response for Chapter Four