Key Points:
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's purpose from the start, was and is, to have the earth filled with the offspring of Adam and Eve as caretakers of a global paradise. After God had magnificently designed this earth for human habitation, however, Adam and Eve rebelled against Jehovah and so they were banished from the Garden of Eden, or Paradise. Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that the wicked people will be destroyed at Armageddon and that many of the righteous (those faithful and obedient to Jehovah) will live eternally in an earthly Paradise. (Psalms 37:9, 10, 29; Prov. 2:21, 22). Joining the survivors will be resurrected righteous and unrighteous people who died prior to Armageddon (John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15).
The latter are brought back because they paid for their sins by their death, and/or also because they lacked opportunity to learn of Jehovah's requirements prior to dying (Rom. 6:23). These will be judged on the basis of their post-resurrection obedience to instructions revealed in new "scrolls" (Rev. 20:12). This provision does not apply to those that Jehovah deems to have sinned against his holy spirit (Matt. 12:31, Luke 12:5). [6][7]
One of Jesus' last recorded statements before he died were the words to an evildoer hanging alongside him on a torture stake: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.”—Luke 23:43.
THE ROOTS OF BIBLE STUDENTS & THE ROOTS OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
A common misconception and been promoted, which is that Charlse T.Russell was the one who founded Jehovah's Witnesses. The fact of the matter is that Charlse T. Russell DIED in 1916, while Jehovah's Witnesses did not form offically untill 1931 at a convention in Ohio when then president of the Watchtower Joseph R. Rutherford offically announced that name change from Bible Students to Jehovah's Witnesses.
In 1918 The Bible Student groups broke off in many directions. The Bible Students who came to embrace a heaven-destiny came to form The Associated Bible Students and the like and those who came to embrace a restored earth destinty for themselves formed The Laymen's Home Missionary Movement by pastor Paul Johnson, while Jospeh Rutherford took controll of the Watchtower publishing House and would later take the name Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931. The Bible Students were founded by Pastor Russell while JW's was founded by Joseph Rutherford.
While Both JWs, The Laymen's Home Missionary Movement and all the Bible Students all believe in a restored earth theology, that they all believe will come about through Jesus Christ millennial rein over earth, only the JW's and Laymen's embrace the restored earth destiny for 'themselves'...while the other Bible Students opt for a heaven destinty.
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