Saturday, June 29, 2019

The Two Resurrections in Jehovah's Witness Soteriology and Eschatology


Commenting on the belief in Jehovah’s Witness soteriology and eschatology (e.g., “first resurrection” being only for the “faithful class” [the 144,000 anointed ones] to the exclusion of the “great crowd,” as well as their belief that those who are “invincibly ignorant” [to borrow a Catholic term] during mortality can be saved [and even then, they would be destroyed by subsequent disobedience [!]), Jehovah’s Witness Cary Valentine wrote:

Jehovah’s Witnesses view the “first resurrection,” as mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6, to be the raising of those chosen to serve as king and priests with Christ during the Millennium. Witnesses identify the number of this group, as mentioned in Revelation 14:1-4, literally to be 144,000. These individuals give up the natural hope of living forever on earth, though they originated as flesh-and-blood entities. Their ascension is thought to be immediate, meaning that at the time of death those chosen to be part of the first resurrection is thought to be immediate, meaning that at the time of death those chosen to be part of the first resurrection are instantaneously caught away to join the Lord within the spirit realm “in the blink of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NWT).

Jehovah’s Witnesses also identify a second or earthly resurrection of both righteous and unrighteous individuals who have the potential to gain everlasting life on earth. Those deemed “righteous” but not appointed to serve with Christ in heaven (as part of the 144,000 or “anointed class”) made use of the opportunity given them here on earth to learning of Jehovah God’s plan and provision of the ransom sacrifice. These individuals repented, aligned their lives with God’s principles, and served as Witnesses to those who had not yet heard the message of salvation God gifted to imperfect humans.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that for some of those deemed unrighteous—but still resurrected in this second resurrection—there will be a resurrection of judgment. These individuals will still have an opportunity to gain eternal salvation during the Millennium. They will live as resurrected beings during the Millennium and, at its end, be judged by Christ and his 144,000 associates as either worthy of everlasting life or worthy of destruction. These are individuals who were in some way unable during mortality to learn of the life-saving provisions Jehovah had provided—either because they were not exposed to it during mortal life, or because they were otherwise unable to comprehend the message. Just as Adam was a perfect man choosing willingly to sin against Jehovah’s law (while in Eden), so too will resurrected humans have a chance to make the choice to either serve God willingly or reject him and his plan. If they then follow Jehovah God at the end of Millennium, they will be restored to perfection (“A Grand Millennium Approaching,” The Watchtower, 1 June 1990, 5-7).

Jehovah’s Witnesses hold that, at the end of Christ’s Millennium, Satan will be released from his abyss to mislead and test human’s resurrected to an earthly destiny. This will provide them with a choice to sere Jehovah God for the final time. Since humans will then be restored to a state of perfection, they will have the same simple choice Adam and Eve did at the time of creation—to serve God or to not. This Final Judgement involves those who reject Jehovah God and Christ’s Jesus ransom sacrifice and who will die a second time, never to be resurrected again. Indeed, they will cease to exist for eternity. At that time, the physical consequences of Adam’s rebellion will no longer weigh humans down with the wages of sin, so the choice made to serve God or not is, as it was for Adam, one that is just, fair, and made of free will. (Cary E. Valentine, “The Condition of the Dead in Jehovah’s Witness Soteriology” in Alonzo L. Gaskill and Robert L. Millet, eds. Life Beyond the Grave: Christian Interfaith Perspectives [Salt Lake City/Provo: Deseret Book/BYU Religious Studies Center, 2019], 137-51, here, pp. 145-46)