At John 6:53,54 Jesus says "Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life and i will raise him up on the last day."
I wonder about all those in the WT who do not partake at the Memorial. Are they doomed?
No. Because God is love and he and his son understand completely humankind's plight and the mind and heart of each person and their circumstances among the numerous variables each live with.
Now, can it affect a Believers positoin in the Kingdom of God, yes.
Rev.5:10; 7:3-15; 20:1+ all show groups of Believers called and sealed for special duties with Christ in the Millennium.
The RCC, John Calvin, Martin Luther, and Jacobus Arminius all wrestled with this issue 500 years ago during the Reformation.
Modern Seminaries are still engaged in this debate.
In Christ
designs
Hello Yannis,
This was a significant scripture for me when wrestling with the WT interpretation.
Just reading through it again right now "...and I will raise him up on the last day" does not read to me as though the emblems are only to be partaken by the 144,000 heavenly class as they are apparently raised up in the first resurrection which doesn't take place on 'the last day'.
Tessa
One thing I will say about this.
The WTS HAS done a good job in keeping individuals FROM partaking. Think about this; how many other Christian denominations activly encourage individuals NOT to participate! :thinking:
The worse one could accuse these other denominations of doing (in this regard) is perhaps encouraging too many to partake!
Given the choice I would rather be found guilty of encouraging someone to participate, who perhaps shouldn't (how could we know that anyway?), than DISCOURAGING one from participating, who God has called to partcipate. :cry:
I think partaking is necessary for any Christian to be spared destruction through Armageddon. The great crowd, while an earthly class, need to partake to be saved by Jesus symbolic flesh and blood and not die at Armageddon. If they don't, then their sins are not fully covered by the ransom and they must therefore pay the penalty of death at Armageddon owing to their Adamic sin, just like the rest of unrighteous mankind will. However, they are not forever "doomed", because I believe that Pastor Russell was right that the rest of mankind not ransomed and destroyed during the GT/Armageddon will be resurrected during the millennial reign. God's justice says that everyone must suffer death at the GT because of inheriting Adamic sin and imperfection. The only exception to that is the 'great crowd', who are covered by the ransom and thus have the tremendous honour of never having to die at all. Even the 144,000 do not have this honour; they must drink the same cup that Jesus did, ie, they must die. But God's mercy demands that unredeemed mankind killed at Armageddon will get a second chance during the millennial reign, by a resurrection, just like all the rest of mankind dead in their graves will get another chance.
Scattered sheep