Click here to check out this link for a very interesting article written by Daniel Torluemke, a Bible Student, in response to Robert C. Hill, ThB’S article “Why I Am Not A Bible Student”
Bible Students are not a sectarian organization. We are organized like the Early Church and the Bible Students at the time of the Early Watchtower, without any Governing Body. Each Bible Student Congregation is independent. As in the Early Church, elders are elected by vote of the Anointed Congregation members. Bible Students permit liberty of thought and differences of opinion, yet the Holy Spirit and our agreement on all the basic doctrines holds us together as a unified group. Our most important foundational doctrine is the Ransom for ALL. That “Jesus tasted death for every man” (Heb 2:9) and that ALL will come forth from their tombs (Matt 5:28, 29). (This is the same word tomb mentioned throughout the Bible and has not special thought of only those whom Jehovah remembers.) When ALL return to life upon Paradise Earth, it will be a time a judgment and education that will take place during the 1,000 years. Isa 26:9 says “when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”
I have a question about the Bible students belief that ALL mankind will be resurrected……does this include Judas Iscariot the one whom Jesus called “the son of destruction”?
Ken – Let me ask you. Do you have an opinion on that and scriptural support for it? I don’t have with my my study notes on this topic. I will tell you that Bible Students are divided on this issue. Some would say that although the Ransom applies to ALL, that under this unique circumstance Judas would have received a sufficient trial to condemn him to second death with no hope of a resurrection. If that is the case, I feel quite uncomfortable making exceptions to the following scriptures, among others.
Acts 24:15-16 – “there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” NKJV
John 5:28-29 – “the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will … come forth” NKJV
Rom 5:18 “through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” 1 Cor 15:22 – “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” NKJV
1 John 2:2 – “He is an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. – Weymouth
1 Tim 4:10 – God…is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. NKJV
Luke 2:10 – “the angel said…I bring you good tidings of great joy… to ALL people.” NKJV
Heb 2:9 – “But we see Jesus … that He … might taste death for EVERYONE.” NKJV
John 12:32 – “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL peoples to Myself.” NKJV
John 1:29 – “John …said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! NKJV
John 6:51 – “the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” NKJV
If Judas is raised from the dead, he will have to face the music so to speak. What will he say when people look on him with disgust? Would such humiliation be sufficient to cause him to repent? Is Jesus so loving that he could even forgive Judas?
Whatever conclusion you come to Ken, I would say that this is once of those issues where I wouldn’t make a big issue out of it. Just my thought.
Hi Brother Pete, I don’t have my reference Bible handy right now in which I could reference the word “son of destruction” but as I recall, that term involved gehennic death.
Ken – This is a good scripture well worth considering. Maybe others have comments. It may take me a couple of days to get back to you on this.
Dear Daniel’ well written and simply presented.You covered a lot of ground in a brief yet well bolstered way. Recently I started reading the Studies in the Scriptures as well as the Photo-Drama of Creation.I was at first very excited about everything I read,because having resigned from being a J.W. several years ago,I have had “0″ association with worshipers of Jehovah.My efforts to convert any Baptists down here in Mississippi bore no results,so I was getting refreshed thru studies with a small group in MS as well as a Wednesday nite study Peter K. set up for ex-J.W.s.I seemed to hit a land mine along in vol. 2 and some others with other doctrine Russell taught,which I won’t go into here.One truth the Bible states is that in the abundance of words there does not fail to be transgression,so of the approximately 50,000 pages of Bible commentary(I read somewhere of Russell), there is bound to be a lot of speculation.Personally ,I find Bro, Russell’s Anointing rings true as he gets the Christian relationships and purposes right yet seems to go overboard on seeing anti-typical symbolism of Christian dynamics in too many things-even the unholy pagan Pharoanic Pyramid,which I was under the understanding that there was a burial sarcophagus down inside the Giza Pyramid,(a large one that had to have been installed as the pyramid was being constructed).So as is also the case with the other pyramids,all archaeologists seem to feel that they were primarily monuments glorifying Egyptian rulers for life or death.Russell also taught in “Studies” that Melchizedek,king of Salem(ancient Jerusalem)went down to Egypt with his band of subjects and built the Giza Pyramid.I find that extremely unbelievable,and was disturbed that a thinking person could imagine such a feat for a small group of people from Canaan who actually worshiped Jehovah would want to do something like that,and for what? Who would have funded such a thing? The current estimate of manpower involved was a 100,000 people,I read somewhere. Even Abraham was honored, after taking back Lot and his family from the kings who overthrew the land of Sodom,and his spoils were tithed out to Melchizedek,who honored Abraham for this.These little “Players” from Canaan,although great in Jehovah’s sight and with grand futures ahead seem determined to down play their roles in that land,waiting on Jehovah’s timing for the real power to come in.(which it did 400 years later when Jehovah did LEVEL Egypt and certainly did leave an eternal monument to his fame thereby). But I am still reading and associating with Bible students and at the same time trying to encourage any ex-J.W.s out there who are going thru this shunning persecution too.Thank you for your testimony of faith.All 2 billion Christians in the world would do better if they studied the Bible as much as you,although most of them are also Bible students.
Dear Friends,
I am looking for a Bible Student group near Scranton/wilkes Barre,Pa. area.
I am having great difficulty finding anyone that knows of any.
Please help if possible.
Thank You,
Richard
Yes, Richard. Bible Students in the area will contact you soon.
Good article. The Russell haters are so filled with hatred that they are blinded by it. Ihave yet to see any of them take an honest look at the Biblical teachings of Charles Taze Russell.
There is apparently a new book out written by a Catholic author who took an objective look at Russell. Like others, he found all the character assassination directed at him to be completely false.
Hello Davis 76
Thanks for your reply. We do have a link on this website to the new book you mentioned, i.e. Pastor Russell Biography by Fredrick Zydek. It is a super-interesting reading. The author begins the book describing his fascination with Russell. He found it regrettable that Russell’s accomplishments are all but forgotten less than 100 years later. Mr Zydek writes, “One day it dawned on me that I should write his biography. And who better? I am neither a follower of Russell’s teaching nor Fundamentalist holding a ridged view of the Christian narrative”. His book does a great job of objectively writing about Pastor Russell and includes a vast array of important and some little known facts about Russell as a person. The end result is, in my opinion, a stronger familiarity with his character and a better ability to formulate an informed judgment about the life and message of Charles Taze Russell.