IF man was made by god... IF. And they were supposed to all live on the Earth why do some go to heaven? "because they help rule!" Oh, so your god needs the help of people to rule?? If I ask another question... Why did jesus sacrafice himself? "Oh, because there needed to be a sacrafice equal to adam.... and then we can go back to how we were. And everything will carry on again from the garden of eden, back to normal!" ERM!?!! What about the sacrafice for Eve's sin? You need to sacrafice TWO perfect humans to make it equal... and to go back to normal??? Did it say in GEN; And god made the earth and gave it light blah blah blah and he saw it was good... THEN he made 144,000 men in heaven to help him rule because he couldn't do it alone.... ? No I don't think it does.... So putting 144,000 people in your heaven wouldn't put things back to how they were... It makes no freaking sense lol Why would such an almighty being need humans to help him rule?
Also one of the JW's main debates is Humans DO NOT go to heaven.. as they were not intended to live in heaven thats why there were angels they were ment to live there.... So erm... Then you change and contradict yourselves and say Oh wait these guys can go in... yeah I know we said humans are meant to be earth creatures but erm OH LOOK OVER THERE!!
One last thing Mee..... If we go by your story... Awesome we all live forever.... and ever and ever and ever.... *sighs..* and.. ever. We are meant to breed and spread over the earth
but none of us are dying... Get a glass... Fill it halfway... Then leave it under a tap that has a little leak, watch as each water drop, drops into that glass... untill finally? It fills and over flows.... Then what happens?
Eve was disilliusioned. Adam, knowingly sinned (he ate the fruit knowing he was throwing his lot in with woman, he chose Woman over God, and God granted that, because God knew man and woman would have to learn together, to come back to Him). There is where you are having trouble 17th. There is no equals in humanity when it comes to original sin. Man knew better. Woman did not. But since woman is tied in with man, she shares all rewards and all consequences. Man on the other hand has the burden, and God will hold him accountable first.
I noticed something when I entertained my son and his new wife, this past Christmas holiday. It wasn't her that I became irritated with (for certain indisgressions), it was him. He knew better, but let things slide. I on the other hand did not. And I held him accountable.
We had a long talk, on his responsibilities as a man, a lover and a husband, one night over a game of chess. Now he realizes he is the head of the marriage, for a reason. She seemed quite happy with that new found revelation, of her husband's and he looked at me in pleased shock, but also responsible understanding.
What does this have to do with God and co-rulership? God wants people who look out for eachother, and look to Him for guidance.
Lol, I once asked my mother (as a teen), if God watched while she went to the bathroom..."Of course He does, just to make certain everything comes out alright". I pushed the envelope, "What about sex? Does He watch that with you and Dad?" She smiled.
"If you think God is a pervert, you have the wrong God. If it weren't for God, watching and making sure everything worked out right, you wouldn't be here to ask such silly questions."
She is right of course. God is so far beyond us, the act of sex is not something He would even consider, let alone be "voyeuristic" on. (which means the angels that took women to be wives aren't much better than men). So much for Lucifer and his minions' superiority over man, to be smitten by or lust after a human woman?...
As far as Paradise on Earth, there is a point where the old earth and the old heaven pass away, a new Earth and New Heaven are created...I'm not so sure what that means, but I do know that new babies are not created. And those that exist to see this new "universe" are not married, don't worry about perptuating the species, etc...
But relationships seem to survive, and bring a greater if not similar intenseness, to intimacy, again I do not quite understand this. And then there is God...to stand before Him, to have Him nod in one's direction. To be as a child again, and jump into the lap of the greatest of fathers...What a thought.
Indeed, what a wonder.
v/r
Joshua
maybe when i am perfect after a 1,000 years my brain will work better and the new scrolls that are around then will come to mind easier.
so back to the thread title , here is a verse to look foreward to .