Posted by a.j.w. on March 20, 1999 at 23:36:42 {MW9hzw2IlRnU2}:
In Reply to: Realization posted by Rick on March 20, 1999 at 22:33:05:
Hi Rick,
I'll go out on a limb too (briefly) :-)
Ignorance of God's existence and plan is a situation that men have brought upon their progeny, and that is the state of most men today.
Those men are "like the beasts that perish".
Death is also the corollary of the fact that all men sin (even if it is in ignorance of the laws of God).
Armageddon is a war, during which many nations that come against Israel will be defeated and punished, not punishment of individuals, although it will hasten the deaths of many individuals who are part of the armies that come against the mountains of Israel. (yes, I know this is not JW eschatology)
The cycle of ignorance, sin and death will be ended with the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, when all nations will come to worship the God of Israel in Jerusalem.
In the meanwhile, God's invites people who wish to be kings and priests in the Kingdom of God to submit to his principles and seek to please him today.
My take is that the complexities of JW escahtology, the two-class system, and other things, obscure and obfuscate, opening up quandries such as the one you seem to be battling with.
Love,
Andrew.