JW.ORG's Online Bible Study Lesson 2.3 "Why did God Create Humans?"

I decided to take the WT up on their offer at JW.ORG and go through their short lessons to “Learn what the Bible teaches.” WT speak is in RED, my comments are in BLACK, anything else is in BLUE. I logged in to JW.ORG, and under "Online Bible Study Lessons" I clicked on "Get Started" or it may say "Pick a Lesson Now," OR for Bible Study Lesson 2.3 simply click here.

Before you begin reading, I strongly suggest you have, at the ready, the WT’s Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. You can download a free PDF copy here.

Lesson 2.3 "Why did God Create Humans?" Throughout this Lesson the WT continually pushed their doctrine that people will live forever on this present earth. As you progress through this Lesson you will see phrases like: "Jehovah lovingly prepared the earth to be a beautiful and permanent home for the human family." "God wants us to live forever on earth." "People would live forever in happiness on a paradise earth." "God created the earth to be a permanent home for humans."

I'll take a close look at this WT doctrine in a typical WT encounter.

JW: “The Bible assures us: There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to God’s promise and in these righteousness is to dwell." (2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 65:17) Sometimes when the Bible speaks of “the earth,” it means the people who live on the earth (Genesis 11:1). So the righteous ‘new earth’ is a society of people who receive God’s approval.”

A JW will point particularly to 2 Peter 3:6, “the world at that time (long ago found in verse 5) was destroyed, being flooded with water.” 

JW, “was the earth destroyed.” 

HOME OWNER, “No.” 

JW: “What was destroyed?” 

HOME OWNER: “Sinful people.”

JW, “See, only sinful people are t0 be destroyed, not the earth itself. ”

DID YOU CATCH THE WT TACTIC? If you did not, that is because the JW was successful in “hiding-a-lie.” The "hide-a-lie" tactic simply involves reading only that portion of scripture that supports their lie and avoiding other verses that expose their lie. The lie is, that the “earth will not be destroyed--only the sinful people that inhabit the earth.” To expose this BIG LIE one needs only to continue reading verses 7-12. Below are verses 7 and 10-12. I invite you to read all of 2 Peter to get the full context. Remember the New Testament books were written without chapter and verse divisions. See my blog on the importance of CONTEXT here.

7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

How can you expose the WT's BIG LIE concerning 2 Peter 3:6? By reading the VERY NEXT WORD from verse 7, “BUT.” Ask the JW, “What is a synonym for but?” If you look this up in a thesaurus you will find: “however” and my favorite “on the other hand.”

Peter is saying “On the other hand" or in contrast to what happened ‘long ago’ today’s heavens and earth are being reserved (set aside) for fire (what fire is spelled out in verse 10) but for now the heavens and earth are being “kept (retained just as they are) for the day of judging and destroying ungodly men.” After the judging and destroying, then the heavens and earth will be dealt with as stated in verse 10.

Verse 10 clearly shows that the heavens and the earth will be destroyed by intense heat. Note that Peter says twice (verse 10 and 12) the heavens and earth are to be destroyed by intense heat. And we are looking for a “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” Peter is very clear about the destruction. He tells us there will be a “roar”—a sound that we could hear and intense heat. And what will be destroyed—the very elements (atoms) or building blocks of the heavens and earth. The promise mentioned in verse 13 is recorded in Isaiah 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”

The next Lesson 3.1 is here.