Actually, God created Jesus before he created anything else. Regarding Jesus, the Bible says:
- “He is the firstborn of all creation.”—Colossians 1:15.
- He is “the beginning of the creation by God.”—Revelation 3:14.
- Spirit creatures can take on human form. For example, angels who did this in the past even ate and drank with humans. (Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1-3) However, they still were spirit creatures and could leave the physical realm.—Judges 13:15-21.
- After his resurrection, Jesus also assumed human form temporarily, just as angels had previously done. As a spirit creature, though, he was able to appear and disappear suddenly. (Luke 24:31; John 20:19, 26) The fleshly bodies that he materialized were not identical from one appearance to the next. Thus, even Jesus’ close friends recognized him only by what he said or did.—Luke 24:30, 31, 35; John 20:14-16; 21:6, 7.
- When Jesus appeared to the apostle Thomas, he took on a body with wound marks. He did this to bolster Thomas’ faith, since Thomas doubted that Jesus had been raised up.—John 20:24-29.
Actually, the 144,000 sealed ones are of spiritual Israel, not fleshly Israel—hence include both Jewish and Gentile Christians.—Ga 6:16.
Actually, the Bible says that Jesus “was put to death in the flesh but made alive [resurrected] in the spirit.”—1 Peter 3:18; Acts 13:34; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 5:16.
Jesus’ own words showed that he would not be resurrected with his flesh-and-blood body. He said that he would give his “flesh in behalf of the life of the world,” as a ransom for mankind. (John 6:51; Matthew 20:28) If he had taken back his flesh when he was resurrected, he would have canceled that ransom sacrifice. This could not have happened, though, for the Bible says that he sacrificed his flesh and blood “once for all time.”—Hebrews 9:11, 12.
believe that Christ rose with a spiritual body, or a glorified body, because his physical flesh was sacrificed once for all time, and only spirits can live in Heaven.
Sounds wrong- for reasons already stated plus He said He would raise His temple up in three days
He defeated physical death …so that we could overcome it too by living by His Spirit.
You say only Spirit…but…how about flesh, blood and Spirit…what do you think Jesus did with His blood??? Rhetorical question -
Plus as already said He came to redeem the, whole body, soul, and Spirit hence His resurrection as scripture says of His Temple…
So why do you quote Jw website..if you say you search and read the Bible diligently? You would not miss these things.
It seems Johovah witnesses try to make scripture fit their system of beliefs. Please explain to me what you think Jesus meant when He said -in three days He would raise His temple up again.
…
In John 2:19-21, Jesus states, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” referring metaphorically to his own body rather than the physical Jerusalem Temple. He was predicting his death and resurrection, signifying that his body was the true dwelling place of God.
I think not one Scripture says that mankind will be blessed with eternal life, but it is rather a promise from several passages that, taken together, describe a future earthly paradise with everlasting life:
Disagree- Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” in John 10:27 (KJV/NKJV), indicating a personal, intimate relationship where believers recognize and obey His teachings. This passage highlights that followers trust His guidance and receive eternal life,
We preach door to door to help people come close to JEHOVAH God by teaching what the Scriptures say.
Disagree- I believe you teach what your system says…And that differs from unadulteration of scripture.
Jesus was God’s royal representative, the one anointed by God for the kingship; hence, it could be said that “the Kingdom” was in their midst. Not only was he present in this capacity but he also had authority to perform works manifesting God’s kingly power and to prepare candidates for positions within his coming Kingdom.
His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…
Jesus’s kingdom is not merely a future, post-death destination, but a current, accessible reality known as “the range of God’s effective will”. He emphasized that the Kingdom of God is here and now, allowing people to live in eternal life before they die by aligning their lives with Jesus’s teachings in daily life. DW
1 Peter 3:18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.English Standard Version
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but MADE ALIVE IN THE SPIRIT,
Verse 19 (ESV) continues, “in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison” from the time of Noah.
The Holman Christian Standard Bible says (1 Peter 3:19), "IN THAT STATE He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison:
What state? A SPIRIT. The apostles understood that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit or spirit being.
1 Corinthians 15:45
Berean Literal Bible
So also it has been written: “The first man Adam became into a living soul;” the last Adam into a LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT.
Jesus was raised as a spirit being. But if you look into the Hebrew scriptures or OT, spirit beings could go from a spirit state to a fleshly state. There are numerous examples of messengers (angels) of God Almighty becoming flesh. In Genesis 19:1-3 the angels ate with Lot because they came in the flesh. Also, angels, sons of God, had relations with human women and bore children (Genesis 6). Note that these angels did not die in the flood as Jesus preached to them thousands of years later, as 1 Peter 3:19 shows. They changed back to their natural spirit state.
Jesus, upon his resurrection, had the ability to go between two different states, flesh and spirit, but only spirit can enter into heaven. This is why he appeared to his disciples in one way in the upper room before his ascension to heaven in Luke 24:39 but appeared to the apostle John completely differently in Revelation 1:13-16 after his ascension.
1 Corinthians 15:50
Berean Literal Bible
Now I say this, brothers, that FLESH and BLOOD is NOT ABLE to inherit the kingdom of God, nor does decay inherit immortality.1 Corinthians 15:38-40 (ESV)
38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.
This heavenly body is a spirit, not flesh or blood of any kind.
The apostle Paul says:
“He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we know no one according to the flesh. Although WE HAVE KNOWN CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, YET NOW WE KNOW HIM IN THIS WAY NO LONGER.” (2 Corinthians 5:15-16)
Why? Because he is a spirit.
Also, Hebrews 10:10 reports that Jesus sacrificed his physical body—thus, for him to take it back would be to cancel the salvific transaction with God.
*Galatians 1:1
English Standard Version
Paul, an apostle—NOT FROM MEN NOR THROUGH MAN, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
Remember that Paul’s first encounter with Christ was on the road to Damascus after Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 9).
Paul confirmed Jesus was raised a spirit when he answered these questions:
(1 Corinthians 15:35 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)"But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
What is the answer?
(1 Corinthians 15:44, 45 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)“It is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
Romans 6:5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
“5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
So all the NT writers understood that Jesus was raised as a spirit.
As for paradise earth, for instance in Genesis we have God creating the first human couple, placing them in a paradise on earth:
Jehovah God took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to take care of it. (Genesis 2:15)
And commanding them:
“Be fruitful and become many, fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen 1:28)
God also said:
“From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Gen 2:16, 17)
So, if Adam hadn’t sin, he would have lived forever and he and his descendants would have filled the earth and cultivated it to be a global paradise.
And since that is what was lost, and since God doesn’t change His purposes, that is what will be restored:
“The righteous will possess the earth,
And they will live forever on it.” (Psalm 37:29)
We believe that the main message of the Bible is about the sanctification of Jehovah’s name—or reputation. That includes proving his right to rule over humanity and carrying out his loving purpose through his Kingdom.
This theme starts right in the first chapters of Genesis and keeps unfolding all through the Bible.
- The name “Jehovah” shows up over 7,000 times, making it clear how important it is (Psalm 83:18).
- His right to rule is shown right from creation (Genesis 1 and 2). Then the Bible describes how that rule was challenged—and what happened as a result (Gen 3; Ecc 8:9).
- Jehovah’s love, wisdom, justice, and power all stand out in how he deals with people (1 John 4:8; Rom 11:33; Deut 32:4; Nahu 1:3).
- We see over and over that obeying him brings good results, while disobeying brings pain and problems (Isa 48:17; Deut 30:19).
- The Bible also explains how Jehovah made a way—through Jesus Christ—to get rid of sin and death (Gen 3:15; John 3:16).
- It describes a heavenly government —God’s Kingdom— that will remove wicked angels and people who refuse to accept God’s rightful rule (Dan 2:44Mat 6:9, 10; Rev 11:15).
- And it makes the goal clear: the earth will become a paradise, full of people who love and worship the one true God and care for one another (Psalm 37:10; Mat 5: 5; Rev 21:3–5).
The Scriptures make dozens of references to the future time when Christ comes to judge the people of the earth. For example, Matthew 25:31–33 says:
“When the Son of man [Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.”
This time of judgment will be part of a “great tribulation” unlike anything in human history. That tribulation will culminate in the war of Armageddon. (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 16:16) Christ’s enemies, described in his illustration as goats, “will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.” (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 19:11, 15) In contrast, his faithful servants, the sheep, will have the prospect of “everlasting life.”—Matthew 25:46.
“I heard that Jesus did not rise physically from the dead just spiritually and this meant that his second coming is also not physical it’s just a symbolic spiritual reign. I don’t believe it, but does the Bible actually say this and do Christians teach that Jesus is just a spiritual being? If so why. Thanks.”
Usually, Jehovah Witness’ hold to the view you expressed above. In their eschatology (future things), the second coming of Christ has already happened – in 1914 to be exact – it was an invisible and spiritual event that took the world by storm. Yet, the physical and spiritual are diametrically opposed, never to be reconciled. So, this might be where it’s coming from. They further disavow Christ’s deity. In their theology, Jesus is, supposedly, the archangel Michael incarnate – just a god, not the God (cf. Hebrews 1:1-14; Revelation 22:8-9; Matthew 28:9). They also claim that Christ did not rise from the dead in the flesh, often quoting the apostle Paul as their source of inspiration (cf. 2 Peter 3:15-16). Scary thing is the apostles are very clear that the spirit of the antichrist belongs to those who claim Christ did not come and rise in the flesh (2 John 7; 1 John 4:2-3). The physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is a central pillar of the Christian faith, and there’s no reason to doubt it (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19). Let’s deal with the resurrection question first, then move to eschatology.
Did Jesus physically rise from the dead?
Supposed JW counterarguments.
Is the Second Coming of Christ physical?
J.
JW.ORG Part 1
The Bible says that Jesus “was put to death in the flesh but made alive [resurrected] in the spirit.”—1 Peter 3:18; Acts 13:34; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 5:16. Jesus’ own words showed that he would not be resurrected with his flesh-and-blood body.
JW.ORG Part 2
He said that he would give his “flesh in behalf of the life of the world,” as a ransom for mankind. (John 6:51; Matthew 20:28) If he had taken back his flesh when he was resurrected, he would have canceled that ransom sacrifice. This could not have happened, though, for the Bible says that he sacrificed his flesh and blood “once for all time.”—Hebrews 9:11, 12.
JW.ORG Part 3
If Jesus was raised up with a spirit body, how could his disciples see him?
Spirit creatures can take on human form. For example, angels who did this in the past even ate and drank with humans. (Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1-3) However, they still were spirit creatures and could leave the physical realm.—Judges 13:15-21.
JW.ORG Part 4
After his resurrection, Jesus also assumed human form temporarily, just as angels had previously done. As a spirit creature, though, he was able to appear and disappear suddenly. (Luke 24:31; John 20:19, 26) The fleshly bodies that he materialized were not identical from one appearance to the next. Thus, even Jesus’ close friends recognized him only by what he said or did.—Luke 24:30, 31, 35; John 20:14-16; 21:6, 7.
JW.ORG Part 5
When Jesus appeared to the apostle Thomas, he took on a body with wound marks. He did this to bolster Thomas’ faith, since Thomas doubted that Jesus had been raised up.—John 20:24-29.
Rebuttal to the following Jehovah’s Witness article
Jesus’ Body—Was It Flesh or Spirit After His Resurrection?, jw.org, accessed on 14 October 2018, https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/jesus-body/
References
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Resurrect, Oxford Dictionaries, accessed on 14 October 2018, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/resurrect
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Myth 1: The Soul Is Immortal, jw.org, accessed on 14 October 2018, https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20091101/myth-the-soul-is-immortal/#?insight[search_id]=d45f414a-18a3-45ee-84fd-d5ae6d08c955&insight[search_result_index]=0
-
Lingle, W 2009, What the Watchtower Society Doesn’t Want You to Know, CLC Publications, PA, pp. 153-154
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The Archangel Michael—Who Is He?, jw.org, accessed on 18 March 2019, https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/archangel-michael/
Rebuttal to JW.ORG: Jesus’ Body—Was It Flesh or Spirit After His Resurrection?
J.
[quote=“Gospel, post:252, topic:17854”]
Actually, the Bible says that Jesus “was put to death in the flesh but made alive [resurrected] in the spirit.”—[1 Peter 3:18;]
No it doesnt say that…that’s wrong. It says:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
And to note a corresponding scripture; the Spirit quickens the motal body (Romans 8:11) So Yes Jesus rose bodily..
He has to be the first…
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-23: Paul explicitly calls Christ “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” explaining that just as all die in Adam, all will be made alive in Christ, in order: Christ first, then those who belong to Him.
- Colossians 1:18: Refers to Jesus as “the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent”.
- Acts 26:23: Paul declares that the Messiah “would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles”.
- Revelation 1:5: Identifies Jesus as “the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth”.
Jesus’ own words showed that he would not be resurrected with his flesh-and-blood body. He said that he would give his “flesh in behalf of the life of the world,” as a ransom for mankind. ([John 6:51;]
And He did! Do you know how He gave it? By allowing them to crucify Him on the cross. Taking the penalty which is death to the flesh, for the sins of the world. But He raised that temple in 3 days.
( If he had taken back his flesh when he was resurrected, he would have canceled that ransom sacrifice.
what!
He took the Penalty of sins in His flesh…You telling me that taking on inflictions in the past doesn’t mean anything because Jesus defeated death? Woe onto that thought!
It did happen, He took the penalty one time…and it’s that, that can’t happen again. What does crucify mean to you?
Boy you need to get out of that system
Jesus has indeed come in the flesh, which is what the apostle John said in 2 John 7; 1 John 4:2-3. He was not talking here about his resurrection.
Of additional interest is [John 6:63], where Jesus declared: “It is the spirit that is life-giving; the flesh is of no use at all.” The later clause has been alternately rendered as “The flesh doesn’t help at all” and “the flesh counts for nothing.”
Jesus’ statement here would seem to support the conclusion that he now has no use for the physical body he had on earth, and ceased needing it after he vanished from sight for the final time. [Acts 1:9] It is now his spirit body that is life-giving and the only one he needs.
Moreover, the parousia (presence) and the second advent of Christ are two different things. The coming of Christ is erʹkho·mai in Greek. Jesus will return at a day and hour that nobody knows.
It’s different from the pa·rou·siʹa which occured in 1914.
New International Version
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
New Living Translation
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
English Standard Version
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
Berean Standard Bible
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,
Berean Literal Bible
because Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death indeed in the flesh, but having been made alive in the spirit,
New King James Version
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
New American Standard Bible
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
NASB 1995
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
NASB 1977
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
Legacy Standard Bible
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
Amplified Bible
For indeed Christ died for sins once for all, the Just and Righteous for the unjust and unrighteous [the Innocent for the guilty] so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit;
Also, look at this statement about Jesus:
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit. - 1 Corinthians 15:45
Now, consider this a moment:
If you were Paul or Peter and you knew Jesus was resurrected as a spirit and you wanted to inform others of that, how would you tell them? What if the people you wanted to tell were unreasonable? Do you think you’d just be straightforward and explicit and say that he “became a life-giving spirit”?
That’s exactly what we have in the Scriptures. Peter and Paul both are telling us the same thing. Of course, there are still “unreasonable” people today who will say exactly the opposite of what is found in Scripture. The apostles had to deal with it in the first century amongst some Christians and we still have to deal with it today. See 1 Corinthians 15:35–50 which explains at some length that there are bodies of flesh and blood like you and I have, and then there are spirit bodies such as angels have. It also explains that “God gives it a body just as it has pleased him” (verse 38). It’s within that context that it is explicitly stated that Jesus, “the last Adam”, “became a life-giving spirit”.
Everyone’s Bible states the same thing explicitly but not everyone accepts that the Scriptures teach Jesus “became a life-giving spirit.”
Actually, the Bible says that Jesus “was put to death in the flesh but made alive [resurrected] in the spirit.”—[1 Peter 3:18;]
No it doesnt say that…that’s wrong. It says:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
And to note a corresponding scripture; the Spirit quickens the motal body (Romans 8:11) So Yes Jesus rose bodily..
He has to be the first…
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-23: Paul explicitly calls Christ “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” explaining that just as all die in Adam, all will be made alive in Christ, in order: Christ first, then those who belong to Him.
- Colossians 1:18: Refers to Jesus as “the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent”.
- Acts 26:23: Paul declares that the Messiah “would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles”.
- Revelation 1:5: Identifies Jesus as “the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth”.
Jesus’ own words showed that he would not be resurrected with his flesh-and-blood body. He said that he would give his “flesh in behalf of the life of the world,” as a ransom for mankind. ([John 6:51;]
And He did! Do you know how He gave it? By allowing them to crucify Him on the cross. Taking the penalty which is death to the flesh, for the sins of the world. But He raised that temple in 3 days.
( If he had taken back his flesh when he was resurrected, he would have canceled that ransom sacrifice.
what!
He took the Penalty of sins in His flesh…You telling me that taking on inflictions in the past doesn’t mean anything because Jesus defeated death? Woe onto that thought!
It did happen, He took the penalty one time…and it’s that, that can’t happen again. What does crucify mean to you?
Boy you need to get out of that system
I have a question and a couple of other things im wondering about. In the bible the true holy bible before any changes is gods name Yahweh or Jehovah? Also Jehovah’s rewrote the bible to make it easier to read? But they changed what it said, to what they believe? Or did they translate it different and rewrote it to the way they translated it? And i know when it comes to humans there is always room for error. And you can have 3 different people read the same thing and all of them translate it different. So has anyone feed the hebrew and/or Greek bible whatever is actually the original one into a AI bot and seen how it translates it? It may give us a whole new understanding. I dont read Hebrew or Greek so im just taking everyones elses word for it. You could tell me it says anything and i wouldnt know the difference. @Gospel
I’m not sure what you mean by quoting these verses, they don’t say that Jesus was not a spirit when he was raised.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says the resurrection will be made possible thanks to Jesus.
Colossians 1:18, Acts 26:23 and Revelation 1:5 say that Jesus is the first to be resurrected to everlasting life.
Hi my friend. Jehovah is a Germanic pronunciation of the Latinized transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH. It is the letters of the tetragrammaton, Latinized into JHVH, with vowels inserted. “Yahweh” is possibly to be the original Hebrew pronunciation.
The form Jehovah, though, is very commonly used. It is used in the King James Version of the Bible (Genesis 22:14; Exodus 6:3; 17:15; Judges 6:24; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4).
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Well I’m out of this conversation..seems this person after hearing all evidence has to decide for themselves. Heavenly father God in the name of Jesus open the eyes for this brother to see the truth of your word…and bless those who rszrive with Him.
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I think I have shown from the Scriptures why what I say is in harmony with the entire inspired Scriptures.
Only spirits can live in Heaven, not physical bodies. It is coherent. So, at present, Jesus does not have a physical body, but a glorified body of spirit.
He came in the flesh, but sacrificed his former fleshly body for our sins as the Bible says
May our God and Father, Jehovah, bless all those with a sincere heart, in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
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