The WTS teaches that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will not reside with Christ in his heavenly kingdom. How then do you explain Mt 8:11 in which Jesus says," But I tell you that many from eastern parts and western parts will come and recline at the table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens"?
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The Watchtower teaches that because that is a biblical teaching. Unfortunately, the masses of churchgoers are untaught and ignorant as regards basic Bible truths.
The truth is, no one may go to heaven unless they be born again. That is what Jesus stated to a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus. How does one become born again? Jesus went on to explain that a person has to be born from the water and the spirit. In other words, a person must be baptized into Christ and be anointed with holy spirit. And the truth is, no one before Christ was baptized into Christ or anointed with holy spirit. In fact, Jesus was the very first person to be anointed and born again. That is what the words messiah and Christ mean – anointed one. That is why at Romans 8:29 Paul described Jesus as “the firstborn of many brothers.”
At Matthew 11:11-13 Jesus stated: “Truly I say to you people, Among those born of women there has not been raised up a greater than John the Baptist; but a person that is a lesser one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is. But from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens is the goal toward which men press, and those pressing forward are seizing it. For all, the Prophets and the Law, prophesied until John…”
In stating that John the Baptist was the greatest man but a lesser one in the kingdom is greater than he, Jesus was saying that John was not in the kingdom. And why was such a great man not in the kingdom? Because he was murdered before Christ ascended back to heaven to pour out the promised anointing spirit; hence, John was not born again, as Jesus said one must be in order to enter the kingdom.
Churchgoers are largely ignorant about what the kingdom of God is. Most imagine that it is heaven itself, but that is not the case. The kingdom is a government located in heaven composed of Christ and 144,000 born again, associate kings and priests. Their being born again means that they are ultimately reborn as spirit sons of God in heaven. That heavenly kingdom is going to destroy all earthly political governments and rule the world. It will bring about the resurrection of the dead back to earth. There is also to be a great crowd of persons who will survive the end of this present, evil system. In the 25th chapter of Matthew Jesus said that these sheep-like persons will inherit the kingdom.
That does not mean that they are born again rulers though. Inheriting the kingdom means that they will enjoy the many blessings that the kingdom will bring.
Since it was not possible for Abraham, Isaac or Jacob to have been born again followers of Jesus, for obvious reasons, their entering the kingdom is used in an illustrative way. Since Abraham is called the Father of all those having faith and his sons are the founders of the nation of Israel, Jesus used Abraham and sons to represent the faithful chosen ones who will comprise the Israel of God, Christ’s anointed congregation.
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