1950 This Means Everlasting Life - A2Z.org

1950 This Means Everlasting Life - A2Z.org 1950 This Means Everlasting Life - A2Z.org

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THE REMNANT OF KINGDOM HEIRS 235 cratic organization . Appreciating the situation and the issue involved, they hasten to that side like far-sighted, swift-flying eagles . 14 Those who take the other side of the issue of universal sovereignty ignore and repel the light which reveals that God's Kingdom Heir and Theocratic Government are here . In willful ignorance and scoffing they go on in worldliness and are left or abandoned to their fate with Satan's world . When the day and hour, known only to God and his Executioner, come unexpectedly and surprise them like a thief, their carcasses will drop to the earth like carrion, along with that of their religious friend and ally, Christendom, the antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem . But the remnant of Kingdom heirs will rejoice over Jehovah's vindication and will feast like eagles upon the carcasses of his defeated foes . Revelation 19 :17-21 In God's appointed time and way their joy will be crowned with finishing their earthly course faithfully in death . But not to sleep in death . No, but they will be changed instantaneously to spirits immortal, incorruptible, to be personally in spirit with their Lord in the air, to be forever with him in his image, serving Jehovah God together . Happy are they in this special privilege, thus to "rest from their labors, for the things they did go right with them" . This glorification of them completes the 144,000 in the heavenly Kingdom . 14. To what are the worldlings abandoned, but how is the catching away of the remnant to be with the Lord completed?

CHAPTER XXIII THE "OTHER SHEEP" AND THE "GOATS" ESUS Christ is the Right Shepherd of all those J who gain life through him in the righteous new world . All others who pretend to be shepherds but who do not copy him as the Chief Shepherd are the wrong shepherds for us to gain life . These selfishly feed and clothe themselves at the expense of even the lives of their flocks . Jesus pointed up the qualifications that mark the proper shepherd, saying : "I have come that they might have life and might have it in abundance . I am the right shepherd ; the right shepherd surrenders his soul in behalf of the sheep ."-John 10 :10,11, NW . 2 The Right Shepherd does not lay down his life for the wolves or beasts that prey upon the sheep, but does so for the sheep ; and the sheep are the ones who benefit by the surrender of his soul as a human in their behalf. True, "Christ, while we were yet weak, died for ungodly men at the appointed time," and "God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" . But the apostle, in saying such things, was speaking for those weak, ungodly men and sinners who did not stay willfully in wicked- 1 . What are the qualifications of the right shepherd? Who is he? 2 . How did he die for sheep, if he died for weak, ungodly sinners? 236

CHAPTER XXIII<br />

THE "OTHER SHEEP"<br />

AND THE "GOATS"<br />

ESUS Christ is the Right Shepherd of all those<br />

J<br />

who gain life through him in the righteous new<br />

world . All others who pretend to be shepherds<br />

but who do not copy him as the Chief Shepherd<br />

are the wrong shepherds for us to gain life . These<br />

selfishly feed and clothe themselves at the expense<br />

of even the lives of their flocks . Jesus pointed<br />

up the qualifications that mark the proper<br />

shepherd, saying : "I have come that they might<br />

have life and might have it in abundance . I am the<br />

right shepherd ; the right shepherd surrenders his<br />

soul in behalf of the sheep ."-John 10 :10,11, NW .<br />

2 The Right Shepherd does not lay down his life<br />

for the wolves or beasts that prey upon the sheep,<br />

but does so for the sheep ; and the sheep are the<br />

ones who benefit by the surrender of his soul as<br />

a human in their behalf. True, "Christ, while we<br />

were yet weak, died for ungodly men at the appointed<br />

time," and "God recommends his own<br />

love to us in that, while we were yet sinners,<br />

Christ died for us" . But the apostle, in saying such<br />

things, was speaking for those weak, ungodly men<br />

and sinners who did not stay willfully in wicked-<br />

1 . What are the qualifications of the right shepherd?<br />

Who is he?<br />

2 . How did he die for sheep, if he died for weak, ungodly<br />

sinners?<br />

236

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