Who is the Great Crowd?

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  "for you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought people for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10
   

  "a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands." Revelation 7:9
  The people "out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation", is the great crowd!
  

The Good News of God's Kingdom?

How and when do we enter God's Kingdom?

Jehovah's Witnesses say: 
"Only a limited number are born again. The great crowd does not need to be born again. Their life is earthly, not heavenly." - Watchtower 4/1/1988, p. 4

But wait, what is the Kingdom of God?

    He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14 ESV)

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-5 ESV)

Why is there a resurrection? Why not leave them in heaven since Christianity teaches that paradise is in heaven?

There are plenty of Christian denominations that understand/teach about the earthly resurrection and new earth, it is in Luther's Small catechism, for example, and when I asked a baptist about it she explained that they belief that people return to the earth after the rapture.

• I am sure there are Christians that don't understand this.... There are churches that allow membership without any classes, and people generally have to ask if they want to know more than the basics... in addition, when people say heaven they generally just mean with the Lord, so even when the new heavens and the new earth are here we will still be in heaven... AND earth.
   
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  The following is quoted from a Baptist site:
  "The scriptures clearly show there is ONE BODY, ONE HOPE, and ONE FAITH for ALL true born-again Believers in Christ.Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body (not two bodies, one earthly and one heavenly) , and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope (not two hopes, one earthly and one heavenly) of your calling; In the Eternal State (Rev 21) there will be an earthly, spiritual kingdom where God will be all in all.
  
  
  Part (2) If you were to die today, where would you spend eternity?
  Most born-again Christians would give the same answer---heaven.
  If saints are returning during the millennium to reign with Christ, how could that be correct?
  1Thess 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
  
  Part (3) Where will those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life spend eternity?
  First, they will be in heaven where Jesus is now.
  Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  Second, they will return with Him at Armageddon.
  Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
  Third, they will dwell with Him forever in His new earth.
  Matt 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
  Rev 21:1-2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
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  This is from a Lutheran site: "You ask what the new heavens and earth will be like. I am not sure how to answer aside from emphasizing that it will be the eternal home of believers and thus a parallel term with "heaven," where God and his people will enjoy eternity together. To try to speak in great detail is inevitably going to be somewhat speculative and unnecessary. As Martin Luther once said, for us to engage each other with detailed descriptions of our eternal home would be like twin fetuses telling each other about how it will be in the world after their birth. They haven't experienced it yet and are wise to limit their speculations.
  The late Professor Siegbert Becker wrote these fitting words: "The most detailed description of this new heaven and new earth we find in the last two chapters of the Bible, where we have also a detailed description of the place where God's people will live through all eternity. John first tells us that he had a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. . . . What more can we say to add anything to that picture of endless bliss and glory? We can only join in the prayer of St. Bernard, 'Jesus, in mercy bring us to that dear land of rest.' "

If we die and go to heaven, why do we need a resurrection? After all, would it not be better for us to all stay in heaven? And what are we going to be doing all day?

Good question. Jesus says, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life" -John 6:54. And He makes it clear that this includes Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Matthew 22:32) "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." --Matthew 8:11 "By faith Abraham... But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one." --Hebrews 11:8-16

2 Corinthians 5:8 "Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

Acts 7:59 "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" -Stephen

Christians' desire is to be with the Lord, because we love Him so and desire Him more than anything. "Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. He is mine forever." Psalm 73:25; Song of Solomon 6:3; Psalm 73:26

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ... with minds set on earthly things." Colossians 3:2; Philippians 3:18-21

As we see Stephen says above, the Christian's Spirit goes to heaven. But this is not our final destination. For if we finish John 6:54 Jesus goes on to say of the Christian who HAS eternal life, "and I will raise him up at the last day." We see what happens on that last day in Revelation: "After these things I heard what was as a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. and thus we shall always be with [the] Lord." Revelation 19:1; 21:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Do Christians go to heaven when we die? part 2

In part one we saw that Paul was looking forward to death, so that he could be with Christ.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that most faithful Christians have no hope of going to heaven. This also includes all faithful who died before Christ's resurrection. Is this what the Bible says?

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. --Matthew 8:11

By faith Abraham... lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah... All these died in faith... and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. --Hebrews 11:8-16

But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. --Philippians 3:20-21

Jehovah's Witnesses are right that the Bible speaks of a new earth. And since the Bible does mention it, why don't Christian churches talk about it much?

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2

So why do Jehovah's Witnesses emphasize the teaching of a new earth?
"For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. --Philippians 3:18-21