Paradise Earth?

The phrase is quite common in the jw realm. It is, after all, the grand prize for those that are considered to be part of the Great Crowd. If you make it past Armageddon, you will be one of the first ones to enter that new world, but even if you should die, you can be resurrected and join the survivors later on. That is their selling pitch for you to convert to their religion. The prospect of living forever in a paradise earth is a very appealing concept to the average person that struggles along in our modern day world.

It is important then, if this is a realistic possibilty, to examine this from some different perspectives. These are the points I will be covering on this topic.

1. The actual scriptures with the word "paradise" in it.

2. The Genesis account.

3. The time beyond the 1,000 years according to Revelation.


There are only 4 verses in the  New World Translation bible mentioning paradise.

Song of Solomon 4:13--Your skin is a paradise of pomegranates, with the choicest fruits, henna plants along with spikenard plants;

This one cannot be used to support the claim since it is describing a woman's beauty.

Luke 23: 42, 43--And he went on to say: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your kingdom.” And he said to him: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.”

How can he "be with Jesus" if he is on earth while Jesus is in heaven? One could argue that Jesus would be with him in spirit, but there are too many verses in opposition to that line of reasoning. (see Matt. 5:11-12, 6:20-21, 7:21,  8:11, 19:21, 1 Cor. 15:42-50, Hebrews 11:13-16,  etc.)

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 "I know a man in union with Christ who, fourteen years ago-whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows-was caught away as such to the third heaven. 3 Yes, I know such a man-whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know, God knows- 4 that he was caught away into paradise and heard unutterable words which it is not lawful for a man to speak."

Caught away to heaven? Caught away to paradise? You be the judge.

Revelation 2:7 "Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: To him that conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."    

But the watchtower has already identified this as heaven.

"Eating in "the Paradise of God." Revelation 2:7 mentions a "tree of life" in "the paradise of God" and that eating from it would be the privilege of the one "that conquers." Since other promises given in this section of Revelation to such conquering ones clearly relate to their gaining a heavenly inheritance (Re 2:26-28; 3:12, 21), it seems evident that "the paradise of God" in this case is a heavenly one." Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2 p.576 Paradise     
From those 4 verses, can it really be argued that paradise is referring to life on earth?  It seems that paradise points more towards heaven than it does the earth.

In the Genesis account, the instructions were as follows.

Gen 1: 28--Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”

Filling the earth and subduing it does not mean turning it into a paradise. It would be speculative reasoning to assume to know what God had intended for Adam and Eve had they not sinned. Although they began in a place called Eden, which is synonymous with paradise, there is nothing stated that the entire world was intended to be the same.

The final point to consider is found in Revelation. Chapter 20 indicates that after the 1,000 years are over, Satan is let loose once more. And again, he proceeds to turn the majority of humankind against God's people. God then sends fire from heaven down to consume the bad guys.

First, how can this happen if the world was to be made a paradise forever? Second, how could they be surrounding the beloved city if that city was in heaven? And last, does this sound like everlasting life in a paradise world?