Hi Joe,

You ask a lot, and in a number of cases I haven't made up my mind. But perhaps I can give you were I am at present.

1) I regard the Kingdom as present today in the lives and behavior of true Christians whom Christ knows. That is called realized eschatology, but I feel that eventually the Kingdom will include the entire heavens and earth.

2) Although I know that parousia can mean presence, I tend to think that the term means a royal visitation in the case of Christ's second advent. I do not believe in the Witness/Bible Student concept of an invisible presence. Whether Christ returns visibly or invisibly, I'm not sure and I'm not losing sleep over the matter. I probably won't be alive when he comes anyway unless his return takes place very shortly.

3) I think all true Christians are of the elect. I don't believe in a Calvinistic sense that there is individual election unless Jehovah has a specific use for a certain person such as Paul. But he does elect a class--Christ's body followers. Hence all true Christians are the elect.

4) I believe that all true Christians--and Christ knows who they are, we don't--will have a heavenly resurrection. Both Christian martyrs and those not having the mark of the beast will have a heavenly first resurrection. And I don't think (a) that there are two classes in heaven as Russell taught or (b) that there are Christians who will live on in paradise eternally. There may be those who will come forth in the general resurrection as mortals to be judged, and I hope there is future probation. But I am very hazy about the millennium and just what it is or when it is. And quite frankly, I don't think any really know even though they may think they do. The only thing I feel strongly about is that I cannot for the life of me see that there is any basis for a resurrection during the 1000 years if they are literal years.

Jim