Quote:
Originally Posted by countmeworthy
She had never heard that. Wow. The LC doesn't teach any thing about heaven, paradise does it? or does it? She didn't know.
But she couldn't bring herself to say the word 'heaven'. When I asked her where believers go when their bodies die, she replied "with the Lord" AND WHERE is the LORD at? I would ask. Her reply was a question "Well. Where is He?" She could not bring herself to say HEAVEN!!
Weird...don't know if it was her or the LC..or both. But Lee was way too focused on 'the Recovery'....among other things.
|
Haha, I've had the same conversations with friends and relatives in the LC. I need to give them grace though because I was brainwashed to think the same. I believe Witness Lee teaches that paradise is still in sheol and you don't go to heaven when you die. I think there's even the belief that your spirit man may stay asleep and you won't see anything until the first resurrection. I think this teaching isn't limited to the local church because some evangelicals hold to the same belief (such as the producers of chick tracts).
I remember the word "heaven" was like a dirty word. Instead we were always supposed to say the "New Jerusalem". But where is the New Jerusalem? But in heaven! Of course it will come down to earth during Jesus' millennial reign but where does it come from in Revelation?
Revelation 21:2
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you. I believe that's what he's been preparing for us all along.
The disappointing thing is that Watchman Nee taught that the NJ was a spiritual city and not a physical one. I contend that it is both *physical* and *spiritual* in the same way that man was created with both physical and spiritual components.
When I was in the LRC I always thought the New Jerusalem would be pretty dull without knowing it. I mean if the church meetings were a foretaste of the NJ, then it wasn't much to look forward to!
But I believe Apostle Paul was taken up to heaven and what he saw absolutely blew his mind but he wasn't allowed to describe it in detail:
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Cor 2:9
Now that God is taking many people there finally and revealing the glory that awaits us, it's probably a sign that he's coming soon.
On an unrelated note, I wanted to share something I just wrote on my blog. The key to finishing the Christian race is intimacy with God. A lot of the things I write on my blog are also revelations I've made about unscriptural teachings that are held as dogma in the LC for those interested.
http://nodustybunnies.blogspot.com/2...-if-jesus.html
Also here's a revelation I believe God gave me concerning the rapture back in April:
http://nodustybunnies.blogspot.com/2...ures-will.html
That said as much as everyone including me likes to poke fun at the LRC, we have to remember to love and forgive! Jesus taught us to love our neighbors especially when our neighbors are the ones who've hurt us (Matthew 5,6). I realize many here are hurt with broken hearts, but sometimes the best way to heal is to just love and forgive. I remember reading John Ingall and John So's letters about what really happened and getting so upset at Witness Lee and Philip Lee. Whenever that bitterness surfaced, I asked Jesus to help me forgive and eventually my feelings towards the LRC softened and now I'm just really worried for their salvation. If you have trouble forgiving then ask God to give you the grace. Father God loves to give good gifts to his children and those are the kind of prayers he loves to answer. Bitterness needs to be dealt with because it can be like a cancer that destroys us.
There are still some things from the LRC I really treasure and I think we should never throw out. I think Witness Lee was right when he said eating Jesus was the way. All the teachings about having a relationship and intimacy with Jesus are also great. Those are things we need to hold on to! It's unfortunate that he may not have practiced what he preached, but Jesus also said this in Matthew 23:3:
"so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice."