A Humorous Antecdote
Because I had been sharing my newly found faith with my brother and my nephew's son (I'm sure there's a proper family term for that, but I have no idea what it is), I received a shepherding call from two elders who still consider me one of Jehovah's Witnesses. In a way, that was rather nice.
During our discussion, the elders followed the familiar pattern of reading a predetermined set of scriptures. One of those passages was 2 Timothy 2:16–18:
"But reject empty speeches that violate what is holy, for they will lead to more and more ungodliness, and their word will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them. These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some."
What struck me was that, while they have an excellent knowledge of organizational teachings and requirements, their understanding of the Bible itself often seems limited. They assumed this passage applied to me. Ironically, I believe it applies far more directly to them.
Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the resurrection to heavenly life began in the early part of the twentieth century. Yet what is Paul warning about in this passage? He speaks of two former disciples who claimed that "the resurrection has already occurred."
Paul did not commend them for having advanced understanding or "new light." He said they had "deviated from the truth" and were "subverting the faith of some."
And of course a question arises:
If claiming that the resurrection had already begun was a mark of deviating from the truth in the first century, how should we evaluate the modern claim that the heavenly resurrection began over a century ago?
And what did Paul call the men who first made that claim?