I made a big effort to get to the Watchtower study today. I have not been to the meetings much for months, but I figured this was a pretty historic "study" and I wanted to see reactions and how it would go down locally. Well a few things struck me as a bit odd in the study itself, and in the audience response as well.

1. There was a terribly jarring combination in the article as it was argued first that Jesus' presence would be an "extended period", and then the standard reference was trotted out about the devil coming down to the earth with much anger knowing he has a "short period of time". So much emphasis was placed on the idea of it being an "extended period" of time, you really have to wonder how the writer did not get embarrassed then sticking in the usual "short period of time" reference in such close proximity. So which is it oh faithful and discreet slave - are the last days an "extended period" or a "short period"? I really do wish you would make up your mind! I guess the cop out answer might be that Satan is a bit like Jehovah ("a day is as a thousand years") and he has a different concept of time than mere humans. Ninety years may well be a blink of an eye to such a powerful spirit creature I suppose, but no human would ever call ninety years a short period of time that's for sure. I really wonder how much longer the Society can get away with calling the "last days" from 1914 until a still-future-Armageddon a "short period of time". Surely within the next few years someone will need to say "let's sit down and rethink this whole chronology business". It is getting just a bit ridiculous at this point in my opinion.

2. Did anyone else notice the illustration with the caption about the generation that "will not pass away until all these things occur"? Since the new light is that the anointed constitute the "generation" Jesus spoke about in Matt 24 this must be a depiction of the anointed today. It makes for an interesting comparison with earlier pictures of the anointed. Does anyone else notice something different? There are a lot more from different racial backgrounds in there than there used to be! Black people and Asians outnumber the white people shown. In the Revelation book and past Watchtower articles there have been pictures of the anointed that supposedly span the generations from the first century to the present, and they show the early apostles, and then Russell and other early Witnesses, then Franz: all white. I suppose what with a potential new upward trend in anointed numbers since the new understanding about 1935 not being a cut off date, then those claiming to be anointed might now be more racially mixed in the past. But I rather suspect the new picture is more for presentational effect than to reflect a real changing situation where more non-white people are becoming anointed. And in the picture in today's study article, while the anointed look quite old (probably mostly around 70 years or so) none of them look old enough to have been baptised before 1935.

3. How thoroughly weird that when they introduced the new understanding about the generation not the slightest mention was made that for decades the Watchtower taught that "this generation" referred to people alive in 1914, and that Armageddon would come within the lifespan of those people. Instead the article only mentioned the most recent understanding introduced in 1995 about the generation referring to wicked people who reject God living today. How can they get away with this? I was sure someone would at least "bring this point out" in their comments; but no, there was total silence on the issue. There is a slight hint at the old understanding in the article, without actually mentioning it, because there is a box that discusses whether we can work out when Armageddon will come on the basis of what Jesus said about the "generation". It concludes of course that we can't work out even an approximate date on that basis, but completely fails to acknowledge that the Watchtower did precisely that for decades and prodded the Witnesses into a frenzy of expectation, especially in the late eighties and early nineties when it was approaching 80 years since 1914: many Witnesses were absolutely sure on the basis of the "the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away" (which used to be the signature purpose statement of the Awake! before 1995) that the end must come in the 1990's at the very latest.

So how can they get away with brushing this under the carpet? Well I suppose when you think about it there have been a lot of new Witnesses since that old understanding was ditched in 1995. Over 3 million new Witnesses have been baptised since then. In fact probably over a third of the Witnesses now active became Witnesses since that teaching was changed and likely many of them know little or nothing about the old teaching. I suppose the calculation may have been made that it would be better not to confuse these new believers by informing them that until recently the Watchtower itself was promising the end would come within the lifetime of the 1914 generation. And for those Witnesses who have been around long enough to know all about it, perhaps it was figured best not to remind them of the disappointment explicitly.

4. It is strange too that this article didn't mention the other recent "new light" about the anointed still being gathered and 1935 not being a cut-off date after all. That is most certainly relevant to the new understanding that construes the anointed as constituting the "generation" Jesus was talking about in Matt 24. Imagine if they had come out with the "generation" new light before they dropped the 1935 date. What would have happened then? I reckon we would be back in the scenario of working out how long a generation lasts from 1935 - 70 or 80 years - and asking whether that refers to people who can "remember" the year or simply who were born in 1935 and not later; all the nonsense speculation we went through in the Watchtowers of the 1980's in other words. So the fact that they dropped the 1935 date before they came out and said the anointed are the "generation" at least indicates some sort of forward planning. Whether such "forward planning" is viewed as spiritually prudent or mendacious will depend on your view of JW's, their truth claims, and the motivation of those holding the reigns of power as regards doctrine formation I suppose. It surprised me that no one spotted the link between this and the other "new light" at the meeting - or at least no one thought to mention it.

Altogether the meeting today was a rather cringe worthy event, and I can't help feeling sorry for all the people who have been strung along for decades on the basis of the shifting Watchtower teaching about the "generation". Now they have been told there is no way of working out when the end will come, and what's more we can forget the Watchtower ever claimed there was in the first place. For many at the meeting I feel this has still to sink in. Despite the fact that it was changed in 1995, there were Witnesses present who clearly still had some confused idea that 1914 can still be viewed as a sort of starting date for working out a generation, albeit a longer one than previously envisaged. And no one mentioned that since the 1935 cut-off date for the anointed has been ditched, what we are left with is a very fluid "generation" potentially (and with year-on-year increasing numbers showing every sign of in reality) lasting for many decades to come.

Anyone who attended got personal responses to how the study went in terms of the material itself, or how members of the congregation reacted?

I had to work but my friend in the hall who is fading like me wanted me to come.  I need to call him and ask how it went down and then I will post it on here.

One

That article was so typical of Watchtower style.  Introduce new light, ignore what we said yesterday by never mentioning it......we are god's mouth piece by virtue of our enlightenment.....that's what JW's have been taught to believe anyway.  

When my mom read this article, she said "Well I guess I won't live long enough to the see the New System....."I'm just waiting to die anyway, this world holds nothing for me."   She manages to pioneer for a few months, makes it to all the meetings, but all I see is remote controlled behavior.....she knows nothing else.

I wonder how many older people are just churning on the same way, "waiting to die"......what a depressing religion.

r.

It was pretty much an "in one ear and out the other" study here. It had already been discussed when it first arrived. Basically, everybody knows WTBTS was wrong about the 70-80 years. The noolite 10 years ago was meaningless. This noolite is meaningless. The end will come soon. Let's go out for pizza after the meeting. I'm too tired for service.

"Time" is the biggest enemy of the WTBTS.

B the X

Thanks again, for sharing.  Just for those who still believe, of course, the JIOR has the correct understanding so are not in the least concerned about the "generation" issue.

The correct understanding of the "generation" is that it is a simple 40 years from the first sign until the last; from a world war until the "sign of the son of man appears, in the period of 1914 to 1954.   Witnesses are confused additionally because they think the END of the "system of things" is a reference to Armageddon.  But the "system of things" for the Jews at that time was their being under gentile rule.  The "system of things" was the current state of political affairs for them.  The END of that "system of things" under the gentiles had an "appointed time" so the Jews knew it would end and on the heels of the gentile times ending would come the messiah.  That's what they were asking about.   So obviously between 1914-1954 the END of the "system of things" of the gentile times did indeed occur in 1947.  So the "generation" comment wasn't even in regard to Armageddon.

As far as the point about how it was said that Satan, having been cast out of heaven and only having a "short time" I think is a relevant observation.   The second coming fulfills "1335 days" which is 45 years after the Jews are restored to Israel and thus 45 years after 1947.  That means the second coming per the Bible occurred in 1992.   Question is, would we still consider the time as having elapsed still within the concept of "a short time"?    Is 20 years a considerably "short time"?  It's half a generation of 40 years.  20 years will expire in 2012..    If Armageddon thus came by 2012 I wouldn't see a strategic contradiction in the "short time" reference, not that I'm limiting "a short time."    But that is certainly less than a generation of 40 years and way, way less than the period that will be 100 years in 2014!!  We are less than 10 years from a century past 1914.   Clearly the WTS fulfills that slave who thinks the master is delaying.  The master has not delayed, they just have the wrong dates and the wrong understanding as to what to look for.

Sad, really.  But it's nice to have the true understanding too.   Clearly there is a lot more wrong than just the "generation" interperation as far as what JWs expect.   The "END of the system of things" is the same as the 'END of the gentile times" which ended in 1947.

JC

There are definitely malicious and devious minds in the writing department - forget that the Governing Body are chosen by God.

They sit there,look at their numbers and figure out new ways to keep the Witnesses happy and busy while still believing that the end is near.

The fact that they have to be so crafty about it suggests that the evil slave has well and truly arrived in force.

They beat their brothers over the delay.

Hey SBF.  

Thanks for the heads up.

This should read:

it would be better  to confuse these new believers by informing them that until recently the Watchtower itself was promising the end would come within the lifetime of the 1914 generation.

Andy