Did the WT return to "old light" regarding the "overlapping" concept? Wt 9-1-52

by AndersonsInfo 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  AndersonsInfo

  Recently, I was sent the following information and asked--Was I aware of the 1952 overlapping concept regarding the "generation" teaching? Did the Watch Tower return to "Old Light" ? See below link from a JW website and article from Watchtower, Sept. 1, 1952. What do you think?

  http://jehovahswitnessnews.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/the-overlap-jehovahs-witness-consistency/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JehovahsWitnessNews+%28Jehovah%27s+Witness+News%29

  Question to the Watchtower—

  “Your publications point out that the battle of

  Armageddon will come in this generation,

  and that this generation began A.D. 1914.

  Scripturally, how long is a generation?” —G. P., Liberia

  Webster’s unabridged dictionary gives, in part, this definition of generation: “The average lifetime of man, or the ordinary period of time at which one rank follows another, or father is succeeded by child; an age. A generation is usually taken to be about 33 years.” But the Bible is not so specific. It gives no number of years for a generation. And in Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32, the texts mentioning the generation the question refers to, we are not to take generation as meaning the average time for one generation to be succeeded by the next, as Webster’s does in its 33-year approximation; but rather more like Webster’s first-quoted definition, “the average lifetime of man.” Three or even four generations may be living at the same time, their lives overlapping. (Ps. 78:4; 145:4)

  Cont… Before the Noachian flood the life span was hundreds of years. Down through the centuries since, it has varied, and even now is different in different countries. The Bible does speak of a man’s days as being threescore and ten or fourscore years; but it assigns no specific number of years to a generation.—Ps. 90:10. Even if it did, we could not calculate from such a figure the date of Armageddon, for the texts here under discussion do not say God’s battle comes right at the end of this generation, but before its end. To try to say how many years before its end would be speculative. The texts merely set a limit that is sufficiently definite for all present practical purposes. Some persons living A.D. 1914 when the series of foretold events began will also be living when the series ends with Armageddon. All the events will come within the span of a generation. There are hundreds of millions of persons living now that were living in 1914, and many millions of these persons could yet live a score or more years. Just when the lives of the majority of them will be cut short by Armageddon we cannot say.
• 

  James_Slash

  I saw that the admin of JW C@fe (a Facebook group) had posted this on the page.

  The JW's are all now convinced that this was never a 'generation change' - the only ones who refer to it as that are 'opposers of Jehovah' and that this very article proves that they are once again right and that Jehovah has given this timely direction to the flock.

  Its amazing how many JW's have now accepted this change and that it now 'actually makes sense'.
• 

  thetrueone

  Whatever mother brings to the flock they will open theirs mouths and swallow with appreciation, whatever is brought to them.

  Interesting how food at the proper time has a time limit attached that eventually becomes redundant.

  Theoretically a baby born now while someone who was born on or before 1914 becomes apart of " This Generation ".

  There are now very few of this age as we know, but nevertheless the WTS. had to come up with something to make themselves appear

  viable within their proclamations. They were and always will be commercialised false prophets, protagonists of exploitation and coercion.

  Available power in men's hands usually leads to corruption.

  God's own specially chosen organization .......hardly
• 

  thetrueone

  The WTS. within its structure creates evolving policies and doctrines to self-support its established identity, this is a mandate

  that must take place to assure its continuance.

  What eventually becomes non-supportive gets taken off the shelves so to speak and a new doctrine is created.

  In real sense the GB are marketting excutives/editors working for the publishing corporation, which of course is supported by divine intervention.
• 

  snowbird

  Vacillating between "old" and "new" is all they have left.

  Their well has run completely dry.

  Syl
• 

  undercover

  Even as this 52 WT uses the term "overlapping generations" it still claims that the generation alive in 1914 would see Armageddon.

  The question was "Scripturally, how long is a generation". It was already a given that Armageddon would come in "this" generation that started in 1914.

  The article says that "the Bible is not so specific" but lends itself to agreeing with the definition of the "average lifetime of a man" instead of "about 33 years". Still though, the article claims that the end would come before the end of that generation no matter how long.

  The exact quote from the posted article that claims Armageddon to come during the generation:

  "Some persons living in A.D. 1914 when the series of foretold events began will also be living when the series ends with Armageddon. All the events will come within the span of a generation. There are hundreds of millions of persons living now that were living in 1914, and many millionsn of these persons could yet live a score or more years. Just when the lives of the majority of them will be cut short by Armageddon we cannot say."

  To me, this may be the first waffling of the generation teaching. If people first read that the end would come during the generation of Armageddon and they took that generation to being 33 years, then the end would have to be right on top of them. By distancing themselves from that definition but to the other, they could extend the length of the generation to the entire lifespan of all those who lived in 1914. Instead of a set time, then it could be a time still in the future. Mentioning "overlapping" generations gives credence to the notion that many living born after 1914 would be around as well.
• 

  wasblind

  I done told y'all,

  they're spiritual food is just as tainted as them bad eggs that's been recalled
• 

  wasblind

  None of their new light is new, it's RECYCLED
• 

  wasblind

  Keep it comin' E.F. Hutton
• 

  JWoods

  Some persons living A.D. 1914 when the series of foretold events began will also be living when the series ends with Armageddon.

  I take it that the witnesses no longer believe this quote - taken from that 1952 article?