This generation revisited.

by Bigdummy 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Bigdummy

  It's 1:30 am and I'm wide awake again as usual. I was doing a little Bible reading yesterday and

  came across Luke 11:29 where Jesus states " when the crowds were increasing, he began to say,

  this generation is an evil generation, it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it." I'm kind of

  paraphrasing here and will drop down to verse 30 where he states " Jonah became a sign to the

  men of Neneveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation". I think it's plain enough to me

  that the generation he is referring to is the people who are his detractors who are in his midst at

  that time. Looking at Matthew 24:34 he states that " this generation will not pass away till all these

  things take place". This generation here in Matthew takes on a deeper meaning because of the

  future destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the future coming of the Son of Man. I'm using The

  New Oxford Annotated Bible for the scriptually quotes so I would like to quote the footnote about

  Matthew 24:34 which states " the normal meaning of ' this generation' would be ' men of our time'

  and the words would refer to a period of 20 to 30 years. What Jesus meant here however is

  uncertain." The point of my post is, why couldn't the WTS have used the same logic and said " we

  are uncertain what is meant by generation in this verse ". But no, they had to assert themselves

  and say this is what it means. We know what it means because we are spirit directed and then

  change the interpretation approx 6 times. Believe and follow us or die. I gave up. Rant over!
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  konceptual99

  Because the history of the WTS has been one of constant reading meaning for the "last days" into everything. They have made the rod for their own back on so many subjects and cannot back down from everything.
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  Tornintwo

  They've tied themselves in knots trying to give an 'accurate' interpretation of every scripture, to prove that they are the ones to whom the secrets of the scriptures are being revealed by God, in reality they have proved the opposite to any objective observer.
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  jhine

  Ditto the last two posts .

  Jan
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  Zoos

  "Answers that satisfy."
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  username

  They have gone so far into the quagmire that non JW's are running rings round JW's. Remember the time they used to have all the answers at the door? JW's have to resort to lies (people who are not entitled to know the truth) to run away with their tails between their legs.
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  The Searcher

  The Org has to convey the illusion to "searchers of Bible truth" that only J.W's have it - and they do this by stating "facts" about Bible prophecies which no other religion in Christendom has interpreted.

  That's why many (not all!) J.W.'s eagerly await conventions/Annual Meeting - hoping for "new lights" which no other scammers (religions) have seen - hence, "the generation" nonsense. It covers up the previous failed predictions for them.

  If J.W.'s would only read the Bible, and then use their intellect, then perhaps more of them would discern that they are being conned - big time!

  (Job 42:16) "After this Job lived for 140 years, and he saw his children and his grandchildren—four generations."

  140 ÷ 4 = 35.
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  Magnum

  The Searcher: That's why many (not all!) J.W.'s eagerly await conventions/Annual Meeting - hoping for "new lights"

  I was one who eagerly anticipated conventions hoping for new light or new information. I remember JWs in the 1970's who would travel long distances to the first convention of the year hoping to get new light. I think it was about mid-nineties when my hopes for exciting new light began to wane.

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  Pre-1995, the teaching was that a generation was 70, or possibly 80, years.

  In themselves the days of our years are seventy years; And if because of special mightiness they are eighty years,. . . -Ps 90:10

  That didn't really seem right to me because the psalmist was referring to a lifespan, and, to me, a lifespan is different from a generation. For example, the Queen of England is alive now to observe three generations of offspring. So, including her, that's four generations during her one lifetime.
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  cha ching

  Like all 'leaving' JW's, I made sure of my 'facts', and looked up ALL cases of "generation" in the entire Bible..... every single one of them.... did all the math.......

  40...Let's spell it everyone... F...O...R...T... Y..
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  Bigdummy

  The Searcher: " JWs eagerly await conventions for new light".

  We had an elder who stepped down or was deleted who would say months in

  advance of a convention that we would be learning a lot of things at the upcoming

  assembly. Possibly, this coming October will be the finale of this system of things.

  This went on for several years and some of the people thought he was so smart

  about everything. A lot of people looked over him and thought he had a screw loose

  because he over exaggerated his comments with his own experiences in life. All

  comments would include anything that happened in his life that he could work into

  his comment. I did this and I did that. I liked the guy but his act got real old over the

  years and I believe he worked himself into such a frenzy all the time that he burned

  out.

  I was at the Service Meeting with my wife the other week and I finally heard the com-

  ment that I had been waiting for weeks to hear. A sister commented " that was the

  best assembly ever." That comment somehow doesn't have the same importance

  it used to have the other 50 times I heard it over my lifetime.