The Watchtower Society is confused over its “Seventy Years” and "Seven Times"

by Doug Mason 27 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Fisherman

  What can be concluded from this statement only:

  On March 19, 2003, President George W Bush struck Iraq and killed Sadam Hussein.

  Did GWB personally strike Iraq?

  Did GWB personally kill SH?

  Was SH killed on 3/19/2003?

  Since we know what happened, we understand what the author meant in the above statement, but if we did no know, we would not be able to conclude so much correctly, but would need other pieces of information to form conclusions about the details that seem to be implied but not actually established in the statement.

  compare

  12Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire.…

  From the above verses, what can it be said about when Jerusalem fell and why?

  The 2,520 years began in October 607 B.C.E., when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians and the Davidic king was taken off his throne.
  

  Why does the WT teach that Jerusalem fell in October and not in the 5th month?

  Ans: The Bible is ironic and poetic and there are allusions and references that the WT concludes apply to this event that play on the words: time, 7, October, Jerusalem, etc.which suggests when the event actually occured in terms of application of Bible prophecy. The approach to WT applying 7x is based on Biblical irony and not based on apparent history. It just so happens that Biblical irony will turn out to be historical fact and not what is apparent. The Bible continues to imply that things are not what they seem and mainstream observation is wrong and things will have to be re-examined and seen in terms of this Bible irony (according to the WT.)
• 

  Greener

  Thank you Doug for the heads up about your website.

  Wonderful information there.
• 

  cha ching

  If only I had read these books when I was younger would I have known how crazy this religion is....
• 

  Doug Mason

  Greener,

  In reading "Millennial Dawn" (which "dawned" in the 1870s) and the renamed "Studies in the Scriptures", be very aware of which printing you are reading.

  For example, page 342 of Volume 3 (1902 edition) says gives the dimension as "3416 inches" (whatever a "pyramid inch" is) whereas the later 1924 edition has stretched the pyramid (in the sun?) to "3457 inches".

  In the earlier version, Russell wrote: "1874 was the chronological beginning of the time of trouble" whereas the later editions changed this to: "1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble".
  

  I reproduce these pages and others at: http://www.jwstudies.com/Changed_MD_and_SS_words.pdf

  My statement regarding Russell's dual "fulfilments" of 1914 (re Leviticus 26 and Daniel 4) refer to his article in 1876. See: http://www.jwstudies.com/How_Many_Mistakes_in_one_Paragraph.pdf

  Doug
  
• 

  Crazyguy

  Rinehart told me one time that the current writing staff is clueless.
• 

  Fisherman

  Interestingly, WWI began on the fifth (Jewish calendar) month in 1914. August 1,1914 corresponds with Jewish commemoration of Tisha B'av.
• 

  kaik

  WWI started on July 28 with official declaration of war between Austria-Hungary against Serbian kingdom. The next day, Austrian river gunboats bombarded Belgrade July 29, 1914.

  August 1 is postwar propaganda to demonize Germans as starter of the war, but in reality the war was started by Austria-Hungary. Because Austria-Hungary disintegrated in October 1918, the blame was shifted to Germany and with it the German declaration of war against Russia. Again Germans did not started the war, Austro-Hungarians did.
  
• 

  Doug Mason

  Fisherman,

  You cannot imagine the smile you put on my face with your observation that WW1 started two months early. Maybe some can suggest here for the lurking Bethelites how to incorporate that fact.

  At the moment, the WTS ends its "70 years" when Jews assembled at the temple site in the 7th month. Then they travel back over a period when they demand that Judah was totally depopulated. Using their hoped-for year of 537 they go back to the 7th month, when Jews left Judah and entered Egypt (not serving Babylon).

  So, what criteria would they be prepared to drop to land on August 1, 1914?

  In passing, I would add that while up to now they have waited until the land was (apparently) depopulated before starting their "70 years", the WTS is quite prepared to allow the returning exiles to be settled in their homes and then walk to Jerusalem before ending this period of "depopulation".

  So, hopefully some can give the Writing thinktank a leg-up and solve this dilemma for them.

  Or they could drop WW1 altogether, accept 587 and land on some part of their history when Rutherford made an announcement or released a book.

  This should not be difficult since Jesus only told his disciples to watch out for deceivers and not be distracted at the stories of wars and so on they were hearing. He never mention whether the wars would be large or small, and so on.

  Maybe I should stop trying to rescue them from their quicksand.

  Doug
  
• 

  Vidiot

  Acutlaly, I don't think they're confused.

  At this point, they probably don't need to be.

  They just need to be "certain".
• 

  Greener

  Doesn't the WTS say when they're backed into a corner, that "Bible Chronology" as they interpret it, trumps the secular historical records? ie. shut up and obey..we know better than you do?? Don't do your own research? I would say that that's IRONIC, seeing how wrong they have been with their previous false prophetic utterances. Oh yes..thats a sign that they have Gods spirit upon them...where else can they go???

  I've never seen or read the WTS use the terms "alluding" or "ironic" or "poetic" in describing the Bible or the so-called historical Biblical record, when secular historical documentation in whatever form, disproves their theories or so-called prophetic utterances regarding the 7 times or 70 years or 1914. Those are your poor lame excuses for the WTS failed teachings. Its silly gobblygook.

  ie. your opinion