I have a question. I was reading about Russell figuring the date 1914 from the great pyramid. How do the JWs explain it now?It seems that is one of the teachings that hasnt changed.By that I mean the date.
A question about 1914
by galaxy7 6 Replies latest jw friends
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GermanXJW
Russell had several approaches to get to 1914. The "Berean Bible Manual" lists 20 different "proofs" for 1914. Only one still exists and this is the "Seven Times" from the book of Daniel which are equaled to 2,520 years staring in 537 BC. The pyramid plays no role any more - like the other "proofs".
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link
Almost right German JW but the year they start from is 607 BC, a year in which very little happened according to history. For some reason better known to themselves the J.W religion choses to believe that the year in which the Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed was 607 and not 537, the year which all historical pointers indicate.
Since the basis for all their calculations is fundimentally flawed, their reasoning based on this must also be false, throwing their claims about themselves as the only true religion into doubt, to say the least.
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VM44
Berean Bible Manual contained 20 different proofs for the year 1914?
Is this where the Bible Students said that "a thing is established by two or three witnesses" and since they had TWENTY different proofs, the year 1914 was established beyond doubt?
Now they only have one proof, the others went poof!
They do not know what proof, evidence and facts are! Of course, one day's proof is discarded by the "new light" (tm) of the following day.
One Watchtoer Circuit Overseer (CO) said that keeping up with "The Truth"(tm) is like keeping up with a moving circle of light cast by a searchlight. As the light circle moves, you would have to move along with it to remain in the light, if you stood still, you would be in darkness.
So the 19 old proofs of 1914 have long been left in the darkness.
--VM44
P.S. The scripture says "the light gets brighter and brighter" not that it moves around! Something is wrong with that CO's illustration!
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garybuss
Hi Gal, Russell didn't come up with 1914, the second Adventists did. Nelson Barbour is usually credited with the date. See the book Three Worlds by Barbour. He added 40 years to the last failed date of 1874. The pyramid was a perihelial proof, see volume 3 of the Studies series. Russell showed 1914 to be correct with three different and unrelated sources in that book. The pyramid measurements was just one.
The proof of 1914 being a date clearly shown in The Bible has never been clear.
Here is one popular formula.
Page 50-51 Faith On The March
He pointed out
that this term "the times of the Gentiles" applied to the period
beginning with the time that kings ceased to rule in God's
typical theocratic nation of Israel and ending with the setting
up of Jesus Christ as the rightful King of the whole world. He
said this period began in the year 607 B.C. and was due to end
A.D. 1914.
Here is the way the chronology was determined:
King David, first of the Judean kings of Israel, was said to
sit "on the throne of Jehovah." His dynasty thus continued
theocratic rule until it was overthrown in the days of Zedekiah
at the destruction of Jerusalem. This date is reckoned from
secular and Biblical history as the fall of 607 B.C. At that time
it was foretold that the theocratic line of Israel's kings would
be interrupted until he came "whose right it is." In view of
Jerusalem's capture by a pagan king this would infer a period
of rule by Gentiles until the time for God to set up his own
Kingdom. Jesus, during his first advent, spoke of these "times
of the Gentiles" and indicated they would expire at his return
or second advent. If it could be determined how long the
"times of the Gentiles" were to last, then the time for Christ's
return and the setting up of his kingdom would be known as a
certainty.
Now, of course, the date I 9 I 4 itself is not given in the Bible.
Neither was the date of Jesus' first advent, for that matter, yet
the Jews were expecting him.g Just so, the length of the period
referred to as the "times of the Gentiles" is indicated in the
Bible but it is given in symbolic language. Foretelling a temporary
period of insanity for Jerusalem's captor, Nebuchadnezzar,
because of his high-handed disregard of Jehovah's rule,
the prophecy says: "They shall make thee to eat grass as
oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that
the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to
whomsoever he will.''
This prophecy was literally fulfilled won Nebuchadnezzar
as a symbol of the rule of the nations. When the time expired
his kingdom was restored to him and he recognized the supremacy
of Jehovah. That is why the restoration of theocratic
rule in the hands of Jesus Christ was to be expected at the end
of the "Gentile times" and after "seven times" had elapsed.
The clue for the length of this period is given at Revelation
12:6, 14 in connection with another prophecy though not related
to this one. There, I ,260 days are shown to equal "a time,
and times, and half a time." This must be figured as "one time,
plus two times, plus one-half time" or three and one-half
times, since another unrelated prophecy at Revelation I I : 2, 3
shows 1,260 days as 42 months, which is obviously three and
one-half years of 360 days each. On this basis, "seven times"
would be twice 1,260 days, or 2,520 days.
If the prophecy of Daniel were figured literally as applied
to the "Gentile times" then the "seven times" would be only
seven years and would have expired long before Jesus' first
advent, yet as we have seen, he spoke of the times of the Gentiles
as still carrying on. How, then, is this period to be
figured?
On two different occasions at least, in the matter of judgment,
Jehovah used a day to represent a year. Following this
pattern, 2,520 days in the prophecy become 2 , 5 2 0 years in the
fulfillment. If the length of time of uninterrupted Gentile rule
of earth's nations was to be 2,520 years, then the period would
run from the fall of 607 B.C. to A.D. 1914. On the basis of this
chronology, the time of Christ's second presence and the beginning
of his kingdom rule was confidently expected in the
fall of A.D. 1914, and Russell was prompted to announce confidently
in October, 1914, "The Gentile times have ended;
their kings have had their day."
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garybuss
So did I kill this thread? . . . . . or what?
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stillajwexelder
They know it is wrong but can not discard the date now -- otherwise tne 1975 fiasco will look like an inspired piece of brilliance comapred to what would happen if 1914 were discarded.