Has this event already happened or...

by Honesty 12 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  BluesBrother

  
  I guess we have only Watchtower "reasoning" on the matter.. How does one understand or interpret the Revelation? ..This is what they used to say, although I have not seen a recent specific statement, but then again I am a little out of touch .

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  w60 4/15 p. 249 Part 36: "Your Will Be Done on Earth" ***

  The main one behind this shattering of Jehovah’s holy ones was Satan the Devil, who claims possession of all the kingdoms of this world and their glory. (Matt. 4:8, 9; Luke 4:5, 6) In 1914, when Michael stood up, the war in heaven was begun to oust the Devil and his demons. He was defeated by Michael, and there is Scriptural reason to believe that by the time of the annual celebration of the Lord’s evening meal on March 26, 1918, Satan the Devil was hurled down to the earth. For the reason that he now knows that he has yet a "short period of time" before he is bruised in the head in the battle of Armageddon, he has great anger, especially against the remnant of the sanctuary class. On these he has waged war by all means at his disposal. (Rev. 12:7-17) But to this date he has failed to show the power to shatter that he was permitted to show in 1918. Neither will he shatter Jehovah’s sanctuary in their "beauteous land" when he plays the part of Gog of Magog and comes down from the north with all his visible and invisible hosts to destroy the holy remnant and the "other sheep." He himself will be bruised. His power to shatter has come to an end.—Ezek. 38:1 to 39:16.
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  peacefulpete

  As Narkisssos commented, the Accusor was a agent of God who acted like a CIA and the DA roled into one. The Accusor felt to be on the earth according to the earier work, Apocaypse of Zephaniah. which reads:

  5 Then I saw two other angels weeping over the three sons of Joatham, the priest. 6 I said, ?O angel, who are these?? He said, ?These are the angels of the Lord Almighty. They write down all the good deeds of the righteous upon their scrolls as they watch at the gate of heaven.? And I take them from their hands and bring them up before the Lord Almighty; He writeth their name in the Book of the Living. (Rev 20:12,13) Also the angels of the accuser who is upon the earth, (Rev 12:7-10) they also write down all the sins of men upon their scrolls. They also sit at the gate of heaven. They tell the accuser and he writeth them upon his scroll so that he might accuse them when they come out of the world (and go) down there.?

  The author/redactors of Revelation seem to be combining motifs of the Accusor and the Leviathan (great dragon to be slain on last day) and Azazel (the master of Hell and the Abyss in other apocayptic literature of the day).

  To me this suggests the chapter 12 was intended for its original Jewish/Jewish Christian audience to be understood as distant past. The woman was Israel (see:Re: Revelation 12:1) the accusor was understood as then on the earth trying to make trouble.
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  IronClaw

  Yes - at the beginning of the bible story - that;s why Satan was on the earth as opposed to this idea that Satan could tempt Adam and Eve and still swan in and out of heaven at will.

  If this statement is true, then how do you explain the account in Job where Satan is shown to be in an assembly of heavenly creatures in Heaven?