I agree that the earth and society as we know it will not be the same in 50 years time. I think we are due a pandemic (asian flu etc) that will reduce the human population or WW3 or WW4 depending on your point of view. But population grwoth is self limiting. If population grwos too large, hunger and famine will come and keep population down. Something will happen. When I do not know.
are we in the last hours
by force 60 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
BizzyBee
Something will happen. When I do not know.
Hmmmmmm........can't argue with logic like that, stillajwexelder.............
If only the WTS would put it like that this instead of putting dates on it!
But then, I guess they wouldn't scare the bejesus out of 16-year olds..........
-
Leolaia
Sign of the Last Days -- When? is an excellent book for debunking the Society's unhistorical claims that we now live in a time of unprecidented famine, disease, earthquakes, war, etc. It is dated to be sure (why hasn't it been updated like the Gentile Times book?), but its historical review of course remains unimpeached by the passage of time. It also demonstrates clearly how the Society has been dishonest in its use of sources and how its reasoning can be flawed. The book does not claim that the "last days" are not in fact now; it simply shows that one cannot use famines, earthquakes, disease, war, etc. as indicators of when the end would be.
As for Daniel 12:4, I would just like to point out that this verse (and others like it, cf. v. 9) states that "the time of the end" is when the book of Daniel is itself unsealed; prior to this, the book was unknown to the masses. This is an internal plot device to explain why no one had ever seen the book of Daniel before the second century BC when it entered into circulation, and such statements are actually quite common in other Jewish apocalypses. In the case of Revelation, John of Patmos was instructed to do the exact opposite because the book was intended to be circulated right away (22:10). Note also the allusion to Amos 8:12 in Daniel 12:4; the running to and fro refers to people seeking the words of the Lord, "but they shall not find it," i.e. before the appointed time for the revelation to be released.
The JW sectarian interpretation of Daniel 2 builds on earlier Adventist interpretations that build on earlier Protestant interpretations that build on earlier Catholic interpretations that build on earlier Jewish interpretations, but which all do not correspond to the viewpoint of the author(s), as the parallel visions in ch. 7 (which resumes the four kingdom schema), ch. 8 (which is a midrash on ch. 7 and which makes the identities of the parties explicit), and especially ch. 11 (which spells things out quite explicitly) show. For another perspective, consult almost any commentary not beholden to a pre-millennialist bias to interpret Daniel in light of contemporary events but which instead understands it in its original historical context.
As for how convincing certain modern pre-millennialist interpretations of Daniel can be, this depends on one's own predispositions to find fulfillment in our own day and one's knowledge of other (more literary-based) approaches. I personally find pre-millennialist attempts to sssssstttrreeeeetchhhhh the application of the visions of Daniel to our own day far, far inferior to the historicist interpretation (well, the Society's own attempt is pretty pathetic compared to others which are more responsible to the text), but that is my assessment. To be sure, there have been many older pre-millennialist interpretations of Daniel that seemed really convincing at the time but which time proved to be false.
-
RubaDub
I'm so certain we are in the last hours that I am leaving work early today.
I will stop at the store and get a few extra canned goods, bottled water and batteries.
Rub a Dub
-
stillajwexelder
*** g02 3/22 p. 9 Earthquakes, Bible Prophecy, and You ***
BEFORE his death, Jesus foretold events and situations that would give evidence that this world had entered "the conclusion of the system of things." That period, he said, would be marked by such things as pestilences, food shortages, and large-scale warfare. He also mentioned "great earthquakes" that would occur "in one place after another." (Matthew 24:3, 7; Luke 21:10, 11) Was Jesus referring to our day? Many say no. They assert that the number of earthquakes has not substantially increased in recent decades. In fact, the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center reports that earthquakes of 7.0 magnitude and greater remained "fairly constant" throughout the 20th century.
Note, though, that the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy does not require an increase in the number or power of earthquakes. All Jesus said was that there would be great earthquakes in one place after another. Furthermore, he stated that these events would mark the "beginning of pangs of distress." (Matthew 24:8) Distress is measured, not by the number of earthquakes or how they rate on the Richter scale, but by the effect that they have upon people. Earthquakes have indeed caused much distress in our day. In fact, during the 20th century, millions have been killed or left homeless by these disasters. Experts say that many of these deaths could have been prevented. "In developing countries," reports BBC News, "building regulations frequently take second place to the demands for cheap, quickly built housing to meet the needs of rapid urbanisation." Commenting on two recent tragedies, Ben Wisner, an expert in urban disasters, states: "It wasn’t earthquakes that killed these people. It was a combination of human error, indifference, corruption, and greed."
Yes, sometimes the deadliest factors in an earthquake are human selfishness and negligence. Interestingly, such qualities come to the fore in another Bible prophecy concerning "the last days" of this system. During that time, the Bible states, people would be "self-centered, lovers of money," and "callous." (2 Timothy 3:1-5, The Amplified Bible) Along with Jesus’ words regarding the conclusion of the system of things, this prophecy provides clear evidence that we are nearing the time when God will bring relief to distressed humanity from all present causes of pain and suffering—including great earthquakes.—Psalm 37:11.Would you like to learn more about this Bible-based hope? Contact Jehovah’s Witnesses in your area, or write to the appropriate address on page 5.[FootnoteSome say that any reports of an increase in the number of earthquakes are simply due to advances in technology, which enable more seismic events to be detected.
-
stillajwexelder
so using the same argument there does not need to be an increase in famine, war, etc
-
BizzyBee
I don't get it..................so when will Jesus bring the pork chops?
-
stillajwexelder
Something will happen. When I do not know. by this I meant something big within 50 years such as major flu pandemic / famine / WW3
-
Double Edge
. im only 16 and i am too yung to die. do all jw believe we are in the last hours? i was also wondering if i get protection becus my ma is jw. i mean noahs kids all got in the boat didnt they? clutching at straws just in case!
You're ok.... you only have a little life experience, so it's no wonder you're scared. Relax. Consider this from my life experience...When I was a little kid, we used to have A-bomb drills at school and practice hiding under desks (as if that would help when an A-bomb hit). Every one was scared... the end of the world was coming. That was the 50's.
When I was a teenager, little Israel was attacked by most all of the Arab countries surrounding it. Most Christians were 'scared' thinking that "this was it... the last days". Well, they ended up calling it the 7-days War, because Israel soundly defeated all of them in a week. That was, I believe, in 1967.
Kind of the same thing happened in 1973, but it took Israel a little longer. A couple of weeks, but people also thought it was the 'end of the world'.
The first Gulf War, people were anxious, because Iraq was the Babylon of old... the days leading up to the war were scary. That War only took 3 or 4 days to reach and liberate Kuwait City. The World survived.
I remember 3 years ago when the Iraq War was about to start, there were posters with your type of post....and here we are, 3 years later. Don't be fearful of Life...it has a way of taking care of itself. Just live your life a day at a time, and don't buy into the fear. Live as if "the end of the World" is scheduled for the year 2312, you'll be a lot happier.
-
Leolaia
so using the same argument there does not need to be an increase in famine, war, etc.
Which would make these totally useless as "signs" of the "end" since there are famines, wars, earthquakes, pestilences, etc. in every generation.