Watchtower 2007 3/15 -- Is 1914 dropped?

by observer 78 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Doug Mason
    Doug Mason

    Yes, I wrote that book about the WTS's use of "Jehovah" in their translation of the Greek Scriptures (NT). If you want a copy, just go to my web site http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/New_World_Translation.html Scroll down the page until you see the download for "Witnessing the Name". You might find other things on my site that is of use or interest. There is no cost and you may disctribute my material, provided nothing is charged and nothing is altered. If you need to, you will find my email address on any of the downloaded documents on the site. Doug

  • avidbiblereader
    avidbiblereader

    Whenever I think about the WTS always trying to pinpoint the times in the Bible I cannot help myself and think of Pauls words at 1 Tim 1:3-11

    3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. 8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

    IF ONE REALLY LOVES GOD, DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHEN THE END STARTS???

    I dont think anyone has it right and we are all going to be surprised. The whole thing here is that IF you are starting out on a false premonition, the further you get away from that starting point or thought, the further the degree of error.

    Romans 3:11a there is no one that has any insight,

    The important things are to stay focused on is what Christ taught, not time lines and guess work.

    abr

  • avidbiblereader
    avidbiblereader

    2 John 9-11 John said this about teachings

    9 Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching is the one that has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him. 11 For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.

    The time of the end was this important to Christ----Matt 24:36 Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father

    John 12:49,50 49 because I have not spoken out of my own impulse, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a commandment as to what to tell and what to speak. 50 Also, I know that his commandment means everlasting life. Therefore the things I speak, just as the Father has told me [them], so I speak [them].”

    IF IT ISNT IMPORTANT FOR CHRIST TO TEACH THEN WHAT SHOULD THAT BE TELLING US???? As John said the one who remains in Christ teaching has both the Father and Son, Christ DIDNT spend any time of the subject as he didnt know it, didnt teach it and just said to keep awake and stay on the watch but didnt become dogmatic in his teaching about it, but rather the scriptures tell us to shun those who persist in teachings contrary to Christ's.

    abr

  • heathen
    heathen
    IF ONE REALLY LOVES GOD, DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHEN THE END STARTS???

    Jesus did promise a deliverance from a wicked world , naturally any body would want to feel that they are that special. That's why he said things like " keep on the watch, you know not the hour of the master is coming". The apostle Paul also wrote to always have the hopeful expectation of the promise. It was always the carrot on the stick .

  • observador
    observador

    The first lesson in a hypnosis class is to say things that makes absolutely no sense, so that the conscious mind cannot follow.

    The Watchtower seems to be trying to hypnotize 6.5 million of their own people. When they come back from the hypnotic state, they'll give Jah glory for such a wonderful experience even though they were just abused once again, and...

    ... will completely forget what they ever believed.

    Observador.

  • yaddayadda
    yaddayadda

    Although the article is focused on Rev 1:7, which the WBTS has always applied to the future, it does seem very odd that they do not at least mention 1914 just once.

    A person who knew nothing about the JWs who casually attended a meeting where this article was studied would be left with the distinct idea that Jesus' rulership doesn't begin until the future. Look at this paragraph:

    "Jesus taught his followers to pray for God's Kingdom to come and for God's will to take place, 'as in heaven, also upon earth.' (Matt 6:9,10) This Kingdom is a government with Christ Jesus as its God-appointed King. It will solve all of mankind's problems. for God's Kingdom to bring about changes on the earth, however, there has to be a change from human rulership to the rulership of Christ. This is exactly what Christ's coming will accomplish."

    What other conclusion would an independent observer take from such a paragraph other than that Jesus rule and the kingdom are not yet realities!

    All it would've taken was for a couple of sentences to be inserted in the article stating something along the lines of, "...The evidence clearly indicates that God's kingdom has been ruling since 1914 and that Jesus presence (parousia) began then. Since then we have been in the 'short period of time' described at Revelation 12....".

    We've seen the Society include statements like the above time and time again in it's material. Why not do it in this article, and all the more so, since it is an article discussing matters pertaining to the timing of God's Kingdom/Jesus acting, etc!

    Thus I agree that the lack of any mention of 1914 in this article, a date once so proudly flaunted by the Society, is pretty strange. It could easily indicate a policy of deliberately de-emphasizing the date. It could well be that 1914 is becoming somewhat of an embarrassment to the Society(except perhaps to the likes of old boys like Jack Barr, who stressed the date at the latest Gilead graduate talks) and, as someone insightfully mentioned earlier in this thread, any mention of the date just tends to remind JW's of the lengthening elapse of time since 1914; this only serves to reinforce growing disquiet in the ranks about how long this system is taking to come to an end.

    It's hard to deny that this trend of de-emphasising 1914 will likely continue until, many years from now, 1914 will be nothing more than a creedal footnote similar to how the SDA's now treat 1844, if not abandoned altogether.

  • thetrueone
    thetrueone

    The 1914 dating profile will eventually be dropped I would presume because of the fact it weakens their credibility.

    That's also why they took off the front page of the WT " those who witness the events of 1914" which had been there for decades.

    During the screening process before the magazines go to press they look carefully and edit what they want to print and what not to,

    someone obviosly noticed that most of the witneses that had lived in that era, had died off since that date, so it was an conscious decsion to drop it ...smart cookies !

    I would also assume that any preceding talks in the future will more than likely not mention that dating structure for the same reasons.

    Remember they are trying to create the delusion that are the one and only true religion on earth, so they have to be careful what they say, just like any other salesman.

  • heathen
    heathen

    They can never give up 1914 since they insisted for a very long time that the fall of Judah was in 607 bce and the seven times of daniel times 360 adds up to the end of appointed times . They would either have to admit the "worldly" sources had it right at 587 bce or change the prophetic calendar of 30 day months some how. They must have changed the back cover quite awhile ago because I have an 88 WT and it doesn't mention ,"the generation that witnessed the events", on it.

  • thetrueone
    thetrueone

    Heathen, I believe it was on the second page of the Wt ( the generation that saw these events, shall never pass away ) It was certainly printed there during

    the 50"s , 60's , 70's not the back !

  • heathen
    heathen

    I just looked at the back of the cover and it's not there. maybe they quit in the 70's , don't know. The point is that they didn't change the dogma until recently , the magazine may have changed sometime earlier. This is kinda interesting because they did come down on me over this thing when I studied and I stated my belief that the generation does die off .That was in the early 90's. It's pretty clear that any j-dub from the generation has died off at this point .can't say for certain tho. My belief is that if they were the 144k that they would have died as martyrs anyway.

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