by The Scotsman 26 Replies latest jw friends
In my lifetime when the Viet Nam war ended someone said peace and security and nothing happened.
Oh yeah Armegedon came in 75 but it wasnt that bad.
When Bill Clinton was president we had peace and security. But then we got the dingbat W.
Things just keep trucking on.
Sad Emo explained it very well imo.
In this eschatological scenario the "end" can strike anytime, preferrably when people least expect it, when they think they are at peace and secure. Iow, it is not announced by any remarkable event -- and the WT interpretation, making "peace and security" a solemn and unique declaration, runs contrary to the thrust of the text).
Another similar perspective is found in Luke 17:
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them --it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
A different outlook is found in the Synoptic apocalypses which do describe a chain of events (including Jerusalem's destruction) immediately preceding the coming of the Son of Man. Yet there is a trace of the idea that no particular event is the signal of the end: "the end is not yet." (Matthew 24:6) And the "thief in the night" motif again.
One consequence of the view expressed in 1 Thessalonians (the end may come anytime) is that anytime, too, enthusiasts can claim it is now. Whence the correction in 2 Thessalonians 2 that something remarkable must happen before (and is not fully here yet).
Bottom line: it is impossible to gather a coherent scenario from the NT eschatological texts (not to mention the anti-eschatological ones, e.g. John).
The "peace and security" announcement will not come until we are VERY DEEP into the time of tribulation.
It will be during the time when those not "bearing the mark" will have been cut off....through peaceful (non-violent ) means. (ostracised)
That announcement shows timeline when Armageddon is about to begin.
Since we are not yet into tribulation.... I would not put much importance on it for our current time.
There is a scripture somewhere but I have no time to look it up right now...It's OT
Basically says...
"how can you say peace and security when My people have no food to eat? You have sanctioned a war!"
Maybe someone can look that up.
Lesterd said: Mary, I always love your comments, lets work one other angle into Matt, " But on account of the chosen ones whom he has chosen he has cut short the days." IF Christ came in 1914 some of those chosen ones that witness his coming HAVE to still be alive....not.
Thanks lesterd! And you're right. If Jesus returned in 1914 (which is what they still teach), then obviously some of that 'generation' would have to still be around to see The End. I asked an elder that after the 1995 change in the meaning of 'generation'. I said "Didn't Jesus say: ".... But as these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift YOUR heads up, because YOUR deliverance is getting near'? If these things started to occur in 1914, then obviously it was that generation he was speaking to."
These kind of logical questions make the elders nervous, because it reveals how insane their reasoning is.
Thats there have it both ways scripture. When things are bad sign of the times. Things start looking up, pull out the peace and security scripture.
What kind of "loving" God would destroy the world just as they are finally solving their problems anyways? They are on the cusp of proving wrong that man cannot rule himself when they do finally achieve peace and security. And, just so they won't get that chance, Jehovah is going to step in and destroy them and disrupt their progress. I suppose that's because the stagnant, non-fulfilling new world that Jehovah is proposing to create can in no way compete with the world that man can make.
He did this before:
Genesis 11
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
Not saying that man's motives are the same here, but he did step in to disrupt man's progress.
I think it's more about not trusting in human abilities to bring about a global peace and security . The UN does have a security counsel and did even boast according to bible scripture that they could bend swords to plow shears and spears to pruning hooks. All the false religionists put their faith in it in 1986 proclaiming it the only means for peace and security rather than proclaiming the kingdom of the heavens as the only means to achieve it. I'm thinking it may have even signaled the begining of the great tribulation , since there were record amounts of wars during that year . ( I remember hearing that somewhere)
