Anyone who has been associated with the Witnesses for any period of time is familiar with 1 Thess. 5:2 - "Whenever it is that they are saying: “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape." (NWT).
A few years ago (I think between 2001-2005) there was a district convention part in which the speaker hinted at the possibility that the cry of peace and security had already taken place. I believe he may have mentioned the 1986 U.N. "year of peace" but I'm not positive. (I've never been too good at paying attention at assemblies/conventions). Anyway, that talk created quite a stir among the friends, and I still hear JWs say that the cry of peace and security may have already been made.
Have any of you guys heard this nonsense? Even when I more-or-less believed the Witness theology, I didn't buy into this interpretation.
One more thing, a few months ago, a Witness friend told me that there is a page on the United Nations website entitled "peace and security." My response was "umm...ok." This individual was beside herself in excitement over the name of a web page on the U.N. site. It's sad to see decent people who are so misled. If I had known about it at the time, I would have directed her to this U.N. web page: http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/pdfs/watchtower.pdf.
The cry of "Peace and Security"
by Olin Moyles Ghost 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Olin Moyles Ghost
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Honesty
The Watchtower's Armageddon has already taken place.
It took place in the same manner as Christ's return back in 1914.
INVISIBLY
That's right, it really did happen but you couldn't see it.
TRUST US ON THIS
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dinah
That is part of the UN's charter. The words "Peace and Security" appear on a plague there.
I don't really think it'll be an actual thing we will notice when it happens, but I wouldn't give the year 1986 any significance either. Even Christ said no one knows the day or the hour---not even himself. Guessing and persuading others to believe a lie is false prophecy.
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BFD
They've been pulling that out of thier asses for years. I remember at an assembly once the speaker holding up the current day's newspaper and the headline was "PEACE AND SECURITY". It had to be in the early 70's at some race track on Long Island, I think. I was sure that I'd have my pet lion very soon. The down side was that I was also sure that Jah was going to kill my father at any minute as he was an unbeliever. I was so afraid of losing him all the years I was growing up. My mom would tell me that Satan wanted my father to die not Jah. Also, there would be no tears in the new system and we would all be perfect.
Sick.
BFD
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Finally-Free
In 1986 we had a "special meeting" at my hall because one of these "annointed" guys was visiting and wanted to show us a slide show about trips to the "bible lands" that he had organized. He told us that the UN had designated 1986 as the "year of peace and security". (Yes, he got it wrong, as it was the "international year of peace".) You could have heard a pin drop in the hall. Since he was one of these "annointed" guys, a lot of people figured that armageddon would come any day.
Now, more than 20 years later, most of the JWs in that hall have probably forgotten all about old Benny and his year of "peace and security".
W
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dinah
BFD,
I can so feel where you are coming from. My Dad was an UBM also, so naturally armageddon struck a little extra terror in my heart.
I watched something on the History Channel one night and there was some dude on there who said EVERY generation has been watching for "the end". That should tell ya something.
Yep, folks, I'm probably gonna grow old and die.
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neverendingjourney
My take on this is that the whole peace and security line is just there to balance out the "nation shall rise against nation" prophecy. In other words, if there are wars going on, the end must be near because the Bible says that nation would rise against nation in the last days. If it's a time of relative peace, well then the end is just around the corner because the Bible says that a cry of peace and security would ring out before the end.
Those are just empty promises used by men to control naive and gullible people who desperately want a higher power to solve their problems and usher in a better world than the one they live in.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
Dinah, I think I may have seen that History channel program, too. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it mentioned the Second Aventists' great disappointment of 1844. I was disappointed that they didn't mention how the JWs are an offshoot from those Adventists. Also, after I got done explaining the "new light" re: the generation to Mrs. Ghost, she came to the conclusion on her own that we were probably going to die in this system (we're in our 30s). I, of course, agreed with her. We are. And I'm ok with that.
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WTWizard
I can remember that from the late 1980s. They were talking how they might have already declared peace and security sometime early in 1990. Since then, we have attacked Iraq twice (the second war is still going on), Afghanistan once, Yugoslavia once, and have threatened Iran and North Korea once each. So much for peace.
Security wise, there has been quite a bit of blatant unease. We had September 11, 2001 (which was way past any 1990 Peace and Security declaration). We have had one recession, and are in the midst of the Second Great Depression that will begin once the dollar totally loses value and the credit situation is no longer patchable (like boosting the end of a song--sooner or later, the song is going to end and further boost will not extend it. They are near that point with patching our dollar and the economy, with very little left to go before that "song" ends). There have been multiple terror attacks in Europe, including Madrid and London. Attempted terror attacks have also been reported, as well as many threatened ones. Al Qaeda is still intact, as is Osama Bin Laden. And, our government may soon become a totalitarian system under President I'll Tell You What To Think.
I would not be surprised to hear that again in 2000 and early 2001. However, Babylon the Great did not get attacked on September 11. It was the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with an attempt on the White House. Since then, there has not been peace and/or security. And there won't be peace and/or security as long as people insist on controling others. Perhaps Aristotelian principles need be taught to our leaders as the only solution--Plato had his chance, and it failed.
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jacethespace
Ive gotta say on this one ive done extensive research on government websites and watched whats going on in the world over the years and there is a big attempt and push now for peace and security in the world.Doesnt mean the watchtowers right but its happeninghttp://www.foreignaffairs.org/19740401faessay10106/richard-n-gardner/the-hard-road-to-world-order.html