Oct 8 1966 Awake! PDF-- pushes 1975 date

by cabasilas 27 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • cabasilas
    cabasilas

    Thank you, Atlantis, for that scan from the Truth book. If I recall, I believe printings of the Truth book went over 100 million copies in dozens of languages. The chart from the Life Everlasting book was meant to be seen as evidence that "Bible chronology" reveals that only a "few years" were left before Armageddon. This was not a "it may be possible" sort of thing. This was saying that chronology from the Bible revealed this. Just like the Watchtower Society claimed it was "the Creator's promise" that the "generation which saw the events of 1914" would not pass away.

    If you say it's "the Creator's promise" and then also say what you're teaching is from chronology revealed in the Bible, you've claimed to be speaking these things in Jehovah's name. There's got to be a measure of responsibility for the claim to be God's only visible organization on earth.

    How they can make such statements and then when they're exposed as false claim they are not false prophets is beyond me!

  • MissingLink
    MissingLink

    Atlantis: Thank you for that.

    Dinah: You want me to hold your purse?

  • Disillusioned JW
    Disillusioned JW

    Moments ago I read something fascinating regarding the WT's calculation of 6,000 years of human existence in an ex-JW scholarly book by M. James Penton called Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses (1st Edition) on pages 199, 201, and in footnote 69 on page 346, which led me to something even more fascinating in the February 15, 1955 WT on pages 94 - 95 (as published in the 1999 WT Library CD-ROM).

    Penton's book said in the 1943 WT book called The Truth Shall Make You Free that the WT said the 6,000 years of human existence would end in 1972, but was later shifted to 1975, then 1976, and back to 1975 again. The 1955 WT (in the "Questions from Readers") answers the question of: "What are the reasons for changing the date of Adam's creation first from 4028 B.C. to 4026 B.C. and now recently in the book "New Heavens and a New Earth" to 4025 B.C.?" The latter part of the answer says the following (I added boldface for emphasis)..

    'According to Genesis 1:24-31 Adam was created during the last part of the sixth creative-day period of 7,000 years. Almost all independent chronologists assume incorrectly that, as soon as Adam was created, then began Jehovah's seventh seven-thousand-year period of the creative week. Such then figure that from Adam's creation, now thought to be the fall of 4025 B.C., why, six thousand years of God's rest day would be ending in the fall of 1976. However, from our present chronology (which is admitted imperfect) at best the fall of the year 1976 would be the end of 6,000 years of human history for mankind, 6,000 years of man's existence on the earth, not 6,000 years of Jehovah's seventh seven-thousand-year period. Why not? Because Adam lived some time after his creation in the latter part of Jehovah's sixth creative period, before the seventh period, Jehovah's sabbath, began.

    Why, it must have taken Adam quite some time to name all the animals, as he was commissioned to do. Further, it appears from the New World Bible Translation that, even while Adam was naming the animals, other family kinds of living creatures were being created for Adam to designate by name. (Gen. 2:19 footnote d, NW) It was not until after Adam completed this assignment of work that his helpmate Eve was created. Since God created nothing new whatever on the seventh day, Eve must have been created on the sixth day; and this the divine record confirms in its account of the sixth day: "God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God's image he created him; male and female he created them."-Gen. 1:27, NW.

    The very fact that, as part of Jehovah's secret, no one today is able to find out how much time Adam and later Eve lived during the closing days of the sixth creative period, so no one can now determine when six thousand years of Jehovah's present rest day come to an end. Obviously, whatever amount of Adam's 930 years was lived before the beginning of that seventh-day rest of Jehovah, that unknown amount would have to be added to the 1976 date.'

    I don't recall ever reading the WT saying that Jehovah God created more animal family kinds after the creation of Adam, but perhaps I read such in the latter 1970s. But a number of years ago while doing independent study of the Bible I did get the idea of Genesis 2:19 possibly conveying that idea.
  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    I read a good point on this—against the idea that Armageddon would come 6000 years after Eve was created, or after the sixth creative day ended. Because the scripture says no man knows the day or the hour, not the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father. Yet Jesus and the angels have surely always known when Eve was created and the sixth creative day ended, because they were there at the time. So if it was simply a matter of adding 6000 years to that date, then Jesus and the angels would have known the day and the hour. Therefore Armageddon is not due to occur 6000 years after the creation of Eve, or the end of the sixth creative day.

  • Disillusioned JW
    Disillusioned JW

    slimboyfat, that is a good point about Jesus and the angels not knowing when the sixth creative day ended. About the time I made my prior post I also thought that, hypothetically speaking, if Jesus really did exist when Adam and Eve were created, then he would know when the 6th creative ended and yet the NT says that in the 1st century CE he did not know when the generation would pass away, and/or when the tribulation begins, and/or when the sign of the Son of Man appears in heaven, and/or when Christ comes in judgement. - Matthew 24:29 - 37.

    While the WT says the that "the Son of man coming on the clouds" is seen with figurative eyes of understanding, rather than with literal sight, notice the first part of Matthew 24:30 (1984 NWT). There it says "And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven ...". That is literally saying something will be visible in the sky ("heavens") which would be "the sign of the Son of man" coming in judgement, which then causes nonbelievers in Christ to "beat themselves in lamentation". Not only that, but the verse says those people "will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Thus this verse actually says that non-Christians will literally see the Son of Man! it is not simply speaking of followers of Christ figuratively 'seeing' with figurative 'eyes' of understanding the arrival/coming of Christ!

  • TonusOH
    TonusOH

    The book Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God

    Am I the only one who thought that was a really awkward title? What does it even mean?

    As for predicting the time of the end, it's such a common thing throughout the history of Christianity that it boggles the mind. The very book that they venerate as being inspired by God tells them (the words coming from God Himself!) that no one else knows the day or time and that no one should even be worrying about the day or time!

    The whole idea was for believers to remain steadfast in their faith and not waver, for fear that the day of judgment might be upon them unexpectedly. Now, that itself can seem pretty cruel, but the fact is that it is laid out very clearly. Yet for centuries, men have tried to come up with specific dates for the end. It's insanely tone-deaf.

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    Yes, strange title, strange book. A Fred Franz special.

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman
    strange title, strange book

    Bible is s strange book too with its symbolism and allusions and irony—and the preaching work. The concept of 6000 years then another 1000 years and all the reasons, made so much sense. It was irresistible logic—same as the length of generation. A lot of people went too far with it in the way they lived their lives expecting imminent doom being too convinced in their minds, others hoped but carried on normally with their lives. Hard to let go. Even now, the idea just makes so much sense.

  • dropoffyourkeylee
    dropoffyourkeylee

    I’m pretty sure the awkward ‘Life Everlasting’ title is directly from a NWT wording of a Bible verse. The NWT was so badly worded that it often made no sense.

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman
    The NWT was so badly worded

    The NWT is a masterpiece of a translation compared to other Bible versions. That is my humble opinion as someone who understands other languages; For example (little) dogs in Mathew 15:27 and god referring to the Word in John 1:1.

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