Only 966 years left of the 1000 year reign

jwfacts

Part of the reasoning for the end coming in 1975 was that would be 6000 years after creation. The 1000 year reign would start and the end of it would coincide with the 7000 rest for God (like an omnipotent God needed to rest after creation, but that is a different topic.)

The 1966 book Life Everlasting, which presented the idea that the end would be 1975 lists in the following table that the 1000 year reign ends in 2975.

That was a neat concept prior to 1975, but since Armageddon did not come then it now makes Watchtower eschatology look quite foolish, and more so with each passing year. There are now supposedly only 966 years of Jesus 1000 year reign left. Any chance the Watchtower will start talking about Jesus 950 year reign?

For quotes on 1975 see http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/1975.htm

cameo-d

I thought he had started reigning invisibly in 1914.

Wouldn't this require a new calculation?

Gosh...this is gonna be like 607 all over again.

Black Sheep

Be careful....

....it does not say 'reign'

jwfacts

The "invisible" heavenly rulership and end of the Gentile times was 1914, but the thousand year reign over earth was a different period that was to start 1975 at the end of the 6000 years. Anyway, that was Franz's idea.

Russell's teachings were much cleaner. The 6000 years ended 1874, which started the 1000 year reign in heaven. 40 years later (end of the harvest) the earthly reign would start, to coincide with the end of the Gentile times.

Out of necessity, Rutherford and then Franz tried to keep the Watchtower similar to its roots by using some of Russells ideas and updating them for the 20th century. All it ended up doing is making the Russell/Adventist teachings more illogical than they already were.

This is the problem with doomsday cults. They need to make doomsday-end of the world-armageddon within the life time of the members for this fear tactic to be an effective method of growth, but when the predictions go unfulifilled the religion becomes a farce.

Jim_TX

Okay... I've got one for you... they always (or most of the time) say 'in early autumn'. Is this early autumn - in the Northern hemisphere... or the southern hemisphere - where... seasons are reversed.

Just wondering... (not really... just yanking your chain)

cameo-d

Will the watchtower be in charge of making the new calendars?

If they use the Jewish calendar for their memorial dates and the Julian calendar for the rest of the year...

what sort of compromises do you think they will make when they decide to get their dates straight?

What will they call their new method of timekeeping?

jwfacts

black sheep - good point, it does not say reign. However, it does place the end of the 7th day at 2975, which is when Jehovah needs to take over from Jesus. As the following quote shows, the end of the 1000 years and the end of the seventh day are supposed to coincide

w517/15p.426WhattheThousand-YearReignWillAccomplish "They show that at the end of the millennial reign of Christ all of Jehovah’s purposes regarding the earth will come to be fully realized. His sabbath of 7,000 years will end by having the earth handed over to him, a paradise of Eden covering the globe. His purposes and supremacy having been fully vindicated during this sabbath, it will indeed have been a day sanctified."

SacrificialLoon

I'll remember to watch out for that scary guy with the headband and stick from the Revelation its Grand Climax at Hand book.

jwfacts

Will the watchtower be in charge of making the new calendars?

Maybe it will start at 1 at the end of the 1000 years. Imagine what a calendar will look like after eternity. New Years Eve of the year 88,938,949, 309,488,338,099,388,399,345,456,234,456,834,567,922,993,847,432,345,635,234,633,644,222,654,098,394,345,938,334,209,222,421,134.

Or conversation- remember that ski trip back in 934,567,922,993,847,432,345,635,234,633 A.D. where AD is After Destruction

yadda yadda 2

The table in that 1966 book is not really the Society's...it was taken lock, stock and barrell from a bible scholar well before Russell's time I believe.

In any event, how they arrive at 1914 is independent of the dates in that table.

Since 1995 the Watchower interprets both Matthew 24: 29-31 and Matthew 25: 31-33 as FUTURE events, this despite saying he become King in 1914. Go figure.

Only 966 years left of the 1000 year reign

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