Spiritual Food from Christ since October 1874 proves Russell's Chronology!

by Ultimate Reality 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Ultimate Reality

  In the October 1, 1904 Watchtower, page 298, the 587 BCE chronology issue is raised by a reader. Below are the final comments of a lengthy defense. I thought it worth sharing...

  "A move of nineteen years, as the brother suggests above -- or for that matter a change of even one year -- would affect all the time prophecies of Vol. III. of the DAWN. The 1260 days, the 1290 days, the 1335 days, the 2300 days of Daniel, would all be thrown out of gear, out of the beautiful relationship shown in the Parallel Dispensations.

  We all remember how we were thrilled when first studying we found that the parallels of dispensation showed that our Lord was due to be present in October, 1874, as the exact parallel of the beginning of his ministry and the “harvest” of the Jewish age; and how this thrill was intensified when we found the same date exactly marked by the Jubilee type; and how we almost shouted for joy when we found that Daniel’s “1335 days” ended at precisely the same date; and, finally, how we repeated over and over the Prophet's words, “Oh, the blessedness of him that waiteth and cometh unto the 1335 days.”

  What a blessedness indeed ! As the Apostle intimated it would be, so we have found it, “Times of refreshing!” Take away these parallels, disjoint this testimony by changing any part of the chronology, and you have a still mightier work before you; -- the work of accounting for the rich spiritual food the Lord has been supplying to us since October, 1874 -- since the time of his presence, and in full accord with his promise that he would gird himself and become the servant of his true ones at his second presence and serve them “meat in due season,” sending it at the hands of his faithful servants. We have dealt with this subject at greater length than it may seem to deserve, believing that it may stimulate some to follow the Apostle's exhortation, "Let us give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest we let them slip."-Heb. 2: 1."
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  yknot

  Mother****ers!

  Dips**t sumb*tch!
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Thanks Ultimate Reality!

  Those "celebrated JW scholars"... er, I guess it would have to be "celebrated WT scholars"... anyway, those "scholars" were then, and are today, full of crap!
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  glenster

  Kind understanding for "inferiors" part one--darker skinned people 1902 Russell seemed to dislike certain racist outlooks. But at one point he
  wrote: "The secret of the greater intelligence and aptitude of the Caucasian un-
  doubtedly in great measure is to be attributed to the commingling of blood
  amongst its various branches; and this was evidently forced in large measure by
  circumstances under divine control. It remains to be proven that the similar
  commingling of the various tribes of Chinese for several centuries would not
  equally brighten their intellects; and the same with the peoples of India and
  Africa." ("Zion's Watch Tower," July 15, 1902, p.216)

  1904 "CAN THE ETHIOPIAN CHANGE HIS SKIN?"
  
  "We answer, No. But all will admit that what the Ethiopian cannot do for him-
  self God could readily do for him. The difference between the races of men and
  the differences between their languages have long been arguments against the
  solidarity of the human family. The doctrine of restitution has also raised the
  question, How could all men be brought to perfection and which color of skin was
  the original? The answer is now provided.
  
  "God can change the Ethiopian's skin in his own due time. Prof. H. A. Ed-
  wards, Supt. of Schools in Slater, Mo., has written for the public press an
  elaborate description of how Julius Jackson, of New Frankfort, Mo., a negro boy
  of nine years, began to grow white in September, 1901, and is now fully nine-
  tenths white. He assures us that this is no whitish skin disease; but that the
  new white skin is as healthy as that of any white boy, and that the changed boy
  has never been sick and never has taken medicines." ("Watchtowers Reprints,"
  Feb.15, 1904, pp.3319,3320)
  
  Russell taught that the skin color of Adam and Eve, originally perfect, was
  Caucasian.
  
  1904 Russell continued teaching there would be 144,000 (Rev.14:1-5 taken lit-
  erally), including him, in heaven. ("The New Creation," 1904, p.179)
  http://www.premier1.net/~raines/theistic.html
  http://www.freeminds.org/history/dates.htm
  http://www.freeminds.org/history/part1.htm
  
  1904 In a paragraph headed "SCIENCE FALSELY SO CALLED," Russell taught that
  
  "Our wise men, anxious to disprove the Bible record of the Creation, 'prove'
  much by the stone formations of the earth's crust; and freely talk about mil-
  lions of years being necessary to produce the stone conditions which are every-
  where apparent. Their long arguments and wise conclusions were made to look
  very silly recently by an accident near East St. Louis. A car of lime and a car
  of potatoes were partly submerged together in the river. The slacking lime
  fired the car and the astonishing result was that every potato was turned to
  flinty stone in less than twenty-four hours. The Lord's people have no need to
  feel ashamed of the old Book."
  
  The old crook was at least useful in showing that the JWs leaders' efforts at
  a cooked-up claim to exclusive Godly wisdom were already well underway with him.
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  TheOldHippie

  Actually, the 1904 is not something written by CTR, but is part of a letter from the readers, and is not commented upon by any of the editorial staff, so it is not correct to make CTR the author of the lines.
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  Ultimate Reality

  Old Hippie: The quote above is part of the reply to a question addressed to the author of Millennial Dawn and the Watch Tower. I do not say that Russell actually penned the words above. Nevertheless, that would seem to be a distinction without a difference since it is defending Russell's chronology and was written in the Watch Tower.
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  Quandry

  the work of accounting for the rich spiritual food the Lord has been supplying to us since October, 1874 -- since the time of his presence, and in full accord with his promise that he would gird himself and become the servant of his true ones at his second presence and serve them “meat in due season,” sending it at the hands of his faithful servants.

  So, then, if "the Lord" was not present until 1914, then the "meat in due season" from the WT was a bit undercooked.

  Notice how utterly sure they are when they present all their B.S. I was young and impressionable - 20 - when I started studying, and took it all in, hook, line, and sinker. For over thirty years I continued to be impressed. If only I'd had all the facts....but this is the only religion that does not want you to study its history....lest you find out some very disturbing things. If only I'd known
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  Ultimate Reality

  Let me also add that "Patterson" has recently used this article in private letters to individuals that challenge the chronology. Their argument being that this is an old issue they have seen before -- of course that argument does not address the challenge and problems with the 607 date. However, when they quote from this article, they do not provide the full reference, only a couple sentences that seem to bolster their current claim.