I want to know whether 607 is valid or not.

by XPeterX 157 Replies latest jw friends

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  garyneal

  Titus,

  It really makes no difference to me whether they hold onto 1914 or not. The problem I have is how they use their 'authority' to control 7 million people in their flock, even to the point of their death via their blood doctrine.

  For people like my wife, this is significant because deep down she wants to celebrate holidays and birthdays but she is being taught by the faithful slave that these desires are the 'desires of the flesh.' It was 'Mother' who put those ideas in her head and has her thinking that way. Since I do not get the same interpretation from the Bible as 'mother' does, I am accused of having a rebellious spirit against 'father.' Why, where is their authority?

  Oh, yeah, Jesus selected them in 1919.
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  TD

  If Barbour indeed counted forward from 606 to arrive at 1914, then what was his basis for 606 to begin with? I guess the more general question would be, how did this date get accepted in general religious circles at the time?

  Gary,

  In the mid 19th century Bible expositers began interpreting the 70 years of Jeremiah as applying from the fall of Babylon back to the fall of Jerusalem. Since 536 was the accepted date at the time for the fall of Babylon, counting back 70 years got you to 606. Nelson Barbour was one individual that embraced this idea. It's one of the most boring things I've ever read, but he states as much in the book Three Worlds; or Plan of Redemption

  This was not accepted by large mainstream religions. Archbishop James Ussher had placed Jerusalem's fall in the year 588BC back in the late 17th century for example. It was widely accepted in the many small religious circles that sprang up in America and Great Britain during the 19th century (i.e. Adventists and kindred groups) I failed to state that very clearly. -Sorry
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  PSacramento

  You'd think that ever the "great disappointment" that those groups and people connected to them, would have learned a valuable lesson.
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  JWoods

  You'd think that ever the "great disappointment" that those groups and people connected to them, would have learned a valuable lesson.

  Actually, the modern adventism pretty much did - only the witnesses (as a major religion) are still hanging on to the final extensions of 1844/1874/1914.
• 

  PSacramento

  Thanks Jwoods.

  Another thing that seems to not get addressed is that Jesus said that NO ONE knows the time, except God and this was resated when Jesus returned to heaven, in the NWT' own words:

  6 When, now, they had assembled, they went asking him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them: “It does not belong to YOU to get knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction; 8 but YOU will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon YOU , and YOU will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Ju·de´a and Sa·mar´i·a and to the most distant part of the earth.” 9 And after he had said these things, while they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud caught him up from their vision. 10 And as they were gazing into the sky while he was on his way, also, look! two men in white garments stood alongside them, 11 and they said: “Men of Gal´i·lee, why do YOU stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who was received up from YOU into the sky will come thus in the same manner as YOU have beheld him going into the sky.”
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  garyneal

  Thanks TD,

  I'm curious as to whether or not this point was also illustrated in Carl Johnson's book? I've read parts of it but the not whole book in its entirety. He points out that a lot of people tried to calculate different dates based on their interpretation of the gentiles times.
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  PSacramento

  Carl goes over that quite thourghly.
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  garyneal

  Another thing that seems to not get addressed is that Jesus said that NO ONE knows the time, except God and this was resated when Jesus returned to heaven, in the NWT' own words:

  And that right there is the whole reason why I don't accept any date put forth by any religious leader. My wife is correct when she points out (oftentimes disparengingly) that I've been to a lot of different churches. I've also heard a lot of different theories put forth by the pastors of those churches regarding when Christ's return will happen. At least they never went as far as the adventist and the watchtower did by saying that He returned invisibly when His predicted visible return failed.
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  garyneal

  Carl goes over that quite thourghly.

  Looks like I need to reread that book more thoroughly, thanks.
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  PSacramento

  And that right there is the whole reason why I don't accept any date put forth by any religious leader.

  Good man since Jesus himself warns agianst that very thing !

  "some will come and say the end is here or the Christ is here or there, to mislead the sheep, do not believe them".

  ( I am parapharasing of course)