Did you REALLY believe Armaggedon was coming?

sleepy

Did you ever REALLY believe Armaggedon was just about to happen?
Maybe to such a degree that you were scared or made major changes in your life?
I'm not old enought to remmeber 1975 but with the Gulf war a lot of people got scared and believed the end was coming ( including me).
Werent we doing the revelation book at the time?
I remmber lots more people coming to the hall , the type who usually just turn up at the memorial.
Once we had a very long electrical storm (which is an amazing experince by the way) which lasted all night loads of thunder and lighting.Just like how you might imagine armaggedon could have been.
The next sunday the hall was full.
Any conection you think?

badwillie

I had Armageddon-phobia. Through the WTS's constant guilt inducing, I never thought I was going to make it. My mom instilled this sense of urgency, she was a big watcher of current events as they related to bible "prophecy". I feel very relieved that it was all BS.

Undecided

Hi Sleepy,

I don't know whether I really belived it or if it was just something I was taught from my youth. I just drifted away in 1974, evidently I didn't believe in the 1975 date. Now 90% of those who were alive when I was a kid and tried to instill this view in my head are dead and still Armageddon is not in sight. So I guess I still don't beleive it.

Ken P.

Joyzabel

Yes

(thank God I'm free from that idea anymore!)

LB

I believed, I believed. Am I stupid or what. Then after talking to dozens of witnesses who were witnesses for all their lives, I began to doubt, just as they have.

Never Squat With Yer Spurs On

Amazing

Hi Sleepy:

Did you ever REALLY believe Armaggedon was just about to happen? Maybe to such a degree that you were scared or made major changes in your life?

Many JWs were scared to a great extent, not so much of Armegeddon itself, where we were told to believe that Jehovah would protect us, but we were more afraid of the events leading up to Armageddon ... mainly persecution, torture, or death. We did not fear death as much of itself, but the implications that we would be resurrected as non-sexual "ITs" and not enjoy the promised blessings of being with our mates in eternal marital bliss. For Anointed JWs, this meant leaving our families forever.

I'm not old enought to remmeber 1975 but with the Gulf war a lot of people got scared and believed the end was coming ( including me). Werent we doing the revelation book at the time?

Yes, we were studying the rev Climax book when the Gulf War started. At the time, I never really felt scared or considered it was Armageddon ... but then, I was already on my journey out of the religion ... which took another year to complete.

I remmber lots more people coming to the hall, the type who usually just turn up at the memorial. Once we had a very long electrical storm (which is an amazing experince by the way) which lasted all night loads of thunder and lighting. Just like how you might imagine armaggedon could have been. That Sunday our hall was full. Any conection you think?

Our memorial that year seemed like any other to me. I am sure that many JWs felt a renewed sense of urgency. We were also at the time observing the thaw of the Soviet Union and Communism ... and were also expecting a general statement of Peace and Security ... which did take place in August 1991 when Bush and Gorbechev announced peace and security in a joint statement.

It was this event that led me to make my last big 'Witness' to a fellow engineer I traveled with on business. It was about October 1991. He said things in a way that made it a defining momnent for me as I was pushing the Peace and Security issue. Shortly thereafter, I received my copy of In Search of Christian Freedom by Ray Franz ... and the rest is history.

Pureheart

Hi Amazing,

You said, "For Anointed JWs, this meant leaving our families forever."
Are you one of the annointed?

Pureheart

Hi sleepy,
Armaggedon, yep its coming.

Pureheart

Englishman

Sleepy,

Yes I used to believe that armageddon was just around the corner.

Know what really bothered me about believing that armageddon was so close?

Ozzie will love this. I was really worried that armageddon would come and I would then never be able to see Pompey promoted to the First Division!

Englishman.

..From the scepter'd Isle kept free by 2 fins and 4 Merlins.

teenyuck

Yeah, I thought so. I was 14 in 1974 and the hysteria in the congregation was building. People were getting excited about it. So of course I was.

When I was watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve, 1974, I was waiting...and waiting. Same thing to roll in 1976. Nothing.

Or, perhaps it happened and I missed it?

Did you REALLY believe Armaggedon was coming?

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