Fred Franz: Time in Which We Are Now Interested -- 1975 lecture

by cabasilas 19 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  cabasilas

  From Internet Archive:

  "Time in Which We Are Now Interested," lecture given by Frederick W. Franz on February 5, 1975 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. This was a special lecture given by Fred Franz (then Vice President of the Watchtower Society and one of the main theologians of Jehovah's Witnesses at that time) on the 6,000 year chronology that pointed to the year 1975 as a special year marked in Bible prophecy. At 50:50 minutes, Franz explains that the expected events for 1975 would be delayed by the "interval of time" between Adam and Eve's creation as the start of the "Seventh Creative Day" did not begin until after Eve was created. The lecture was attended by leaders ("servant bodies") of local congregations in the Los Angeles area and was tied to by wire to another site in Oakland, California. In 1977, Fred Franz became President of the Watchtower Society.

  Lecture can be listened to here:

  http://www.archive.org/details/TimeInWhichWeAreNowInterestedByFredFranz
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  cabasilas

  Another lecture at the Internet Archive. A few months later:

  "Hold Fast Our Faith in God's Word," lecture by Fred Franz, given April 1975 in Jackson, Mississippi. At the time, Fred Franz was Vice-President of the Watchtower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses) and would later (in 1977) become President of the Watchtower Society. At 51:00 minutes, Fred Franz discusses how the year 1975 had been discussed in Watchtower publications and how many might be critical of the Jehovah's Witnesses and what they had said about the year 1975.

  Lecture can be listened to at:

  http://www.archive.org/details/HoldFastOurFaithInGodsWordByFredFranz
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  cabasilas

  Compare these with Fred Franz's lecture at a 1972 Gilead graduation, also from the Internet Archive:

  Lecture given by then Watchtower Vice President Fred Franz on October 1, 1972 at the graduation of the 53rd class of Gilead School. It was also the Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses), held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Franz notes that Orthodox Judaism was then celebrating the 5,733rd year since mankind's creation, but that "spiritual Israelites" (JWs) believed according to their chronology that they were "almost smack up" against 6,000 years (not 5733 years) and the Millennium. At the time, the Witnesses were highlighting the year 1975 as going to be a significant year. Franz goes on to say that this was not at time to slow down thinking the End was a long way off instead as if the Orthodox Jewish chronology was more correct. This lecture was described in the Nov. 15, 1972 Watchtower, pp. 702-703.

  Lecture can be listened to at:

  http://www.archive.org/details/1972FredFranzLectureGileadGraduation
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  Nathan Natas

  Thank you very much for these hard-to-find references!
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  Leolaia

  This is the talk in which he mentioned bestiality, right?
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  Bungi Bill

  Franz's statement at 50:50 minutes - regarding the time between Adam's creation and that of Eve - was his escape clause.

  Over the previous nine years, the WTS had said (and written) a lot about 1975. However, this was the first time that they tried to cover themselves:

  - just in case the unthinkable did happen (as, of course, it certainly did!).

  Bill.
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  cantleave

  Marking
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  Bonnie_Clyde

  The expected events for 1975 would be delayed by the "interval of time" between Adam and Eve's creation as the start of the "Seventh Creative Day" did not begin until after Eve was created.

  That's exactly what a circuit overseer told me in 1957--nine years before the Society began the 1975 teaching. I was a young teenager, and I asked the CO about the 6,000 years and if we added that to Adam's creation in 4026 B.C., wouldn't that bring us to 1975? If that guy had the "correct" understanding back in 1957, how come Freddy didn't figure it out untl 1975? And Freddy was "annointed!"

  Bonnie
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  Mad Sweeney

  Great links cabasilas! Thanks for posting the links!

  Do you happen to have the Franz talk where he railed against the governing body concept? I've seen/read transcripts but never heard the audio. I think it was at a Gilead graduation ceremony later in 1975.
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  Mad Sweeney

  Nevermind. FreeMinds has it:

  www.freeminds.org/category/6-mp3s-voice-podcasts.html

  It's at the bottom of the page!

  Four Franz talks in one JWN thread! Oh my.