Earthquakes -- major departure!

by cyberguy 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  cyberguy

  This Awake marks a major departure in the Society's explanation of "earthquakes" and the "composite sign" (an expression that doesn't occur in the Bible) Jesus gave. True, the Knowledge Book left out any explanation of earthquakes being part of the sign, but this Awake article seams to be a major departure from previous explanations.

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  EARTHQUAKES, BIBLE PROPHECY, AND YOU (Awake! Marche 22, 2002, p. 9)

  Before his death, Jesus foretold events and situations that would give evidence that this world had entered "the conclusion of the system of things." That period, he said, would be marked by such things as pestilences, food shortages, and large-scale warfare. He also mentioned "great earthquakes" that would occur "in one place after another." (Matthew 24:3,7; Luke 21:10, 11) Was Jesus referring to our day?

  Many say no. They assert that the number of earthquakes has not substantially increased in recent decades. In fact, the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center reports that earthquakes of 7.0 magnitude and greater remained "fairly constant" throughout the 20th century. (Footnote: Some say that any reports of an increase in the number of earthquakes are simply due to advances in technology, which enable more seismic events to be detected.)

  Note, though, that the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy does not require an increase in the number or power of earthquakes. All Jesus said was that there would be great earthquakes in one place after another. Furthermore, he stated that these events would mark the "beginning of pangs of distress." (Matthew 24:8) Distress is measured, not by the number of earthquakes or how they rate on the Richter sale, but by the effect that they have upon people.

  Earthquakes have indeed caused much distress in our day. In fact, during the 20th century, millions have been killed or left homeless by these disasters. Experts say that many of these deaths could have been prevented. "In developing countries," reports BBC News, "building regulations frequently take second place e to the demands for cheap, quickly built housing to meet the needs of rapid urbanization." Commenting on two recent tragedies, Ben Wisner, an expert in urban disasters, states: "It wasn't earthquakes that killed these people. It was a combination of human error indifference, corruption, and greed."

  Yes, sometimes the deadliest factors in an earthquake are human selfishness and negligence. Interestingly, such qualities come to the fore in another Bible prophecy concerning "the last days" of this system. During that time, the Bible states, people would be "self-centered, lovers of money," and "callous." (2 Timothy 3:1-5, The Amplified Bible) Along with Jesus' words regarding the conclusion of the system of things, this prophecy provides clear evidence that we are nearing the time when God will bring relief to distressed humanity from all present causes of pain and suffering--including great earthquakes.--Psalm 37:11.

  Would you like to learn more about this Bible-base hope? Contact Jehovah's Witnesses in your area, or write to the appropriate address on page 6.

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  So, after reading this, it appears to me that instead of "earthquakes" being part of the supposed "composite sign," the "distress" that people face is the actual factor! This is very interesting, since I don't know how we're suppose to measure how much "distress" we have now compared to what people had 100+ years ago!
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  qwerty

  Picked up on that one myself.
  Thanks for bringing it to everyone attention.

  qwerty
• 

  ozziepost

  We have a thread on this very point a little while ago.
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  Nemesis

  It’s amazing how the information was there back in 1987 in Carl Olof Jonsson’s book ‘The Sign Of The Last Days When?’ And yet it takes the Watch Tower 15 years do admit he was right, correction, they didn’t admit it, just tried yet another meaningless interpretation on no increase in earthquakes! They say:

  “Note, thought, that the fulfilment of Jesus’ prophecy does not require an increase in the number or power of earthquakes. All Jesus said was that there would be great earthquakes on one place after another.”—Awake! 22 March 2002

  Is that a cop out or what! I’m wondering when they will do the same for wars, famine, pestilence and crime?
• 

  ozziepost

  The position on earthquakes is now just like that on 'the generation' i.e. the events/people around at the time of Armageddon.

  What next? Perhaps wars? Food shortages? Lawlessness?

  Kinda loses its impact, doesn't it?

  Cheers,
  Ozzie

  "If our hopes for peace are placed in the hands of imperfect people, they are bound to evaporate."

  
  - Ron Hutchcraft Surviving the Storms of Stress
• 

  Xenu

  One may consider reviewing prior issues of the Watchtower before
  Making a statement such as a "change in the March 22, 2002."
• 

  AlanF

  Right, Nemesis, they've just managed to admit that critics have been right all along, but of course they don't actually admit it so that JWs can see it.

  The article amounts to the same sort of disconnecting their interpretation of the Bible from reality as they did with the "generation change" in 1995. That disconnected "the generation of 1914" from 1914, because "the generation" amounts to "whoever is living whenever the end comes". They're clever in that they still apply the meaningless 1914 date to something that now has no connection to it at all. They do it so as not to alarm the dumb Dubs that yet another major predictive doctrine was wrong for decades.

  The change on earthquakes is similar because there is absolutely no way within the new doctrine to measure the "earthquake sign", because they've admitted that the magnitude and frequency of quakes today is not measurably different from any other time. Note that the Society carefully avoided commenting that the average number of people dying in quakes today -- by their own data that was the basis for the lying claims made in the Reasoning book and elsewhere -- is about the same as 300-400 years ago, so that when average population is figured in, the risk of dying in an earthquake in the 20th century is about three times lower than in the 18th century! Therefore, if anything, this "earthquake sign" is really an "anti-sign". The Society's new focus -- that "all Jesus said was that there would be great earthquakes..." -- is truly a copout, because it ignores the supremely obvious fact that the continuing existence of something that has existed for the entire history of the earth cannot be a sign of anything. It would be like my saying, "When the grass is green, the sky is blue and young men are lusting after young women, I will visit you." Obviously I've given you no information at all.

  The stupidity of JW leaders who come up with this nonsense in the first place, and of the JW rank and file that blindly accepts blatant nonsense, is simply breathtaking. In the thread in which this topic was discussed some weeks ago, even our great dispenser of JW "light", our wannabe Priest-King You Know, fled from commenting about the 'non-signedness' of this "sign".

  AlanF
• 

  SixofNine

  "building regulations frequently take second place e to the demands for cheap, quickly built housing to meet the needs of rapid urbanization."

  And yet how fortunate we are to live in the very first generation of humans to actually have building codes, at least in developed, educated lands.
• 

  AlanF

  You're somewhat right, Xenu, in that there have been a couple of admissions that perhaps earthquakes were not as bad as the Society had been saying. I seem to recall articles in WT's from 1987 and 1993 or so (I don't have my references at hand, so I'm going by memory). But these were almost always accompanied by strong caveats and implications that this was only the opinion of a few geologists, and that other geologists disagreed. However, the latest Awake! is by far the most definite statement that I can recall.

  AlanF
• 

  Xander

  I don't see this as a cop-out, though.

  Read closer:

  Note, though, that the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy does not require an increase in the number or power of earthquakes....Distress is measured, not by the number of earthquakes or how they rate on the Richter sale, but by the effect that they have upon people.

  Although they don't say it (or, indeed, directly imply it), this is the same way they phrase their other doctrinal shifts. EX: 'Oh, we never meant there would be MORE earthquakes, or they would be WORSE - that was just members running ahead of the org thinking that. We only really meant that the damage would be worse from them...'

  Note that they NEVER make any mention of 'this publication has, in years past, implied that earthquakes would get worse, but we now know otherwise' or 'we misinterpreted the scriptures to mean....but now we have a clear understanding'.

  NO. The problem with this article is twofold:

  1) They act as if no doctrinal change has occured....'don't miss a beat' as it were

  2) They then imply that those who think that earthquakes WERE a part of the sign were wrong (but never admitted that they ever thought so)

  Xander F
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Ohio order)

  A fanatic is one who, upon losing sight of his goals, redoubles his efforts.
  --George Santayana