My eyes have become blinded to truth.

refiners fire

Just for the hell of it I started browsing thru a Witness book.
Its called "Then is finished the mystery of God" (1969)
Just opening it at random...

page 209, talking about the org in 1918:

As the historic facts show, Gods tremendous pre Armaggedon work was by no means finished at that date as regards the sealing of the remainder of the 144000 spiritual Israelites,and the later gathering of the numberless 'great crowd'

Yeah...but this is talking about the org in 1918. They didnt know anything about a great crowd in 1918.
And just what 'historic facts'are they talking about?
I see no historic facts.
It continues:

Reasonably then, the time for the opening of the 7th seal would be at the start of this period...Let us then accordingly locate ourselves at the start of the postwar period at the transistion of the year 1918 to 1919.From this standpoint we watch to see what the Apostle John saw

Why, exactly, is it 'reasonable' to do this?
By what criteria do they claim this right to interprete Revelation 8 from this time location at the start of 1919?
Next it says, quoting Revelation 8 verse 1:

"and when he opened the 7th seal, a silence occured in heaven for half an hour"...Silence in heaven for half an hour! But why? It was evidently a time for prayers to be heard from the earth

'Evidently'?
How does the writer know this?
Isnt this an assumption on his part?
What here proves that this scriptures interpretation is that there was silence in heaven for a half hour while Judge Rutherford prayed?
Was it a literal half hour or a symbolic half hour?
Here is the writers proof of this interpretation:

At the temple in earthly Jerusalem the offering of incense by the priest took about half an hour.During this time the people worshipping outside ...kept silence while they engaged in mental prayer

Exodus 30 verses 1 thru 8, and Luke 1 verses 8 thru 10 are listed in support.
I check them. Guess what? Neither of these scripture passages says anything ABOUT a period of a "half hour".Dont forget, thats what we are talking about here. So what have they got to do with this interpretation that the "half hour" commenced in 1919?
Nothing at all! Where is the writers proof for his assertions?

Truly, the Lord has blinded my eyes to being able to see His Truths!

refiners fire

Next it interprets Revelation 8 verse 5, this is on page 212.
First the scripture:

"right away the angel took the incense vessel and he filled it with some of the fire of the alter and he hurled it to the earth. And thunders occured, and voices and lightnings and an earthquake"

How were these dramatic events realized?
The book says:

the FIRE of the HEATED issue of Gods kingdom was THRUST upon the earthly stage by the annointed remnant in 1919... expressions of Gods supernatural power followed,..there were THUNDEROUS storm warnings.
there were STORMY VOICES or sounds, LIGHTNINGS of divine revelation FLASHED forth, and there was earthy UNSETTLEMENT and UPHEAVAL

This all allegedly occured at the cedar point convention in 1919 in a series of public talks!
staggering assumption.
Note that the writer offers not a scrap of concrete evidence for this ridiculous hypothesis. What he DOES do is incorporate the language of the scripture verse into his interpretation to link the two in the readers mind.
That is all hes got to convince you!
The capitalized words were done by me.
I wonder. Did those upon the earth know anything at all about these lightnings and earthquakes?
You know...it occurs to me that they wouldnt put "deep" interpretations like this in the Watchtower mag. A newby at the meeting would see thru it! Food garbage like this is only for book studies."Meat in due season" for those already thoroughly brainwashed.

Lord! put salve upon mine eyes that I might see again.

Guest 77

Just think RF, if you had been living in those days with your present comments, you could have brought those insights to Rutherfords attention. Now, what do you think he would have done with you? Oh, excuse me, you would have been one of the anointed. Only anointed ones have that type insight. Maybe not, because he wouldn't want you to be President or try to usurp HIS authority. Presidential 'perks' were especially for him.

Guest 77

refiners fire

guest.
oh for the days when i believed, and it was all so simple....and boring....and scary.

JT

excellent post

i recall conducting the bookstudy out of the rev book one night and a sister's husband was there and after the meeting he asked me a question

Where does the bible say that the conventions of jw were part of the bible being fullfilled

all i could do was ref more wt publications and of course he realized that we do something that we claim that we don't

yes as jw we do attempt to INTERPETE THE BIBLE EVNE THOUGH ALMOST ALL JW WILL SAY (and right out of the wt pubs by the way)

WE LET THE BIBLE INTERPET ITSELF

yea right
james

refiners fire

Revelation 8 verse 7:
And the first one blew his trumpet,and there occurred a hail, and fire mingled with blood

page 216:
after his public address to an audience of 18000, the president, JF Rutherford, read and moved a resolution entitled "A Challenge".
The vast audience rose to its feet, with mighty applause, in endorsement of this resolution that pointed out the disloyalty of Christendoms clergy...
From then until now Christendom has...
been PELTED with HARDENED WATER of a POUNDING HAIL in the form of strong, heavy charges of Bible truth and prophecy, betokening Gods curse!

Rutherford: "Religion is a snare and a racket! Religion is a snare and a racket!"
clergy: "Hiss! Arggg! It BURNNSSS! Hiss!!"

larc

I remember growing up as a boy and going to the book study, and reading stuff like this. I thought it was all so wonderful. It is amazing how silly it now appears, as an adult, and away from it all for many years.

refiners fire

Larc:
The bookstudy. Oddly enough, was the only meeting I ever looked forward to.
It was more personal. But ,best of all, was the books.
Books about Revelation or Ezekial, full of grim death, destruction, fire and blood.
Just the thing to stoke a young lads imagination.

larc

RF,

I never thought of that, but I think you are right. Boys enjoy the idea of firey distruction and the vivid discription of a wrathful God, who is going to make everything right again. Fortunately, most of us out grow this simplistic notion.

Francois

Refiners Fire, that stuff you're pointing out is the same kinds stuff that filled me with disgust when I read it in "Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose."

Things like fire from heaven being represented by little pamphlets that were being handed out announcing Rutherfor's kenote address and other nonsense like that. And each and every other tinest detail of prophecy strained through a gnat-hole, and bent all out of shape in many directions like a muffler pipe making a contorted trip from the engine back to the rear of the car.

I'm sure you know what I mean.

That was a huge turn-off to me. Huge. I was all of 16 years old, too. And I never forgot it. It stayed in there festering and ferminting, to leap out 9 or so years later, with my eyes blinking a nice red neon color and from my mouth: REJECT REJECT TILT! Do Not Pass Go. Do not Collect $200 dollars.TILT! REJECT! REJECT!

Francois

My eyes have become blinded to truth.

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