Hi folks. My wife and I have begun dissecting with eagerness the 7/15/2013 WT Study Article (Sept. 3-9, 2013) last week. On Sunday, it will be the start of the day of reckoning!
I am happy to gain valuable insights from this forum as well as from Cedar's JW Survery blog. I have invited one of our elder-friends and some very close friends to study the said article with us prior to the WT study schedule this coming Sunday. While much has been covered already, I just found a couple points.
First, Page 4 par. 5 states that: ...Thus, the events that began in 1914 were, not the beginning of the great tribulation, but the "beginning of pangs of distress." These pangs of distress correspond to what took place in Jerusalem and Judea from 33 CE to 66CE." This is where I need some help from our friends and brothers here. What are the events that took place between 33 - 66CE that made the WT writers conclude that such period correspond to "pangs of distress”? I Googled this period and found nothing so far to support the idea.
Second, Par. 6 refers to the United Nations as the modern day disgusting thing. WT prophesied or interpreted that the UN will attack False Religion - just like when Roman army attacked Jerusalem and its temple during its first century fulfillment. I have embraced this doctrine since 1990; however, I didn't know what happened last Sunday during my personal study. It occurred to me that the parallelism or analogy of WT is weak and would not hold water.
The Roman army and the Jews in Jerusalem are two different races/people. Simply put it, the Romans are different from the Jews in Jerusalem in a lot of respects (e.g. origin, nationality, political and religious beliefs). The attack is coming from the outside of Jerusalem. It's like Japan vs. US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii thing. Now examine closely how the WT identifies the UN as the modern disgusting thing to attack false religion.
I told my wife the UN is an international organization composed of close to 200 member states/countries. Each country is composed of diverse religions or religious groups. A UN representative from a specific country has his/her own religion. A UN member-country virtually carries not only its own political and security interests to the UN body but the total interests of such member-country, including those matters that can affect the exercise of religious freedom.
The intriguing question now is: How can the UN - as backed up by its member states - attack all false religions when such false religions WT are referring to are composed of the same people (practicing different religious beliefs) who are part of the UN? I am deeply confused how such an attack will happen? Even political officials are respectful of their own religious leaders (though there is always an exception). Would this mean the UN will order a bloody attack against all religions/churches in all their member-countries when the UN itself supports the exercise of religious freedom (see below)?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. A Lutheran pastor, Frederick Nolde, represented the World Council of Churches in the deliberations that led to the Universal Declaration. He is credited as being the main drafter of Article 18, which reads as follows: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his (sic.) religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his (sic.) religion or belief in teaching practice, worship and observance.
If ever this happens, this would be tantamount to annihilation of civilization. Imagine the governments destroying their very own churches, causing their extinction, and would just favor one organization - Jehovah's Witnesses? This also runs contrary to what happened to the people of Nineveh, an ancient city. They were saved from destruction by the Almighty God after they have heeded His message and repented. Take note that Nineveh was not part of God's chosen people .
I know that to humans, things are impossible but to God, all things are possible. Nevertheless, they way the WT believes it will be the UN to destroy all false religions seems to be illogical and complicated to say the very least .