The 1914 generation is still going strong 100 years later

pixel

Question: Why the WT/FDS/GB stops at 2 overlapping generations? Why 2?

Thank you all for your comments and enthusiasm to disscus this worn out subject once more. I put it out there again because there will be young Jehovah's Witnesses with doubts looking at this site, who have not given this matter much thought or looked at the promises the Watchtower Society made for several generations. I have my doubts about the authenticity of the Bible but as it is an absolute authority to Jehovah's Witnesses, the Watchtower Society has to show respect for scripture. This means accurately representing the intention of Jesus’ words.

Jesus, having condemned the Scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and treatment of the prophets, Jesus went on to speak of the destruction of Jerusalem. He was talking to the Scribes and Pharisees and telling them they would pay for the wrong they had done with their lives.

Truly I say to you. All these things will come upon this generation. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophets… Matthew 23:36, 37 - New World Translation

Jesus then left them and was approached by his disciples who asked him to look at the temple buildings with them. Jesus was asked by them when the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of their temple would be. He then gave a detailed description of the events leading up to this. Jesus then repeated his statement concerning the generation then living to his disciples:

I tell you this: this present generation will live to see it all.

Matthew24:34- The New English Bible

Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all things occur.

Matthew24:34- New World Translation

Any Jehovah's Witnesse looking at the comments and quotes on this thread owes it to themself to carry out an independent examination of the - This Generation Fiasco.

Xanthippe

I don't worship the true God with an expiration date in mind for obvious reasons.

Whoever you are, whichever Bethel office you're in, you should be ashamed of yourself. Emotionally blackmailing brothers like this with guilt trips is unforgivable. You are such a good person are you, serving Jehovah until you die? My mother died asking for her granddaughter with almost her last breath. The child she had ignored because she followed your commands to shun my baby. Your teachings disgust me. You worship Jehovah until you die if you wish, I am not going to watch another member of my family die waiting for empty promises to be fulfilled.

OnTheWayOut

I imagine the average JW will be letting this go in one ear and out the other as it is read.

tootired2care

tootired, I don't worship the true God with an expiration date in mind for obvious reasons.- (Matt 24:36) Besides, what's a generation, or even overlapping generations when one has the possibility of living for eterninity all the while learning about Jehovah? While it's true that this system of things is still functioning longer than we anticipated, everyday still brings us closer to it's impending collapse and the signs are all there to reassure us. Besides, encroaching upon 2014, we're still closer to the end than our brethren were in the late 1800s, the early 1900s, mid 1900, latter 1900s, the early 80's, etc.. We're getting there, even if it does appear to be delaying. It may not come until 1934 or later, but it will come.-2 Pet 3:8,9; Hab 2:3

As Winston Churchill said, "that the task which has been set us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance."

Thanks for responding, and I get where you are coming from. When you say "the signs are all there to reassure us", what signs are you specifically referring to? Here are facts that don't track with some of the Watchtowers signs of the end, that they used to keep us urgent, while I was in for 35 years. What say you?

1. Whatever happened to the king of the north/south sign of an impending apocolypse?
2. Dwindling numbers of annointed, have greatly increased.
3. Why are large earthquakes at all time historical lows? [reference link]
4. Crime rates are the lowest they have ever been in recent times. [Economist link]

Couldn't you say that things were much worse centuries and mellenia ago, when they had public bloody gladiator battles to the death for cheering crowds, or religious inquisitions, and crusades, and public stonings?

sir82

Besides, encroaching upon 2014, we're still closer to the end than our brethren were in the late 1800s, the early 1900s, mid 1900, latter 1900s, the early 80's, etc.. We're getting there, even if it does appear to be delaying.

I know he's a troll but I can't resist.....

And we're closer than to the end than our brethren in the 1800's.

And the 1600's

And the 1500's

And the 1400's

And the 1300's

And the 1200's

And the 1100's

And the 1000's

And the 900's

And the 800's

And the 700's

And the 600's

And the 500's

And the 400's

And the 300's

And the 200's

And the 100's

And hey, we're closer to the end now than when I started typing this post!

Wait a minute! Now we're even closer!

Closer still!

It's imminent!

Now it's closer than imminent!

OMG! Still closer!

Just around the corner!

Closer still!

It is imminently imminent!

It's closer than the inside of your eyelid!

The stone is about to touch the toes of the image!

REALLY close now!

Simon

So their belief is that Jesus answer to WHEN being "this generation will not pass away" actually means ... erm, some people will have been resurrected in heaven, you can't see them and they will never die and the overlap some others also part of the generation.

So basically, look out for this sign which is impossible to look out for and will never end.

And that's 'when'.

Thanks Jesus, you were useless.

AnnOMaly

"The first group was on hand in 1914, and they readily discerned the sign of Christ’s presence in that year."

Big porkie pie.

They 'readily discerned' it for the first time in 1930, and then not properly for another decade or more afterward.

References HERE.

First mention in WT publications HERE. (Pdf page no. 280, 281.)

TTATTelder

Pixel,

Cutting it off at 2 generations - Creates Urgency. Doomsday groups have to have urgency to keep membership up.

Lets use 90 year lifespans and 25 year olds getting annointed. If you are 25 in 1914 and get annointed and live to be 90, that would put you dead in 1979.

If another overlapping person gets annointed in 1979 at 25, then he is now 59. Not exactly a "doomsday is tomorrow" equation, but it makes it more urgent than the end could be 180 years (90 + 90) from 1914.

Doomsday in 2094 isn't going to scare anybody into submission.

ed60

As many as 51%? Really?

Most of them proved their integrity under trials and persecution and kept right on serving Jehovah.

I mean - loads of people leave all the time. Lots of countries it's like one in, one out... How many people alive today have been a JW and are no longer a JW? That would be an interesting number. If only we had the report data!

The 1914 generation is still going strong 100 years later - 2014 study article.