Feb 15 study W/T up on jw.org

by konceptual99 40 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  konceptual99

  Latest WT is up.

  Reinforces Jesus becoming king in 1914 (no let up on that date)

  Marriage of the Lamb to the 144,000

  yawn.... yawn....

  Celebrates the 100 year anniversary of the Photo Drama of Creation. It seems to me that every 100 year anniversary shall be celebrated just to try and take the wind from the sails of apostates.

  [EDIT]

  This is interesting....

  http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20140215/expectation-messiah/

  Could the first-century Jews have calculated the time of the Messiah’s arrival on the basis of the prophecy of the 70 weeks recorded at Daniel 9:24-27? While that possibility cannot be ruled out, it cannot be confirmed. The fact is that there were many conflicting interpretations of the 70 weeks in Jesus’ day, and none come close to our present understanding. *

  The Essenes, widely thought to have been a Jewish monastic sect, taught that two Messiahs would appear toward the end of 490 years, but we cannot be certain that the Essenes based their calculations on Daniel’s prophecy. Even if they had done so, it is hard to imagine how the Jews in general would have come to be influenced by the chronology of such a reclusive group.

  In the second century C.E., certain Jews believed that the 70 weeks covered the period from the destruction of the first temple in 607 B.C.E. to the destruction of the second temple in 70 C.E., while others connected the fulfillment of the prophecy with the Maccabean period of the second century B.C.E. So there was no clear consensus as to how the 70 weeks should be counted.

  If the timing of the 70 weeks had been correctly understood in the first century C.E., one would think that the apostles and other first-century Christians would have referred to it as proof that the promised Messiah had arrived right on time in the person of Jesus Christ. However, there is no evidence that the earliest Christians did so.

  Another factor is worth noting. Gospel writers often pointed out that certain prophecies found in the Hebrew Scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. (Matt. 1:22, 23; 2:13-15; 4:13-16) Yet, not one of them connects Jesus’ appearance on earth with the prophecy of the 70 weeks.

  In summary: We cannot confirm that people in Jesus’ day correctly understood the prophecy of the 70 weeks. However, the Gospels provide other sound reasons why the people would have been “in expectation” of the Messiah.

  So one of the key prophecies that is used now to back up the timing of the Messiah was not important enough for the Jews of the time to understand when it pointed to the arrival of their messiah in their time...

  Shame that the light did not get brighter for them...
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  pixel

  They are pushing that 1914 date more and more. Funny thing is that any witness can tell you 1-9-1-4. But ask them how to arrive to that date and you will get -----silcence------.
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  sir82

  I seem to remember earlier (many decades earlier) articles insinuating that the Jews could have / should have figured out the exact date for Messiah to arrive based on the 70 weeks.

  Sounds like another case where they are finally refuting their own long-held teachings when they can be demonstrably shown to be impossible.
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  AnnOMaly

  Wow re the '70 weeks'! Doug Mason's going to have a field day with that LOL!
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  LostGeneration

  Chuckie Russell finally gets a little love in the last article. Ironic quote:

  Charles T. Russell, who took the lead among the Bible Students, constantly searched for the most effective and fastest means possible to spread Bible truth.

  Hmmm, funny how today's GB fails to follow that example.
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  Captain Blithering

  It seem that the whole argument of that paragraph is implying that the first century Christians didn't accurately interpret prophecy.

  Setting a precedent to excuse 1975 and future misinterpretations?
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  DesirousOfChange

  It seem that the whole argument of that paragraph is implying that the first century Christians didn't accurately interpret prophecy.

  That should be of no surprise since we now know that Jesus had NOT chosen them as the F&D Slave to provide the proper food for their time.

  Doc
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  Faithful Witness

  I haven't studied this article in depth, but from what you posted here, it honestly looks like yet another denial of Christ being the Messiah.

  Evidently, apparently, consequently, clearly, another adjustment needs to be made to clarify our understanding. The apostles who actually walked and talked with Christ, did not understand the prophecies correctly. Upon further examination, it has been revealed that they were merely "expecting" a Messiah to come at some point in the future, which was clearly in 1914, not that Jesus had actually fulfilled those Old Testament prophecies when he came and stood among them. Huh Who Huh?

  More twisting and writhing from the WTS, forcing the JW's to read and repeat a bunch of nonsense. Keep the sheep amused, confused and busy busy busy!

  Don't worry, you don't need to understand it, just keep working. Turn in your time cards and Jehovah will take care of the rest.
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  DATA-DOG

  " The fact is that there were many conflicting interpretations of the 70 weeks in Jesus’ day, and none come close to our present understanding. *"

  Really?!?! I am not suprised.
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  Vidqun

  As usual, the scholarship of the WT writers is questionable to say the least. To make matters worse, they do not quote sources. The reader is forced to take their word for it. Perhaps they should try doing it this way, so that those who are interested in the subject can do their homework and decide for themselves:

  The Jews did expect “Messiah [the] leader” at the beginning of the CE (Matt. 2:3-6). This has to do with Jewish reckoning, especially Essene chronology. According to R. Beckwith: “The Essenes began Daniel’s seventy weeks at the return from the Exile, which they dated in Anno Mundi 3430, and that they therefore expected the period of seventy weeks or 490 years to expire in A.M. 3920, which meant for them between 3 B.C. and A.D. 2. Consequently their hopes of the coming of the Messiah of Israel (the Son of David) were concentrated on the preceding 7 years, the last week, after the 69 weeks. Their interpretation of the seventy weeks is first found in the Testament of Levi and the Pseudo-Ezekiel Document (4 Q 384-390), which probably means that it was worked out before 146 B.C.” For a more complete discussion of the evidence see Roger Beckwith, “Daniel 9 and the Date of Messiah’s Coming in Essene, Hellenistic, Pharisaic, Zealot and Early Christian Computation,” Revue de Qumran 10 (December 1981): pp. 521-542.