We thought it might be Armageddon when...

by cultBgone 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  LogCon

  In 1964 my parents took me to see 'My Fair Lady' at the movies.

  I was 12 years old and I did not know the scene [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyW0q95Thog ] was at the horse races. I was spellbound by all the big hats. When all the actors came over to the fence there was a increasing rumble which I thought was Armageddon coming.

  I really, really, REALLY thought angels were going to collapse the roof. My heart was popping out of my chest. The increasing thunder of the horses hoofs is from 1:22 to 1:37. When the horses road by it took me a minute to understand what was really happening, but my heart did not stop racing for about 4 hours. The pictures of the Paradise Lost book flashed in my mind.

  It was frightening.
• 

  Ucantnome

  gulf war.
• 

  rip van winkle

  Yes, the gulf war. Kinda how I fell into this JW mess.

  And then 9/11.
• 

  Ucantnome

  the reason i felt we were at Armageddon, the great tribulation at the time of the gulf war was

  the generation that saw the events of 1914 were getting old. we had this peace year which has already been mentioned and now we had a war. gulf war.

  “In the time of the end the king of the south will engage with him in a pushing, and against him the king of the north will storm with chariots and horsemen and many ships; and he will enter into the lands and sweep through like a flood. (Daniel 11:40 NWT)

  in the book Your Will Be Done On Earth (1958 WTB&TS) talking of the king of the north on page 297 it says,

  Down to the "time of the end" at Armageddon there will be competitive coexistence between the "two kings". In some way the king of the south must act, whether preventively ot protectively.

  further on, on page 303 of the same publication it tells us,

  How far the king of the north will have got when he reaches his "time of the end" the future will tell. But he is predicted to gain control over the treasures of gold, silver and all the precious things of this commercialized, materialistic world, including oil.

  I felt this could be it, might as well stop working and go home have a drink or two.
• 

  blondie

  The WTS always covers its a** by having 2 contradictory teachings. Thus it would not be possible to determine that the end was close; that it would come at a time you think not (per Jesus).

  While they teach BTG has fallen and the waters are drying up (don't hear that too much lately), they also teach that BTG will go down quickly as a going concern, as a queen, like a vase that is suddenly knocked off a pedestal. Notice that this reasoning was given in 1974 when BTG was not disintegrating at the speed some JWs thought since 1975 was just around the corner.

  ***w74 1/15 p. 54 "Keep Close in Mind the Presence of the Day of Jehovah" ***

  But what does Jeremiah 25:34, 35 say about this? Concerning what will happen to Christendom's leaders just as concerning what was to befall the Jewish leaders shortly after Jerusalem's fall in 607 B.C.E., it says: "Howl, you shepherds, and cry out! And wallow about, you majestic ones of the flock, because your days for slaughtering and for your scatterings have been fulfilled, and you must fall like a desirable vessel!"

  So it is not a slow fading away by loss of members that brings the end of Christendom?s false religions and their clergy. Instead, just as a beautiful vase, a "desirable vessel," suddenly falls from its pedestal, to the dismay of its onlookers, so the clergy and their false religion have a sudden, surprising crash to destruction.

  Also, as to the swiftness of the fall of Babylon the Great, what does Revelation chapter 18, verse 10, say: "They [the mourners, including many commercial men] stand at a distance because of their fear of her torment and say, 'Too bad, too bad, you great city, Babylon you strong city, because in one hour your judgment has arrived!" And then, in verse 21, it continues: "And a strong angel lifted up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying: "Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon the great city be hurled down, and she will never be found again." Appreciation of this fact can protect us against any inclination to 'put off' the day of Jehovah simply because Babylonish religion still exercises considerable influence in some areas.
• 

  kaik

  I am not sure if I could pinpoint to specific event, but there was an excitement around 1989 when Berlin Wall came down. Many elderly JW prophecised that Armageddon was about to happen. It was 70 years after 1919 when Jesus had choosed his bride, the WT. Jews were leaving for Israel, JW got legalized, the economy was in depression, and my grandparents, the generation born before 1914 were still alive. But deep inside, I was skeptical as I felt that none of the NT testament were fullfilling. The book Revelation that we studied around 1992 confirmed my doubt that WT was joke.
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  Satanus

  When i was a kid, under 10 yrs, cracks in the dirt would make me think the big armageddon quake might be arriving.

  S
• 

  James Brown

  I was 10 years old in 1962.

  That was when we had the Cuban missle crisis, in the USA.

  They were always having air raid drills. Everytime the sirens would go off. I thougbt it was Armegeddon.

  It would drive me crazy.

  But I guess air raids drills with no bombs was better than air raid drills with bombs like they had in Europe during the wars.
• 

  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Satanus ... Awwww . lol Poor kid.

  I can't think of anything specific, I think I was just scared every day, period.

  LL (not Bean)
• 

  cultBgone

  James Brown, I remember being scared all the time about the Cuban missile crisis. We lived near the water and I was terrified that the Cuban soldiers could come right up to our house at night and we'd never know. I was not a jw then. I can only imagine how living through that within the framework of armageddon fear would have been so much worse.