Composite Sign

JH

Studying with the witnesses 15 years ago, I was told that all the signs that Jesus gave (earthquakes, wars, pestilence, and so on) would all occur in one generations time. That was the composite sign, that all happens in 1 generation. They said there were earthquakes thousands of years ago, wars thousands of years ago, famines thousands of years ago, but that wasnt the sign of Jesus. The sign of the last days was a composite sign which means all would happen in this generation (1 generation which the watchtower said was from 70-80 years). But now the watchtower once more changed their definition of a generation in 1995, which no longer has to do with a time lapse. So now how can we apply the composite sign if there is no time lapse anymore? They cant have the cake and eat it too, so either there is no composite sign anymore and we are not living the time of the end, or the generation is actually a time lapse 80 or so which goes against their lattest definition of a generation.

Dizzy Cat

Most active JWs still believe that this is the time my friend (the final generation) !

One told me two weeks ago that the CLOCK WAS TICKING. I think he was trying to scare me.

Funny thing was I was told that years ago when I first knew him. His method of trying to get me back, is to beat the fear of my own demise into me. Little does he know that death can be a friend in this life and I have meditated hard to try and accept my own. Therefore the old scare tactics hardly have an impact.

dmouse

The composite sign is horse-puckey anyway. All of the elements of the sign happen together at all points in history, and at any point in time a person looking for a fulfilment of the sign will see ample evidence that it is being fulfilled. The whole 'sign' thing is complete bollocks - actually, many of the facets of the 'sign' have decreased since 1914; the society just lie. Yes, they tell bare faced lies and the JWs just swallow them without checking it out. Also, it is human nature to believe that things are worse than they used to be, we have such a myopic viewpoint, and religions like the JWs take advantage of this.

But I think you haven't quite got the idea with the 1995 change in the understanding of the term 'generation'. While it is no longer measurement of the average lifespan of a human from 1914 it is still linked to a human timescale. The society are fond of saying things like 'in Grandfather's day' as meaning not just a day but a whole time period spanning over one hundred years, so the word 'generation' can mean a time period longer than the lifespan of a human, but not much longer.

So, according to the 'new light' all of the people born in 1914 can now die but it won't be much longer; you see, the 'generation' now means all those that observe the 'signs' occuring since 1914. Technically, this can go on ad infinitum because the generation is constantly being renewed. However, there is another scripture that is thrown into the pot - Matthew 24:22 where it says that 'those days' (the tribulation) must be cut short on account of the chosen ones. So, the tribulation must occur while at least some of the very old anointed are still alive (according to 'present truth'). But that understanding will be 'adjusted' sometime soon I think.

troucul

I think every generation thinks they're the last. Everyone in history can point to 'composite signs'...

A Paduan

Sounds like good reasoning. I wonder if they've planned an answer, other than calling you names.

Do you think that when they commit to the next lie, that they also try to cover all the angles, or do they leave some uncoverable ones for name calling, or "causing division" type expulsions ?

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And just on that earthquake stuff - when the apostles asked Jesus about an end of the world, He was pretty much saying, "wo now, don't be getting yourself led away by lying people, thinkin' like that'n all".

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paduan

Pistoff

What I love is how reasonable they make it all seem.

I can't help but think of poor Winston Smith in "1984" having to eliminate all references to "old" thinking and "facts" when they were changed by big brother. It makes me see the big brother in the org; this new understanding of generations is so reasonable, how could we ever have thought otherwise, lol?

I highly recommend reading 1984, the similarities are astounding; the only difference between it and the org, is that instead of a bullet in the head, those who speak up or question are killed by df'ing.