Great Tribulations Starts December 20, 2002 (page 2)

Downunderandout

Oh yeah, "no one knows the day nor the hour, not even the son...." or something like that.

Scully

proplog2 writes:

Great Tribulations Starts December 20, 2002

Dang. I'll have to miss work that day.

Love, Scully

Quotes

I believe you were more specific, even calling for a nuclear weapon to mark the start of the Grape Turdulation

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=38883&site=3&page=1

I am disappointed you couldn't make it Dec 19th, so it would be a birthday present for me. Oh well.

I guess, no matter what happens on December 20th, proplog will claim accuracy. After all, the "beginning of pangs of distress" could start as sublty as hearing the news that Pres. Bush will be redocorating the Oval Office with Western Art. Just trying to help you with your inevitable wriggle-out, proplog!

Personally, my "pangs of distress" started when the stock market crashed and the DOT.COMS became DOT.BOMBS and DOT.GONES. Does that mean I got a two year head start on you, Proplog?

Nathan Natas

Well, on the bright side of things - we don't even have to wait a full month to know this is another steaming pile of speculation.

Gentlemen, start your stopwatches!

Brummie

Haaa I reckon proplog2 is just trying to get out of sending Christmas cards & gifts

We're on to you pro

Brummie

Lmao at scully

proplog2

Ever since 1980 I realized something was structurally wrong with the Watchtower interpretation of Babylon the Great. The language just didnt seem to fit. Initially my doubts emerged from an obvious incongruity. I couldnt conceive of "religion" as being the dominant end user of the goods carried by the worlds cargo ships. While it is true that Churches own a lot of stuff that they have accumulated over the millenniums it isnt the kind of stuff that produces wealth in our modern complex economy.

To put the wealth of religions in perspective consider this. Let's look at some figures from the Statistical Abstract of the USA.

In 1991 the total Revenues received by Religious Institutions was:

- 48.4 billion dollars-

39.2 billion of those dollars were from individual giving. 1.9 billion was received by Religious institutions in the form of fees for services. 1.3 billion was school tuitions.

This may seem like a lot of money. But compare that to the total of 4.5 trillion dollars Americans spent on ALL goods and services.

That 48.4 billion dollars is equal to only 1% of all that they spent!

The Watchtower goes to great measure to describe the terrible results to the worlds economy if religion is destroyed. Does anyone really believe that if the consuming public didn't spend that paltry 1% on religion that the economy would suffer? Anyone who has the slightest knowledge of economics knows that if people are deprived of spending their money on something that they will either save it or spend it on something else. Is it impossible to conceive of the public adding 48.4 billion dollars to the 370 billion they are already spending on recreation? Or perhaps physicians will pick up some of that 48.4 billion and add it to the 163 billion they already get from the consuming public. The whole point here is that a 1% item in any budget is no big deal.

Then there is the problem of the mourning ship captains. Most of the money paid out to Religion is local. Religion is primarily a service. Of the 48.4 billion received by Churches only about 5 billion was spent on building and repairs to buildings. 5 billion dollars worth of building materials isn't going to excite the ship captains of the world even if ALL of it were imported.

The only way to have a significant effect on the worlds economy is to knock out its main consumer. The ports of the USA handled 497 million tons of goods last year. That's nearly 4,000 pounds of goods for every man, woman and child in this country. Destroy, THAT Babylon, which is the USA, and ship captains WILL mourn her passing.

It has been 22 years since I first concluded that Babylon the Great is NOT the Catholic Church, or some world collective of religion. As the years have passed my list of problems with the JW interpretation of Babylon the Great has grown longer and longer. This post isnt about ALL of the problems with this erroneous teaching. What concerns me is that if JWs are the special "Holy Ones" who are "knowing their God" (Daniel 11:32) then how could they be so far off in their understanding of this key prophecy. It is a key prophecy because Revelation 18 tells these holy ones "get out of her my people, if you dont want to share in her plagues".

You could speculate endlessly about why JWs have been allowed to believe a falsehood. But, consider this possibility. Identifying Babylon the Great forces the decision about taking flight. If they identified Babylon the Great they would have to consider the options; Where? - When? - How? Where are we to flee? What is the sign that flight should commence. How should such an evacuation be carried out? Suppose they understood Babylon the Great is the USA shortly after the first world war. Might they have been tempted to evacuate their Brooklyn digs? Wouldnt a premature understanding of this scripture create a deep instability? Would they have fled the USA when the stock market fell in 1929. Would they have fled the USA when France fell? Or maybe the attack on Pearl Harbor would have been the trigger. Would they have interpreted the presence of Soviet Missiles in Cuba as the "disgusting thing standing where it ought not?"

Believing that Babylon the Great is false religion is an amazing diversion. Since taking flight from Babylon is a key scripture it is essential for any religion claiming to know prophecy to address the issue. Concluding that Babylon the Great is "The World Empire of False Religion" allowed them to engage in a "symbolic" flight. Symbolic flight can go on endlessly! So for a generation now JWs have felt they have been taking flight from Babylon by staying out of Churches for various ceremonies, avoiding employment in institutions associated with religion, and destroying personal religious articles they may have accumulated. The Watchtower is ambiguous about how doing these things will confer protection from the plagues that are supposed to be poured on religion when governments attack. On the one hand they warn that JWs will end up being an object for attack and on the other hand they are supposed to be protected from some initial attack on anything religious. It is confusing when you start to question it. But JWs are not supposed to question - they are simply supposed to believe it. So in the year 2002 JWs are scanning the horizon continuously looking for something that will agitate the worlds governments to join together to attack "false religion". They dont know how it will happen but they are sure it will.

WHEN WILL THEY DISCOVER THE REAL IDENTITY OF BABYLON THE GREAT?

This will most likely happen when they NEED to know. They will need a dowsing with the cold water of reality. Ultimately, a prophecy has to mesh with reality or it simply isnt true. This is why Jesus tells his followers that understanding of the unfulfilled parts of Daniels prophecy will be achieved by means of "discernment". (Matthew 24:15) Very shortly, the week of December 16, JWs will be studying Chapter 8 of their book on Isaiah. The chapter is titled "False Religion- Its Dramatic End Forseen". The very first paragraph gives a glimpse of the reality they are going to have to face, probably sooner than later.

"Religion Makes a Comeback." That was the message proclaimed by an aritcle in The New York Times Magazine. The article indicated that religion still seems to have a tenacious grip on the hearts and minds of millions of people. It may therefore be difficult to believe that a radical change in the worlds religious climate is about to take place. But such a change is indicated in the 47 th chapter of Isaiah."

Here is the question for that paragraph "Why does it seem unlikely to some that there will soon be a radical change in the worlds religious climate.?" At least they will be looking in the right direction providing the possibility that they might have their eyes opened. The week that they will be studying that chapter may prove to be a very portentious week.

metatron

If nothing happens that week, will you stop this silliness?

metatron

JT

The week that they will be studying that chapter may prove to be a very portentious week.

I agree with you 100% that week will indeed proved to be very powerful- while I think you need to reconsider the role that the later prophecy will play you appear to be right on track with the fullfillment as recorded,

do you think that without the cry of true peace and security the prophecy can conclude as fortold though??

gumby

JT

Are you seriously going along with this guy? Do you believe this stuff? I thought you were one of the sane ones? You think the time of the end can be calculated?

I think it's time I leave this place before this type of shit rubs off on me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SpannerintheWorks

Proplog,

2300 days from December 20 2002 brings you to April 8 2009. April
8, 2009 is Nisan 14 - Memorial /Passover

Why Nisan 14, 2009? Surely you could pick any Nisan 14, then count back 2300 days?

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Great Tribulations Starts December 20, 2002

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