Famous Last Words

by You Know 57 Replies latest jw friends

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  You Know

  Thousands of JWs have been damaged by failed prophecy.

  FALSE. Prophecy has never failed, and will never fail. True, our expectations of an early deliverance has led to diappointment time and time again, but we now realize that even that is part of the prophecy. So if our momentary disappointments result in God's word coming true, then that's fine with us too. The apostles suffered from the same sort of 'irrational exuberance,' to borrow a phrase from Alan Greenspan, in their expectations that Christ's kingdom was going to "instantly display itself." Even throughout the 1st century it appears that most Christians expected Christ to return. But that's what keep them busy and active in anticipation of the kingdom. Putting us in that sort of situation allows God to test our hearts and sift out those who are not totally devoted to him. It also allows him to give an answer to the the one taunting him by pointing to the endurance and faith of those who have waited for decades. The Scriptures point out in fact that there will be a seeming delay in the arrival of Christ. That's why the prophecy in Revelation says: "There will be no delay any longer." So, the delay has served God's purpose to induce a faithless element to bolt from the organization and begin beating their brothers while the master is delaying. Once the ferment reaches a certain point though, obviously synchronized with the outworking of many other events and prophecies, then the end comes.

  Interestingly, typically those whose faith proves too feeble for the task are those who are 2nd and 3rd generation Witnesses. The majority on this board, by far, are those who inherited a religion but not a faith. It seems that there is a parallel with those newly settled Israelites who were the 2nd and 3rd generation after the Exodus, of whom the Scripture says: "...And another generation began to rise up after them that did not know Jehovah or the work that he had done for Israel." It's amazing how these things repeat themselves over and over.

  I will be writing more on this later / You Know
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  joelbear

  You Know says,

  Interestingly, typically those whose faith proves too feeble for the task are those who are 2nd and 3rd generation Witnesses. The majority on this board, by far, are those who inherited a religion but not a faith.

  I agree. Fool my parents shame on you, fool me shame on me. Since we have seen the result of these dashed hopes, its not surprising we would be skeptical.

  Seems like the "good news of the kingdom" hasn't been very good news for very many people.
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  joelbear

  Why does god in one generation raise the dead, heal the sick and provide food for multitudes for people who haven't been tested at all and in another generation test people's faith by seeing how long they can stand bad conditions?

  Joel
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  You Know

  Why does god in one generation raise the dead, heal the sick and provide food for multitudes for people who haven't
  been tested at all and in another generation test people's faith by seeing how long they can stand bad conditions?

  And yet most people that saw Christ perform all those miracles didn't become Christians. Most people that followed Jesus were so fleshly minded that they just wanted a hand out from him and didn't care one wit about the truth of God that he had. It has always been a relative minority that have been willing to put up with suffering or hardship or personal inconvenience for something having to do with faith. / You Know
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  joelbear

  You Know,

  I agree, few people are willing to undergo hardships out of faith.

  I would be the first to agree with you that I lost my faith. I do not have faith in god. I have never met anyone who was willing to really do without or give up themselves to a life totally dedicated to god.

  Instead, I see lots of people who say they have faith in god, but hedge their bets so they can say, well, I have faith in god, but I want to have enough money to live well also.

  I admire true faith in god. Self sacraficing love, giving of oneself out of one's own need for others benefit. That definition gets me to thinking about faith. I just don't see it within the Watchtower organization, but then again, I don't see it anywhere else either.

  Joel
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  You Know

  Instead, I see lots of people who say they have faith in god, but hedge their bets so they can say, well, I have faith in god, but I want to have enough money to live well also.

  You are contradicting what you and most other apostates say, in that JW's are accused of being unnecessarily impoverished because we don't think about living in this system long term. Larc in fact just advised me to "hedge my bet" with a retirement fund. Now you saying we don't have faith because we are "hedging our bets." Which is it? Or are you just trying to talk out of both sides of your mouth, as they say? / You Know
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  joelbear

  I am not Larc.

  I am me.

  I don't see self sacraficing love among Jehovah's Witnesses. If I did, I would still be a witness.

  i don't see it in any religion, political party or group.

  i see it in individuals from time to time. I think when I do see it, it might be proof that there is a god and that self sacraficing love is a proof of faith in him.

  I don't think word play or defensiveness or hollering about the end of the world is proof of anything. Its been done and done and done again since the beginning of time.

  Its irrelevant whether the end is near or not. To a person with faith in god it is meaningless when the end will come, he will live the same self sacraficing life whether its tomorrow or in 1000 years since its the loving deed that is the reward in itself, not some deal for protection during a bad economic time or plague or whatever.

  Your nya nya, ha ha, I'll be safe and you'll be dying tone, is silly and not loving or self sacraficing. Thus, I don't put much stock in them. Too bad, since some of what you say makes sense. But, it gets lost in your self promoting self righteous style. But, you are no worse than any other pundit that I have spoken with or read about. You are indeed just the same.
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  larc

  YK,

  I think you know full well what I meant when I used the term "failed prophecy". Since you want to nit pick words. How about if I use the term. "Failed Watchtower Predictions." You said that these failed predictions lead to "disappointment." Here, I have to differ with you on word choice. It leads to a lot more than disappointment. For some, it leads to devestation (sp?). For those who live their retirement years in poverty because of the "suggestions" of the Society, I would say that this state of affairs is more than a "momentary dissappointment." It is neither momentary nor of minor consequence.