by Schizm 83 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
There were so many apocalyptic date-setters groups in America in the late nineteen and early twentieth century that eventually one of them would have their predictions "quasi-fulfilled" in some year.Neo
That wouldn't "have" to be the case. Are you not saying that if you keep pulling the handle on the slot machine you'll eventually hit? I've played the slots a lot of times and I can vouch that some of them NEVER pay off. No, they don't "have" to pay off.
.
Firstly Schiz my freind I was simply trying to add some silly humour and secondly, I don't find my humour of Satan trying to destroy family units and children any more implausible than the idea of Satan trying to mislead.
Now for some serious answer: I find it no more than coincidental. There have been many dates before 1914 and many dates since that have conversely proved fruitless.
Here's an idea. Let's compare the other crackpot Nostradamus and see who was more accurate between the two.
Schism all of the Studies in the Scriptures along with early WT's note how Russell came up with 1914..
1874....Six thousand years of mans existance on the earth, 7th millenium to begin Christ returns
1914....40 years after 1874 or a biblical generation, armageddon, a comparison taken from when Jesus died 33ce to (73ce remaining hold out Jews killed at Masada) gave the 40 years.
They were totally convinced of this because they said there were three lines of proof, the first one was the example given, the second was the Pyramid measurements and the third was seven times prophecy of 2520 years. They stated in publications if it were only one line of evidence it would be guesswork but because of all three it was undisputable proof...later on they dropped all but the seven times calculation and forgot that statement about guesswork.
the second was the Pyramid measurements
Oh in that case it must be true because aliens made those pyramids to direct mankind for bible prophesies
I have thought about what you say Schizm and history tells us that the events which set up WW1 were not sudden, certainly not caused by an angry Satan who is at War in Heaven with Jesus.
I'm sure that e-watchman will agree wholeheartedly with you, as he believes that there was no war in heaven in 1914. Yet, the mystery remains: How did it just so happen that WW1 came in a year that Russell had made stand out so much in his writings? ... a year that was pointed to on the basis of a tree dream, regardless of how faulty the calculation of the "seven times" (supposedly 2520 years) is.
.
Now for some serious answer: I find it no more than coincidental. There have been many dates before 1914 and many dates since that have conversely proved fruitless.
For some reason though e-watchman doesn't see it as being merely coincidental. What would be the reason why he doesn't? Too him, apparently, it's just too much of a coincidence for it to be "no more than coincidental".
Edited to add that e-watchman rejects the 1914 doctrine and the idea that Jesus' presence began in 1914.
.
Not sure if someone can confirm this, but don't the Witnesses believe that Satan was thrown out of heaven in the October of 1914. If that's the case then the war started a good few months before then.
I think you have to say that Russell got a lucky break in that although the events he'd prophecied about never happened, a major event did happen, which was the outbreak of WWI. Maybe without that stroke of luck the Bible Students and JWs would have disappeared into history.
Well Schizm, if you check Russell's earliest literature he was saying that the fall of Jerusalem was 606 BCE not 607...that should have brought them to 1915...but they made the mistake of counting a zero year...so they were saying 1914...When WW1 occurred and ended with no big A, they changed their eschatology. They also changed the date to 607 when they realized the mistake of counting a zero year. Later on in the Revelation - Its Grand Climax book the Org said the mistake was by Divine providence.
They made all sorts of "refinements" in their view starting from the first failed expectation of being raptured up to heaven in IIRC 1881. (Someone please correct me here if I botched that date up). I don't think there's anything real behind this touted "hit".
I think you have to say that Russell got a lucky break in that although the events he'd prophecied about never happened, a major event did happen, which was the outbreak of WWI. Maybe without that stroke of luck the Bible Students and JWs would have disappeared into history.
I doubt that they would've disappeared into history, but if WW1 hadn't happened in that year then they'd have been forced to drop the 2520 year theory. Could that be the reason e-watchman attributes the war to Satan's doings? The principle being: Keep those who try to worship in truth on a false path as a way for Satan to battle against God.
.
schizm,
what do you want to hear? that this was an amazing prediction and that coincidence cannot possibly be the explanation? fine! believe it if that floats your boat!
