World War 1 and 1914

by Schizm 83 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  willyloman

  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.

  Yep, that's right; the war actually started three months before the "certain" date offered up by CTR. So of course they grasped at the straw. "See? We told you something significant would happen this year!"

  Actually, they foretold something entirely different. When it failed to materialize, they cast about for explanations. This was one of several they came up with and it lives on in legend. The Bible Students did NOT predict or foretell WWI.
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  Kenneson

  World War I was not a war of extermination of the human race only ended by the establishment of God's kingdom as Russell predicted. (See Zion's W.T. Jan. 15, 1892). Neither happened. Russell also declared in the Bible Students Monthly Vol. VI, No. 5 that World War I "will eventuate in no marked victory of either side--then 'Armageddon.' Prayers cannot change the Divine Plan of the Ages." Yet Great Britain, France, Russia and the United States did win when Germany surrendered in 1918. And Armageddon is still nowhere in sight. For a thread on a similar note see:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/78776/1.ashx
• 

  Midget-Sasquatch

  I seem to remember having read that Russell made the statement, "The gentile times have ended. The kings of earth have had their day!"

  You're right Schizm....and yet in the November WT he prints that cautionary statement. See how it was played at both ends? I would say Russell really believed what he said and taught. But when it came down to it, he left himself enough wiggle room, so that he could shift position if need be. His calculations were initially wrong. He just changed starting points and he just as flagrantly changed the measurements given for the main pathway in the of the Pyramid of Giza to massage the numbers. All so his number crunching would bear out what he thought was prophetic reality. If his followers would still accept all that number juggling, then it wouldn't be that hard of a sell to get them to accept WW1 as similar enough to the total anarchy he was prediciting....then change and adjust the interpretations from there.
• 

  Mary

  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.

  Ya, I've thought about that, but even if WWI had've started in 1915, or 1916 or 1917, the Bible Students, or Charles Russell himself would have explained it away like "....well, war did break out in heaven in 1914, but it wasn't until 1915/16/17 that Satan was acutally cast down to the earth." Given the gullible nature of the Bible Students, the majority would have fell for that as easily as they fell for the insane notion that Christ somehow returned "invisibly".

  A North Carolina witch predicted that a neighbor would die on a certain date. The woman did die on that date?a victim of alcohol and pill overdoses.

  And let's not forget Scott Peterson. He told his mistress that he had lost his wife and this would be his first Christmas without her, 3 weeks before Laci Peterson disappeared..........so I guess he's either a prophet or a murderer.
• 

  confusedjw

  The 1914/WWI thing might be striking if Russell and Friends had prophesied that it would happen, or even simply that "something big" was going to happen. But they prophesied that the end would come, they'd go to heaven, the whole shmeer. That didn't happen. Something else did.

  BINGO!
• 

  confusedjw

  http://www.607v587.com/

  This was really helpful to me. If 607 isn't correct than nothing is.
• 

  johnny cip

  Are you just kidding? Surely you must be. Did not Russell think a "great upheaval" was to take place in 1914, as based upon his understanding ................ sxhizm ; do your home work . the great upheavel or great tribulation was to happen on 1878, 1881 , 1905,1907 when it didn't happen russell changed his mind to 1910-1912. still keeping 1914 as the TOTAL END IF THIS WORLD. . did the jew's go back to isreal in 1914? were all the gov't wiped out before 1914? did jesus return in by 1914 and stop all suffering? did jesus start to rule from the mount in 1914? did the rapture happen for the living happen before 1914? did the dead saints raptured in 1878 really tell russells what to write in his books? was it true all colored people were to become white before 1914? the list goes on and on . you want to tell me about ww1 look up history of wars. ww1 was far from the worst war till 1914. john
• 

  Big Tex

  Actually, it's right twice a day

  Okay, I was willing to let this go, but since this has been pointed out 3 times, so I'll respond.

  A broken clock will show whatever time it stops at. Yes there is a.m. and p.m., but the time shown on the clock is correct only at whatever time (a.m. or p.m.) it stopped at. 10:00 a.m. is vastly different from 10:00 p.m.

  It's also right 365 times a year, but it's not by coincidence that it is.

  Note please the saying I quoted said day, not year; don't mix metaphors. The point of that old saying is that in encompassing the totality of time, a broken clock will, by definition, stop at a given point. What time the broken clock stops at is a coincidence. Since time moves, the broken clock will show the correct time only once a day.

  Not that it will matter, but the relevence to your thread, and my point in mentioning this old saying, is if someone (Russell, Jehovah's Witnesses, or other doomsday fanatics through history) throws out enough predictions and enough convulted dates, sooner or later it is possible they will land on something. That Russell selected 1914 had more to do with his belief that he, and his followers, would be sucked up to heaven to sit at God's right hand whilst the rest of the Great Unwashed would be murdered by his God. He had no clue whatsoever that a deranged terrorist would assisinate a head of state which would lead to what at that time was unimaginable: total war, never before seen in the history of humanity.

  What's frustrating to me, and I'm irritated with myself, is that I've given in and wasted my time in responding when you are clearly not interested in dialogue. I cannot fathom what you get out these exchanges as in reading your responses, you are clearly not interested what anyone says or in truly conversing with them. You seem to more interested in baiting and fighting. But then I've never understand the fascination some have with professional wrestling, so what do I know.
• 

  blondie

  1914 or 1915

  http://users.skynet.be/awsid/eng/paws004e.htm

  .
• 

  fleaman uk

  you want to tell me about ww1 look up history of wars. ww1 was far from the worst war till 1914.

  I cant agree with that comment!The sheer technological innovations being brought out(Machine guns,planes,Tanks ,shells etc)meant a slaughter the likes of which had never been seen before !That is why i agree that something was definitely bound to happen in or around 1914.The build up of Arms and especially Navies,meant an arms race lasting for many Years prior to 1914.Of course also,the alliances that were in place ,some 100,s of Years old,some (Britain ,France for instance)very new.

  Old Russell may well have had an inkling many Years before that something big was going to happen.But a spirit anointed ,cast iron Prophecy?Forget it.