2034 - A Future History of Jehovah's Witnesses

by slimboyfat 70 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Disillusioned JW

  Regarding 1975 I was shocked to learn (from reading ex-JW books by Franz and Penton) that the 1975 date first began to be taught in 1966 (in the Life Everlasting - in Freedom of the Sons of God book). I had long assumed it began being taught much earlier, since it was based up when the 6th creative day supposedly started. But I remember that in the Proclaimer's book the WT said they added about 100 years to when the 6th creative day would end (teaching in Russell's time that it ended in 1874), to discovering a problem (they claim) with the KJV translation of a verse. Long before then Rutherford had moved the teaching pertaining to 1874 to 1914 (or he had dropped the 1874 date and after Rutherford died the WT began substituting the 1914 date for the 1874 date) - but my memory is fuzzy on the details about this.

  Rather than the year 2034, the years 2030 and 2033 make more sense to me. That is because it is commonly taught that Jesus began his preaching in the year 30 AD (CE) and was crucified in 33 AD (CE), and if we converse the WT date of when Adam was created as a result of thinking of biblical years of a 360 day prophetic calendar (instead of an approximately 365.2524 day solar calendar), then we get the date of about 3968 BCE as the date of Adam's creation and that is about 4000 years before 33 CE! That means Christ would return about 6000 years after that year, namely in about 2033. [4026 x 360/365.2524 = 3968.105, hence 3968 BCE for Adam's creation date instead of 4024 BCE; 3968 BCE + 6000 solar years +1 solar year [due to no year 0] = 2033 CE).

  It is interesting to me that the 2033 CE date is very close to the date which some calculated as 1914 CE plus 120 years (= 2034 CE).

  Usher had calculated the creation of the world and of Adam as being 4000 years before the birth of Christ (which I think he believed was on December 25, 1 BC) and he thus got the year of 4000 BC as the creation date. Some people then added 2000 years to that and got 2000 AD/CE (or 2001 AD/CE0, but I (and ideas I read of someone on the internet) think it makes more sense to add 2000 years from the year Christ began his ministry or to the year Christ died - instead of to his year of birth.
  

  The dates of 2030 and 2033 are ones I came up while I was an independent Christian (somewhere around the year 2007). Though I am now an atheist I sometimes hypothetically wonder that if I am wrong in thinking there is no heavenly Jesus Christ, will Christ appear in judgement in the year 2030 or 2033. Along those lines I wonder if the tribulation will begin in 2030 and if Christ will come in judgement 3.5 years later and if something supernatural might take place in 2036 (or 2037).

  Keep on the watch for the years 2030 CE - 2036 CE.
  
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  TonusOH

  Seventeen years ago, Whiskeyjack wrote:

  I think it will take another decade (of the older generation of JW's dying off in waves) before the "1914 generation" shit hits the proverbial fan.

  Nailed it. If this was written in 2005, then it was almost exactly ten years later that the WTS put up the video explaining the overlapping generations idea.

  Whiskeyjack also said "I think a western shrinkage will start in the 2020's." Looks like it started a bit earlier than that, but again it was a really good guess.

  Of course, one can understand how a sudden and drastic (and honestly... nonsensical) change in doctrine could lead to slowed or reversed growth. Even cult members have varying levels of tolerance for nonsense.
  
  
  
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  TonusOH

  As for numerology and predicting dates, I think history has given us so many examples of how easy it is to make the Bible point at any particular year, that it should be clear that it's a fun but ultimately futile pastime. Just the fact that so many of these predictions were supposed to land within the lifetimes of some/most people of the time, indicates how our brains lead us to conclusions based more on what we want, than on any other consideration.

  Remember that the WTS has enjoyed at least some level of success because Russell made the year 1914 a date of note. He got a lot of things wrong about it, and the organization has covered all of that up. But the fact that he managed to pull a date out of his hindside, and that date happened to correspond with a major historical event, laid the basis for the organization's success for almost an entire century.

  Personally, I believe that if Jesus does return in the future, humanity is going to be very very sorry that he turned out to be real. But I'm an optimist at heart.
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  Disillusioned JW

  Correction: 4024 BCE was an error, I should have said 4026 BCE instead. I keep thinking that the WT says Adam was created in 4024 BCE (and the WT probably used to teach that) but starting in the 1980s (or maybe earlier) the WT began teaching 4026 BCE instead.

  Correction: I said Usher came up with the date of 4000 BC, but instead I should have said Ussher came up with the date 4004 BC.
  
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  Judgerussellford

  This is a very interesting take on a question I have pondered myself
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  dropoffyourkeylee

  A little off topic, but I looked through Bishop Ussher's chronology (a recent reprint with modern readable print) and was simply astounded with the volume of work and detail in it. Lots of errors I'm sure, but for the mid 1600's it was really impressive. I think we tend to underestimate the impact Ussher had on religious thought since then, especially apocalyptic movements. It may be rash to surmise, but likely Adventism, Russelism, and the JWs wouldn't have come to be except for Ussher.
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  Phizzy

  The J W Org has not really progressed much from Russell and Rutherford's time. They are still basically a 19th Century Doomsday, End Times Cult.

  All they have to sell is FEAR, having sold that to you, that if you don't join you are toast, they keep you in by the FEAR of being Disfellowshipped.

  The problem for them is how you keep the FEAR going, crying "Wolf Wolf" as the old story shows, does not work, fatigue starts, then when the credibility of the engendered FEAR begins to wain for an individual, that person is free to lead a more normal life, if constrained by still being a J.W.

  That is the Governing Body's problem, how to counter that process, of how to keep the fear going, set another Date ? dodgy, don't set one, where is the fear ?

  Once freedom of mind is tasted, the Walls of Fear of exercising Mental Freedom begin to crumble, a few clicks of a mouse, and the whole House of Cards that is J.W teaching and claims comes tumbling down.

  2034 is only 12 years away, I really don't think they dare now use that, but 1914 MUST be losing credibility as every day passes.

  I think they are between a Rock and a Hard Place, and will decide on something that will last longer than 2034, but that will engender fear every year for the foreseeable future.

  I am fascinated to see what that strategy will be.
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  TonusOH

  If you are an organization pinning its hopes on "there must be at least one person still alive who was around in 1914" then the word 'desperate' just isn't enough. I guess that in 2035, the argument will be "advances in medicine have added ten... no! Twenty years to the average lifespan... that 120-year-old might make it to 140! Yes, 2054 is the real end date! And, fortuitously, I'll either be dead or senile by then, and someone else will need to make that annoying year work..."
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  Disillusioned JW

  Hypothetically speaking, if Jesus Christ does exist and does return in 2034 (or some other year), or if a great tribulation begins then, will it frighten the governing body? Will they be thinking and possibly even say the following. "We didn't actually expect Jesus Christ to return or for the great tribulation to happen. But, now that one of these events is happening what will happen to us? Oh dear, what will happen to us? We know we made false predictions and that on a number of times we mislead our readers, and that we lied to the governments. We know we caused psychological harm to many JW. We know that some JW died as a result of adhering to our prohibitions on blood transfusions; even some children died as a result. We know that our "two witness rule" has kept many sexually abused children, ones raised by JW parents, from getting the help they so desperately need. Will Christ judge us adversely? Will he execute us? Jehovah have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, please have mercy on us. Please spare us from your wrath."
  
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  Disillusioned JW

  The following is a reply to the very first post of this topic thread.
  

  Back in the early to mid 1980s when Ronald Reagan was president of the U.S.A., I was thinking the great tribulation or Armageddon might start very soon, such as around 1984 or possibly sooner. That was largely because of the kinds of articles the WTS was putting in number of issues of the Watchtower and in the Awake! at the time, regarding Armageddon. It was also because of the idea of a generation being of 70 or 80 years (combined with the idea of the generation of 1914 CE), and because President Reagan was promoting the building of a "Star Wars" missile defense system, and he was drastically building up the U.S.A. military, and his administration was drastically spending much more money in the U.S..A.. military budget than was the case under President Carter. I was also worried because I read (and heard on the TV news) reports that the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists had moved the minute hand on their Doomsday Clock closer to midnight, indicating how very very close they thought the world was to a human caused doomsday. I thought a nuclear war might take place between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. and as a result I wanted a drastic reduction in the number of nuclear weapons of both world powers. During the cold war with the U.S.S.R., in my anti-war mind President Reagan wanted to start a real ('hot") war with the U.S.S.R. and he thus scared me when I thought about it. I was also thinking that a false future cry claiming that "peace and security" has been achieved might happen very soon, to be immediately followed by the great tribulation. I got baptized in the very early 1980s while I was a young teenager.