Do the Witnesses really know how to survive the "Great Tribulation"? (page 2)

Elsewhere

Silly rat! Jehovah is going to inclose each JW in their own plastic bubble. This way they will be protected from the tribulation. Like a hamster.

Damn! You beat me to it!

damselfly

Look! JH is already testing his bubble out!

proplog2

The intent of this thread most likely isn't serious but consider this...

The May 1 1999 Watchtower came out with some "new light" on the scripture at
Matthew 24:15,16 Unfortunately this is a patchwork change that creates more
questions than it answers. First let's look at the text under discussion. Matthew
24:15,16 "Therefore, when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes
desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place,
(let the reader use discernment) then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the
mountains." For years the Watchtower has said that this scripture has
application in our day and that it is necessary for individuals to flee from
false religion to the true religion. In other words they used to claim that
this is not a literal flight but a symbolic flight. Now they are saying in
paragraph 19 on page 18 of Watchtower May 1, 1999 that "Jesus' disciples
certainly need no warning about fleeing from one religion to another; they had
already become true Christians."I guess this straightens out what they said as
recently as June 1st 1996 "This flight to safety is NOT a geographic move, such
as Jewish Christians made when abandoning Jerusalem. It is a flight to the
place of safety within Jehovah's theocratic organization."
Basically the same thing was repeated in Aug 15 1996 "Will You Be Saved When
God Acts"P. 20 "We can rest assured, though, that God's chosen ones and their
associates will not be in the danger zone, at risk of being killed. Oh, they
WILL NOT HAVE FLED TO ONE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. First-Century Christians in
Jerusalem could flee from that city to the mountainous region, such as Pella
across the Jordan. In the future, however, God's faithful Witnesses will be
located all over the globe, so safety and protection will not be based on
geographic location." Now that they have the correct understanding that the
flight isn't a symbolic change in religion do they now conclude that the
flight, in reaction to seeing the "disgusting thing standing in a holy place",
is going to be a geographical flight? Amidst the "new light" is the same
muddled thinking. Here is the latest take on the type of flight meant: Paragraph
22 page 19 Watchtower May 1, 1999 "We cannot presently have full details about
the great tribulation, but we can LOGICALLY CONCLUDE THAT FOR US THE FLIGHT
JESUS SPOKE OF WILL **NOT** BE IN A GEOGRAPHICAL SENSE." Why do they keep
insisting that the future flight will NOT be geographical? Is there any other
kind of flight than a change in location? If you are in harms way and you flee
so that you are no longer in harms way aren't we talking about a
physical-geographical- movement away from the "dangerous place" to the "safe
place"? There are only three ways that you can conceive of flight. (1.) You can
flee symbolically which is to say you change your mental space. (2.) You can
flee spatially which means an actual geographical flight. (3.) And you can
conceptualize a temporal flight. If the flight isn't mental or symbolic, and if
it isn't geographical that leaves temporal flight - flight in time. So are they
suggesting some sort of time warp? They continue in that same Paragraph 22
"God's people are already around the globe, virtually in every corner." So they
think this is the premise for them to "logically conclude that for us the
flight Jesus spoke of will NOT be in a geographical sense."
The Watchtower argument can be summed up by the following SINCE/THEREFORE
format: SINCE, "First century Christians weren't located "all over the globe"
THEREFORE, "they could flee from that city to the mountainous region." and
SINCE, "In the future, God's faithful Witnesses will be located all over the
globe" THEREFORE, "safety and protection will not be based on geographic
location."The problem with the SINCE (premise) is that the only way for the
Christians in Jerusalem to survive was to physically get out of Jerusalem. But
what about the majority of early Christians. The majority of early Christians
weren't residents of Jerusalem. The command to get out of Jerusalem was not a
general command to ALL Christians. Christians could be found in large numbers
all over the Roman Empire and beyond. In fact the Watchtower has stated many
times that the scripture at Matthew 24:14 had an early fulfillment by the time
Jerusalem was destroyed. Likewise today true Christians might want to look for a
parallel to ancient Jerusalem from which they could literally flee. Not ALL
Christians will have to flee. Only those who dwell in some modern day
counterpart of Jerusalem will have to flee when they see their geographical
region seriously threatened by the yet to be observed "disgusting thing". Come on
brothers, WAKE UP!! Most likely none of the Governing Body or Watchtower
writers will see this post. However, if you know any of them personally, try to
encourage them to get back to the drawing board and come up with something a
little more coherent.

Here are some clues:
1. Since the flight from Jerusalem is not a flight from false religion to true religion could it be that the flight from Babylon the Great is not a flight from false religion to true religion but
is a literal flight from a extremely wealthy land that fits the description of
Babylon the Great?

2. How can the League/United Nations be the "disgusting
thing" when Dan 11:31 says it is the effort of the King of the North. The
Soviet Union didn't start the League of Nations.

3. The Soviet Union has undergone a wounding quite similar to the wild beast at Rev 13. The Soviet Union WAS it IS NOT and most likely will soon be out of the abyss not as the
tamed lamb but with a dragons mouth ready to express its hatred.

Some conspiracy theorists have suggested that if a nuclear bomb goes off in New York City it will be blamed on terrorist but actually it will be the work of the Russians. Set back the US on its tail without having to take responsibility.

DaCheech

if you accept the mark of the Beast, you are dead meat when the Lamb comes in judgment

Don't you know that barcodes on product is the number of the beast? "No one can buy or sell without it"

LouBelle

those pointy tin hats always gets a giggle from me. IF there was a physical great tribulation I think many would try save their own asses (they'd probably rat out the own brothers & sisters) And it would only be the great tribulation WHEN the society says it is the great tribulation, so even if it is from God , they'd be totally clueless & keep telling people that it's still coming.,,,

MerryMagdalene

I remember being told as a kid (right around 1975...a couple years before and after) that there was "no safety and protection" for JWs in an individual sense, there was just a guarantee that not ALL of them would be killed...SOME would make it through, and probably not unscathed at that.

I had such nightmares! And I took to making up little "survival kits" (as best I could) and keeping them under my bed and I was just a little bit freaked when Mt. Saint Helens blew (especially since I had given up making survival kits by then...LOL)

~Merry

Do the Witnesses really know how to survive the "Great Tribulation"?