JeanV,
While you and I will definitely not agree with all of the conclusions in the book "Liberating the Gospels" by John Shelby Spong (ISBN 0-06-067534-9), nevertheless his description in chapter 3 ("How these Jewish books became Gentile captives") shows very much the dynamic of the time around the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
He makes an interesting observation on page 46: "Prior to this fateful year 70, Judaism had been able to tolerate varieties of opinions within its household of faith. Pluralism is always a byproduct of security. But when the survival of this faith tradition -- their single claim to a future -- was at stake, their level of toleration began to dissipate perceptively."
It is interesting to compare the "zero tolerance level" of the WTBTS with Jesus' acceptance of harlots and sinners.
Doug
Doug Mason
JoinedPosts by Doug Mason
-
38
How many Christians were there in the 1st century?
by yaddayadda injust been reading former long-time brooklyn bethelite tom cabeen's very encouraging article entitled "where is the body of christ?".
(can be found at http://divinetruth.homestead.com/bodyofchrist.pdf) .
in his article, tom says: "when john received the revelation around the end of the first century, there were hundreds of thousands of christians, even by conservative estimates.
-
-
Doug Mason
-
22
Is my understanding correct?
by Doug Mason inis my understanding correct?
1. to arrive at 1874 for christs parousia, ctr employed time parallels from the scriptures and measurements from the great pyramid.
2. ctr used a 2520-year timeframe to arrive at october 1914 for the end of the gentile times.
-
-
Doug Mason
Beginnersmind,
I don't mind if we have different views, but we can still remain on good terms.
The most important thing is that you remain true to yourself and do not allow others to impose their views. "Every man shall give account of himself to God".
Doug -
5
Russell's prophetic framework
by Doug Mason ini do not believe ctr expected the end of the gentile times would usher in an era of war and strife.
his prophetic framework (see below) focused on events leading up to october 1914 (although he was quite prepared to move the end to october 1915).
his framework started with the end of the millennium, christs presence, closing of the high calling, time of trouble, probable translation to heaven in 1910, with the end of the gentile times ushering in universal peace under the jews.
-
-
Doug Mason
Stev,
Thank you for your comments. I treasured your previous response and have saved it on my computer. There are no doubt many other things I have yet to learn.
In this most recent post, I was more concerned with the overall shape (outline) of CTR’s expectations rather than the details. I tried to show that the shape of CTR’s expectations relative to 1914 were nothing like that which is ascribed to him by the WTBTS. They can only say that these early people saw 1914 as a “marked” year, without explaining that CTR’s expectation was one that could never be proven.
As you said, I created that list from Millennial Dawns. I found these and the corresponding Studies books in the library in the early-1970s, and constructed that outline at that time. (BTW, the library also holds the books written by Henninges, whom WT historians would be familiar with.) I thought the list served the purpose I had in mind, conscious of the fluidity of CTR’s expectations.
I shall store your most recent help, for which I am most grateful, and hope I will never stop learning.
Doug -
7
Jesus gave the Sign
by Doug Mason inwhen jesus answered his disciples question about the sign of the temples destruction, they coupled it with the end of the age (aeon) because the end of the temple would clearly indicate that the jewish age had come to its end.
likewise, the disciples believed that this momentous event the destruction of the temple would herald the appearance of messiah in power.
they did not recognize that, instead of coming as a mighty conquering warrior, the messiah had arrived as a babe.
-
-
Doug Mason
My totally theocentric soteriology casts its shadow on everything else, including my understanding of the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). God offers total salvation based on the completed work of his son, Jesus Christ. I cannot explain, I only know that it is so. It is a gift that cannot be earned. I accept this in faith. This is the only Gospel. If I do not fully understand everything Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse, this does not concern me, since it is not the gospel.
I am concerned at the WTBTS’s quite incorrect exegesis (look for that word in the WTS’s books and magazines) and at its focus on only the one version of the Olivet Discourse. (They probably do this because the parallel versions do not employ the word “parousia”, which the Christadelphians gave to CTR as meaning “presence”.)
My interest is to use the WTs’s basic errors with this chapter in Matthew to help dismantle the WTS’s authority. This hopefully will allow people to be open to the true message of the Gospel.
The WTS points to wars while Jesus warns against people who claim to come in his name and point to wars. (Jesus never mentioned size, length, number of nations, number of casualties, etc.) He said these events are like the start of birth pains, even before life begins, not the sign of an age’s end (Mark 13:8). It is important to read all three versions of the Olivet Discourse.
Jesus answered his disciples’ question about the destruction of the Temple. He gave them a sign: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. (Luke 21: 20 – 21, NIV. Also Matthew 24:15 – 16; Mark 13:14)
He made it very clear that all of these happenings would take place within the time of his own generation: “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. (Matthew 24:34, NIV; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32).
Later, Jesus’ last words to his disciples included: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority”. At another time he said: “ ‘A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.’ Jesus then left them and went away.” (Matthew 16:4, NIV). Those last seven words are significant.
Following his description of the Olivet Discourse, Matthew’s Gospel groups several parables that Jesus gave about “being forever ready”. As a comment, I note that with the Parable of the Virgins, when the Bridegroom arrived at “midnight” this did not indicate the end of the day, since for the Jews, the day ends and begins at sunset.
While Matthew collects several parables with a similar meaning at the conclusion of the Discourse, Mark uses only one at that time, and Luke (ch. 12) places them in a totally different context. In Matthew, Jesus has an audience of only a few disciples, whereas in Luke, Jesus has a great crowd also in attendance.
Is there a second fulfillment across the span of time, or a third one at time’s end; with maybe another at the end of the Millennium? I don’t know and it does not worry me. History records failed expectations strewn along the full length of its path. That should be our lesson.
The story of the Olivet Discourse played its part by preparing God’s faithful people in Jerusalem from certain death.
The WTBTS throws a distraction from the true gospel, playing one note on a single stringed guitar, using false dates and a false exegesis. -
7
Jesus gave the Sign
by Doug Mason inwhen jesus answered his disciples question about the sign of the temples destruction, they coupled it with the end of the age (aeon) because the end of the temple would clearly indicate that the jewish age had come to its end.
likewise, the disciples believed that this momentous event the destruction of the temple would herald the appearance of messiah in power.
they did not recognize that, instead of coming as a mighty conquering warrior, the messiah had arrived as a babe.
-
-
Doug Mason
Jesus said these events are like the start of birth pains, even before life begins, not the sign of an age’s passing. (Mark 13:8)
As the Watchtower says “[The Disciples] did not appreciate that [Jesus] would not sit on an earthly throne; they had no idea that he would rule as a glorious spirit from the heavens and therefore did not know that his second presence would be invisible. … Jesus did not answer in so many words that he would be invisibly present, but he outlined evidences that would make his presence recognizable, whether visible or invisible.” (The Watchtower. Questions from Readers, September 15, 1964, pages 575 – 576.) -
32
LESSONS FROM HISTORY
by Doug Mason inlessons from history .
i have a few reasons for providing the information that follows: .
* a very recent posting mentioned eschatologists of the 19th century (1800s) who provided ctr with his ideas on the interpretation of last-day prophecies.
-
-
Doug Mason
LESSONS FROM HISTORY
I have a few reasons for providing the information that follows:
* A very recent Posting mentioned eschatologists of the 19th century (1800s) who provided CTR with his ideas on the interpretation of “last-day” prophecies. The information I provide gives an even earlier sweep of history.
* Another recent posting posed the question of the fate of the JW organization. The following information shows that, in time, the proponents dissipate, to be taken over by a later manifestation, probably one that does not admit its debt to the previous exegetes. I expect that the people living 300 years from now will note the existence of the 19th century’s Second Adventists and their offshoots (including CTR’s followers) in a manner that is similar to the following information. Provided the people living in future centuries will be able to access and decipher information on our computer disks.
* A lesson taught by history is to never use contemporary political events to interpret Scripture. A prime example is the focus of several 19th century eschatologists on the Ottoman Empire. Interpret the sacred only with sacred.
Now to the information I wish to provide. It concerns the famous mathematician and physicist, closet alchemist, and one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time, Sir Isaac Newton. He was born in 1642, knighted in 1705 and died in 1727. He thus lived during the latter half of the 1600s and the first quarter of the 1700s.
“Newton was not only a passionate theist, but also a firm believer in the Bible and biblical predictive prophecy. … For Newton, ‘the holy Prophecies’ of God’s Word contain ‘histories of things to come’. But these ‘histories of things to come’ are set out in symbolic and metaphorical language that demand exacting interpretative skills. This was a challenge that Newton took up with unflagging enthusiasm for the last fifty-five years of his life. Newton’s own prophetic exegesis can be placed firmly within the prophetic school established by the early seventeenth-century (1600s) Cambridge polymath Joseph Mede. …
“Like Mede, Newton was an historicist, interpreting the symbols of the Apocalypse as representing the broad sweep of history affecting Christians and Jews from the late first century to the second coming of Christ and the Millennium. Newton also followed Mede in his premillenarian eschatology, interpreting the one thousand years of Revelation 20 as referring to a literal Kingdom of the saints on the earth. Finally, like Mede and other historicist commentators, Newton takes the ‘time and times and the dividing of time’, three and a half years or 1260 days of Daniel and Revelation as 1260 years, using the day for a year principle. Furthermore, Newton synchronizes all the 1260-day periods mentioned in the prophecies of Daniel and John as a single span of time.
“The 1260 years of Daniel begin with the formal acquisition of temporal power by the papacy. For Newton, this time period is represented in the Apocalypse as the 1260 days during which the woman (the Roman Catholic Whore) is nourished in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6), and during which she rides on the back of the Beast (Revelation 17:3), which Newton saw as a symbol of temporal power. The 1260 days in Revelation 11:2-3 likewise refer to the period of the greatest apostasy (the time when the outer court of the Temple is trodden under foot by the Gentiles), which is the same period during which the oppressed and persecuted saints would preach the true Gospel (represented by the period of the prophesying of the Two Witnesses). Eventually, the Beast of the bottomless pit kills the Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:7), but after laying dead for three and a half days, the Two Witnesses are resurrected. For Newton, the resurrection of the Two Witnesses and the recommencement of the preaching are coincident with the fall of Babylon, the corrupt church. Near the end of the 1260 years, Newton believed one would see ‘ ... to be preached in all nations by the two witnesses ascending up to heaven in a cloud.’ The fall of Babylon and the preaching of the true Gospel signal a brief period that will end in the blasting of the seventh trumpet, which in turn will herald the battle of Armageddon, the coming of Christ, the resurrection, the judgement and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, although Newton seems to have believed that these events would be sequenced over several years subsequent to the 1260-year mark. Thus for Newton, who rejected the Trinity as unbiblical, the 1260 years represent the time in which the true, uncorrupt church would be oppressed by the false, corrupt Trinitarian church of the Great Whore. This is the period of deepest apostasy, a time when only a tiny remnant upholds pre-Trinitarian theology. Newton believed he was part of this remnant.
“For Newton, therefore, the 1260-year period commenced when the Pope gained temporal power and dominion. Determining this commencement date was one of the most important elements to the decipherment of apocalyptic chronology, as the time of the end could be established by adding the 1260-year period to this commencement date. When was this date? In fact, there is no indication that Newton ever settled rigidly on a single date. Instead, he recorded in his prophetic manuscripts a series of commencement dates, beginning in the 1670s with the date 607 A.D. The general tendency of his studies of apocalyptic chronology was to push the commencement date further and further forward in history, resulting in conclusion dates as late as the twenty-third and twenty-fourth centuries. On a single folio at the end of an early eighteenth-century manuscript treatise on the Apocalypse, Newton considers four commencement dates: 609, 774, 788 and 841 A.D. The first date provides conclusion dates for the 1260, 1290 and 1335 years of 1869, 1899 and 1944. Newton appears to have been attracted to the 609 date because of the decree of Phocas in or around this year that granted Pope Boniface IV the right to ‘set up the Images of the Virgin Mary & all the Martyrs in the place of the Images of Cybele & all the heathen Gods in the Pantheon at Rome & in their honour instituted the annual feast of all saints’. Image worship was a major litmus test of apostasy. The commencement date 774 relates to the acquisition of temporal power by the Pope. Newton writes that it was in 774 that ‘the Pope gained his temporal ... dominion by the grant of Charles the great [Charlemagne] & thereby became a king ... ye rest of ye horns’. The commencement date 774 provides a conclusion date of 2034 A.D. …
“On another folio … appears the following calculations and statements [by Newton]: ‘So then the time times & half a time are 42 months or 1260 days or three years & an half, recconing twelve months to a yeare & 30 days to a month as was done in the Calendar of the primitive year. And the days of short lived Beasts being put for the years of lived [sic for ‘long lived’] kingdoms, the period of 1260 days, if dated from the complete conquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end A.C. 2060. It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail. Christ comes as a thief in the night, & it is not for us to know the times & seasons wch God hath put into his own breast.’ …
“Newton was most unhappy with date-setting. On this rare occasion when he writes down a conclusion date, he is careful to qualify it in two ways: first, the end many come later than 2060 and, second, this late date was also meant to quash the ‘rash conjectures’ of those in his own time who were setting dates for his own age. This is not to say that Newton did not take the 2060 date or prophecy in general seriously, for he most definitely did. …
“The date 2060 did not represent for Newton the annihilation of the globe and its inhabitants, but a dramatic transition to a millennium of peace. In other words: the end of the secular world and the beginning of the Kingdom of God. Summarizing and paraphrasing Revelation 21 and 22, Newton outlines some of the events subsequent to the date 2060 (or thereabouts) in one of the apocalyptic charts now housed in Jerusalem:
“ ‘A new heaven & new earth. New Jerusalem comes down from heaven prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband. The marriage supper. God dwells wth men wipes away all tears from their eyes, gives them of ye fountain of living water & creates all ... things new saying, It is done. The glory & felicity of the New Jerusalem is represented by a building of Gold & Gemms enlightened by the glory of God & ye Lamb & watered by ye river of Paradise on ye banks of wch grows the tree of life. Into this city the kings of the earth do bring their glory & that of the nations & the saints raign for ever & ever.’
“Although there are examples from Newton’s period of prophetic exegetes who put the time of the end off until the year 2000, the trend was to place the end within or not long after one’s lifetime. Thus, one of the most striking aspects of Newton’s prophetic chronology is the lateness of his commencement dates. Joseph Medc (1586-1638) believed that the 1260 years began in 395 with the sounding of the first trumpet, implying that the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the fall of the Antichrist and the commencement of the millennial reign of Christ would come in 1655. William Lloyd (1627-1717), the Bishop of Worcester, placed the end within his own lifetime, announcing in person to Queen Anne in 1712 that the Roman Church would fall and that papal city would be destroyed by a flame of fire from heaven in the year 1716 - and that these dramatic events would be succeeded by the reign of Christ on earth for the thousand years. Newton’s own prophetic disciple William Whiston (1667-1752) set 1736 as the end of the 1260 years and the year 1766 as the beginning of the Millennium. As Newton knew only too well, Whiston made a career of broadcasting these dates to the learned world. Whiston’s openness in this regard is likely one of the reasons Newton eventually broke with his quondam disciple.
“It is possible that the late date he assigned for the events of the time of the end was meant to reflexively cover his lack of open preaching. Whether or not this is so, it is certainly the case that one reason why Newton saw the Kingdom of God so far in the future was because he was profoundly pessimistic about the deep Trinitarian apostasy he saw around him. Newton’s apocalyptic chronology and late date for the fall of Roman Babylon thus reveal his theological radicalism. As the Gospel was not to be preached until around the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Protestant Reformation is reduced almost to an irrelevancy in the history of the Church. In the date 2060 Newton’s heresy and apocalyptic thought come together.”
Excerpt taken from: “A Time and Times and the Dividing of Time: Isaac Newton, the Apocalypse, and 2060 A.D” by Stephen D Snobelen, Canadian Journal of History, Dec 2003. (Accessed 12 September 2005 at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3686/is_200312/ai_n9342144)
Also refer to: http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/prism.php?id=44
(I am not able to provide quotations inside those yellow [or is it green – I have problems with some colors] boxes. I have not been provided with that facility.) -
16
Why is the "Faithful and Discreet " parable literal when others are not?
by RULES & REGULATIONS inin the 10/1 1998 watchtower study article titled,''jehovah,a god merciful and gracious'' there is a footnote that reads:.
parables and other illustrations related in the bible did not necessarily take place in actuality.futhermore,since the purpose of these stories is to teach a moral lesson,there is no need to seek a symbolic meaning in every detail.. matthew 24:45-47, in the new world translation, reads "who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?
happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so.
-
-
Doug Mason
Events and people in a PARABLE are analogies. An analogy illustrates by providing similarities, and a comparison is placed alongside to show such a similarity. A Parable is an illustration, not a prophecy.
An ALLEGORY, however, provides symbols and types, whereas a PARABLE does not.
An Allegory is usually more involved than a Parable. A parable should therefore not be pushed beyond the immediate meaning of what it is teaching.
* When an interpretation of a parable is given, this MUST be our guide for interpretation. Jesus explained many parables.
* An item in a parable, such as the seed, can only represent one thing.
* A parable cannot be pressed beyond the context of its primary meaning.
* Not every detail of a parable has significance in the analogy or application. Avoid over-allegorizing and note carefully what occurs at the end of a parable as the clue to the meaning of the parable. This is called the “rule of end stress.”
* Parables do not necessarily depict real or historical events.
* Note the literary setting of the parable in the gospel. This can provide clues to the overall interpretation of the parable, especially its mood and affective force.
* Note the wording, structure, general progression, plot progress, and suspense. Remember these are stories and need to be read as such. In this connection it is helpful to note any changes in the same parable in another gospel.
* Read the parables in their original historical situation first. Therefore, nothing should be read out of them that is not consistent with the customs, etc. employed in them and certainly no later reading of theology or church experience should be read into them. In other words, no interpretation should be believed that would not have been understandable to those to whom these parables were first addressed by Jesus or later communicated by the evangelists. In this way we preserve the distinction between authorial intent (author’s intended meaning) and significance (meaning to me).
* Note the main characters/things in the parable and any parallels and or contrasts between them. The main characters are often clues as to the main points being asserted.
Recognize that there are two audiences being addressed by the parables. There is first the audience to whom Jesus originally spoke, e.g., the Scribes and Pharisees, and the audience of the early church to whom the evangelists addressed their writings. A different audience signifies a slightly different function for the parables and thus little different emphasis in interpretation.
In their major treatise on parables (“illustrations”), the GB erroneously goes beyond the scope of a parable. Jehovah’s Witnesses are told, quite incorrectly, that a parable may also be a prophecy, in both the short term and the long term.
“Bible illustrations [parables] have more than one aspect. They … often have a prophetic meaning and application. Moreover, some had a prophetic meaning for the time when they were spoken or shortly thereafter, and some were to have, in addition, a fulfillment in the distant future.” (Insight on the Scriptures (1988), WTBTS, Vol 1, pp. 1176)
In its treatise on the subject of parables, the writer presents and discusses 30 (thirty) of Jesus’ parables (illustrations):
“Some of Jesus’ prominent illustrations. In the material that follows, you will find helpful information concerning the background and context of 30 of the illustrations used by Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry and recorded by the Gospel writers.” (Insight on the Scriptures (1988), WTBTS, Vol 1, pp. 1178)
However, despite taking pages to cover the majority of Jesus’ parables, the book fails to mention the parable that is basic to its own existence – the parable of the “faithful and wise/discreet servant/slave/manager”.
One could speculate as to its reasons. Was the Governing Body concerned that their inconsistent and biased handling of this parable might be evident when placed against their handling of these other parables? -
1
Days of peace
by Qcmbr ini talked with a jw young kid about half a year ago and one thing he said sent me looking for info to verify what he claimed.he said that prior to 1914 there where times of peace when no one was at war while after 1914 there have either been only a handful or no days of peace.
can anyone explain what the actual position is for the jws with regrad days of peace and their justification for 1914 being a pivotal point in history.
as such does the following website provide a good enough rebuttal or does the wt provide evidence of periods of peace so i can look it up?
-
-
Doug Mason
Qcmbr,
To try to answer such questions is to be like the dog who keeps chasing after the stick that its master has thrown. They are leading you away with unnecessary distractions.
The fact is that never did Jesus mention size of wars, number of countries involved, length of conflicts, number of casualties, types of weaponry. Nothing.
What he said is that deceivers were coming, and his Disciples could already hear them, who were pointing to such events. But Jesus protected his followers by telling them that these people were deceivers, claiming to come in his name, the Anointed One. Jesus said that wars are going to happen because nations and kingdoms were going to fight one another. End of story.
Jesus did not use conflicts as portents of God's Kingdom. Rather, he used healing, raising the dead, and parables about a man quietly sowing seed or catching fish.
And the Great War started two to fourteen months before the deadline set by CTR (October 1914 or October 1915). He expected peace to be ushered in thereafter.
Doug -
5
Russell's prophetic framework
by Doug Mason ini do not believe ctr expected the end of the gentile times would usher in an era of war and strife.
his prophetic framework (see below) focused on events leading up to october 1914 (although he was quite prepared to move the end to october 1915).
his framework started with the end of the millennium, christs presence, closing of the high calling, time of trouble, probable translation to heaven in 1910, with the end of the gentile times ushering in universal peace under the jews.
-
-
Doug Mason
I do not believe CTR expected the end of the “Gentile Times” would usher in an era of war and strife.
His prophetic framework (see below) focused on events leading up to October 1914 (although he was quite prepared to move the end to October 1915). His framework started with the end of the Millennium, Christ’s Presence, closing of the High Calling, Time of Trouble, probable translation to heaven in 1910, with the end of the “Gentile Times” ushering in universal peace under the Jews.
His “Time of Trouble” ran from 1874 to 1914, at which time he expected that under the Zionist Jews, man would learn to be still.
The outbreak of War in August 1914, some two to three months before the end of the Time of Trouble in October, could be seen as the “last fling”.
CTR did not use “war” as any sign. Rather, he invoked contemporary events such as the invention of the sewing machine and troubles in the financial world. Commenting on Jesus’ statement about wars, Russell wrote:
”Thus briefly did our lord summarize secular history, and teach the disciples not to expect very soon his second coming and glorious Kingdom. And how aptly: surely the world’s history is just this on an account of wars, intrigues, famines and pestilences on little else. (Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 4 page 566).
CTR’S FRAMEWORK (typical examples given)
* The Millennium, the seventh thousand years, began in October 1872 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 127)
* Christ’s secret parousia commenced in October 1874 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 127)
* The 40 years of judgment and trouble began in October 1874 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 342)
* The time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation, began in the end of 1874 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 342; Millennial Dawn, vol 2, pages 77, 78)
* Mystic Babylon – Christendom – fell in 1878 (Millennial Dawn, vol 2, page 152)
* The heavenly phase of the Kingdom of God was set up in October 1878 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 234)
* The end of the “high calling” occurred in 1881 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 219)
* The last member of the “body” or “bride” of Christ would “pass beyond the vail” (translated and in heaven) before the close of 1910 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 364)
* All troubles would come to a climax and end by 1914, by which time man will have learned to be still (Millennial Dawn, vol 2, page 77, 78)
* Mystic Babylon, financial powers and all human governments would come to their end by October 1914 (Millennial Dawn, vol 4, page 622)
* The earthly phase of the Kingdom of God would be set up in 1914 (Millennial Dawn, vol 3, page 126)
* Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets would be visibly resurrected upon earth in 1914 (Millennial Dawn, vol 4, page 625)
* 1914 would usher in an unprecedented era of peace (Millennial Dawn, vol 2, pages 77, 78)
* Natural, physical Israel would be regathered after 1914 to set up the earthly phase of the Kingdom of God (Millennial Dawn, vol 4, pages 624, 625) -
7
Jesus gave the Sign
by Doug Mason inwhen jesus answered his disciples question about the sign of the temples destruction, they coupled it with the end of the age (aeon) because the end of the temple would clearly indicate that the jewish age had come to its end.
likewise, the disciples believed that this momentous event the destruction of the temple would herald the appearance of messiah in power.
they did not recognize that, instead of coming as a mighty conquering warrior, the messiah had arrived as a babe.
-
-
Doug Mason
When Jesus answered his Disciples’ question about the sign of the Temple’s destruction, they coupled it with the end of the age (aeon) because the end of the Temple would clearly indicate that the Jewish Age had come to its end.
Likewise, the Disciples believed that this momentous event – the destruction of the Temple – would herald the appearance of Messiah in power. They did not recognize that, instead of coming as a mighty conquering warrior, the Messiah had arrived as a babe. They did not recognize that, instead of coming with almighty power, crushing the nations before it, the Kingdom had come quietly as a farmer sowing seed, and not as a reaper.
They had no idea Jesus was going away. Since he was already with them, the Disciples’ expectation was that Jesus was finally speaking about that great manifestation of power they had long been anticipating. Later, just before Jesus was transported to heaven, the Disciples were still asking him “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6, NIV). To which Jesus answered: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority”.
And as he answered his Disciples’ question about the destruction of the Temple, the “Parousia” and the “End of the Age”, Jesus warned them about deceivers who would claim to be Christ (the Anointed One) pointing to wars and stories of wars.
Never did Jesus speak about the size of those wars, their length, scope or number of casualties. All he said was “see that YOU are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet”.
They would hear about wars simply because “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom”. Things such as “food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another” are not a sign of the death of an Age but are of the very first signs of the labor pains of a birth.
But Jesus did give his Disciples the “sign” of the powerful coming they were expecting and hoping for: “The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other”. (Matt 24:30, 31, NIV).