making 1914 crumble

by googlemagoogle 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  observador

  
  Cygnus,

  your point is well taken about the WT trying, sometimes, to be clean about 1914. I didn't say they lie in all instances when the subject 1914 is brought up.

  To show the point, look at this quotation:

  Furthermore, the remnant of spiritual Israel had for decades, yes, since the year 1876, been looking forward to the ending of the Times of the Gentiles in the autumn of 1914. They were expecting God's Messianic kingdom to be fully established in the heavens by then and also for the remnant of spiritual Israel to be glorified with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom at that time. - Man's Salvation Out of World Distress at Hand! (1975), page 136.

  Now, compare the above with this:

  Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that is pointed in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14) which will end in A.D 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced. - Russel, The Times is at Hand (1889), page 101

  Observador.
• 

  TD

  *** sl chap. 16 p. 287 Awaiting the "New Heavens and a New Earth" *** According to an inaccurate chronology that had been worked out from the King James Authorized Version Bible, Russell calculated that Christ’s "presence" had begun in the year 1874 C.E., unseen to human eyes and seen only by the eye of faith. This was why, when he began publishing a new religious magazine in defense of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Russell entitled it "Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence."

  The "inaccurate chronology" part is true, but the quote above is still a lie. The calculation was entirely Barbour's. Russell, by his own testimony had soundly rejected Adventist chronology and date setting prior to meeting Barbour. Barbour had come up with the 1874 date prior to meeting Russell.

  It also, by implication attempts to perpetuate the fiction that the split between Barbour and Russell was over the validity of the Ransom itself rather than over their respective views of the mechanics of the Ransom.

  Furthermore, the remnant of spiritual Israel had for decades, yes, since the year 1876, been looking forward to the ending of the Times of the Gentiles in the autumn of 1914. They were expecting God's Messianic kingdom to be fully established in the heavens by then and also for the remnant of spiritual Israel to be glorified with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom at that time. - Man's Salvation Out of World Distress at Hand! (1975), page 136.

  This quote is also a lie. The Bible Students prior to 1914 "were expecting God's Messianic kingdom to be fully established" on earth "by then." The idea that it had been set up in heaven in 1914 did not appear until 1920
• 

  stevenyc

  John Napier of Merchiston Scotland (1550-1617), a Protestant and exceptional mathematician (he invented the decimal point, and number rods used in calculations for the nest 200 years), wrote a book called 'A Plaine Discovery Of The Whole Revelation Of St.John' in 1593. In this book, among other things, he 'proved':

  The pope was the antichrist

  Roman Church was the 'scarlet woman'

  And the 'Day for a Year' calculation for the 70 weeks of years.

  steve
• 

  googlemagoogle

  btw, i'd like to read some real-world experiences using this approach ;-)
  
  i've tried it on my family a while ago and it resulted in a huge debate. everyone reacted differently from ignoring to thinking to agreeing to questioning... eventually everyone forgot about it again though.