by Jehovah lol 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Jehovah lol - "She said exactly the same thing 5 years ago about China, and exactly the same thing 10 years ago about Iraq."
That particular tendency is based on a subconscious need for WT cosmology to still somehow be "right" in spite of the evidence.
JWs have been looking for 'X = fulfilled Bible prophecy' for 134 years. This is yet another example of the 'JW absurdities recycling program':
"Did you ever stop to consider how the radio is fulfilling a prophecy before our eyes today?... When people tune in on WBBR or WORD, or other stations now being used to disseminate the message of Messiah's incoming kingdom, they are witnessing and hearing the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy..." (Golden Age, 12-1-26)
"ONE of the Lord's promises to His followers was, "That which you have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops." This prophecy is being literally fulfilled by the Bible Students today, every time they use the radio." (Golden Age 4-20-27)
Directly from the website
“The King of the North.” Facts of history provide still another basis for determining how “north” is to be understood in some texts. A case in point is “the king of the north” mentioned in Daniel chapter 11. Historical evidence indicates that the “mighty king” ofDaniel 11:3 was Alexander the Great. After Alexander’s death, the empire was eventually divided among his four generals. One of these generals, Seleucus Nicator, took Mesopotamia and Syria, this making him the ruler of territory situated N of Palestine. Another general, Ptolemy Lagus, gained control of Egypt, to the SW of Palestine. Therefore, with Seleucus Nicator and Ptolemy Lagus the long struggle between “the king of the north” and “the king of the south” began. However, the prophecy concerning “the king of the north” extends from the time of Seleucus Nicator down to “the time of the end.” (Da 11:40) Logically, then, the national and political identity of “the king of the north” would change in the course of history. But it would still be possible to determine his identity on the basis of what the prophecy said the “king of the north” would do.—See the book Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy!, 1999, pp. 211-285
It's unusual for non-US dubs to hold the weirder beliefs, so this is a new one for me. She also said that the end is very close now and that things are a foot with North Korea; it's clearly the king of the north.
Of all the sects on Earth, the last one I'd go to for insight into biblical prophecy is the WTBTS. What it has managed to pull over the heads of its members in regard to Armageddon is a shame, but it's not all the leadership's fault. The Jehovah's Witnesses no longer read their Bibles except to look up citations as encouraged. I haven't met any of them that is aware of what the Bible says about Armageddon.
The Bible is very Jerusalem-centric in its prophetic outlooks. It doesn't really cover China, Korea, India, the United Kingdom, most of Africa, the Polynesian islands and...well, you get the picture.
If your aunt wants to know about the King of the North, Gog, Magog, the Beast, the False Prophet and the other prophetic players of the Bible, she should not look first to YouTube, the Internet or the Governing Body. She should go find out what the Bible says, then look for information that supports it or refutes it.
The best books I've seen are Joel Richardson's The Islamic Antichrist and The Mideast Beast. Both are outstanding primers on end-time prophecy and portray Armageddon biblically. Joel Richardson's website also is worth checking out but, again, only after first reading what the Bible says. If it's especially daunting, go to carefully selected sources first, then see if it's what the Bible teaches. In the case of the Watchtower Society, Armageddon is painted as a worldwide conflagration. It is not. Rather, it takes place in a specific part of the Middle East. Watchtower points out that Daniel and others say it would involve "all nations." But Daniel also used that term to apply to the kingdoms of some of the earlier empires that were prophesied. Alexander the Great came the closest to conquering all nations of the earth, but he hadn't conquered Italy, what is now Britain, Norway, China or any of the nations in the Western Hemisphere. It's not that he didn't know nations existed outside the bounds of his knowledge; it's just that they didn't pertain to his writings. He tended towards hyperbole and who his audience was.
