You know what I don't get? What is the big deal with the WTS about 1914 anyway? It wasn't their date to begin with. They got it from the Millerites/Second Advendtists. What the WTS said would happen didn't happen. They called for the end of the world. What happened was the start of a big conventional war that ended a few years later. That's kind of interesting, but you could argue that WWII was a bigger deal in history, with the advent of nuclear weapons. They didn't predict that. And the whole "beast that was, but is not, but is thing" - come on. If you were around during WWII, you couldn't have predicted that after that war world leaders would take another shot at the League of Nations in an effort to prevent another large scale war? Every other date they have hyped has borne nothing - 1925, 1975, etc. We're supposed to believe that all kinds of things are happening, but they are invisible to us. Yeah, right. So they were wrong about a date that wasn't theirs to begin with. Big deal. How am I supposed to connect the dots between that and "Now I must do everything they say"?
What is the big deal about 1914 anyway?
by grey matters 16 Replies latest watchtower bible
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SirNose586
1914 is the cornerstone of JW teaching. By it they give themselves the title of "chosen by Christ" and by it they argue that everything that happened since is proof of the "last days." If you destroy 1914 for the flimsy argument it is, you destroy their whole credibility.
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blondie
The WTS teachings that in 1919 Christ returned to inspect his followers who claimed to be Christian to determine who was. The WTS teaches that all but the WTS members were rejected by Christ and that in 1919 the WTS was designated the FDS (faithful and discreet slave) the only ones through whom the truths about the Bible would come.
1919 depends on 1914 in order to be valid...no 1914...no 1919...the WTS self-proclaimed selection by Christ is gone.
Blondie
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Arthur
If you destroy 1914 for the flimsy argument it is, you destroy their whole credibility.
This sums it up pretty well. The supposed "fulfillment of prophecy" that Christ chose the Bible students as God's channel of communication in 1919 completely rests upon 1914. I think however, that only ex-JWs fully realize the implications of this date.
There is an important point that must be made. I truly believe that if the WTS came out and changed the 1914 doctrine, most JWs would not leave the org. Why? They have been so powerfully conditioned to believe that JWs are the only true religion (i.e. seperate from the world, clean, no pagan practices, etc.) This is why so many JWs don't care about the 1914 doctrine all that much. I knew of very few Witnesses who were able to fully explain the Seven Times, the Gentile Times, and how the calculations were formulated. Many Witnesses actually believe that C.T. Russell himself came up with these calculations!
If the 1914 doctrine got scrapped, the WTS could just pass it off as "brighter light". And most Witnesses would accept it. Why? They would say: "Oh, look at how humble and honest the faithful slave was to admit this error. Their humbly admitting this adjustment proves they have Jehovah's spirit."
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BluesBrother
It is only important because the WT has chosen to make it so.
w925/1 p. 6 The 1914 Generation—Why Significant?
***rs p. 95 Dates - Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses say that God’s Kingdom was established in 1914?
g99 3/8 p. 32 1914—Beginning of the 20th Century?
By hoisting their colours on this date they are stuck with it. To discredit that date would be to discredit their chonology and teaching. Would the rank and file publishers put up with it? That is why , when they had to abandon the "Generation" doctrine they had to come up with that convoluted and mind bending argument to preserve the date but try to extend the time limit .
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heathen
That is a very peculiar dogma of theirs . The WTBTS believes it represents the 2 witnesses of Revelation that are killed but come back to life because of the imprisonment of Rutherford on the charges of sedition . They've even had to change whether or not they were exonerated or were the charges dropped . The whole thing is hinged on what the 7 times of daniel 4 actually mean and what year Judah was sacked by Babylon but most importantly the WTBTS did predict the conclusion of this system of things and not an invisible pressence so they have no claim to being accurate no matter how hard they twist the situation and they don't discuss the facts with newbies but try to convince people they had it right all along . I do think the signs that Jesus gave of his pressence fit nicely with WW1 but the book publishing corporation screwed everything up and won't admit it .
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barry
!914 for the Jehovahs Witnesses is just the same as 1844 for the Adventists and the denial of such doctrines would produce an identity crisis with many.
More than any doctrine these dates identify these religions in history.
From my own experiance the SDAs have held to 1844 even though they have been proven wrong time and time again. The scholars in the SDAs no longer beleive it. The SDAs went from being Arian to trinitarian with little drama but are still struggleing with 1844.
From the SDA experiance the JWs will never easily discard 1914.
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heathen
barry -- Are the SDA like the witnesses in that they exspect the end of all governments and a paradise earth? Why 1844? Do they believe in the invisible pressence ?
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garybuss
It's a shell game. They name the date. They tell why it's important. They name the event (invisible event of course). They name the signs. They tell what the signs mean. When they're all done . . . it's real, and then they use the date as a pin date to establish a HUGE event that happened invisibly as well.
NOW, believe it or we'll shun ya, and your kids and parents will shun ya too!
See Kissing Hank's Ass:
http://www.jhuger.com/kisshank.php -
barry
Gday Heathen, The It was the Millerites who got th edate of 1844 and they expected christ to come to earth to take the church home to heaven. The SDAs then reinterpreted the date of 1844 to be the pre advent judgement. The date is caculated from the verse in daniel 8.14. 2300 days at the same start date of daniel 9 and useing the day year principle brings it to 1844.There is no doctrine of the invisible presence in fact the SDAs see the second coming as visivble when every eye will see him. Also the purpose of the second coming is to take the faithfull to heaven. Therfore the second coming is still in the future.
The doctrine of the investigative judgement is now a contraversial doctrine with more traditional Adventists still beleiving it while scholars and the younger generation and those who are clear on the gospel oppose it.