Rutherford's 1913 Convetnion Speech - A Coverup?

by VM44 31 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  headmath

  From the Rutherfords talk

  Quote

  But, mark you, Jesus said, "O ye of little faith." If there are any such here let them hear what He said in this connection. "Verily I say unto you that this generation shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled." Generation usually refers to the length of human life. According to the latest authorities the average human life is between 36 and 37 years. Therefore Jesus said, when you see these things coming to pass know that it is at the doors; the generation of those standing here shall not pass away until these things have been fulfilled. So the generation now upon earth is the generation that was on earth in 1878, and many of them must abide until God's favor is fully returned to the Jews, and the Kingdom set up.

  End quote\

  i think I found what rutherford did not want published. Rutherford implies that Christ's presence began in 1878 with the world's end in 1914. 1878 +36 =1914. Did not CT russell say that christ's presence began in 1074?. i do believe that Russell and then later rutherford taught that christ's presence began in 1874 and since the Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years you get 1874 + 40 = 1914. So here we have two very different chronologys arriving at the same date (1914).

  Hey Leol and Blondie does this sound right??
• 

  Leolaia

  Actually, I think that's right out of the Studies in the Scriptures:

  "It would not be inconsistent to reckon the 'generation' from 1878 to 1914 -- 36 1/2 years -- about the average of human life today" (Volume 4, p. 605).

  Russell tho gave I think a dual interpretation of "generation", using also the 120 years of Genesis 6.
• 

  RR

  He also gave a general rule of thumb for "generation." For instance, when we say "today's generation is different ...." So he didn't apply it to a life span of a human. ALthjough it is interesting to note that the life span of a human in his day was about 35 years old. He lived to be a ripe old man at 64.

  RR
• 

  cabasilas

  Thanks, RR, for those speeches from Rutherford.

  Would you be able to post C. J. Woodworth's speech about his problems with demons?
• 

  VM44

  Woodworth's account of being Demon Possessed(!) appears on pages 274 and 275 of the 1913 Convention Report according to Ken Raines.
  

  http://www.premier1.net/~raines/woodworth.html

  --VM44
• 

  VM44

  RR,

  Thank you for posting those pages from the Convention Report. That was great!

  Now we have to figure out why Rutherford thought he had to write a letter distancing himself from what was published.

  --VM44
• 

  becca1

  I read that link about Woodworth. His experience could be explained by schitzophrenia or a severe manic episode suffered by some with bipolar disorder. One thing is true, whether he was demonized or mentally ill or both, anything he wrote in an altered state can not be from a divine source.
• 

  cabasilas

  Another evidence, the tenth. This is concerning the Gentile times. I have heard recently, and you have, too, dear friends, of many in present truth who are consecrated to the Lord and have been walking in the narrow way, who say, "Yes, it is an easy matter to calculate the length of the Jewish and Gospel ages and the Gentile times and to see when the Gentile times end. Of course they end in 1914, but this is no evidence that the Kingdom is to be established then, and no evidence that the Church will be in glory." I take issue with them and by the grace of God hope to offer evidence to prove that the end of the Gentile times marks the establishment of the Kingdom, and the saints in it.

  I'm guessing that Rutherford came to regret this statement either because he changed his view or because others (like CTR?) were becoming open to the idea that things might go on beyond October 1914.

  At any rate, it was something that JFR probably wished had not gone into print.
• 

  headmath

  Sorry foe the typo I wrote "1074" it should have been 1874. I have tried to correct this blooty typo twice and it comes back to haunt me
• 

  Bangalore

  Great info.

  Bangalore