New World or New System of Things

by *jeremiah* 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  moggy lover

  I can see at least two reasons behind this subtlety of expression.

  1 It gives the R&F membership a veneer of scholastic integrity. Upto 1950, when the first edition of the NWT of the "Christian Greek Scriptures" was published, the general expression was the "New World" when referring to the post-A structure of society. Then Freddy Franz the "oracle" of God discovered an anomaly.

  There are two Greek words used in the NT to discuss a concept such as this: "Kosmos" which he decided to "translate" as "world", and "Aion" which he tabbed with the expression "system of things" Now he found that when references to the Post-A time were made in the NT, the word used was "aion" not "kosmos" [check out Lu 18:30 etc] So Voila! Out went the expression "New World" and say hellow to "New System"

  The ironic bit was that Franz discovered this anomaly too late. The New "World" Translation had already been published. So there we were like a bunch of gits, prattling on about the "New System" while at the same time flogging the New "World" Translation at the doors.

  2 It keeps the faithful on their toes. Blues Brother will bear me out in this, but back in the 60s and 70s you had to keep on your toes to show that you were up with the latest '' truths'' and this meant remembering all the subtle shifts in verbal nuances. If some unfortunate specimen, in a lapse of judgment at an otherwise boring WT study, mentioned the word "world" when he should have said "system" you can bet your boots that he would be stared at like he was a skunk at a family picnic. And that would be the only bit that was remembered at the study. Such peer tactics ensured he never repeated such a clanger.

  BTW, I remember about the late 70s the WTS making quite a hullabaloo over the word "Armageddon" insisting on printing it as "Har-Mageddon" This caught the more zealous ones off guard. Could'nt tell if it was a one-off thing or a new "Shift" in vocabulary.

  With many of their best writers either pushed out or voluntarily leaving, and with a dearth of deep theological thinkers left behind, this verbal rectitude seems to have blurred, and guards, both theological and linguistic, have dropped.

  In other word, no body gives a stuff.

  Cheers
• 

  Gopher

  in the 60s and 70s you had to keep on your toes to show that you were up with the latest '' truths''

  Hey, the "circuit servant" wants to hold a "rendezvous" so we can go on "back calls".

  Stay alive till '75!
• 

  abbagail

  Biblically, NEITHER. ;-)
  
  But in JW-Land, it's either or...
  I remember "New Order" in the 1980s; and also "New System of Things" (what a mouthful that was to say).
  I don't remember too much "New World" except for the NWT.
  
  
  ---------------
  
  
  As for "New World," doesn't this, below, sound like they are describing the JWs? Well, guess not... evidently some other fool is out there teaching the same prophetic MISinterpretation of the "New World" terminology, similar to what the WT does...
  
  [...]
  
  This unbelievable story we are about to share with you falls into the latter category. You will hear in credibly false interpretations given for an ancient occult term. You will hear a pastor telling his people that a term [which] originated within Satanic secret societies really applies to Jesus' Millennial Reign. Unbelievable but true. Let us review the details of the story first.
  
  NEWS BRIEF: "Prophetic News Alert", October, 2004
  "This Prophetic News Alert is a worldwide picture toward which you can set your attention as we march toward the coming One World Order. The New World Order of Jesus Christ is called the Millennial Reign and it cannot be inaugurated until the present order is finished. Jesus spoke of the present order as the 'Times of the Gentiles'. This order begins (sic) with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and will be finished when Jesus Christ returns bodily to Jerusalem. Then, the New World Order will begin."
  
  What nonsense! This pastor is telling his people that Jesus' 1,000-Year Reign (Millennial Reign) is called "The New World Order". There is absolutely no Scripture of prophecy which tells us that Jesus' glorious 1,000-year reign is called a New World Order. However, this term is heavily applied to the Satanic Kingdom of Antichrist, and has been used in this regard ever since Adam Weishaupt founded the Masters of the Illuminati on May 1, 1776, just as the Roman Numerals on the bottom row of this pyramid tell us; when translated, these Roman Numerals equal 1776.
  
  [...]
  
  Each form of apostasy has the same ultimate goal: to prepare Christians to accept the coming "Man of Perdition", the Antichrist. Again, the different ways this deception is carried out various widely. In some case, Christians are just not taught prophecy, so they will not realize the significance of what is happening on the world scene. In other instances, false interpretations are placed upon prophecy so that people will react falsely to events occurring on the world scene. In still other instances, a false teacher will present a false explanation for an occult term or event, claiming it is Christian. The objective is the same: to prevent Christians from properly recognizing the prophetic peril they are facing.
  
  [...]
  
  The full article is here: http://www.cuttingedge.org/NEWS/n1972.cfm
  
  /ag Hope this formatting works... :-/