by AlphaOmega 65 Replies latest watchtower bible
Thanks for the link...however, the company I work for has loaded some Gestapo software that keeps us from streaming audio/video, accessing "social networking" sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc) and worst of all, the porn sites. It also blocks the site where this PDF is available.
Is it available anywhere else...or if someone has time to kill, cut and past the article? Please? Pretty Please??
I'm also at work, so don't have the original file - but I'll download it and paste the text (assuming the OCR that I did on it was any good).
Standby caller
As an alternative, are there any sites that are allowed, or other ways of getting it to you?
Forgive the OCR errors, this is a straight copy and paste.
The formatting leaves a bit to be desired :
CHRIST'S PRESENCE -WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?
"What will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?'
1 '-MATT. 24:3.N
EARLY two thousand years ago, a ques-tion was raised by four of Jesus' apostles in a private conversation with their Master on the Mount of Olives. They asked: "When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?" (Matt. 24:3) In that question, the apostles used two very interest-ing expressions, "your presence" and "the conclusion of the system of things." To what do those expressions refer?
2
To take the second expression first, con-sider the term "conclusion," the translation of the Greek word syn-te'lei-a. In the New World Translation, this word is consistent-ly rendered "conclusion," whereas a related Greek word, te'los, is translated "end." The difference in the meaning of these two words can be illustrated by describing a talk given at the Kingdom Hall. The conclusion of the
1. What interesting question did Jesus' apostles ask him?
2. What is the underlying meaning of the word "conclusion"?
talk is the last section, in which the speaker spends a little time reminding the audience of what he has been discussing and then shows how that information applies to them. The end of the talk is when the speaker walks off the platform. In a similar way, Biblically speaking, the term "the conclusion of the system of things" refers to the period of time leading up to and including its end.
3
What of the "presence" that the apostles asked about? This is the translation of the Greek word pa-rou-si'a.* Christ's pa-rou-si'a, or presence, started with Jesus' installation as King in heaven in 1914 and continues on to include the "great tribulation," during which he comes to destroy the wicked. (Matt. 24:21) Many different things, including "the
' The meaning oi pa-rou-si'a is seen from the contrast that is made between the "presence" and "absence" of the apostle Paul both at 2 Corinthians 10:10, 11 and at Philippians 2:12. For a detailed discussion, see Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, pages 676-9.
3. What are some of the things that occur during Jesus' presence?
last days" of this wicked system of things, the gathering of the chosen ones, and their res-urrection to heavenly life, occur during this presence of Jesus. (2 Tim. 3:1; 1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 2 Thess. 2:1) It could be said that the period constituting "the conclusion of the system of things" (syn-te'lei-a) corre-sponds to or runs parallel with the period called Christ's presence (pa-rou-si'a).
An Extended Period of Time
4
The fact that the word pa-rou-si'a refers to an extended period of time harmonizes with what Jesus said with regard to his presence. (Read Matthew 24:37-39.) Notice that Jesus did not liken his presence to the relatively short period of time during which the Wood occurred in Noah's day. Rather, he compared his presence to the much longer period of time that led up to the Flood. Included there-in were Noah's building of the ark and his preaching work, right up until the time that the Flood finally arrived. Those events oc-curred over many decades. In a similar way, Christ's presence includes the events leading up to and including the great tribulation. -2 Thess. 1:6-9.
5
Other Bible prophecies make it evident that Christ's presence refers to an extended period of time and not merely to his coming to destroy the wicked. The book of Revela-tion portrays Jesus as riding on a white horse and being given a crown. (Read Revelation 6: 1-8.) After being crowned as King in 1914, Je-sus is pictured as going "forth conquering and to complete his conquest." The account then shows that he is followed by riders seat-ed on different-colored horses. These pro-phetically represent war, food shortages, and
4. How does Jesus' presence find a parallel in the events of Noah's day?
5. How do the words recorded in Revelation chap-ter 6 indicate that Jesus' presence is an extended pe-riod of time?
After being crowned as King in 1914, Jesus is pictured as "conquering"
pestilence, all of which have occurred over the extended period of time that is referred to as "the last days." We are seeing the fulfillment of this prophe-cy in our lifetime.
6
Revelation chapter 12 provides further details concerning the estab-lishment of God's Kingdom in heav-en. There we read of a battle in the in-visible realm. Michael—Jesus Christ in his heavenly position—and his an-gels fight against the Devil and his de-mons. As a result, Satan the Devil and his hordes are cast down to the earth. At that point, the account tells us, the Devil has great anger, "knowing he has a short period of time." (Read Revela-tion 12:7-12.) Clearly, then, the estab-lishment of Christ's Kingdom in heaven
is followed by a period of time that is marked by increased "woe" for the earth and its in-habitants.
7
The second psalm likewise speaks pro-phetically of the installation of Jesus as King upon heavenly Mount Zion. (Read Psalm 2: 5-9; 110:1, 2.) However, this psalm also indi-cates that there is a period of time when earth's rulers, along with their subjects, are given an opportunity to submit to Christ's rule. They are admonished to "exercise in-sight" and to allow themselves to be "correct-ed." Yes, during that time "happy are all those taking refuge in him [God]" by serving Jehovah and his appointed King. So, then, a window of opportunity is opened during Je-sus' presence in kingly power.—Ps. 2:10-12.
6. What does Revelation chapter 12 help us to un-derstand about Christ's presence?
7. What does the second psalm speak about, and what opportunity is described therein?
22 THE WATCHTOWER • FEBRUARY 15, 2008
Recognizing the Sign
8
When asked by the Pharisees about the time the Kingdom would come, Jesus an-swered that it would not come "with strik-ing observableness" from their viewpoint. (Luke 17:20, 21) Unbelievers would not un-derstand. How could they? They did not even recognize Jesus as their future King. So who would both recognize the sign of Christ's presence and understand its significance?
9
Jesus went on to say that his disciples would see the sign just as clearly as they would see "lightning, by its flashing, [which] shines from one part under heaven to anoth-er part." (Read Luke 17:24-29.) It is of interest to note that Matthew 24:23-27 directly links the same point with the sign of Christ's pres-ence.
8, 9. Who would recognize the sign of Christ's presence and understand its meaning?
The Generation Seeing the Sign
«' Previously, this journal has explained that in the first century, "this generation" mentioned at Matthew 24:34 meant "the contemporaneous generation of unbelieving Jews."* That explanation seemed reasonable because all other recorded uses that Jesus made of the term "generation" had a nega-tive connotation, and in most cases, Jesus used a negative adjective, such as "wicked," to describe the generation. (Matt. 12:39; 17: 17; Mark 8:38) Thus, it was felt that in the modern-day fulfillment, Jesus was referring to the wicked "generation" of unbelievers who would see both the features that would characterize "the conclusion of the system of things" (syn-te'lei-a) and the system's end (te'/os).
11
It is true that when Jesus used the word "generation" negatively, he was speaking to or about the wicked people of his day. But was that necessarily true of his statement re-corded at Matthew 24:34? Recall that four of Jesus' disciples had approached him "pri-vately." (Matt. 24:3) Since Jesus did not use negative qualifiers when speaking to them about "this generation," the apostles would no doubt have understood that they and their fellow disciples were to be part of the "generation" that would not pass away "until all these things [would] occur."
12
On what basis may we draw that conclu-sion? By carefully considering the context. As
* See The Watchtower, November 1,1995, pages 11-15, 19,30,31.
10, 11. (a) What explanation was previously giv-en concerning the. "generation" mentioned at Mat-thew 24:34? (b) Who would Jesus' disciples have no doubt understood to be included in that "genera-tion"?
12. What does the context reveal concerning those to whom Jesus was referring when he used the term "generation"?
recorded at Matthew 24:32, 33, Jesus said: "Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. Likewise also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors." (Compare Mark 13:28-30; Luke 21:30-32.) Then, at Matthew 24:34, we read: "Truly 1 say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur."
13
Jesus said that it was his disciples, soon to be anointed with holy spirit, who should be able to draw certain conclusions when they saw "all these things" occur. So Jesus must have been referring to his disciples when he made the statement: "This genera-tion will by no means pass away until all these things occur."
"Unlike unbelievers, Jesus' disciples would not only see the sign but also under-stand its significance. They would "learn" from the features of that sign and "know" their true meaning. They would fully appre-ciate that "he is near at the doors." While it is true that both unbelieving Jews and faithful anointed Christians saw a limited fulfillment
13, 14. Why can we say that the "generation" that Jesus referred to must have been his disciples?
of Jesus' words in the first century, only his anointed followers back then could learn from these events—could understand the true meaning of what they saw.
15
Those without spiritual understanding today have felt that there has been no "strik-ing observableness" with regard to the sign of Jesus' presence. They reason that every-thing is continuing on as it did in the past. (2 Pet. 3:4) On the other hand, Christ's faith-ful anointed brothers, the modern-day John class, have recognized this sign as if it were a flash of lightning and have understood its true meaning. As a class, these anointed ones make up the modern-day "generation" of contemporaries that will not pass away "un-til all these things occur."* This suggests that some who are Christ's anointed brothers will still be alive on earth when the foretold great tribulation begins.
*The time period during which "this generation" lives seems to correspond to the period covered by the first vision in the book of Revelation. (Rev. 1:10-3:22) This feature of the Lord's day extends from 1914 until the last of the faithful anointed ones dies and is res-urrected.—See Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand! page 24, paragraph 4.
15. (a) Who make up the modern-day "genera-tion" that Jesus referred to? (b) Why are we not able to calculate the exact length of "this generation"? (See the box on page 25.)
"This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur"
%
VatCan We Calculate
— the Length of "This Generation"?
The word "generation" usually refers to people of var-ious ages whose lives overlap during a particular time peri-od or event. For example, Ex-odus 1:6 tells us: "Eventually ]oseph died, and also all his brothers and all that genera-tion."Joseph and his brothers varied in age, but they shared a common experience during the same time period. Includ-ed in "that generation" were
some of Joseph's brothers who were born before him. Some of these outlived Jo-seph. (Gen. 50:24) Others of "that generation," such as Benjamin, were born after Jo-seph was born and may have lived on after he died.
So when the term "genera-tion" is used with reference to people living at a particu-lar time, the exact length of thattime cannot be stated ex-
cept that it does have an end and would not be excessive-ly long. Therefore, by using the term "this generation," as recorded at Matthew 24:34, Jesus did not give his disci-ples a formula to enable them to determine when "the last days" would end. Rather, Je-sus went on to emphasize that they would not know "that day and hour."—2 Tim. 3:1; Matt. 24:36.
"Keep on the Watch"
16
More is needed, though, than merely recognizing the sign. Jesus went on to say: "What I say to you I say to all, Keep on the watch." (Mark 13:37) This is of utmost im-portance to all of us today whether of the anointed or of the great crowd. Nine decades have passed since Jesus was installed as King in heaven in 1914. As challenging as it may be, we must prove ourselves ready and keep on the watch. Understanding that Christ is present invisibly in Kingdom power helps us to do that. It also alerts us to the fact that soon he will come to destroy his enemies "at an hour that [we] do not think likely."—Luke 12:40.17
Our understanding of the meaning of Christ's presence helps to intensify our feel-ings of urgency. We know that Jesus is al-ready present and has been reigning invisi-bly as King in heaven since 1914. Soon he will come to destroy the wicked and bring about vast changes to this entire globe. We should therefore be more determined than ever to take an active part in the work that Je-sus foretold when he said: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the in-habited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end [te'los] will come."—Matt. 24:14.16. What must all of Christ's disciples do?
17. How should this understanding make us feel, and what should we be determined to do?
How Would You Answer?
• How do we know that Jesus' presence is an extended period of time?
• Who recognize the sign of Jesus' presence and understand what it means?
• The modern-day generation men-tioned at Matthew 24:34 is made up of whom?
• Why are we unable to calculate the exact length of "this generation"?
THE WATCHTOWER • FEBRUARY 15, 2008 25
I'm a bit confused is the thinking now
a.) As long as Christ has disciples the end might not come
b.) as long as their are unbelieving Jews (Jews who don't believe that Christ is the messiah, which effectively means as long as their is a Jewish faith) the end might not come.
I'm probably off here, I really just skimmed through that, I have a hard time reading through any WT related stuff.
A request for V, please do a comments you won't hear at the study on this article ASAP :)
AlphaOmega, many thanks!
Just so I'm clear, as a non-Dub, the current generation light is that "the generation" is the generation of 1914 people, right?
w976/1p.28QuestionsFromReaders
Peter was speaking about the unbelieving Jews of that period—some perhaps being rather young, others being older—who had been exposed to Jesus’ teaching, had seen or heard of his miracles, and had not accepted him as Messiah.That evidently is how Peter understood Jesus’ use of "generation" .
w995/1p.11pars.12-13"TheseThingsMustTakePlace"***
So when, on the Mount of Olives, he again spoke of "this generation," he evidently did not mean the entire race of Jews throughout history; nor did he mean his followers, even though they were "a chosen race." (1 Peter 2:9) Neither was Jesus saying that "this generation" is a period of time. Rather, Jesus had in mind the opposing Jews back then who would experience the fulfillment of the sign he gave. Regarding the reference to "this generation" at Luke 21:32, Professor Joel B. Green notes: "In the Third Gospel, ‘this generation’ (and related phrases) has regularly signified a category of people who are resistant to the purpose of God. . . . [It refers] to people who stubbornly turn their backs on the divine purpose."
Question: 12, 13. How would the disciples have understood Jesus’ reference to "this generation"
W08 2/15 Study Article
...the apostles would no doubt have understood that they and their fellow disciples were to be part of the "generation" that would not pass away "until all these things [would] occur."
Just so I'm clear, as a non-Dub, the current generation light is that "the generation" is the generation of 1914 people, right?
Mrs Witness
The 1914 generation teaching was changed in 1995 to what has been alluded to in this wt article.
I read the article and it is sense-less.....they contradict themselves in bringing up the apostals....The apostolic age was less than seventy years....only a twit...like I was for forty years....would buy into this convoluted muck....
V
Thanks Gilberto.
I'm with Carla, we need a "generation for dummies". So, let me get the chronology (sorry if I'm redundant): pre-1995, generation meant 1914 people, 1995-Feb 2008 it meant people who were resistant to God, and, finally, Feb 2008 it means the disciples?
The disciples are dead, right, I mean, surely the WT isn't going to come out and say they've been resurrected or something and are sitting on the GB? I'M SO CONFUSED! And if the disciples have "passed away" what does that mean? It's just not logical, Captain.
Funny thing is, I've always argued with hubby that Jesus was talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in those passages and it seems like the WT got close to that, then veered of into la-la land by inferring that some weird "John" class are the modern-day disciples. UGH, it makes my head hurt.
How many dubs really understand this junk? I don't. I probably would understand it if my eyes didn't glaze over after a paragraph or two.
