WHEN DID 6,000 YEARS DOCTRINE ORIGNATE

badboy

I unerstand that in the 1975 runup, they said 6,000 years were almost ending.

HOWEVER IN THE WAYTO PARADISE BY VAN DE AMBURGH ,IT SAYS 7,000 YEARS HAVE PASSED.

In 1975 the WTB&TS said that 6,000 years of human existence were coming to a close. The implication was that this would be followed by the 1,000 year reign of Christ, and then the 7th creative day would end.

Recall that each creative day was pronounced "good" by Jehovah when it had concluded. Supposedly, we aare living in the seveenth creative "day" and it could not be pronounced "good" unless Christ's Kingdom had cleansed it of the not-good effects of sin.

CTR accepted and taught the belief that was popular in his time that each day of creation was 7,000 years long, but this idea can be traced further back in history, even to pre-christian times.

DT

I have heard that the Epistle of Barnabas mentions the 6000 year doctrine and may be the earliest Christian reference to this. I haven't read it yet. It's on my to do list.

deaconbluez

As far as Watchtower theology goes, the first appearance of this teaching came in the 1966 release Life Everlasting in the Freedom of Sons of God. That was the first time the glorious new light was shared.

Nathan Natas

The Epistle of Barnabas is not in the canon of the new World Translation which was set by the Catholic Church, so is it worthy of consideration?

Barnabas says in chapter 15:

3 Of the Sabbath He speaketh in the beginning of the creation; And God made the works of His hands in six days, and He ended on the seventh day, and rested on it, and He hallowed it.
4 Give heed, children, what this meaneth; He ended in six days. He meaneth this, that in six thousand years the Lord shall bring all things to an end; for the day with Him signifyeth a thousand years; and this He himself beareth me witness, saying; Behold, the day of
the Lord shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is in six thousand years, everything shall come to an end.
5 And He rested on the seventh day. this He meaneth; when His Son shall come, and shall abolish the time of the Lawless One, and shall judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun and the moon and the stars, then shall he truly rest on the seventh day.

I think ol' Barny was doing crack.

Nathan Natas

As far as Watchtower theology goes, the first appearance of this teaching came in the 1966 release Life Everlasting in the Freedom of Sons of God. That was the first time the glorious new light was shared.

Which teaching do you mean? 1975? If so, that is not quite correct. The 1943 book "The Truth Shall Make You Free" pointed at 1972.

" ... From Adam's creation to the end of B .C. 1 was 4,028 years
From beginning of A .D. 1 to the end of 1943 is 1,943 years
From Adam's creation to the end of 1943 A.D. is 5,971 years We are therefore near the end of six thousand years of human history, with conditions upon us and tremendous events at hand foreshadowed by those of Noah's day .-Luke 17 : 26-30."
-- "The Truth Shall Make You Free," chapter XI "The Count of Time" page 152

If 1943 was 5,971 years from Adam's creation, then 29 years later - 1972 - would be the 6,000th year. Certainly the "brothers" in 1943 were able to do the math.

shopaholic

Nathan Natas,

Am I missing something here? According to archeological finds, man existed more than 100,000 years ago. So is 6,000 years based on human existence or just Adams existence?

Nathan Natas

Shopaholic writes:

Nathan Natas,
Am I missing something here? According to archeological finds, man existed more than 100,000 years ago. So is 6,000 years based on human existence or just Adams existence?

C'mon now -- who are you going to believe, your own rational mind or the self-appointed "faithful and discreet slave"?

The WTB&TS teaches (or taught - they may be running from this even as we speak) that each of the seven creative days was 7,000 years long. So the earth was formed less than 50,000 years ago, according to this popular Bible-based chronology. Likewise, man was created only some 6,000 years ago, so the archaeologists, geologists and paleontologists are all deceived by SATAN.

Let the record show that I do not believe this crap. I was raised in it and spent more than two decades wallowing in it, so the stank of it is still with me.

Leolaia

Noncanonical stuff is always worth considering if you are tracing the history of an idea, or getting a sense of what people at a particular time believed. Here are a list of ancient references connected to the belief under discussion:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/147353/2668841/post.ashx#2668841

WHEN DID 6,000 YEARS DOCTRINE ORIGNATE

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