by digderidoo 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
1914 doctrine was a major thing to me at the time i was a witness, i loved explaining it and saying we had the truth
But there were so many witnesses that couldn't explain it at the time and only had a basic concept as to how they came up with the date. I wonder how many here could explain and understand this when they were a dub? Or was it just accepted as being told by the WT so they must be right?
Paul
yes. it's after 1913, and before 1915
Truth is 1914 came from Russell using pyramidology - not from the Bible. A big red flag for any Christian to flee from.
Could you explain 1914?
This was a basic mistake (ignorance) that has snowballed into a whole lot of BS which has divided many, many people....
Yes, but never got the chance to do it.
I'm an MS, been a witness since about 10 yrs old. I would have to read a JW pub word for word to explain it. I could not do it off the top of my head. It's my guess that maybe 10% of active JWs could actually explain it to someone.
I don't think I was ever asked.......
I would have used the pubs as well.
It is not like they explain the build up to 1914 so much as repetitiously repeat it's proclaimed significance in WTS theology
Ok. Here is one brochure trying to setup the year 1914 as something special.
Hope this helps for those that have never seen these things, of course there are some better examples available.
ENJOY!
What
DoesItAllMean?JESUS CHRIST said: "Theconclusionofthesystemofthings" would be identified by war, food shortages, pestilence, and earthquakes.—Matthew 24:1-8; Luke 21:10, 11.
Since 1914 life has been marred by wars between nations and between ethnic groups, often as a result of political interference by clergymen and now by widespread terrorist attacks.
In spite of scientific developments, extreme food shortages are the lot of hundreds of millions of people earth wide. Each year millions of people die because of shortage of food.
Pestilence, that is, widespread epidemics of infectious disease, is also part of the sign given by Jesus. Following World War I, an epidemic of influenza claimed over 21,000,000 lives. Unlike fairly localized plagues in ages past, it touched nations earth wide as well as remote islands. AIDS is now sweeping the globe, and such plagues as TB, malaria, river blindness, and Chagas’ disease persist in developing nations.
Reportedly, there are tens of thousands of earthquakes of varying intensity every year. Regardless of available equipment and improved reporting methods, disasters in population centers as a result of earthquakes have become frequent news.
The Bible also foretold: "Know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away."—2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Do you not agree that we are living in "critical times hard to deal with"?
Have you observed that people, to an excessive extent, are lovers of self, lovers of money, and driven by pride?
Who would dispute that the world is filled with people who are demanding but unthankful, not open to agreement, disloyal?
Are you aware that disobedience to parents along with a shocking lack of affection has dramatically increased, not only in a few places but around the globe?
No doubt you realize that we live in a world that is intoxicated with love of pleasure but is lacking in love of goodness. That is how the Bible describes attitudes that would prevail in "the last days."
Is more needed in order to identify the time in which we live? Jesus also foretold that during this same time, the good news of God’s Kingdom would be preached in all the inhabited earth. (Matthew 24:14) Is that being done?
The
Watchtower, a Bible-based journal that is devoted to announcing the good news of Jehovah’s Kingdom, is regularly printed in more languages than any other periodical.Every year, Jehovah’s Witnesses devote more than a billion hours to witnessing personally to others about God’s Kingdom.
Literature explaining the Bible is currently published by them in some 400 languages, even languages that reach remote and small population groups. Jehovah’s Witnesses have reached all nations with the good news; they have also preached in many islands and territories that are too small to be significant in the political world. In most lands, they carry on a regular program of Bible education.
Indeed, the good news of God’s Kingdom is being preached in all the inhabited earth, not to convert the world, but to give a witness. People everywhere are being given an opportunity to show whether they care who created the heavens and the earth and whether they will show respect for his laws and demonstrate love for their fellowman.—Luke 10:25-27; Revelation 4:11.
Soon now, God’s Kingdom will cleanse the earth of all the wicked and make it a global paradise.—Luke 23:43.
[Box
onpage6]The
LastDaysofWhat?Not the last days of humankind. For those who do the will of God, the Bible holds out the prospect of living forever.—John 3:16, 36; 1 John 2:17.
Not the last days of the earth. God’s Word promises that the inhabited earth will endure forever.—Psalm 37:29; 104:5; Isaiah 45:18.
Instead, these are the last days of this violent, loveless system of things and those who cling to its ways.—Proverbs 2:21, 22.
[Box/Picture
onpage7]Is
theBibleReallyGod’sWord?Repeatedly, the Bible prophets wrote: "This is what Jehovah has said." (Isaiah 43:14; Jeremiah 2:2) Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, emphasized that he ‘did not speak of his own originality.’ (John 14:10) The Bible itself clearly says: "All Scripture is inspired of God."—2 Timothy 3:16.
No other book is published in as many languages—over 2,200, as reported by the United Bible Societies. No other book has such a large circulation—now more than four billion copies. Is that not what you would expect of a message from God that is for all mankind?
For a fuller discussion of the evidences that the Bible is inspired of God, see the book TheBible—God’sWordorMan’s?, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
If you read the Bible with appreciation for the fact that it truly is God’s Word, you will greatly benefit.
[Box/Pictures
onpage8]What
IsGod’sKingdom?It is the government in heaven that expresses rulership by the true God, Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth.—Jeremiah 10:10, 12.
The Bible identifies Jesus Christ as the one to whom God gives such ruling authority. (Revelation 11:15) When on earth, Jesus demonstrated that he already had amazing authority from God—authority that enabled him to control the natural elements, to cure all sorts of illnesses, and even to raise the dead. (Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 4:37-41; John 11:11-44) Inspired Bible prophecy foretold that God would also give him "rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him." (Daniel 7:13, 14) That government is called the Kingdom of heaven; it is from heaven that Jesus Christ now exercises his rulership.
[Pictures
onpage7]Global preaching of the good news
:Truth is 1914 came from Russell using pyramidology - not from the Bible.
Sorry, but this is incorrect information that keeps proliferating. There's enough to damn the WT without spreading bad info.
1914 came from Adventists, doing variations of the same schemes and assumptions followed by William Miller. Russell got ALL of his chronology from them.
At a later point in time, Russell dabbled in the pyramid stuff, using it to back his already existing chronology.
M.J.
i wasnt able to do it when i was a full dub. but i was when i waked up. before i woke up it was truth. so i didnt need to reexamine it.
but i think there are two parts of explaining 1914:
First: Daniel 4:10-16: seven times / Revelation 12:6, 14: 3 1/2 times = 1260 Days => 7 times equals 2520 Days / Hesekiel 4:6: a day for a year = 2520 years / 607 b.c. Jerusalem destroyed / no zero year / 607 b.c + 2520 years = 1914 BING, BING, BING, BING!
Most ppl would be happy with this explanation. Some are not, because there is no evidence that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 b.c.
This construct to "prove" all other bible scholars and even history wrong is a bit more crazy and i dont know from my head how this works...
Its basically taking a date from worldly historicians, applying an unsharp bible verse (or two) to it and come up with 607 b.c. even though the same historicians say else. of course the first date could be false too. and of course the bible verse could be meant otherwise too.
when reexamined this doctrine the first time without wt blinders (aka "the slave is guided by the holy ghost and cant be wrong on this important topic") the more i read about it the odds that this is correct became like gambling in lottery and win the jackpot on first try... but... with the money cashed out invisibly and unprovable...
every single variable in this doctrine is guessed all around the bible and most of them are very unlikely. and only one guess needs to be false to make everything false - indeed the whole religion, especially jesus approval of the religion and the remnant. everything seems to be build up on this premise.
when i finished examining it it was the first time for me to think loudly in my head "and what if... if... its really wrong and all i thought is truth is... a lie?!!!". it scared me a lot.
