Question about how long Jesus 1000 year reign is?

by jwfacts 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  jwfacts

  It appears that the Watchtower teaches that the 1000 year reign starts after Armageddon, which makes sense.

  (Revelation 20:6) . . .Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years. . .

  If that is the case, why does the Watchtower preach that Jesus started ruling in 1914, and what backing do they have for his heavenly rulership being more than 1000 years?
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  jwfacts

  I am not actually sure when the Watchtower claims that the earthly rulership and 1000 year reign starts, and have never received a straight answer. For instance:

  w907/1p.28 At the end of the times of the Gentiles in 1914, none of the nations—not even the nations of so-called Christendom, many citizens of which religiously view themselves as spiritual Israelites—were inclined to welcome Jehovah’s Anointed One, Jesus Christ, to the throne of rulership over the earth.

  w743/15p.165 So the "seven times" ended in October 1914 C.E., and it was then that, though invisible to human eyes, Jesus Christ received rulership over the world of mankind.

  makes it sound like Jesus earthly rulership started in 1914. If so than we are already 10% through the 1000 year reign.

  Do any of the scholars out there know when the Watchtower states the 1000 year starts?

  It made a lot more sense under Russell, who said the heavenly and earthly rulership and paradise would all start in 1914. Except that he was wrong.
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  Mrs. Fiorini

  Good question. I've wondered about this myself. I don't have any answers though. It's possible the WT doesn't either. As we have seen throughout the years, not all of their doctrines add up.
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  Amha·’aret

  Good question! I'd never thought of that one before.

  Of course, like the other poster said, there is no straight answer to this but what a brain teaser to pose to my jw friends and family. It'd be very interesting to see how they square that one up!
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  hamilcarr

  1,000 years = Judgment Day when Jesus and 144,000 will operate as kings and judges. This period didn't start in 1914, but after Satan's system being destructed and hurled down in the abyss.
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  passwordprotected

  We've laughed about this often. However, the Watchtower apologist work-around would be that while Christ is reigning in heaven now, the 1000 year reign marks a very particular and unique part of Jesus' heavenly king-ship. Of course, there's no scriptural support for this, but then that's not particularly unusual, is it?
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  blondie

  The WTS defines the 1,000 year reign as beginning with the removal of Satan and the demons from activity on earth, after the abyssing.

  *** w52 11/1 p. 670 Questions From Readers ***Christ’s rule for a full thousand years without any encroachment or interference from Satan and his demons allows for the accomplishment of the things foretold at 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (NW): "He hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed all government and all authority and power. For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. As the last enemy, death is to be destroyed. For God ‘subjected all things under his feet’. But when he says that ‘all things have been subjected’, it is evident that it is with the exception of the one who subjected all things to him. But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the one who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone."

  *** Good News gh chap. 3 p. 26 What the Book Contains ***Christ abysses Devil — 1,000-year reign starts

  and demons
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  jwfacts

  the Watchtower apologist work-around would be that while Christ is reigning in heaven now, the 1000 year reign marks a very particular and unique part of Jesus' heavenly king-ship. Of course, there's no scriptural support for this, but then that's not particularly unusual, is it?

  This is how I see it too, a work-around response. The normal response would be to talk around in circles and avoid giving an answer. I asked this question once on yahoo answers and none of the JW answers addressed the question. If you could pin a JW down to an answer, I imagine they would say the 1000 years start after Armageddon and show some scriptures to support that, and then say the heavenly part started in 1914 but not be able to actually show any scriptural support.
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  hamilcarr

  there's no scriptural support for this,

  Re 20 seems to hint at the simultaneity of Satan being bound "for a thousand years" (Re 20:2) and the joint executive and judicial power of Jesus and "the souls of those executed" "for a thousand years" (Re 20:4).
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  Satanus

  His 1000 yr riegn. Hmmm. How long would that be? Good question. The wt doesn't know, either.

  S