by cognac 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Ok - just to clarify (for me please, lol) - the way I understand it now is that 1914 is no different from any other year...?
--MidwichCuckoo
1914 is still being touted as when Jesus came back. It's taken a backseat to increased emphasis on adoration of the Slave TM , but it's not gone away.
Midwich Cuckoo: 1914 is still very important in JW theology. Like SirNose said, it's the year Jesus began ruling as king, and it's the beginning of "The Last Days." But it no longer has any direct connection to the timing of "The End."
Until 1995, JWs could comfortably say that there was a limited amount of time before The End--it had to come before everyone who saw the events of 1914 died. Since 1995, that is no longer the case.
Cheers SirNose. I know the WT can't just sweep 1914 under the carpet, but the two JWs I'VE spoken to about it seem very vague (one just said, 'well, we 'predicted' WWI). It all seems basically meaningless (I know...it always was, lol). The way I NOW see it is that 1914 'served a purpose' and is now redundant.
1914 is still a magical year for WTS. Because they were expecting so much to happen that year, and because World War One started that year, it's proof that they were right all along. So they re-invented their doctrine afterward to say that they foretold that 1914 would be such an important year. They actually changed that to the year Jesus showed up invisibly, as they previously taught it was in 1874 or some such nonsense.
jwfacts that was linked by drwtsn32 is about the best way to understand it.
Putting any doctrinal reason behind, the best way to understand the change is that nobody really understood the 1995 change. It was explained and explained but it didn't satisfy anyone. "Open ended" generation? It could have been thousands of years. Without the end being moments away, this Jehovah's Witnesses cult doesn't have the drive it needs. They need to know that the end is near, very near, minutes away even.
By leaving the 1995 doctrine, there was no imminence. They didn't need to tie the generation to being "the anointed" but they needed to tie the generation to something just to show that there was an enddate. True, there's not much of an enddate yet, but there will be. Anyone who doesn't even do math very well can compute that there should soon be 144,000. Those that do math well know that it should have been reached before the second century but I digress.
I hope the WTS works up a new frenzy to get the numbers up by setting the enddate, at least setting up that it's very very very very imminent. That way, soon the "weak" JW's will tire of this game.
Until 1995, JWs could comfortably say that there was a limited amount of time before The End--it had to come before everyone who saw the events of 1914 died. Since 1995, that is no longer the case.
Thanks OMGhost :wave: - yes, pre 1995 God Himself promised us that the 1914 generation would not pass away etc (I read it in The Awake, so it MUST be true), so it was important to the JWs...but now it has no significance, no connection with what is happening on Earth (?)
The 1995 change has been shown up as a ploy.
They knew they neede to change the "generation" teaching to accommodate the rising number of annointed and change the 1935 closing date.
At the A$$embly when the latest change came, the speaker said "what did JWs say this generation meant? Then gave the 1995 teaching. Any fool can see the 1914 generataion had to be changed, they were starting to make fools of themselves, and since only 2 of the gb were born before 1935 that had to be changed too.
They just follow expedience and $$$$$$
HB
I think that explanation of Mr. hamsterbait is completely correct.
Most members of the current Governing Body are born after 1935 (they are fakes).
I think that this is showing that they make a fool of people who have believed the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses earnestly.
The current Governing Body is liars'/hypocrites' bunch.
OMG makes a funny point. Before, the thinking was that the generation were wicked people and then became they became annointed. This is hilarious.
It's points like this that helps me when I talk to JW's. The main thing I respond with is show me the scriptures that were later amended and then retracted as new light came out. Oh gee, I guess whan Jah directs something he doesn't have to change his mind. One goofy JW told me that back then, they had holy spirit. My response of course was that it's obvious they don't now.
I have seen this organization morph from the religion of God and Jesus to religion of the anointed 144 000 to religion of the remnant to religion of an exalted faithful slave mediating for us before almighty God. We are no better now than catholics on their knees kissing the ring on the finger of the Pope or doing obeisance before his bishops.
