Only one book of Newton's about the Bible was ever published. In 1733, six years after his death, J. Darby and T. Browne, published Observations Upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John. In 1690 Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) wrote a manuscript on the corruption of the text of the New Testament concerning I John 5:7 and Timothy 3:16. It was entitled, "A Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture." I read that he also wrote religious tracts. I don't know what the books and tracts say. You can find them somehow. Or you can go with your initial thought that WTS is misinterpreting Newton.
WTS is notorious for misquoting, taking out of context.
I hope Wikipedia is mistaken in what they quote from Newton at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton's_religious_views
otherwise, I would think that WTS used another religious whacko to quote.
Newton's prophecy
Main article: Isaac Newton's occult studies
Newton was a strong believer in prophetic interpretation of the Bible and considered himself to be one of a select group of individuals who were specially chosen by God for the task of understanding Biblical scripture. [ 3 ]
Unlike a prophet in the classical sense of the word, Newton relied upon existing Scripture to prophesy for him, believing his interpretations would set the record straight in the face of what he considered to be, "so little understood". [ 10 ]
Though he would never write a cohesive body of work on Prophecy, Newton's beliefs would lead him to write several treatises on the subject, including an unpublished guide for prophetic interpretation entitled, Rules for interpreting the words & language in Scripture. In this manuscript he details the necessary requirements for what he considered to be the proper interpretation of the Bible.
2060 A.D.
Main article: Isaac Newton's occult studies
Over the years, a large amount of media attention and public interest has circulated regarding largely unknown and unpublished documents, evidently written by Isaac Newton, that indicate he believed the world could end in 2060 AD. (Newton also had many other possible dates e.g 2034) [ 11 ] The juxtaposition of Newton, popularly seen by some as the embodiment of scientific rationality with a seemingly irrational prediction of the "end of the world", would invariably lend itself to cultural sensationalism.
To understand the reasoning behind the 2060 prediction, an understanding of Newton's theological beliefs should be taken into account, particularly his antitrinitarian beliefs and those negative views he held about the Papacy. Both of these lay essential to his calculations, which are themselves based upon specific chronological dates which he believed had already transpired and were prophesied within the Book of Revelation and the Book of Daniel within the Christian Bible.
Despite the dramatic nature of a prediction of the end of the world, Newton may not have been referring to the 2060 date as a destructive act resulting in the annihilation of the earth and its inhabitants, but rather one in which he believed the world was to be replaced with a new one based upon a transition to an era of divinely inspired peace. In Christian and Islamic theology, this concept is often referred to as The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of The Kingdom of God on Earth. [ 11 ] In Judaism it is often referred to as the Messianic era or the "Yamei Moshiach" (Days of the Messiah).
