Utterly embarrassing. How many JW's honestly believe these daft interpretations? Hard to believe these are actually held out as current truth lol. Even some of the GB must secretly cringe at them and know they are tripe. Compliments of www.jwfacts.com
Daniel
A number of the prophetic interpretations for Daniel show another classic struggle of attempting to find a modern day fulfilment that does not exist, resulting in contradiction, changes, inconsistencies and little hint of divine guidance. The current understanding is often quite amusing. The prophecies discussed here are;
- 1260 days
- 1290 days
- 1335 days
- 2300 days
- 2520 days - Seven Times
During the 1800's Russell taught that the 1260, 1290 and 1335 days all started at the beginning of papal rule in 539 A.D. With 539, 1799 and 1874 no longer being considered relevant the explanation for these prophecies also have changed.
1260 days
At Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 11:3-6 it discusses a period of 3 ½ years, or 1260 days. During the 1800's the Watchtower claimed this was prophetic of 1260 years. Now it is said to be a period of days that roughly correspond to 1260 literal days.
1800's
The 1260 days were explained to be the period of power for the Papal Church. At first this was 538 - 1798 A.D. (Zion's Watch Tower December 1881 p.7). This was later adjusted to 539 - 1799 A.D.
- "Literally in the three and one half years in Elijah's day in which there was no rain (James 5:17) and spiritually in the three and one half times, or 1260 years, from A. D. 539 to 1799 in which the showers of blessing were withheld from the world" Studies in the Scriptures VII - Finished Mystery p.173
1900's
In the 1900's, the 1260 days were changed to be literal days.
In 1930, Light I explained the 1260 days extend from November 7 1914 with the release of a specific Watch Tower article, concluding May 7th 1918 when an arrest order on Rutherford and the Watchtower board members was issued.
- "The article published in the November 1 issue of The Watch Tower would be in the hands of its readers by the end of the first week or about the seventh day of November, 1914. … Forty-two months of thirty days each, or 1260 days, which is equivalent to three and one-half years solar time, beginning the first week in November, to wit, November 7, 1914, would end on the 7th day of May, 1918. … Exactly forty-two months after the publication of the forementioned "sackcloth" article in The Watch Tower, to wit, on the 7th day of May, 1918, all the officers of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and who were then the publishers of The Watch Tower, were "overcome", in this, that they were arrested under warrant charging a violation of the espionage law and trading with the enemy, and their work stopped." Light I pp.198,199
In 1969, the start of the 1260 days was changed, now extending from end of Gentile Times October 4th 1914 to the memorial of March 26th 1918. (See Then is Finished the Mystery of God, p261-263)
In 1977, the start of the 1260 days was changed to Dec 28th 1914, ending June 21st 1918. This was the period from when the Bible Students expected to be persecuted until Rutherford's release from imprisonment.
- Our Incoming World Government - God's Kingdom pp.128-129 "The "finishing of the dashing of the power of the holy people to pieces" evidently occurred on June 21, 1918. On that day the American federal court sentenced the president and the secretary-treasurer of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and five of their headquarters associates to long prison terms, amounting to a total of 140 years. … Well, June 21, 1918, fell, according to the Biblical lunar calendar, on Tammuz 11, 1918. Three lunar years back from that, or Tammuz 11, 1915, fell on June 23, 1915. Then the half of a lunar year, or six lunar months, back from that would be Tebeth 11, 1914, which coincided with December 28, 1914. … That date, December 28, 1914, was very appropriate. During the year from early in January the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society had been showing the famous Photo-Drama of Creation."
In 1988, the Revelation book went back to the 1969 interpretation.
- Revelation - It's Great Climax is at Hand! p.164 "Additionally, at the beginning of the Lord's day, there was a marked period of three and a half years when the hard experiences of God's people matched the events prophesied here-starting from the outbreak of the first world war in the latter part of 1914 and continuing to the early part of 1918."
In 1993, the Watchtower returned to the 1977 interpretation.
- The 1,260 Days
"Since January 1914 they had been showing the Photo-Drama of Creation, a Biblical presentation that drew attention to Daniel's prophecies. In the summer of that year in the Northern Hemisphere, war broke out. In October, the appointed times ended. By the end of the year, the anointed remnant were expecting persecution, as seen from the fact that the year text chosen for 1915 was Jesus' question to his disciples, "Are ye able to drink of my cup?" based on Matthew 20:22, King James Version. Hence, from December 1914, this small band of witnesses 'preached in sackcloth,' humbly enduring as they announced Jehovah's judgments. … Finally, on June 21, 1918, J. F. Rutherford, the new president, together with the directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, was sentenced on false charges to a long term in prison. Thus, at the end of the prophetic period, the "little horn" killed the organized public preaching work." Watchtower 1993 November 1 pp.9-10
In 2007 Jehovah's Witnesses once more reviewed the 1993 Revelation book at their Book Study. The September 2006 Kingdom Ministry insert made the following change regarding the 1260 days.
It is amusing to think a Witness will consider this "new light", when in actual fact it was old light from 1977, re-replacing incorrect new light.
What is interesting when examining the 1993 understanding is that from December 28th to June 21st is not 1260 days, but 1272 days. Additionally, why start December 1914? World War 1 started in August and the Gentile times apparently ended in October. The Watchtower simply decided the event of June 21st 1918 to have been an auspicious date, worthy of prophecy, and then counted back roughly 1260 solar days to a non-eventful month in 1914.
Note: The 1260 days of Revelation 11:3 are not to be confused with the 1260 days of Revelation 12:6. This second period is described as;
- "Revelation 12:6 says 1,260 days. Revelation 12:14 calls the period a time, times, and half a time; in other words, three and a half times. In fact, both expressions stand for three and a half years, extending in the Northern Hemisphere from the spring of 1919 to the autumn of 1922. This was a period of refreshing recuperation and reorganization for the restored John class." Revelation - It's Great Climax is at Hand! p.184
1290 days
1800's
Originally the 1290 days of Daniel 12:11 were the 1290 years that extended from 539 A.D, to 1829. This marked the start of the Miller movement and the message of the Second Advent of Christ. (Studies in the Scriptures, Series 3 p.84, Series 7 pp.40, 60, 163. Watchtower 1914 November 1)
1900's
The 1290 days now have been given a rather unusual 20th century application. This time period is now said to refer to days and not years, and be related to the period of time between the set up of the League of Nations in January 8th 1918 to the Cedar Point convention on September 3rd 1922.
Strangely enough there are not 1290 days, but 1334 days between these two conventions, so the prophecy is around two months out. To make it fit the Watchtower makes the claim that Daniel was referring to 30 day months and hence 43 months. From January 1918 to September 1922 is 43 months if you do not count the first and last month. In other words solar days are converted to lunar months and then applied to solar months to make this prophecy fit, quite a stretch of the imagination.
- "The 1,290 days are therefore reckoned from the date of the setting up of the abomination, which was in the latter part of January, 1919. This period of 3 years and 7 months ends at September, 1922-the very time of the Cedar Point Convention mentioned above." Watchtower 1951 July 15 p.433
In more recent times the Watchtower presents the information in a manner that makes it almost appear to be a literal 1290 days.
- "The League was proposed in January 1919. If we count 1,290 days (three years, seven months) from that time, we arrive at September 1922." Watchtower 1993 November 1 pp.10-12
1335 days
- Daniel 12:12 "Happy is the one who is keeping in expectation and who arrives at the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!
1800's
The 1335 days was interpreted to mean 1335 years after papal rule had started in 539 A.D, coming to "the Lord's second presence" in 1874 A.D. (Creation 1927 2,175,000 ed. p.298)
1900's
The prophecy of 1335 days is now applied to the time period between the Cedar Point convention on September 3 1922 and the London convention held May 1926.
- Watchtower 1993 November 1 pp.10-12 "Counting from September 1922, this brings us to the late spring (Northern Hemisphere) of 1926. What happened during those 1,335 days? … In May 1926 at the London, England, convention, a resolution was adopted entitled "A Testimony to the Rulers of the World.""
This appears to be the same reasoning as used with the 1290 days. In this case there are about 1360 days between these two conventions. Consistent use of the convert lunar-to-solar-months-in-between method as applied to the 1290 day prophecy would make this prophecy over shoot the convention by a couple of months.
2300 days
1800's
In the early 1800's John Aquila Brown taught that the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 ended in 1844. Russell felt the cleansing of the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 days occurred in 1846, understood to be when Storrs abandoned false doctrines. Studies in the Scriptures Series 3 pp.67,108 and Series 7 p.163 explains that 2300 years extends from 454 B.C. (the start of the prophecy of the 70 weeks with the rebuilding of the temple) to 1846 A.D.
1900's
The current understanding of the 2300 days show just how strange Watchtower interpretation has become in a vigorous effort to find some 20th century application. From June 1st 1938 to October 15th 1944 is about 2320 days.
- "For "the holy place" to be "brought," or restored, to what it should be, the 2,300 days must have begun when it previously was in the "right condition" from God's standpoint. At the earliest, this was on June 1, 1938, when The Watchtower published part 1 of the article "Organization." Part 2 appeared in the issue of June 15, 1938. Counting 2,300 days (6 years, 4 months, and 20 days on the Hebrew calendar) from June 1 or 15, 1938, brings us to October 8 or 22, 1944. On the first day of a special assembly held at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., on September 30 and October 1, 1944, the Watch Tower Society's president spoke on the subject "The Theocratic Alignment Today." At the annual corporate meeting on October 2, the Society's charter was amended in an effort to bring it as close to a theocratic arrangement as the law would allow. With the publication of clarified Biblical requirements, theocratic organization was soon more fully installed in the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses. … In fact, The Watchtower of October 15, 1944, contained an article entitled "Organized for Final Work." It and other service-oriented articles of the same period indicated that the 2,300 days had ended and that "the holy place" was again in its "right condition." Pay Attention to Daniel's prophecy pp.177-179