They'll just put it away on the dusty shelves in their minds and keep their fingers crossed that those big, bad, scary opposers won't bring up the parrallels that fleetingly skipped through their consciousness.
Do the Harold Campings of the world make witnesses question their own beliefs?
by dgp 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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baltar447
There ARE those with a critical mind (yeah I know, rare right?) that this whole thing HAS shaken them and made them think about the similarities.
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cult classic
Many JWs think that because witnesses aren't setting a date that they bare no resemblance to false prophets. "We're waiting on Jehovah" "Only Jesus and Jehovah know the time"
As mentioned, they don't know their date-setting history, so they feel superior to the Campings of the world.
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WontLeave
WBTS will probably sue Camping on the basis of copyright infringement. Let's face it, while they didn't invent it, JWs have a long-established and extensive history of establishing bogus years. When 2nd Adventists had quit setting dates, JWs kept the tradition alive. While many end-time cults came and went, JWs hung in for the long run. For this upstart, Camping, to come along and flood the market with his cheap knock-off, date-setting, "everybody's going to die but us" religion is blatantly an attempt to horn in the JW success.
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Nickolas
love it, wontleave.
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jaguarbass
I can just imagine my brother in laws telling me Harold Campings was wrong because he didnt have Gods spirit.
So I am never going to have that conversatioin with them.
And we will continue to get along at family get togethers.
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Larsinger58
I think he's just a loser and is perceived as a false prophet among common JWs.
Actually, he is Jehovah's prophet and so is OBVES. Jehovah used him to focus on 2011 as he used the Bible Students to focus on 1874 and 1914, even though the full understanding was not given.
So in reflection, Camping's prediction is very much parallel to 1914, where you have some added expectations to a critical date but only part of the application is fulfilled. That is, 1914 is not the "end of the gentile times" (i.e. 1947) and not the end of "7 times" and thus the 2nd coming (i.e. occurred in 1992); but it is the beginning of a generation that begins with a world war in 1914 and ends in 1994. The second coming and all the signs did occur within that 80-year generation. Highlights are:
1. The "great tribulation" for 7 years though cut short after 434 years, 62 weeks. The 70 weeks of the 2nd coming was from 1506 to 1996 and so the "cut off" which begins the great tribulation after 62 weeks would begin in 1940:
1506 + 434 = 1940
1 weeks of tribulation is 1940-1947
But the days were "cut short". Thus the HOLOCAUST was cut short to the Spring of 1945, or else all the Jews, the "holy ones" would have been exterminated. The Bible prophesied 2/3rds would pass through the fire (Zech 13:8) and that ratio was reached by the end of 1994; six million Jews out of nine million, just as the Bible prophesied.
2. Then the "fig tree" blossoming again, meaning the State of Israel would be reestablished, just before the messiah appears and is "near at the doors." That would come on the heels of the great tribulation, which was the Holocaust. So, indeed, on November 30, 1947, the Jews were given their country back.
3. Of course, the appearance of the "sign of the son of man" when the messiah is first born was fulfilled in January 1950. The messiah is tested for 40 years and thus up into 1989 when he appears at the beginning of the 70th week. He becomes anointed as the messiah at mid-week in 1992-1993.
So all that was fulfilled, yet the WTS, which clearly was the "temple in its right condition" from 1886-1996 did not fully understand all the particulars any more than Camping did. Though Camping is coming around.
After the seeming "failure" of May 21st, though, he said exactly the right thing. That this was a "symbolic" or technical day of judgment. That's the right concept since even in Noah's Day, the door of the Ark was closed by Jehovah some 7 days before the actual destruction started. So May 21, 2011 is still significant as the day of "judgment", just as 1874 correctly marks the beginning of Christ's PAROUSIA, when "Michael stands up" (Daniel 12:1), and 1914 is still accurate as the beginning of the last generation of 80 years from 1914-1994 which would see all the signs fulfilled, including the great tribulation, which was the Holocaust.
The IRONY IS, it seems those called into the light are the ones who understand how accurately the Bible has been fulfilled, whereas the majority, including the WTS, who are in darkness are cluess and so nothing works and so they think the Bible isn't true, when it is most absolutely true.
Those who give up on the Bible too soon loose out. Harold Camping did not lose his faith and he accurately understands now the significance of May 21st.
Jehovah has abandoned the WTS who are now worthless and so what we see is God choosing Camping to sound the warning about the coming end of the world by the God of the Bible, with May 21st as a significant date of "cut off" or judgment for the world. Camping understands this so well, that he is no longer preaching, just using his vast radio network to play Christian music.
The warning might be lost to the world at large, but not to the JIOR or the spiritually chosen. As I said, from my standpoint, it is clear Jehovah used Camping and his vast radio network to sound this warning since the witnesses are OUT! So Camping also proves that Jehovah can carry out his purpose without the apostate WTS.
The WTS is a good to the witnesses and they emphasize how they need to stay with this organization for salvation. Camping has no church! He says the "chuch age" is over! He encourages individual relationship with God! That's 10 times better than what the WTS is encouraging. So while we are comparing the two, notice how Camping is not setting himself up to be followed blindly! He dismiss ALL organized religion. This is the time for that. Time to leave the "broad road" of organized religion and go do the narrow path of invidiuality. Camping is not trying to make himself a god like the GB is. So from a spiritual point of view, though Jehovah is complicating things, there is hardly a comparison who is more approved by Jehovah.
Keep in mind, Camping still thinks the trinity is Biblical and he hasn't recognize me as the messiah yet. But that doesn't seem to matter. What mattered was a focus on May 21st as a day of judgment which provided a LEGAL WARNING to the wicked. So that is consistent with eveything that has been occurring since 1947.
IT'S COMPLEX! This is complex. It is very difficult for non-believers to follow this. But it was clear Jehovah was using Camping. His concept of the "end of the church age" is high-level. The actual end was in 1996 though Camping things 1994. Still, that is profoundly inspired! I knew the chronology was wrong for the Flood, I knew there was not going to be any "rapture" and certainly the trinity is wrong, still God was using Camping to focus on this date. He did an amazing job! He got mentioned in the mainstream media so I consider that a successful "notice."
So it's just FUN TIMES for the JIOR at this point. We are waiting on more surprises by Jehovah as he brings all this world to an end. All the while the WTS looking on and knowing they are OUT! They are liars and false prophets but are rebelliously still trying to deceive the deceivable. They are opposed to me being the Christ, that is, God's choice of ME. I'm nothing.
LS
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moshe
The Bible prophesied 2/3rds would pass through the fire (Zech 13:8) and that ratio was reached by the end of 1994; six million Jews out of nine million, just as the Bible prophesied.
The records from Nazi Germany verified at least six million adult Jews were killed in the Holocuast, but the actual number of Jews killed in WW2 was greater- whole Jewish villages were exterminated and no records were kept, children were killed- no records, disease and plague killed 10's of thousands of Jews who were never counted. Some historians say the actual number of Jews who died from WW2 factors was closer to 8 million. Six million is the official recorded number, not the larger actual number. That being said, the 45 million humans who died as a result of WW2 show us that God doesn't care how many humans kill each other and God will allow humans to invent and use of any chemical, nuclear and biological weapon in war. Biblical numerology will always fail the prophet.
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garyneal
Did not affect my wife at all. She is of the belief that they are not about dates.
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Nickolas
IT'S COMPLEX! This is complex. It is very difficult for non-believers to follow this.
The ability to understand complexity has nothing to do with one's beliefs, or lack thereof. It is more evident, in fact, that the greater one's ability to understand complexity, the more inclined he or she will be to dismiss superstitious numerology.