Mr. Falcon. Great topic with lots of thoughts here. Thanks for posting this.
This is one of those things where on off concept gets repeated and then everyone reflects on that inaccurate viewpoint, so I hope you don't mind if I get a bit direct here and start from scratch; also to save words.
1. Think of the discussion at Matthew 24 as being directed to a specific audience, that is, the Jews. In their mind, they were under gentile rule. They knew this was punishment for leaving God's covenant. It was forefront in their minds that they would be under gentile rule for an appointed time. They understood what the "appointed times of the nations" was. They also knew, generally, that the messiah would arrive immediately after the nation of Israel was restored; that is, after the fig tree again began to blossom. So in their minds, the end of the gentile times and the return of the messiah were two closely connected events. To them, the"system of things" was specifically the current condition under which they existed in terms of gentile rule. So when they spoke of the "end of the sytem of things" and when that would occur, they were asking when would the "appointed times of the nations" end. That's the "end" they were concerned about. The end of gentile rule and the restoration of rule by the Jews over their own homeland. Thus the "end of the world" or the "end of the present system of things" was a good thing for them. Something they were looking forward to. When would they rule their own land again?
So they were not talking about the "end of the world" as we know it, that is Armageddon. So that's the first misconception that needs to be cleared up. The "end of the system of things" was not about Armageddon or the concept of the end of the world as the doomsday folks are representing, but specifically the "END OF THE APPOINTED TIMES OF THE NATIONS."
So again, the Jewish mindset, once the State of Israel was set up, then they were to expect the messiah to be "near at the doors."
So jumping ahead now, the DIRECT FUFILLMENT of Matthew 24:14 about the "good news" being preached worldwide and then the "end" would come, was fulfilled in 1947 when NH Knorr did a worldwide speaking engagement. That is the objective fulfillment, that literal worldwide speaking engagement. The subjective fulfillment is that it proved the "good news" preached by JWs had reached around the world by 1947.
After this, the "end" did occur. That is, the end of the gentile times, the end of gentile rule, the end of Jewish exile, the end of a time when the Jews did not have their homeland again. That "end" occurred on November 30, 1947 when the UN's "Partition Agreement" went into effect, giving the Jews their own country again in Palestine.
So the "end" is over. It was over in 1947. Now let me just quote that event for the sake of the record:
From the Proclaimer's book, chapter 8, page 98:
With a view to worldwide expansion, on February 6, 1947, the Society’s president and his secretary, Milton G. Henschel, embarked on a 47,795-mile [76,916km] world service tour. The trip took them to islands of the Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean area, Central and Western Europe, Scandinavia, England, and Newfoundland. It was the first time since 1933 that representatives of the Society’s headquarters staff in Brooklyn had been able to visit their brothers in Germany. Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world followed the two travelers as reports of the trip were published in issues of TheWatchtower throughout 1947.
That's the direct fulfillment of Mattew 24:14.
ANOTHER SPECIFIC, THE GREAT TRIBULATION: Now, having noted that, you must pay close attention to what the Bible says. Matthew 24:29 clearly notes one of the signs leading up to the second coming what this tribulation, a time that never occurred before nor would occur again. But it notes this tribulation was completely over before the "sign of the son of man" would appear in the heavens, declaring the messiah had arrived. VERY IMPORTANT to focus on this. That is, this specific, one-time tribulation associated with the end times is completely ended before the second coming, keeping in mind the second coming does not occur before the State of Israel is reborn:
" 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation.."
Okay. Take a moment. Take a deep breath and take this in. This one-time event, this great tribulation like none other that had occurred is over before the messiah arrives. Since the messiah does not arrive until after the State of Israel is set up, then this tribulation is also over before the State of Israel is set up. That is, the messiah arrives shortly after the tribulation, but also shortly after the State of Israel is set up.
So please note this "great tribulation" is NOT Armageddon. What it is, is the HOLOCAUST. Please note, therefore, that the WTS is clueless in this regard. They conceive this great tribulation is part of Armageddon but it is not. So please THINK THIS THROUGH.
Will Armageddon be an event where women with small children will be disadvantaged whereas women without children will have a better chance for survival? O no! Armageddon is going to get you if you are wicked. There is no hiding!! But in the context of the Holocaust, indeed, if you escaped out of the Jewish ghettos before they were sealed off you could literally hide out in the wilderness and the mountains nearby, which many did. But you can't bring crying little children with you hoping to hide out from the Nazis. So this is LITERAL. This is a time when women would hate their children because they could not flee blamelessly to the wilderness to hide out. Women with children had to stay and die with their children.
So I'm going to stop here. I could fill in all the details for you how the Bible prophecies are fulfilled with the correct understanding. But at this point I just want you to leave room for the idea that your concept of the "last days" is probably distorted and non-Biblical.
SUMMARY:
1. The "end of the system of things" is not Armageddon/end of the world/doomsday. It is specifically the end of the gentile times, which ended on Novemver 30, 1947.
2. The "good news" was literally preached world wide earlier that year in a worldwide speaking tour by NH Knorr to signal that the "end of the gentile times" would soon follow, which it did. That is the literal fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 about the "good news" being preached world wide and then the end would come, that is, again, the end of gentile rule over the Jewish promised lands.
3. The one-time tribulation of Matthew 24 is not Armageddon, but the HOLOCAUST and WWII. This "tribulation" is OVER before the messiah arrives and just before the State of Israel is reborn. So that is very much fulfilled. The Holocaust was over, technically, in late 1944. The end of the war occurred in the Spring of 1945. But it was prophesied the "days would be cut short" or no flesh of the "holy ones" (the natural Jews) would be saved. Zech 13:8 shows two-thirds of the Jews would pass away during this tribulaton and 1/3 remnant would be preserved. Thus six million out of nine million Jews were to be exterminated during this tribulation. The tribulation was to last 7 years from 1940-1947. But by late 1944 six million Jews had already been exterminated. So those days and WWII was cut short so that no more than 2/3rds of the Jews would die. Had Hitler had his way and prevailed, he would have killed every Jew and half Jew in the entire world. So the tribulation ended a bit early, the but official end of exile and end of the gentile times ended on time in 1947. Soon after that the State of Israel was set up in the Spring of 1948, then the pre-messiah, that is the individual into whose body the Christ would dwell in the flesh at the second coming was born in early 1950. At that time, the "sign of the son of man" began to appear to te "eagles." "Wherever the body is, so the eagles would be gathered together."
So as part of your general discussion about the end times, with all the commentors here, with very relevant comments and question, I don't see anybody trying to figure out who the EAGLES are and what that means. So part of understanding the entire pricture is giving some attention to that as well. Who are the "eagles"? Hmmmm? That is supposed to be fulfilled as well too, right? "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together"? What is THAT supposed to mean? Well, we need to give that some concern too as well, aren't we? Sure. It's part of what is supposed to be happening in connection with Christ.
So again, I'm seeing a lot of confusion and questions and pondering and comments but only about one distorted aspect based on a misconception, but no real focus on who he "eagles" are and what it means that they are surrounding the body of Christ. ???
So, yes! Let's ask questions and discuss. But let's discuss the WHOLE PICTURE of the second coming, not just some aspect of it. Let's discuss who these "eagles" might be. That's important too, right?
Thanks again for bringing out this interesting discussion that many have found purposeful reflection. The best I can offer in the short term is that the correct interpretation of the Bible provides absolute fulfillment and absolute truth. But that is something apparently in the domain of a few chosen ones.
Regards,
LS
Mr. Falcon. Great topic with lots of thoughts here. Thanks for posting this.