by dontplaceliterature 14 Replies latest jw friends
I just started reading this last night. I've seen it referred to on this forum a few times.
Any weird things I should keep my eyes out for?
I already thought the references to astronauts in the first chapter was pretty funny. It almost seemed childish.
1. 4 classes of believers, not 2
2. Michael and his angels = the Pope in Rome and his bishops
3. The importance of measurements of the Great Pyramid of Giza, in modern inches no less...
4. Leviathan = the locomotive
5. The importance of the distance from Scranton, PA to Brooklyn, NY WT HQ by way of the Hoboken ferry. Seriously!
p. 130-131 (ZG edition)
Rev. 14:19 ... ...
Many of the clergy are today followers of Darwin and Socrates instead of Moses and Christ. And both Darwin and Socrates were mentally unsound. The following is from Dr. Dorland's The Age of Mental Virility: "It is likewise exceptional to find an unusually short nose, such as that possessed by Darwin and Socrates, among men of intellect. Nasal abbreviation is one of the well-known signs of degeneracy, as is also the sessile or otherwise misshapen ear, the sugar-loaf skull, the close-set eyes, and other physiognomic irregularities, including the cretinoid face. The latter, strange to relate, has been noted in certain men of remarkable genius, including Darwin, and Carlyle, Rembrandt, Pope and Socrates. I wish to emphasize at this point the assertion that not every individual who chances to possess one of the above mentioned physical peculiarities is to be immediately stamped as a degenerate. It is only when there is a combination of two or more of these traits, especially if this combination has been noted as a family peculiarity, that the suspicion will be awakened: and this may then be confirmfed and the condition established by close and careful investigation" "Socrates," writes Pedigo, "presented one of the most interesting studies in dual personality and subconscious conditions in all history in his memorable demon, which he said guided him and inspired him with wisdom." "Herbert Spencer was the victim of a fixed delusion."
1. 4 classes of believers, not 2
I counted six - (p. 224, ZG edition) on Ezek. 40-48, 'The Classes'!!!
4. Leviathan = the locomotive
5. The importance of the distance from Scranton, PA to Brooklyn, NY WT HQ by way of the Hoboken ferry.
Hilarious reading. Go check out the section where it discusses the different prophets (after Rev. 4:10) particularly focusing on Nahum and Job, dpl. Then the part on Rev. 14:20 "a thousand and [six] TWO hundred furlongs." Priceless.
(p. 224,ZG edition)
How many versions of the book are there?
Childish is an appropriate term.
The ZG?
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Divine Purpose (1959), p. 89-90 explains:
... there were a large number of The Finished Mystery that had been printed before the brothers went to prison and these were available for distribution also. Then on June 21, 1920, a paper edition of The Finished Mystery in "Watch Tower" form was released for distribution. This edition, commonly called "ZG," had been printed before the war and was stored by the brothers while the book was being restricted in distribution. ...
... "Z" was the symbol used at the beginning to refer to Zion's Watch Tower. "G" indicated the Seventh Volume of the Studies in the Scriptures. The books in this series were designated in symbol by the first seven successive letters of the alphabet. So "ZG" merely meant The Finished Mystery or Seventh Volume printed as a special edition of The Watch Tower, March 1, 1918.
A scanned copy of the ZG is available to view HERE.
Finished Mystery? To my mind most of the mysteries started with this book!
I now realized that I have not been reading the correct book. The one I have is "Then is The Finished Mystery Of God". I just assumed "Finished Mystery" was a sorter title for the same publication. But, we all know what assuming does....
Oh yes, that one. Released in '69, and we 'studied' it at the book study.
I was only 11, but even at that age, I could tell it was nothing but gobbledygook. I remember clearly that was when I first started doubting 'the Lie'.
I'm sure that its predecessor "Finished Mystery", is equally enlightening!
t
dontplaceliterature, The Finished Mystery is THE ONLY book produced by the Borg during Christ's alleged inspection of the teachings of all the religions of the world in order to choose a faithful and discreet slave. It only takes a cursory reading of the thing to show any honest minded person that there is absolutely NO WAY that Christ would have picked the group who taught and believed that stuff. NONE.
As AnnOMaly explained, this book was also unique in that it was published as a book in 1917, AND as part of the Watchtower magazine itself during 1918 - right during the heart of Christ's inspection period.
