A lovely story of FALSE PROPHECY run amok on lovely real estate

by Terry 3 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Terry

  If I told you that some very famous people were coming back from the dead you'd ask, "Who?" And probably, "When?"

  If I then told you it was Abraham, Enoch, Moses and David coming back to life in just 7 years from today wouldn't you say:

  "Great! we need to build a mansion for them in San Diego!" Right?

  Sure you would. It is logical, rational and not at all surprising......that is......if you were a reader of J.F.Rutherford's Watchtower magazine.

  Back in 1918, two years after the death of Pastor Charles Russell, the Watchtower Magazine was still being printed and sold. Oddly enough, this same

  Pastor Russell had specifically stated in his Will no NEW writings beyond what he'd already published were permitted.

  But, heck--dead is dead, right?

  "Judge" Rutherford had finessed himself into position with supreme authority to write additional books and magazine articles for customers of Russell's writings and apocalyptic interests.

  This is one: J.F. Rutherford (1920). Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Watchtower. pp. 89–90. PDF version

  Predicting the end of the world caught the attention of tens of thousands of readers. Even if these predictions met with failure, the interest never flagged for more and more titillating exposition on this topic.

  Newspapers covered these predictions with cynical comments and mockery.

  (June 2, 1919). "New Date For Millennium: Russellites Now See It Coming on Earth in 1925" (PDF). New York Times.

  So, with Rutherford's Watchtower pounding the date 1925 issue after issue and interest in meeting ancient men back from the dead thrilling naive and gullible readers, why wouldn't you build a mansion in San Diego for noteworthy zombies of this magnitude?

  Would it really matter that these SAME ancient worthies were SUPPOSED to have returned in 1914 and didn't?

  Nawww, not really.

  J.F. Rutherford (1924). A Desirable Government. Watchtower. pp. 30. "The [prince] in authority at Jerusalem will give direction as to the carrying out of governmental affairs in different parts of the earth. With great improved broadcasting stations we can expect Abraham from Mount Zion to direct the affairs of the whole earth."

  Being too eager and getting the date wrong was just over-enthusiasm instead of iron-clad evidence of False Prophets preaching lies.

  So, 1925 came and went. No ancient zombies appeared anywhere!

  President of the Watchtower Society, J.F.Rutherford, admitted he'd made an ass of himself even though Jehovah was editor of the Watchtower

  and responsible for the prediction that didn't come to pass. Very humble of him, don't you think?

  So, that probably ended the idea of such a resurrection and of building such a manion, right? WRONG!

  An avid reader of Rutherford's exciting predictions sold 100 acres of San Diego real estate for $10 for the purposes the Judge had sought.

  Lovely landscaping included Palm trees, date trees and olive gardens surrounding the $300,000+ thousand dollar construction.

  When was this mansion built, you ask?

  FOUR YEARS AFTER the prediction had proved totally false!! Four years after Rutherford had admitted he'd made and ass of himself.

  Strange? No. It would only be strange to a rational person's way of thinking. Rutherford continued writing the same articles anew!

  7 years after the public embarassment we read:

  J.F. Rutherford (1932). What You Need. Watchtower. pp. 8–10. "This prophecy shows, therefore, that Christ the King will make those faithful men the princes or visible rulers in all the earth. That means that soon you may expect to see Abraham, Enoch, Moses, David and all of these other faithful men back on earth."

  You mean that 5,100 sq.ft. residence went empty all those years? Hardly! That would be a waste!

  Judge Rutherford had, um uh, "health" problems which critics would, naturally, attribute to his alcoholic binges. Be that as it may--San Diego proved to be a salubrious resort area to take the cure. Why wouldn't that mansion, named Beth Sarim by Rutherford, be a residence for the president of the magazine

  making the false predictions??

  J.F. Rutherford (1939). Watchtower. pp. 311–312. http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/salvation/salvation6.html. . See also The New World. Watchtower. 1942. pp. 104–105.

  

  

  "Friends" made these fabulous gifts, donations and 16 cylinder Fisher Fleetwood Cadillac Coupe abundantly available out of the kindness of their generous hearts. At least, that's what W.E. Van Amburgh, Secretary-Treasurer of the Watch Tower Society claimed.

  His response was to criticism by brothers who pointed out the shabby conditions at Bethel Headquarters compared to the President's accomodations.

  "Olin R. Moyle's Letter to J.F. Rutherford" .

  (May 2, 1937). "Why Salter Lost His Job". The Golden Age (Watchtower): 499.

  Rutherford died at Beth Sarim in 1942 without Abraham, Enoch, Moses, David and the gang ever showing up to claim their property.

  What happens next is....very....curious and instructional to all you Watchtower junkies! Read on..

  J.F.Rutherford wanted to be buried at Beth Sarim.

  San Diego refused to allow it!

  Superstar Constitutional attorney Hayden C. Covington came out with guns a blazin'. Or, did he? Actually, Covington made a token effort and gave up!

  Listen to his excuses yourself:

  Mp3 of Interview with Hayden C. Covington on November 19, 1978Text of Interview

  Rutherford's body was shipped back East to be----supposedly--buried at Staten Island.

  However, the plot (wee joke that) thickens.

  Sources close to the family have speculated it was all a ruse.

  Leonard & Marjorie Chretien (1988). Witnesses of Jehovah. Harvest House. pp. 49.

  Rutherford was secretly buried at the mansion grounds and an unmarked grave with an empty box resides in Staten Island. The San Diego Reader newspaper cites this story and states it has frequently been disproven.

  About Rutherford:

  In 1929, he commissioned construction of a lavish ten-room mansion on Braeburn Road in Kensington called Beth Sarim ("House of Princes" in Hebrew), deeded to none other than King David of Israel, Moses, Abraham, Gideon, Isaac, Barak, Joseph, Samson, Jacob, Jephthae, Samuel, and various other ancient Biblical figures mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, all of whom Rutherford insisted would return from the dead to live at Beth Sarim.

  The deed specified that Rutherford could live in the house until they arrived. Of course, the ancient prophets never showed up, and so Judge Rutherford resided in the mansion until his death, while his followers lived in poverty during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Jehovah's Witnesses quietly ceased teaching of the imminent return of their Hebrew heroes after the house was sold in 1948. According to some accounts, Judge Rutherford is said to have been illegally buried on the property, though this has frequently been disproven.

  In view of the fact bold statements were made, published, publicly announced, reinforced, taught, instructed and believed EVEN THOUGH DISPROVEN

  by the NON-ARRIVAL of those self-same predicted prophets of old, why can't we now ask this question:

  WHY DOESN'T THIS COUNT AS FALSE PROPHECY?

  The Watchtower Society stopped teaching this falsehood 32 years after it began!!

  I guess that's what the JW's call "waiting on Jehovah".

  Here is the official statement by the official history of Jehovah's Witnesses. Note how the "false prophecy" is handled ever so gingerly!

  Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom.

  Watchtower. 1993. pp. 76. "At the time, it was believed that faithful men of old times, such as Abraham, Joseph, and David, would be resurrected before the end of this system of things and would serve as 'princes in all the earth,' in fulfillment of Psalm 45:16. This view was adjusted in 1950, when further study of the Scriptures indicated that those earthly forefathers of Jesus Christ would be resurrected after Armageddon."

  So, it was just a "view".
• 

  sd-7

  This is what always gets me about it. Even the New York Times had an article about what they said! I think I actually read in a much later Yearbook that, when Rutherford was asked about this in a public interview with JWs, he said that the 1925 belief "was merely stated opinion". I guess "stated opinion" is a better term than "false prophecy". The problem is, why would "God's channel of communication" be declaring "stated opinion" all over the world? I'm pretty sure it wasn't God's stated opinion, as it didn't happen!

  There be no end to the lies, here! Arrr!

  --sd-7
• 

  Larsinger58

  Just in passing, for those who want to know what the wise-virgin elite believe regarding this:

  1. The 1925 date is based on 70 jubilees. A jubilee period is debated to be 49 or 50 years. The WTS used 50 years and so a period of 3500 years from when the Israelites conquered Canaan 10 years after the 40-year exile. Later it was discovered this dating was way too early for conquering the Promised Land. 3500 - 1925 = 1575 BCE + 1 = 1576 BCE. Now the WTS dates the Exodus to 1513 BCE. That means they date the conquering of the promised land 50 years later in 1463 BCE, representing a 113-year discrepancy. Also they now apparently believe these men will arrive and be resurrected after Armageddon.

  CORRECTED JIOR VIEW:

  1. A jubilee period is 49 years. A jubilee celebrates the 50th year following 49, but is also the 1st year of the next 49. Thus you have continuous weeks of 49 years. This means 490 years, "70 weeks" is exactly 10 jubilees. This is much less messy than trying to introduce a 50th year in between every 49. At any rate 70 weeks would be 3430 years rather than 3500 years.

  2. Next, when to apply? The 3430 years celebrates the final return of the Jews at the 70th week. The Jews finally were restored to their homeland in 1947. Thus 1947 determines when the last 49 years of the 70 jubilees begin. 49 + 1947 = 1996, which means the 70 jubilees end in 1996 and begin in 1435 BCE. This date in relation to the Exodus is 49 years earlier, thus this period does not begin when the Israelites conquer the promised land. The true date for the Exodus is 49 years after 1435 BCE and thus 1386 BCE, which is a jubilee year. Conquering of the promised land is 49 years after that and thus in 1337 BCE. But this is not significant in regards to when the "70 jubilees" or "70 weeks" begins. The Exodus is the first jubilee for this 3430-year long week and the final restoration is the last jubilee, the 69th since the Exodus in 1386 BCE.

  3. As far as when Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, et al will be resurrected, note that they are part of the anointed, which JWs refer to as the 144,000. This is clear from Luke 13:26 where it says "there is where the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth will be, when you see Abraham and isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown outside." This is a prophecy specifically about the WTS which becomes apostate and maintains the idea that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and many other ancient men of faith would not be part of the heavently class. Thus this is a surprise to them when they find these in the kingdom and they kicked out! Point being, if these ancients are part of the anointed kingdom of priests then they would have to be resurrected just before the second coming. There are NO RESURRECTIONS DURING THE MILLENNIUM.

  How do Abraham, et al get into the kingdom since they died before Pentecost? Easy. They only need to be resurrected back into the flesh to get anointed by holy spirit. Remember, many tried to stay alive until Pentecost so they could get anointed. You must be alive and in the flesh after Pentecost to get anointed. Thus when Jesus died, many of the saints who apparently had recently died were resurrected and thus got a chance to get anointed at Pentecost. So it is a technicality. Since Christ and all the elect will be in the flesh anyway for the 1000-year reign, they get into the kingdom by simply retroactively getting anointed. IOW, if they are resurrected back into the flesh, what is keeping them from getting anointed? Nothing. Do you think Jehovah would let a technicality like that keep all these ancient prophets of old from being of the anointed class? Of coruse not. Bottom line, the only thing preventing them from becoming anointed is being in the flesh after Pentecost, which is a piece of cake. Thus all those men and women of old who clearly are pictured as being in "New Jerusalem" get into the kingdom by being resurrected back into the flesh and then retroactively anointed with holy spirit.

  Or to put it in a way a JW would understand. Once these ancients were resurrected back into the flesh and serving as princes in the earth, what would prevent them at this time from being anointed? Answer: Nothing.

  By the way, the 144,000 are those from among natural Jews who become anointed, which make up the "root" of the olive tree. The other 90% are grafted in gentiles. So the total number of king-priests is 1,440,000. But that's another discussion.

  The fulfillment, further of the 70 jubilees, is the fulfillment of Christ arriving during the "70th week". When the 3430 years begin in 1435 BCE, and divided up into 7 days of 490 years each, each 10 jubilees, then you have a 70th week occurring for the 1st coming in 29-36 CE. Calculate down to our day and the 70th week of the second coming is from 1989-1996, with the messiah arriving for the beginning of the 70th week at the 1st coming in 29 CE to fulfill the first half of the 70th week, and the messiah at the 2nd coming arriving in the middle of the week to fulfill the second half of the 70th week in 1992-1993. Thus Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, et al will have been resurrected already.

  These are all resurrected or "sown" into living bodies of the modern elect so the 1st resurrection is totally invisible. I was aware by holy spirit of the identities of Daniel and the apostle Peter before I became the Christ, so in the JIOR it is a fact that the resurrection had taken place prior to the second coming. Peter and Daniel just happen to have been "sown" into bodies of persons I knew personally.

  So this prophecy and all related prophecies has indeed come true. The WTS is in total spiritual darkness and is cast out as an apostate "man of lawlessness" who understands little.

  It is so wonderful to be an insider in the JIOR and have the accurate truth than to try to follow WTS missed prophecies and excuses!

  Thanks, again, for posting the chart!

  In summary, the correct chronology and true understanding of the "70 jubilees" does work and has been fulfilled. The 70 jubilees correctly begin in 1435 BCE and ends in 1996. The messiah arrives in the 490th week, the 7th 70th week, which is from 1989-1996. The "70th jubilee" is 49 years from 1947-1996.

  This means 1947 can be used not only to date the Exodus in 1386 BCE, but the jubilee of the return from Babylon in 455 BCE, the 1st of Cyrus.

  LS
• 

  Terry

  What amazes me is that AFTER the 1925 date proved false THEY STILL BUILT THE MANSION!