The 1919 Date

by turtleturtle 47 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  turtleturtle

  Can someone please give me a neutral explanation of the date 1919? Can the WT prove 1919 from the Bible? Or, is it more of a probability.

  What about this quote? It seems like it is saying 1919 is probable, rather than fact:

  *** wt chap. 14 p. 131 par. 8 How Does Jehovah Direct His Organization? ***
  8 Since the slave class was loyally doing the Master’s work at his invisible return in 1914, there is evidence that it was entrusted with enlarged responsibilities in 1919. The years since then have been the time for a global witness to the Kingdom, and a great crowd of worshipers of Jehovah is being gathered with a view to their preservation through the great tribulation. (Matthew 24:14, 21, 22; Revelation 7:9, 10) These too need spiritual food, and it is served to them by the slave class. To please Jehovah, we therefore need to accept the instruction he provides through this channel and to act in harmony with it.
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  AnnOMaly

  Can someone please give me a neutral explanation of the date 1919?

  It's a 365 day period that occurred between the years 1918 and 1920.

  Can the WT prove 1919 from the Bible?

  Nope.

  Or, is it more of a probability.

  No, 1919 really did happen.

  "Since the slave class was loyally doing the Master's work at his invisible return in 1914, there is evidence that it was entrusted with enlarged responsibilities in 1919."

  That's all redundant now in view of NooLite™.
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  whathappened

  The Watchtower Society is a self proclaimed "sole channel of communication" between god and man since 1919. There is zero proof and zero evidence that this is true. Yes, they have convinced people to believe it is true, but my guess is there are more exjw's than current jw's. There is no scriptural grounds for there being a visible earthly organization.
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  DATA-DOG

  " There is no scriptural grounds for there being a visible earthly organization."

  Amen Bro!
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  Jeffro

  Their selection of 1919 is based on a very loose intepretation of a few scriptures.

  Revelation 11:2-3 mentions periods of 42 months and 1,260 days (both 3½ years). The Watch Tower Society applies this period literally, from December 1914 to May 1918*, after which they apply the '3½ days' of Revelation 11:11 figuratively, identifying these periods with their preaching work during World War I, followed by a period of imprisonment of early Watch Tower Society members in 1918. They believe that after their release from prison in 1919 that they were approved as Jesus’ ‘slave class’. (I doubt that most JWs would be able to expalin this.)

  *Prior to the Watch Tower Society’s revision of Revelation—It’s Grand Climax at Hand in 2006, the 42 months were said to have started in October 1914.

  This creates a paradox as to whether they were approved by Christ prior to that point, and therefore whether their interpretations regarding 1914 should have been heeded. The paradox is quietly ignored.

  There is no scriptural basis for the 'slave' being anything other than a fictitious character in a parable.
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  00DAD

  I was going to say something hopefully witty, but AnnOMaly beat me to the punch.

  I will only add that, Yes, 1919 did really happen. It was in fact followed by 1920, then 1921, 1922 ....

  In all those years since, nothing the WTBTS predicted has ever come true, nothing.
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  Jeffro

  00DAD:

  Yes, 1919 did really happen. It was in fact followed by 1920, then 1921, 1922 ....

  I see you're one of those linear time theorists. I suppose you'd say 1923 came next. :)
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  loading

  lol!!
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  00DAD

  Jeffro: I see you're one of those linear time theorists. I suppose you'd say 1923 came next. :)

  Yes, you're right; I am. Good prediction!

  Are you a prophet?

  00DAD
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  Jeffro

  00DAD:

  Are you a prophet?

  I would never be so bold to say I'm a prophet. But with some convenient punctuation, I could say I'm a "prophet"*.

  *"Prophet" may not mean what you think it means. Any predictions made may or may not come true, subject to change without notice. Terms and conditions apply.