If 1914 is wrong then how is it that it was such a landmark year?

by awakening 66 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  QC

  I disagree. We are entitled to our own opinions, but not our own facts.

  The Great War is unique, that's why it's call WORLD WAR I. Its impact on nations is on a scale e.g. carnage, weaponry, desolation etc., never before seen in history. Only the polar continents were not impacted. Its destabilization of the world contributes to WWII; in fact, historians argue WWII is a continuation of WWI. That's why the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a big deal. WWIII will be nuclear, ramifications unthinkable.
• 

  slimboyfat

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/169760/1/Alan-Greenspan-supports-the-1914-doctrine
• 

  jwfacts

  QC - Goodness me QC, you need to do some research.

  World War 1 was not special in size, deaths, or nations. There is also nothing special about it having new weaponry, that has been a constant feature of humanity. There have been earlier World Wars and WW1 was originally called the Great War. It was not until later that it was called WW1, in order to differentiate it from WW2, not because it was the first World War. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I along with the many other links that have been provided to understand why your comment is wrong.
• 

  2+2=5

  1914 is the only year that can truly claim to be the 14th year of the 20th century.
• 

  jws

  Leading up to 1914, the Bible Students believed Jesus invisibly returned in 1874 and was going to visibly return in 1914. When Jesus didn't arrive, the invisible return was moved up to 1914.

  Carl Olaf Johnson's book "Last Days When?" was a great book and examines the signs one by one. Greatest war? Greater famines? Increase in earthquakes? Greater disease?

  You can frame things however you want. And some of it comes down to that. You could say, for instance, that some disease claimed 10 million people and that may be a record. But compared to the world population, not so much. When diseases like the great plague raged, the numbers may not be as high because there weren't as many people alive back then, but it wiped out, for instance, a third of Europe. Which is more devastating? A plague that wipes out less than 1% of the people or one that wipes out 33%?

  WW1 was basically a European war. You may be able to drag continents into it, but not all of the countries or even a majority of countries on earth.

  Of course, even if this prophecy were real, everything's wrong about it. Years are 365 days, not 360 and if there's a God, he'd see it that way. So that's 5 extra days x 7 times = 35 more years. That pushes things forward to 1949. And of course the start is wrong for the fall of Jerusalem and is off by 20 years. That pushes things forward to 1969. The summer of love, Woodstock. Except love and anti-war themes don't exactly go along with the devil stirring things up.
• 

  zed is dead

  1914 is a "momentous year", both by luck and reverse engineering by the Watchtower. As was previously noted, they were expecting the Big A on that date. Then the usual "well, it was invisible." But the World War started, so we were right.

  People still buy into that shit.

  zed
• 

  2+2=5

  The fact that CT Russel was able to pinpoint the year 1914, all them years in advance, is phenomenal. Or so says Anthony Morris III in the WTS promo DVD.
• 

  Black Man

  bookmarked
• 

  designs

  If you are a Bible Student the new light you adjusted to is that this is now the millennium. Eat your veges and all organic diet 2914 is a long way off.
• 

  snare&racket

  Original post....

  go back and look at all the old literature, they were making predictions for all the years 1912-1925. With many various things taking place on earth, in heaven etc during those years. None of them came true, but WW1 began in 1914' so they ignored all the predictions for other years and changed what the prediction for 1914 was after it happened. There is no predictive ability required to adjust the prediction after the event, anyone can do that.

  As a throwback they still claim things happened in those other years eg in 1918. 1919, 1925, etc heavens cleansed Etc etc.

  if you are in doubt, go look at the original literature. Its embarrassingly wrong and don't forget the pyramid attachment to the 1914 date. A.so dont forget the pile of unsuccessful dates even between the WT beginning and 1914.

  Think about it......

  I predict that in 2014 jesus will come to earth, 2015 jesus will take control of china, 2016 China will become the world power, 2017 jesus will put it into the hearts of Chins to attack Eskimos...

  now lets say that nothing i predicted happens but that in 2016 China goes to war with Russia and china nukes Russia to oblivion.....

  in 2045 my followers will say "he knew that 2016 was a significant year and predicted China would make a move in the scene of world power."

  It's that easy.... If you make lots of predictions, wait, then make sense of them afterward..... You can 'predict' anything. Note that now the JWs go so far as to say only WT preached the coming troubles of 1914. The older literature makes clear that Russell took the 1914 date (and others) from a church he was associated with. He just gave his own reasons as to why that date was valid (pyramid walkway length) and gave his spin on what would happen.

  It didnt happen btw.....