Here we go again. Dan 4 and 1914

by leaving_quietly 74 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  AnnOMaly

  Adventist Miller calculated 1844 as the year of Christ's return. It didn't happen, of course, and the non-event became known as the Great Disappointment.

  Russell (Barbour?) built on this failed date by using more 'prophetic parallels' which went something like this:

  1844, the Bridegroom (Matt. 25) was expected to make an appearance. He didn't. He 'tarried' or delayed for 30 years which was akin to the 30 years from his birth to his baptism and the start of his ministry or 'harvest work.' Thus the Bridegroom 'came' in 1874 and divided the wise virgins from the foolish ones (this will be where the ideas about 1878 fit in).

  Just as it took 40 years from the beginning of Jesus' ministry and the institution of Christianity (the 'Gospel Age' - c. 30 CE onwards) to the overthrow of the Jewish system (70 CE), so it would take 40 years from Jesus' return in 1874 to the overthrow of Gentile rulership in 1914 and the inauguration of the Millennial Age.

  Oh, and as already mentioned, there were the Jubilee cycles and other prophetic numbers that were slotted in too.

  It was a nice idea at the time and appeared to all hang together neatly on the face of it. I can understand why it hooked some people in.
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  AnnOMaly

  3½ years after Oct. 1874 was spring 1878. This paralleled the 3½ years of Jesus' ministry from his baptism up to when he was hailed as King riding into Jerusalem. In 1878, the Church was inspected (Jesus inspected the Temple in Jerusalem too), the apostate Church was cast off and Jesus was installed as heavenly King. From 1878, it was believed, any 'spirit-begotten' members who died would immediately go to heaven and those who had died before that date would be resurrected to heaven.

  1881 is not as straight forward. They thought they'd all be in heaven by then or that the heavenly calling would be ended by then with only 'replacements' afterward. There are some more parallels with Jesus' 3½ year ministry, extending favor to the (Jews) nominal church, and a 7 year period when the Solomonic temple was built (1874 - 1881).
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  Phizzy

  Thanks Ann.

  Interesting that Russell plagiarised Millers idea of 1844, but did not study it carefully enough to realise that Miller appreciated that there was no year Zero.

  If Russell had bothered to check the math, and used his own faulty method that gave him trouble later, he would have been puzzled by the extra year, 2301, instead of 2300.

  Perhaps, no in fact definately, maths was not Russells strong point.
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  Londo111

  1874 became 1914. 1878 become 1918. 1881 became 1935.

  Recycling. A very ‘green’ way of promulgating false prophesy.
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  Bobcat

  Leaving_Quietly:

  That's an interesting observation, ablebodiedman. I was thinking last night about the purpose of Daniel 4, and how part of the interpretation was: "until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that he grants it to whomever he wants".

  I was thinking about this too.
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  leaving_quietly

  Easy ways to debunk Christ's enthronement in 1914, without all the mental hoops:

  Matt 28:18: Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.
  
  1 Tim 6:15: He is the King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords
  
  Rev 1:5: and from Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness,” “the firstborn from the dead,” and “the Ruler of the kings of the earth

  To those who say that the visions of Revelation was in the Lord's day (Rev 1:10), this statement by Christ himself was made to John while he "was on the island called Pat'mos" (Rev 1:9). Christ was saying he was Ruler of the kings THEN.
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  nonjwspouse

  thank you for the explination, as mind bogglinhg as this all is. I will try to form a good simple rebuttal for all arguements brought forth by my husband on this issue ( if he actually has athought out opinion, not just blindly agreeing with the WT.)
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  Frazzled UBM

  It shows amazing gall for them to be recycling 1914 in this way to somehow claim credit for it given Charles Haze Russsell predicted it would be the beginning of Armageddon. The WBTS is amazing when it comes to not letting the facts get in the way of a good story. They should be ashamed of that date both for Russell's failed prophecy and the 'the generation of 1914 will never die' back flip.
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  kaik

  Russell in his The Time is at the Hand writes:

  As shown in the accompanying diagram, the period of their favor, from the commencement of their national existence at the death of Jacob, down to the end of that favor at the death of Christ, A.D. 33, was eighteen hundred and forty-five (1845) years; and there their "double" (mishneh)--the repetition or duplication of the same length of time, eighteen hundred and forty-five (1845) years, without favor--began. Eighteen hundred and forty-five years since A.D. 33 shows A.D. 1878 to be the end of their period of disfavor. A.D. 33 plus 1845 = A.D. 1878.

  He came to 1845 years as twice the age of dispersions:

  "And first [before the favor will come] I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double." The Hebrew word here rendered "double" is mishneh, and signifies a second portion, a repetition. Thus understood, the Prophet's declaration is, that from the time of their being cast off from all favor until the time of their return to favor would be a repetition, or duplication in time, of their previous history, during which time they had enjoyed divine favor.

  Israel's dispersion among all nations since the close of their 1845 years of favor, and no other of their captivities, fits this pointed expression--a land which ye and your fathers have not known. So then this, together with the no favor, positively marks this prophecy as relating to Israel's present dispersion among all nations.

  ISRAEL AFTER THE FLESH:
  From the Death of Jacob to the Cross, the Period of Favor to the Nominal House of Servants, 1845 Years, Followed by the Exaltation of a Faithful Few,
  and by Casting off, Trouble and Judgments upon the Others

  ISRAEL AFTER THE SPIRIT:
  From the Death of Jesus to A.D. 1878, the Period of Favor to the Nominal House of Sons, 1845 Years Followed by the Exaltation of a Faithful Few,
  and by Casting off, Trouble and Judgments upon the Others

  Russell believed that the dispersions started:

  with Length of Favor 1845 Years, from Jacob's Death to Israel's Rejection and the Beginning of Spiritual Israel, A.D. 33

  Length of Favor, 1845 Years, from Jesus' Death to the Beginning of Christ's Reign and the Rejection of Babylon, A.D. 1878
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  kaik

  I am not sure where Russell came to 1881 based on the biblical text. He mentions that the general calling of God is seven years and was closed in 1881. He mention that Jews had seven years of calling during the life of Chris, but I cannot deduct was it seven years including Jesus ministry or seven years after his death. When I finish reading his crazy nonsense, I will post my finding. The guy was definitely in need of some professional help.