What the Bible Students (now Jehovah's Witnesses) Believed About the French Revolution When Christ Inspected Them in 1919, Cleansed Them and Approved Them

Kenneson

Found this interesting article in the March 15, 1919 Jacksonville Florida Times Union.

"BIBLE SUPPRESSED WILL

BE LECTURER'S SUBJECT

"J.A. Bohnet, of Pittsburgh, a direc-

tor and traveling respresentative of

the International Bible Students' As-

sociation, will speak Sunday after-

noon at ? o'clock in the Woman's club

auditorium, 1? East Duval street, on

the fulfillment of the prophecy in the

eleventh chapter of the Book of Reve-

lation; his advertised topic being The

Bible Suppressed.

The Bible students it is said inter-

pret that Rev. x1 relates to the French

revolution of a little more than 100

years ago and was a picture or type

of the greater world disturbances, war

and revolution which society is now

experiencing.

The speaker it is promised will make

some interesting parallels of the

Fench revolution and the present.

As usual the lecture is free and the

public cordially invited."

As late as 1927 the Creation book was still claiming that 1799 was the BEGINNING of "the time of the end."

See http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/1799.html

It's amazing to me the amount of time JW's have misspent in the dating game.

Even till this day they have never come to grips with Jesus' admonition at Acts 1:7 "It does not belong to YOU to get

knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction."

You can find something about 1874, 1878, 1881, and 1914 (the end), in the Proclaimers book (or other publications on the WT-CD) but no mention of this date...the WTS likes to block out their proven false assertions by omission or editing.

designs

K- Have you spent time studying the Dispensationalists views.

blondie

1799

"THE "Time of the End," a period of one hundred and fifteen (115) years, from A.D. 1799 to A.D. 1914, is particularly marked in the Scriptures. "The Day of His Preparation" is another name given to the same period " Studies in the Scriptures - Thy Kingdom Come p.23

Few Witnesses today are aware of the relevance of the year 1799, that this year is pivotal to the very existence of Jehovah's Witnesses. 1799 was the beginning of 'the time of the end'. This concept started the era of enlightenment and Adventist movement of the 1800's, resulting in Russell's end time belief system.

In 1796, George Bell explained that the Pope was the Antichrist and would fall in 1797. The war that started shortly afterwards along with Napoleon debasing the Pope was seen as evidence of the fulfilment of this. So dramatic was the effect of the apparent fulfilment of this prophecy that it started a general belief that the last days had started and led to the Adventist movement as a whole. The reasoning was related to Daniel's prophecy of the King of the North and prophecies of the 1260 days in Daniel 7:25, Revelation 12:7 and 11:1-3.

Studies in the Scriptures - The Time is as Hand and Zion's Watch Tower 1889 discussed this as relating to the 1799 date.

Catholic Papal rule started in 539 A.D. and was said to have ended 1260 years later in 1799, thus starting the beginning of the time of the end. The prophecy of the 1355 days was similarly calculated to extend from 539 A.D. to 1874, another key date in Russell's understanding of the end times. Although Russell did not get involved in the Adventist movement until the 1870's, he accepted this date as truth and felt that God had chosen him as his mouthpiece to preach the urgency of the times.

This reasoning was still held well after the 1919.

"Napoleon began this Egyptian campaign in 1798, ... and being completed in 1799, marks, according to the Prophet's own words, the beginning of the "time of the end."... "The time of the end" embraces a period from 1799 A.D., as above indicated to the time of the complete overthrow of Satan's empire and the establishment of the kingdom of the Messiah." The Harp ofGod (1921) pp.228,229,236

"The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the "time of the end" began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874." Watchtower 1922 Mar 1 p.73

"Napoleon began this Egyptian campaign in 1798, finished it, and then returned to France on October 1, 1799. The campaign is briefly, yet graphically described in the prophecy, verses 40-44; and its being completed in 1799 marks, according to the prophet's own words, the beginning of "the time of the end. Twelve hundred and sixty years from 539 A.D. brings us to 1799, which is another proof that 1799 definitely marks the beginning of "the time of the end." This also shows that it is from the date 539 A.D. that the other prophetic days of Daniel must be counted." Creation (1927) 2,175,000 ed. p.293

It is amusing to see the lengthy list of inventions The Harp of God used as proof that the 1800's was the time of the end; cream separators, fireless cookers, Darkest Africa, shoe-sewing machines, the telegraph, the telephone, the great increase in knowledge and vacuum cleaners. The locomotive, where people could travel at a rate of 100 miles an hour and the 'flying machine, which is a very modern invention' were considered fulfilment of the 'day of God's preparation' spoken of in Nahum 2:1-6.

"The running to and fro of people is without question a fulfilment of the prophecy testifying to the "time of the end". These physical facts can not be disputed and are sufficient to convince any reasonable mind that we have been in "the time of the end" since 1799."

Then as now, the Watchtower resorted to insult, with Rutherford indicating above that a person is not of "reasonable mind" if they do not believe the time of the end started in 1799. Today, a Witness that does not believe 1914 was the start of the end is labelled "the Antichrist" and disfellowshipped.

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/1800s.php

designs

There are millions of Christians who fall under the umbrella of Dispensationalist. Divided roughly between Classic, Modified, and Progressive, these include everything from date counters, SDA-JW-BS, to those like our former President George Bush who wanted to start the Second Coming with a War in the Middle East.

Pistoff

Great stuff, wish I could get my relatives to read the old watchtower writings and see how crazy they are

WingCommander

Thanks for the lesson, Blondie. I had heard about 1799 and Adventism, but didn't really know the general idea behind it. I swear, I learn something new here every week, and I've been on this board 10+ years! Being on here around actual intelligent, educated individuals with a sense of knowledge and history is a true breath of fresh air as in comparison to the monotonous parroting heard in a Kingdumb Hell.

As a late teen, the ramblings from very old people in my youth about 1914 and pyramids is was initially got me looking onto the internet to look into the history of the JW's. I've been here ever since. What I heard as a young child didn't make sense to me (red flags), because what did measurements in pagan Egyptian pyramids that proved 1914, have to do with anything in the bible? It never sat well with me. The older people (early 1980's) always spoke of this "old light" with hushed tones and when they thought I wasn't within earshot. I was!

Crazy, bat-shit crazy lunacy.

- Wing Commander

suavojr

I was watching an interview with Ray Franz that he did in Spanish, he spoke briefly about 1799 but I could not recall what he was referring to, but thank you for the reminder blondie. It is amazing how all they did was move 1799 to 1914 as the "end times".