I don't think any publication better exemplified their over-inflated sense of self-importance. Every breath they uttered was some grand fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Looking back, I can't believe I never once thought to myself "WTF!" during the multiple times we studied it.
Revelation, its Grand Climax.... remember when?
by wallsofjericho 40 Replies latest watchtower bible
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OrphanCrow
There's a reason the End of the World has always held a place of fascination for people.
...and upon the wings of myth, our human story is told...
On a more practical level, I sometimes wish Hollywood would go all-in and adapt it, just to show how horrible a Revelation -based Apocalypse would actually be.
That would be spectacular. An cgi version of the book of Revelation.
I like the book of Ezekiel too. Heavily loaded with visual imagery.
C.S. Lewis used many images from Ezekiel in parts of The Space Trilogy that he authored.
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Vidiot
Spectacular? Maybe.
Horrific? Absolutely.
A straight true-to-the-text adaptation of the Book of Revelation would do a far more effective job discrediting Christian apocalypticism than any scholarly critique ever could.
x
BTW, I hated Lewis' science fiction.
His fantasy fiction was vastly superior; I lost count of how many times I read the Narnia books as a kid.
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Simon
I must have read all the Narnia books umpteen times (but still can't remember what the Silver Chair plot was)
At some point I read some of his other books expecting more of the same and one of them scared the bejeesus out of me, can't remember which one. Maybe I was too 'JW'at the time - it was all supernatural but freaky with a posessed guy eating glass. I don't think I even finished it.
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Zordino
I remember when RGC came out. Studying that book in any logical way was impossible. It gave me a headache! I would just get spaced out and think of having my own Grand Climax with a hot sister in my book study group. Lol. I was a teen after all.
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pcop
I studied and led studies of this book many times. I had read its predecessors "Then The Mystery is Finished" and the "Babylon" book. Back then, I too was very excited and had a "warm" and fuzzy about them.
Now, I know better and much differently.
I have come to realize that I made a grave mistake. That mistake was relying upon humans and human agency to explain the Book of Revelation. Whereas, my reliance to explain it should have been placed in God through His Son.
At the outset at verse 1:1 we are told that:
"A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. And he sent forth his angel and presented [it] in signs through him to his slave John ..."
It is a revelation by Jesus that God gave him. Thus, it would be the Master who would explain it to us (his slaves), not any religious organization. It is NOT a relevation by the WTBS that God gave them to show us (Jesus' slaves) the things that must shortly take place.
We see the folly and error produced when humans usurp what has not been given to them to explain. The Revelation Climax Book has gone through several revisions and corrections (implying error by a human agency as God does not err). It also shows that God has not entrusted to human agency to explain The Revelation "by" Jesus Christ. If it is a Revelation "by" Jesus Christ, he will be the one to explain it and declare it.
It all really shows a lack of faith in the "invisible" and living Christ Jesus. We have come to rely on the "visible" things to explain what God has given His Son. Many have come to walk by sight rather than by faith.
Since faith has been placed in human agencies to explain "The Book of Revelation" there will be gross error. And, that is what we have been and are witnessing at present.
The Book of Revelation should have never been placed in the canon men have given the name "Bible" to. It should be apart from it as a stand-alone book. It is unique from all of the other books within the Bible because it is the ONLY ONE that tells us from the very beginning WHERE it came from and TO WHOM it was given.
What I have come to learn based on placing full reliance in my Master Christ Jesus in prayer to the Father through him is that "The Revelation By Jesus Christ that God Gave him" is not for our time period today. It was given to Christ by God as a warning of what will happen in a future time period. What time period is that? The time period AFTER Christs 1000 year kingdom ends and Satan is released from the Abyss. (Rev 20:7-8)
Christ is warning and alerting his slaves of what will "shortly" take place after his 1000 kingdom over the earth ends. This book has NOTHING to do with our time period.
The reason why there has been so many confusing explanations, books, and revisions of those books on "The Revelation" is because the persons writing them have been laboring to make the contents of the book fit this time period. It will not because it is not for this time period.
If one wants an understanding of "The Revelation by Jesus Christ that God gave him" then all one has to do is "ask" the Most High God. Do not rely or follow human explanation.
The mechanism of prayer to The Most High God is in place for this purpose: To ask God through Christ for such understandings. Yet, many have been duped to rely upon religious organization. This shows faith in men and not in God and Christ.
I tell you, praying to God and asking for his wisdom, his understanding and his knowledge works. It works tremendously and it demonstrates that one TRULY relys on "every word that comes out of God's mouth" and not the words that comes out of the mouths of religious organization. (Matt 4:4)
Until one recognizes this and until one STOPS looking to religious organizations (no matter who they are) they will be roaming around in the dark.
One last comment: When you ask the Most High, do so incessantly. Go into a private place. Do NOT engage in group or public prayer. You do not have to assume some special position to pray such as kneeling, closing your eyes, folding hands, etc. You must ask God as an individual within a "private" place away from the eyes of others.
If you are in a public place, you can pray inside of yourself with your eyes wide open and no one would know that you are praying. The important thing is that you NEVER pray to God in sight of others. This is the the command of the Master. (Matthew 6:5-8)
This is the only way the Father will hear you: When you approach Him in secret.
In time, you will just come to understand and know things that many struggle with to understand. This is the mark that God has pour out upon you His Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit opens up your mental eyes to see what was not seen before.
Many will not understand you and will think you to be a "nut" but they will not be able to counter anything you say. They are already infected by the influence of religious organization teaching and will not understand you until the infection is removed.
Since they will not understand you they will wonder about you and will make YOU the subject rather than Christs teachings. (1 Peter 4:4)
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TheOldHippie
I think the Revelation book is a light year ahead of Isaiah I and II though .............................
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punkofnice
It was the lairy get out clause at the beginning of the book that was a red flag to me.
I wish I could copy paste it. It seemed to say 'This is probably all wrong but it's still from god! OBEY US!'
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LogCon
Thanks for the topic.
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Billy the Ex-Bethelite
The first time we studied it, I thought it was interesting. By the last time we studied it, I thought it was foolishness. Either I had to conduct the mess to disinterested dubs or try to read the mess through all the insertions of "new light".
"Revelation--It's Grand Climax at Hand!"
Even the name screams "false prophecy"! Since when does "at Hand" imply 30 years later?