To All Those Keen To Tell Us About Their Beliefs (page 3)

slimboyfat

After William Miller got the 1843/4 prediction wrong he went around the country apologising to people he misled for his mistake. That stands out as pretty unusual behaviour for an end time prophet. Apparently he really believed in his prediction, but acknowledged he had got it wrong and, instead of trying to rationalise it, attempted to make amends. I’d never heard about that before, and I don’t see anything about it on Wikipedia, but I read it in the book Protestants: Radicals Who Made the Modern World (2018) by Alec Ryrie,

road to nowhere

I wonder how they type that long. I NEVER read them.

Maybe they are counting time!

I noticed a new one this morning

Earnest

slimboyfat : Isaac Newton, who was extremely into his Bible prophecy, apparently predicted the end for 2060, or, to put it more precisely, that 2060 was the latest date it could possibly be. If I recall correctly, this date was arrived at by adding 1260 day/years from Revelation to the coronation of Charlemagne in 800 AD.

Correct. In one of Newton's papers (Yahuda MS 7.3g, folio 13 verso), currently held by the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem, he wrote :

So then the time times & half a time [Daniel 7:25] are 42 months [Revelation 11:2; 13:5] or 1260 days [Revelation 11:3; 12:6] or three years & an half, recconing twelve months to a yeare & 30 days to a month as was done in the Calendar of the primitive year. And the days of short lived Beasts being put for the years of lived [sic] kingdoms, the period of 1260 days, if dated from the complete conquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end A.C. 2060. It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail. Christ comes as a thief in the night, & it is not for us to know the times & seasons wch God hath put into his own breast.

The reason 800 C.E. is important is because Newton claims that is the beginning of the Pope's supremacy, when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as emperor at St Peter's in Rome. The 1260 years corresponds to the duration of the corruption of the Church, starting from 800.

You will note from the text I have emboldened that 2060 was not the latest date it could possibly end, but the earliest. Newton actually writes in another place (Yahuda MS 7.3o, folio 8 recto) :

The time times & half time do not end before 2060 nor after

TonusOH

This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail.

Interesting. Was Newton saying that he set the predicted time that far into the future to prevent people from making false predictions that would fail within their lifetimes and thus bring discredit to their faith? Was this his way of making the point that "Biblical Chronology" was a crock that simply left people disillusioned and should not be practiced, since no one could possibly know the day or time, as Jesus said in the very book they were using to try to predict the day and time?

Because I think it's very good advice.

ThomasMore

More words do not make a point sharper. Bible commentary seems to expand faster than a diaper, and it is just tiresome. Five people have 6 opinions on any given verse, so why bother. If God wanted us to know, he could have been clearer. In the meantime, believe what you want - everyone else does.

BluesBrother

Simon, I am amazed by this…

“ The site isn't here to host your bible diarrhea, so please don't bother - you're just going to be wasting your time.”

We are here to discuss the Jehovah’s Witnesses and their beliefs. That always means discussions and different opinions and , yes Bible and Scriptural discussion. If not then why are we here ?

If you don’t like us believers talking about it you would be better off starting a forum for atheists and right wing political types.

smiddy3

Isn`t Simon just talking about other religionists who want to voice there opinions and take over the discussion here ?

“ The site isn't here to host your bible diarrhea, so please don't bother - you're just going to be wasting your time.”

Or have i got the bull by the tale ?

LoveUniHateExams

@BluesBrother

I think Simon doesn't want religious types preaching on his discussion board.

At least, that's how I understood his OP.

Kinda makes sense, really ...

sektenausstieg

We pushed out these on our german forum and guess what - it's become quite, because Ex-JW won't talk about religion. And except some special events (like amok in Hamburg) there's limited interest in discussion.

But: guests often read those discussions and our answers.

dropoffyourkeylee

maybe a number-of-character limit on posts would curb what appears to be cutting and pasting of book-length comments

To All Those Keen To Tell Us About Their Beliefs

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