Kingdom 'proof', then & now

by neat blue dog 2 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • neat blue dog
    neat blue dog

    Back in the day, the Bible Students believed that 6,000 years of human history ended in 1874, and that therefore they were already living IN the 1,000 year reign. As such they were looking for proof, such as Miracle Wheat, showing God's blessing on the land, and Beth Sarim, which was to be a testament to the imminent resurrection.

    But then emphasis switched to the future, when the chronology was adjusted 101 years to 1975. That was also coupled with the teaching of 'the generation that would not pass away'.

    Now recently, especially since the 100th anniversary in 2014, emphasis is being placed back on the now. With the overlapping generations and the last days being stretched to their limit, the new spin is: 'Yeah, the new system is nice to talk about, but who needs it? We're under kingdom rule right now!' From the "God's Kingdom Rules!" book, to the "Organizational Accomplishments" video series, to one of the recent music videos about "what the kingdom's done so far", the idea that's really being pushed is that the organization itself is somehow good enough proof of Christ's invisible rule.

    Of course that begs the question of the thousand year reign. Do the years before Armageddon not count? On that note, do you think the GB will ever revert to the previous belief that we're now IN the 1,000 reign, and possibly have been since 1975, (so they'd end up being 'sort of' right, just like they claimed success for the failed 1914 prophecy)?

  • Anony Mous
    Anony Mous

    Well, over a thousand year reign it doesn't matter whether you're a few decades off. So they could easily spin this into 1914-2914. 1975 is already being demonstrably used as "it was your fault, we never said that", they don't even have to use it.

    The biggest problem though if that if 'the end' won't come until 2914, a LOT of other things would have to change too, if they did it today, virtually all would simply leave because, until 2914, you can die and be forgiven and we're all guaranteed to die before 2914. So either they have to revise the 1000 years to an 'unspecified period of time' like they did with creation days or they have to start believing that what you do in this life is somehow important, which would also destroy the resurrection hope for everyone that had unbelieving family die, again, mass exodus is not hard to imagine if that were to happen.

    The "overlapping generation" is as close to it they can come, it's genius is in the detail that it doesn't have an end except for the 2000 year old 'it will be coming soon now' and soon is relative for everyone, to young people it means 'better stay in just in case, if it doesn't come, I'll leave' and then to older people it means 'I've been in so long and my current life is dependent on it'

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein

    The New Kingdom proclaimed by the WTS was inherently a commercial fraud designed to sell and proliferate literature.

    Setting a time or date was actually admonished by Jesus himself to his true faithful followers as setting a time on god's own sacred time.

    But I guess the leaders of the WTS didn't read that scripture.

    A lot of Christian based faiths did though but unlike the WTS they dont have a publishing house operating at its core.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit