RF, my only theory as to why they have the 2 date option is that they just don't know. I wonder how they defend their retort that 'prophesy is only fully understood after it is fulfilled' statement here.
Daniel is one of my favorite books to discuss with them because of its statements about it being for the time of the end and how the true knowledge would become abundant. I just keep asking questions about the errors I run across in the prophetic time periods vs. their explanation/force fit so JWs fulfill the prophesy. Out of 6 witnesses I've questioned recently on the 2300 days, every one of them has said they would have to get back to me and not one has. Hard to believe we're living in the time of the end if one of the books meant to be understood then is still a mystery. And I like this phrase from Dan 12:9: "Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of the end." That kinda eliminates that 'understanding it after it's fulfilled' BS for me.
Thanks for the info on the Dec. '71 article. Found this in the footnotes:
The six (6) years, four (4) months and twenty (20) days apply as follows: From Sivan 2 (June 1), 1938, six years would end on Sivan 1 (May 23), 1944. Four lunar months (Sivan, Tammuz, Ab, Elul) after that would end on Tishri 1 (September 18), 1944. Twenty days added onto that would end on Tishri 21 (October 8), 1944.
These guys must have known there was a problem cuz they keep using doublespeak in explaining it. Their first reminder in the main article and also in the Daniel book is how this prophetic period must be counted using a prophetic year of 360 days. So, taking 2300 days and breaking it down into prophetic years converts to 6 years, 4 months, and 20 days. Then, as in the footnote quoted above, they then count the time using a 365 day calendar and/or the Jewish lunar calendar of 354 days.
Once again, using either calendar from the above quote gets you 2322 days. Two days were added correctly by them for leap-years to the Gregorian calendar; 60 days were added by them for the two leap-months needed for the lunar calendar to keep pace with the solar one. Their 4 months=118 days, two 30-day months and two 29.
A book that I would recommend if you haven't already read it is Carl Jonsson's 'Gentile Times Reconsidered'. Fairly well done, but I feel he was not as convincing when he inserted his own explanation for the 70 years of desolation for Jerusalem. As with the society, he couldn't quite get a 70-year period without some struggling. Been over a year since I read it so would need time to re-read if challenged to elaborate.
