Do you believe Christ returned invisibly ? Did Russell make everything up ?

by run dont walk 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  run dont walk

  In January, 1876, when he was 23 years old, Russell received a copy of The Herald of the Morning, an Adventist magazine published by Nelson H. Barbour of Rochester, New York. One of the distinguishing features of Barbour's group at that time was their belief that Christ returned invisibly in 1874, and this concept presented in The Herald captured Russell's attention. It meant that this Adventist splinter group had not remained defeated, as others had, when Christ failed to appear in 1874 as Adventist leaders had predicted; somehow this small group had managed to hold onto the date by affirming that the Lord had indeed returned at the appointed time, only invisibly.

  I found this article very interesting, it says that Barber preached that Christ returned invisibly in 1874, and this idea captured Russell's attention.

  Did he simply copy this idea from someone else and just change the date to 1914 ? since he started his magazine in 1879, five years after this was first published.

  Did Russell really know what he was doing, or just make up stuff as time went on ?

  Do you really believe Christ returned invisibly ???

  I see alot of similarites between 1874 (before JW's) and 1914, as I do with 1925 and 1975. It's really quite frightening that the Watchtower can simply repeat themselves after a period of time and no one in the borg notices.

  It's like the Watchtower simply won the lottery in 1914, by predicting 1914, even though it wasn't what they wanted, they seemed to have benefited most from World War I. How bizarre !!!!!!!
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  smack

  Here? define here. From there? define there. Invisible? to whom? He may, or may not have moved from there to here invisibly. Of course he did, the trick is denying it.

  smack

  of the don't give a rats class :)
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  BluesBrother

  Do I believe it ?

  This is an intrinsic part of WT teaching, believe that and one has to believe that Russell and his successors are "Spirit Directed"

  Since there is so much evidence of th falsehoood of the teaching and actions of the WT , then I have to say , No , I do not believe. If I did, then I would be at the WT Study right now instead of posting on this board .

  I cannot disprove this particular issue, but neither can they prove it.

  This is a bit like the questions that Wt Elders use if one gets to talk , ie

  "If they are not the fdslave, tell me who is?" or "What other religion teaches the 'truth' about the soul? "

  Questions within their own frame of reference are loaded so as to ignore the bigger picture
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  ISP

  He started off with a genuine belief. His hopes did not materialise and he sought to rework his stuff. If he was alive today, he would not believe any of it, neither would the Apostle Paul who thought the end was near in his time.

  ISP
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  LittleToe

  Where do the scriptures say he'll return invisibly?
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  DannyBear

  No. Yes.

  The commonality of all adventist, fundementalist, religious beliefs are predicated on one trait; CLAIMS of recieving special insight from god. Russell even allowed his wife to apply the moniker of the 'faithful and discreet slave' to himself. Of course to appear humble he tried to assert a humble denial, but most all of Bible Students of his day considered him to be the fds.

  It is amazing how attaching words like chosen, selected, sanctified, holy, spirit begotten, along with isolated references to mysterious pyramids, historical events, and a little prophecying, can mesmerize and attract millions ot follow your every word.

  Russell, Rutherford, Franz, were very good at it.

  Danny
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  teejay

  No.

  No. I will go to my grave believing that Russell believed every one of the falsehoods he told. The Judge, on the other hand...
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  greven

  Russell never believed in an invisible presence dated at 1914. He preached till his death in 1916 that the lord had come invisibly in 1874. This teaching was taken over by Rutherford up until the 1930's. Russell indeed got his date from Barbour in 1876, in 1877 he produced a pamphlet together with this barbour about this subject. He also took the 1914 date as end of the times of the gentiles from this Barbour chap along with an entire truckload of adventist teachings.

  Greven
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  lurk

  if you search at the british library and other library catalogues you will find other books about the 7,000 years theory....they werent the first to get these ideas. i found them through seaching watch tower titles
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  AlanF

  Greven, thanks for clearing up a couple of things.

  Lurk, the notion of a 7,000 year time frame for God to operate in is very old. References to 1000 year slices appear in Persian Zoroastrian writings from at least as far back as 1000 B.C. The New Testament Apocryphal book called "The Epistle of Barnabas" contains an explicit explanation of a 7,000 year time frame, including something along the lines of "6,000 years of misery followed by 1,000 years of peace". Russell knew all about this, of course, even referring to it as an ancient tradition.

  AlanF