If Watchtower can use a non-sequitur to say that Jesus now knows the day and the hour, despite Matthew 24:36 ....

by Island Man 17 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Island Man

  ... Where's the good sense preventing them from again making a date prediction for the end and using a non-sequitur to justify their claim in the face of Matthew 24:36?

  "... But Christ has been empowered in heaven to wage war against Satan's world. (Rev 19:11-16) Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus now knows when Armageddon will occur...." - Watchtower July 2016, page 14, par. 4.
  
  Is the reasoning valid or is it a glaring non-sequitur? Does Christ being empowered to wage war in the future at Armageddon necessitate him now knowing the day and the hour of the end? If I appoint a lawyer to administer my estate upon my death, does that necessitate the lawyer knowing the day and the hour of my death, in advance?
  
  If Watchtower can use such strange reasoning to say Jesus now knows the day and the hour, where's the good sense to stop them using similar strange reasoning in the future to set another date for the end and say that they now know because [insert crazy, non-sequitur reasoning here]?
  
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  LevelThePlayingField

  You make some valid points here. I like attorney not knowing when you would die part, it fits well. As far as I can remember JW's have thought that since Jesus was supposed to be ruling since 1914 then he might now know when Armageddon is coming. I've been around for nearly 25 years and I can remember that being said to me by more than one person. But now they have it in print.

  Five years from now they may change that in a simple WT article and poof that's that. The simply truth is, is that it's purely speculation to say that Jesus now knows when. And the WT is good at speculation.
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  konceptual99

  I would bet big money on the WTS never setting any date ever again. The nearest they may come is to say "not before" but that is another giant step away from anything they have ever done before and completely contrary to their current modus operandi.

  They have learnt that they don't need to set dates just an expectation of imminence and sense of urgency. They can spin the current generation teaching out for some years yet then just replace it with another doctrine.

  My parents lapped it up from the late 60s. I lapped it up for the best part of 30 years. The next generation of young ones are lapping it up again.
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  Listener

  There reason for saying that Jesus knows the date is because he has been commissioned to fight the war. On that basis then the anointed must also know the date because they say that they will be fighting the war along with Jesus.
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  Zaccheus

  The reasoning is not valid because the premise is built completely built on speculation. This is a part of Watchtowerlore, a grand unwritten canon of tiny ideas orbiting central doctrine.

  Obviously Christ doesn't need to know the day or hour, because he and his hordes of angels and (speculatively) ToMo3 and the 144K can smote 185K apiece in a single night, so it's not as if he needs preparation time to build invisible war chariots and to study maps.

  konceptual99, I agree they will not predict a date again. Speculations like this one are just the tidbits necessary to keep R&F roped in for more donations.
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  Ucantnome

  I understand that the resurrection of Christ was good news and was preached about in the first century and that the Jewish people saw time as a progression of ages.

  The resurrection of Christ was a new epoch a new age I think. As the preaching of the good news by JW is a further progression, into the parousia, which I believe is like a royal visit. I would think that it would be normal to conclude that the King would know the length of his visit.

  Matthew 24:36 being before the resurrection of Christ
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  jhine

  So by that reasoning the Anti - Christ must know the day and the hour . It seems to be a very open secret !

  Jan
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  Ucantnome

  Jan do you think Christ will only know after the event has started?
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  Island Man

  "Jan do you think Christ will only know after the event has started?"

  The way I picture it, is that he's in heaven and he's just waiting for his Father to give him the nod for him to immediately start the battle. Until he gets the nod he has no idea when it will be.
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  Giordano

  Why in hell didn't they fight this war back in Noah's day?? Save us and everyone born after the so called Flood a heck of a lot of trouble....Just saying.