The Watchtower organization has certainly, in times past, taken an absolute position on the matter of interpreting prophetic scripture passages. But they are not the only ones guilty of that crime. It is easy to demonstrate the same pattern from Adventism, and ( as I have done previously) from many other churches of the ?born again? variety, who foolishly believe they have received a final understanding of ?end times? prophecy? Make absolute statements of interpretation in Gods authority? And later are proven incorrect by the relentless march of history. A good example of this pattern, and the necessity of constant reinterpretation, is regarding Adventisms understanding of who constitutes the ?Kings that come from the Sunrising?.
A major Adventist apologist, Louis Weir, wrote a book on the subject demonstrating, with reproduced passages from old publications, the churches ever Eastward moving interpretation of this scripture passage over the course of a century. In the late 1800s Turkey was understood (and declared) to be the ?sunrise? king. Then, during the 1920s Japan, and after the defeat of Japan in WW2, Persia, and later again, China have all been interpreted as ?The Kings?. The reasons for this shifting of interpretation are clear. The rise and fall of empires, the constant changing of the world political scene. Just one quotation will suffice. Louis Weir quotes a passage from a 1940s Adventist flyer that declared Japan to be the ?sunrise king?:
Quote: ?Japan is unmistakeably identified with the prophecy of Revelation 16, led by the spirits of devils, and working miracles?In recent months, events in the Far East have moved rapidly in a direction that would indicate that, at last, the Kings of the East are moving in the direction of the rendezvous of prophecy, the river Euphrates? before our gaze the final act of the drama is rapidly unfolding?.
Now, of course, after Japan is defeated in war a reinterpretation becomes necessary. And so it goes on and on. Amazingly, and somewhat unfortunately, religious totalitarians are very stupid people in that they take a long time to learn from their mistakes. The Adventists misapprehended the ?sunrise kings? prophecy at least 4 times before they started to wise up that it made them look foolish when they kept declaring current events to be absolute prophetic fulfilment and then were forced to change position. Those who speak for God don?t like having to shift position. When this ?revelation? of reality is finally hammered into their heads, the tendancy of totalitarian churches is to ?Spiritualize? the interpretation of prophecy. This is done in a couple of ways?
Either the scripture passage is declared as finally fullfilled in an invisible event. Or the passage is declared as in process of fulfilment, but in a manner that is without end.
About the fulfilment of prophecy in an ?invisible? manner, readers here know of many WT examples. 1914 and 1918 are invisible fulfilments of literal expectations. It seems to be a rule in totalistic movements that wherever you find an invisibly fulfilled event?some research will unearth a formerly held literal expectation.
The latest JW interpretation of the ?generation? is a classic example of a prophetic fulfilment that is ?endless?. It is unconfirmable, and thus indisputable. This will remain the WTs final interpretation regarding the ?generation?. Set in stone and immovable.
The same applies to the JW understanding of the Kings of the North and South, so extensively laid out in the book ?Daniels Prophecy?. Every opposing set of nations in the history of history, including Germany vs Britain, and the US vs Russia is now declared an ongoing, rolling fulfilment of the Kings of the North and South prophecy. There can be no doubt this interpretation is merely a result of a new caution on the part of the religious totalitarians at Brooklyn. A caution (finally) learnt from innumerable letdowns, disappointments, and erroneous declarations.