Peace and Security!

biblexaminer

Watchtower teaches that soon there will be a huge development that will be a sign for Jehovah's Witnesses! Regarding 1Thess. 5:3 the Watchtower magazine, principle journal of Jehovah's Witnesses, writes...

However, just before that day of Jehovah begins, world leaders will be saying “Peace and security!” This may refer to one event or to a series of events.

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20120915/world-end/#?insight[search_id]=2038590d-e4a0-4101-89db-27102bef34ba&insight[search_result_index]=19

How will Jehovah's Witnesses know that it has happened? How will they know for sure that whatever events are reportedly taking place on planet Earth are the fulfillment of this "prophecy"?

Of course, " it will come out in the Watchtower" ...as so many have repeated for so very long.

Yes, JW's await the GB to write something to them via the Watchtower magazine. They wait. And wait.

Meanwhile, what did Paul actually write? Was it a prophecy of some future singular event, marking the beginning of some other event? The "end"...?

Or was it something else entirely?

Do Jehovah's Witnesses even read the Bible? At all? (hands thrown up)

In writing to the Thessalonians, as recorded in the context, Paul tells, at 1Thess 4:13-18, about the Lord's Day. The Thessalonians obviously wanted to know more about it, else why was he telling...

The Thessalonians must obviously have had the same superstitions that plagued most back then, superstitions that Jesus himself needed to dispel, as found at Matthew 24:4-7 where he began "Do NOT be misled"

What did Paul tell the Thessalonians? That they could expect a letter? A magazine... containing writings perhaps?

No! Paul said 1 Thessalonians 5:1

5 Now as for the times and the seasons, brothers, you need nothing to be written to you.

That's right. It's not write.
And why was there nothing to be written about the Lord's day? The next verse.

2 For you yourselves know very well that Jehovah’s* day+ is coming exactly as a thief in the night.

If it's coming as a thief in the night, then what could you possibly write! (rhetorical)

So, what did Paul actually say?

3 Whenever it is that they are saying, “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly on them,+ just like birth pains on a pregnant woman, and they will by no means escape.

Yes, stop looking for signs! "Whenever" as in multiple and always, ...NOT 'when' as in a singular event...

Whenever they say peace ...THERE'S WAR and there's no way out for them any more than a woman about to give birth can avoid what is taking place in her own body.

So how can there be any indicators or signs in the political process when whatever they say... the OPPOSITE HAPPENS.

So, Jehovah's Witnesses need to STOP waiting for something to be "written to them" via the Watchtower or any other rag.

The Lord's day "is coming exactly as a thief in the night".

NOTHING CAN BE WRITTEN. NOTHING WILL BE WRITTEN.

Paul went on.

4 But you, brothers, you are not in darkness, so that the day should overtake you as it would thieves, 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day.+ We belong neither to night nor to darkness.

Paul DID NOT say that Christians would, or would not, be taken over by thieves. He said they would not be taken over by "the day" in the same manner as the day would take over thieves.

The "day" will be a surprise to all, God loving Christians and thieves alike. But when it arrives, the thieves will feel different about it than would Christians.

Illustration.

If your employer shows up to inspect, he find some working, some sleeping. Those caught working are surprised, but happy. Those caught sleeping less happy. You think....

So Paul admonishes Christians in verses 6-8 to keep awake. The Lord's day will come as a surprise to all, but "the day should [not] overtake you as it would thieves.

This said, Jehovah's Witnesses will continue holding out hope that something 'will be written to them' about the "times and seasons", and they will continue on, sure that they have 'the edge' on everybody else.

Paul be damned.

Village Idiot

Good point biblexaminer.

ttdtt

Kinda funny how someone (paul, or jesus for that matter) giving out info about the end of the world would be presenting such general and completely ambiguous warnings and signs. Hard to blame any christian religion for trying to make sense of the nonsensical.

This is what happens when people take a work of fiction and try to make more of it that it is. Better off using Lord of the Rings as your guide to life.

Island Man

Im not so sure this rendering is accurate:

4 But you, brothers, you are not in darkness, so that the day should overtake you as it would thieves, 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day.+ We belong neither to night nor to darkness.

There may be an error in the translation or the actual manuscript copy. Since the immediate context talks about the day itself coming as a thief in the night, it seems that the verse should actually be saying something like:

4 But you, brothers, you are not in darkness, so that the day should overtake you as thieves would, 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day.+ We belong neither to night nor to darkness.

It's not comparing asleep christians to thieves but rather as victims of thieves - the thieves being the day of destruction that comes unexpectedly like a thief in the night. That's my theory anyway - that there's a translation error or an error in the manuscript.

Also I don't believe the part about them saying peace and security is an actual declaration by the governments. The verse does not say exactly who makes this declaration - or that it's even a declaration, for that matter. I suspect that the verse is simply referring to the fact that the end will come unexpectedly, catching people at a time when they have a complacent, secure attitude - when they feel at peace and secure, oblivious to any coming destruction.

This harmonizes with what Jesus said in Matthew 24 when he said people would be eating, drinking, marrying, building, grinding at the mill and working in the field - all activities that denote normal everyday life at a time of peace and security rather than a time of crisis. Jesus illustrated this by drawing attention to the everyday activities of people. Paul is being more direct and to the point, mentioning that people would be caught by surprise when they least expect - when they feel at peace and secure.

jhine

Most Christians don't try to make sense of this in terms of watching for signs and interpreting them as the end is coming soon . We just take from this the message that it is wise to live each day as if it could be " the day " Like people say live each day as if it could be your last , you could die tomorrow , you don't know . Or you could have many more years .
Witnesses don't get this and l have been asked a few times if l believe that the end will come .Or more that obviously l can't believe this as l don't spend my life looking for signs ! l try to explain that yes , that is what the Bible says , but it also says that we won't know when . That is the message here . They are just so used to having this expectation of Armageddon next week held over them to keep them obedient to the org that they don't get it .
Jan

TheOldHippie

"Of course, " it will come out in the Watchtower" ...as so many have repeated for so very long.

Yes, JW's await the GB to write something to them via the Watchtower magazine. They wait. And wait."

What is Your basis for saying so? Where have you found stated that the JW community is to wait for a written statement in the WT magazine to tell them that "NOW the GT has started"?

zeb

I believe anything they come out with will be a smoke screen primarily.

Xanthippe

In 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down the words Peace and Security were all over the national newspapers. We kept saying at the Kingdom Hall isn't this fantastic? Nobody cared.

Do Jehovah's Witnesses ever read the Bible you ask. The few that still do feel they have to wait for the GB to interpret it for them. They can't recognise a 'sign' using their own intelligence. Anyway we found CoC soon after that and I no longer believe in the Bible but as you can see the situation in JWs has been like that for a very long time.

AFRIKANMAN

That is why they are obsessed with watching and listening to World News ! For the big announcement !

biblexaminer

IsLand man. You discard the bulk of what Paul said with that idea. It smacks of desperation.

Peace and Security!

Share this