The scary thing for you will be when Jehovah DOES cut the last days short. But not all is bad news for Jehovah will forgive those that humble themselves....Isaiah 1:18.
So tell me Mr. Sword... what exactly does that smell like?
"Those days will be cut short " - question
by Sirona 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Elsewhere
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JCanon
She mentioned to me the scripture (Matthew?) that says that the last days would have to be cut short for the sake of the holy ones. She says they always taught that this referred to the anointed and that they'd all die off if Jehovah didn't cut short the days of the time of the end.
Czar is correct, this is a reference to the "great tribulation"; and Farkel is well noted, it doesn't make sense for JWs.
The actual fulfilment of this prophecy since Matthew 24 clearly indicates "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." the sign of the son of man would appear, etc. is that this is not Armageddon and this occurs before the second coming!!!
Furthermore, note this is a special tribulation for women with small children? Why?
Plus people are told to "flee to the mountains"....would the mountains save them? YES!!!
That's because this "great tribulation" is the one long prophesied by Daniel in which there would be an "extermination" of the Jews, in fact Zechariah says two-thirds of the Jews would be killed during this extermination and great tribulation, but it's a tribulation of "Daniel's people" (Daniel 12), this is the "trampling of the holy ones" specifically, not the entire world. So what is the interpretation and how were these "days" cut short?
The "great tribulation" was thus the HOLOCAUST, occuring basically from 1940 to 1945. Hitler was out to kill all the Jews and had he succeeded in coming to power, worldwide, even for a short time, the nation of Jews essentially could have been wiped out totally. Thus the "days" of this tribulation, WWII, were cut short in order that "some flesh could be saved", that is, some flesh of the Jews, saved from total extermination.
Without going into extensive detail, the "chronology" involved here suggests this tribulation was to be 7 years. It reflects the prophecy of 62 weeks beginning the "cut off" of the Messiah, in this case, represented by the "chosen people". The 490-year periods dated from the first 70th week, which ended in 36CE would end in 1996 and begin in 1506. 4 x 490 is 1960 plus 36CE is 1996. In the meantime, 1947 represents the 50th jubilee from 455BCE, thus the date the Jews would be finally restored to their homeland. 62 weeks is 434 years. 434 plus 1506 brings us to 1940. So that actually times as well as limits this "great tribulation" to the 7-year period, generally, from 1940 to 1947. Of note the "disgusting thing in a holy place that causes desolation" would be when the Nazi army surrounded the largest exiled concentration of Jews which is Warsaw Poland. Poland was invaded late in 1939. This is when it was time to flee to the mountains.
But again, of course, 7 years of what Hitler had set up for the Jews would have exterminated them totally worldwide and so these "days" were cut short so some flesh would be saved.
Also of note, though, "fleeing to the mountains" was one way to escape the Nazis as many did. But if you were a woman with little children, this was not an option for you. These women had a choice to abandon their children to the gas chambers and save their own lives or dying with their children. Women with no children, of course, could flee to the mountains and hide out from the Nazis if they were wise enough to leave the ghettos before they were all sealed off by the Nazis in the major Jewish cities in Poland after which they were liquidated at the death camps.
So that's the explanation and true fulfillment. This doesn't work for JW doctrine for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they ignore Matthew 24 which indicates this "great tribulation" precedes the second coming. Their feeble explanation is that somehow the great tribulation is "Armageddon" in this reference and that after it has started, then some last-minute convertees would be saved. ??? But the Bible says "after the tribulation" of those days the Messiah would arrive. Also making this an impossible solution for JWs is the fact that they have joined on Christian groups who believe that the Jews have no more "special covenant" with God, having been totally rejected by God and now replaced by them, "spiritual Israel."
The reference to the "days cut short or no flesh would be saved", again, is the early ending of WWII and the Holocaust which if extended might have completely exterminated the Jews. Per Bible prophecy though, two-thirds would "pass through the fire" and one third would be saved and restored to Israel, appropriately so on the jubilee year of 1947.
JC
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peacefulpete
Ok somebody has got to try to find the article I'm remebering. It was titled " Being saved alive through the Grt Trib" or somthing like that.
BTW the wording is past tense in the verse in Matt , "were cut short" not "will be cut short" the writer was it appears adding these details after the events in the lives of Jews in Jerusalem of either 70CE or 135 CE. The WT, like so many others, often tweeks the tense of verses to make them appear prophetic and modern.
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Nathan Natas
Good memory, Peacefulpete!!
THE WATCHTOWER February 15, 1995, pages 13-17
"Saved Alive Through the Great Tribulation"
?These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.??REVELATION 7:14.
WHEN untold millions are raised in the ?resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous,? they will not be brought back to life on an empty earth. (Acts 24:15) They will awaken in beautifully improved surroundings and find that living quarters, clothing, and an abundance of food have been prepared for them. Who will make all these preparations? Clearly, there will be people living in the new world before the earthly resurrection begins. Who? The Bible indicates that they will be survivors of the coming great tribulation. Of all Bible teachings, undoubtedly this is one of the most intriguing?that some faithful ones will be saved alive through the great tribulation and will never have to die. This hope is well attested to in the Holy Scriptures.
As the Days of Noah
2 At Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus Christ made a comparison between the days of Noah and the last days, where we now find ourselves. He said: ?Just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be.?
3 The global Flood swept away all who paid no attention to God?s warning message. It did not, though, sweep away Noah and his family. They ?entered into the ark,? as Jesus said. Because of their godly devotion, Jehovah provided them with a way of escape. Second Peter 2:5, 9 refers to the survival of Noah and his family when it says: ?He [God] . . . kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly people. Jehovah knows how to deliver people of godly devotion out of trial.? Jesus drew a comparison between Noah?s day and the last days to show that people in general would not heed God?s warning message. Nevertheless, in doing so he also confirmed that Noah and his family obeyed Jehovah God, entered the ark, and survived the great Flood. Survival by Noah and his family points to the survival of God?s faithful servants at this world?s end.
A First-Century Pattern
4 Jesus also spoke of events to take place at the end of this world. At Matthew 24:21, 22, we read: ?Then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world?s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.? These words had a preliminary fulfillment in the first century of our Common Era. In 66 C.E., the city of Jerusalem was besieged by Roman armies under Cestius Gallus. The Roman troops got to the point of undermining the temple wall, and many Jews were ready to surrender. Unexpectedly, however, and for no apparent reason, Cestius Gallus withdrew his troops. Upon seeing the Romans withdraw, the Christians acted on the words of Jesus, spoken many years before: ?When you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near. Then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains, and let those in the midst of her withdraw, and let those in the country places not enter into her.? (Luke 21:20, 21) The Christianized Jews, the chosen ones, immediately abandoned the doomed city of Jerusalem and were thus saved from the terrible destruction that came upon it soon after. In 70 C.E., the Roman legions under General Titus returned. They encamped around Jerusalem, besieged the city, and devastated it.
5 The Jewish historian Josephus relates that 1,100,000 Jews died, whereas 97,000 survived and were taken into captivity. Those non-Christian Jewish survivors were certainly not ?the chosen ones? of Jesus? prophecy. Speaking to the rebellious Jewish nation, Jesus had said: ?Look! Your house is abandoned to you. For I say to you, You will by no means see me from henceforth until you say, ?Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah?s name!?? (Matthew 23:38, 39) There is no record that those Jews, bottled up in Jerusalem, at the last minute accepted Jesus as the Messiah, became Christians, and received Jehovah?s favor. Nevertheless, the tribulation that came upon Jerusalem in 70 C.E. was cut short. The final siege by the Roman army was not of long duration. This allowed for some Jews to survive, if only to be sent off to various parts of the Roman Empire as slaves.
A Great Crowd of Survivors
6 While Jerusalem?s destruction in 70 C.E. did indeed bring ?great tribulation? on that religious city, the major fulfillment of Jesus? words is yet to be realized. A greater religious city, Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion, is to experience a death-dealing great tribulation followed immediately by an unparalleled tribulation on the rest of Satan?s system of things. (Matthew 24:29, 30; Revelation 18:21) Some 26 years after the destruction of Jerusalem, the apostle John, at Revelation 7:9-14, wrote about this world-embracing great tribulation. He showed that a great crowd of people would survive it.
7 These survivors, called the ?great crowd,? are identified by certain decisive actions that they take. According to Revelation 7:14, one of the 24 elders in heaven told John: ?These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.? Yes, the great crowd hail Jehovah as the source of their salvation. They exercise faith in Jesus? shed blood and have a righteous standing before their Creator and his appointed King, Jesus Christ.
8 Today, almost five million members of the great crowd are living under the active leadership of the heavenly King Jesus Christ. They are in subjection to Christ and in close association with his anointed brothers yet on earth. Concerning the treatment that the great crowd accord these anointed ones, Jesus says: ?Truly I say to you, To the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.? (Matthew 25:40) Because they unselfishly render aid to Christ?s anointed brothers, those of the great crowd are judged to have done good to Jesus himself. This helps them to have a secure relationship with Jesus Christ and Jehovah God. They have been privileged to join the anointed remnant in becoming God?s Witnesses and bearers of his name.?Isaiah 43:10, 11; Joel 2:31, 32.
Staying Awake
9 The great crowd must maintain their righteous standing before the Son of man without letup, which requires staying watchful right up to the end. Jesus stated this clearly when he said: ?Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth. Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.??Luke 21:34-36.
10 To succeed in standing before the Son of man, we must have his approval, which we will not have if we allow ourselves to be influenced by the thinking of this world. Worldly thinking is seductive and can induce a person to overindulge in fleshly pleasures or to become so weighed down with life?s problems that he no longer keeps Kingdom interests first. (Matthew 6:33) Such a course weakens a person spiritually and could leave him indifferent about his responsibilities toward God and others. He could become inactive or jeopardize his place in the congregation by committing serious sin, perhaps even displaying an unrepentant attitude. Each individual in the great crowd must pay attention to himself. He must keep separate from this ungodly world and its practices.?John 17:16.
11 To that end, Jehovah has provided what we need by means of his Word, his holy spirit, and his visible organization. We must take full advantage of these. Further, we must be prayerful and obedient to God if we expect to have his favor. For one thing, we must develop a strong hatred for what is bad. The psalmist said: ?I have not sat with men of untruth; and with those who hide what they are I do not come in. I have hated the congregation of evildoers, and with the wicked ones I do not sit. Do not take away my soul along with sinners, nor my life along with bloodguilty men.? (Psalm 26:4, 5, 9) In the Christian congregation, young and old alike need to limit association with those not dedicated to Jehovah. To receive God?s favor, we strive to be blameless and without spot from the world. (Psalm 26:1-5; James 1:27; 4:4) Thus, we will be assured that at Armageddon, Jehovah will not sweep us away in death along with the ungodly.
Some ?Will Never Die at All?
12 It is exciting to contemplate survival of the end of this system of things and the possibility of never having to die. This is the prospect held out to us by Jesus. Just before resurrecting his dead friend Lazarus, Jesus told Lazarus? sister Martha: ?I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; and everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?? Martha believed in the resurrection, but she did not understand all that Jesus was saying.?John 11:25, 26.
13 Jesus did not mean that his faithful apostles would continue living in the flesh and would never die. On the contrary, he later indicated that his disciples would die. (John 21:16-23) Indeed, their anointing with holy spirit at Pentecost 33 C.E. meant that they would have to die in order to receive their heavenly inheritance as kings and priests. (Revelation 20:4, 6) Thus, with the passage of time, all first-century Christians passed away. However, Jesus said what he did for a purpose. His words about living without ever dying will be fulfilled.
14 For one thing, faithful anointed Christians will never experience everlasting death. (Revelation 20:6) Also, Jesus? words point to a specific time when God will intervene in human affairs and will wipe out wickedness on the earth, just as he did in Noah?s day. Faithful ones found doing God?s will at that time will not have to die by God?s judgment acts. Rather, like Noah and his family, they will have the opportunity of surviving the destruction of a world. Such a hope is solid, being based on Bible teachings and illustrated by examples. (Compare Hebrews 6:19; 2 Peter 2:4-9.) The fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that very soon the present world consisting of unrighteous human society is going to end in destruction. The present situation is irreversible, for the world is incorrigibly wicked. What God said about the world of Noah?s day is also true of the world today. Wickedness fills the hearts of the vast majority of humans, and their thoughts are only bad all the time.?Genesis 6:5.
15 Jehovah has allowed men to govern the earth for centuries without divine interference, but their time is almost up. Soon Jehovah will annihilate all the wicked on earth, just as the Bible says. (Psalm 145:20; Proverbs 2:21, 22) However, he will not destroy the righteous along with the wicked. God has never done such a thing! (Compare Genesis 18:22, 23, 26.) Why would he destroy those who are endeavoring to serve him faithfully, with godly fear? It is only reasonable that Jehovah?s faithful worshipers who are living when the great tribulation begins will find favor in his eyes and will not be destroyed, just as Noah and his family were not destroyed when the wicked world of his day came to a cataclysmic end. (Genesis 7:23) They will have divine protection and will survive the end of this world.
16 What then? In the new world, healing blessings will flow to mankind as the benefits of Jesus? ransom sacrifice are fully applied. The Bible speaks of a symbolic ?river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its broad way. And on this side of the river and on that side there were trees of life producing twelve crops of fruit, yielding their fruits each month. And the leaves of the trees were for the curing of the nations.? (Revelation 22:1, 2) Marvelous to say, that ?curing? includes the conquest of Adamic death itself! ?He will actually swallow up death forever, and the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will certainly wipe the tears from all faces.? (Isaiah 25:8) Thus, those who survive the great tribulation into the new world need never face death!
A Sure Hope
17 Can we have full confidence in this astounding hope? Absolutely! Jesus indicated to Martha that there would be a time when people would live without ever dying. (John 11:26) Moreover, in chapter 7 of the Revelation that Jesus gave to John, it was revealed that a great crowd comes out of the great tribulation, surviving it. Can we believe Jesus Christ and the historical account of the Flood of Noah?s day? Unquestionably! Furthermore, the Bible has other accounts of occasions when God preserved his servants alive through judgment periods and the downfall of nations. Should any less be expected of him in this time of the end? Is anything impossible for the Creator??Compare Matthew 19:26.
18 By serving Jehovah faithfully now, we have the assurance of life everlasting in his new world. For untold millions, life in that new world will come by means of the resurrection. Yet, in our day, millions of Jehovah?s people?yes, a great crowd that no man can number or limit?will have the unique privilege of being saved alive through the great tribulation. And they will never have to die.
Please Explain
· How was surviving Armageddon foreshadowed in Noah?s day?
· What must we do in order to keep standing when Jesus comes to execute Jehovah?s judgments?
· Why can we say that Armageddon survivors need ?never die at all??
[Study Questions]
1. Who will greet the resurrected ones in the earthly resurrection?
2, 3. (a) What similarities are drawn between the days of Noah and our time? (b) What is pointed to by the survival of Noah and his family through the Flood?
4. In fulfillment of Jesus? words, what events led up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.?
5. In what sense was the tribulation on Jerusalem cut short in 70 C.E.?
6, 7. (a) What great religious city is yet to be destroyed, as part of what unparalleled tribulation? (b) What did John prophesy about the coming great tribulation on this world?
8. What fine relationship exists between the ?great crowd? and the remaining ones of Jesus? anointed brothers?
9, 10. (a) What must we do to maintain our righteous standing before the Son of man? (b) How must we act in order to ?keep awake??
11. The application of what Scriptural principles will help us to survive Armageddon?
12, 13. (a) Before resurrecting Lazarus, Jesus uttered what words that Martha did not fully understand? (b) What was not meant by Jesus? words about some ?never dying at all??
14, 15. (a) How will Jesus? words about some ?never dying at all? be fulfilled? (b) What is the situation of this world, but what hope do righteous ones have?
16. What wondrous things will happen in the new world, meaning what for survivors?
17. How certain is the hope that some will survive Armageddon and ?never die at all??
18. How can we be assured of life in Jehovah?s righteous new world?
[Picture on page 15]
Christians escaped Jerusalem?s tribulation
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Nathan Natas
Keys to understanding the above article:
As the Days of Noah - The flood of Noah's day is a shepherd's fable told around the campfire while they were waiting for BONANZA to come on on Sunday night TV. Pa, Hoss, Adam and Little Joe were the "arK"hetypes (ha ha! a flood pun! get it?) upon which Noah's family was based.
A First-Century Pattern - oops! make that "A First Century Complete and Total Fulfillment"
This is a good place to inject the complete text of Matthew 24 so it can be examined in context:
Matthew 24 (KJV) 1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.A Great Crowd of Survivors back then. END OF STORY. Move along, there's nothing more to see here!
Staying Awake - aka Staying Pumped Up with baseless fear, uncertainty and doubt
Do What We Say or YOU WILL DIE!
Some ?Will Never Die at All? - yeah, and some will never pay for lunch.
A Sure Hope - there's another one born every minute! - Barnum 3:16
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avishai
The scary thing for you will be when Jehovah DOES cut the last days short. But not all is bad news for Jehovah will forgive those that humble themselves....Isaiah 1:18.
The scary thing for you will be when you finally DO pull your head out!!! But not all is bad news for JWD will forgive those that humble themselves....Bullshit 2:15
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r51785
The WT teaching about the "great tribulation" being "cut short" was changed in 1969. Prior to 1969 the cultists believed that the gt started in 1914 and that Jehovah cut it "short" in the middle in 1918 and would resume it again at some later point. University of Cincinnati dropout Fred Franz decided that this long gap between the gt being cut short in its middle and its resumption was no longer theologically tenable and therefore in 1969 decided that the gt had actually not started in 1914 but would start at some future point like maybe 1975. Its cutting short now referred to the idea that it would not last a really long time lest everyone on earth die.
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blondie
w00 1/15 pp. 12-13 "Keep on the Watch"/Six Convincing Lines of Evidence
13 First, we clearly see the fulfillment of the apostle Paul?s prophecy concerning "the last days." Paul wrote: "In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. But wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled." (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13) Do we not see this prophecy being fulfilled in our day? Only those who ignore the facts can deny it!
14 Second, we see the effects of the ouster of Satan and his demons from heaven, in fulfillment of Revelation 12:9. There, we read: "Down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him." This has resulted in great woe for the earth. Truly, there has been much woe for mankind, particularly since 1914. But the prophecy in Revelation adds that when the Devil is cast down to the earth, he knows that "he has a short period of time." (Revelation 12:12) During this period, Satan wages war with the anointed followers of Christ. (Revelation 12:17) We certainly have seen the effects of his attack in our time. Soon, however, Satan will be confined in the abyss so that "he might not mislead the nations anymore."?Revelation 20:1-3.
15 Third, we are living in the time of the eighth and final "king" mentioned in the prophecy recorded at Revelation 17:9-11. Here the apostle John mentions seven kings, representing seven world powers?Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Anglo-American dual world power. He also sees "an eighth king" that "springs from the seven." This eighth king?the last one that John envisions?now represents the United Nations. John says that this eighth king "goes off into destruction," after which no further earthly kings are mentioned.
16 Fourth, we are living in the period symbolized by the feet of Nebuchadnezzar?s dream image. The prophet Daniel interpreted this mysterious dream of an enormous image in human form. (Daniel 2:36-43) The four metallic parts of the image represent various world powers, beginning with the head (the Babylonian Empire) and extending down to the feet and toes (the governments that are ruling today). All the world powers represented in that image have made their appearance. We are living in the period symbolized by the feet of the image. No mention is made of other powers to come.
17 Fifth, we see a global preaching work being accomplished, which Jesus said would take place just before the end of this system. Jesus stated: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14) Today, that prophecy is in the course of fulfillment on an unprecedented scale. True, untouched territories still exist, and it may be that in Jehovah?s due time, a large door leading to greater activity will open. (1 Corinthians 16:9) Nevertheless, the Bible does not state that Jehovah will wait until every individual on earth has received a personal witness. Rather, the good news must be preached to Jehovah?s satisfaction. Then the end will come.?Compare Matthew 10:23.
18 Sixth, the number of genuine anointed disciples of Christ is dwindling, though some will evidently still be on earth when the great tribulation begins. Most of the remnant are quite elderly, and over the years the number of those who are truly anointed has been getting smaller. Yet, referring to the great tribulation, Jesus stated: "Unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short." (Matthew 24:21, 22) Evidently, then, some of Christ?s "chosen ones" will still be on earth when the great tribulation begins.
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Justin
r51785 is right about the old understanding being that the great tribulation was cut short in 1918 and would resume in the future. It was also understood that the anointed "chosen ones" had been unfaithful during World War I, and if they had been destroyed in the great tribulation they would not have been resurrected. So the tribulation was cut short so they could be cleansed from their Babylonian practices.
I remember asking how this could make any sense, as there were people who were killed for their faith during the First World War even as during the Second. Would this mean that even those martrys would not be resurrected? No one had an answer, as they needed to stick with what the "slave" taught at the time.
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peacefulpete
Nathan N....thanks, boy that brings back memories. All that subtle ambiguity. Clearly they are saying that matt 24 group that were saved because the days wer cut short forshadowed the great crowd. No mention of the 144k anywhere. Yet as Blondie posted they still later applied it to the remnant.