What happened to Babylon the Great? Why is it still here?

by truthseeker 35 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  truthseeker

  Have you seen Bab-el-on the Great? She was here just a few minutes ago.

  Seriously, I was thinking back to the days of 1988 - when we first received the copy of the penultimate Revelation book. You know, the one with the red cover and the scary dragon pictures inside.

  At that time, JW thinking was heightened to expect the imminent destruction of false religion. The Revelation book had a page in it that said, "Babylon's Waters are drying up" and mentioned different religion's slowing down, the Anglican Church, Taoism etc.

  In the last few years, the JW religion has also been slowing down, particularly in Canada, Britain and Japan. So I guess they got that right.

  Today, there is more interest in religion than there ever was. President Bush is a Christian, and boy do we know it! He has even designated money for some religions.

  An article I recall reading, mentioned that in the southern states, there is a revival of conservative Catholicism, which is very popular with youths. Eveangelial Christianity is on the rise, particularly now in the "marriage eqaulity" era.

  The Pope had at least 1 million people come to his funeral - the security forces had to turn away people, the crowds were so big.

  The last presidential race was won, because the conservatives came out in force and voted for Bush, thinking that he had morals that matched their own.

  Although Europe now seems to be the place for missionaries to go, people are deciding on a mix'n'match religion, a personal religion, whereas they do not really belong to any one faith.

  There has been great interest in Islam, and it's culture, particularly since 9/11.

  People and world leaders recognize, that Al-Qaidea has distored the true sense of Islam, hence they are not blaming Islam in general for 9/11, just the people who take the Qu'ran to extremes.

  Organizations in the US are becoming more accomodating to religion, and recognize that people do have spiritual needs, and they are allowinfg them to use rooms to pray in, giving them time off for religious observances.

  At the same time, cults proliferate and continue to draw in those "guiless ones" to quote the WT.

  Is this really what the Society meant, when it said religion would end? The WT was involved with the UN as an NGO for 10 years, how could they qualify to say the United Nations would turn on religion?

  The UN couldn't even turn on a light bulb in Iraq, how could they possible convince everyone on earth, that religion has to go.

  The UN is feeble. Their peacekeepers stand by and watch murder happen, some of them are involved in rape. Then there is the food for oil scandal, involving Kofi annan's son.

  The UN is a paper tiger, they have no state, no currency. They are only made up leaders that have agreed to support them.

  Some nation states, such as Iran, have a theocratic government, that is rule by God through his chosen ones. How could a government like that turn on itself, without some serious hardwiring of the brain?

  If you are a JW, or used to be one, perhaps you feel that the time period we are living in is not conducive to the time period the WT is living in. We all expected religion to be gone.

  Any one here old enough to remember the book, "Babylon the Great has Fallen - God's Kingdom Rules" ?

  Instead of seeing governments slowly turn on religion, we are seeing the opposite effect.

  Even though Russia has banned JW's in Moscow, Germany has given them a new legal registration, which may give them tax privileges. And just think of all the cases they have won in this country, fighting for freedom of speech.

  So which is it Watchtower? Religion stays or no religion?
• 

  blondie

  The WTS always covers its a** by having 2 contradictory teachings.

  While they teach BTG has fallen and the waters are drying up (don't hear that too much lately), they also teach that BTG will go down quickly as a going concern, as a queen, like a vase that is suddenly knocked off a pedestal. Notice that this reasoning was given in 1974 when BTG was not disintegrating at the speed some JWs thought since 1975 was just around the corner.

  ***

  w74 1/15 p. 54 ?Keep Close in Mind the Presence of the Day of Jehovah? ***

  23

  But what does Jeremiah 25:34, 35 say about this? Concerning what will happen to Christendom?s leaders just as concerning what was to befall the Jewish leaders shortly after Jerusalem?s fall in 607 B.C.E., it says: "Howl, you shepherds, and cry out! And wallow about, you majestic ones of the flock, because your days for slaughtering and for your scatterings have been fulfilled, and you must fall like a desirable vessel!"

  24

  So it is not a slow fading away by loss of members that brings the end of Christendom?s false religions and their clergy. Instead, just as a beautiful vase, a "desirable vessel," suddenly falls from its pedestal, to the dismay of its onlookers, so the clergy and their false religion have a sudden, surprising crash to destruction.

  25

  Also, as to the swiftness of the fall of Babylon the Great, what does Revelation chapter 18, verse 10, say? "They [the mourners, including many commercial men] stand at a distance because of their fear of her torment and say, ?Too bad, too bad, you great city, Babylon you strong city, because in one hour your judgment has arrived!?" And then, in verse 21, it continues: "And a strong angel lifted up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying: ?Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon the great city be hurled down, and she will never be found again.?" Appreciation of this fact can protect us against any inclination to ?put off? the day of Jehovah simply because Babylonish religion still exercises considerable influence in some areas.
• 

  garybuss

  
  
  "Evidently, Babylon the Great, although 'fallen', is still functioning"
  (The Watchtower - May 1, 1989, p.5)
• 

  Hecklerboy

  Man I hated the Revelation book. I could never get over how the JW taught that almost all of the prophecies in Revalation applied to them I always thought is was pretty arrogant to think that a book written over 2000 years ago would pertain to a group of people living in our time. It just didn't make sense.

  Does anyone else remember when they had "new light" about the signs in the heavens and we were told ignore the pictures of jets, satelites, and missles on a certain page. I always thought the was odd. It's like "OK Jehovah has changed his mind so just ignore all this stuff we wrote about this"
• 

  jula71

  Gary, Is that a real quote??
• 

  Mary

  I could never get over how the JW taught that almost all of the prophecies in Revalation applied to them

  That's exactly what I thought too.......that whole crapola about the Two Witnesses laying dead on the street and then brought back to life supposed to be referring to the time they all got thrown into prison for Sedition......gimme a frigging break.

  I used to find the book of Revelation quite fascinating, until Funkyderek informed me that there were magic mushrooms growing on Patmos, and that John was probably stoned out of his mind when he wrote it.......
• 

  garybuss

  
  

  Gary, Is that a real quote??

  
  Yes, please feel free to look it up.
• 

  LongHairGal

  I hate to say it but when I learned all about the WT I realized that it too is part of Babylon the Great! All religions are wrong more or less in varying degrees depending on who you talk to.
  
  LHG
• 

  RunningMan

  This is yet another of their imiginary fulfilments.
  
  
  Babylon the Great fell back in 1918. But, they didn't actually "fall" at that time, but they began to fall, because their support began to dry up and their fate was secured as soon as the all-powerful Watchtower society was appointed by God. Babylon, unfortunately, hasn't found out about it yet. But, everything's OK as long as we pretend it happened.
  
  
  It's just like Jesus came in 1914, but he didn't really come. He's just been invisibly present, but he will "stand up in power" at Armageddon, and that's when he will really come. In the meantime, we will just pretend that he's here.
  
  
  It's also like the war in heaven where Satan and his demons were cast down to the earth, but the whole thing is invisible, so you have to pretend to see it with your eyes of discernment.
• 

  garybuss

  They also wrote that the world did already end in 1914. :-)