Jehovah's WItnesses are far from the only sect to believe we're living in the end times. Ever hear of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints (LDS)? Or the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA)? How about the Rapture? Very popular topic. Go to YouTube and search for "end times" or "red calf" or "third temple." It's all over. The WTBTS and the SDA (as well as many other Adventist groups) inherited their fascination with the last days from William Miller, but where the WTBTS erred is in its abysmal prophetic exegesis. Remember the big red illustrated book on the book of Revelation? I've read it numerous times, carefully examining the notations of its previous owner, one of the pioneers who were ordered by the elders not to come back (after only three non-confrontational meetings). I feel bad taking it, with all of its notes, which told me the poor guy spent lots of time studying the thing -- but perhaps he now thinks it is demon infested. Anyway, I had to memorize page numbers and go back and re-read some of the interpretations before grasping that they really bought in to taking biblical prophecies and connecting them to insignificant events in its history.
If one studies prophesy, one learns how the books of the Bible were written and interpreted. It's not something that can be understood without being somewhat educated in the cultures, languages, context and figures of speech used by the people who wrote them. To read of the two prophets to be raised up to Judah when the gentile armies came against them after the building of the third temple (see Rev. 14), and then point to the releasing of Jehovah's Witnesses from prison in 1919 as the fulfillment -- well, I've got to hand it to the folks with the typewriters, it was a bold move. Just as long as they can keep their people away from universities and other churches, they can probably fill up the space with anything. (Just look at the 607 B.C. thing.)
I had an economics professor who used to say that if you keep predicting doom and gloom, eventually you'll be right. But when you are, you shouldn't puff yourself up and strut around like you were right all the time. That's what some of these reporters ought to remember before they begin their stories.
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