Posts by Listener

20

Did Watchtower Really Teach That Armageddon Was Coming in 1954?

by Jerome56 in

in the march 2025 jw broadcast david splane in his morning worship talk mentioned that "some thought" that armageddon would come 40 years after 1914. such statements are usually meant to shift the blame of their own false predictions on to their members for speculating.

however, i was unable to find anything in print showing that such a thing was indeed taught by the society.

was this really a thing?.

Listener

Crisis of conscience page 255

20

Did Watchtower Really Teach That Armageddon Was Coming in 1954?

by Jerome56 in

in the march 2025 jw broadcast david splane in his morning worship talk mentioned that "some thought" that armageddon would come 40 years after 1914. such statements are usually meant to shift the blame of their own false predictions on to their members for speculating.

however, i was unable to find anything in print showing that such a thing was indeed taught by the society.

was this really a thing?.

Listener

Ray Franz, in his book ‘Crisis of Conscience’ provides some information about this. At page 255 he says that in the 1940s the ‘view held’ was that the generation referred to a period of 30 to 40 years and publications referred to the generation time period as having begun in 1914. He says that this led to the insistence of the time left being extremely short.

Then at the start of the 1950s, the time period had elapsed and a new teaching was required. This occurred in the

Watchtower 1952 1st September and the QFR is quoted in full -

“● Your publications point out that the battle of Armageddon will come in this generation, and that this generation began A.D. 1914. Scripturally, how long is a generation?—G. P., Liberia.

Webster’s unabridged dictionary gives, in part, this definition of generation: “The average lifetime of man, or the ordinary period of time at which one rank follows another, or father is succeeded by child; an age. A generation is usually taken to be about 33 years.” But the Bible is not so specific. It gives no number of years for a generation. And in Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32, the texts mentioning the generation the question refers to, we are not to take generation as meaning the average time for one generation to be succeeded by the next, as Webster’s does in its 33-year approximation; but rather more like Webster’s first-quoted definition, “the average lifetime of man.” Three or even four generations may be living at the same time, their lives overlapping. (Ps. 78:4; 145:4) Before the Noachian flood the life span was hundreds of years. Down through the centuries since, it has varied, and even now is different in different countries. The Bible does speak of a man’s days as being threescore and ten or fourscore years; but it assigns no specific number of years to a generation.—Ps. 90:10.

Even if it did, we could not calculate from such a figure the date of Armageddon, for the texts here under discussion do not say God’s battle comes right at the end of this generation, but before its end. To try to say how many years before its end would be speculative. The texts merely set a limit that is sufficiently definite for all present practical purposes. Some persons living A.D. 1914 when the series of foretold events began will also be living when the series ends with Armageddon. All the events will come within the span of a generation. There are hundreds of millions of persons living now that were living in 1914, and many millions of these persons could yet live a score or more years. Just when the lives of the majority of them will be cut short by Armageddon we cannot say.”

————————

Splane doesn’t say when the Sister wrote her letter, it could be possible that it was before this article or that she missed the New Light or was one of the few JWs who was still hanging onto the old teaching and making Splanes claim that there were only a few who believed 1954 would see the end at that time. It seems pretty much like the idea that some JWs were still holding into the idea that ‘this generation’ still meant within a persons lifetime, even though the GB had changed its meaning in the 1990s.

But it is interesting that the GB are once again making a mockery of their followers and blaming them for a teaching that they invented. Splane also chooses to use an example of a Sister who was then believing in something the Watchtower no longer taught but if she was up with their current teaching, at that time, it would prove to be just as absurd.

4

202503S-147-MarchEnglishandGermanAnnouncements!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2025*03*s-147*march*english*and*german*announcements!.

.

https://app.filemail.com/d/khmudgccmlzpcdp .

Listener

Thanks Petra

21

Oral and Anal Sex flip flop? March 2025 Announcements and Reminders

by ukpimo in

just in.

a jaw dropping announcements and reminders for elders this month.

how can you serve as an elder and believe this organization is spirit directed after reading this letter?.

Listener

Were they 'scriptural principles' being expressed in the 1983 article or the 2025 article?

The Elders are being told that if any couples do ask for help they are to explain scriptural principles and information in the January 2025 article.

Going beyond what is written causes more problems.

4

Jehovah's Witnesses in the news: "Czech Culture Ministry Considers Deregistration of Jehovah’s Witnesses"

by Balaamsass2 in

2/2025 czech news agency czech culture ministry considers deregistration of jehovah’s witnesses.

the czech ministry of culture is considering the possible cancellation of the religious registration of the jehovah’s witnesses religious society, and has sent the organisation an appeal to desist from its illegal activities, ministry spokeswoman jana zechmeisterova told ctk today.. the ministry has received thousands of complaints from the jehovah’s witnesses about the proposal, which must be dealt with first.

administrative proceedings have not yet been initiated, zechmeisterova said.. she said the ministry had begun to deal with the proposals it had received about the cancellation of the registration of the religious society of jehovah’s witnesses (nssj).

Listener

This has worse repercussions for the Watchtower and JWs than the situation in Norway and sounds similar to Russia. If they are deregistered then there is provision to have all their property confiscated.

This appears to have been initiated on September 5th, 2024.

Once again, the Watchtower launched a protest by having JWs send in thousands of letters, which are being addressed by the Ministry.

Source of info https://bitterwinter.org/czech-republic-in-the-footsteps-of-russia-jehovahs-witnesses-threatened-with-liquidation/

80

Flee to the Mountains......What Mountains?

by liam in

may 2025 study article 21 seek the city that will remain.

what i remember was, when you see the romans, flee to the mountains.

now the wt is saying that's not enough.

Listener

10. It appears that Jehovah guided the Christians by means of those who were taking the lead in the congregation. Historian Eusebius later wrote: “The people of the congregation in Jerusalem, by divine providence, received a revelation given to approved men; they were commanded . . . to migrate from the city before the war and to settle in a certain city of Perea called Pella.”

This is speculation by the Watchtower, again.

If this is true then the prophecy was not fulfilled in accordance to what Jesus said. They are taking his prophecy and expanding on it when there is no instruction to do so. If it was necessary, we would have been given more details (I.e, that they would be led to a safe city).

The command was to ‘flee to the mountains’. It was not one specific place that they were directed to flee to, it was not one mountain, it was ‘mountains’. Paella is not a mountain either and therefore falls outside of this prophecy.

The inspired instruction was to ‘flee to the mountains’. What occurred in regards to any settlements after they did so is not recorded in the Bible and therefore irrelevant. The Watchtower is going beyond what Is written and have no authority to claim that they will have instructions that are life saving.

16

July 25 WT Study ....Moving Out?

by mikeflood in

third study article....as people moved out of jerusalem before the romans attacked on 70 ce...perhaps there are gonna be instructions for us today about us ...leaving possessions and houses...and moving to a different place.!!.

.

maybe that fits on 'receiving instructions that are not sound by a human pointof view' ??

Listener

This is also how they are trying to remain relevant to jws these days. Telling them that they need the GB and to stay in the religion because one day, soon, they have the secret knowledge that will save their lives.

20

Watchtower July 2025

by St George of England in

i just saw the new wt is up and available.

the cover picture looks to me like the one that should have been used on the august 2024 wt but was pulled at the last minute and released with a different picture many weeks later.

someone on here uploaded a low res version of the picture last year.. of course we all know why the picture was pulled in the first place........ george.

Listener

It’s so odd that they can’t approach anyone when they are standing next to the cart but they can at other times.

They are being taught to informally witness by having them believe angels are messaging them to do so. The urge to approach someone won’t come from themselves but by spirits.

16

July 25 WT Study ....Moving Out?

by mikeflood in

third study article....as people moved out of jerusalem before the romans attacked on 70 ce...perhaps there are gonna be instructions for us today about us ...leaving possessions and houses...and moving to a different place.!!.

.

maybe that fits on 'receiving instructions that are not sound by a human pointof view' ??

Listener

It’s another article about obeying those taking the lead because they are the ones that will ‘possibly’ be telling JWs what to do during the GT.

answers

10 It appears that Jehovah guided the Christians by means of those who were taking the lead in the congregation. Historian Eusebius later wrote: “The people of the congregation in Jerusalem, by divine providence, received a revelation given to approved men; they were commanded . . . to migrate from the city before the war and to settle in a certain city of Perea called Pella.” Pella seems to have been an ideal choice. It was not far from Jerusalem, making it relatively easy to reach. It was primarily a Gentile city and for the most part unaffected by the fanatical Jewish freedom fighters and their battles with the Romans.—See map.
11 The Christians who fled to the mountains applied Paul’s counsel to “be obedient to those who are taking the lead” in the congregation. (Read Hebrews 13:7, 17.) As a result, God’s people survived. History confirms that God did not abandon those “awaiting the city having real foundations”—God’s Kingdom.—Heb. 11:10.

They point out that it was them that provided spiritual food at the outbreak of Covid.

13… in the future, Jehovah will continue to help those taking the lead to determine the wise course to take. Besides trust in Jehovah and obedience to his commands,…

20

Watchtower July 2025

by St George of England in

i just saw the new wt is up and available.

the cover picture looks to me like the one that should have been used on the august 2024 wt but was pulled at the last minute and released with a different picture many weeks later.

someone on here uploaded a low res version of the picture last year.. of course we all know why the picture was pulled in the first place........ george.

Listener

The latest watchtower, just up is May 2025. The cover was seen before, months ago and believed to be originally proposed for the August 2024 Watchtower.