OrphanCrow,
so who was it or where was it that I read about good relationships to Israel e.g. in the sector of medicine? When did that start. Much later. Or was always a connection. hmm.
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Referring to the OP ------ WHAT WAS SO SHOCKING about 1914
Contempory witness Frederick William
Franz ( 1893-1992) the later president of WT was a young biblestudent
in 1914.
In a lecture that he gave at bethel
about the history of gods people in the 1980s he spoke in his own
words and with the language of the biblestudents they used about 1914
about how they understood the happenings and what should happen in
the year 1914 as well and this talk gives a good impression about how
the biblestudents grasped this year and how they interpreted the
happenings.
1913
„We were awaiting the MANIFESTATION
OF JEHOVAH GOD IN 1914“ and the end of the appointed times of the
gentiles.
As he awaited that
the world outside would be destroyed and a worldy education and
getting a job outside in the world would have made no sense for him
he ended his academic career.
1914
A „WORLD WITNESS“ should be
accomplished before the final end of things should come (note:
not after 1914 but before)
an so it was!!! (selffulfilled
prophecy was introduced by Russel as the new preaching campain:)
January 1914: the means of worldwide
witness was introduced: the Display Photodrama of Creation
(this display of a slideshow was really seen
as sufficient to be the final worldwide witness before the end)
we were awaiting the GLORIFICATION OF
THE CHURCH IN 1914 (the anointed one were called church, or even
Christ or brothers of christ back then)
in that year we held a couple of
conventions one at COLUMBUS, OHIO.
Up till that time the year 1914 had
set in all PEACEABLY and it seemed that it was VERY UNLIKELY that
the times of the gentiles should end that year.
We came into the month of June and we
celebrated our convention at Columbus Ohio during that month and it
was while we were there that THE SHOT WAS FIRED, THAT WAS HEARED
AROUND THE WORLD (Fullfillment in June? 28.6.1914)
It was on 28.6.1914 that archduke
Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by a Serbian.
Next morning the NEWS BROKE AROUND THE
WHOLE WORLD
AND WE THERE at the Columbus convention
said „AHA, THERE IT IS; WE WERE RIGHT“, because just 1 month
later Juli 28, 1914 World war one broke out and more and more NATIONS
GOT INVOLVED.
Well October the first came, and I
recall how the bethel family was gathered for the morning meal and
down comes Brother Russel and before taking his place at the head of
the table he stopped, he clapped his hands to get the attention of
the whole family and he quoted words from a song that we had in our
old songbooks „The gentile times have ended for the kings have had
there day“.
____
So it was merely the impressions of the
biblestudents themselves, their PERCEPTION of the events ... but for them that was of most importance... not history books that would be written later or political analysis of that time.
No political analysis of the events was behind the biblestudenst hope and awaiting but bibleprophecy, a certain own PERCEPITON that the world was 1914 all peacably until
summer 1914, a war was FOR THEM unlikely (their perception) and that only after the shot, the news and after all
nations got involved that was seen as acknowledgment or as sign(?) ----- There it is ---
that the end of the system would come certainly and very soon now in Fall 1914.
(note that the biblestudenst were involved in the preaching work with the photodrama and had for them the time before Juni 1914 was peacefully and silent) ---
But they awaited something to happen...wars certainly and tribulation....and something REALLY happened although accidently (so may we understand it today) but for them it was a very dramatic experience of the truth of gods word, since the whole world began to destroy itself.
..... thats how the biblestudents percepted what happend .
Awaiting - preaching - shot- news- nations involved - world in tribulation,
russel said the time of the nations are fulfilled. For Russel it was the acknowledgment that the Kings have had their day and now Christ Jesus was king.
That is the reason why the date 1914 remained so long very important for J.W.s, perhaps a factor was also that the shot happend during the convention at Columbus
P.S.
The biblical terms „end of system
of hings“ = Harmagedon = return of christ = coming of Christ =
tribulation should have all happend in 1914, as only one event after
the end the awaited kingdom of christ on earth should start after
1914. So there was little time for a worldwide tribulation before
1914 if up to june there was no sign at all.
