Zico - If they believed the end would come in their time, does that mean they were going against Jesus words? And if they were going against Jesus words, does that mean that they weren't appointed by God either?
Simply believing that the end would come in their life time is not wrong, but actually encouraged by Jesus in his parables that highlighted staying awake and vigilant. The last point you make is not a fair comparison though. The apostles were hand picked by Jesus, or so the Gospels would have us believe. Likewise their selection was backed up by powerful works and signs. They were still imperfect and prone to making mistakes, however such mistakes were generally made as individuals and not as a power wielding oppressive and authoritative body as the WT would have us think. The Apostles served not as a ruling class among the early church, but merely as ones specifically charged with helping to establish the Christian church. They were just "brothers" serving as a touchstone and not rulers in the sense of the word "leaders".
The apostles never had to "claim" that they were appointed, as that appointment was undeniable, undisputed and backed up by their ongoing use of powerful works. The WT leaders on the other hand wish us to believe that they are directed by spirit although not inspired, and go so far as to claim that they are "appointed" by God exclusively out of all other religious groups. This claim is impossible to back up as there exist none of the characteristics that existed with the apostles. Lastly they have, not through some misunderstanding of something they heard Jesus directly say, pridefully cried "the end is nigh" for over a 100 years.
OnTheWayOut - Similar thoughts. I am not an Apostle defender, but they never said which year the end would come in.
The following scripture gives a little food for thought on that point. Although not the same league as WT screw ups, it is easy to see the danger of speaking out of turn.
(John 21:20-23) 20 Upon turning about Peter saw the disciple whom Jesus used to love following, the one who at the evening meal had also leaned back upon his breast and said: "Lord, who is the one betraying you?" 21 Accordingly, when he caught sight of him, Peter said to Jesus: "Lord, what will this [man do]?"22 Jesus said to him: "If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you? You continue following me." 23In consequence, this saying went out among the brothers, that that disciple would not die. However, Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but: "If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you?"
I am sure that it can be argued that this did not mean that Peter thought John would live forever, on earth (although I am sure NWT translators probably like it to appear that way) but rather, that the end, or Christ return would take place before John actually died.
When I was a witness I used to ponder this text as some small comfort in view of the troubling predictions made by the society, such as the generation.
I would say to people upset over the generation, "If Peter was going around saying this, how do you think people would have reacted? Would they not assume that Christ would come within a certain period of time, say the next 20-40 years." Then, "how would that expectation have changed as John continued to grow older and older, to the point of being a centenarian?" Then, "how would those people feel after John wrote his gospel and cleared the whole thing up?"
However the above reasoning was faulty for the same reason I showed at the top of the post. There is just no comparison. Peter is no where credited here with writing extensively on his views about the end and John because of what Jesus said to him. It appears to be a very minor misunderstanding that spread by rumor, not threat of disfellowshipping to the Christian community. In the end it was not Peter who came up with this epiphany it was John. (not a 2/3 majority vote behind closed doors) His revelation cleared up the misunderstanding. He did not then dig into the remaining gospels seeking for an alternate time line for the end to come. The lesson was learned and served/serves as a warning example to all humble enough to accept it.
The WT legacy on the other hand carries no redeeming features what so ever. Not only have they taken upon themselves the mantle of the only true prophet of modern times, but they claim to be God's very spokesmen. Additionally they judge as wicked any who would point out even the smallest of errors in their publications, challenge their claims or even ask for proof. They claim to exclusively be the anointed of God. This is actually a claim to be Christ as the term "Anointed" is what the term Messiah and Christ mean. They have elevated themselves above all anointed Christians to the status of "The Anointed Slave Class". Further they have carved out a class of followers (other sheep) who are taught that they are dependant upon them for salvation, redemption and mediation. Finally they have been ringing the bell of Luke 21:8 as the most outspoken "I am he" of the past century with repeated, threatening and authoritative claims that "the Due Time has Approached." The latest being their District Assembly which announced "Deliverance is Near".
Frank75
