Because of this, some have called them false prophets. Yet nothing happened. After the destruction of all false religious organizations, Gods people will stand out like a lone tree that survived a fierce storm. 16:16. The core notion embraced by Jehovah's Witnesses is that Armageddon is imminent, and that the only way to be saved from a terrible end-times death is to abide by their tenets, which are dispensed . Their organization, being patterned after the first-century Christian congregation, is blessed by Jehovah. It's obvious to me that leadership needs to fire up the members in some way. Will religious leaders participate? Yes, the survivors will be absolutely right when they proclaim, "Jehovah God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judicial decisions."Rev. But Scott Terry, a former Jehovah's Witness for 14 years and author of Cowboys, Armageddon, and The Truth: How a Gay Child Was Saved from Religion, believes that a widespread apathy towards door . No, for the Christian congregation is operated theocratically, meaning that it recognizes the leadership only of Jehovah God as exercised through his Son and enthroned King, Jesus Christ. (Awake, Oct. 8, 1968). The account in Luke is admittedly much clearer in putting emphasis on the event, it occurred rather than the days of. Lots of threats - pandemic, China, Russia, terrorism and no real integrity in leadership are unnerving, however the JW's have a clear and tangible history of falsely prophesying Armageddon, actually 6 or 7 separate and distinct episodes in their brief ~140 year history - yes "God's Organization" is less than 200 yrs old as while Jesus walked . 4. 16 Whether we have been in the truth for many years or not, to be saved at Armageddon, we must show that we know God and that we obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. (2Thess. If you found the Watchtower contradicted the Bible which would you believe? 2 The Bible shows that the war of Armageddon will save mankind by ending human rule. 19:11-15. The leaders of the Watchtower Organization have long taught their members that THEY, and THEY, alone, are "appointed by Jesus" to dispense His truth, or, as it is put to the rank-and-file, "spiritual food," and that if a Jehovah's Witness does not follow the teachings of the Watchtower, and remain "faithful" to the Watchtower Organization, they are "going against God and His . How many religions have voluntarily "ceased operations/closed for business"? 2034 may be the next 1975, because it will be 120 years since 1914, in the book of Genesis, Jehovah shortens man's life to 120 years. Incredibly, however, they manipulate the expression this generation across more than 2,000 years of history to embrace the modern era. 3:16) And so, at times, it has been necessary, as understanding became clearer, to correct views. #1 would make the most sense from a business prospective but I don't see them resisting #2. The apostle writes: But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. Aussi ses jours se monteront-ils cent vint ans." 8 Footnote: 30:15; Rev. I recall giving a PT about the last days (early 90s) and even using the argument that we were almost at the 80 year anniversary of 1914 and that generation didn't have many left. 346-348 pars. The misnamed Jehovahs Witnesses have a long, undistinguished history of setting dates. Do Jehovah?s Witnesses claim that Jehovah God speaks through them? jw (Genesis 6:3) The issuance of this divine decree in 2490 B.C.E. 1:6-9. w08 01/01 pg. *** w86 3/15 p. 19 Allow No Place for the Devil! He merely uses the ?servant? Amber Scorah writes about exiting the Jehovah's Witnesses in Leaving the Witness. (b)Based on Revelation 16:14, 16, why can we say that Armageddon is not a literal place? Photo by Had not the society stated it in certain terms (unlike the 1975 date on which they were wishy washy)? The Jehovah's Witnesses website provides details on the 1.7 million-square-foot project, known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Tweet. | 21 And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" Why did things start to pick up again in the 1980s? marked the beginning of the end for that ungodly world. Har-Magedon, or Armageddon, means the "mountain of the assembly of troops", and it refers in a symbolic way to the capital organization of Zion where Jehovah God has enthroned Christ Jesus as earth's rightful ruler. Wherever they are on earth, Gods people will trust in him when the attack is launched (See paragraph13)*. You will see a gradual emphasis of this until the mid-to-late 2020s when they will go completely nuts with it like they did in 1914, 1915, 1925, 1975. (Prov. Should we use these accounts in Matthew and Luke to indicate an extended period of time of the presence of Jesus Christ? He was also laying a foundation for a work that would be completed in our 20th century." If they keep going the way they do, I see a slow death by a thousand cuts. ", *** Watchtower 1964 June 15 pp.365-6 Jehovah, the God of Progressive Revelation ***, 22 As Jehovah revealed his truths by means of the first-century Christian congregation so he does today by means of the present-day Christian congregation. 8 That will be the foretold proclamation of peace and security. Why will world leaders say that? Let us consider each of these in turn. Murderers! Then I read an interesting thing about the Adventists. However, there appears to be an opening in these statements for some to do just that. Armageddon specifically refers to Mount Megiddo in Israel where some Christians believe the final conflict between good and evil will take place. Out of zeal and enthusiasm for the vindication of Jehovah's name, Word and purposes, and the desire for the new system, some of his servants have at times been premature in their expectations. At conventions the shock announcement was made - the 'generation' was reformulated so that it could stretch into the foreseeable future. I'm the guy for the job! It suggests that someone in the writing department (perhaps a younger Nethinim hopeful, waiting for the governing body to be opened to the great crowd) has perhaps given passing thought to the possibility of a 120 tie in with 1914 to 2034. So I'd like to answer some of the a accusations that questions about Jehovah's witnesses always seems to bring. Proof they already started on this road. (Watchtower 1925, p. 56), 1940 The Kingdom is here, the King is enthroned. The second text to which our friends appeal in support of their imminent Armageddon theory is found in Pauls second epistle to Timothy. In fact, they are known throughout the world as Jehovah's Witnesses. (b)Why will our knowing Jehovah prove to be a blessing at Armageddon? For example, by the waters of Megiddo, God helped Israelite Judge Barak defeat a Canaanite army led by a chief named Sisera. The organization expanded worldwide under these men's leadership, from about 113,000 in 1942 to more than 6 million in 2000. Initially, Russell felt that the battle of Armageddon started in 1874, based on his understanding that this was a social upheaval. 15 " Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep's covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. last days. They will make her devastated and naked by plundering her wealth and exposing her wickedness. (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 404), 1920 'we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of from the condition of death, being resurrected' (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, p. 88), 1920 'Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old' (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, p. 89-90), 1922 "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the "time of the end" began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874." 1-5). The man . Each year they gather into the organization tens of thousands of new ministers, clearly a product of Jehovah's spirit operating through his invisible King-Son and his angelic representatives, then through his faithful slave class on earth today.- . Fred Franz managed to publish more definite statements about 1975 than the other members would have liked. Jehovah's Witnesses ban comes into force in Russia after appeal fails. Even then, the governing body will have a challenge in convincing ordinary Witnesses to hang around until then. And she has spilled much blood, including the blood of Gods servants. The OT junk about God bringing mass slaughter was just to make the Israelites feel good about themselves and their volcano god. It appears to me that the context of these accounts is clearly focusing on an event (it occurred Luke 17:26) that overtook unwary people. The Watchtower december 15,2003 titled: Who compose Jesus family? The Watchtower, December 15, 2003, Pages 14 - 19, Please be patient while the web page loads page scans of the Watchtower article. how to cook billy's frozen boudin balls; madison comprehensive high school staff directory; yvonne strahovski polish; 653 milwood avenue venice, ca. Copyright 2001-2015 Jehovah's Witness Discussion Forum | JW.Org Community Information. Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920. Where the Adventists have been, the Witnesses will follow. 17. Yep just as they said Moses screwed up too, only they failed to point out that he was condemed to not see the Promised Land. Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religious sect rooted in the Adventist movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Note: The tribes of Dan and Ephraim are not included in this list because Dan was guilty of idolatry at Leviticus 24:11; Judges 18:1, 30; and 1 Kings 12:28-30 and Ephraim guilty of idolatry at Hosea 4:17 and Judges 17. A financial crisis (hundreds of millions in just U.S., Can, and U.K. alone) could precipitate this shrinkage in an organization already pressed for funds. 1:3) The war of Armageddon will not destroy but save mankind! 23 The holy spirit of Jehovah is working mightily today! Only 120 years more and Jehovah would bring 'the deluge of waters upon the earth to bring to ruin all flesh, Some 90 years have passed since the last days of this system of things began in 1914. ; p. 99), 1917 "And the mountains were not found. *** w84 12/1 p. 18 Keep Ready! against Sisera. It's amazing that other Christians will mock us for this scriptural belief but at the same time tell . Rather, it appears that they are both describing the condition, attitude, and behavior of the people prior to an event, with the event being the subject of the sentences. The current president is Don Adams. The common-sense rules of responsible exegesis are thrust aside with reckless abandon. 5 Jehovahs people have long awaited Armageddon. Zoning, tax questions. In verse 5, the apostles concluding admonition is: from these turn away. The expression turn away renders the Greek term apotrepou, an imperative mood, present tense, middle voice form, together with the singular number/masculine gender. She suggested it would come in 1999. 8 That will be the foretold proclamation of "peace and security." Why will world leaders say that? How thankful we should be for the provision God has made of this slave class, the modern spiritual remnant, as they faithfully dispense the revealed truths of Jehovah ! kls. This is why many Witnesses went into the 1980s and early 1990s with great confidence. (Acts 1:6) But because expectations have at times been premature and so have not been fulfilled, does this mean that God has somehow changed his purpose? Therefore the great climax has been reached. A group of Jehovah's Witnesses stand on a street corner on August 16, 2019 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. *** 14 True, some expectations that appeared to be backed up by Bible chronology did not materialize at the anticipated time. (August 15, 1950, page 263) "The brothers preparing these publications are not infallible. ^ par. 9. *** Awake! Lawrence, once one of America's great. Jehovah has allowed the nations time to experiment with all different forms of government. and the award for longest subject title for a thread goes to What about 1931+120? The general warnings about the nearness of the end, no matter how strongly they are worded, will simply not have the same impact as a definite prediction. What is the scarlet-colored wild beast, and how is it involved in the outworking of Gods will concerning Babylon the Great? Jesus statement helps to correct the wrong idea conveyed in the way some Bible versions mistranslate the word presence. Some translations render it coming, advent, or return, all of which imply a momentary event in time. Are There Signs of the Second Coming of Christ? 25:31-40. (Hebrews 11:7) What about us? I doubt they'll come out with a specific date in the near future. (Acts 15:16, 17; Rev. Why, for instance, were there actually more pioneers (% wise) in the late 1980s than leading up to 1975? 32 Replies 1989 Jehovah?s prophetic word through Christ Jesus is: ?This generation [of 1914] will by no means pass away until all things occur.? If it were true, I wouldn't need to worry about Armageddon anyways, as I will surely be dead by then. Through this agency he is having carried out prophesying on an intensified and unparalleled scale . One would suppose (and even hope) that eventually they would learn from their dismal record of date-setting blunders. But this lie will be especially dangerous because it will give people a false sense of security just before the greatest tribulation in human history begins. (Read Matthew 24:37-39.) That's the beauty of religion and superstition, it has no limits. 5 Barak and Deborah ended their song with the words: So let all your enemies perish, OJehovah, but let those who love you be like the sun rising in its glory. (Judg. View Rude Words. We can take the prophetic time, and time-and-a-half, apply it to the preaching work done by Noah to come up with a parallel even realized by the inspection. . Your donation gift(s) are very much appreciated and may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. {WT 6}. Nothing is interpreted but the interpretation comes from God and is then published . 15. No man?s opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. Scans of the english article were posted here a while back. 3. This explains how Witnesses, even in western countries, were able to demonstrate significant increases in the 1980s and early 1990s. ^ par. ):--arise, be assembled, be(-come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought. (2 Tim. (Luke 21:32) And Jehovah, who is the source of inspired and unfailing prophecy, will bring about the fulfillment of his Son's words in a relatively short time." That is the interesting part. 7:14) How will we know when that tribulation is about to begin? The Society is adding a 120 years to the 1914 date to come up with the hinted date of 2034. 12 God will not allow the nations to destroy his people. SONG 143 Keep Working, Watching, and Waiting. 5:19-21. 'He that does the will of God remains forever,' states the Bible. According to Revelation 17:1, 6 and 18:24, why will Jehovah destroy Babylon the Great? *** Watchtower 1983 February 15 p.12 You Can Live Forever in on Earth-But How? They sang: From heaven the stars fought . to come into existence, begin to be, receive being. (1John 2:3-5; 5:3) When we show that we know God, we have the honor of being known by him, which will be lifesaving at Armageddon! 19:11, 14,15) But what about Jehovahs chief enemy, Satan, whose lying propaganda led the nations to Armageddon? He plainly declared: this generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished (v. 34). (Josh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBYGp5gD-oo&feature=related. We can imagine how the world will respond. There is little surprise that the movement frequently has been dubbed a non-prophet enterprise. 202-203 ***. THE SUPREME COURT STILL INTERPRETS, thank God; and Christ Jesus, the Court?s official mouthpiece of interpretation, reserves to himself that office as head of Jehovah?s ?faithful and wise servant? How do we know that Armageddon refers to a symbolic place? jw Armageddon Is Good News! Every kingdom of earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. Our chronology, however, which is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible), at the best only points to the autumn of 1975 as the end of 6,000 years of man's existence on earth. 2023 Fortify Your Faith Foundation. 85 PICTURE DESCRIPTION: Policemen get ready to force their way into the home of a Christian family who trust that Jesus and his angels are aware of what is happening. (Luke 21:32) And Jehovah, who is the source of inspired and unfailing prophecy, will bring about the fulfillment 1989 "The apostle Paul was spearheading the Christian missionary activity. Just google Armageddon 2034. Now, all they have to do is shift the start date to 1914 and they've got 2034 to look forward to. latest Over the past five years, hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses have been subjected to raids, arrests and prosecution in Russia. 1. Had not God's organisation been teaching about the 'generation' for decades? Jehovah's Witnesses originated as a branch of the Bible Student movement, which developed in the United States in the 1870s among followers of Christian restorationist minister Charles Taze Russell.Bible Student missionaries were sent to England in 1881 and the first overseas branch was opened in London in 1900. Will the Witnesses have a turn-around just as they did in the early 1970s? The expression this generation (he-genea-aute) is found five times in Matthews Gospel record, and never is it employed in any sense other than that of the generation contemporary with Jesus Christ (cf. Their writings are not inspired as are those of Paul and the other Bible writers. religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 6. As I stated earlier about the account in Luke 17:26-28 referring to the occurrence (event) of the end versus the period of time it would seem that clear thinking would prevent us from trying to attach a length of time of any sort to the presence of Jesus Christ based upon the account in Matthew citied in the article. "The year 1940 is certain to be the most important year yet, because Armageddon is very near. There may be some infighting about this as there was in Franz' day, but some new 'prophet' will need to come forward from among them! And all the righteous will be saved.Prov. They will then be part of the heavenly armies that will crush Gog and safeguard a great crowd of sheeplike ones. The cover of that particular issue dramatically asked: Are we nearing Armageddon? (Watchtower, October 15, 1980). One wild card in this time table is whether or not the abuse lawsuits succeed in stripping the new mirror corp.'s of their assets in the coming years. But this lie will be especially dangerous because it will give people a false sense of security just before the greatest tribulation in human history begins. 8:3) How so? 18:4) They have also worked hard to help others flee from her. latest Alas, such appears not to be in the foreseeable future. Jehovah's Witnesses are among the most racially and ethnically diverse religious groups in America. But the powers-that-be in Brooklyn learned nothing from this mishap.Even today, this cult thrives on attempting to capitalize upon international events, suggesting that such are indicators of the impending Armageddon.. Fred Franz was allowed to write his prediction about 1975 in the "Life Everlasting" book. 18:7,8. Sadly, this trend is affecting Jehovah's Witnesses around the world. Either you are "over-eagar" OR you are "spiritually asleep.". 38:3, 4, 18, 21-23. PRIVACY POLICY 2034 was one of the dates Newton determined. The Bible says the UN will . - Genesis 6:17", Page 15, Paragraph 7 "Noah received the warning of the upcoming catastrophe decades in advance and he wisely used the time to prepare for survival.'