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Är Vakttornet en falsk profet? Artikeln uppdaterad: 2005-04-04 Utskriftsvänlig version... Inledning Denna artikel redogör för profetior som sällskapet Vakttornet har uttryckt. Att sällskapet Vakttornet utger sig för att vara en Guds profet och Guds språkrör har vi redan visat i artikeln ”Vad sällskapet Vakttornet säger om sig själv”. Hur man känner igen en falsk profet har vi också visat i artikeln ”Hur känner man igen en falsk profet?”. Nu tittar vi på vilka profetior som organisationen uttryckt. En kort sammanfattning Följande är en kort sammanfattning om vilka profetior sällskapet har gjort sedan 1879. Längre ner följer citat och länkar till respektive sida i varje relevant publikation. Observera att organisationen har lämnat samtliga av nedanstående tabells förutsägelser, de är inte längre aktuella.
Sällskapet Vakttornets falska profetior "Christ came in the character of a Bridegroom in 1874 .. at the beginning of
the Gospel harvest." "[Restoration of Jews to Palestine and the conversion of 144,000 literal
Jews due before 1914.] "We need not here repeat the evidences that the “seventh trump” began its
sounding A. D., 1840, and will continue until the end of the time of trouble,
and the end of “The times of the Gentiles,” A. D., 1914, and that it is the
trouble of this “Great day,” which is here symbolically called the voice of
the Archangel when he begins the deliverance of fleshly Israel. “At that
time shall Michael stand up, the great prince [Archangel] which standeth for
the children of thv neonle and there shall be a time of trouble such as
never wa’s since there was a nation.” Dan. xii. 1. Nor will we here, again
present the conclusive Bible proof that our Lord came for his Bride in 1874,
and has an unseen..." “The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great
thousand-year Days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great Seventh
Day, the thousand years of Christ’s Reign, began in 1873. The events of
these 43 years, which this Volume claims as the beginning of the Millennium,
we still find fully corroborating Bible prophecies, as herein set forth.
During these 43 years, nearly all the inventions of our day have been
accomplished. The sewing machine, one of the first, began to reach its
perfection 43 years ago. Since then, we have all kinds of farming machinery
and tools, and workshop, store, factory and home conveniences, in abundance
and cheap—through human invention. These are shortening the hours of labor,
and doing away with the “sweat of face,” which the Bible declares to be
identified with the curse.” "In this chapter we present the Bible evidence which indicates that
six thousand years from the creation of Adam were complete with A.D. 1872" "...that six thousand years from the creation of Adam were complete with A.D.
1872" (p. 54) "the full end of the times of the Gentiles, i.e., the full end
of their lease of dominion, will be reached in A.D. 1914; and that date will
be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men" (pp. 76–77; emphasis
added), He promised the Battle of Armageddon "...will end in A.D. 1914 with
the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership" “Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that
the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that it is pointed
out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that
the “battle of the great day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14), which will end
in A.D. 1915, with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is
already commenced.” “THE “Time of the End,” a period of one hundred and fifteen (115) years,
from A.D. 1799 to A.D. 1914, is particularly marked in the Scriptures.”
“The fall, plagues, destruction, etc., foretold to come upon mystic Babylon,
were foreshadowed in the great trouble and national destruction which came
upon fleshly Israel, and which ended with the complete overthrow of that
nation in A.D. 70. And the period of falling also corresponds; for from the
time our Lord said, “Your house is left unto you desolate,” A.D. 33, to A.D.
70 was 36 1/2 years; and so from A.D. 1878 to the end of A.D. 1914 is 36 1/2
years. And, with the end of A.D. 1914, what God calls Babylon, and what men
call Christendom, will have passed away, as already shown from prophecy.” “The date of the close of that “battle” is definitely marked in Scripture as
October, 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October,
1874.” “Seventeen years ago people said, concerning the time features presented in
MILLENNIAL DAWN. They seem reasonable in many respects, but surely no such
raddial changes could occur between now and the close of 1914: if you had
proved that they would come about in a century or two, it would seem much
more probable. What changes have since occurred, and what velocity is gained
daily? “The old is quickly passing and the new is coming in.” Now, in view
of recent labor troubles and threatened anarchy, our readers are writing to
know if there may not be a mistake in the 1914 date. They say that they do
not see how present conditions can hold out so long under the strain. We see
no reason for changing the figures-nor could we change them if we would.
Thev are, we believe. God’s dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end
of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of
trouble. We see no reason for changing from our opinion expressed in the
view presented in the WATCH TOWER of January 15, ‘92. We advise that it be
read again.” “But now we are in the end of this Gospel age, and the Kingdom is being
established or set up. Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since
October 1874, A.D., according to the testimony of the prophets, to those who
have ears to hear it: and the formal inauguration of his kingly office dates
from April 1878, A.D.: and the first work of the Kingdom, as shown by our
Lord, in his parables and prophecy (the gathering of “his elect”), is now in
progress.” "Complete destruction of the 'powers that be' of 'this present evil
worlds - political, financial, ecclesiastical - about the close of the Time
of the Gentiles; October A.D. 1914." "While it is possible that Armageddon may begin next Spring, yet it is
purely speculation to attempt to say just when. We see, however, that there
are parallels between the close of the Jewish age and this Gospel age. These
parallels seem to point to the year just before us--particularly the early
months." “Studying God’s Word, we have measured the 2520 years, the seven symbolic
times, from that year 606 B. C. and have found that it reached down to
October, 1914, as nearly as we were able to reckon. We did not say
positively that this would be the year. We merely left every one to look at
the facts of history and reckon for himself.” “The present great war in Europe is the beginning of the Armageddon of
the Scriptures. (Rev. 16:16-20.) It will eventuate in the complete overthrow
of all the systems of error which have so long oppressed the people of God
and deluded the world. All iniquity of every kind will go down. The glorious
Kingdom of Messiah is about to be set up in the earth, for the deliverance
of the world and the establishment of permanent righteousness. We believe
the present war cannot last much longer until revolution shall break out.
The nations are rapidly impoverishing themselves.” “The Battle of Armageddon, to which this war is leading, will be a
great contest between right and wrong, and will signify the complete and
everlasting overthrow of the wrong, and the permanent establishment of
Messiah's righteous kingdom for the blessing of the world. … Our sympathies
are broad enough to cover all engaged in the dreadful strife, as our hope is
broad enough and deep enough to include all in the great blessings which our
Master and his Millennial kingdom are about to bring to the world.” “In the meantime, our eyes of understanding should discern clearly the
Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty now in progress; and our faith,
guiding our eyes of understanding through the Word, should enable us to see
the glorious outcome—Messiah’s kingdom.” “Immediately following the announcement in Rev. 14:13, "Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from henceforth," we read (Verse 14) "and behold a
white cloud, and upon the cloud I saw one sitting like unto the Son of Man,
having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle." Thus is
described the second presence of our Lord as the´great Chief Reaper, at the
beginning of the harvest in 1878. The 15th verse of that same chapter refers
to the Great Pyramid, the measurements of which confirm the Bible teaching
that 1878 marked the beginning of the harvest of the Gospel age. The
parallel, therefore, would establish definitely that the harvest would close
forty years thereafter; to wit, in the spring of A. D. 1918. If this be true,
and the evidence is very conclusive that it is true, then we have only a few
months in which to labor before the great night settles down when no man can
work.” "There will be no slip-up .. Abraham should enter upon the actual possession
of his promised inheritance in the year 1925 A.D." “What will the year 1918 bring forth? This question is upon the lips of
every class of men. The world looks and hopes for those things which
constitute its highest ideals-- peace, plenty, health and happiness. The
Christian looks for the year to bring the full consummation of the church’s
hopes.” “During the past forty years the harvest of the age has been in progress.
That the harvest began in 1878, there is ample and convincing proof. The end
of the harvest is due in the spring of 1918.” Följande citat är från den sjunde boken och sista boken i serien "Studies
in the Scriptures". Charles Russell påbörjade boken 1886 men han dog innan
den blev klar. Boken gavs ut postumt 1918. “Scriptures definitely fix the facts … As we have heretofore stated,
the great jubilee cycle is due to begin in 1925. At that time the earthly
phase of the kingdom shall be recognized.... Therefore we may confidently
expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the
faithful prophets of old,...” "Some one asked me the other day: Suppose you should be here in 1925 what
would you do? I said, I believe I will be home in the Pleiades before then
.." "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the "time of the end"
began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874." "It was on this line of reckoning that the dates of 1874, 1914, and
1918 were located; and the Lord has placed the stamp of his seal upon 1914
and 1918 beyond any possibility of erasure. What further evidence do we need?
Using this same measuring line, beginning with the entry of the children of
Israel into Canaan, and counting the full 70 cycles of 50 years each, as
clearly indiciated by Jehovah’s sending of the Jews into Babylon for the
full 70 years, it is an easy matter to locate 1925, probably the fall, for
the beginning of the antitypical jubilee. There can be no more question
about 1925 than there was about 1914.” "And it was in 1878, then, that the process of setting up the kingdom began.
There our Lord raised the sleeping saints from the tomb and joined them to
himself .." “It is on the basis of such and so many correspondencies -- in
accordance with the soundest laws known to science- that we affirm that,
Scripturally, scientifically, and historically, present-truth chronology is
correct beyond a doubt. Its reliability has been abundantly confirmed by the
dates and events of 1874, 1914, and 1918. Present-truth chronology is a
secure basis on which the consecrated child of God may endeavor to search
out things to come." "This chronology is not of man, but of God. Being of divine origin and
divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself,
absolutely and unqualifiedly correct...." Kommentar: Vakttornet påstår att sällskapets kronologi inte kommer från en människa utan från Gud... “The physical facts show beyond question of a doubt that 1914 ended
the Gentine times and as the Lord foretold, the old order is being destroyed
by war, famine, pest…, and revolution. The date 1925 is even more distinctly
indicated by the Scriptures because it is fixed by the law God gave to
Israel” "Bible prophecy shows that the Lord was due to appear for the second time in
the year 1874. Fulfilled prophecy shows beyond a doubt that he did appear in
1874. Fulfilled prophecy is otherwise designated the physical facts; and
these facts are indisputable." "We understand that the jubilee type began to count in 1575 B.C.; and the
3,500 year period embracing the type must end in 1925. It follows, then,
that the year 1925 will mark the beginning of the restoration of all things
lost by Adam's disobedience." "The Scriptures show that the second presence [of the Lord] was due in 1874
.. This proof shows that the Lord has been present since 1874" “Question: Did the order go forth eight months ago to the Pilgrims to
cease talking about 1925? Have we more reason, or as much, to believe the
kingdom will be established in 1925 than Noah had to believe that there
would be a flood? “No doubt many boys and girls who read this book will live to see
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, and those other men of old come forth
in the glory of their better resurrection, of perfect in mind and body. It
will not take long for Christ to appoint them to their post of honor and
authority as his earthly representatives. The world and all the present
conveniences will seen strange to them at first, but they will soon become
accustomed to the new methods. They may have some amusing experiences at
first; for they never saw telephones, radios, automobiles, electric lights,
aeroplanes, steam engines, and many other things so familiar to us.” "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures,
even more clearly than that of 1914." “The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked
forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the
body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during the year. This may
be accomplished. It may not be.” "It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the
consecrated the thought that 1925 should see an end of the work....
Diligence now and to the end seems absolutely essential to victory." "Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not so
state." “The Scriptural proof is that the period of his presence and the day
of God's preparation is a period from 1874 A.D. forward. The second coming
of the Lord, therefore, began in 1874; and that date and the years 1914 and
1918 are specially marked dates with reference to his coming.” “Napoleon began this Egyptian campaign in 1798, finished it, and then
returned to France on October 1, 1799. The campaign is briefly , yet
graphically described in the prophecy, verses 40-44; and its being completed
in 1799 marks, according to the prophet's own words, the beginning of "the
time of the end.” “The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ began in 1874 A.D.” “All of the Lord’s people looked forward to 1914 with joyful
expectation. When that time came and passed there was much disappointment,
chagrin and mourning, and the Lord’s people were greatly in reproach. They
were ridiculed by the clergy and their allies in particular, and pointed to
with scorn, because they had said so much about 1914 and what would come to
pass, and their ‘prophecies’ had not been fulfilled.” “God's faithful people on earth emphasized the importance of the dates
1914 and 1918 and 1925. They had much to say about these dates and what
would come to pass, but all they predicted did not come to pass.” "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah's faithful
ones on earth concerning the years 1914, 1918, and 1925, which
disappointment lasted for a time....they also learned to quit fixing dates..." "Because the end is so near, Jehovah's Witnesses are told to wait until after
Armageddon to "marry and rear children" “The abundance of Scriptural evidence, together with the physical
facts that have come to sass showing the fulfillment of prophecy,
conclusively proves that the time for the battle of the great day of God
Almighty is very near and that in that battle all of God's enemies shall be
destroyed and the earth cleared of wickedness.” "Beth-Sarim: A house in San Diego, California called "Beth-Sarim" is built.
"...[T]he purpose of acquiring that property and building the house was that
there might be some tangible proof that there are those on earth today ...
who believe that the faithful men of old [Abraham, etc.] will soon be
resurrected by the Lord, be back on earth, and take charge of the visible
affairs of earth" “The year 1940 is certain to be the most important year yet because
Armageddon is very near” 1940, Informant, maj “Armageddon is surely near and during that time the Lord will clean
off the earth everything that offends and is disagreeable. …Our hope is that
withing a few years our marriage may be consummated and, by the Lord’s
grace, we shall have sweet children that will be an honor to the Lord. We
can well defer our marriage until lasting peace comes to the earth. Now we
must add nothing to our burdens, but be free and equipped to serve the
Lord.” "Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or
plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord's provided instrument for most
effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon." "Now, with Armageddon immediately before us, it is a matter of life or
destruction. Those who would be of the Lords other sheep that shall compose
the great multitude of Armageddon survivors and live joyfully on earth
forever must find the answer to a very personal question, and very important." "Jehovah Is in His Holy Temple "This book set forth their belief that Christ's second presence began
invisibly in the fall of 1874 and thereby commenced a forty-year harvest
period. Then, remarkably accurately, they set forth the year 1914 as the end
of the Gentile times" "'Sometime between April 16 and 23, 1957, Armageddon will sweep the world!
Millions of persons will perish in its flames and the land will be scorched.'
So prophesied a certain California pastor, Mihran Ask, in January 1957. Such
false prophets tend to put the subject of Armageddon in disrepute." I slutet av 1960-talet tar organisationen sats mot nästa falska profetia.
Denna gång uttrycker man sig försiktigare i skrift. Berättelser från Jehovas vittnen som var med vid denna tid avslöjar att ledningen var mycket
tydligare i muntliga framställningar i konferenser och ute i lokala Riket
Sal-lokaler. Vi kan dock förstå i det som trycktes vid denna tid vad man
menar. "' .. To give aid today in this critical time to prospective sons of God,'
announced President Knorr, 'a new book in English, entitled 'Life
Everlasting - in Freedom of the Sons of God,' has been published.' .. It did
not take the brothers very long to find the chart beginning on page 31,
showing that 6,000 years of man's existence end in 1975. Discussion of 1975
overshadowed about everything else. 'The new book compels us to realize that
Armageddon is, in fact, very close indeed,' .. THE YEAR 1975 .. 6,000 years
of human experience will end in 1975, about nine years from now. What does
that mean? Does it mean that God's rest day began 4026 B.C.E.? It could have.
The Life Everlasting book does not say it did not.. 'What about the year
1975? What is it going to mean, dear friends?' asked Brother Franz. 'Does it
mean that Armageddon is going to be finished, with Satan bound, by 1975? It
could! It could! All things are possible with God. Does it mean that Babylon
the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that the
attack of Gog of Magog is going to be made on Jehovah's witnesses to wipe
them out, then Gog himself will be put out of action? It could. But we are
not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And
don't any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen
between now and 1975. But the big point of it all is this, dear friends:
Time is short. Time is running out, no question about that." “A worldwide jubilee approaching!” “Never have we felt the nearness of Armageddon and the urgency of our
work as we do now." "Have You Read Your Copy? "Commented on the number of "vacation pioneers" and asked, "what
motivated them to vacation pioneer?" The answer included these comments: "Fifteen centuries ago the Roman Catholic "Saint" Augustine spoke of
six thousand years of history and referred to the millennium as a "Sabbath,"
the seventh-day rest period. But he did not hold to this. For centuries now
the Bible chronology as worked out by Archbishop James Ussher has been
followed by both Catholics and Protestants. This chronology reckons that the
first man Adam was created in the year 4004 before Christ, and so six
thousand years of human existence on earth will end before this twentieth
century ends, or in 1996 C.E. According to a more recent calculation of the
Bible timetable, six thousand years of man's existence will end in the
latter half of the year 1975, which is well within this century. The Bible
millennium is ahead of us, and, according to the count of time and the
events of world history, it is approaching. It is not ending, as Roman
Catholic comments on the Bible would make us believe." "Interestingly, the autumn of the year 1975 marks the end of 6,000 years of
human experience. This is ascertainable from reliable chronology preserved
in the Bible itself. What will that year mean for humankind? Will it be the
time when God executes the wicked and starts off the thousand-year reign of
his Son Jesus Christ? It very well could, but we will have to wait to see..
A glorious new order is immediately before us." "Since we have dedicated ourselves to Jehovah, we want to do his will
to the fullest extent possible. Making some special effort to do more than
the usual helps us live up to our dedication. In view of the short period of
time left, we want to do this as often as circumstances permit. Just think,
brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of
man's existence on earth is completed. Do you remember what we learned at
the assemblies last summer? The majority of people living today will
probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out, and there are no resurrection
hopes for those who are destroyed then. So, now more than ever, it is vital
not to ignore that spirit of wanting to do more." “According to reliable Bible chronology Adam was created in the year 4026
B.C.E., likely in the autumn of the year, at the end of the sixth day of
creation. Then God brought the animals to man to name. Yet, of Adam, Genesis
states these words of Jehovah: “It is not good for the man to continue by
himself.” (Gen. 2:18) Adam would realize this lonely condition very quickly,
perhaps in just a few days or a few weeks. He would realize he needed
another earthling with whom he could communicate, share his experiences, and
his life. Nor would his naming the animals take an unduly long time. The
basic animal kinds could have been relatively quickly named, for when such
basic kinds were taken into the ark in Noah’s day, it did not involve
millions of beasts, but perhaps only a few hundred basic kinds. Thus, Adam’s
naming of the animals and his realizing that he needed a counterpart would
have occupied only a brief time after his creation. Since it was also
Jehovah’s purpose for man to multiply and fill the earth, it is logical that
he would create Eve soon after Adam, perhaps just a few weeks or months
later in the same year, 4026 B.C.E. After her creation, God’s rest day, the
seventh period, immediately followed. Therefore, God’s seventh day and the
time man has been on earth apparently run parallel. To calculate where man
is in the stream of time relative to God’s seventh day of 7,000 years, we
need to determine how long a time has elapsed from the year of Adam and
Eve’s creation in 4026 B.C.E. From the autumn of that year to the autumn of
1 B.C.E., there would be 4,025 years. From the autumn of 1 B.C.E. to the
autumn of 1 C.E. is one year (there was no zero year). From the autumn of 1
C.E. to the autumn of 1967 is a total of 1,966 years. Adding 4,025 and 1 and
1,966, we get 5,992 years from the autumn of 4026 B.C.E. to the autumn of
1967. Thus, eight years remain to account for a full 6,000 years of the
seventh day. Eight years from the autumn of 1967 would bring us to the
autumn of 1975, fully 6,000 years into God’s seventh day, his rest day. ...
The immediate future is certain to be filled with climatic events, for this
old system is nearing its complete end. Within a few years at most the final
parts of Bible prophecy relative to these last days will undergo fulfilment
resulting in the liberation of surviving mankind into Christ's glorious 1000
year reign!” "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO 1975? .. What about all this talk concerning
the year 1975? Lively discussions, some based on speculation, have burst
into flame during recent months among serious students of the Bible. Their
interest has been kindled by the belief that 1975 will mark the end of 6,000
years of human history since Adam's creation. The nearness of such an
important date indeed fires the imagination and presents unlimited
possibilities for discussion.. of what benefit is this information to us
today?.. why should we be any more interested in the date of Adam's creation
than in the birth of King Tut?.. in the fall of the year 1975, a little over
seven years from now .. it will be 6,000 years since the creation of Adam." "Even if one cannot see beyond 1975, is this any reason to be less active?
The apostles could not see even this far; they knew nothing about 1975....If
they had delayed or dillydallied and had been complacent with the idea the
end was some thousands of years off they would never have finished running
the race set before them." 1968, Awake, 8 oktober "There is only a short time left before Jehovah will destroy this
wicked system of things." "If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you
will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all
the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt
system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the
beginning of the 'last days' in 1914, Jesus foretold: 'This generation will
by no means pass away until all these things occur.' Therefore, as a young
person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you
are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least
four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized
career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be
well on the way towards its finish, if not actually gone! This is why
parents who base their lives on God's prophetic Word find it much more
practical to direct their young ones into trades that do not require such
long periods of additional schooling… True, those who do not understand
where we are in the stream of time from God's viewpoint will call this
impractical. But which is really practical: preparing yourself for a
position in this world that soon will pass away? or working toward surviving
this system's end and enjoying eternal life in God's righteous new order?" "Of course, there may be a tempting offer of higher education or of
going into some field of work that promises material rewards. However,
Jehovah God holds out to you young folks many marvelous privileges of
service in his organization. Which will you decide to take up? In view of
the short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things
is not only unwise but extremely dangerous. On the other hand, a decision to
take advantage of what God offers through his organization opens up
excellent opportunities for advancement as well as a rich, meaningful life
that will never end...Many young brothers and sisters were offered
scholarships or employment that promised fine pay. However, they turned them
down and put spiritual interests first." “More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a
recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six
millenniums of mankind's life on earth would end in the mid-seventies” "Everyone would like to know how much longer the present system will
continue and when God's purpose will be accomplished on earth in the same
full way as in heaven. Jesus answered that "this good news of the kingdom
will be preached in all the inhabited earth . . . and then the end will
come." Here in the Greek Bible text he used the word telos or "end" to
distinguish what he meant from the syn•téleia or "conclusion" of the system
of things, the harvest period, in which we now live. (Compare Matthew 24:3,
6, Diaglott.) How close we may exactly be to the end of the present divisive
system of things cannot be predicted, as Jesus reported that even he did not
know the day or the hour at the time of his earthly ministry. (Matt. 24:36)
However, Bible chronology which indicates that Adam was created in the fall
of the year 4026 B.C.E. would bring us down to the year 1975 C.E. as the
date marking 6,000 years of human history with yet 1,000 years to come for
Christ's Kingdom rule. So whatever the date for the end of this system, it
is clear that the time left is reduced, with only approximately six years
left until the end of 6,000 years of human history. (1 Cor. 7:29) This
corroborates the understanding of Jesus' words that the generation alive in
1914 with the outbreak of World War I would not pass away until the end
comes. Only a short time, then, remains for persons who love righteousness
to show God that they want to be in his "ark" of protection and live to see
the blessings of the new system of things.-Matt. 24:34-42." "Shortly, within our twentieth century, the "battle in the day of
Jehovah" will begin against the modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom." "At the age of 130 another son was born to her. Eve called his name
Seth...." “Yes, the end of this system is so very near! Is that not reason to increase
our activity? In this regard we can learn something from a runner who puts
on a final burst of speed near the finish of a race. Look at Jesus, who
apparently stepped up his activity during his final days on earth. In fact,
over 27 percent of the material in the Gospels is devoted to just the last
week of Jesus’ earthly ministry!—Matt. 21:1–27:50; Mark 11:1–15:37; Luke
19:29–23:46; John 11:55–19:30. By carefully and prayerfully examining our
own circumstances, we also may find that we can spend more time and energy
in preaching during this final period before the present system ends. Many
of our brothers and sisters are doing just that. This is evident from the
rapidly increasing number of pioneers. Yes, since the summer of 1973 there
have been new peaks in pioneers every month. Now there are 20,394 regular
and special pioneers in the United States, an all-time peak. That is 5,190
more than there were in February 1973! A 34-percent increase! Does that not
warm our hearts? Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and
property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old
system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the
short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.” “Christ’s Kingdom rule of a thousand years promises the finest conditions—conditions
mankind has never known. Therefore, everyone should look for evidences of
its approach with the greatest interest and anticipation. The Bible book of
Revelation (chapters 20 and 21) reveals many of the good things that the
thousand-year rule will bring. It also tells us that this millennium must be
preceded immediately by the most destructive war in all human history. We
can now see the political rulers or “kings of the entire inhabited earth”
being gathered, under forces beyond human control, for that War of all wars,
at the place called Har–Magedon.” "The publications of Jehovah's witnesses have shown that, according to Bible
chronology, it appears that 6,000 years of man's existence will be completed
in the mid-1970's. But these publications have never said that the world's
end would come then. Nevertheless, there has been considerable individual
speculation on the matter." “Today there is a great crowd of people who are confident that a destruction
of even greater magnitude is now imminent. The evidence is that Jesus’
prophecy will shortly have a major fulfillment, upon this entire system of
things. This has been a major factor in influencing many couples to decide
not to have children at this time. They have chosen to remain childless so
that they would be less encumbered to carry out the instructions of Jesus
Christ to preach the good news of God’s kingdom earth wide before the end of
this system comes” "On Sunday afternoon, July 26, 1931, at the international convention
of the I.B.S.A. in Columbus, Ohio, there came the heartfelt adoption of the
Resolution in favor of embracing the New Name, Jehovah's witnesses.
Thereafter this Resolution was adopted by congregations around the world
that thenceforth identified their religious organization as Jehovah's
witnesses. To advertise the divine name still further, on March 1, 1939,
some months before World War II broke out, the official magazine of the
Witnesses came forth with the new legend, "The Watchtower Announcing
Jehovah's Kingdom." And now, as the critical year of 1975 enters, it may
well be asked: Has the Most High God of prophecy made a name for himself?
The answer is self-evident, Yes! By whom? Not by Christendom or by Jewry,
but by Jehovah's Christian witnesses! […] Only from the end of the year 1928
was the prospect opened up to the spiritual understanding of the anointed
remnant of the "Israel of God" to survive the "war of the great day of God
the Almighty" at Har-Magedon and enter here on earth into Jehovah's
righteous new order. (See The Watch Tower under date of December 15, 1928,
page 376, paragraphs 35, 36.) And now, as the year 1975 opens up, some
thousands of the anointed remnant, still alive on this earth, look ahead to
realizing that joyful prospect. The increasing "great crowd" of their
sheeplike companions look forward with them to entering the New Order
without interruption of life. In the New Order Jehovah God will add to the
"length of days" of the anointed remnant on earth to the point of satisfying
the members thereof. It remains to be seen whether they will be yet retained
here on earth to see the start of the resurrection of the earthly dead and
to meet faithful witnesses of ancient, pre-Christian times. They would enjoy
that, before being taken off the earthly scene to the heavenly reward with
Christ. "Another speaker, F. W. Franz, the Society's vice-president, forcefully
impressed on the audience the urgency of the Christian preaching work. He
stressed that, according to dependable Bible chronology, 6,000 years of
human history will end this coming September according to the lunar calendar.
This coincides with a time when "the human species [is] about to starve
itself to death," as well as its being faced with poisoning by pollution and
destruction by nuclear weapons. Franz added: 'There's no basis for believing
that mankind, faced with what it now faces, can exist for the seventh
thousand-year period" under the present system of things.' .. Does this mean
that we know exactly when God will destroy this old system and establish a
new one? Franz showed that we do not, for we do not know how short was the
time interval between Adam's creation and the creation of Eve, at which
point God's rest day of seven thousand years began (Heb. 4:3,4). But, he
pointed out, 'we should not think that this year of 1975 is of no
significance to us,' for the Bible proves that Jehovah is 'the greatest
chronologist' and 'we have the anchor date, 1914, marking the end of the
Gentile Times.' So, he continued, 'we are filled with anticipation for the
near future, for our generation.'" “No, it does not mean that. Why not? Well, the Bible record shows that God’s
creations on the “day” just preceding that 7,000-year “rest day” did not end
with Adam’s creation. It shows a time lapse between the creation of Adam and
that of his wife, Eve. During that time, God had Adam name the animals.
Whether that period amounted to weeks or months or years, we do not know. So
we do not know exactly when Jehovah’s great “rest day” began, nor do we know
exactly when it will end. The same applies to the beginning of Christ’s
millennial reign. The Bible provides us no way to fix the date, and so it
does us no good to speculate when that date may be.—Gen. 2:18-25; Matt.
24:42, 44. "Although the time of Adam's creation can be determined, the beginning of
God's 'rest day' cannot. This is so because there was a time lapse of
unspecified length between Adam's creation and the creation of Eve. Not
until after the creation of Eve did God's 'rest day' begin. The start of
that day being unknown, its end is likewise unknown." "It may be that some who have been serving God have planned their lives
according to a mistaken view of just what was to happen on a certain date or
in a certain year. They may have, for this reason, put off or neglected
things that they otherwise would have cared for. But they have missed the
point of the Bible's warnings concerning the end of this system of things,
thinking that Bible chronology reveals the specific date.. it is not
advisable for us to set our sights on a certain date, neglecting everyday
things we would ordinarily care for as Christians, such as things that we
and our families really need. We may be forgetting that, when the 'day'
comes, it will not change the principle that Christians must at all times
take care of all their responsibilities. If anyone has been disappointed
through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on
adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed
or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding
was based on wrong premises." "In modern times such eagerness, commendable in itself, has led to
attempts at setting dates for the desired liberation from the suffering and
troubles that are the lot of persons throughout the earth. With the
appearance of the book Life Everlasting-in Freedom of the Sons of God, and
its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of
Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of man's existence, considerable
expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements made
then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility.
Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were
other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by
that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be
regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the
cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already
initiated. "In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the
inadvisability of setting our sights on a certain date, stated: "If anyone
has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should
now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word
of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his
own understanding was based on wrong premises." In saying "anyone," The
Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah's Witnesses, hence
including persons having to do with the publication of the information that
contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date." “J. A. Bengel states in his New Testament Word Studies: “The Hebrews . . .
reckon seventy-five years as one generation, and the words, shall not pass
away, intimate that the greater part of that generation [of Jesus’ day]
indeed, but not the whole of it, should have passed away before all should
be fulfilled.” This became true by the year 70 C.E. when Jerusalem was
destroyed. Likewise today, most of the generation of 1914 has passed away.
However, there are still millions on earth who were born in that year or
prior to it. And although their numbers are dwindling, Jesus’ words will
come true, “this generation will certainly not pass away until all these
things have happened.” This is yet another reason for believing that
Jehovah’s thieflike day is imminent. So, what events should alert Christians
watch for?” "Bible prophecies indicate that Satan's world has been in its last days for
nearly 80 years now, since the pivotal year 1914. This world is nearing its
end." |
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