There would be no conflict with current Jehovah's Witness' understanding if Armageddon did not occur for...?

Question

Hundreds of Years? Please take the time to check out this official JW web link: http://www.watchtower.org/e/20020608/article_01.html

For the entire duration of the last century, Jehovah's Witnesses clung to the belief that Armageddon was iminent. Now the organisation are calmly backtracking and saying they got it wrong and that it doesn't matter?

I wish I knew how to cut and paste questions, but since I don't, would you please take the time to check out my previous question: Christians, how long is each "day" of creation in Genesis? And why did Jehovah's Witnesses change?

For over 100 years, millions of people have believed that Armageddon was iminent, that they would be the generation to see it come. Now they are being told that "There is nothing in JW theology or eschatology which requires Armageddon within any particular time frame".

Does this indicate a real change in heart, that they are now no longer obsessed with dates and calculating when the seventh day (of God's rest) will end?

Answer 1

My parents became Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1930's and they were convinced that Armageddon would happen during their life time. They died disappointed.

For over 100 years, this organisation has prophesied that 6,000 years of human existence since the creation of Adam and Eve was about up and that the millennial reign of Christ Jesus was just round the corner - it would be preceded by Armageddon. When I was a Jehovah's Witness, we were all anticipating 1975 as the date when 6,000 years of human existence would end (based on amended society calculations). "According to this trustworthy Bible chronology six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 C.E." (from the Jehovah's Witness' book 'Life Everlasting' published in 1966).

From the 8 October 1968 'Awake!' magazine, they said "Hence, the first 6,000 years since man's creation could be likened to the first 6 days of the week in ancient Israel. The 7th 1,000 year period could be likened to the 7th day, the sabbath of that week. How fitting it would be for God, following this pattern, to end man's misery after 6,000 years of human rule and follow it with His glorious Kingdom rule for a thousand years!" Remember, Armageddon must precede the millennial reign.

I sincerely pray that this organisation has given up it's quest to predict when Armageddon will happen. But why the change? What has prompted them to backtrack on everything they believed in for the last 100 years? New light?

Answer 2

Your link doesn't work.

The webpage cannot be found

HTTP 404  

   Most likely causes:

There might be a typing error in the address.

If you clicked on a link, it may be out of date.  

How apropos, we're talking new understandings/"new light" here and the webpage is already out of date.

lol

Answer 3

These beliefs seem to be gradually changing, for exmple, you never hear JW's speak anymore about the Great Crowd being gathered from 1914 onward, and although it is unclear weather this is still part of the Watchtower's teaching, soon it will be removed.

Answer 4

You're missing the point!

Jehovah has dignified his people on earth by using them to sound a warning and to assist others to come to salvation even though they are imperfect, everyone of them!

The scriptures are clear, we ARE in the time of the end.

2Timothy 3:1-5

Matthew 24:3-14

Daniels phrophecy pin-points 1914 as the end of the Gentile times and the establishment of Gods Kingdom. See 9:24-27 and 2:44

ThereforeArmageddonn is imminent! Who can refute the prophecy in Revelation 11:18 and say that is not happening right NOW!

Fundamentally,Jehovah's Day IS coming, make no mistake on that. Unlike humans Almighty God does not lie, He doesn't get it wrong, we ARE in the final days of this world. -Titus 1:2, 2Peter 3:9-13.

Answer 5

This is awesome! Can you repaste the link? It seems to be dead. =(

Answer 6

Wonderful question. I always enjoy your questions and answers. Can't wait to read more.  

Answer 7

I don't think alot of things matter to them anymore.  JWs are so tied up in each other, their daily routines, and public image...that it's more of a 'religious' social club than anything!  To some it's become such an obsession that you can't even reason with them in any way, shape or form!

Answer 8

Dear Grey Tower,

Like Chuck I tried clicking on the link but it is no longer operational.  How long ago was it working?

For copying and pasting I right click the browser line and then select Copy.  Then I paste it in an answer and make sure that I click enter.  When you go back to preview it should show up as a clickable link.  If that doesn't work I just right click on the question, again selecting Copy and then paste it.

I do believe the end is near and that motivates me to tell others about Jesus and Him crucified and Risen, but I don't believe that the end will in any way resemble what is falsely prophesied by the JWs.  I believe that because such verses as Deuteronomy 18:20-22 make it very clear that God puts false prophets to shame.

For His glory,

JOYfilled

Answer 9

They have been varying their message (sometimes quite dramatically) for 100 years!

Answer 10

Did you know the link is broken?

Answer 11

I have been a witness for 10 years now and at no time have I found anything wanting in what the faithful and discreet slave have put across.

I have known about the creative days for some time, so this is not new.

What the Governing body is trying to do is to get us ready for the great day of Armageddon, which is only right to do!

Although I was not a believer when people believed the end was here, I do know some who were - and yet they still are in the society, for they recognise that there is no were else to be.

Yes, the society has made errors, but they admit to those and make changes.  They are imperfect, but that does not make them any less Jehovah's representatives on earth!

Armegeddon is close and we are getting ready for it and will continue to preach the good news to all that will listen.

Answer 12

what? are you creating a religious war?

well as they said today in economics, the best business nowadays are religion. you spent little, you earn big. like a pyramid scam you recruit and you haul. not that i'm saying that jw are like that, but they all have their own agenda and their own schemes to lure people. i think their catch phrase was "time", as so other religion that slipped away from the original one and became a cult or something...

======================

not that the jw is a cult... no disrespect whatsoever.... >_<

Answer 13

This is intriguing! They used to be quite emphatic, insisting that each creative day was 7,000 years in length. This belief was part of their chronology to calculate the date of Adam’s creation. They reasoned that as the Millennium is a literal 1,000 years of peace, it would have to come after 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth: 7,000 years. They were confident that earth would be restored to paradise conditions and human perfection at the end of the Millennium, which would be the end of God’s 7th day. This is why there was so much excitement in the lead-up to 1975. They were told 1975 marked the end of 6,000 years since Adam was created and Armageddon has to happen before the Millennium, so it doesn’t take rocket science to grasp what was implied.

I’ve checked the link and the interesting thing about that article is that it nowhere mentions 7,000 years as being the length of each day of creation. It says: “According to Bible usage, a day is a measured period of time and can be a thousand years or many thousands of years. The Bible's creative days allow for thousands of years of time each.” But not even a hint that they could be 7,000 years each! This is significant!

I also checked their 1988 ‘Insight’ volume under ‘Day’ and it’s the same – not a whisper about  a 7,000 year period. But it does say “The week assigned for observance by the Jews under the Law covenant given them by God was a miniature copy of that creative week.” This means the days of creation must be of equal length for the days of the week are all equal. So it looks as if they are no longer committed to each day of creation being 7,000 years and are now keeping their options open. This must throw all their chronology up in the air! They cannot possibly say when Adam was created now! They cannot possibly keep on insisting that 1914 is a significant date either because all their credibility for explaining the meaning of Bible passages is evaporating. No wonder the spotlight has been turned off 1914. The generation that saw it is no longer the generation to see Armageddon. 1914 can only now be a symbolic, invisible token event in heaven that has no bearing on when Armageddon will come. They have abandoned all their previous time frames. This means 1914 has been cast adrift with no anchor! It used to be the pillar upon which everything else was supported! Oh, if only they would admit they need to get their eyes fixed on Jesus and see Him only!

Answer 14

J'S HAVE ALLWAYS HAD TO CHANGE THEY ORIGONALY SAID WORLD WOULD END IN THEIR TIME(FIRST LEADER) IT DIDNT SO MADE UP NEW ONE ECT A FALSE TEACHING IF EVER THERE WAS ONE  

Answer 15

With the current Watchtower doctrine, "generation" can no longer be used as a limiting word; it can extend infinitum; applied to the overlapping lives of contemporaries. There are a number of reasons why the new view is of dubious merit.

The New Testament applies the word generation consistently to evildoers in a negative connotation, yet the Watchtower applies this term on this specific occasion to the righteous anointed.

Jesus statement that the generation would "by no means pass away" applied to a group that saw both his ministry and the destruction of Jerusalem. The term generation and statement that they will "by no means pass away" have becomes all but meaningless with current Watchtower doctrine.

When Jesus made this statement there were no Anointed, as the Holy Spirit was not poured out until after his death at Pentecost 33A.D. Jesus is claimed to be applying the term "this generation" to a class that at the time of the statement did not even exist.

This new understanding will no doubt result in further changes. It was already illogical to claim that between 33 A.D, and 1935 there have only been 144,000 true Christians (76 a year), especially when considering there were over 50,000 memorial takers in 1935 alone. As the terminology referring to the 144,000 at Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5 is almost entirely figurative, at some point in time it is likely the Watchtower will be forced to concede the 144,000 is not a literal number.

In similar vein, the concept that the Great Crowd started to be gathered from 1935 becomes equally irrelevant. The Great Crowd are specifically described in Watchtower theology as people that survive Armageddon (as compared to Other Sheep that include those worshippers that die prior to Armageddon).

"Jehovah did not allow the ingathering of this group to begin too soon. The "great crowd," including many of the earliest members thereof, will survive into the "new earth"." Survival into a New Earth p.185

It will not be long before the last one baptised in 1935 will have passed away, meaning that no one baptised in 1935 will be able to be considered part of the Great Crowd.

For over 100 years Witnesses have been discouraged from having children, getting married and going to University. I was condemned by a number of Jehovah's Witnesses for doing an Accounting degree in the late 1980's, because "the end is so close and in the new system we will need builders, not accountants." A Witness has been encouraged to keep a short term focus "because the end is so close". The Watchtower 1938 November 1 p.324 advised not to have children because the end was so near. Most of these followers have since passed away without the joy of rearing children and grandchildren. This short-sightedness has been encouraged by changing the generation and end teachings in the late 1800's, the early 1900's, the 1920's, the 1940's, the 1950's, the 1960's, the 1970's and the 1980's.

The Governing Body has alleviated proof its generation doctrine is wrong, by removing any fixed time frame. With the year 1914 quickly fading into obscure irrelevance, one must wonder when this core doctrine too will be discarded as it should as it has no relavence today.