[From ws11/16 p. 21 January 16-22]
If you are reading this for the second time, you will notice some changes. I realized I had mistakenly crossed two unrelated articles in this review and have now rectified that oversight. – Meleti Vivlon
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe they have already freed themselves from captivity to false religion and the false religious teachings of men in obedience to the command found at Revelation 18:4.
“And I heard another voice out of heaven say: “Get out of her, my people, if YOU do not want to share with her in her sins, and if YOU do not want to receive part of her plagues.” (Re 18:4)
A critical thinker is wise to ask why this command doesn’t include instruction to join another religion as part of the process of getting out of Babylon the Great. All it tells us to do is to get out. There is no command to go anywhere else.
Let us bear that in mind as we review this article and its follow-up next week, which together are intended to “adjust” our understanding of precisely when all this occurred.
This opening article explains a little of the history of Israel’s exile in Babylon so as to lay the groundwork for the reasoning that will follow in the next article. As always, we will alert you to any errors or inconsistencies in the reasoning or facts presented.
The Wrong Year
The first such is found in the very first paragraph of the study:
IN 607 B.C.E., a massive Babylonian army under the command of King Nebuchadnezzar II invaded the city of Jerusalem. – par. 1
There is no support in the Bible for the year 607 B.C.E. as the date for this invasion. While it may be that 607 is the year that Jeremiah 25:11 began its fulfillment, secular historians are in agreement by and large that 587 B.C.E. is the year that the land of Israel was desolated, and the remainder of its inhabitants either killed or brought to Babylon.
When a Suggestion is not a Suggestion
This slipped by my notice on the first go-round, but thanks to alert reader Lazarus’ comment, I can now give it the attention it so richly deserves.
In paragraph 6, we read that “For many years, this journal suggested that God’s modern-day servants entered into Babylonian captivity in 1918 and that they were released from Babylon in 1919”.
“For many years…” That’s something of an understatement. I remember being taught this as a boy when we studied the book, “Babylon The Great Has Fallen!” God’s Kingdom Rules. I am now almost 70! “For a lifetime” would be more accurate, and perhaps farther back than that. (I was unable to determine when this doctrine originated.) Why is the amount of time this teaching, which they now admit is false, persisted worthy of our criticism? Does it really matter how many years we had it wrong before getting it right? As we’ll see when we review next week’s study, Yes, it matters a very great deal.
“..this journal…” While we praise the candor of Bible writers such as King David and the Apostle Paul in admitting their sins publicly, our leadership is loathe to imitate those fine examples of faith. Here, the blame for this error is placed on a magazine, as if it were speaking for itself.
“…suggested…” Suggested!? The former teaching is being treated now as a mere suggestion, and not a doctrine which all were required for the sake of unity to agree with and preach and teach to others, including those studying to be baptized.
We will see in next week’s study that the information on which the Governing Body now bases the new understanding was around when the former one, the one they are now disavowing, was first promoted. Not only was the information contradicting that former teaching available to them, but some of those most responsible for promoting that false teaching had seen the evidence against it first hand—had lived through the very events they were misinterpreting.
When someone has misled you and yet is unwilling to accept full responsibility and tries to water down the wrong by minimizing its impact (‘it was only a suggestion’), would it be wise to blindly accept their next great interpretation?
Babylon the Great – Admission Criteria
Who comprise Babylon the Great? Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that all the world’s religions, Christian and Pagan, form the great harlot. The reason is that Babylon the Great is the world empire false religion.
Consider: Babylon the Great is the world empire of false religion. – par. 7
It follows, then, that to be considered a member of this entity, a religion must be false. What constitutes being false in the eyes of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Essentially, it is any religion that teaches falsehoods as doctrines of God.
It is important that we bear in mind that this criteria has been established by the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Bible principle that should guide us here is found at Matthew 7:1, 2, “Stop judging that you may not be judged; for with what judgment you are judging, you will be judged; and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you.” So we are painted with the same brush we used to paint others. That’s only fair.
Those studying this Watchtower article will be working under the assumption that escape from Babylon the Great means admission into the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thus, when paragraph seven speaks of “God’s anointed servants actually breaking free from Babylon the Great”, the reader will assume that it is referring to the early Bible students who became Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931 breaking free from all the false religions on earth.
Before we get into questioning the validity of such an assumption, we should point out one mistake in this paragraph. The claim made is that these early Bible students were persecuted during the First World War prior to 1918, but this persecution did not qualify as captivity to Babylon the Great because it originated with the secular authorities principally. Based on eyewitness testimony from members of the governing body at the time, this is not true as the following quote proves:
Be it noted here that from 1874 to 1918 there was little, if any, persecution of those of Zion; that beginning with the Jewish year 1918, to wit, the latter part of 1917 our time, the great suffering came upon the anointed ones, Zion (March 1, 1925 issue p. 68 par. 19)
(No 1900-Year Slave: On something of a side issue, it should be noted that the historical evidence provided in this study, as well as that provided in the current JW broadcast, flies in the face of the reasoning given us just a few months ago by David Splane when he claimed that for 1900 years there was no faithful slave providing food for Christians.)
Let us re-examine what paragraph 7 claims about ‘God’s anointed servants actually breaking free from Babylon the Great’. This indicates that the Organization recognizes that God’s servants were anointed while still in Babylon the Great. Their membership within any religious organization did not constitute a rejection of their faith in Christ, nor their anointed status before God. God had chosen and anointed individuals while members of churches that taught falsehoods. According to the article, these ones were like the wheat described in Matthew chapter 13. The article continues to acknowledge this fact when it says:
The truth is that by that time an apostate form of Christianity had joined the pagan religious organizations of the Roman Empire as members of Babylon the Great. Even so, a small number of anointed wheatlike Christians were doing their best to worship God, but their voices were being drowned out. (Read Matthew 13:24, 25, 37-39.) They truly were in Babylonian captivity! – par. 9
Something not mentioned in the article—probably because it needs no mention among Jehovah’s Witnesses—is that getting out of Babylon the Great is achieved only by becoming a Jehovah’s Witness. If God chose and anointed Christians while still in Babylon the Great in the 19th century who subsequently got out of the Great Harlot by become Bible Students (now Jehovah’s Witnesses), then does it not follow that he continues to do so?
The Bible urges Christians this way: “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins…” (Re 18:4) They are considered his people while still in Babylon the Great. So the Witness idea that one can only be anointed after one has been baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness must be false. Additionally, this idea contradicts what this article states when it says that anointed ones left Babylon and joined the early Bible Students.
Returning to the definition of what makes a religion part of Babylon the Great, let us turn that brush on ourselves.
As anyone who has done an in-depth study of the teachings that are unique to JW.org can attest, it too teaches falsehoods. Not a single one of the uniquely JW.org teachings can be supported from Scripture. If you are coming to this website for the first time, we do not ask you to accept this statement at face value. Instead, go to the Bereoan Pickets Archive Site and under the Categories List on the homepage, open up the Jehovah’s Witnesses topic. There you will find extensive research delving into all the doctrines that are unique to JW.org. Please take the time to examine scripturally the doctrines which you may have taken as absolute truth for much of your life.
Perhaps, after many years of being taught that you belong to the one true Christian religion on earth, you find it hard to think of JW.org being part of Babylon the Great. If so, consider this characteristic of Babylon the Great as described in this week’s study:
Still, for the first few centuries of our Common Era, many people could read the Bible in either Greek or Latin. They were thus in a position to compare the teachings of God’s Word with the dogmas of the church. On the basis of what they read in the Bible, some among them rejected the unscriptural creeds of the church, but it was dangerous—even fatal—to express such opinions openly. – par. 10
Many of us on the site have done exactly what this paragraph describes. We have compared the teachings of God’s word with the dogmas of JW.org, and just as the paragraph states, we have found it dangerous to express our opinions openly. Doing so results in disfellowshipping (excommunication). We are shunned by everyone we have come to love, both family and friends. This is what happens when we speak the truth openly.
If getting out of Babylon the Great does not mean becoming a Jehovah’s Witness, we are left asking, “What does it mean?”
We shall address that next week. However, one thing to bear in mind is testimony from this week’s Watchtower.
Faithful anointed servants of God had to meet together in discreet groups. – par. 11
Rather than think as we have been taught to think—that salvation requires us to belong to an organization—let us realize that salvation is something achieved individually. The purpose of meeting together is not to achieve salvation, but to encourage one another to love and good works. (He 10:24, 25) We do not have to be organized to be saved. Indeed the first century Christians met in small groups. We can do likewise.
That is what being “called out of darkness” really means. The light does not come from an organization. We are the light.
“You are the light of the world. A city cannot be hid when located on a mountain. 15 People light a lamp and set it, not under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house. 16 Likewise, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.” (Mt 5:14-16)
Thanks for all the comments. Someone please help me out,this captivity issue is another type and anti-type? Thought we’ve done away with anti-type not expressly stated in the Bible. Where in the scriptures do we find indications of anti-type for Jewish captivity? Jesus never said his followers would be captive to false religion,the apostles did not, or am i wrong? Granted, Jesus said there would be apostates, the apostles said it too. But Jesus parable of the wheat and weed did not say the weed will outgrow the wheat or hold the wheat captive,He said “let both GROW TOGETHER until… Read more »
AndereStimme, What about Dan. 9:2? It sounds pretty specific about “desolation of Jerusalem” not Babylon. I know that there are many other verses that say “for Babylon” also but this is always used as a ‘proof’ verse for the start of the 70 years. Any thoughts?
You may find this summary useful https://ad1914.com/biblical-evidence-against-watchtower-society-chronology/ To put it simply, Jerusalem was desolated throughout the course of 70 years. There were 3 exiles. Daniel was taken in the first exile, Ezekiel was taken in the second exile with Jehoiachin, and there was a third and final exile in 587. All this fulfilled the desolations of Jerusalem. Daniel figured this out when Babylon was overthrown. Babylon had been dominant 70 years. He would have done the math, as he had been captive about 67 years himself. The Watchtower Society claims Daniel was taken in the second exile with Jehoachin, not… Read more »
Rudytokarz If you add back 70 years to 539bce you get to 609bce. According to secular history Babylon became the world power in that year. Judah came under Babylonian sphere of influence then and Nebuchadnezzar enforced it 3 years later, by besieging Jerusalem according to Daniel 1:1. This was when Daniel was taken to Babylon as an exile. Jerusalem was devastated at least 3 times. Then, also 8 years later with Jehoiachin and a further 11 years later after zedekiah was killed. If you look at the number of exiles taken each time, it went down each time as there… Read more »
Hi Rudy, Well, it’s been a while since I looked into this, but according to Carl O. Jonsson: What Daniel discovered by reading Jeremiah’s letter, then, was not that Jerusalem’s desolation would last for seventy years (for this is nowhere stated in Jeremiah), but that the desolations of Jerusalem would not cease until the seventy years “for Babylon” had ceased. The focus of the “seventy years” was on Babylon, and her period of dominance, rather than on Jerusalem. – The Gentile Times Reconsidered, p. 220. You’ll notice, if you compare various translations, that Daniel 9:2 is a bit ambiguous. Do… Read more »
This is the first time commenting for me but I had to flag what seems to be an obvious error in paragraph 3 and 4 in relation to Jer. 29. Paragraph 3 quotes verses 5 and 7 in telling the exiles to try and get along in Babylon and then paragraph 4 mentions that the “temple with it’s alter had been destroyed. Read all of Jer. 29; this letter to the exiles took place BEFORE Jerusalem has destroyed. Did I miss something or is this really obvious? Secondly, verse 10 says that it would be 70 years for those exiles… Read more »
Welcome Rudy, and good catch! 15You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile As you pointed out, a careful reading of Jeremiah 29 shows that the exiles to whom Jeremiah wrote were, indeed, already exiles, and Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed. Interestingly, most translations of verse 10 speak of 70 years for Babylon, which makes the question of when… Read more »
Hi did anyone else pick up on the bold lie about Jeremiah 29 in paragraph 3 3 What the prophets had foretold came to pass. Through Jeremiah, Jehovah advised the future exiles to accept their new situation and make the most of it. He said: “Build houses [in Babylon] and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. And seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and pray in its behalf to Jehovah, for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jer. 29:5, 7) Jeremiah was not speaking to future exiles. He was speaking to… Read more »
Never mind higher education – remedial reading would be the place to start! I get the feeling that the writing department has been purged of all but the ultra faithful, and therefore has suffered significant brain drain.
To the editor, could you please moderate my last comment by removing the last paragraph: from : I think the wt writer.
It’s not come out the way I intended. Thanks
Hi Smoldering Wick, Anonymous, and others. JW facts( 607:1914 seven times) points out that 1914 was not stated to be Christs Return until 1930 in the Golden Age. If this is correct, it would be interesting to know how those in the earlier part of the “overlapping generations”, as in the broadcast in 2015, knew the significance of the times in 1914. Also I found a few interesting things on the 70 years. Zechariah 1:12 ties up to 70 years of desolation of the temple from 586/7 BCE to its being rebuilt about 515 BCE. Other commentaries relate the 70… Read more »
I am concerned that the connection is being made that JW org is part of Babylon the Great. Maybe a few months ago I would have closed this window immediately and described it as demonic attack. But now thanks to Meleti for helping me to open my eyes so I am not confused with doctrine that isn’t bible based! Isn’t the Hebrew word for Babylon mean ‘confusion’? Well, JW doctrines are confusing. Is that a connection? About the warning in Rev 18:4 to get out of her my people if you don’t want to share in her sins. I just… Read more »
The Millerites also felt a need to “get out of Babylon”. So its not surprising JW’s share the same views. I would highly recommend reading a couple of these lectures, particularly Susan Palmers on unravelling Adventist Prophecy. She makes this very point. http://aurora.edu/academics/library/jenks-collection/jenks-writings/index.html#axzz4WU88YqiA It wouldn’t surprise me if Revelation was a heretical book. The Jesus of the Gospels who said his load was light seems different to the Jesus of Revelation, who is going to spit you out of his mouth because your works aren’t good enough. What happened to grace? If certain passages of the Bible have been declared… Read more »
Hi anonymous, Thank you for sharing your historical research with us. It is most helpful. Concerning your concluding remarks: Though Jesus was a man of deep feeling, he nevertheless understood the need for God’s wrath to come against sin. The man that spoke about offering a light load, who told of the means of restoration for the prodigal, and who taught compassion for our enemies, is the same man that spoke about the destruction of little children, who told of the annihilation of the unrepentant, and who taught eternal damnation for unforgiveable acts (Mat. 12:31f; Lu. 13:3, 19:44). It seems… Read more »
I’d have to respectfully disagree. Jesus is the perfect reflection of God, the God of the OT that brought the fire from heaven down on the Sodomites with nary a warning.
These will be resurrected and given a chance, and the congregations that were ‘spit out of the mouth of the Lord’ will likewise, IMHO, be given a resurrection, but it will be along with the rest of the unrighteous. The ‘spitting out’ doesn’t mean eternal damnation, but the loss of the exquisite privilege of being with Christ in the kingdom of the heavens.
Yes, this view that God is angry with us turns a lot of people off God and religion. Everybody sidestepped what I said before. The Apocalypse of John was debated for a long time as to its conclusion in the canon. Everybody can keep debating its meaning until the cows come home for all I care, and I’m sure they won’t need my encouragement. Either its meant to be there or its not. Prove to me who wrote it, and then I can work out whether I should waste my time trying to decipher it. It means my eternal salvation… Read more »
Could not the same be said about any Bible Book. The discussion of why any book should be inspired is an old one and a valid one. Frankly, I haven’t done enough research to speak authoritatively on the subject, but I’m definitely putting it in my To Do list.
Great ?Here’s a starting point. The Canon of the New Testament was developed in response to a heretic called Marcion, who had developed his own canon, namely certain letters of Paul and a modified version of Luke. The churches have failed to tell people the Gospels are written anonymously, with the names being added much later. When someone says “Matthew wrote…” well, he probably didn’t. The book of Jude quotes directly from the Book of Enoch, as if it has some authority. Should we also read this book? 2 Tim 3:16, is it “All scripture is inspired of God and… Read more »
Hi Candace, I agree. It would be nice to have a clear sign to tell us it’s time to get out of Babylon. Perhaps there isn’t one provided, because Jesus only wants his followers to recognize the signs. Perhaps the manner of the attack may start subtly with governments going after the wealth. The Org would see that as persecution, as would other churches. That would cause the “faithful” to rally to the cause of their particular faith, instead of taking the event as a sign that they should disavow any connection with the church and get out. I think… Read more »
Howdy Candace. In regards to the length of the WT remember that the Society has to provide a study for people of all sorts of ages, IQ, literacy, culture and health.Someone like you who is actively involved in Academic pursuits can always step down a level in analysis but someone from a low level of education cannot be expected to step up. There are forums that are pro JW that are not sanctioned by the society where brothers analyse the WT a bit deeper. Perhaps you could also check one of those out as well to gain additional perspective? In… Read more »
Zec 1:12 “So the angel of Jehovah said: ‘O Jehovah of armies, how long will you withhold your mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with whom you have been indignant these 70 years?’”
Check it out. Zechariah wasn’t completed for almost 20 years after Daniel. Daniel’s notation of 70 years relates to the ruling period given by Jehovah to Nebuchadnezzar. Since Israel kept rebelling against willingly turning themselves into captivity to Babylon, their release and payment of Sabbaths were delayed by 20 years.
SW1
Unfortunately this is incorrect. The seventy years of the nations serving Babylon, or being under Babylonian domination, finished in 539 BCE. This is according to Jeremiahs prophecy recorded at Jere 25:11,12. After the seventy years were completed, the king of Babylon was called to account. “This whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. It shall come to pass when seventy years are finished that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, says the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and… Read more »
Hi Anonymous, again. You have been most helpful. I will go away for now and have a good read of all of this. Thanks once again.
Hi Anonymous. I really appreciate your help. I have read most of the Gentile Times, thank you. In 1877 Russell calculated 1914 based on the end of the Davidic line, and somewhere after that the start date was attached to the destruction of Jerusalem instead. I am aware that in 1877, 606 BCE was picked and that it was changed later to 607. That is not the question. Neither am I asking how long the seven times were or whether they were the appointed times of the nations. I just want to know when we first put into print that… Read more »
Hi Leonardo, Barbour and Russell always believed that the 70 years “captivity” started with the destruction of Jerusalem and the removal of Zedekiah from the throne in 606. This was first put into print in 1875 in Barbours magazine and later in 1877 in “The Three Worlds”. Read page 75. Also, here is a quote from “The Gentile Times Reconsidered” page 40. “E. B. Elliott was most probably the first expositor to reckon the “times of the Gentiles” from 606 B.C.E. to 1914 CE. It should be noted, however, that in his chronology the starting-point, 606 B.C.E, was the accession-year… Read more »
Hi Anonymous. That reference is of help, but unless I am missing something I cannot see where JWs first pick on 607 as the fall of Jerusalem. The early 1914 figures are all based on the end of the Davidic rule, which seems to follow the time when many were taken into captivity in the 3rd year of Jehoiakim (see Daniel 1:1) . Matthew Henry’s commentary suggests that most commentators agree that this is the start of the 70 years, so I have nothing to tell me that any of those earlier forecasts worked on anything different. Therefore at some… Read more »
At least as early as 1922, although this was based on the seven times of Leviticus 26, not Luke 21:24.
https://archive.org/details/1922WatchtowerArticlesOnChronology
I would really suggest reading “The Gentile Times Reconsidered” if you have not done so. Your question is answered in there
https://ad1914.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/the-gentile-times-reconsidered.pdf
I mean, technically it was 606 back then, until it was “providentially” changed to 607 because Russell and Barbour had mistakenly counted the zero year
For those who have not yet read the book “Three Worlds” mentioned by Anonymous, do note that (on page 189) 606 BCE was selected, for the start of the 2520 years/7 times because that was the end of the line of David, which starts the 70 year period of captivity. Does anyone know when WTBS changed the start date to that of the fall of Jerusalem ? Answers on this site with any references will be appreciate.
Hi Leonardo, This idea of the Gentile Times has been bandied about for a while, starting with a book called “The Even Tides” by John Aquila Brown in 1823. This is mentioned in the “Jehovahs Witnesses – Proclaimers of Gods Kingdom” book. It also mentions how the theory changed I think. Just do a word search in WT Library – for example “miller” or “three worlds”. At some point the scripture used was changed to Luke 21:24, which doesn’t make sense anyway, as Jesus said Jerusalem will be trampled on (future) not has been trampled on (past). Carl Olof Jonsson… Read more »
Found it Leonardo. Chapter 10 page 134 of the Proclaimers Book under the heading “End of the Gentile Times”. As Carl Olof Jonsson rightly points out though, John Aquila Brown did not connect the seven times with Luke 21:24 as they state, so this is incorrect. I have read a portion of “The Even Tides” and can verify this. Here is a link
http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/docs/1823_Even-Tide_Gentile_Times.pdf
This part in paragraph 14 is what grabbed my attention. “Many who thirsted for Bible truth fled to countries where the influence of the church was less pervasive. They wanted to read and study and converse with one another without being told what to think.” As a Bible Study I always had questions about beliefs. It probably did not help that I came at it from a “research first” point of view which led me to examine the religion from the outside in within hours of starting the study. So I started with some doubts. Reading the Bible Teach book… Read more »
Well-stated, Stormie, thanks for sharing your story.
“without being told what to think”
The irony of some of the organization’s statements never fails to absolutely amaze me. What gets me is that others (at least most) do not see it.
Howdy Stormie. I think the big reason alot of Witnesses steer away from Ecclesiastes is because of it’s lateral, out of the box thinking. Some translations will refer to Solomon as a Philosopher Ecc 1:1 “”These are the words of the Philosopher, David’s son, who was king in Jerusalem.”” JWs are taught not only to keep everything in their speech in line with official WT policy but also told that it’s wrong to even have a thought that does so!! Many JW’s are among some of the most linear, one dimensional thinkers you’ll ever meet. They are part of a… Read more »
I love this!! Thanks Enoch for sharing. I am reading Ecclesiastes again and am hooked, so as to speak..reading slowly, to spot verses that need my lateral thinking hat on to understand it better. Actually I really wish there is a commentary book on Ecclesiastes just like with the Revelation, Isaiah, and Daniel books. (not that you can find these in the Jw library anymore which is annoying)
Howdy Candace. Yes I’m not surprised that you would like Ecclesiastes. The fact that as a young person your’e here hamming at up with a bunch of people that are mostly 30 and over shows that you like to use the pink stuff between your ears. 🙂 The problem you’ll have in the Org is that not everyone will see your good qualities as something to celebrate but rather to put down. The fact that you are taking on University and full time service at the same time shows an incredible amount of self initiative and resourcefulness and yet for… Read more »
Thanks Enoch. I gave up on Bible Study for a lot of the wrong reasons, but since then I have come to realize I would have in the end regardless. I don’t do well at accepting things at face value so I tend to always do my homework. This is in part due to the fact that I am an adult with Asperger’s. I struggle with understanding people and their motives and have always had a great deal of difficulty relating. Basically I think differently about everything! LOL so I would have never been able to just go along with… Read more »
Howdy Stormie. I have a good friend who has Aspergers and he does alot of bible research that is incredibly detailed and complex. I think the ability to spend long periods of time alone without being lonely makes Aspergers persons very amenable to research and is why many go on to be PHDs if they can manage their condition. The Org can be a hard place for people who walk to the beat of their own drum. People with Bi Polar, Apergers or simply just intense Arty types find the one dimensional speed of the Org hard to relate to.… Read more »
I read and study on my own now. I don’t have any intention of not doing so, I just don’t have people I can discuss it all with. Can definitely see how the Org would be a hard place for someone like me, especially since my main hobby is fantasy/sci-fi writing. I don’t mind being different, been doing it for over forty years now; I simply had too many doubts to stay. One of the things I have always been able to do really easily is spot patterns, or information that just repeats over and over. Having been reading Watchtowers… Read more »
Since the Millerite Adventist movement, Russell and the Watchtower have counted back 70 years from the “absolute” ancient date of 539 BCE for the fall of Jerusalem. But they have mis-understood Jer. 25:11 as being a prophecy about an empty City of Jerusalem, and not what it plainly says: that “these nations” will serve the King of Babylon for 70 years. Daniel gets it right. His first year of exile came in Nebuchadnezzar’s first year of world domination, and continued through to the end of Babylonian world power some 70 years later. Nebuchadnezzar’s troops came against Jerusalem three times. The… Read more »
Russell certainly did a lot of counting, no? From “Thy Kingdom Come – Volume 3 of Studies in the Scriptures” we note: “the time when God’s sanctuary would be cleansed of the defiling errors and principles of Papacy…. We have noted the fulfillment of the 1,260 days, or the time, times, and half a time of Papacy’s power to persecute, and the beginning, in 1799, of the Time of the End. We have seen how 1,290 days marked the beginning of an understanding of the mysteries of prophecy in the year 1829, culminating in the great movement of 1844 known… Read more »
Anonymous. Thanks for a fantastic bit of research. Really appreciated.
Anytime ? Nelson Barbour was a former Millerite and obviously suffered extreme cognitive dissonance when Millers prophecy about 1844 failed. He spent the next 30 years doing holy arithmetic trying to work out what went wrong. To find out how 1843/1844 became 1873/1874 read Jonas Wendells “Present Truth or Meat In Due Season”. It’s not too long and theres a chart which explains the 30 year difference.
https://archive.org/details/PresentTruthByJonasWendell
Also read “Thy Kingdom Come” by CT Russell p.84-90 and you will see what I mean. This really connected the dots for me.
https://archive.org/details/ThyKingdomComeByCharlesTazeRussell
The book which started the rot was “The Three Worlds” written by Nelson Barbour, but co-published with Charles Taze Russell in 1877. Here it is. https://archive.org/details/TheThreeWorlds Read p.189 and there are several wrong conclusions reached. Jerusalem was destroyed in 606 BCE, the seventy years were captivity of Jews in Babylon (it was actually the period of Babylonian domination of all nations ending in 539 BCE as per Jere 25:11,12), a 40 year harvest period from 1874 to 1914 with 1874 being when Christ returned and 1914 being the end of the time of trouble. And all this being attributed to… Read more »
Thanks Meleti, for your review. It’s amazing how one word can change the meaning of an idea, thought and teaching. Note para 6 , they use the word suggest instead they should of used as a suggestion, taught or teached. Under sub heading “IS THERE A MODERN-DAY PARALLEL?” Note how the original teaching is expressed. It says “for many years, this journal “suggested” that God’s modern-day servants entered into Babylonian captivity in 1918 and that they were released from Babylon in 1919. So was it a”suggestion” that it was Taught a teaching. Ok so to suggest means, put forward for… Read more »
Good catch. If the original teaching was just a ‘suggestion’, then I get this one is as well. Maybe we should bring that up as a comment at the meeting. 🙂
haha, well it’s crossed my mind to text the Wt conductor.
Lazarus, I’ve used your “find” in the article’s second version (see above). Thanks again.
That’s Excellent!
Suggestion??? Really??? Sorry dear brothers but this makes our blood boil.
Perhaps we have to ask the elders, especially the WT conductor, if the paragraph or statement is just a suggestion or a doctrine/teaching that needs to be followed – w/o any doubt or question.
What is the criteria then to look if the printed thought is just a suggestion and not a doctrine? 🙂
Hi Meliti. We had to listen to a talk yesterday which told us how much happier we all are because of knowing the truth. I am very happy, because of this site, to have come to know many truths. I am happy that I know certain truths because of JWs. The conflict means real happiness is much harder to find. But I no longer kid myself that simply being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses means I am happy, any more than I feel I am in paradise, simply because someone calls what we have a “Spiritual Paradise”. Thanks though for maintaining… Read more »
Russel and even Rutherford originally taught the the Valley of the Dry bones was a prophesy relating to natural Israel. We still believe this today. Natural Israel has been restored as a nation as the Bible predicts on so many passages. ?
Hi Johnsc11,
By “we still believe this today”, do you mean Jehovah’s Witnesses, or International Bible Students?
Hi – my first post here – hope it’s not too long! And apologies if it does not read too clearly I don’t know how to format it. An eclipse occurred in the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar. Assyriologists consider the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar to be 568 BCE. The eclipse took place on the 4th of July. On the Hebrew calendar that is 9th Tammuz (the 4th month) 3192, if you use Tishri (the 7th month) as the month when the year turns. Alternatively it is 19th Tammuz 3193, if you use Nisan (the 1st month) as the month when… Read more »
Thanks for those comments Meletti. When the brothers give commentary on the Organizations history it becomes to me like a real life version of Animal Farm. The animals rebel against the tyranny of the Humans and by the end the Pigs claim the same authority over the animals and the flock ends up still being oppressed. In one breath we praise Christians all through history for making a stand against leaders in the Church based on a love for God’s word and then the GB and most of the membership criticize this when they see it in their own flock.… Read more »
Meleti this was another great job of pointing out their failings by their own words. As to your last point about Jehovah’s true people being the light. The GB love to use Proverbs 4:18 as to new light or understanding that comes from the GB but that scripture translated correctly backs up your point. From the Apostolic bible “But the ways of the just are likened to light–they radiate. They go before and give light until whenever the day should set up”. Verse 19 is also appropriate. “But the ways of the impious are dark; they do not know how… Read more »