From: todd@palomar.tivoli.com
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Jehovah's Witnesses -- Part 2, Claim to be God's Prophet
Date: 31 Jul 92 02:08:30 GMT
Distribution: talk
Organization: TIVOLI Systems, Inc.

Jehovah's Witnesses -- Part 2, Claim to be God's Prophet

This is Part 2 of several on the Jehovah's Witnesses.  In this part I
will present some facts pertaining to the Witnesses prophetic claims.
Part 3 will be "Jehovah's Witnesses -- Silly Ideas"

**** Warning **** 

This is a long posting, divided into several parts.  Each part begins
with this same paragraph, skip ahead if you have read it before.  This
is a series of postings that I hope will encourage some intelligent
discussion in this newsgroup on the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW).  I am
not a Jehovah's Witness, and I have never been a Jehovah's Witness.  I
believe that many JWs are not completely aware of the facts that are
presented here.  Unfortunately, I don't have access to all of the
primary sources that I will cite.  Although I do have access to a
number of Watch Tower Society publications, many of my citations are
from secondary sources (which cite JW publications). Please let me
know if any of you find my sources unreliable.  I will post a
bibliography of my sources in the future.

**** End of Warning ****

JWs claim to be God's prophet
-----------------------------

The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, states: 

  ... They have at hand the Bible, but it is little read or
  understood.  So does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn
  them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can
  be answered in the affirmative.  Who is the prophet? ... This
  "prophet" was no one man, but was a body of men and women.  It was
  the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that
  time as International Bible Students.  Today they are known as
  Jehovah's Christian witnesses. ... Of course it is easy to say that
  this group acts as a "prophet" of God.  It is another thing to prove
  it.  The only way this can be done is to review the record.

Awake!, June 8, 1986, states:

  ... You will be interested to learn that God has on earth a people,
  all of whom are prophets, or witnesses for God.  In fact, they are
  known throughout the world as Jehovah's Witnesses

Throughout 1980 and for years before the *Watchtower* included this
statement in its masthead:

  A *Watchtower* enables a person to look far into the distance and
  announce to others what is seen.  Likewise, this magazine, published
  by Jehovah's Witnesses, aids the reader to see what the future
  holds. 

Consider Deuteronomy 18:20-22:

  [20] 'However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word
  that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of
  other gods, that prophet must die. [21] And in case you should say
  in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not
  spoken?"  [22] when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and
  the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah
  did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must
  not get frightened at him'

Now consider some of the statements by the "prophet":

[1889] *The Time is at Hand, Studies in Scriptures*, vol. II (1908
edition), p. 98-101:  
  
  True, it is expecting great things to claim, as we do, that within
  the coming twenty-six years all present governments will be
  overthrown and dissolved ... In view of this strong Bible evidence
  concerning the Times of the Gentiles, we consider it an established
  truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full
  establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished at the end
  of A.D. 1914. ... The "battle of the great day of God Almighty"
  (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete
  overthrow of earth's present rulership is already commenced.

[1914] *Pastor Russell's Sermons*, p. 676:

  The present great war in Europe is the beginning of the Armageddon
  of the Scriptures

[1916] *The Time is at Hand*, p. 2:

  The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 1000
  year days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great 7th Day,
  the 1000 years of Christ's Reign, began in 1873.

[1917] *The Finished Mystery, Studies in Scriptures*, vol. VII (1917
edition), p 485:

  ... Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale
  and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that
  escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the
  meaning of the downfall of "Christianity"

[1920] *Millions Now Living Will Never Die*, p. 89

  ... They are to be resurrected as perfect men and constitute the
  princes or rulers in the earth. ...  Therefore we may confidently
  expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and
  the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the
  Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection. ...
  1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and
  the beginning of reconstruction ...

[1922] *The Watchtower*, Sept. 1, 1922, p. 262:

  The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures
  than 1914.

[1923] *The Watchtower*, April 1, 1923, p. 106

  Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures.
  As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his
  faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge.

[1925] *The Watchtower*, Jan 1, 1925, p. 106

  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 this year.  This may be accomplished.  It may not be.  In his
  own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people.
  Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may
  transpire this year

[Sept. 1925] *The Watchtower*, Sept. 1, p. 262

  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 to the work

[1926] *The Watchtower*, 1926, p. 232

  Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did
  not so state.

[1931] *Vindication*, p. 338

  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 ... and they also learned to
  quit fixing dates.

[1938] *The Watchtower*, Feb 15, 1938, p. 54

  They had preached that in an early time God would overthrow
  "Christendom" [Note: this is the Witnesses' term for other Christian
  churches, and in particular the Catholic church.  The Witnesses
  believe that they are the ONE true religion].  Many had emphasized
  the year 1925 as the date, and then when that date did not
  materialize the date was moved up to 19223.  Again, 1932 came and
  "Christendom" was not destroyed, and now it was discovered that
  "Christendom" would be spared for a while longer ...

[1941] *The Watchtower*, Sept 15, 1941, p. 288

  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 

[1966] *Life Everlasting -- in Freedom of the Sons of God*, pp 29, 30,
70-71:

  ... 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. ... It would not be by mere chance or accident but would be
  according top the loving purpose of Jehovah God for the reign of
  Jesus Christ, the "Lord of the Sabbath," to run parallel with the
  seventh millennium of man's existence

[1968] *Our Kingdom Ministry*, Feb, 1968

  Less than a hundred months separate us from the end of 6000 years of
  man's history. What can YOU do in that time?

[1968] *The Watchtower*, Aug 8, 1968

  Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will
  be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for
  thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then?  Possibly, but we
  wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year period of man's
  existence coincides with the sabbathlike thousand-year reign of
  Christ. ... It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not
  years. 

[1968] *The Watchtower*, Aug 15, 1968

  This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus [then
  follows Matt. 24:26 which states "Concerning that day and hour
  nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but
  only the Father"] To the contrary, it is a time when one should be
  keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming
  to its violent end.

[1974] *Kingdom Ministry*, May 1974, p. 3

  Yes, the end of this system is so very near!  Is this 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.
  ... 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 pioneer service. [Note: Pioneer service is the door-to-door
  witnessing that JWs are known for] Certainly this is a fine way to
  spend the sort time remaining before the wicked world's end.

[1974] Statements by Dutch branch overseer to assembly in 1974

  ... There will be a very special Service Meeting in the week of 8
  Sept, 1975. Invite everybody. ... Well, sell your house, sell
  everything you own and say oh boy, how long can I carry on with my
  private means. ...

[1975] Statements by Franz, the president of the WT Society stated
before a large audience in Toronto that he and his associates were
"looking forward confidently" to what the autumn would bring.

[1976] Statements by Franz, to a similar audience in Toronto said:

  Do you know why nothing happened in 1975?  [Then pointing at the
  audience he shouted] It was because *you* expected something to
  happen

An argument was developed by the Witnesses to save their chronology.
The end of the 6000 years of human history should was delayed because
it should have been measured from the creation of Eve, not the
creation of Adam.  Franz claimed that no one really knew when that took
place.  This contradicts the following statement made in *The
Watchtower*, May 1, 1968, p. 271:

  To calculate where man is in the stream of time relative to God's
  seventh day of 7000 years, we need to determine how long a time has
  elapsed from the year of Adam and Eve's creation in 4026 B.C.

and *Awake!*, Oct 8, 1968, p. 14 further stated:

  According to reliable Bible chronology Adam and Eve were created in
  4026 B.C.

I will present more interesting facts about the Witnesses in Part 3.

--

Todd
-- 
Todd Smith                                     TIVOLI Systems, Inc.
todd@tivoli.com                                6034 West Courtyard Dr.
                                               Suite 210
(512) 794-9070 [794-0623 fax]                  Austin, TX   78730
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