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I just found this quote while doing some online research:

"Shortly, within our twentieth century, the "battle in the day if Jehovah" will begin against modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom."
(The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah,1971, pg 216)

How do Jehovah's Witnesses today interpret this prophecy?

2007-08-09 11:38:51 · 13 answers · asked by jethrojimbob 2 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

Wow, so many answers that really aren't!

To "Seasoned": Although you did not answer the question, you did say something interesting, namely that you are "proud to belong to an organization that has the guts to admit when they are wrong." My reply is 1) the calendar proved the Watchtower wrong. The organization was forced to admit the obvious... nothing noble about that. 2) How could God's one and only true organization be so wrong so many times?

2007-08-10 19:25:54 · update #1

To Hannah: If this isn't a prophecy/prediction/foretelling of a future event, could you please give me an example of what one might sound like? I'm dumbfounded by your inability to admit the obvious!

2007-08-14 20:20:15 · update #2

13 answers

remember how we had to learn from these publications? They were our revered instruction.. each paragraph to be followed along by reading quoted bible scriptures and underlining key passages. let's not forget question and answer at the Kingdom Hall.

now they're just a product of wishful thinking and failure of imagination on the author's part, according to the JW poster above.

i'm about to throw up. For this my husband's family won't talk to us?

Edit: to current JWs, I'd recommend not taking any of your beliefs too seriously as they're subject to change at any time.

2007-08-09 15:00:36 · answer #1 · answered by PediC 5 · 5 3

I'm sure you know that Jehovah's Witnesses have never claimed to be infallible prophets. And our understanding of the Scriptures should always be growing and progressing.

I always find it amusing when people try to inform Jehovah's Witnesses about "deep, dark secrets of their past." What self-respecting Witness doesn't know the history of the modern-day organization? There was a book released (I think it was in '93) called "Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom." It details the history of the organization all the way up until present day. And every Kingdom Hall has a library containing older Watchtowers and books. So the old beliefs that have since been abandoned are on full display, not hidden.

Let me ask you this: Would you rather be around someone who, when wrong, will never admit it? When someone is wrong and they stubbornly hang on to their false assumptions, does that make you respect them more or assume that they must be right?

Personally, I am proud to belong to an organization that has the guts to admit when they are wrong. That has the guts to change their beliefs despite ridicule from the outside, despite the fact that they may lose some followers because the new information is unpopular. Being right is better than being popular.

2007-08-10 13:18:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2 2

The quotation above PROVES beyond the shadow of a doubt that they did.


Hannah Paul asked "How did JW's interpret this prophecy", but she never answered the question.

So I'll ask it again: What did JW's interpret it to mean? And what did the writer have in mind, when he wrote it?

To get a "clearer understanding" of it, all a JW would need to do is to explain what it meant, not give a long drawn-out answer about the meaning of the word "prophecy'. (By the way, a 'prophecy' is a prediction of a future event issued by one who claims to speak as God's representative---does the shoe fit?)

Rationalization: The process of constructing a logical justification for something that was originally arrived at through a different mental process.

Edited


EARTH to Hannah J Paul:

Are you there? The book said "within our 20th century, the battle (meaning Armageddon)..WILL BEGIN. If the Watchtower is a reliable guide, could they have made it any plainer?

I still have my book with the "key points" underlined. Everyone there - including myself - understood exactly what that meant-----and so do you.

Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

To Pedi

You are SO right. We scrupulously studied our "lessons" and ate up every word of "nourishing spiritual food" from the "slave". We gave these answers and never doubted what we THOUGHT was direction from Jehovah. We were such arrogant fools! Trusting, blinded, and deceived.

jethrojimbob....

Your reply to "Seasoned with Salt" about the calender was great! I constantly wonder why they think that they're being humble by "admitting we were wrong" when they have no other choice because the prophecy failed, and they were proven wrong.

2007-08-10 01:32:04 · answer #3 · answered by steervase 2 · 4 2

I want to say this to Vickie N: okay first of all Jehovah's Witnesses are not off the track! How should I know because I'm a Jehovah's Witness myself! I read the bible and attend meetings 4 times a week. I have all the evidence that Jehovah is the all mighty god. People in this world right now are doing imorality <--- that will NOT get you in heaven. Plus, only the chosen remnants one will join Jesus in heaven, not all of us. People who continue to serve Jehovah is promised to be in Paradise. Therefore, I have to disagree with you. :/ All the Bibles thousands of years ago, were in different language, such as Greek and Hebrew, People this days have the knowledge of translating to english. Jehovah's name was mentioned in Bible a lot of times, as "Yahweh" in hebrew meaning Jehovah God.

2016-05-18 02:21:50 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0 0

Attention Hot -

What a double speak and message you bring to this question.

Here:

1. Jehovah's Witnesses have never pretended that they are infallible or inspired. Jehovah's Witnesses have never pretended that they experience miraculous messages from God or Christ.
=
What exactly does prophet mean (in a limited sense)?
____________________>>>>___________________>>>>

2. For more than a century, Jehovah's Witnesses have always presented their suppositions as the result of sincere bible research, rather than as "predictions" or "prophesying".
=
Pure unadultrated lie herein this line.
____________________>>>>___________________>>>>

3. Interestingly, however, even those Christians who did enjoy direct communication from heaven at times came to wrong conclusions; these wrong conclusions were even communicated "out among the brothers"!
=
So you are saying there are those who do have "direct communication"?
Unlike your line(#1) above saying this is not so??
____________________>>>>___________________>>>>


4. For example, the apostle Peter enjoyed remarkable privileges in the early congregation, but it seems that he was the source of an incorrect teaching about the apostle John that was not formally corrected until several DECADES had passed, and John himself finally wrote his gospel about 98 C.E.

What???? Without something here such as supporting evidence!!
____________________>>>>___________________>>>>

5. Jehovah's Witnesses apply the term "prophet" only in a very limited sense to themselves as a religion, not to individuals.
=
So this means that the WTB&TS is the "prophet"?
____________________>>>>___________________>>>>

6. Their self-description as a "prophet" (in this limited sense) does not indicate special inspired knowledge or foreknowledge, ....
=
Who self describes - oh scribe - Not the JWs certainly but seems the WTB&TS does.
____________________>>>>___________________>>>>

Trash and more trash.

Here is some mark of false religion may perhaps a person may see and get out of what you pretend is truth.

Modus Operandi of a false religion

They intimidate with an attitude of “we know it all”.
Very learned, have studied for many years and others can tell them nothing.
Clever, manipulative speakers.
Manipulate others with their theology.
Manipulate others from out of the position of their leadership.
Manipulate others with spiritual knowledge, experiences and over spirituality.
Confusion (delusion, misleading).
Legalistic and conservative.
Goes to cell-meetings.
Practices “counsel” hopping.
Talkative.
Humiliates, and runs down others, “cuts” with the Word.
Accuses with the purpose to hurt.
Puts the leader or speaker in a bad light.
Rage and fury.
“We are the men, and women must listen what we say” or vice versa.
Manipulates with money.
Sex, and as soon as desires are fulfilled, feelings of guilt.
They always hear from the Lord.
Praying incessantly and stays before the Lord.

2007-08-09 15:38:20 · answer #5 · answered by troll to troll 7 · 3 3

"The phrase "the end" has to be clarified first. What end is he referring to?"

"If he is referring to the "end of this system of things, where satan rules (1John 5:19), then - No! True JWs adhere and strongly believes in everything that is in God's word, the Bible. There is no Bible verse that identifies any particular date pointing to the "end of this system of things" . Matthew 24:36 states that it is only Jehovah God who knows the "day of judgment, which the bible calls as armageddon"

"But there were signs of the "end of this system of things" said by Jesus to his apostles which can be read in the bible in the book of Matthew chapter 24. Please read this."

You may also want to read Revelation 16:14-16 which says about Armageddon - Jehovah's day of judgment.

Please note that the only site you can trust to belong to True Jehovah's Witnesses is this one - www.watchtower.org. If the article did not come from this site, then it is not a statement from JWs. (Matthew 24:45-47 - the faithful and discreet slave of Jesus Christ feeds Jehovah's servants the right spiritual food at the right time).

As to the interpretation of your quoted prophecy, please discuss this with one of my brothers & sisters that may come and knock to your door one of this days.

Thank you for seeking the truth, because "the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32) .

2007-08-10 16:17:26 · answer #6 · answered by einards4mom 1 · 2 2

No. Jehovah's Witnesses did not "predict" the end by the year 2000. How do Witnesses interpret this prophecy, you ask? Well, how exactly is the term "prophecy" defined? That will help us get a clearer understanding of this issue when it arises - as it so often does.

What means this word prophecy? According to the King James Version New Testament Greek Lexicon, it means this: "To prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict ; to prophesy with the idea of foretelling future events pertaining esp. to the kingdom of God to utter forth, declare, a thing which can only be known by divine revelation to break forth under sudden impulse in lofty discourse or praise of the divine counsels; under like prompting, to TEACH, REFUTE, REPROVE, ADMONISH [emphasis mine], comfort others to act as a prophet, discharge the prophetic office."

Yes, prophecy is an inspired message, a revelation of the divine will and purpose. Prophecy may be, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, a prediction of something to come. It is also an inspired moral teaching or an expression of a divine command or judgment. That being so, as Heiss mentioned, prophets can be such in a limited sense.

The Bible gives examples of different facets of a prophetic office: Thus we read at 1 Kings 12:22-24 in the NIV: "But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 'This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.'" So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered." There is no foretelling of events here; there is merely delivering to the people the word of the true God. This is an example of a limited exercise of prophecy.

In the person of Moses we find both: Exodus 7:1-2: "And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land." Patently, Moses served as a foreteller of events in connection with Egypt. But he served even more impressively as a spokesman for God, delivering the law covenant to the nation of Israel.

What about in the first century in connection with Christians? Luke 22:63-64: "And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?" King James Version

Exactly what were the religious leaders asking Jesus to do – predict the future? Hardly. Having blindfolded him before hitting him in a cowardly fashion, they now demanded that Christ reveal to them by divine revelation the identity of those who had just struck him.

To arbitrarily narrow the definition of prophecy to mean the foretelling of events is an unnecessary and unscriptural restriction of the meaning. It is particularly disingenuous when it is done for the sole purpose of attempting to discredit Jehovah's Christian Witnesses. As the above Lexicon makes clear, the office encompasses much more than that.

Hannah J Paul

2007-08-10 00:31:09 · answer #7 · answered by Hannah J Paul 7 · 2 1

no. and 1914 they refer too as the Begining of the end. Then there'll be war's , natural disaster's, sickness and such as the world has never seen.
Close as they can come to a time is when the world has been ruined by man.
Then the end will come.

2007-08-09 11:54:16 · answer #8 · answered by ball 3 · 2 3

Yes, many times referenced among the membership was that 1975 was thought of as the end so to speak.

This was not discouraged by the WB&TS which stands for Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. (Note it is on printed material after which the leaders of the JWs name their self and not YHWH. This is their money maker "publishing".)

Matter of fact many JWs were so sold on the idea they sold off properties and did not send their children to higher education and so forth.

The attitude was "Why bother"?

A little saying going around then was "Stay alive til '75".

This has been done over and over by the the Millenarianist WB&TS.

2007-08-09 15:17:08 · answer #9 · answered by ander 4 · 5 4

If the quote is accurate, it seems to have been wishful thinking (and perhaps a failure of imagination) rather than prophesying.

Jehovah's Witnesses have never pretended that they are infallible or inspired. Jehovah's Witnesses have never pretended that they experience miraculous messages from God or Christ. For more than a century, Jehovah's Witnesses have always presented their suppositions as the result of sincere bible research, rather than as "predictions" or "prophesying".

Interestingly, however, even those Christians who did enjoy direct communication from heaven at times came to wrong conclusions; these wrong conclusions were even communicated "out among the brothers"!

For example, the apostle Peter enjoyed remarkable privileges in the early congregation, but it seems that he was the source of an incorrect teaching about the apostle John that was not formally corrected until several DECADES had passed, and John himself finally wrote his gospel about 98 C.E.

(John 21:21-23) Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, what will this man do [that is, the apostle John]?” Jesus said to him: “If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you? You continue following me.” In consequence, this saying went out among the brothers, that [the apostle John] would not die. However, Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but: “If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you?”


Jehovah's Witnesses apply the term "prophet" only in a very limited sense to themselves as a religion, not to individuals. The Scriptures indicate that whenever Jehovah purposes to execute judgment upon a people, he always makes arrangement for a 'prophet's work' as a warning. Their self-description as a "prophet" (in this limited sense) does not indicate special inspired knowledge or foreknowledge, but their willingness to perform Christ's assigned warning work in our day leading up to Armageddon.

What group is working harder than Jehovah's Witnesses to preach God's message globally (as Noah did before the Deluge)?

(Amos 3:7) For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets.

(2 Peter 2:5) Noah, a preacher of righteousness...

(Matthew 24:14) And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.


Learn more:
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/20000622/
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/19990715/article_02.htm

2007-08-09 14:31:01 · answer #10 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 2 5

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