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Jehovah's Witnesses
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Opposition
The eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses is central to their religious beliefs. They believe that Jesus Christ has been ruling in heaven as king since 1914 (a date they believe was prophesied in Scripture), and that after that time a period of cleansing occurred, resulting in God's selection of the Bible Students associated with Charles Taze Russell to be his people in 1919. They also believe the destruction of those who reject their message and thus willfully refuse to obey God[1][2] will shortly take place at Armageddon, ensuring that the beginning of the new earthly society will be composed of willing subjects of that kingdom. The religion's doctrines surrounding 1914 are the legacy of a series of emphatic claims regarding the years 1799,[3] 1874, 1878, 1914,[4] 1918[5] and 1925[6] made in the Watch Tower Society's publications between 1879 and 1924. Claims about the significance of those years, including the presence of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the "last days", the destruction of worldly governments and the earthly resurrection of Jewish patriarchs, were successively abandoned. In 1922 the society's principal journal, Watch Tower, described its chronology as "no stronger than its weakest link", but also claimed the chronological relationships to be "of divine origin and divinely corroborated...in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct"[7] and "indisputable facts", while repudiation of Russell's teachings was described as "equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord".[8] The Watch Tower Society has stated that its early leaders promoted "incomplete, even inaccurate concepts".[9] The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses says that, unlike Old Testament prophets, its interpretations of the Bible are not inspired or infallible.[10] Witness publications say that Bible prophecies can be fully understood only after their fulfillment, citing examples of biblical figures who did not understand the meaning of prophecies they received. Watch Tower publications often cite Proverbs 4:18, "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established" (NWT) to support their view that there would be an increase in knowledge during "the time of the end", as mentioned in Daniel 12:4. Jehovah's Witnesses state that this increase in knowledge needs adjustments. Watch Tower publications also say that unfulfilled expectations are partly due to eagerness for God's Kingdom and that they do not call their core beliefs into question.[11][12][13]
Current beliefs
Jehovah's Witnesses teach the imminent end of the current world society, or "system of things" by God's judgment, leading to deliverance for the saved. This judgment will begin with false religion, which they identify as the "harlot", Babylon the Great,[14][15] referred to in the Book of Revelation. They apply this designation to all other religions. They do not currently place their expectations on any specific date, but believe that various events will lead up to the end of this "system of things", culminating in Armageddon. Armageddon is understood to include the destruction of all earthly governments by God. After Armageddon, God will extend his heavenly kingdom to include earth.[16][17] They believe that after Armageddon, based on scriptures such as John 5:28, 29, the dead will gradually be resurrected to a "day of judgment" lasting for a thousand years.[18] This judgment will be based on their actions after resurrection, not on past deeds.[19] At the end of the thousand years a final test will take place when Satan is brought back to mislead perfect mankind.[20] The end result will be a fully tested, glorified human race.[21]
Judgment of religion
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that in 1918, Christ judged all world religions claiming to be Christian,[39] and that after a period of eighteen months, among all groups and religions claiming to represent Christ,[40] only the "Bible Students" (from which Jehovah's Witnesses developed) met God's approval.[41] Watch Tower Society publications claim that the world's other religions have misrepresented God, and filled the world with hatred.[42] They identify "Babylon The Great" and the "mother of the harlots" referred to in Revelation 17:3-6 as the "world empire of false religion"[43][44] During the final great tribulation, all other religions will be destroyed by "crazed" member governments of the United Nations, acting under the direction of Jehovah.[45][46] Witness publications identify the United Nations as the "beast" to whom the "ten kings" of Revelation 17:12,13 give their "power and authority."[47]
History of eschatology
Watch Tower Society eschatalogical teachings are based on the earliest writings of Charles Taze Russell, but have undergone significant changes since then. Many of the changes reflect altered views on the significance of the dates 1874, 1914, 1918, and 1925.
Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses identified the autumn of 1881 as the end of the "Harvest" and the likely time for the translation of the Church to heaven. Russell split from Barbour over doctrinal differences and began publishing Zion's Watch Tower in July 1879.
The monument erected by the Watch Tower Society at C.T. Russell's grave in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania modeled after the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Russell's interpretations of the Great Pyramid were supported by the writings of John and Morton Edgar who were prominent members of his movement.[63][64] Russell had first stated that 1874 was derived from a measurement of 3416 pyramid inches,[65] but the measurement was revised in the 1910 edition to 3,457 inches (87.8m) to point to 1915.[66] The Edgars claimed that the revision in measurement and change in date was a result of errors made by Smyth.[67] In the early 1920s, the significance of the pyramidological predictions for 1914 were re-interpreted to mean that "the old evil order began to pass away Early Watch Tower publications cited "the testimony of the Great Pyramid" for expectations in 1914." In 1924, an issue of Golden Age referred to the Great for 1910 and 1914. Pyramid as "the Scientific Bible" and added that measurements on the Grand Gallery inside the Great Pyramid confirmed the dates 1874, 1914 and 1925. Similarly, the 1924 publication The Way to Paradise refers to the Great Pyramid as "the Bible in Stone" and concludes: It is quite probable that Shem, son of Noah, a faithful servant of God, was in charge of its construction. In it have been discovered some of the deepest secrets of geometrical, geographical, astronomical, and mathematical science. The pyramid also outlines in its own peculiar way the same plan of God that we find in the Bible, and it dated beforehand some of the most notable events that have occurred in the history of mankind. It gives the date of the exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, and the date of birth and death of
Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses Jesus. It gives the date of the French revolution as 1789, and the great World War as 1914, besides many more. It was built over five hundred years before Moses wrote any part of the Bible. It is so far in advance of the wisdom of that day that no man could have been the architect. Its harmony with the Bible teachings prove that God designed it.[68] In 1928, the belief that the Great Pyramid contained a prophetic blueprint of biblical chronology was rejected, and the Pyramid was seen as built "under the direction of Satan the Devil."[69][70]
In 1889, Charles Taze Russell published his interpretation of eschatology and chronology based on the idea of parallel "dispensations".
In 1911 Russell wrote that October 1914 would witness the "full end" of Babylon, or nominal Christianity, "utterly destroyed as a system".[77] At first, the hopes for 1914 were stretched to "near the end of A.D. 1915."[78] A few months before his death in October 1916, Russell wrote: "We believe that the dates have proven to be quite right. We believe that Gentile Times have ended. ... The Lord did not say that the Church would all be glorified by 1914. We merely inferred it, and, evidently, erred." He interpreted the war in Europe to be the first of three phases of Armageddon[79] and the destruction of Christendom as represented in the European monarchies ruling by Divine RightWikipedia:No original research to take place in 1918. Following Russell's lead, the book The Finished Mystery[80] emphasized events for 1918. The destruction of the churches of Christendom and the deaths of "church members by the millions" was expected in 1918.[81][82] The Finished Mystery proposed the spring of 1918 for the glorification of the Church[83] and suggested that it may occur on the day of Passover in that year. First printings of The Finished Mystery predicted the end of the World War "some time about October 1, 1917," but this was changed in subsequent editions. It also predicted the destruction of
Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses counseled in 1943: "It is better and wiser for those of the Lord's 'other sheep' who hope to survive Armageddon and be given the divine mandate to fill the earth with a righteous offspring to defer matters until after the tribulation and destruction of Armageddon is past."[109] This view was discarded in 1950.
Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses "considerable expectation" for 1975, with subsequent statements "that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility." The article added, "It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated".[121] Baptism statistics compared with the number of those reporting preaching for 1976-1980 showed that many became inactive during that period.[122]
1995present
After the passing of 1975, the Watch Tower Society continued to emphasize the teaching that God would execute his judgment on humankind before the generation of people who had witnessed the events of 1914 had all died.[123][124] This teaching was based on an interpretation of Matthew 24:34 ("Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur"), with the term "a generation" said to refer "beyond question" to a generation living in a given period. The term had been used with regard to the nearness of Armageddon from the 1940s, when the view was that "a generation" covered a period of about 30 to 40 years. As the 40-year deadline passed without Armageddon occurring, the definition of "a generation" underwent a series of changes: in 1952 it was said for the first time to mean an entire lifetime, possibly 80 years or more; in 1968 it was applied to those who had been at least 15 years old in 1914, who were considered to be "old enough to witness with understanding what took place when the 'last days' began" (italics theirs). In 1980 the starting date for that "generation" was brought into the 20th century when the term was applied to those who had been born in 1904 and therefore aged 10 and able simply "to observe" when World War I had begun. The Watchtower commented: "The fact that their number is dwindling is one more indication that "the conclusion of the system of things" is moving fast toward its end." From 1982 to 1995, the inside cover of Awake! magazine included, in its mission statement, a reference to the "generation of 1914", alluding to "the Creator's promise ... of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away." In 1985, Witnesses were reminded: "The 1914 generation is well into the evening of its existence, thus allowing only little time for this prophecy yet to be fulfilled.".[125]
Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses Former Governing Body member Raymond Franz claimed members of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses debated replacing the doctrine with a markedly different interpretation and that in 1980 Albert Schroeder, Karl Klein and Grant Suiter proposed moving the beginning of the "generation" to the year 1957, to coincide with the year Sputnik was launched. He said the proposal was rejected by the rest of the Governing Body.[126] Despite its earlier description as being "beyond question", the "generation of 1914" teaching was discarded in 1995. Rather than a literal lifespan of 70 to 80 years, the definition of "generation" was changed to "contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics," without reference to any specific amount of time.[127] This class of people was described as "the peoples of earth who see the sign of Christ's presence but fail to mend their ways".[128] Mention of 1914 was dropped from Awake! magazine's mission statement as of November 8, 1995. The Watchtower insisted, however, that Armageddon was still imminent, asking: "Does our more precise viewpoint on 'this generation' mean that Armageddon is further away than we had thought? Not at all!" In 2008 the "generation" teaching was again altered, and the term was used to refer to the "anointed" believers, some of whom would still be alive on earth when the great tribulation begins.[129] This was a return to a belief previously held between 1927 [130] and 1950 when the teaching of the "generation of 1914" not passing away was adopted.[131] In 2010, the teaching of the "generation" was modified again, to refer to a new generation of "anointed" whose lives "overlap" with "the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914."
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Controversy
Fall of Jerusalem
Jehovah's Witnesses assert that Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 607 BC and completely uninhabited for exactly seventy years. This date is critical to their selection of October 1914 for the arrival of Christ in kingly power2520 years after October 607 BC.[132] Non-Witness scholars do not support 607 BC for the event; most scholars date the destruction of Jerusalem to within a year of 587 BC, twenty years later.[133] Jehovah's Witnesses believe that periods of seventy years mentioned in the books of Jeremiah and Daniel refer to the Babylonian exile of Jews. They also believe that the gathering of Jews in Jerusalem, shortly after their return from Babylon, officially ended the exile in Jewish month of Tishrei (Ezra 3:1). According to the Watch Tower Society, October 607 BC is derived by counting back seventy years from Tishrei of 537 BC, based on their belief that Cyrus' decree to release the Jews during his first regnal year "may have been made in late 538 B.C. or before March 45, 537 B.C."[134] Non-Witness sources assign the return to either 538 BC or 537 BC.[135][136][137] In The Gentile Times Reconsidered: Chronology & Christ's Return, Carl O. Jonsson, a former Witness, presents eighteen lines of evidence to support the traditional view of neo-Babylonian chronology. He accuses the Watch Tower Society of deliberately misquoting sources in an effort to bolster their position.[138] The Watch Tower Society claims that biblical chronology is not always compatible with secular sources, and that the Bible is superior. It claims that secular historians make conclusions about 587 BC based on incorrect or inconsistent historical records, but accepts those sources that identify Cyrus' capture of Babylon in 539 BC, claiming it has no evidence of being inconsistent and hence can be used as a pivotal date.[139][140] Rolf Furuli, a Jehovah's Witness and a lecturer in Semitic languages, presents a study of 607 BC in support of the Witnesses' conclusions in Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Persian Chronology Compared with the Chronology of the Bible, Volume 1: Persian Chronology and the Length of the Babylonian Exile of the Jews.[141] Lester L. Grabbe, professor of theology at the University of Hull, said of Furuli's study: "Once again we have an amateur who wants to rewrite scholarship. ... F. shows little evidence of having put his theories to the test with specialists in Mesopotamian astronomy and Persian history."[142]
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References
[1] You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, p. 155. [2] RevelationIts Grand Climax at Hand!, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, p. 6. [3] The Watchtower, March 1, 1922, page 73, "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the 'time of the end' began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874." [4] The Watchtower, July 15, 1894, p. 1677 (http:/ / www. mostholyfaith. com/ bible/ Reprints/ Z1894JUL. asp#R1677): "We see no reason for changing the figuresnor could we change them if we would. They 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." [5] September 1, 1916 The Watchtower, pages 264-265 (http:/ / www. mostholyfaith. com/ bible/ Reprints/ Z1916SEP. asp#Z264:2) [6] Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, page 97, "Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die." [7] "The Strong Cable of Chronology", Watch Tower, July 15, 1922, page 217, "The chronology of present truth is, to begin with, a string of dates... Thus far it is a chain, and no stronger than its weakest link. There exist, however, well established relationships among the dates of present-truth chronology. These internal connections of the dates impart a much greater strength than can be found in other [secular, archeological] chronologies. Some of them are of so remarkable a character as clearly to indicate that 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." [8] The Watchtower, May 1, 1922, page 132, "To abandon or repudiate the Lord's chosen instrument means to abandon or repudiate the Lord himself, upon the principle that he who rejects the servant sent by the Master thereby rejects the Master. ... Brother Russell was the Lord's servant. Then to repudiate him and his work is equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord, upon the principle heretofore announced." [9] Jehovah's WitnessesProclaimers of God's Kingdom (Watch Tower Society, 1993), chapter 10. [10] Revelation It's Grand Climax, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, page 9. [11] Why have there been changes over the years in the teachings of Jehovahs Witnesses?,"Jehovah's Witnesses", Reasoning From the Scriptures, 1989, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, page 205 [12] "Allow No Place for the Devil!", The Watchtower, March 15, 1986, page 19 [13] "Keep in Step With Jehovahs Organization", Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 18. [14] RevelationIts Grand Climax at Hand 1988, pages 235-236 pars. 2-3 "Judging the Infamous Harlot", Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania [15] RevelationIts Grand Climax at Hand, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, pp. 205-206. [16] The Watchtower, September 1, 1959, pp. 530-531 par. 15. [17] ArmageddonA Happy Beginning Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site (http:/ / www. watchtower. org/ e/ 20051201/ article_02. htm) [18] The Watchtower, May 15, 2006, p 6. [19] Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988,p. 788. [20] The Watchtower, May 1, 2005, p. 20. [21] The Watchtower, August 15, 2006, p. 31 [22] The Watchtower, February 1, 1996, p6. [23] Pay Attention to Daniel's Prophecy!, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1999, p. 62. [24] "Jesus' Coming or Jesus' PresenceWhich?", The Watchtower, August 15, 1996, p. 12. [25] All Scripture is Inspired of God, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1990, pp. 278-284 [26] "Why do Jehovah's Witnesses say that God's Kingdom was established in 1914?", Reasoning From the Scriptures, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, p. 95-96. [27] What Does the Bible Really Teach?, page 216, Watchtower Bible & Tract Society [28] "Let Your Kingdom Come", Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1981, pp. 186-189 Appendix to Chapter 14. [29] What Does The Bible Really Teach?, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 2005, pp. 217-218. [30] "Let Your Kingdom Come", Appendix, page 187: "Business tablets: Thousands of contemporary Neo-Babylonian cuneiform tablets have been found that record simple business transactions, stating the year of the Babylonian king when the transaction occurred. Tablets of this sort have been found for all the years of reign for the known Neo-Babylonian kings in the accepted chronology of the period.", Watchtower Bible & Tract Society [31] The Watchtower, 15 January 2004, p. 16 [32] Pay Attention to Daniel's Prophecy!, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2006, pp. 94,95. [33] "Do You Recognize the Sign of Jesus' Presence?", Watchtower Society website. (http:/ / www. watchtower. org/ e/ 20051001/ article_02. htm) [34] The Watchtower, October 15, 2000, p11. [35] Awake!, October 22, 1993, p. 11. [36] The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1981, pg 86.
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Bibliography
Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses by M. James Penton, professor emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Lethbridge and former Jehovah's Witness ISBN 978-0-8020-7973-2
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License
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