209 lines
9.4 KiB
Plaintext
209 lines
9.4 KiB
Plaintext
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AWAKEN Issue #33
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1874 - WHAT THE WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
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HAD TO SAY ABOUT WHAT WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAPPENED THEN.
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This issue will comprise mainly of quotes from Watch Tower publications.
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Present day Jehovah's Witnesses are unlikely to be aware of any of this
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material. Why ? The Watch Tower had changed it's theology and does not
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bother to let it's followers know facts about the past especially since
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the present theology is totally contradictory to what was promoted in the
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past. Both sets of incompatible conjectures were promoted as being found
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and proven in Scriptures. Prior to 1943 if a follower of the Watch Tower
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questioned any of the Watch Tower's teaching about 1874, that person
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risked getting kicked out of the group thus risked being shunned by
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his/her family and any friends who followed the Watch Tower. After 1943
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the teaching regarding 1874 was totally changed by the Watch Tower.
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Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 3, Thy Kingdom Come, first published in
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1891, from page 234 :
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"...a most reasonable inference...that in the spring of 1878 all the
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holy apostles and other 'overcomers' of the Gospel age who slept in
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in Jesus were raised spirit beings"
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Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 4, The Battle Of Armageddon, first
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published in 1987, from page :
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"Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October
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1874 A.D.... and the inaugural of his kingly office dates from
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April 1878, A.D."
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Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 7, The Finished Mystery, first published
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in 1917, from page 58 :
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"The Laodicean period of the Church extends from the fall of 1874
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to the spring of 1918, three and one-half years of preparation,
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and forty years of harvest."
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Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 7, The Finished Mystery, from page 60 :
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"Fall 1874 A.D. Second Advent of the Lord"
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Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 7, The Finished Mystery, from page 64 :
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"the beginning of the Times of Restitution, A.D. 1874"
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Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 7, The Finished Mystery, from page 301 :
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"...six thousand years of evil which ended in 1874."
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Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 7, The Finished Mystery, from page 386 :
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"The Millenium began in 1874, with the return of Christ"
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Creation, first published in 1927, from page 289 in early editions and
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page 310 from later editions :
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"The second coming of the Lord therefore began in 1874"
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Creation, from page 291 in early editions and page 312 from later
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editions :
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"...the clergy would not understand these times and seasons,
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because they form a part of Satan's organization"
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Creation, from page 291 in early editions and page 312 from later
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editions :
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"To understand the events concerning the Lord's second presence
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from 1874 to 1914 requires one to be spiritually minded; and the
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clergy are not spiritually minded"
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Prophecy, first published in 1929, from page 65 :
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"The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of the Lord
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Jesus Christ began in 1874 A.D."
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Watchtower, Oct 1890, from page 1243 :
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"...the Scriptural declaration that the Millenium of peace and
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blessing would be introduced by forty years of trouble, beginning
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slightly in 1874 and increasing until social chaos should prevail
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in 1914"
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Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1892, from page :
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"The date of the close of that 'battle' is definitely marked
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in Scripture as October, 1914. It is already in progress, its
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beginnings dating from October, 1874"
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Watchtower, Dec. 01, 1916, from page 5998 :
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"Pastor Russell...believed and taught that we are living in the
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time of the second presence of our Lord, and that his presence
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dates from 1874"
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Watchtower, Sept. 15, 1922, from page 278 :
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"No one can properly understand the work of God at this time
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who does not realize that since 1874, the time of the Lord's
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return to power, there has been a complete change in God's
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operations"
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Watchtower, Mar. 01, 1923, from page 67 :
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"The Scripture show that the second presence was due in
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1874...This proof shows that the Lord has been present since 1874"
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Watchtower, Jan. 01, 1924, from page 5 :
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"Surely there not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of
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a truely consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present
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and has been since 1874"
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The Watch Tower maintained that Jesus's second coming occured in 1874.
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This was in effect until 1943 when the new book "The Truth Shall Make
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You Free" was published. From then on the theology and chronology as
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presented by the Watch Tower changed and it's followers were expected
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to again NEVER question what the Watch Tower was teaching.
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The Truth Shall Make You Free, first published in 1943, from page 152 :
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"From Adam's creation to the end of 1943 A.D. is 5971 years.
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We are therefore near the end of six thousand years of human
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history"
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God's Kingdom Of A Thousand Years Has Approached, first published
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in 1973, from pages 209-210 :
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"In the year 1943...published the book The Truth Shall Make You
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Free...This moved forward the end of six thousand years of man's
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existance into the decade of the 1970's. Naturally this did away
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with the year 1874 C.E. as the date of the return of the Lord
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Jesus Christ"
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This is a perfect example of why I wonder how anyone can trust any
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chronology as presented by the Watch Tower. Scripture was said to
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show that the second presence BEGAN in 1874. The Millenium also
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began in 1874, with the return of Christ. The Watch Tower stated
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that the clergy did not agree with the Watch Tower about Christ's
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second presence beginning in 1874, because they were being
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influenced by Satan.
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The Watch Tower's present day teaching regarding 607 B.C.E. are not
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supported by ANY Archaeological evidence found since the middle of the
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last century.
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The Watch Tower's present day teaching regarding 1914 is totally
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different from what it taught in the past.
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As I have shown above, the Watch Tower's present day teaching about 1874
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differs dramatically from what was taught as the truth in the past.
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Yet, Jehovah's Witnesses will cheerfully claim that they are members in
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the Truth. I guess that would depend on some new definition of the Truth,
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because it sure does not match the dictionary definition of Truth. If Jesus
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did not return in 1874, then for OVER FIFTY YEARS the Watch Tower had
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MISLED it's followers. The Watch Tower's present day chronology which
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is fixed on the date of 607 B.C.E. for the destruction of Jerusalem is
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INVALID and the Watch Tower KNOWS. There is NO EVIDENCE to support the
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date 607 B.C.E. ALL THE EVIDENCE points to 586-587 B.C.E. Again, the
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Watch Tower knows it (see the file AWAKEN31.ZIP for complete details),
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but they totally disregard such facts.
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How can Jehovah's Witnesses be sure that the Watch Tower is not still
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misleading them as was the case with 1874. Any Encyclopaedia will show
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that Jerusalem was destroyed in 586-587 B.C.E. There is no evidence that
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Jehovah's Witnesses are in the Truth. Quite the contrary, it seems that
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they can never be sure of what exactly the Truth is, since the Watch Tower
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given time can and has changed what it presented as being Truth.
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George Orwell, in his classic book 1984, wrote :
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"The key word here is BLACKWHITE...Applied to a Party member,
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it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when
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Party discipline demands this. But it means also the ability
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to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black
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is white, and to forget that one ever believed the contrary."
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"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.
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It was their final, most essential command."
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============= end of AWAKEN Issue #33 ================
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Please share the info found in these issues of AWAKEN with other
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members of the faith to which you belong. Consider using this
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info within publications issued to members of your faith. One
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example is to use this info within Church bulletins. People need
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to become informed about the Watch Tower and it's teachings. Why ?
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Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door preaching whatever the
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Watch Tower has told them to preach. They are trained weekly to
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respond to any and all objections to their preaching. They are
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told by the Watch Tower that the Watch Tower is the only TRUTH
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and that the Watch Tower is the only TRUE religion. They are
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told by the Watch Tower that all other faiths, teach
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false teachings because all other faiths are agents of SATAN.
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They have no qualms attacking any and all aspects your belief
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system, when they come on their un-asked for visits. They are
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trained to SELL you on the Watch Tower's teachings, just as they
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themselves had been SOLD.
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By becoming informed about the Watch Tower, one will be better
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prepared to decide whether one should get involved with this group.
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Copyright (C) 1993 by Vince Banial, Toronto Ontario Canada.
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All rights reserved. This material cannot be incorporated into any
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book without the empress and written permission of Vince Banial.
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This file may be freely uploaded to any BBS, as long as it remains unchanged.
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Please Upload this file to every BBS which you call. Thanks in advance.
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