Jesus.defender

22 hours ago, Manuel Boyet Enicola said:

Prophecy? What is the point?

No, they didnt destroy the British. THEY won. FAILED PROPHECY!

4 minutes ago, Ann O'Maly said:

... which said that they dropped that understanding.

JWs no longer believe that 1935 is the cut-off point for the heavenly calling. You might as well ask how JWs can prove from the Bible that Jesus' invisible return occurred in 1874 or that organ transplants are wrong or that Jehovah's throne is near Alcyone.

Sheesh. 

The historical doctrinal reasons for Rutherford choosing the 1935 date are interesting, however. 

 

But they DID teach it as a prophecy.

So, the big question is, if they have been wrong in the past, how do you know they are right now?

How do you know that in 5 years time, they wont say that John 1:1 actually DOES read what Christians have ALWAYS said it reads?

Why did Armageddon fail to come in 1975 as the Watchtower predicted?

In Kingdom Ministry, May 1974, the world’s end was said to be ‘so very near’ that JWs were commended who sold ‘their homes and property’ to devote themselves to full-time service in ‘the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end’. (p 3)

In 1975 they said, ‘The fulfillment . . . is immediately ahead of us.’ (Man’s Salvation out of World Distress at Hand, p 312)

In 1975 they said, ‘Very short must be the time that remains . . .’.’ (Ibid p 349)

1975 came and went, thus discouraging and embarrassing the WT and JWs. Yet from 1976 to today the WT still says Armageddon and the end of the world is very near.

Conclusion: If the WT has been wrong on every prediction, how can anybody trust it?

Question: Why has the WT missed the date of Armageddon every time it predicted it?

The WT has not only lied to people they call ‘God’s enemies’, but they have lied to their own
people.

After reading these WT false prophecies, and its own admission that it lied, how can the WT be trusted any more?

Has the Watchtower ever lied, covered up, or changed doctrines and dates?

If God speaks through the WT, then He must change His mind very often.

Consider the following changes in dates, prophecies and doctrines:

1. They changed the beginning of the ‘time of the end’ from 1799 to 1914;
2. They changed the date of the second coming of Christ from 1874 to 1914;
3. They changed the nature of Christ’s return from earthly visible to heavenly and invisible;
4. They changed the end of the 6000 years of creation from 1872 to 1975;
5. They changed vaccination from being forbidden to being permitted;
6. They changed the ‘Faithful and wise servant’ from C T Russell to the WT Society;
7. They changed from allowing worship of Jesus to forbidding it;
8. They changed their view of Israel from literal national to spiritual of all believers.

Why so many changes?

Answer: Since the predicted events didn’t happen, they covered up their false prophecies to hide the fact that God really hadn’t spoken through the Watchtower Society.

Do their false prophecies support their claim of spiritual enlightenment and guidance?

What a joke! The WT Society has mislead millions of people in claiming it is God’s sole channel of communication on earth today.

Rutherford believed that God’s Holy Spirit had ceased to function as his teacher, and had been replaced by angels who taught him in his mind.(WT, Sept 1,1930,p.263 & Feb 1,1935,p.41)

Today the leaders claim that both the Holy Spirit, and angels communicate information to them. (WT, March 1, 1972, p.155 and Aug 1, 1987, p.19)

Conclusion: False prophecies lead us to conclude that the Watchtower is receiving its information from demons, rather than from God.

From 1940-43, the Watchtower made 44 predictions of the immanence of Armageddon. Why did they fail?

Consider these examples:

In September 1940 they said, ‘The kingdom is here, the king is enthroned. Armageddon is just ahead ...The great climax has been reached.’(The Messenger, September 1940,p 6)

They said, ‘The Final End is Very Near’. (The Watchtower, Sept. 15, 1941 p 276).

‘The remaining months before Armageddon . . .’ (p 288)

They said, ‘The time is at hand for Jesus Christ to take possession of all things’. (The Watchtower, January 15, 1942 p 28)

On May 1, 1942 they said, ‘Now, with Armageddon immediately before us . . .’ (p 139)

On May 1, 1943 they said, ‘The final end of all things . . . is at hand’.’ (p139)

On September 1, 1944 they said, ‘Armageddon is near at hand’. (p 264)

In 1946, ‘The disaster of Armageddon . . . is at the door’. (Let God be True 1946, p 194)

In 1950 they said, ‘The March is on! Where? To the field of Armageddon for the ‘war of the great day of God the Almighty’’. (This Means Everlasting Life, 1950, p 311)

In 1953 they said, ‘Armageddon is so near at hand it will strike the generation now living’. (You May Survive Armageddon speech p 11)

In 1955 they said, ‘It is becoming clear that the war of Armageddon is near its breaking out point’. (Ibid p 331)

In 1958 they said, ‘When will Armageddon be fought? . . . It will be very soon’.’ (From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, 1958, p 205)

JW leaders in Awake magazine, 8 October, 1968,. p 23 admitted that certain persons had falsely predicted the end of the world. They asked why these false prophecies were given.

Here they admit that they themselves were false prophets, that they lacked God’s guidance, and were lying:

‘True, there have been those in times past who predicted an “end to the world”, even announcing a specific date. The “end” did not come. They were guilty of false
prophesying. Why? What was missing? . . . Missing from such people were God’s truths and the evidence that He was guiding and using them.’(Awake, 8 Oct.,1968, p.23)

Note: Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states that false prophets must die.

Where does the NT tell us to name the name of Jehovah?

Do you believe Jesus was resurrected?

7 minutes ago, Ann O'Maly said:

I gave a response the last time you asked this same question. See link below.

 

No, you didnt. you just pointed to a robotic watchtower statement.

they DID set this date, now they say they cant set it. duh! they already set it!

The doctrine introduced by Judge Joseph Rutherford, second President of the Watchtower said from 1935 onward, “At the end of May of that year a five-day convention of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses was in session... the president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society discussed the subject of 'the great multitude, 'spoken of in Revelation 7.9-17, Authorized Version. He made it clear that the 'multitude' was no spiritual or spirit begotten class, would not attain the angelic nature in heaven so as to assist the 144,000 joint heirs with Christ. It was a distinctly an earthly class with hope of endless perfect human life in the earthly paradise under Christ's kingdom” (Holy Spirit, 1976, p. 156)

How do you prove from the Bible that 1935 was the year for the selection to heaven stopped due to being filled?

What is the difference between a Catholic appealing to "what the organization tells him" about December 25 being the date of Jesus' birthday and a Jw' appealing to "what the organization tells him" about the date 1935? Is it not hypocritical when you chide the "poor deluded Catholic" that his faith cannot find a Bible passage to support it, when the same goes for you and 1935?
 

Would a true prophet of God make false prophecies about World War II?

‘The Nazis will destroy the British.’ (Fifth Column, p 15)

The new book titled Children will prove useful ‘in the remaining months before Armageddon’ (Watchtower, 15 September 1941, p 288)

‘The end of Nazi Fascist hierarchy will come and will mark the end forever of demon rule.’ (Watchtower, 15 December 1941, p 377)

27 minutes ago, Eoin Joyce said:

I know this is frustrating but mean time there is the option to hide inappropriate posts by setting the Ignored Users option under your log in name at the top right of the Forum page.

Are you ashamed of what the watchtower has said?

6 minutes ago, Queen Esther said:

Hahahahahahaa... don't think, JW are dumb...  I never allow anyone to cut my own thinking ! ONLY Jehovah❤️ But YOU are playing here like a Bible actor, mixing old Bible times with some new times, that cant work how you want it !  Fight for Jesus, but wthout Jehovah, you NEVER will reach the goal for everlasting life, sorry ;-(  Good night for now !

I dont think they are dumb, but as i quoted, they are just supposed to "avoid independent thinking".

I am not mixing old Bible times.

In this post, i have shown you some FALSE PROPHECIES of the watchtower.

I already HAVE everlasting life, my friend.

Fight for Jesus but without Jehovah? 

Huh? Jesus CLAIMED to be Jehovah.

But, lets not get sidetracked. Stick to the false prophecies.

NWT Translators Did Not Know Biblical Hebrew Or Greek

The Watchtower Bible calls the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures one of the best translations to be found. But is it a translation or merely are gross distortions of the actual Greek and Hebrew manuscripts based on these men’s opinions. The FORWARD of the New World Translation in 1961 edition, on page 5 states, "It is a very responsible thing to translate the Holy Scriptures from their original languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, into modern speech ... The translators who have a fear and love of the divine Author of the Holy Scriptures feel especially a responsibility toward Him to transmit his thoughts and declarations as accurately as possible." Have their translators been responsible? Are they true to the original languages?
 
The men that comprised the Translation Committee were not even Greek scholars qualified to translate the Bible. These men were: N.H. Knorr, F. W. Franz the 4th President, A.D. Schroeder, G.D. Gangas and M. Henschel (write to Personal Freedom Outreach, P.O. Box 26062, St. Louis, Missouri 63136 for paper documentation). All met together in these translation sessions. The translation committee requested that the names of the translators remain secret even after their deaths (Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, p. 258).
 
Franz was asked in a courtroom in Scotland, "Why the secrecy?" he said, "Because the committee of translation wanted it to remain anonymous and not seek any glory or honour at the making of a translation, and having any names attached thereto." The attorney replied, "Writers of books and translators do not always get glory and honour for their efforts, do they?" (Pursuer's Proof of Douglas Walsh vs. The Right Honourable James Latham, M.P., P.C., Scottish Court of Sessions, p. 92 Nov. 1954).
 
In 1954, in a Scotland trial, Fred Franz, then head of the Watchtower Editorial Board, admitted that he himself was the one who had checked the accuracy of the translation and recommended its publication. (Douglas Walsh v. The Right Honorable James Latham Clyde, M.P., P.C., etc., Scotland, 1954, (1958 ed.).p.88.)
 
The following is from the trial transcript: -
(Q): Insofar as translation of the Bible itself is undertaken, are you responsible for that?
(A): I have been authorized to examine a translation and determine its accuracy and recommend its acceptance in the form in which it is submitted.
Later, Franz was asked about his own involvement in the translating(Douglas Walsh v. The Right Honorable James Latham
Clyde, M.P., P.C., etc., Scotland, 1954, (1958 ed.).p.92)
(Q) : Were you yourself responsible for the translation of the Old Testament?
( A ) : Again I cannot answer that question...
Here, under oath, Franz refused to confirm or deny he was the translator of the Hebrew text. Why wouldn't he say that he did not translate the Old Testament? The court also wondered "why" and asked (ibid)
(Q): Why the secrecy?
(A): Because the committee of translation wanted it to remain anonymous and not seek any glory or honour at the making of a translation, and having any names attached thereto.
 
Why is it the writers of the New Testament books identified their authorship by their names, we know they were not seeking honor.
 
The facts speak for themselves. The real reason would be that the translators could not be checked since they had no qualifications and anyone investigating this could not find anyone to assume responsibility for the translation. A shrewd plan indeed.
 
According to Raymond Franz, only Fred Franz had "sufficient knowledge of the Bible languages to attempt translation of this kind. He had studied Greek for two years in the University of Cincinnati but was only self taught In Hebrew." Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience (Atlanta: Commentary Press, 1983).
 
Not one of the men had ever studied Greek, and wouldn't know the difference between an alpha or a omega. Only three of the five had even finished high school. Of those three only one went on to College. His name was Fredrick Franz, the same man who became the President of the Jehovah's Witnesses. He did begin at the University of Cincinatti but only completed two years. He then dropped out of College after the first semester in 1913 because he believed what Russell told him, that Christ was returning in 1914. He does not have even the most basic college degree, and certainly does not possess a degree for advanced study of the Bible. In fact, outside of the Watchtower circle Franz is not recognized by anyone as a scholar.
 
As M. James Penton, a former Jehovah's Witness and historian, has written, "to all intents and purposes the New World Translation is the work of one man-Frederick Franz." M. James Penton, Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985),
 
The men who make up the "translation committee" were self-appointed men lacking any adequate schooling or background in biblical languages unable to function as Bible Translators. Their purpose was not to translate the Scripture into a modern version of the Bible but to justify their theology to their people and have ammunition against Christianity as it is practiced today.
 
The New World Translation is a fabrication with no scholarship involved. It was specifically created to make the Bible agree their preconceived theology. It was made for their people to believe WT doctrine and uphold their false belief that Jesus is Michael the Archangel not God.
 

THE ACTUAL SUPER POWER PROCESS
Super Power Rundown Series 5
The final step of the Super Power Rundown is to give back to the person his full
potential power as a being. All prior steps on the Super Power Rundown have been
designed to get a person into a state wherein he is set up to regain his ability to handle
infinite power. These processes are run just like any other process with full F/N, Cog VGIs
as the EP. If the person goes exterior continue to run the processes. If there is a dial wide
F/N continue to run the process. The only time you would end off the process or the session
is if the person has a persistent floating TA.
At some point during the running of this series of processes the person will reach
a state wherein they are speechless. They will laugh with wild abandon. Their TA will be
floating! They will probably also be exterior and will be unable to communicate in words
what they are experiencing. This is the end result of the Super Power Rundown. It is rare
for this to occur prior to the running of the last flow of this series of processes, but if it
occurs then acknowledge the win.
One thing the auditor must not do is interrupt the person while in the middle of this
major win or during the laughter. Otherwise it will invalidate the win. The auditor simply
maintains his TRs and lets the person have his win. Do not end the session until the
laughter stops as this will also tend to invalidate the person and his win.
The laughter can go on for some time. Perhaps up to an hour. Be sure and just be there
with the person during this win and not end the session until the laughter has subsided.
The following is the last series of processes one runs on the Super Power Rundown:
1. Get the idea that you have infinite power.
2. Get the idea that another has infinite power.
3. Get the idea that others have infinite power.
4. Get the idea that you can cause yourself to have infinite power.
5. Get the idea that you have been given infinite power.
6. Get the idea that another has been given infinite power.
7. Get the idea that others have been given infinite power.
8. Get the idea that you have caused yourself to be given infinite power.
9. Get the idea that you can give another infinite power.
10. Get the idea that another can give you infinite power.
11. Get the idea that others can give others infinite power.
12. Get the idea that you can cause yourself infinite power.
13. Get the idea that you are infinite.
14. Get the idea that another is infinite.
15. Get the idea that others are infinite.
16. Get the idea that you can cause yourself to be infinity.
Make sure to run only the reading process and check for interest. Do not run any
process on the person in which he is not interested.

END PHENOMENA
The rundown has two major types of cognitions, and both of them should occur
before the rundown is declared complete.
The first is a realization that the person is himself. Some statement that adds up to
“I’m me!” will occur if the rundown is done correctly.
The second will be an awareness that the person is here, aware of the present
environment, or “I’m here!”. These two cognitions are natural results of undoing the
dumbbell phenomena.

BASIC BASIC
The first (earliest) bit in the bank is not an Item but a light.
It appears to the left front of the face, some distance away (look ahead and to the
left a bit and you’ll spot it).
It is the source of unconsciousness and produces it when contacted.
There is a light before each Run, in the middle of each 7’s GPM (every 4 pairs), at
the start of Basic End Words, at the start of Confusion GPM, and at the start of the Objects
and at the end of each type of Item in the Objects (every 8 Items). Each time you feel
groggy, it’s a light doing it. Each major change, then, is preceded by the light. Mark these
in on your platens if they are not there. Flatten each one by spotting it, and it and thetan.
Anaten (unconsciousness) can be spotted away.
It is part of the light. When the light went on, the thetan went anaten. Instead of a
Solo Auditor going anaten in his session, it is only necessary to spot the anaten in the
thetan when running the light.
When you spot a light or object or combination of objects, you should get a read on
the needle. By spotting the same thing again, you get another read. By spotting it again,
you get another read. And so you continue to spot it, time after time, until no more reads
occur by reason of spotting.
You repeat verbal items aloud, getting a read each time you repeat until it has no
more reads. Verbal items are found in the “7’s”. “Basic End Words” and “Confusion
GPM”.
But you silently spot lights, objects, combinations of objects repeatedly (same one)
until you have no more reads.
You should get as many falls, etc. from spotting a light as you do from calling an
Item.
Spotting the thetan follows the same rules. You spot repeatedly until there are no
more reads on the needle by reason of spotting the thetan (self) at that instant and place.
You don’t have to see the light to spot it or see the thetan or see the object or objects.
You only need to spot the place where they are with the idea of what should be there.
Of course, seen at first or not, continued spotting makes it blow.

HUBBARD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex
HCO BULLETIN OF 2 OCTOBER 1968
OT I I I
CLASS VIII
OT III
As a matter of data, the only trouble really in a III OT run is running an Inc I on one thetan
and an incident II on another, thinking it was thc first one. A preOT can free wheel into R6 if
you run only an INC 2. You can stop the free wheel at once by running Inc I off the same thetan
you ran the Inc 2 on that started a free wheel.
Free wheel means that the pc goes on automatic continuous run. Inc 2 is R6 75 million years
ago. Inc I is about 4 quadrillion yoars ago. Both, all thetans on this planet and 21 nearby stars have
in common. All thetans in the Universe have Inc. 1. Only those in this Old Confederation have
Inc 2 and R6. All CC and OTII materials are in R6 75 million years ago. These are followed by
36 days worth of motion pictures - god devil, space opera, trains, cars, helicopters, crashes, stage
etc. This R6 is 75 million years ago and this planet and confederation.
If the vokano bit is run as per III directions but the Inc I is not run on same thetan, R6 begins
to run off on automatic, the being can’t sleep for days, the body dies. That’s the way it was
designed.
LRH:nd:sp L. RON HUBBARD
Copyright (c) 1968 FOUNDER
by L. Ron Hubbard
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HUBBARD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex
HCO BULLETIN OF 4 MAY 1968
AO Only
III Packs
HCO BULLETIN OF 12 APRIL 1970
SECRET
RUNNING OT III
When running OT III the Solo Auditor handles Body Theteans as he would any other
pc, for the general idea is to run them standardly and not to ARC Break them. He does
not scan through anything in order to find body thetans.
When a Solo Auditor can find no more BTs, he can attest or run a pressure area down
and handle as per his running instructions.
The pre OT could be exterior and the interiorization process can be run in Review
to help him through.
Here are three reasons why a pre OT might have trouble whilst running BTs on
Incident II:
1. It is the wrong area.
2. It is not the volcano of the BT being run.
3. It is not an Incident II but another incident of a different date.
Check 1 and 2 if you are having any difficulty in running Incident II and handle by
locating the correct area or finding the volcano of the BT being run.
If it is not a II simply check for the date and if different, run it.
L. RON HUBBARD
FOUNDER
LRH: dz
Copyright (c) 1970
by L. Ron Hubbard
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HUBBARD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex
HCO BULLETIN OF 13 OCTOBER 1969
OT III ISSUE II
CLASS VIII
Secret
OT III ERRORS
Among OT III errors are:
A BT run on Inc I fails to blow.
There are three reasons:
(a) Auditor is trying to run a cluster with an Incident 1. The right thing to do is
date and get the character of the incident that made it a cluster and then run
Inc Is on those left when it breaks up. Or get Dn auditing.
(b) There is an earlier Incident I on the same BT. Find it and run it. The BT has
a chain of them all by himself.
(c) Another BT is copying the Inc I just run so it looks like it didn’t blow. Failure
to ever run Inc II can also cause a bog.
Routine Dianetic Auditing by a Dianetic HDC who is also on or above OT III using
triple flows and LDN OT III also handles bogged OTIII Pre OTs.
L. RON HUBBARD
FOUNDER
LRH
Copyright (c) 1969
by L. Ron Hubbard
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

OT 7 - 47
1. Go to a place with lots of people
2. Spot them one at a time
3. As you spot each person, do the following:
A. Perceive the individual as a Life Source (Thetan).
B. Know something about that person.
C. Be willing to not-know something about that person.
D. Grant beingness to that person (by cognizing the way they are).
E. Having that person grant beingness to you.
OT 7 - 48
1. Find some plants, trees, etc., and communicate to them individually until you
know they received your communication.
2. Go to a zoo or a place with many types of life and communicate with each of
them untit you know the communication is received and, if possible, returned.
OT 7 - 49
Go out to a park, train station or other busy area. Practice placing an intentfon into
individuals until you can successfully and easily place an intention into or on a being
and/or a body.

BTs/CLUSTERS ON OR AROUND THE BODY
This step is run generally with the Pre-OT finding and blowing BTs and
clusters as he encounters them. This includes BTs and clusters that are on the
body, inches from the body, feet from the body, yards from the body, or way
off - all of these in which the auditor is interested are connected to and are
influencing the body. One is not interested in other people’s BTs or clusters
but only those directly influencing the Pre-OT’s body. Because the Pre-OT’s
“attention distance” has increased by the time you get to this step, this is
relatively easy to do. The auditor of course is not interested in using this one
Pre-OT to clear the planet but should not object too strenuously if the Pre-OT
engages in some side actions that do not directly concern him, but realize that
this is not this step or any other step. Care must be taken to ensure that only
one mass or area or category is restimulated and fully handled before
activating another. The caution from OT III pack about not using too wide
an attention span applies here.
Phenomena You are Likely to Encounter on this step:
* Misidentified BTs and clusters who have copied each others’ incidents
and implants.
* BTs/clusters switched in time (misconception).
* BTs/clusters switched in location (misconception).
* Remote BTs, i.e. stuck on another person or in another location where
Pre-OT’s attention is fixed or drawn to.
* BTs/clusters with “something that isn’t there”.
* Multiple masses creating somatics.
* Invisible, Secret, and Hiding BTs and clusters.
* Hypnotized BTs and somnolent BTs and clusters.
* BTs mocking up things they think they area.
* Old Between Lives areas, remote implant stations of the past.
* BTs/clusters who, being stuck in the past and look-forward, think they
are looking at the future.
Cognitions or EPs Encountered on this step:
431
* Body getting lighter, more relaxed and more in control. Much less mass
around.
* Realization that BTs/clusters were causing body shape distortions and
that body is “moving back into position”.
8. GENERALLY SPOTTING AND BLOWING BTs AND CLUSTERS
This step consists of having Pre-OT locate and blow any BT or clusters that
are visible or perceivable, including handling any BTs or clusters restimulated.
This is based on the old maxim that “If you get enough charge off . . . or if you
keep on getting charge off, you will make case gain and an entrance to the case
will show up”.
You are likely to encounter any of the phenomena or manifestations of BTs
and clusters. There is a general cyclic pattern of encountering BTs/clusters
that are hard to blow or that are holding other BTs/clusters,followed by a
series of easy blows, then the same pattern repeats over and over.
9. REMNANT RIDGES (PARTIALLY BLOWN RIDGES, CLUSTERS)
There is a mechanism of a BT or cluster making a ridge,then another BT or
cluster comes along and sticks to the ridge. You blow the BT or cluster who
made the ridge first, then a remnant of the ridge remains containing BTs who
stuck in it and are now keeping it there and you have to blow these off too -
they generally blow easily. Another example of this is a BT being a pole trap.
Another BT comes along and sticks to the pole trap. You first blow the BT
being the pole trap and then you have to blow the BT who stuck to it.
The auditor has the Pre-OT look for old ridges, remnants of ridges and
masses, and completes handling these to fully blown.
Phenomena You are Likely to Encounter on this Step:
* BTs/clusters left stuck in the ridge or picture that was mocked up by
another BT or cluster.
* BTs/clusters being objects in another BT’s or cluster’s pictures. Such
a picture is hard to blow unless you recognize that the picture is
composed of BTs being the parts of the picture.
* “Hard core” BTs and clusters that are very hard to blow.
* BTs/clusters with Out-Int.
* BTs/clusters with stuck flows.
* BTs stuck on the inside of a ridge who tried to blow but get caught by
the ridge. When you blow the ridge you find a lot of BTs blowing out
from under the ridge.
432
* BTs and clusters being ridges.
* Apparent inert masses that behave like ridges and have to be brought
to life with a “Hello - OK” technique.
* Two BTs pushing so hard against each other that each one thinks that
it’s blocked by a ridge and to blow the ridge you have to blow the two
BTs.
Cognitions or EPs Encountered on this step:
* Body distortions clearing up.
* Cognition of “I am well”.
10. FLOW ASSESSMENT RECALL PROCESS
This process handles BTs and clusters with very stuck flows. It is run per the
HCOB on it, to its EP.
Phenomena You are Likely to Encounter on this step:
* BTs/clusters unable to move on the time track because time itself
becomes a stuck flow forward to them.
* BTs/clusters who dive down the time track on a time stuck flow basis.
* BTs/clusters who suddenly pop into view as they were in Revivs down
the time track and weren’t even in sight (which is what gives the Pre-
OT theidea that it’s endless).
* BTs/clusters (masses) who appear to be in PT (whose pressures are in
PT) but who are really way down the track and who need only a small
jerk, given by the Pre-OT, to unstick them from the track.
* The erroneous idea of the Pre-OT that he is in the past because he is
being influenced by BTs and clusters that actually are in the past.
* Fear of the future which is really a protest bringing about the apparency
of being stuck on he time track and that the time flow can actually stick
someone.
11. GENERALLY ADDRESSING THE BODY WITH NED FOR OTs
The auditor now has the Pre-OT look at the body and in particular any somatic
area or area of chronic somatics.
Phenomena You are Likely to Encounter on this step:
* False body parts, i.e. a false leg (BT or cluster being a false leg).
* BTs/clusters transferred from another person who had such a physical
433
condition, or BTs or clusters who copied such a condition.
* BTs/clusters stuck in drugs or painkillers or anaesthetics used or taken
in the body area.
* Very small BTs that come up to tremendous size before blowing, some
with concept of “negative” space.
* Heavy mass, unresponsive or inert BTs/clusters.
* BTs stuck in body beingnesses, both body parts and body conditions.
* BTs/clusters who are “making a body”.
* Identityless BTs/clusters.
* BTs/clusters that are Dead, that think they’re Mest, that think they are
molecules or planets.
* A cluster causing a dislocated bone or trying to break a bone or spine,
plus, the BTs or clusters being the damaged body part and holding onto
the damage or copying it.
* BTs/clusters who are being broken legs, misformed arms, cancer,
damaged brains, or other non-optimum body parts or conditions.
* BTs or clusters operating on a refusal to make pictures - the negative
of obsessively mocking up.
Cognitions or EPs Encountered on this step:
* Extroversion EP for Session and F/Ning TA.
* Awareness that anything perceived as mass or somatic in the body is
not the body, but comes from BTs/clusters.
* Cognition re mocking up pictures due to loss of memory.
* Actual Exterior perception of Pre-OT increasing.
* Case change of reaching into body and finding nothing there (i.e. in an
area of body), and it being clean for the first time.
* A cognition of personal identity - much more intense than previously.

SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING CHRONIC SOMATIC AREAS OF BODY
This is a more specific address to any area of chronic or recurring somatic.
Some chronic somatics depart very fast and don’t return. These are almost
miracle in nature. Other chronic somatics gradually lessen and can disappear
in the course of the whole Rundown. So don’t despair if you don’t get an
instant alleviation of the chronic somatic but just keep on with the Rundown
and don’t specialize in chronic somatics. Also be very cheered up when you
434
hit an instant disappearance of one. Both conditions can exist in the same Pre-
OT on different chronic somatics.
Phenomena You are Likely to Encounter on this step:
* An Aura - which is a whole package of BTs and clusters formed into the
shape of a body and aura with other BTs and clusters stuck in it.
* Very heavy anaten holding clusters glued together.
* BTs and clusters in other parts of the body affecting the somatic area.
* BTs and clusters in a very suppressed or compressed state that blow up
to huge size and mass and surround and go through the whole body.
** BTs and clusters behind, or on the other side_of, or inside , bones or
organs, or on the other side of a ridge - these are very likely to be missed
as one wouldn’t think to look there.
* Nulls or unresponsive BTs/clusters that are totally out of communication
and need to be put into Comm by running “Hellos and OKs” on
them.
* A BT or cluster believing he is his own picture - or someone else’s.
* BTs or clusters being “negatives” - i.e. a “no ___________” like a “no
stomach”, etc., these come about from intentions to obliterate and
probably are the root of sickness.
* The manifestation of Pre-OT trying to look at or into a body part or area
and a mass or ridge kicking in, between the Pre-OT and the area.
Cognitions or EPs Encountered on this step:
* Cognition “I can do anything any other being can do”.
* Lot of somatic blows, and the first real gain on the somatic area.

HUBBARD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex
HCO BULLETIN OF 14 NOVEMBER 1978
LIMITED
DISTRIBUTION
Advanced Courses
Specialist
Checksheet
ACS Auditors
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NED for OTs Series 34
C O N F I D E N T I A L
THE SEQUENCE FOR HANDLING A PHYSICAL CONDITION
There is a definite sequence for handling a physical condition. All steps must be
done in this sequence to fully handle the condition:
1. The item
2. The body part
3. Illness (of the body part)
4. Cures for illness
5. Protest of cures for the illness
6. The body part(again)
7. The item(again)
8. The period of illness on it (Cluster-making incident)
Step One - The Item
The item producing the physical condition. This could be “dust” as an irritant. Or
“poison”, “bad food”, “paint fumes”, etc.
The item is handled by finding and blowing off BTs and clusters who are:
(a) being the item
(b) resisting the item
449
The item will then cease to read.
Step Two - The Body Part
The body part affected by the item. E.g. for the item “dust” the body part was
“lungs”. For “poison” or “bad food” the body part could be “stomach”.
On this step you handle BTs being the body part, i.e. being “lungs”. This includes
the negative of BTs being “a no body part” such as “no lungs”. And BTs and clusters stuck
in and on the body part, or area of the body, or affecting the body part or area. When all
such BTs and clusters are handled, the body part will no longer read.
Step Three - Illness
The next action is to handle illnesses of the body part(i.e. BTs and clusters being
“sick lungs” or being a condition of an illness or disease or the body part.) “Illness of body
part” will cease to read.
Step Four - Cures for Illness
You will now find BTs and clusters being cures for illnesses of the body part. Handle
all such BTs and clusters by blowing them off. “Cures for Illness” will then cease to read.
Step Five - Protest of Cures for the Illness
You will now find BTs and clusters protesting cures for the illness. Blow all these
off and “Protest of cures for the Illness” will cease to read.
Step Six - Body Part
You will find that the original body part will now be reading again. You handle all
BTs and clusters, on or in or being the body part, until they’re all handled and the body
part just F/Ns.
Step Seven - Item
Now the original item (from Step One) will be reading again and so you blow off
all BTs and clusters on the item. This includes BTs and clusters with engrams on the item,
BTs and clusters who have been run on the item when they didn’t have that item (i.e.
wrong item for them), and BTs and clusters who copied it. You may even encounter BTs
who went Clear, and thought they had engrams on it when they didn’t.
Step Eight - Illness On It
There are periods of time when the person had the physical condition, sometimes
years of illness, (which due to mutual shared experience of the illness), made a cluster.
This is the period of the illness or physical condition as a cluster-making incident. These
are BTs and clusters who were not actually connected with the item, or illness themselves,
but were made into a cluster and added on, due to the period of illness which they
experienced.
The above are the full steps and sequence for handling a physical condition or
450
illness. If not done fully or omitted, the condition will recur. So all steps must be fully done
in that sequence.
On each step of this sequence the BTs and clusters are handled with the various
techniques given for blowing them - the Valence Technique is the most usual and
effective method.
The item for Step One is found by asking the PreOT for what caused or produced
the condition. It will most likely be the first item given by the PreOT. Be alert for getting
into listing or getting an out-list. If so the most likely error is that it was the first item on
the list, and this item was invalidated by going past it, or by over-listing past it, or the item
was found and audited previously but not fully handled resulting in the item being
suppressed or invalidated.
The steps are repeated here in short form for auditor use:
1. The item
2. The body part
3. Illness (of the body part)
4. Cures for Illness
5. Protest of cures for the illness
6. The body part (again)
7. The item (again)
8. The period of illness on it (Cluster-making incident)
L. RON HUBBARD
FOUNDER
LRH:dm:kjm
Copyright (c) 1978
by L. Ron Hubbard
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

scientology-ot-levels.pdf

“A muslim man can have sexual pleasure with a little girl as young as a baby. But he should not penetrate her vaginally, however he can sodomize her”. (Tehriro vasyleh, fourth edition, Qom, Iran, 1990)
 

EVIDENCE THAT ISLAM ALLOWS CHILDREN TO ENGAGE IN SEX BEFORE MENSTRUATION

First, we need to establish that Islam allows female children to be married and engaged in sex prior to their first menses (prepubescent). For that we turn to the Islamic source materials. Starting with the Quran:

If you are in doubt concerning those of your wives who have ceased menstruating, know that their waiting period shall be three months. The same shall apply to those who have not menstruated. As for pregnant women, their term shall end with their confinement. God will ease the hardship of the man who fears him. 65:4, Dawood

Brother Sam Shamoun comments on this verse:

The surrounding context deals with the issue of the waiting period for divorce, and remarriage. The Quran is telling Muslims to wait for a certain period of time before making the divorce final or deciding to forego it. The Quran exhorts men to wait a period of three months in the case of women who either are no longer menstruating or haven’t even started their menstrual cycles! (Source)

Since Muslim men are to wait 3 months before divorcing a prepubescent child it means that they have been engaging in sex with those children.

Borrowing from Sam’s work (*) I quote three Islamic scholars commentary related to 65:4 and the subject of sex with prepubescent children:

Ibn Kathir writes regarding 65:4

<divorce them at their `Iddah>, "The `Iddah is made up of cleanliness and the menstrual period." So he divorces her while it is clear that she is pregnant, or he does not due to having sex, or since he does not know if she is pregnant or not. This is why the scholars said that there are two types of divorce, one that conforms to the Sunnah and another innovated. The divorce that conforms to the Sunnah is one where the husband pronounces one divorce to his wife when she is not having her menses and without having had sexual intercourse with her after the menses ended. One could divorce his wife when it is clear that she is pregnant. As for the innovated divorce, it occurs when one divorces his wife when she is having her menses, or after the menses ends, has sexual intercourse with her and then divorces her, even though he does not know if she became pregnant or not. There is a third type of divorce, which is neither a Sunnah nor an innovation where one divorces A YOUNG WIFE WHO HAS NOT BEGUN TO HAVE MENSES, the wife who is beyond the age of having menses, and divorcing one's wife before the marriage was consummated. (Source; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Al-Tabari said regarding 65:4

The interpretation of the verse "And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the 'Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubt (about their periods), is three months; and for those who have no courses [(i.e. they are still immature) their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is three months likewise". He said: The same applies to the 'idaah for girls who do not menstruate because they are too young, if their husbands divorce them after consummating the marriage with them.

Tafseer al-Tabari, 14/142 (Source: Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
(Question #12708: Is it acceptable to marry a girl who has not yet started her menses?)

Regarding sex with prepubescent children, Abu-Ala’ Maududi states:

"Therefore, making mention of the waiting-period for girls who have not yet menstruated, clearly proves that it is not only permissible to give away the girl at this age but it is permissible for the husband to consummate marriage with her. Now, obviously no Muslim has the right to forbid a thing which the Qur’an has held as permissible." (Maududi, volume 5, p. 620, note 13, emphasis added)

It is clear: Muslim men can engage in sex with prepubescent children!

John 14:28 - ‘The Father is greater than I’.

Watchtower teaching: The JW book Let God be True, 1946, p.110 says that Jehovah is greater than Jesus in his office and person. Jehovah they say is intrinsically greater than Jesus, and hence Jesus cannot be God Almighty. The JW book Reasoning from the Scriptures, p.410, says, ‘The fact that Jesus is lesser than Jehovah proves that He cannot be God in the same sense that Jehovah is’.

The Bible Teaching: In John 14:28 Jesus is not speaking about His nature or being (Christ had earlier said in John 10:30, ‘I and the Father are one’), but about His lowly position of incarnation as a man. The Athanasian Creed says that Christ is ‘equal to the Father as
touching His Godhood, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood’. Christ was here contrasting His human humiliation, shame, suffering, rejection, opposition by enemies, and
soon crucifixion, with the Father’s majesty, glory and worship by the angels in heaven.

Key: Jesus said, ‘The Father is greater (Greek: meizon) than I’, not ‘The Father is better (Greek: kreitton) than I’. ‘Greater’ refers to the Father’s greater position (in heaven), not to a greater nature. If the word ‘better’ had been used, this would indicate that the Father had a
better nature than Jesus.

i) The distinction is made clear in Hebrews 1:4 where ‘better’ (Gk: kreitton) is used to teach Jesus’ superiority over the angels in His nature and position.
ii) This difference between ‘greater’ and ‘better’ is seen in this example:
‘The President of a country is greater (Greek: meizon) in position than his people, but as a human being he is not better (Greek: kreitton) in nature than his people’.
iii) Jesus in becoming a man, not only took on a lower position than the Father, but also took on a lower position than the angels. ‘But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death’. (Hebrews 2:9)

QUESTION:‘Do you agree that a President is greater in position but not better in nature than his people?’

QUESTION: ‘In view of greater (meaning higher in position) and better (meaning higher in nature), is it not clear that in John 14:28 Jesus is speaking of the Father’s temporary higher position and not his higher nature than Jesus?

QUESTION: How did Christ make Himself of no reputation when He became a man? (Phil. 2:6-9)

1. He veiled His preincarnate glory in order to dwell among men, but never surrendered His deity or divine glory. On the Mount Transfiguration He allowed His glory to shine briefly. If Christ had not veiled His glory, mankind would not have been able to look at
Him. When John saw His glory on Patmos he said, ‘I fell at His feet as dead’. (Rev. 1:17).
2. He submitted to a voluntary non use of some of His divine attributes (on some occasions) in order to achieve His objectives. He never surrendered His attributes, but He did voluntarily cease using some of them on earth. Jesus showed His divine attributes of:
i) omniscience (‘He knew all men’ John 2:24; 16:30;‘Lord thou knowest all things.’ 21:17
ii) omnipresence (John 3:13 ‘the Son of man which is in heaven’).
As God He was everywhere at once, but as man He chose to walk there.
iii) omnipotence (Matthew 28:18 ‘all power is given unto me’.)

3. He condescended to take on the likeness (form, appearance) of man and the form of a servant. (Phil 2:7). His becoming a man involved gaining human attributes (subject to weakness, pain, sorrow and temptation), but not giving up his divine attributes.

Conclusion: ‘The Father is greater than I’ (John 14:28) said Jesus from the vantage point of His incarnation as a man. This verse relates to Christ’s voluntary subordination to the Father to accomplish His work on earth.‘Greater than’ refers to His greater position not His nature.

The gold plates were under a cloth or hidden in the woods and were not used directly in the creation process.

JOSEPH SMITH’S CLAIMS EXAMINED

No 1820 Revival; 1st Vision Unreliable

Joseph Smith alleged that because of a revival in 1820 in the vicinity of Palmyra, NY, he went to the woods to pray for guidance as to which church he should join. He claimed that two glowing personages appeared to him and told him to join none of them, as they were all wrong, their creeds an abomination and their professors corrupt.

There is no evidence from the churches of Palmyra that there was a revival in 1820. Baptismal records show that there was a revival 4 years later in 1824, but this destroys the chronology established by Smith as recorded in official church history.

There are also problems with his first vision story:

•     The official version was not recorded until 18 years after the event supposedly occurred. 

•     There is no mention of it in Oliver Cowdery’s history of the Latter Day Saint movement written in 1834 under Smith’s supervision. 

•     In 1828, Smith attempted to join the Methodist church, a direct violation of the command he 

allegedly received from God 8 years earlier.

But most troubling of all, is the fact that early church publications and records document at least 6 distinctly different versions of his first vision. The differing versions contradict each other in regard to Smith’s age, the reason he went to the woods to pray, the number and identity of the personages who appeared to him, and most notably, the message he received.

BOM not Translation

Joseph Smith claimed that he translated the text of the Book of Mormon from gold plates through the Urim and Thummin by the power of the Holy Spirit. The title page of the Book of Mormon published today contains the words “Translated by Joseph Smith.” This is a core belief of his followers.

You will be shocked to learn that the above account did not happen. According to the witnesses present in the room when Joseph Smith was dictating the text of

the Book of Mormon, “Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light.” (quote David Whitmer)

The gold plates were under a cloth or hidden in the woods and were not used directly in the creation process. Other witnesses included Emma Smith, Martin Harris, Oliver

Cowdery, Isaac Hale and Michael Morse (Joseph Smith’s brother in law).

These details do not contradict the statements by the 11 witnesses. The unavoidable conclusion is, the Book of Mormon is not a “translation” within the commonly held meaning of that word.

No BOM Archeology

No person mentioned in the Book of Mormon has ever been identified in the ancient archeology of the Americas. No place mentioned in that book has ever been located geographically.

The language referenced in the Book of Mormon is Reformed Egyptian and no evidence for that language has been found anywhere on the earth. No event mentioned in the Book of Mormon has been confirmed from any objective source.

Many objects mentioned in the Book of Mormon (e.g. steel, coins, wheels, swords, horses, Christian or Hebrew artifacts) have not been confirmed with archeology. Many objects and customs that archeology confirms did exist during that time period (e.g. obsidian, human sacrifice, dogs as food, adobe brick, terrace farming, hieroglyphics, cotton, tobacco) are not mentioned in the Book of Mormon. In contrast, hundreds of archeological findings support the accuracy of the Bible.

Archeologists and researchers who have examined Book of Mormon claims have rejected its validity. Thomas Stuart Ferguson, Dan Vogel, Dee Green, Michael Coe and the Smithsonian Institute have all issued statements denying the historicity of the Book of Mormon.

DNA Refutes BOM

In 1830, Joseph Smith presented the Book of Mormon to the world, declaring it to be the most correct of any book on earth. It has been promoted for the past 174 years by his followers, not only as a scriptural supplement to the Bible, but also as a literal history of the ancestors of the American Indians.

Joseph Smith taught that Native Americans were actually descendants of Jews who had traveled to the Americas in three migrations; the first at the time of the Tower of Babel, the last two, approximately 600 BC

However, recent DNA analysis of American Indians from more than 150 tribes, both ancient and present-day, reveals that Joseph Smith’s claims have no basis in fact. Of the thousands of Native Americans tested, 99.4% were of North East Asian descent, while the remaining 0.6% were of African and European descent.

No DNA evidence supports Joseph Smith’s assertion that American Indians are of Jewish or Hebrew descent.

BOM Text Impossible

The Book of Mormon text contains logical impossibilities. The Book of Mormon’s Old Testament portion (BMOT) quotes heavily from the New Testament of the Bible. There are at least185 quotations and 2,500 unique vocabulary words from the New Testament in the BMOT such as: “Bible,” “Jesus,” “Christ,” “Christian” and “baptism”.

These New Testament words do not appear in the Old Testament of the Bible but they do appear in the BMOT. It is impossible to quote a text 600 years before it came into existence.

Similarly, circa 550 BC, Nephi quoted four verses from the Book of Malachi over 100 years before they were written, circa 425 BC. Since these verses were not

Of the three biblical priesthoods, Joseph Smith included in his church the two that are unavailable to Christians
written until after Lehi left Jerusalem, Nephi could not have had access to them. In short, this is a double impossibility of both time and space.

The Book of Mormon also contains 18 chapters of the book of Isaiah from the 1611 King James Version of the Bible, including most of the italicized words.
Nephi quotes from that version 2,000 years before it came into existence.

Smith Convicted

In 1826 at Bainbridge, New York, Joseph Smith was arrested, tried and convicted of the crime of “glass looking,” an occult practice similar to crystal ball gazing. This trial was the direct result of Smith’s attempt to find buried treasure for Josiah Stowell, for a fee, with the use of a seer stone.

For many years, followers of Joseph Smith denied the reports of those present at the trial and accused them of being Smith’s enemies. Court documents including a bill of costs from Justice Albert Neely have now been found that confirm that the trial occurred and that Joseph was convicted of the crime of “glass looking.”

The significance of this conviction is more than the fact that Joseph Smith was convicted of a crime. The described use of the seer stone is eerily similar to the method Joseph Smith actually used in creating the Book of Mormon as described herein.

Smith and Polygamy

On July 12, 1843, in Nauvoo, Illinois, Joseph Smith allegedly received a revelation commanding the practice of polygamy, which he labeled celestial marriage. His diary contains the following entry, “I received the following revelation in the presence of my brother Hyram and Elder William Clayton.”

Excerpts from the revelation read, “…I [the Lord] reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant and if ye abide not in that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory…If ye abide in my covenant…then shall…[ye] be Gods.”

William Clayton, Smith’s personal secretary, recorded the following, “I did write the revelation on celestial marriage given through the prophet Joseph Smith, on 12th of July, 1843.” Many sworn testimonies given by those living in Nauvoo at the time the revelation was made public, verify the fact that Joseph Smith not only gave this revelation but also practiced polygamy himself.

Two Invalid Priesthoods

The Bible speaks of three priesthoods: the Aaronic, the Melchizedek and the Royal Priesthood of All Believers.

The Aaronic priesthood consisted of priests and a single high priest. It was instituted by God in the Old Testament to be a mediator between God and man, with the high priest offering sacrifices for the sins of the people. This priesthood was made obsolete with the death of Christ on the cross, since he was the last sacrifice for sin and the new mediator between God
and man. Neither the Bible nor church history records the existence of the Aaronic priesthood in the New Testament Christian church. Any attempt to “restore” this priesthood shows contempt for Christ’s sacrifice.

The Melchizedek priesthood was unique. The Bible records it being held by only two people, Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the New Testament. No evidence exists of any other person holding this priesthood. “Every reference in the Bible to a Melchizedek priesthood is in reference to the

specific and unique ministry which Jesus Christ alone fulfills as God’s chosen means of salvation for his people.” (Paul Trask)

The Royal priesthood consists of all born-again believers who make up the body of Christ, with Jesus as their great high priest. He is the only high priest for the Christian church. Because he will never die, his high priest status can

never be transferred to another. Any attempt to appropriate Christ’s high priest title or ministry to oneself usurps His unique title and function and constitutes blasphemy. Consequently, Joseph Smith’s priesthood system, which includes multiple high priests, is heretical.

Of the three biblical priesthoods, Joseph Smith included in his church the two that are unavailable to Christians – The Aaronic and the Melchizedek. Tragically, he ignored the only priesthood that is available to Christians, the Royal Priesthood.

Salvation By Works

In over 30 LDS scripture passages Smith altered the requirements for salvation. He said, “ye are justified by faith and works through grace” (Rom. 4:16 Insp. Ver.) and “if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved.” (Mosiah 7:94 BOM)

The Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” Titus 3:5. The Bible doctrine of salvation may be summarized as: we are saved from sin and death through faith in the grace of Jesus by his sacrifice for us on the cross -- and that alone.

Churches that remain connected to Joseph Smith do not teach the essentials of the Christian faith. Salvation by works is neither Biblical nor effective. If a church does not teach the Christian doctrine of salvation its members will be confused. They might perceive wrongfully that God has abandoned them. We are never good enough to merit God’s love and can only obtain God’s acceptance through Jesus’ atonement for our sins, which is the basis for our salvation.
Jesus–Faithful Shepherd

We understand what you may be feeling after reading the facts above. The fear and turmoil you may be experiencing is temporary. As former followers of Joseph Smith we have found Jesus is the only Faithful Shepherd. The broken-hearted can turn to Him for comfort.

It is our prayer that you will know the truth because the truth will set you free. If you are a follower of Joseph Smith who cares about the truth, you will surely be disturbed as you confirm the facts above. You may want to deny the evidence. The allegations here are too serious not to be tested.

If you discover this ad is true, you may feel that you have wasted your life. But you haven’t, if you make sure you follow Jesus, not Joseph. You may be angry with us but we are only telling you the truth.

You may experience pain about the loss of identity and heritage. Jesus will never forsake you. He will send you the Holy Comforter. He will give you new friends. You may feel guilt at your part in the perpetuation of a false system. Fear not -- Jesus can make you new and clean, but you must let the sin cease. In all religious experience, only Jesus is real. If you seek him, you will find him — it will be worth the cost.

Lifeline Ministries www.lifeline2rlds.org

CHRIST’S BODILY RESURRECTION ‘I have power to take it again’ Jn 10:18

Watchtower Teaching: ‘Jesus was raised to life as an invisible spirit. He did not take up again that body in which he had been killed . . .’ ‘Let your Name be sanctified.’ (p.266).

The Watchtower teaches that Jesus’ body was disposed of by God.
The NWT mistranslates I Peter 3:18 as ‘being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit’ to teach merely a spiritual resurrection of Christ.

Bible Teaching: I Peter 3:18 refers to when Christ died. His Spirit went and preached to spirits in prison (v. 19,20). After three days, Christ’s physical body was raised.

I Peter 3:18 (KJV) correctly reads: ‘being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.’

Which Scriptures best teach Christ’s bodily resurrection?

1. ‘They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.’ (v.37) He said unto them, ‘Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.’ (Luke 24:37, 39)

Notice that the resurrected Christ says here that:

(1) He is not a spirit;
(2) His resurrection body has flesh and bones;
(3) His physical hands and feet are proof of His physical resurrection;
Jesus is trying to convince them that He, ‘I myself’ has a permanent physical body which still had the nail scars in His hands and feet. This is opposite to the WT teaching that Christ’s body was disposed of and that He became only a spirit. If the WT claim was correct, then
Jesus would be deceiving the disciples here in showing them His body.

2. ‘Then saith he to Thomas, . . . reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.’ (John 20:27)
Here Jesus says that He has a physical side that He challenges Thomas to touch.

3. ‘Neither did his flesh see corruption.’ - Acts 2:30,31
Notice the following:
a) God promised David that ‘according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ’ to sit on his throne.’ (v.30). This is a bodily resurrection of Christ, not spiritual. The NWT omits this because of its corrupt Westcott-Hort Greek text. Well over 38 manuscripts have it.
b) ‘neither did his flesh see corruption’ (v.31) means that Christ’s body did not decay.

Why? Because Jesus was raised from the dead in a material, fleshly body.

4. ‘I will raise it up . . . he spake of the temple of his body.’ - John 2:19-21
‘Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (v.19). But he spake of the temple of his body.’ (v.21)

Jesus here promised that He Himself would raise up His own body after three days.

Notice how Jesus uses the word ‘body’ meaning a bodily resurrection, not a spiritual resurrection.

5. Christ promises to eat of the fruit of the vine in the Kingdom. Only a body can eat.

‘I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God shall come.’(Luke 22:18)

Jesus here showed that his resurrected body would be able to eat and drink even in the Kingdom of God. Notice that a non-material spirit cannot eat and drink. Jesus promised the disciples in Luke 22:30 ‘that ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom.’

Question: If Jesus expected to become an immaterial spirit, why would He promise the disciples that they would eat and drink with Christ at His table in His Kingdom?

6. Christ ate a broiled fish and a honeycomb in front of them. Luke 24:41,42.

7. ‘he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies’. Rom. 8:11
As Christ’s body was raised physically from the dead, so shall our mortal bodies be raised.

8. His resurrection body could ‘breathe on them’(John 20:22). A spirit cannot breathe, can it?

9. ‘His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives...’ Zechariah 14:4

A spirit does not have feet. Only a physical body has feet as Jesus has at His second coming.

10. ‘One shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands?’ Zechariah 13:6

Question: How can a non-material spirit have wounds in his hands which can be observed?

11. The resurrected, glorified Christ touched John, laying his right hand on him. Rev. 1:17

Watchtower Objection: JWs quote I Corinthians 15:44,50 to support their claim that Jesus was raised from the dead as a spirit creature:
a) ‘It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.’ (v.44)
b) ‘flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.’ (v.50). JWs claim that Jesus must have had a spiritual resurrection, because flesh-and-blood bodies cannot exist in heaven.

They claim that mortality and corruption belong to the fleshly body.

Bible Teaching:

a) The Greek word for body, ‘soma’ (4983), always means a material body, an organised whole made up of parts, when used of a person (Zodhiates, NT Word Study,p.1358). The spiritual
body in I Cor.15:44 is not an immaterial body, but a supernatural, spirit-dominated body.

It is a body directed by the spirit, as opposed to a body under the dominion of the flesh.

There are no exceptions to Paul using ‘soma’ for a material body.
Paul even refers to a believer as a ‘spiritual’ man who judges all things (I Cor. 2:15), yet Paul did not mean an immaterial invisible man with no physical body.

He meant a spirit-controlled man with a flesh and blood body.

QUESTION: In I Corinthians 2:15 (‘He that is spiritual judgeth all things’), is Paul discussing an invisible spirit creature or a material, flesh-and-blood human? Can you see that being ‘spiritual’ does not demand a non-material body? The same is true in I Corinthians 15:44.
b) Key: In v.50 ‘flesh and blood’ is an idiom meaning that mortal, perishable, earth-bound
humans, as we are now, cannot have a place in God’s glorious, heavenly Kingdom.
c) ‘this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.’v.53
Nothing is taken away from us (materialness). Instead immortality is ‘put on’ or added to us.
Question: Don’t the words ‘put on’ mean adding something to humanity (that is immortality),
not taking away something from humanity (our material body)?

Conclusion: Since Christ’s resurrected body could eat, drink, breathe (John 20:22), show His hands and feet with scars (Luke 24:40), be touched, and have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39), it is certain that this body was a material body. This is especially true since Jesus corrected the disciples’ misconception that they had seen a spirit (Luke 24:37).

For the JWs to say that a body is not a body, is their last resort of redefining common words.
 

Greek Scholars & The Watchtower: Julius Mantey
 

 Julius Mantey was arguably the greatest Greek scholar of the 20th century. He was co-author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, a Greek grammar that was in use for half a century to teach Greek in prominent schools. Along with other Greek grammar book authors A. T. Robertson and Daniel Wallace, Mantey disagreed with the Watchtower’s (Jehovah’s Witnesses’) book, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT). For several years, Mantey was quoted in a footnote to the NWT, with the Watchtower trying to use Mantey’s grammar book to support their view of the bible. Mantey took offense, and wrote the letter below.

The significance of this letter is that it is from a respected author of a Greek grammar. We live in a free country, and Wathtower supporters have, and likely will continue, to disagree with any point they desire.

I am not in a position to defend Mantey; a scholar of his caliber does not need a defense from me. I am not a language scholar, do not pretend to be one, nor will I hide my ignorance of the languages. Concerning grammar and translation, too many arguments are made from those who should have remained silent, and I do not wish to contribute to the problem by adding my words to the conversation.

But I know enough to use the tools and quote the scholars. Of the three Greek grammars I mentioned, all specifically disagree with the NWT. The Watchtower can protest all they want, but their disagreement is with the unified opinion of all the language scholars. If the Watchtower ever publishes a Greek text that is used in accredited schools to teach Greek, or can find one that is in agreement with them, they will be taken seriously. Until then, they will not. Below is a top-tier scholar’s view of the Watchtower and their book.

Anyone can write a book claiming to know what they are talking about, but this does not make them true. The only objective reference we have for language is the recognized grammars. If the Watchtower claims all of the grammars are wrong, they have made a self-refuting statement.

Julius R. Mantey
414 Palmette Road
New Port Richey, FL 33552
July 11, 1974

Watchtower Bible & Tract Society
117 Adams St.
Brooklyn
New York 11201

Dear Sirs:
I have a copy of your letter addressed to Caris in Santa Ana, California, and I am writing to express my disagreement with statements made in that letter, as well as in quotations you have made from the Dana-Mantey Greek Grammar.

(1) Your statement: “their work allows for the rendering found in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures at John 1:1.” There is no statement in our grammar that was ever meant to imply at “a god” was a permissible translation in John 1:1.

A. We had no “rule” to argue in support of the trinity.

B. Neither did we state that we did have such intention. We were simply delineating the facts inherent in Biblical language.

C. Your quotation from p.148 (3) was in a paragraph under the heading: “With the Subject in a Copulative sentence.” Two examples occur there to illustrate that “the article points out the subject in these examples.” But we made no statement in the paragraph about the predicate except that , “as it stands the other persons of the trinity may be implied in theos.” And isn’t that the opposite of what your translation “a god” infers? You quoted me out of context. On pages 139 and 140 (VI) in our grammar we stated: “without the article theos signifies divine essence . . . theos en ho logos emphasizes Christ’s participation in the essence of the divine nature.” Our intepretation is in agreement with that in NEB and the TEV: “What God was, the Word was”; and with that of Barclay: “The nature of the Word was the same as the nature of God”, which you quoted in your letter to Caris.

(2) Since Colwell’s and Harner’s articles in JBL, especially that of Harner, it is neither scholarly  nor reasonable to translate John 1:1 “The Word was a god”. Word-order has made obsolete and incorrect such a rendering.

(3) Your quotation of Colwell’s rule is inadequate because it quotes only a part of the his findings. You did not quote this strong assertion: “A predicate nominative which precedes the verb cannot be translated as an indefinite or a ‘qualitative’ noun solely because of the absence of the article.”

(4) Prof Harner, vol. 92:1 (1973) in JBL, has gone beyond Colwell’s research and has discovered that anarthrous predicate nouns preceding the verb function primarily to express the nature or character of the subject. He found this true in 53 passages in the Gospel of John and 8 in the Gospel of Mark. Both scholars wrote that when indefiniteness was intended the gospel writers regularly placed the predicate noun after the verb, and both Colwell and Harner have stated that theos in John 1:1 is not indefinite and should not be translated “a god”. Watchtower writers appear to be the only ones advocating such a translation now. The evidence appears to be 99% against them.

(5) your statement in your letter that the sacred text itself should guide one and “not just someone’s rule book”. We agree with you. But our study proves that Jehovah’s Witnesses do the opposite of that whenever the “sacred text” differs with their heretical beliefs. For example the translation of kolasis as cutting off when punishment is the only meaning cited in the lexicons for it. The mistrnalstion of ego eimi as “I have been” in John 8:58. The addition of “for all time” in Heb. 9:27 when nothing in the Greek New Testament supports it. The attempt to belittle Christ by mistranslating arche tes ktiseos “beginning of the creation” when he is magnified as “the creator of all things” (John 1:2 and as “equal with God” (Phil. 2:6) before he humbled himself and lived in a human body here on earth. Your quotation of “The father is greater than I am” (John 14:28) to prove that Jesus was not equal to God overlooks the fact stated in Phil. 2:6-8. When Jesus said that, he was still in his voluntary state of humiliation. That state ended when he ascended to heaven. Why the attempt to deliberately deceive people by mispunctuation by placing a comma after “today” in Luke 23:43 when in the Greek, Latin, German and all English translations except yours, even in the Greek in your KIT, the comma occurs after lego (I say) — “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” 2 Cor. 5:8, “to be out of the body and at home with the Lord.” These passages teach that the redeemed go immediately to heaven after death, which does not agree with your teachings that death ends all life until the resurrection. Cf. Ps. 23:6 and Heb. 1:10.

The aforementioned are only a few examples of Watchtower mistranslations and perversions of God’s Word. In view of the preceding facts, especially because you have been quoting me out of context, I herewith request you not to quote from the Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament again, which you have been doing for 24 years. Also that you not quote it or me in any of your publications from this time on.

Also that you publicly and immediately apologize in the Watchtower magazine, since my words had no relevance in the absence of the article before theos in John 1:1. And please write to Caris and state that you misused and misquoted my “rule”. On the page before the Preface in the grammar are these words: “All rights reserved — no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher.” If you have such permission, please send me a photo-copy of it.

If you do not heed these requests you will suffer the consequences.

Respectfully yours,

Julius R. Mantey

25 minutes ago, Queen Esther said:

Brothers  &  Sisters...  WHO  has  the  power  to  stop  that  GUY ?  ;o)  No  one  has  roughly  the  time  for  reading  his  long  gushes !  Its  really  not  normal...  Thats  impolite / rude,  to  await  an  answer  of  that.  He  has  a  *Librarian - knowledge* - like  some  other  members  here...

I  take  distance  from  such  of  behavior !

A  GOOD  NIGHT  FROM  GERMANY  ;o)  

Would you prefer smaller posts?

Ok.

In 1889, the WT said " we present PROOFS that the setting up of the kingdon of God has already begun...and that 'the battle of the great day of God almighty' (Revelation16:14),which will end in AD1914 with the complete overthrow of the earth's present rulership, is already commenced.". So, the WT presented "proofs". These "proofs" were wrong, so what credibility do they have to "proclaim" anything?
 

18 minutes ago, Queen Esther said:

Brothers  &  Sisters...  WHO  has  the  power  to  stop  that  GUY ?  ;o)  No  one  has  roughly  the  time  for  reading  his  long  gushes !  Its  really  not  normal...  Thats  impolite / rude,  to  await  an  answer  of  that.  He  has  a  *Librarian - knowledge* - like  some  other  members  here...

I  take  distance  from  such  of  behavior !

A  GOOD  NIGHT  FROM  GERMANY  ;o)  

Which quote or reference is WRONG?

I know you guys are NOT allowed to think for yourselves. ie:

1983 "Avoid independent thinking...questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization." (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 22)

1983 "Fight against independent thinking." (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 27 )
 

But, i quote YOUR sources.

What grudge? I am just sharing the truth from the watchtower!

WATCHTOWER FALSE PROPHECIES

1877 'The End Of This World; that is the end of the gospel and the beginning of the millennial age is nearer than most men suppose; indeed we have already entered the transition period, which is to be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation Dan. 12:3." (N.H. Barbour and C.T. Russell, Three Worlds, and the Harvest of This World, p. 17).
1879 "Christ came in the character of a Bridegroom in 1874.... at the beginning of the Gospel harvest." (Watchtower, Oct 1879, p. 4)
1880 "We need not here repeat the evidences that the "seventh trump" began its sounding A.D., 1840, and will continue until the end of the time of trouble, and the end of "The times of the Gentiles," A.D., 1914, and that it is the trouble of this "Great day," which is here symbolically called the voice of the Archangel when he begins the deliverance of fleshly Israel. "At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince (Archangel) which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation." Dan. xii. 1. Nor will we here, again present the conclusive Bible proof that our Lord came for his Bride in 1874, and has an unseen work as Reaper of the first-fruits of this Gospel Age. (Zion's Watchtower November, 1880 p. 1)
1886 "The outlook at the opening of the New Year has some very encouraging features. The outward evidences are that the marshaling of the hosts for the battle of the great day of God Almighty, is in progress while the skirmishing is commencing. … The time is come for Messiah to take the dominion of earth and to overthrow the oppressors and corrupters of the earth, (Rev. 19:15 and 11:17, 18) preparatory to the establishment of everlasting peace upon the only firm foundation of righteousness and truth." (Zion's Watchtower, January, 1886;Watchtower reprints I, p. 817)
1888 "In this chapter we present the Bible evidence proving that the full end of the times of the gentiles, i.e., the full end of their lease of dominion, will be reached in A.D. 1914; and that the date will be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men. And be it observed, that if this is shown to be a fact firmly established by the Scriptures, it will prove; Firstly, that at that date the Kingdom of God, for which our Lord taught us to pray, saying, Thy Kingdom come, will obtain full, universal control, and that it will then be set up, or firmly established, in the earth, on the ruins of present institutions." (The Time Is At Hand, 1888, p. 76, 77)
1889 "Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that it is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that 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. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God's word." (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, The Time Is At Hand, 1889 Ed., p. 101. The 1915 Edition of this texts changed "A.D. 1914" to read 'A.D. 1915')
1889 "Here we furnish the evidence that from the creation of Adam to (but not including) A.D. 1873 was six thousand years. And though the Bible contains no direct statement that the seventh thousand will be the epoch of Christ's reign, the great Sabbath Day of restitution to the world, yet the venerable tradition is not without a reasonable foundation." (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 39. 1889)
1889 "If, then, the seventh thousand-year period of earth's history be an epoch specially noted as the period of Christ's reign, we shall by showing that it began in 1873, be proving that we are already in it." (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 40. 1889)
1889 "In the coming 26 years, all present governments will be overthrown and dissolved." (C.T. Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 98-99, 1889)
1889 "In this chapter we present the Bible evidence which indicates that six thousand years from the creation of Adam were complete with A.D. 1872; and hence that, since A.D. 1872 are chronologically entered upon the seventh thousand or the Millennium." (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 33, 1889)
1889 "Remember that the forty years' Jewish Harvest ended October A.D. 69, and was followed by the complete overthrow of that nation; and that likewise the forty years of the Gospel age harvest will end October, 1914, and that likewise the overthrow of 'Christendom,' so-called, must be expected to immediately follow." (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 245)
1894 "Seventeen years ago people said, concerning the time features presented in Millennial Dawn, They seem reasonable in many respects, but surely no such radical changes could occur between now and the close of 1914: if you had proved that they would come about in a century or two, it would seem much more probable. What changes have since occurred, and what velocity is gained daily? 'The old is quickly passing and the new is coming in.' Now, in view of recent labor troubles and threatened anarchy, our readers are writing to know if there may not be a mistake in the 1914 date. They say that they do not see how present conditions can hold out so long under the strain. We see no reason for changing the figures-nor 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." (Zion's Watchtower, Can It Be Delayed until 1914? C. T. Russell July 15, 1894, Also in Watchtower Reprints, l894 p. 1677)
1894 "A few more years will wind up the present order of things, and then the chastened world will stand face to face with the actual conditions of the established Kingdom of God. And yet the course of the Church is to be finished within the space of time that intervenes." (Watchtower p. 56, 1894)
1894 "We see no reason for changing the figures - nor 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." (Watchtower July 15, 1894, p 266; p 1677 reprints)
1894 "We see no reason for changing the figures nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, Gods 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." (Watchtower, July 15, 1894, Reprints p. 1677)
1897 "...this measurement is 3416 inches, symbolizing 3416 years.... This calculation shows A.D. 1874 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble...." (Russell, Studies in the Scriptures: Thy Kingdom Come, Series III, p. 342, 1897 edition)Note: The 1916 edition changed to read: "We find it to be 3457 inches, symbolizing 3457 years.... Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble...."  (The measurement was the length of an interior passageway discovered inside the Pyramids. It has no reference in Scripture.)
1897 "Complete destruction of the 'powers that be' of 'this present evil worlds - political, financial, ecclesiastical - about the close of the Time of the Gentiles; October A.D. 1914." (C.T. Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, IV, p. 622, 1897)
1897 "Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874, A.D....and the formal inauguration of his kingly office dates from April 1878, A.D." (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.4, p.621, 1897)
1897 "The distillery, the brewery, the saloon, the brothel, the pool-room, all time-killing and character-depraving business will be stopped; and their servants will be given something to do that will be beneficial to themselves and others. "Similarly, the building of war-vessels, the manufacture of munitions of war and defense will cease, and armies will be disbanded. The new Kingdom will have no need of these, but will have abundant power to execute summary justice in the punishment of evil doers... "The banking and brokerage business, and other like employment's, very useful under present conditions, will no longer have a place; for under the new conditions the human race will be required to treat each others as members of one family, and private capital and money to loan and to be needed will be things of the past. Landlords and renting agencies will find new employment also, because the new King will not recognize as valid patents and deeds now on record. "...namely, that with present conveniences, if the whole people were put to work systematically and wisely, not more than three hours labor for each individual would be necessary." (Studies, Vol. IV, pp. 633-635, 1897)
1902 "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 by the end of A.D. 1914." (The Time Is At Hand, 1902 edition, p. 99)
1903 "When Uranus and Jupiter meet in the humane sign of Aquarius in 1914, the long-promised era will have made a fair start in the work of setting man free to work out his own salvation, and will insure the ultimate realization of dreams and ideals of all poets and sages in history." (Watchtower, May 1, 1903, p. 130-131; p3184 Reprints)
1904 "According to our expectations the stress of the great time of trouble will be on us soon, somewhere between 1910 and 1912, culminating with the end of the 'Times of the Gentiles,' October, 1914." (The New Creation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 6, p. 579, 1904)
1908 "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 Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1908 ed.; p. 99)
1908 "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" (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1908 ed.; p. 99)
1914 "Even if the time of our change should not come within ten years, what more should we ask? Are we not a blessed, happy people? Is not our God faithful? If anyone knows anything better, let him take it. If any of you ever find anything better, we hope you will tell us." (Watchtower, Dec 15, 1914, p. 376.)
1914 "Studying God's Word, we have measured the 2520 years, the seven symbolic times, from that year 606 B.C. and have found that it reached down to October 1914, as nearly as we were able to reckon. We did not say positively that this would be the year." (Watchtower, November 1, 1914, p. 325)
1914 "While it's possible that Armageddon may begin next Spring, yet this purely speculation to attempt to say just when. We see, however, that there are parallels between the close of the Jewish age and this Gospel age. These parallels seem to point to the year just before us part particularly the early months." (Watchtower Reprints, VI, Sept 1, 1914, p. 5527)
1914 "There is absolutely no ground for Bible students to question that the consummation of this Gospel age is now even at the door, and that it will end as the Scriptures foretell in a great time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. We see the participants in this great crisis banding themselves together… The great crisis, the great clash, symbolically represented as a fire, that will consume the ecclesiastical heavens and the social earth, is very near." (Watchtower Reprints, VI, May 1, 1914, p. 5450)
1915 "The present great war in Europe is the beginning of the Armageddon of the Scriptures (Rev. 19:16-20). It will eventuate in the complete overthrow of all the systems of error which have so long oppressed the people of God and deluded the world. We believe the present war cannot last much longer until revolutions shall break out" (C.T. Russell, Pastor Russell's Sermons, p. 676, Sometime during World War I)
1915 Here we furnish the evidence that from the creation of Adam to A.D. 1873 was six thousand years. And though the Bible contains no direct statement that the seventh thousand will be the epoch of Christ's reign, the great Sabbath Day of restitution to the world, yet the venerable tradition is not without reasonable foundation. (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1915 ed.; p. 39)
1915 If, then, the seventh thousand-year period of earth's history be an epoch specially noted as the period of Christ's reign, we shall, by showing that it began in A.D. 1873, be proving that we are already in it. (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1915 ed.; p. 40)
1915 Firstly, that at that date [1914] the Kingdom of God, for which our Lord taught us to pray, saying, "Thy Kingdom come," will begin to assume control, and that it will then shortly be "set up," or firmly established, in the earth, on the ruins of present institutions. (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1915 ed.; p. 77)
1915 "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 near the end of A.D. 1915. (The Time Is At Hand, 1915 edition, p. 99)
1915 "Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that it is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1915, with the complete overthrow of the earth's present rulership, is already commenced." (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1915 ed.; p. 101)
1915 "As in the type that date - three and a half years after the death of Christ - marked the end of all special favor to the Jew and the beginning of favor to the Gentiles, so we recognize A.D. 1881 as marking the close of the 'high calling,' or invitation to the blessing peculiar to this age - to become joint-heirs with Christ and partakers of the divine nature." (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1915 ed.; p. 235)
1915 So it was in this harvest also up to A.D. 1878 the time prophecies and the fact of the Lord's presence, substantially as here presented, though less clearly, was our message. Since then the work has widened, and the view of other truths has become brighter and clearer; but the same fact and scriptures, teaching the same time and presence, stand unchallenged and incontrovertible. (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1915 ed.; p. 236)
1915 The Gentile Times prove that the present governments must all be overturned about the close of A.D. 1915; and Parallelism above shows that this period corresponds exactly with the year A.D. 70, which witnessed the completion of the downfall of the Jewish polity. (The Time Is At Hand, 1915 edition, p. 242)
1915 We are already living in the seventh millennium - since October 1872. (The Time Is At Hand; 1889; 1915 ed.; p. 363)
1915 The Battle of Armageddon, to which this war is leading, will be a great contest between right and wrong, and will signify the complete and everlasting overthrow of the wrong, and the permanent establishment of Messiah's righteous kingdom for the blessing of the world. … Our sympathies are broad enough to cover all engaged in the dreadful strife, as our hope is broad enough and deep enough to include all in the great blessings which our Master and his Millennial kingdom are about to bring to the world. (Watchtower Reprints, VI, April 1, 1915, p. 5659)
1915 To our understanding the general call to this joint heirship with our Redeemer as members of the New Creation of God, ceased in 1881. (The New Creation; 1899; 1915 ed.; p. 95)
1916 "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." (The Time Is At Hand, Foreword, p 2, 1916)
1916 We see no reason for doubting, therefore, that the Times of the Gentiles ended in October, 1914; and that a few more years will witness their utter collapse and the full establishment of God's kingdom in the hands of Messiah." (Watchtower Reprints, VI, Sept 1, 1916, p. 5950)
1917 'There will be no slip-up...Abraham should enter upon the actual possession of his promised inheritance in the year 1925' (Watchtower Oct. 15, 1917, p. 6157)
1917 The Spring of 1918 will bring upon Christendom a spasm of anguish greater even than that experienced in the Fall of 1914.... The travail that is coming is to be upon nominal Zion- "Christendom" … "Babylon"; and it will be a great and sore affliction - "A Time of Trouble such as was not since there was a nation." (The Finished Mystery p. 62 [stated to be the "Posthumous Work of Pastor Russell" on p. 2])
1917 'No doubt Satan believed the Millennial Kingdom was due to be set-up in 1915...Be that as it may, there is evidence that the establishment of the Kingdom in Palestine will probably be in 1925, ten years later than we once calculated.' (Studies In The Scriptures, Vol 7, The Finished Mystery, p. 128)
1917 Some interesting developments in connection with the setting up of the Kingdom may occur in 1920, six years after the great Time of Trouble began. It would not be strange if this were so, when we recall that after forty years wandering in the wilderness the Israelites came into possession of the land of Canaan after a further six years. As these matters are still future we can but wait to see. We anticipate that the "earthquake" will occur early in 1918, and that the "fire" will come in the fall of 1920. [The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 178, Comments on Revelation 11:13. [The 1926 ed. reads: "and that the 'fire' will follow in due course."])
1917 "And the mountains were not found. Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920. And the mountains were not found. Every kingdom of earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." (The Finished Mystery, 1917 edition, p. 258)
1917 Pastor Russell's mission, in large part, was to advise Christendom of its impending end, in the time of world-wide trouble. It is the Divine judgment upon the nations. … There will be no chance of escaping from destruction, through the nations. … The trouble is due to the dawning of the Day of Christ, the Millennium. It is the Day of Vengeance, which began in the world war of 1914 and which will break like a furious morning storm in 1918." (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 404)
1917 "Until 1878 the nominal church had been in a sense God's sanctuary or temple; but He was from then on, culminating in 1918, to remove it with a stroke or plague of erroneous doctrines and deeds Divinely permitted. The Church was the strength of Christendom, that about which its life centered, and around which its institutions were built. It was the desire of the eyes of the people, that which all Christians loved. Nevertheless, God was to make manifest the profanation which ecclesiasticism had made of the Christian Church, and to cause the church organizations to become to Him as one dead, an unclean thing, not to be touched, or mourned. And the 'children of the church' shall perish by the sword of war, revolution and anarchy, and by the Sword of the Spirit be made to see that they have lost their hope of life on the spirit plane -- that 'the door is shut."' (Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 7, 1917 p. 484.)
1917 Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by million, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of Christianity. (The Finished Mystery, 1917 edition, p. 485)

1917 As the fleshly-minded brothers from Christianity, siding with the radicals and revolutionaries, will rejoice at the inheritance of desolation that will be Christendom's after 1918, so will God do to the successful revolutionary movement; it shall be utterly desolated, "even all of it." Not one vestige of it shall survive the ravages of world-wide all embracing anarchy, in the fall of 1920. (Rev. II: 7-13) (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 542, [The 1926 ed. reads: "in the end of the time of trouble."])
1917 This vision of the prophet Ezekiel depicts the established theocratic Kingdom of God on earth, civil and religious, spiritual and earthly. . . . The Temple . . . is a type and symbol of "better things to come," after the wars, revolutions and anarchy of the period from 1914 to 1925 have passed. (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 569 [The 1926 ed. reads: "of the time of trouble have passed."])
1918 "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." (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89)
1920 '...we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected' (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, p. 88)
1920 '...we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected' (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, p. 88)
1920 "A simple calculation of these jubilees brings us to this important fact: Seventy jubilees of fifty years each would be a total of 3500 years. That period of time beginning 1575 before A.D. 1 of necessity would end in the fall of 1925, at which time the type ends and the great antitype must begin. What, then, should we expect to take palace? In the type there must be a full restoration; beginning of restoration of all things. The chief thing to be restored is the human race to life; and since other Scriptures definitely fix the fact that there will be a resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful ones of old, and that these will have the first favor, we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men and Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible, legal representatives of the new order of things on earth. (Millions now living will never die, 1920 p 89-90)
1920 'Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old' (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, p. 89-90)
1920 "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." (Millions Now Living Will Never Die. 1920 p. 97)
1921 "'The time of the end' embraces a period from 1799 A.D., as above indicated, to the time of the complete overthrow of Satan's empire and the establishment of the kingdom of the Messiah. The time of the Lord's second presence dates from 1874, as above stated. The latter period is within the first named, of course, and in the latter part of the period known as "the time of the end." (The Harp of God, 1921 p. 236)
1921 "In Biblical symbology a time means a year of twelve months of thirty days each, or 360 days. Each day is considered for a year... Here are mentioned, then, three and a half times of 360 prophetic days each, or a total of 1260 prophetic days, equal to 1260 years. The Prophet then was shown that 1260 years would mark the beginning of the time of the end of this beastly order. Twelve-hundred sixty years from A.D. 539 brings us to 1799 -- another proof that 1799 marks the beginning of the 'time of the end.' This also shows that it is from the date 539 A.D. that the other prophetic days of Daniel must be counted." … "The most important thing to which all the prophecies point and for which the apostles looked forward has been the second coming of the Lord. It is described by the Prophet as a blessed time. Daniel then says: 'Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.' (Daniel 12:12). The watchers here, without question are those who were instructed by the Lord to watch for his return. This date, therefore, when understood, would certainly fix the time when the Lord is due at his second appearing. Applying the same rule, then, of a day for a year, 1335 days after 539 A.D. brings us to A.D. 1874, at which time, according to Biblical chronology, the Lord's second presence is due. If this calculation is correct, from that time forward we ought to be able to find some evidences marking the Lord's presence."(Harp of God, 1921, pp. 229-230.)
1921 "The natural harvest was used by the Lord to illustrate his harvest of Christians. In the Jewish natural harvest it was customary to glean the field after the regular harvest was over. We should therefore expect to find a harvest period from 1878 to 1918, and thereafter for a time a gleaning work to be done, which we will indicate. The question now is, Do we find a period of harvest in the gospel age after 1874 which serves as a fulfillment of the prophecy of the Lord?" (Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 7 1921, p. 236.)
1921 "The same year, 1881, is prophetically marked as the time for the final withdrawal of favor from the churches, a favor which had begun to be withdrawn in 1878 - the year in which the clergy were cast off as representatives of the Divine Word, and when Pastor Russell began his work by the publication of 50,000 copies of Object and Manner of the Lord's Return. In 1878 the stewardship of the things of God, the teaching of Bible truths, was taken from the clergy, unfaithful to their age long stewardship, and given to Pastor Russell. In the interim, until 1881, the new steward was setting the things in order, getting the truths of the Bible in logical and Scriptural form for presentation, until the last great item of the Hebrew tabernacle types, was ready. Then, in 1881, he became God's watchman for all Christendom, and began his gigantic work of Witness." (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 7, pp. 386-387 1921)
1921 "The Scriptures disclose a complete parallel concerning the Jewish and gospel ages. The parallel exists with reference to time as well as events. The Jewish age ended with a harvest, which harvest began with the ascension of our Lord in the year A.D. 33. By the term 'harvest' here used is meant the gathering of the remnant of the Jews to Christ. Jesus' statement plainly is that the gospel age will end with a harvest, during which time he would be present, directing the work of that harvest. In the earth three and a half years from the time of his consecration and baptism, Jesus was preparing the Jews for the harvest of that age. We should expect to find a parallel of this reference to the harvest of the gospel age, and we do find it. Counting three and a half years from 1874, the time of his presence, brings us to 1878. During the presence of the Lord from 1874 to 1878 he was making preparation for the harvest of the gospel age. The Jewish harvest covered a period of forty years, ending in A.D. 73. We should expect, then, the general harvest of the gospel age to end in 1918." (Harp of God, 1921, pp. 235-236, 1921)
1922 "The period must end in 1925. The type ending, the antitype must begin; and therefore 1925 is definitely fixed in the scriptures. every thinking person can see that a great climax is at hand. The Scriptures clearly indicate that the climax is the fall of Satan's empire and the full establishment of the Messianic kingdom. This climax being reached by 1925, and that marking the beginning of the fulfillment of the long promised blessings of life to the people, millions now living on earth will be living then and those who obey the righteous laws of the new arrangement will live forever. Therefore it can be confidently said at this time that millions now living will never die." (Golden Age, Jan. 4, 1922, p. 217)
1922 "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the "time of the end" began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874." (The Watchtower, March 1, 1922)
1922 "We have no doubt whatever in regard to the chronology relating to the dates of 1874, 1914, 1918, and 1925. It was on this line of reckoning that the dates 1874, 1914, and 1918 were located; and the Lord has placed the stamp of his seal upon 1914 and 1918 beyond any possibility of erasure. What further evidence do we need? Using this same measuring line.... it is an easy matter to locate 1925, probably in the fall, for the beginning of the antitypical jubilee. There can be no more question about 1925 than there was about 1914." (Watchtower, p. 150, May 15, 1922)
1922 "It is on the basis of such and so many correspondencies -- in accordance with the soundest laws known to science- that we affirm that, Scripturally, scientifically, and historically, present-truth chronology is correct beyond a doubt. Its reliability has been abundantly confirmed by the dates and events of 1874, 1914, and 1918. Present-truth chronology is a secure basis on which the consecrated child of God may endeavor to search out things to come." (Watchtower, June 15 1922)
1922 "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...." (Watchtower, July 15, 1922 p. 217)
1922 '1914 ended the Gentile Times...The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures...by then the great crisis will be reached and probably passed' (Watchtower Sept. 1, 1922, p. 262)
1923 '1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures...the Christian has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had (so far as the Scriptures reveal) upon which to base his faith in the coming deluge' (Watchtower April 1, 1923, p. 106)
1923 "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." (Watchtower, p. 106, March 1, 1923)
1924 "No doubt many boys and girls who read this book will live to see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, and those other men of old come forth in the glory of their better resurrection, of perfect in mind and body. It will not take long for Christ to appoint them to their post of honor and authority as his earthly representatives. The world and all the present conveniences will seen strange to them at first, but they will soon become accustomed to the new methods. They may have some amusing experiences at first; for they never saw telephones, radios, automobiles, electric lights, aeroplanes, steam engines, and many other things so familiar to us. (The Way To Paradise, 1924, p. 226)
1924 "Surely there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874." (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1924, p. 5)
1924 "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914. (Watchtower 1924, p. 211)
1924 "We cannot be blamed for presenting from the Scriptures such evidence as they afford which leads us to believe that a certain event will take place at a given time. Some times the Lord has let His people looking for the right thing at the wrong time, and more frequently they have looked for the wrong things at the right time. But all the enemies of the cause of present truth in the earth are fervently hoping that the Bible students will not be so successful in 1925 in looking for the right thing at the right time as they were in 1914. if they are, however, it will be the other fellow that will have to do the explaining, and not we." (The Golden Age, Feb. 13, 1924, p. 314)
1925 "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." (Watchtower, Sept. 1925, p. 262)
1925 "The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything." (Watchtower 1925, p. 56)
1925 "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." (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1925, p. 3)
1926 "Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything." (Watchtower 1926 p. 232.)
1927 The Scriptural proof is that the period of his presence and the day of God's preparation is a period from 1874 A.D. forward. The second coming of the Lord, therefore, began in 1874; and that date and the years 1914 and 1918 are specially marked dates with reference to his coming. (Creation; 1927; p. 289 early editions, p310 later editions)
1927 Prophecy can not be understood until it has been fulfilled or is in the course of fulfillment. From 1874 to 1914 the prophecy concerning the Lord's coming was being fulfilled and could be understood, and was understood, by those who were faithful to the Lord and who were watching the development of events, but not by others. (Creation; 1927; p. 290)
1927 "Napoleon began this Egyptian campaign in 1798, finished it, and then returned to France on October 1, 1799. The campaign is briefly , yet graphically described in the prophecy, verses 40-44; and its being completed in 1799 marks, according to the prophet's own words, the beginning of "the time of the end." (Creation; 1927; p. 293)
1927 "Twelve hundred and sixty years from 539 A.D. brings us to 1799, which is another proof that 1799 definitely marks the beginning of "the time of the end." this also shows that it is from the date 539 A.D. that the other prophetic days of Daniel must be counted." (Creation; 1927, p. 294)
1927 Applying the same rule then, of a day for a year, 1335 days after 539 A.D. brings us to 1874 A.D. at which time, according to Biblical chronology, the Lord's second presence was due. (Creation; 1927; p. 298)
1928 "The time of the Lord's second presence dates from 1874, as above stated." (The Harp of God p. 236, 1928 edition!)
1929 'If these prophesies have not been fulfilled, and if all possibility of fulfilment is past, then these prophets are proven false.' (Prophecy, 1929, p 22)
1929 Many of such had been looking for the Lord to come and take them to heaven, and had particularly fixed the year 1914 as when this should be done. The year 1914 was a marked date; but these had merely contemplated something to happen which did not come to pass. (Prophecy; 1929; 1,589,000 ed.; p. 89)
1929 "The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of the Lord Jesus Christ began in 1874 A.D." (Prophecy, 1929, p. 65)
1929 "Both the grantor and the grantee are fully persuaded from the Bible testimony which is the word of Jehovah God and from extraneous evidence that God's Kingdom is now in the course of establishment and that it will result beneficially for the peoples of earth; that the governing power and authority will be invisible to men but that the kingdom of God will have visible representatives on the earth who will have charge of the affairs of the nations under supervision of the invisible ruler, Christ. That among those who will be thus the faithful representatives and visible governors of the world will be David, who was once King over Israel; and Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, and Jepthai, and Joseph, formerly ruler of Egypt, and Samuel the prophet and other faithful men named with approval in the Bible at Hebrews 11th. chapter." (Original legal deed to Beth Sarim, Rutherford, 1929)
1930 "But how will you identify King David or any of the other representatives from God?' Rutherford was asked. 'I thought all that out before I wrote the deed,' the judge replied with a twinkle in his gray eyes. 'I realized the possibility of some old codger turning up bright and early some morning and declaring he was David. The men whom I have designated to test the identity of these men are officers of my societies and have consecrated themselves to the Lord, they will be divinely authorized to know impostors from the real princes."' (The San Diego Sun, Saturday, March 15, 1930)
1930 Judge Joseph Frederick Rutherford 60, lives in a ten room Spanish mansion, No 4440 Braeburn Rd, San Diego, Calif. Last week he deeded No 4440 Braeburn Road, and adjacent two car garage and a pair of automobiles to King David, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, Samuel and sundry other mighties of ancient Palestine. Positive is he that they are shortly to reappear on earth, Said he: 'I have purposely landscaped the place with palm and olive trees so that these princes of the universe will feel at home.. (Time Magazine, March 31, 1930)
1930 "The Watchtower, and its companion publications of the society, for forty years emphasized that fact that 1914 would witness the establishment of God's kingdom and the complete glorification of the church. During that period of forty years God's people on earth were carrying on a witness work, which work was foreshadowed by Elijah and John the Baptist. All of the Lord's people looked forward to 1914 with joyful expectation. When that time came and passed there was much disappointment, chagrin and mourning, and the Lord's people were greatly in reproach. They were ridiculed by the clergy and their allies in particular, and pointed to with scorn, because they had said so much about 1914, and what would come to pass, and their prophecies had not been fulfilled. (J. F. Rutherford, Light, Book 1, 1930, p. 194)
1930 "The great climax is at hand. The kings of earth now set themselves against his anointed Stone." (J. F. Rutherford, Light, II, 1930 p. 327)

1931 "God's faithful people on earth emphasized the importance of the dates 1914 and 1918 and 1925. They had much to say about these dates and what would come to pass, but all they predicted did not come to pass." (J. F. Rutherford, Vindication, vol. 1, 1931, p. 146)
1931 "God's kingdom has begun to operate. His day of vengeance is here and Armageddon is at hand and certain to fall upon Christendom and that within an early date. God's judgment is upon Christendom and must shortly be executed." (J. F. Rutherford, Vindication, Vol. I, p. 147, 1931)
1931 "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. Later the faithful learned that these dates were definitely fixed in the Scriptures; and they also learned to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date, but to rely (and they do rely) upon the Word of God as to the events that must come to pass. (J. F. Rutherford, Vindication, 1931, p. 338-339)
1931 A gaunt unshaven tramp has been the lone claimant for the $75,000 Southern Californian mansion of David, king of Israel, since it was deeded to the Biblical character a year ago. This was revealed today by Judge James Rutherford, temporary owner of the luxuriantly furnished Spanish type mansion at 440 Braeburn Rd in the exclusive Kensington Heights district. In one of the oddest deeds ever recorded, Rutherford, president of the International Bible Students Association and the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, has placed in trust the magnificent estate for ancient kings and prophets of Israel.  The slayer of Goliath and his companions may occupy the 10 room modern home with it's landscaped gardens and patio as soon as their credentials are approved by Rutherford and officials of his societies, divinely authorised to recognise them. One morning as I was going from the house to the garage, a queer looking creature approached me, tipped his dirty hat and cried 'Howdy Judge, I'm David'.  'Go and tell that to the winds', I told him and he left without arguing the matter. I could see at a glance that he was not David. He didn't look like I knew David would look.' Asked how he expected David and his distinguished brethren to look, Rutherford, without hesitation, opened his huge Bible and pointed to a verse which said that the Princes of the Universe would be risen from the dead 'as perfect men'. 'I interpret that to mean', the tall dignified Judge declared, 'that David, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthae, Joseph and Samuel will be sent here to wrench the world from Satan's grasp, clothed in modern garb as we are, and able, with little effort, to speak our tongue.' Rutherford pictured the arrival of the biblical delegation perhaps in frock coats, high hats, canes and spats. At Beth Sarim (House of Princes) as Rutherford has named his mansion, David will find the most modern appliances that science has devised. When the distinguished guests walk up the circular stairway to the second floor, they will find a large office with red leather chairs and shiny flat topped desk with inverted lighting. Even French telephones await the touch of the princes. Opening a wide door, the native sons of Palestine will behold a large bathroom, resplendent in shiny black tile with needle shower and an amply filled medicine chest. What a thrill giant shouldered Samson, who wrecked a palace with his bare fists might find in the gold safety razor and strop! Rutherford built the second floor bedroom, which he temporarily occupies, large in order to accommodate several of the expected owners. With wide pane windows that look out on the purple Cuyamacas to the East and California's first mission to the north, the bedroom is almost severe in it's furnishings. The rulers of the universe will have simple tastes, the judge apparently believes, although the austere end tables sported gaily covered fiction magazines. Rutherford has imported some Koniach, Wasser from Cologne, Germany to freshen the princely faces after shaving. A black skull cap hangs over one of the bedposts. The coming of David and his companions will be the greatest news story of the ages, Rutherford predicted. 'I am not a publicity seeker,' Rutherford said with a twinkle in his kindly brown eyes, 'but I feel that the world should know about their arrival. It will be a great news story.' Word of his 'House of king David' has reached into every corner of the world, the judge stated. 'Everywhere I went people asked me about this place,' Rutherford said. 'In Chicago a millionaire manufacturer offered to build another house for David, but I declined the offer. 'Literally thousands have driven here to see this place,' Rutherford continued. 'Many have come to the door and my secretary has shown them about the place.' The patio with it's silver pool and olive and palm trees is gay with flowers. Down toward the canyon, paths have been landscaped to allow David and his friends to walk in meditation. Many of the fruits and trees, native to their Palestine, will greet the rulers when they arrive. In the two car garage next door stands a new, yellow 16 cylinder coupe which will be turned over to the rulers along with all the personal property on the place. 'Everything will be theirs, the house, the land, the furnishings and even the clothes if they need them,' Judge Rutherford said. 'What will I do? Oh, don't worry about me. I'll manage somehow.' the judge smiled. He had another 'Watch Tower' residence on Staten Island and practically an entire floor at Bethel. The seven famous men will not have long to rest at their San Deigo estate because they soon will lead the forces of the Lord to vanquish the minions of Satan at the battle of Armageddon, Rutherford believed. 'But they will win out. The Lord will punish the devil and will show that the preachers and the politicians have been giving the people false counsel,' Rutherford said confidently. Rutherford will sail May 9 for Europe where he will speak before conventions in Berlin, Paris and London. (San Deigo Sun Newspaper report, Jan. 9, 1931)
1935 "...the scriptural evidence and the physical facts strongly indicate that such witness work is now almost done; and when it is done the universal war will begin. Universal war is absolutely certain to come and that soon, and no power can stop it. ...during the few remaining months until the breaking of that universal cataclysm the powers that rule the nations of the earth will continue to make treaties and tell the people that by such means they will keep that world peace and bring about prosperity. (Universal War Near, 1935, p. 3, 26-27)
1938 "...mark the words of Jesus, which definitely seem to discourage the bearing of children immediately before or during Armageddon....It would therefore appear that there is no reasonable or scriptural injunction to bring children into the world immediately before Armageddon, where we now are." (Watchtower, Nov. 1, 1938, p. 324)
1938 "They had preached that in an early time God would overthrow "Christendom". Many had emphasized the year 1925 as the date, and then when that date did not materialize the date was moved up to 1932. Again, 1932 came and ''Christendom'' was not destroyed, and now it was discovered that "Christendom" would be spared for a while longer for the sake of the Jonadab class, and this made the proud "elective elder" crowd very mad." (Watchtower Feb. 15, 1938 p. 54)
1938 "Would it be scripturally proper for them to marry and begin to rear children? No, is the answer, which is supported by the scriptures....I will be far better to be unhampered and without burdens, that they may do the Lords will now, as the Lord commands, and also be without hindrance during Armageddon. … Those... who now contemplate marriage, it would seem, would do better if they wait a few years, until the fiery storm of Armageddon is gone." (Face the Facts, 1938, p. 46, 47, 50)
1938 As far back as 1880 The Watchtower pointed to A.D. 1914 as the date marking the end of the world, at which time great trouble would come upon the nations; but at that time it was not seen by God's people on earth that the trouble would be the battle of Jehovah against Satan's organization. For many years it was believed by them, and so stated in The Watchtower, that "the time of trouble" would be a terrific clash between the various elements of the earth, such as capital and labor. Not until 1925 was "the time of trouble" Scripturally understood." (Watchtower, p. 35, Feb. 1, 1938)
1939 "The abundance of Scriptural evidence, together with the physical facts that have come to pass showing the fulfillment of prophecy, conclusively proves that the time for the battle of the great day of God Almighty is very near and that in that battle all of God's enemies shall be destroyed and the earth cleared of wickedness." … "Likewise today, all the nations and peoples of earth are face to face with the greatest emergency. They are being warned as God commands, that the disaster of Armageddon is just ahead." (J. F. Rutherford, Salvation, 1939, p. 310, 361)
1939 At San Deigo, California, there is a small piece of land, on which, in the year 1929 there was built a house, which is called and known as Beth Sarim. The Hebrew words Beth Sarim mean 'House of the Princes'; and the purpose of acquiring that property and building the house was that there are those on earth today who fully believe in God and Christ Jesus and in His Kingdom, and who believe that the faithful men of old will soon be resurrected by the Lord, be back on earth, and take charge of the visible affairs of earth. The title to Beth Sarim is vested in the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in trust, to be used by the president of the Society and his assistants for the present, and thereafter to be forever at the disposal of the aforementioned princes on the earth.... It stands there as a testimony to Jehovah's name; and when the princes do return, and some of them occupy the property, such will be a confirmation of the faith and hope that induced the building of Beth Sarim. (Salvation, 1939, p. 311)
1940 "The year 1940 is certain to be the most important year yet because Armageddon is very near. It behooves all who love righteousness to put forth every effort to advertise The Theocracy while the privileges are still open." (Informant, April, 1940, p. 1)
1940 The Kingdom is here, the King is enthroned. Armageddon is just ahead. The glorious reign of Christ that shall bring blessings to the world will immediately follow. Therefore the great climax has been reached. Tribulation has fallen upon those who stand by the Lord. (The Messenger, Sept. 1940, p. 6)
1940 The prophecies of Almighty God, the fulfillment of which now clearly appears from the physical facts, show that the end of religion has come and with its end the complete downfall of Satan's entire organization." (Religion, J. F. Rutherford, p. 336, 1940)
1940 The witness work for The Theocracy appears to be about done in most of the countries of "Christendom. ... Now the totalitarian rule has suppressed the Theocratic message, and it should be expected that when they quit fighting amongst themselves all the totalitarian rulers will turn their attention to the complete suppression of everything pertaining to the Theocratic Government. What, then, does it mean that the Theocratic Government is now suppressed in many nations? It means that the hour is rapidly approaching when the "sign" of Armageddon will be clearly revealed and all who are on the side of Jehovah will see and appreciate it.." (Watchtower, Sept. 1, 1940, p. 265. [White, p. 335 quotes from the 1942 Yearbook (p. 29), completed by Rutherford just before his death: "The record as herewith published would, on the face of it, show that the Theocratic witness work on earth is about done."])
1941 "Armageddon is surely near, and during that time the Lord will clean off the earth everything that offends and is disagreeable. ... From now on we shall have our heart devotion fixed on The Theocracy, knowing that soon we shall journey forever together in the earth. Our hope is that within a few years our marriage may be consummated and, by the Lord's grace, we shall have sweet children that will be an honor to the Lord. We can well defer our marriage until lasting peace comes to the earth." (J. F. Rutherford, Children, 1941, p.366)
1941 "Receiving the gift, [Rutherford's book, Children] 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." (Watchtower Sept. 15, 1941, p. 288)
1942 "Now, with Armageddon immediately before us, it is a matter of life or destruction. Those who would be of the Lord's other sheep that shall compose the great multitude of Armageddon survivors and live joyfully on earth forever must find the answer to a very personal question, and very important." (Watchtower, April 1, 1942, p. 139)
1942 "The New World Is At The Doors...The time is short. Those who do not inform themselves and who do not now choose the new world which Higher Powers shall establish will never live to enter into blessings and glories." (The New World, 1942, p. 10)
1942 "The Lord Jesus has now come to the temple for judgment, and the remnant of the members of 'his body' yet on earth he has gathered into the temple condition of perfect unity with himself (Malachi 3:1-3), and hence those faithful men of old may be expected back from the dead any day now. The Scriptures give good reason to believe that it shall be shortly before Armageddon breaks. In this expectation the house at San Diego, California, which house has been much publicized with malicious intent by the religious enemy, was built, in 1930, and named 'Beth Sarim,' meaning 'House of Princes.' It is now held in trust for the occupancy of those princes on their return. The most recent facts show that the religionists of this doomed world are gnashing their teeth because of the testimony which that 'House of Princes' hears to the new world. To those religionists and their allies the return of those faithful men of old to rule with judgment over the people shall not bring any pleasure. But to the people whom the angels sang about, 'men of good will,' it shall be an occasion for unbounded jubilation, and they shall rally to the side of those princely representatives of the kingdom of heaven." (The New World, pp. 104-105, 1942)
1942 Such activity in publishing God's kingdom and clearing his name of the Devil's reproaches by religion was mistakenly given a place secondary to the making of the bride of Christ class ready for the marriage with him in heaven, in 1914 as some thought. (The New World; 1942; 2,000,000 ed.; p. 273-274)
1942 Before the Lord's Messenger came to the temple and began interpreting God's will and teaching, the Job class had been darkening counsel by words without knowledge, it not then being due time for the disclosure of such knowledge. Some of the consecrated ones thought they must be taken home to heaven at a time certain in order to help God run the universe. (The New World; 1942; 2,000,000 ed.; p. 308)
1942 "The faithful acts of the men who were known as fathers in Israel are recounted in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Genesis 12:1-3; 28:13,14; Acts 7:2-5....These men will be the visible representatives of the Theocracy, which is the government created and built up by the almighty God as his capital organization and which shall rule the world. Further proof that these princes will shortly take office upon earth as perfect men is found in the prophecy of Daniel. But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:13) Daniel's lot is that of these princes. Proof is now submitted that we are now living at the end of the days, and we may expect to see Daniel and the other mentioned princes any day now!" (Consolation, April 27, 1942, p. 13, brackets in the original)
1943 "Man cannot by airplane or rockets or other means get above the air envelope which is about our earthly globe..."(The Truth Shall Make you Free, p. 285, 1943 edition)
1943 "The final war will come as a most sudden and complete surprise...Nevertheless, the appearing of the 'desolating abomination in the holy place' is an unerring proof that the unknown day and hour of the beginning of the final war is dangerously near." (The Truth Shall Make You Free, 1943, p. 341)
1944 [The establishment of the United Nations was seen] "as one of the most positive evidences that 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand' and that the end of the world arrangement is now near. Jesus foretold the setting up of that anti-Christ organization." (The Kingdom Is at Hand, 1944, p. 342)
1946 "the disaster of Armageddon, greater than that which befell Sodom and Gomorrah, is at the door." (Let God Be True, 1946, p. 194)
1951 "Under the guidance of God's spirit of freedom the magazine today known as the Watchtower but known back there as Zion's Watch Tower, began to be published in July, 1879. In the first year of its publication it pointed to the date 1914 as marked in the Bible." (What Has Religion Done For Mankind?; 1951; p. 308)
1953 "After almost six thousand years of human sorrow, suffering and death, at last permanent relief is near at hand and will be realized within this generation." (New Heavens And A New Earth; 1953; p. 7)
1955 "in the light of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy it is becoming clear that the war of Armageddon is nearing its breaking-out point." (You may survive Armageddon into God's new world, 1955, p 331)
1955 "The very fact that, as part of Jehovah's secret, no one today is able to find out how much time Adam and later Eve lived during the closing days of the sixth creative period, so no one can now determine when six thousand years of Jehovah's present rest day come to an end. Obviously, whatever amount of Adam's 930 years was lived before the beginning of that seventh-day rest of Jehovah, that unknown amount would have to be added to the 1976 date." (Watchtower, February 1, 1955, p. 95)
1961 Like Elijah of old, they became quite disconsolate, uncertain of life, thinking the end of existence and work was at hand. This was especially the case since the remnant was part of the virgin class espoused to Christ as his Bride and she failed to realize her hopes of being glorified to heavenly life with him both in 1914 and now in 1918. (Let Your Name Be Sanctified; 1961; p. 313)
1963 "Of what significance is this today? It means that by the fall of 1963 mankind has dwelt upon this earth 5,988 years. Does this mean, then, that by 1963 we had progressed 5,988 years into the 'day' on which Jehovah 'has been resting from all his work'? (Gen. 2:3) No, for the creation of Adam does not correspond with the beginning of Jehovah's rest day. Following Adam's creation, and still within the sixth creative day, Jehovah appears to have been forming further animal and bird creations. Also, he had Adam name the animals, which would take some time, and he proceeded to create Eve. (Gen. 2:18-22; see also NW, 1953 Ed., footnote on Vs. 19) Whatever time elapsed between Adam's creation and the end of the 'sixth day' must be subtracted from the 5,988 years in order to give the actual length of time from the beginning of the 'seventh day' until now. It does no good to use Bible chronology for speculating on dates that are still future in the stream of time." (All Scripture is inspired of God and Beneficial, 1963, page 286)
1966 "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 Six thousand years of man's existence on earth will soon be up, yea within this generation. The rein of Christ...to run parallel with the 7th millennium ..." (Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, p. 29-30)
1966 "Discussion of 1975 overshadowed about everything else. 'The new book compels us to realise that Armageddon is, in fact, very close indeed,' said a conventioneer." (Watchtower 15/10/1966, p 629)
1966 "In this twentieth century an independent study has been carried on that does not blindly follow some traditional chronological calculations of Christendom, and the published timetable resulting from this independent study gives the date of man's creation as 4026 B.C.E. So six thousand years of man's existence on earth will soon be up, yes, within this generation." (Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, p29, 1966 [Note: 4026 BC to 1975AD = 6000 years])
1967 "Just think, 1975 marks the end of 6,000 years of human experience.....Will it be the time when God executes the wicked?....It very well could be, but we will have to wait to see.' (Watchtower, 1/5/1967, p 262)
1968 "The immediate future is certain to be filled with climatic events, for this old system is nearing its complete end. Within a few years at most the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these last days will undergo fulfilment resulting in the liberation of surviving mankind into Christ's glorious 1000 year reign!" (Watchtower, 1/5/1968)
1968 Eight years from the Autumn of 1967 would bring us to the Autumn of 1975, fully 6,000 years into God's seventh day, his rest day. (Watchtower May 1, 1968 p. 271)
1968 "Why Are You Looking Forward To 1975?" … "What about all this talk concerning the year 1975? Lively discussions, some based on speculation, have burst into flame during recent months among serious students of the Bible. Their interest has been kindled by the belief that 1975 will mark the end of 6,000 years of human history since Adam's creation. The nearness of such an important date indeed fires the imagination and presents unlimited possibilities for discussion." (Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1968, p. 494)
1968 "'Adam Created At Close Of 'Sixth Day' 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 Sabbath-like thousand-year reign of Christ....It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years.' (Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1968, p. 499)
1968 "More recently, the book entitled "Famine-1975!" [by W. & P. Paddock, 1967, pp. 52,55,61.] said concerning today's food shortages: "Hunger is rampant throughout country after country, continent after continent around the undeveloped belt of the tropics and subtropics. Today's crisis can move in only one direction - toward catastrophe. Today hungry nations; tomorrow starving nations." … "By 1975 civil disorder, anarchy, military dictatorships, runaway inflation, transportation breakdowns and chaotic unrest will be the order of the day in many of the hungry nations." (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, p 88-89, 1968)
1968 "1914 a marked year. Years in advance Bible Scholars realized that 1914 was to be a year of great significance. They expected great changes to take place, and the facts confirm that 1914 was, indeed, a marked year." (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life; 1968; 40,000,000 ed.; p. 91)
1968 "The Bible speaks of the time in which we are living as the "last days" or the "time of the end." (2 Timothy 3:1; Daniel 11:40)  The facts show that this is a limited period that has a definite beginning and a definite end.  It began in 1914 when Jesus Christ was enthroned as king in the heavens. It will end when God destroys this present wicked system of things. … How soon will that be? God's own Son, Jesus Christ, gives the answer. After drawing attention to the many things that mark the period from 1914 onward as the "time of the end," Jesus said: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." (Matthew 24:34) Which generation did he mean? Jesus had just referred to persons who would "see all these things." "These things" are the events that have taken place since 1914 and those yet to occur down to the end of this wicked system. (Matthew 24:33) Persons born even as much as fifty years ago could not see "all these things." They came on the scene after the foretold events were already under way. But there are people still living who were alive in 1914 and saw what was happening then and who were old enough that they still remember those events. This generation is getting up in years now. A great number of them have already passed away in death. Yet Jesus very pointedly said: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' Some of them will still be alive to see the end of this wicked system. This means that only a short time is left before the end comes!" (Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, p. 94, 1968)

1968 "Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of mans existence on earth is completed... The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out, and there are no resurrection hopes for those who are destroyed then. So, now more than ever, it is vital not to ignore that spirit of wanting to do more." (Kingdom Ministry, March 1968, p. 4 [note: 1968 + 90 months = 1975])
1968 "During world war 1, God's people expected it to lead directly into Armageddon, but Jehovah prevented such a climax at that time. We didn't succumb to such an expectation during world war II. (Kingdom Ministry, Jan. 1968, p. 5)

---------------------

1877- THE END OF THIS WORLD...is nearer than most men suppose * from the book: "Three Worlds and the Harvest of this World" Jehova's Witnesses and Prophetic Speculation; 1877

1889- In subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God has already begun...And that the "battle of the great day of God almighty [revelation 16:14], which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of the earth's present rulership, is already commenced. [The 1915 edition of this book changed "A.D. 1914" to "A.D. 1915."] *from the book "The Time is at Hand; 1889

July 15th 1894- We see no reason for changing the futures- nor 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.

1904- The stress of the great time of trouble will be on us soon, somewhere between 1910 and 1912- culminating in the end of the "Times of the Gentiles," October 1914. *from the book "The New Creation" 1904

May 1st, 1914- There is absolutely no ground for bible students to question that the consummation of this gospel age is now even at the door...The great crisis...that will consume the ecclesiastical heavens and the social earth is very near. *Watchtower reprints

When the 1914 events did not occur, they were rescheduled for 1918-1925

The book "The Finished Mystery" Armageddon was to begin "in the spring of 1918" There was to be "worldwide all-embracing anarchy" in the "fall of 1920." The 1917 edition asserts that Revelation 11:13 would be fulfilled "early in 1918" ["the earthquake"] and in the "fall of 1920" [the fire]. The 1926 edition is again altered.

The Watchtower- Sept 1st, 1922: "The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the scriptures because it is fixed by the law of God to Israel..."

Watchtower- April 1st, 1923: "Our thought is that 1925 is definitely settled by the scriptures."

So what happened when 1925 arrived??

Watchtower- Jan 1st 1925: "With great expectation, Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have been 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. "

What happened at the end of 1925??

Watchtower- Sept 1925: "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 of the work, and therefore it would be needless for them to do no more."

**All of a sudden Satan, not "God" is the one prophesying.

1930- "The great climax is at hand"

1931- "God's kingdom has begun to operate. His day of vengeance is here and Armageddon is at hand."

1933- "The overwhelming testimony of the prophesy and of the supporting facts shows the cleansing of the sanctuary has been accomplished and this indicates that Armageddon draws nigh.

1939- "The battle of the great day of God almighty is very near"

There were 44 more predictions; 42 from the Watchtower, from May 1940- April 1943.

Sept 1, 1944- "Armageddon is near at hand."

1946- [After WWII] "The disaster of Armageddon...is at the door."

1950- "The March is on! Where? To the field of Armageddon for the 'war of the great day of God almighty.' "

1953- "Armageddon is so near at hand, it will strike the generation now living" *The year 1954 was thought by many Witnesses to be "The Year."

1955- "It has become clear that the war of Armageddon is near its breaking out point."

1958- "When will Armageddon be fought? Jehova the great time keeper has scheduled Armageddon to come at the close of the "time of the end." That time is near. How hear?...No man knows the date but we know it will be very soon. How do we know it will be very soon? Because the time left for the Devil, now that Christ has hurled the Devil down to earth, is called 'a short period of time' [revelation 12:12]

Awake! October 1968: Stated that "certain persons" had falsely predicted the end of the world, and what they lacked was "God's guidance."

*But now, supposedly, this false prophesying is over:

1971: They have "all the evidence" and that God is "guiding them." and "it is overwhelming." Now Armageddon will occur in 1975.

1972: "In the mind of the average Witness, there is no doubt that the 1975 date is correct."

1976 Watchtower: March 15th- "Reconciliation through God's mercy before Armageddon"

September 22nd- "a global disaster unparalleled in human history, is very near."

December 15th- "Hold on, the promise nears fulfillment"

1979 Watchtower: June 15th- "A day of reckoning at hand"

Oct 15th "Take courage, the millennium is at hand"

November 1st- "Christian neutrality as God's war approaches."

A psychiatrist remarked that there is a psychiatric hospital they refer to as "the watchtower" as it is full of so many Jehova's Witnesses.

On 5/14/2016 at 5:39 PM, Eoin Joyce said:

 

What is your definition of "prophecy"?

Predicting an event to take place, usually in the name of the Lord or "the Bible clearly shows..." and then that event does NOT take place.

ie:

1923 "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," (Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1923, p. 106).
 

In 1889, the WT said " we present  PROOFS that the setting up of the kingdon of God has already  begun...and that 'the battle of the great day of God almighty' (Revelation16:14),which will end in AD1914 with the complete overthrow of the earth's present rulership, is already commenced.". 

Failed/Changed prophecies. The Millennium began in 1873. (Thy Kingdom Come, page 305),The Millennium began in 1874. (Finished Mystery, page 386),The resurrection would occur in 1878 (They Kingdom Come, page 234),Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old would return in 1925. (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, page 89),The Book of Ruth is "not prophetical". (Watchtower Reprints IV, p.3110, 12/7/02),The Book of Ruth "is prophetic". (Preservation", p. 169, 175, 176.)
 

1922 "The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures than 1914," (Watchtower, Sept. 1, 1922, p. 262). FALSE PROPHESY!
 

On 4/30/2016 at 7:57 PM, Eoin Joyce said:

Jonah did not make a false prophecy

You are just making presumptuous and unfounded statements as you do not know what I choose to ignore or take note of.

Why not stick to facts, such as the interesting list of WT quotes you provided? I gather it is not your own research, but nevertheless it is useful. 

Unfortunately (for me that is), the filtered and irrelevant jibes and accusations you also include in your posts make the extraction of useful information a rather tedious exercise. 

A forum such as this of course allows for freedom of expression, but why not take a leaf from @Jay Witness? The posts there, while challenging, are heavy on fact, economical on personal opinion.

Better still, why not use more closely the methods of the one your name tag would seek to defend? 

I agree Jonah did not make a false prophecy.

It was YOU GUYS that said he did.

Ok, lets slow things down a bit.

Lets concentrate on a couple.

please address these false prophecies:

Would a true prophet of God make false prophecies about World War II?

‘The Nazis will destroy the British.’ (Fifth Column, p 15)

The new book titled Children will prove useful ‘in the remaining months before Armageddon’ (Watchtower, 15 September 1941, p 288)

‘The end of Nazi Fascist hierarchy will come and will mark the end forever of demon rule.’ (Watchtower, 15 December 1941, p 377)
 

On 5/6/2016 at 7:49 AM, Ann O'Maly said:

Yikes! Maybe you need to do some research.

WT begs to differ.

*** w69 6/1 pp. 326-327 Godly Respect for Life and Blood ***
Some persons may reason that getting a blood transfusion is not actually “eating.” But is it not true that when a patient is unable to eat through his mouth, doctors often feed him by the same method in which a blood transfusion is administered? Examine the scriptures carefully and notice that they tell us to ‘keep free from blood’ and to ‘abstain from blood.’ (Acts 15:20, 29) What does this mean? If a doctor were to tell you to abstain from alcohol, would that mean simply that you should not take it through your mouth but that you could transfuse it directly into your veins? Of course not! So, too, abstaining from blood means not taking it into our bodies at all.
 

*** w63 2/15 p. 124 Carry Your Own Load of Responsibility ***
Someone may argue with you that the Scriptures are referring to the “eating” of blood but that blood is not taken into the digestive system during a transfusion. True, but the fact is that by a direct route the blood serves the same purpose as food when taken into the stomach, namely, strengthening the body or sustaining life. It is not the same as a vaccine given to a healthy person to ward off a disease. Blood is given to a weak or sick person to build him up, just as food is given to nourish him.
 

*** w51 7/1 p. 415 Questions From Readers ***
Many say receiving a transfusion is not like eating blood. Is this view sound?
A patient in the hospital may be fed through the mouth, through the nose, or through the veins. When sugar solutions are given intravenously, it is called intravenous feeding. So the hospital’s own terminology recognizes as feeding the process of putting nutrition into one’s system via the veins. Hence the attendant administering the transfusion is feeding the patient blood through the veins, and the patient receiving it is eating it through his veins. After all the artful contrivings and reasonings and quibblings are over, the bald fact remains that a goodly quantity of one creature’s blood has been deliberately taken into the system of another. That is what is forbidden by God, regardless of method.
 

Of course the watchtower disagrees.

Again, the Bible DISAGREES with the lieing watchtower.

On 5/4/2016 at 3:17 PM, Gregorio Alberto said:

I will just address the whole "prophet" part. Since typing in my phone is such a nuicance (I don't have a computer), I will just copy a post from the blog: aservantofjehovah.blogspot.com

This post states:

Suppose I had access to everything you had done or said since you were a little child, stored on a computer.  It would be a simple matter for me to pick out a hundred or two hundred of the worst things you’d said and done over the course of your life, to write them up in a list with dates, times and places and then to proclaim, in the same way as a correspondent did in one of his emails to me: “The question is not what you have got wrong, but whether you got anything right.”  On the other hand, by a similar process of selecting the 100-200 kindest, most generous, loving things you’d done, I could equally make you look like a saint.  Both pictures would be true in a sense, but neither would be the whole truth.  Why is this important?

The WatchtowerIn the last 125 years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have published literally millions of words in publications such as The Watchtower.  This includes powerful arguments against atheism and the theory of evolution, eloquent defences of the Bible as the inspired word of God, articles upholding the Bible’s stance on moral issues such as abortion, fornication, adultery and homosexual lifestyles.  Watchtower publications have long exhorted their readers to display Christian qualities and imitate Jesus.  They have shown how applying the Bible’s counsel can benefit family life.  Through  The Watchtower, millions of people have been comforted by the Bible’s message of hope.

You might expect that evangelical Christian organizations would happily applaud most of the above.  After all, evangelical Christians believe in God and reject evolution, consider the Bible to be God’s inspired word, oppose sexual sins and abortion.  They, too, speak of the need to imitate Jesus and display Christlike qualities.  You would expect, then, that evangelical Christian groups could find a lot of positive things to say about The Watchtower.  You’d think they’d congratulate Jehovah’s Witnesses for energetically spreading the above-mentioned views              throughout the world and in literally hundreds of languages.  But you would be wildly wrong.

An analysis of quotations from The Watchtower and other Jehovah’s Witness publications made by evangelical Christian writers - particularly on the Internet, but also in print - reveals that, far from commending Witness literature for all the positive material they publish, these writers consistently attack Jehovah’s Witnesses and actively seek anything that could possibly be used to discredit them - including many things published more than 100 years ago!

You could compare their attitude with that of a man who visits one of the world’s most beautiful cities - say Vienna.  Instead of touring the most attractive parts of the city, though, this man visits the Municipal Garbage Dump and photographs the rubbish there.  Then he goes to the industrial area and photographs the factories.    Everywhere he goes he looks for the ugliest, most sordid parts of the city.  Making copious use of close-ups to highlight the least attractive parts and using the most unflattering camera angles, he ensures his pictures give the worst possible impression.  Then, on his return home, he shows the photographs to his friends, to convince them that Vienna is the most awful city in the world.

In resorting to similar tactics, critics of Witness publications immediately reveal their bias.  The Watchtower Society is their ideological opponent, to be defeated at all costs.  They comb through old Watchtowers, going back as far as 130 years.  They take whatever suits their purpose and ignore the rest.  They rip quotes out of their context, attempting to make it look as though they say much more than they actually meant.  Why do they do it?  They do it because it is their job to do it!  In short, they are far from being an objective source of information.

Frankly, few Jehovah's Witnesses are likely to be taken in by such chicanery.  It is easy to detect an agenda behind this type of mudslinging.  Just about anyone who wanted to believe it has already done so.  And as for the rest of us, what hasn't killed us has made us stronger.

But we should not reject a person’s criticism simply because we feel it is wrongly motivated.  Prejudiced and hate-filled people can sometimes be at least partially right.  As Christians, we should be discerning, remembering the admonition of the proverb, “anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word.”  (Proverbs 14:15)  With that in mind, let us examine the assertions commonly made in anti-Witness literature concerning the Witnesses’ alleged “false prophecies”.

Taken Out of Context

 We have not the gift of prophecy 

Zion's Watch Tower, July 1883.

The standard technique of critics appears to be to present a list of alleged “false prophecies”, the  longer the better.  There are dozens of such lists on the Internet.  These take the form of quotations from The Watchtower and other Witness publications.

Whereas the majority of the quotes themselves are accurate, the context in which they were presented - both the immediate context of the printed page and the historical context - is omitted.  Selective quotations ensure that anything that gives the impression of certainty is usually included, whereas any cautionary statements are omitted.

We are not for a moment denying that the publications - in particular the earlier ones -  have at times published information that was speculative in nature and turned out to be mistaken.  But the fact is that, for each of the dates commonly touted by critics as ‘false prophecies’ (1874, 1914, 1925, 1975), Watch Tower publications had published cautionary statements to the effect that it was by no means certain what would happen.  Consider, for example, the following statements, which emphasise that the basis for the conclusions was Bible study not some message from God:[1]

With regard to 1874:  It should be noted that ‘The Watchtower’ was not published until 1879 and Russell himself did not become aware of the 1874 date until 1876!  So it was hardly a matter of a failed prediction. 

With regard to 1914: :  "We are not prophesying; we are merely giving our surmises . . . We do not even aver that there is no mistake in our interpretation of prophecy and our calculations of chronology. We have merely laid these before you, leaving it for each to exercise his own faith or doubt in respect to them" (emphasis added).[2]

With regard to 1925: "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."[3]

With regard to 1975: ‘What about the year 1975? What is it going to mean, dear friends?’ asked Brother Franz. ‘Does it mean that Armageddon is going to be finished, with Satan bound, by 1975? It could! It could! All things are possible with God. Does it mean that Babylon the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that the attack of Gog of Magog is going to be made on Jehovah’s witnesses to wipe them out, then Gog himself will be put out of action? It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975.[4]

Charles Taze RussellIt’s obvious, therefore, that the situation was by no means as clear-cut as Watchtower opposers would have us believe.  By omitting these more cautionary statements, many of which are in the same articles as the quotations they like to print, enemies of Jehovah’s Witnesses give a misleading picture of events and endeavour to make a suggested interpretation look like a prophecy.

No Claim of Inspiration

Not to be overlooked is the larger context of the role of the Watch Tower publications.  Whereas Watchtower writers undoubtedly pray for God’s blessing on their work and sincerely believe that God answers these prayers, they make no pretensions of being inspired, infallible or perfect.  Consider the following extracts from Watch Tower publications, which prove that this is the case.  (This is just a small selection of examples.  Many more could be cited, but care has been taken to include at least one example for every decade since The Watchtower began to be published.)

1870s: We do not object to changing our opinions on any subject, or discarding former applications of prophecy, or any other scripture, when we see a good reason for the change,—in fact, it is important that we should be willing to unlearn errors and mere traditions, as to learn truth.... It is our duty to "prove all things."—by the unerring Word,—"and hold fast to that which is good."

1880s: “We have not the gift of prophecy.”[5]

 We do not even aver that there is no mistake in our interpretation of prophecy and our calculations of chronology.

Zion's Watch Tower, 1908

1890s: Nor would we have our writings reverenced or regarded as infallible, or on a par with the holy Scriptures. The most we claim or have ever claimed for our teachings is that they are what we believe to be harmonious interpretations of the divine Word, in harmony with the spirit of the truth. And we still urge, as in the past, that each reader study the subjects we present in the light of the Scriptures, proving all things by the Scriptures, accepting what they see to be thus approved, and rejecting all else. It is to this end, to enable the student to trace the subject in the divinely inspired Record, that we so freely intersperse both quotations and citations of the Scriptures upon which to build.[6]

1900s:  It is not our intention to enter upon the role of prophet to any degree, but merely to give below what seems to us rather likely to be the trend of events—giving also the reasons for our expectations.[7]

Someone may ask, Do you, then, claim infallibility and that every sentence appearing in "The Watch Tower" publications is stated with absolute correctness? Assuredly we make no such claim and have never made such a claim. What motive can our opponents have in so charging against us? Are they not seeking to set up a falsehood to give themselves excuse for making attacks and to endeavor to pervert the judgments of others?[8]

1910s:  However, we should not denounce those who in a proper spirit express their dissent in respect to the date mentioned [1914] and what may there be expected . . . We must admit that there are possibilities of our having made a mistake in respect to the chronology, even though we do not see where any mistake has been made in calculating the seven times of the Gentiles as expiring about October 1, 1914.[9]

1920s: Many students have made the grievous mistake of thinking that God has inspired men to interpret prophecy. The holy prophets of the Old Testament were inspired by Jehovah to write as his power moved upon them. The writers of the New Testament were clothed with certain power and authority to write as the Lord directed them. However, since the days of the apostles no man on earth has been inspired to write prophecy, nor has any man been inspired to interpret prophecy.[10]

1930s: We are not a prophet; we merely believe that we have come to the place where the Gentile times have ended[11]

1940s: This pouring out of God's spirit upon the flesh of all his faithful anointed witnesses does not mean those now serving as Jehovah's Witnesses are inspired. It does not mean that the writings in this magazine The Watchtower are inspired and infallible and without mistakes. It does not mean that the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is inspired and infallible, although enemies falsely charge us with believing so.... But we confess with the Scriptures that the day of such inspiration passed long before 1870, as the apostle Paul showed it would. . . . Inspired speaking and writing passed away with the last of the twelve apostles, by whom the gifts of the spirit were imparted to others. Yet God is still able to teach and lead us. While confessing no inspiration for today for anyone on earth, we do have the privilege of praying God for more of his holy spirit and for his guidance of us by the bestowal of his spirit through Jesus Christ.[12]

1950s: The Watchtower does not claim to be inspired in its utterances,nor is it dogmatic. It invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures.[13]

1960s: The book [Life Everlasting in Freedom of Sons of God] merely presents the chronology. You can accept it or reject it[14]

Our chronology, however, ... is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible)[15]

 Don't any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975

F. W. Franz, quoted in The Watchtower, 15 October 1966, page 231.

1970s: In this regard, however, it must be observed that this “faithful and discreet slave” was never inspired, never perfect. Those writings by certain members of the “slave” class that came to form the Christian part of God’s Word were inspired and infallible, but that is not true of other writings since. Things published were not perfect in the days of Charles Taze Russell, first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; nor were they perfect in the days of J. F. Rutherford, the succeeding president. The increasing light on God’s Word as well as the facts of history have repeatedly required that adjustments of one kind or another be made down to the very present time.[16]

1980s: It is not claimed that the explanations in this publication are infallible. Like Joseph of old, we say: “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8) At the same time, however, we firmly believe that the explanations set forth herein harmonize with the Bible in its entirety, showing how remarkably divine prophecy has been fulfilled in the world events of our catastrophic times.[17]

1990s: Those who make up the one true Christian organization today do not have angelic revelations or divine inspiration. But they do have the inspired Holy Scriptures, which contain revelations of God’s thinking and will. As an organization and individually, they must accept the Bible as divine truth, study it carefully, and let it work in them.[18]

2000s: Although the slave class is defined as “faithful and discreet,” Jesus did not say that it would be infallible. This group of faithful anointed brothers still consists of imperfect Christians. Even with the best of intentions, they can be mistaken, as such men sometimes were in the first century.[19]

It’s therefore quite clear that Jehovah’s Witnesses make no claim to divine inspiration for their publications.  Thus, the critics' assertion that “the Watch Tower claims to be an inspired prophet” is manifestly false. 

Did Haydon Covington concede that the Watch Tower is a False Prophet?

Did Haydon Covington concede in the Walsh trial that the Watch Tower Society has promulgated false prophecy, as is stated by critics?  Even if he had done so, what would that have proved?  If Covington had said that the thought the Society was a false prophet, then he would have been mistaken, that is all.  However, a look at the court record (even as it is quoted on anti-Witness web pages) shows that Covington did nothing of the sort. 

 Critics' allegations that 'The Watchtower claims to be an inspired prophet' are manifestly false

The court records show that Covington said: “I do not think we have promulgated false prophecy ... there have been statements that were erroneous, that is the way I put it, and mistaken.”  When asked hypothetically if it would have been a false prophecy if the Society had authoritatively promulgated 1874 as the date for the return of Christ’s coming, Covington himself pointed out that this was only an assumption, and is then is recorded as having said the words “I agree that”.  This is an incomplete sentence in English.  Now it could very well be that he was interrupted and was not intending to agree that a false prophecy had been made.  If we take the court to read “I agree to that”, he was simply agreeing hypothetically that the Society would have been guilty of false prophecy under a certain set of circumstances, namely if it had promulgated as authoritative that Christ returned in 1874.  Now the records show that Covington had not studied the Society’s literature relating to 1874, saying “you are speaking of a matter that I know nothing of.”  So, Covington’s comments, viewed in their proper context do not prove the point Witness critics are trying to make.  Covington certainly did not mean that the Society was responsible for a false prophecy, as he had just a few moments earlier stated the very opposite.   And as we have seen, the Society did not ‘authoritatively promulgate’ 1874 as the date, it merely presented it to its readers to decide for themselves.

Of course, Witnesses do believe that God is using them - and their publications - to accomplish his work.  But that is not the same as believing that God personally directs the writing of Watchtower Publications in the way that he inspired the Bible.  The above quotations - and many others - show that at no time in the history of the organization has it claimed to be God’s prophet, inspired or infallible.[20]

It is evident here that critics are setting up a straw man argument.  In other words, they are imputing to Watch Tower a position that it does not claim for itself and then refuting that position, instead of the Society’s actual position.  This is really nothing but a dishonest debating trick.

Thus, the Watch Tower quotations, taken in context and stripped of all hyperbole and rhetoric, establish basically one thing only: that Watch Tower publications have on a number of occasions presented interpretations of Bible prophecies which later turned out to be incorrect.  It is not possible to argue on the basis of the Watchtower literature that (1) the Society claims that its literature is inspired of God or infallible, (2) that it claimed to speak in the name of God as a prophet.

Admittedly, it would certainly have been better for all concerned had the publications refrained from publishing such speculative interpretations, which doubtless led to disappointment for many.  ‘The Watchtower’, far from covering over these facts, has admitted openly that this is the case, as is seen from the following extract from The Watchtower.

In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our              sights on a certain date, stated: “If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.” In saying “anyone,” The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah’s Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date.[21]

Thus the Watch Tower Society has recognised that it was a mistake to speculate.  But was it the only ever religious organization to make such a mistake?

Double Standards and Bigotry

If Jehovah’s Witnesses have had mistaken expectations about the fulfillment of Bible prophecies, they are far from alone.  Many other students of the Bible - including some highly respected Catholic and Protestant writers - have made similar mistakes to Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Whole books have been written on the subject of predictions that failed to come true, but let’s look at just three examples from the world of Protestantism: Martin Luther, John Wesley and Billy Graham.

Protestant leader Martin Luther, believed that the end would come in his day.  He believed theMartin Luther Turkish war would be "the final wrath of God, in which the world will come to an end and Christ will come to destroy Gog and Magog and set free His own"?[22] and that "Christ has given a sign by which one can know when the Judgment Day is near. When the Turk will have an end, we can certainly predict that the Judgment must be at the door"[23]

John WesleyMethodist founder John Wesley wrote: "1836 The end of the non-chronos, and of the many kings; the fulfilling of the word, and of the mystery of God; the repentance of the survivors in the great city; the end of the 'little time,' and of the three times and a half; the destruction of the east; the imprisonment of Satan."[24]

In 1950, Billy Graham, the well-known US evangelist, told a rally in LosBilly GrahamAngeles: “I sincerely believe that the Lord draweth nigh.  We may have another year, maybe two years, to work for Jesus Christ, and, Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe it is all going to be over ... two years and it’s all going to be over.”[25]

If it had been Jehovah’s Witnesses who had said the things that Luther, Wesley and Graham proclaimed, these proclamations would have been added to the list of quotations supposedly proving McLoughlin, William G., 1978 Revivals, Awakenings and Reform. University of Chicago Press. Chicago. pp.185.that the Witnesses are false prophets.  Unsurprisingly, however, the sources that attack the Witnesses for false prophecy do not generally take the same position when it comes to Protestant figures who have made very similar errors.

This should give all of us food for thought.  If a newspaper editor were to publish in his paper all the crimes committed by members of just one ethnic group or race, dwelling on them in great detail, even repeatedly bringing up very old offences, but at the same time, ignoring all the crimes committed by members of another group (perhaps his own), then thinking people who looked at the facts would conclude that he was nothing but a bigot. What are we to think, then, when certain ones opposed to Jehovah’s Witnesses constantly harp on what they incorrectly and maliciously term “false prophecies” of the organization, reproducing ad nauseam the same quotations from Watch Tower literature, the majority of which were published almost 100 years ago, while remaining deadly silent about all similar errors by those who share their theological convictions?  Is the word ‘bigoted’ any less appropriate?  At any rate, their agenda is obvious and respect for the truth is not high on their list of priorities.

 Were Martin Luther, John Wesley and Billy Graham false prophets?

I do not think that the comments of Luther, Wesley or Graham make them false prophets, for the same reason that I don’t accept that the Watch Tower is a false prophet, namely, that interpreting Bible prophecy is not the same as prophesying.

Prophecy and Interpretation

It is true that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe they are being guided by God.  But, ‘guidance’ is a much broader concept than ‘inspiration’.  True, inspiration is a form of guidance, but it is only one form.   In this regard, Stafford makes a very telling point:

It cannot truthfully be said that to be inspired by God to produce flawless information is the same as being guided or lead by a flawless source, whether that source be the Scriptures or an angel sent by God. Why? Because in the former case the person is taken over by God, given a vision, revelation (sometimes in a dream), or put into a trance. The person then receives God's thoughts and will which are then channelled through the individual, providing information he or she would otherwise not have known. However, in the latter case one could simply misunderstand or ignore the directions given, which would make the accuracy of what they do or say dependent upon whether or not they correctly understood the inspired source.[26]

“Prophecy” involves much more than simply predicting the future.  It involves claiming to have a message directly from God.  It is not the same as interpreting events or even interpreting the prophetic parts of the Bible.  Russell understood this and that is why he said: “The most we claim or have ever claimed for our teachings is that they are what we believe to be harmonious interpretations of the divine Word, in harmony with the spirit of the truth”, adding “we are far from claiming any direct plenary inspiration”[27]

 The Watch Tower Society is not a false prophet, for the simple reason that it is not a prophet. 

Similarly, when Wesley drew the conclusion that the end would come in 1836, he did so on the basis of his understanding of the Bible.  Of course, this understanding turned out to be completely and utterly wrong, but that does not make him a false prophet.  When Billy Graham stated in 1950 that the end would come within two years, he was not claiming that God had personally spoken to him through a dream or a vision.  He was just stating what he believed after comparing world events with what he knew from the Bible.  No charitable person would accuse Graham of being a false prophet because of that (although it is obvious that he did make an error of judgment).  Likewise, when Luther stated that the Turkish war would lead to the end of the world, he was woefully mistaken, but that certainly does not make him a false prophet.  Incidentally, Luther, on the basis of his understanding of the Bible, also contradicted Copernicus and insisted that the earth was the centre of the universe! [28]

Thus, the Watch Tower Society is not a false prophet, for the simple reason that it is not a prophet.  It makes no claim that any of its members have heard voices from God,  seen visions or in any other way been directly influenced to make a certain proclamation beyond what is in the Bible.  It has made mistakes in explaining or interpreting parts of the Bible, but as we have seen, so have other religious organizations.

Conclusion

On the basis of the above, critics of Jehovah's Witnesses have some questions to answer:

(1) Do they think it is truthful and fair to focus on a minute selection of the Watch Tower’s published material - the most negative part - and ignore everything else?

(2) Can they cite the Watch Tower publication where the Society claims to be an “inspired prophet” (their expression, not ours).  On what do they base that conclusion, and how do they explain the dozens of quotations I have presented from the Society’s literature - from all periods of its history - where the Society denies that?[29]

(3) Why do they present the Watchtower’s statements about future events as prophetic statements, rather than what they really were - interpretations?

(4) Do they believe that others who have had mistaken expectations, including Martin Luther, John Wesley and Billy Graham, are false prophets, and if not, why not?

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that they should be above honest criticism and have not hidden the fact that they have made errors in their interpretations.  But honest criticism implies respect for truth - the whole truth, not just extracts taken out of context and twisted to give an impression that they were never intended to give.

Beware of half truths.  You might end up believing the wrong half!

Footnotes and References

[1]  I am grateful to other Witness writers for bringing many of these citations to my attention.  Additionally, the book Jehovah’s Witnesses Defended, Second Edition [JWD2] by Greg Stafford contains extensive research on this matter.  Quotations from publications after 1950 are generally taken from the Watchtower Library 2003 CD-ROM.  Almost all Russell’s writings are freely available on the Internet.

[2]  Zion's Watch Tower, January 1, 1908 (reprint) page 4110

[3]  The Watch Tower, January 1, 1925, page 3.

[4]  The Watchtower, 15 October 1966, page 631.

[5]  Zion’s Watch Tower, January 1883, page 425.

[6]  Zion 's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, 15 December 1896, reprint, 2080 (emphasis added).

[7]  "Views From the Watch Tower," Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, 1 March 1904, reprint, 3327 (emphasis added).

[8]  Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, 15 September 1909, reprint, 4473.

[9]  The Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, 15 November 1913, repr. 5348 (emphasis added).

[10]  Prophecy (Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1929), 61-62 (emphasis added).

[11]  Light, vol. 1 (Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1930), 194 (emphasis added).

[12]  The Watchtower, 15 May 1947, pp. 157-8.

[13]  "Name and Purpose of the Watchtower," The Watchtower, 15 August 1950, 262-263 (emphasis added)

[14]  The Watchtower, 15 October 1966, page 631.

[15]  The Watchtower, 15 August 1968, page 499.

[16]  The Watchtower, 1 March 1979, page 23-24.

[17]  Revelation - Its Grand Climax at Hand, page 9. (Published 1988)

[18]  Jehovah’s Witnesses - Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, page 708 (Published 1993)

[19]  The Watchtower, 1 December 2002, page 17.

[20]  Occasionally, The Watchtower  (for example 1 April 1972) has referred to true Christians (not specifically to the writers of Watch Tower publications) as “prophets”.  However, the word is placed in inverted commas, which shows that it is not meant literally.  The 1972 article is simply drawing parallels between experiences in the life of the prophet Ezekiel and those of Christians today as they fulfil Christ’s commission to preach to all the nations.  This sense of the word ‘prophecy’ is recognised by many ‘mainstream’ Christians., Billy Graham’s biography is called “A prophet with Honor” .  Pope John Paul II spoke  of ‘the ‘prophetic office’ of the People of God - meaning their responsibility to give a Christian witness. (http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope0264of.htm) In view of other comments (cited in the main article) in which the Society specifically repudiates prophet status, both before and after this article was published, attempts to use this article to demonstrate that the Watch Tower Society claims to be an inspired prophet are obviously misrepresenting the sense of the article.

[21] The Watchtower, 15 March 1980, page 17-18.

[22]  John T. Baldwin, "Luther's Eschatological Appraisal of the Turkish Threat in Eine Heerpredigt -wider den Tuerken [Army Sermon Against the Turks],"Andrews University Seminary Studies 33.2 (Autumn 1995), 196.

[23]  Ibid, p. 201.

[24] http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/notes.i.xxviii.xxiii.html

[25]  McLoughlin, William G., 1978 Revivals, Awakenings and Reform. University of Chicago Press. Chicago. pp.185.  See also “US News and World Report” (December 19, 1994)

[26] Jehovah’s Witnesses Defended, Second Edition, pp. 462-3.

[27]  Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, 15 July 1899, reprint, 2506

[28]  Luther is also quoted on certain websites as having said that Jesus would return 300 years from his time.  (The Familiar Discourses of Dr. Martin Luther, trans. by Henry Bell and revised by Joseph Kerby [London: Baldwin, Craddock and Joy, 1818], pp. 7,8.)  I have not been able to verify this source, although I have no reason to doubt it.

[29] A computer search for the expression “inspired prophet” on the Watchtower 2003 CD-ROM (containing The Watchtower) since 1950 plus most other publications, revealed that the expression came up 44 times. Every single              occurrence was referring to a Bible writer.

It is easy to change the context AFTER the event.

The Watchtower Made FALSE Prophecies

The Watchtower Organisation Claims To Be Prophets
 
 

"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 this prophet? . . . This "prophet" was not 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," (Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1972, p. 197).
 

"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? 

IDENTIFYING THE "PROPHET" 
These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? ... This "prophet" was not 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 that this can be done is to review the record. Thus this group of anointed followers of Jesus Christ, doing a work in Christendom paralleling Ezekiel's work among the Jews, were manifestly the modern-day Ezekiel, the "prophet" commissioned by Jehovah to declare the good news of God's Messianic kingdom and to give warning to Christendom." Watchtower 1972 Apr 1 pp.197-199 'They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them'

"commissioned to serve as the mouthpiece and active agent of Jehovah … commission to speak as a prophet in the name of Jehovah…" The Nations Shall Know that I am Jehovah" - How? pp.58,62

"… commission to speak as a "prophet" in His name…" Watchtower 1972 Mar 15 p.189

"The Watchtower is a magazine without equal in the earth …. This is not giving any credit to the magazine's publishers, but is due to the great Author of the Bible with it truths and prophecies, and who now interprets its prophecies." Watchtower 1943 Apr 15 p.127

"The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. God feeds his own people, and surely God uses those who love and serve him according to his own will. Those who oppose The Watchtower are not capable of discerning the truth that God is giving to the children of his organization, and this is the very strongest proof that such opposers are not of God's organization." Watchtower 1931 Nov 1 p.327

ADDRESS these prophecies:

The Nazis will destroy the British.’ (Fifth Column, p 15)

The new book titled Children will prove useful ‘in the remaining months before Armageddon’ (Watchtower, 15 September 1941, p 288)

‘The end of Nazi Fascist hierarchy will come and will mark the end forever of demon rule.’ (Watchtower, 15 December 1941, p 377)