Raymond Franz, former leader of JW and author of Crisis of Conscience
Posted on 06/24/2011 3:11:41 PM PDT by NYer
Raymond Franz, former leader of JW and author of Crisis of Conscience
The teaching of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society that Armageddon will come before the "generation of 1914" passes away is causing increased anxiety among Jehovah's Witnesses as 2014 approaches and there are still no clear signs of how and when Jehovah will bring an end to this evil "system of things."
According to the teaching that the Jehovah's Witnesses have held for decades, people who were alive in 1914, when Jesus began "invisible rule" in heaven (an event marked by the outbreak of the first world war), will not die off completely before Jesus "turns kingdom attention to the earth" and executes judgment on "enemies of God," a phrase which, in Jehovah's Witnesses lingo, means essentially everyone of us who have not seen the light and joined the "Jehovah's only visible organization on earth," that is, The Jehovah's Witnesses.
According to Jason Barker, a close watcher of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the society has "long watched the aging of members who were alive in the year 1914, increasingly expecting Armageddon to occur as the elderly Witnesses pass away."
According to Jason Barker, precise interpretation of Jesus' Mount Olivet Discourse statements that, "verily, verily I say unto thee, this generation shall not pass away before all these things shall be fulfilled," has been elusive, going through endless subtle revisions over the years as the 1914 generation of senior members of the organization aged and died off gradually, and with increasing anxiety over the possibility that the prediction of the leadership of the group might fail.
With 2014, marking a hundred years of the generation of 1914 just around the corner, and with the "generation of 1914" fast disappearing, anxiety has heightened among witnesses over their expectation of imminence of Armageddon.
Jason Barker does a brief sketch of the pattern of various revisions of the Jehovah's Witnesses end-time teaching with regard to their 1914 teaching:
1889-Charles Taze Russell began teaching that Armageddon will come in 1914
After 1914 when Armageddon did not come leaders of the movement began teaching that Jesus had come invisibly and that the outbreak of the First World War was the sign that Jesus had begun "ruling in the midst of his enemies" in heaven.
1950-Watchtower admonishes Jehovah's Witnesses to look forward to Armageddon, 36 years having passed since 1914 and the generation of 1914 already well advanced in age
1961-The Society announces that the prophesied endtime events leading to Armageddon had begun with the generation of those alive in 1914
1967-The Society revises the meaning of the word "generation" to mean only those individuals who were alive in 1914 and able to view the "momentous" events of 1914 with understanding.
1968-The society makes another subtle change now emphasizing that the age of understanding is 15 years or older, implying that Armageddon would come before all those 15 years or older in 1914 die.
1984-The meaning of "generation" is now again revised to mean all those who were born during the year 1914
1988- The society states that a biblical generation is 75 years, meaning that Armageddon will come within 75 years of 1914, thus, 1989 was delcared a significant year in the official eschatological calender
1988- Later in 1988, the society revises its position once more, now defining a generation as between 70-80 years and thus extending the expectation of Armageddon to 1994
According to CeeJay, a former Jehovah's Witness, the revision of the meaning of "generation of 1914," in 1995, followed a publication by the dissident Raymond Franz , a former member of the Governing Board of the Jehovah's Witnesses, who was "disfellowshipped" by the organization in 1980, on accusation of apostasy. In his book Crisis of Conscience, Raymond Franz discussed the Watchtower's increasingly difficult position as the "generation of 1914" rapidly died off with no signs of Armageddon.
“…the Governing Body would welcome some means of escape from the increasingly difficult position created by tying the phrase “this generation” (along with the accompanying words that it “will not pass away until all these things have taken place”) to the steadily receding date of 1914… Undoubtedly the most desirable escape would come with an explanation that both retained 1914 as the “start of the last days” and at the same time successfully disconnected the phrase “this generation” from that date. But if the phrase “this generation” could be unlinked from 1914 and be applied to some future period of unknown date, then the passage of time…might not prove too difficult to rationalize particularly with a membership trained to accept whatever the "faithful and discreet slave class and its Governing Body may offer them”
The Jehovah's Witnesses governing body, as anticipated by Raymond Franz, a former insider, finally sought to douse the tension among its members as the generation of 1914 passed away, by issuing a statement in a November 1, 1995 article, in which it now began subtly refuting its previous statements on the duration of the "a biblical generation". The article official article said:
…Eager to see the end of this evil system, Jehovah’s people have at times speculated about the time when the “great tribulation” would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. However, we “bring a heart of wisdom in,” not by speculating about how many years or days make up a generation, but by thinking about how we “count our days” in bringing joyful praise to Jehovah. (Psalm 90:12) Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term “generation” as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics.
Thus, beginning from 1995, as the millennium drew to a close, with the generation of 1914 fast disappearing without any sign of action from heaven, and with the 80 years span for a "biblical generation" having expired, the governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses began implying effectively that a generation could be indefinitely extended.
This latest Armageddon-postponement-tactic by the Jehovah's Witnesses leadership has led to disillusionment for many longstanding members who began defecting. The sense of disappointed and let-down by former members of the group is evident in the forum Jehovahs-Witness.net., having several former members of the group as contributors. One contributor comments bitterly:
Growing up as a JW, you see the world differently than most everyone else. You see the world as something that is going to end very soon. All that we know will be gone by the time we're adults: When we were young, we were living in the last days and were expecting Armageddon before we grew old. We were the people who would cheat old age and death. Therefore we didn't have to worry about jobs, careers, houses, families. We were gonna party like it was 1999, the end would come and we'd all be in Paradise…It's a delusional expectation that has caused entire generations (not just mine, but my parents and grandparents before me) to waste their lives expecting to live forever and to be young forever. How sad to see people in their twilight years still expecting some miraculous event to transform them back to what they can never be again…
The evidence is that with the last revision by the leadership of the Jehovah's Witnesses on the subject of how long a "biblical generation" lasts, more and more witnesses are coming under pressure to review their convictions and many may be in need of help to re-adapt to a reality they had turned their backs on for too long.
There is No Grey Zone with this statement
How to witness to Jehovah’s Witnesses—see www.faithfacts.org, then go to the World Religions and Theology section for article.
Lol, that’s how I came up with my name. I have always been told I have no “gray zone”, still am.
Diplomat, I am not.
the keep knocking on my door..The sad thing is that I first found out about the document “Donum Vitae” from a copy of The Watchtower that was given to me by one of them and did not ever read about it in my diocesan newspaper, to this day!
**I’ve known some bad ones and a few good ones. My sister’s sister-in-law (ex), who was a practicing JW her entire life is now Roman Catholic.**
I have a good friend who also left the Jehovah’s Witnesses and is now a Catholic!
What amazes me is the number of people who can read that and not only not realize it refers to the rapture, but vehemently argue with anyone who points it out. Luke 21 is even more specific.
of course the Watchtower org is what formed the J’s after the translation of the Bible by Taize
I'll give them this also -- they are honest to admit who they are and what they believe, which also would put many to shame.
As people, as individuals, leaving aside their beliefs, the ones I met were all very decent, humble, devout people.
1889 "The ‘battle of the great day of God almighty’ (Rev 16:14) which will end in AD 1914 . . . " (Studies, Vol. 2, 1908 edition, 101).
1891 "With the end of AD 1914, what God calls Babylon, and what men call Christendom, will have passed away, as already shown from prophecy" (Studies, Vol. 3, 153).
1894 "The end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble" (WT Reprints, 1-1-1894, 1605 and 1677).
1916 "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" (Studies, Vol. 2, p. 2 of foreword).
1917 "Scriptures . . . prove that the Lord’s Second Advent occurred in the fall of 1874" (Studies, Vol. 7, 68).
1918 "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, 89).
1922 "The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the scriptures than 1914" (WT, 9-1-1922, 262).
1923 "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" (WT, 4-1-1923, 106).
1925 "The year of 1925 is here. . . . Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year" (WT, 1-1-1925, 3).
1931 "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the dates 1914, 1918, & 1925 . . . and they also learned to quit fixing dates" (Vindication, 388, 389).
1946 "Armageddon . . . should come sometime before 1972" (They Have Found a Faith, 44).
1966 "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" (Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 29).
1968 "The end of the six thousand years of man’s history in the fall of 1975 is not tentative, but is accepted as a certain date" (WT, 1-1-1968, 271).
No one can say they've not been persistent. Consistent, no, but persistent, yes.
but yet, the rapture is not central to salvation, is it? Serious question.
It’s not central in and of itself. I’m perfectly content to let various claims slide that are not in direct contradiction to scripture because it’s not specific enough to warrant rebuke or correction.
Exceptions would be amillennialism and pretribulationism. Walk amillennialism back and you find replacement theology. That to me is a problem. Israel is Israel and the Jews are His chosen people with whom He has a covenant. That we were grafted in does not alter this or imply that we superceded the Jews in this.
Ardent pretribulationist belief gives me pause because of the pollyannish nature of it, in addition to being contradicted by scripture. It’s not as if we’ve ever escaped persecution as Christians for any great length of time; the modern era in the west likely represents the greatest historical stretch, and it certainly feels as if it’s drawing to a close, sad to say. Those of us alive at that momentous time will have seen at least some portion of the tribulation. Luke’s account in Luke 21 makes this clear. Rapture is not some religious “get out of jail free” card.
That’s where I stand on the matter. There is room for much disagreement and I make room for that with these two exceptions.
thanks for that explanation. I don’t see it as something to really spend much or any time discussing, but that’s just mho. The day will come and we don’t know — we just need to be prepared. What happens after that is God’s plan, so I don’t see any point of discussing it per se, it’s like debating over whether we get wings in heavens or just hover-boards. I’d prefer the later..... :)
Hmmmm, I see a pattern! I wonder how many there actually are.
He certainly makes Himself quite clear.
He is very consistent throughout the Bible. Perhaps the wording is a little different, however; the main point is there, over and over.
I don't think it is. He wants ALL of us; therefore, from what I've read, and understand in my little head, there will be time enough for all "left behind" to be saved, if not already.
There must be saved people "left behind" in order to spread His word and save as many as they can. He did say some of you will die in My name, Luke 21 16-19.
They are no nuttier than other Christian sects. Just have slightly different beliefs. Their problem is that they operate as a cult.
I never even thought about that, sounds right. But I also believe it gives time for those who were not saved, to save themselves, along with the Jews.
The statement is made that in 1889 Charles Taze Russell began teaching that Armageddon was to come in 1914; actually in 1889, Russell was expecting Armageddon to begin around 1910 or 1911 and that it would be over in 1914. Nevertheless, in 1904, ten years before 1914, Russell came to believe that Armageddon was to begin in 1914, and that would end some time after 1914. He died in 1916 with the belief that Armageddon had begun in 1914, although he did not know when it would end.
Russell, however, was never associated with the Jehovah’s Witnesses — no such organization existed in his day. Nor did Russell believe in the kind of Armageddon that the JWs preach. His view of Armageddon was that it was a period of time in which the peoples of the nations would be chastised in preparation for the coming blessings of God’s Kingdom; thus, his view of Armageddon was almost the opposite of that of the JWs.
I believe, and many of other Bible Students also believe, that Armageddon did begin in 1914, and that we are still in it, and may be for many more years. I do not know of any of the Bible Students who believe that Christ returned invisibly in 1914.
BTW, the Bible Students, as a whole — represented by the majority — did not become Jehovah’s Witnesses as it is often stated; by 1930, the greater majority of the Bible Students had rejected Rutherford’s new organization as well as his new gospel, thus they never became members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization.
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