The Jws believe that the main thing that sets them apart from all other world religions is the preaching work. They claim the following:
1) They are the only ones that preach about God's Kingdom.
2) They are the only ones preaching worldwide.
3) They preach from house to house, claiming that this is a christian requirement.
For them, no other religion is doing those three things. If you mention that other religions preach, they will ask if they are doing this worldwide. Or they will say that others are not as organized, which leaves the chance that many will not be preached to. The following quote encompasses all of this.
"Since the last days began in 1914, Jehovah's Witnesses have preached the good news of God's Kingdom throughout the world in the manner ordered by Jesus, namely, at the homes of the people. (Matthew 10:7, 12; Acts 20:20) Millions of Witnesses call on people in every nation to talk to them about the new world. This has led to your receiving this brochure, as the work of Jehovah's Witnesses includes printing and distributing billions of pieces of literature about God's Kingdom. Do you know of anyone else who preaches about God's Kingdom from house to house throughout the world? And Mark 13:10 shows that this preaching and teaching work must be done "first," before the end comes." Does God Care? p.30
First, let's see if other religions are preaching about God's Kingdom.
The 7th Day Adventists : "Our highest responsibility is to the church and its commission to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all the world ."
Born Again Christians: Here He lays down two conditions for a person to enter the Kingdom of God, without both being fulfilled a person is barred from God's Kingdom. Christ declared that everyone wanting to enter God's Kingdom must be born of water and born of the Spirit. (John 5:3)
Anabaptists: The purpose of the commands of the Lord Jesus is to teach us how to live in love, how to experience the love, joy and peace available in the Kingdom of God. These commands help us to live in Jesus and allow Jesus to live in us. (John 14:20, 17:20-23) We want to be like Paul who said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)
Catholics: Jesus taught constantly about "the kingdom of God".
This concept was at the center of his teaching and life. It should also form a central place in your own Catholic faith.
The list goes on and on, which proves a simple point. The JWs are not the only religion that preach about God's Kingdom. Although these teachings vary depending on what religion is describing the Kingdom, it is evident that they do in fact teach about the good news of God's Kingdom.
Next, we should see if they are preaching worldwide.
True, they might have a few people spread out in many different countries. But consider these statistics. (jwfacts.com)
•1032 Witnesses out of 145 million people in Pakistan
•A few thousand witnesses out of over 1.3 billion people in China.
•25,000 to 1,000,000,000 Indians.
•18,000 to 219,000,000 Indonesians
Is it reasonable to think that so few could possibly preach to each and every member in those countries? In fact, the overall statistics of JWs vs total population of the world is between 7 to 8 million vs about 7 billion. That is barely over 1 percent of the entire world's population responsible for preaching to everyone.
For the JWs to claim that they are fulfilling Matthew 24:14, that is exactly what they are required to do. Simply having a few members in a country and trying to pass that off as fulfillment is ridiculous. And it goes against the next thing we are going to consider.
Is it really a Christian requirement to preach from house to house? There is actually only one time that the phrase "house to house" is used in regards to the preaching work. And Jesus specifically states not to go from house to house.
Luke 10:1-7 "After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. "Wherever YOU enter into a house say first, 'May this house have peace.' And if a friend of peace is there, YOUR peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to YOU. So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not be transferring from house to house.
The JWs use two other verses in an attempt to prove the house to house preaching work is a requirement. Acts 5:42, and also in Acts 20:20.
Considering Acts 20:20, it is easy to see what was meant here by reading from verse 17-20.
"However, from Mi·le´tus he sent to Eph´e·sus and called for the older men of the congregation. When they got to him he said to them: "YOU well know how from the first day that I stepped into the [district of] Asia I was with you the whole time, slaving for the Lord with the greatest lowliness of mind and tears and trials that befell me by the plots of the Jews; while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house."
Paul is talking about those that were already Christians.
Acts 5:42- Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Remember that in the very beginning, they had no churches to congregate at. So where do you think they met? In someone's house.
Jwfacts.com states: The Greek used at Acts 5:42 and Acts 20:20 is not Ek oikia eis oikia, but rather Kata oikos. For this reason most Bible translations render this "in every house", "at home" or "in their homes". The New World Translation uses the phrase "house to house" at Acts 20:20, though the footnote acknowledges that the Greek word means "in private houses".
Other verses verify this.
Romans 16:5 "and [greet] the congregation that is in their house."
Colossians 4:15 "Give my greetings to the brothers at La·o·di·ce´a and to Nym´pha and to the congregation at her house."
And not everyone was required to evangelize.
Ephesians 4:11-12 "And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ."
Now go back and read those statistics again. If the JWs truly believe that they MUST preach to every house, even by their own standards, they are falling short of their own requirements, since they will never be able to cover that much ground anytime in the near future.
Coming from a religious group that has been teaching false doctrines to the public for decades, only to change them and then continue claiming that God is guiding them by means of the holy spirit, this is just one of many false claims made by the JWs.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
1914/607 Exposed!
The 1914 date is the central backbone of the JW religion. Without it, they lose the importance of their "End Times" preaching message. Let's examine all of the facts as well as the reasoning for which this date is based on.
The JWs believe that Daniel chapter 4 prophesied the Gentile Times of the Nations (Luke 21:24)in which Jehovah would not have a kingly ruler. This extends from the end of God's rulership through the Jews in 607 B.C., until God re-established his Kingdom in heaven in 1914. The Gentile Times are the 2,520 year period in between. The basis for this comes from Daniel, where the JWs have interpreted the following: 1)The cutting down of the tree represents the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar in 607 B.C.
2) The "seven times" constitute 2,520 days, 7 years of only 360 days each.
3) The "principle" of "a day for a year" converts 2,520 days to 2,520 years.
4) The 2,520 years of the Gentile Times ended in 1914, coinciding with the start of Jesus' heavenly rulership.
In order for this to be true, the temple in Jerusalem would have had to of been destroyed in the year 607 B.C. History paints a completely different picture. There is a wealth of information to go over that will prove that this calculation is in error. But before we look at the historical facts, let's look at some bible verses and see how strong their case is.
Daniel chapter 4 is the first place we should look to, since it is this chapter that the entire prophecy is based upon. Instantly we find a problem. Verses 28-37 go on to state that the dream was fulfilled. So if the dream was fulfilled, that would mean that the 7 times already happened, which of course offsets the entire mathematical calculation. There is no second fulfillment of this chapter. I could simply end this here, but let's examine another verse in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 25:11-12 "And all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years.'And it must occur that when seventy years have been fulfilled I shall call to account against the king of Babylon and against that nation,' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'their error, even against the land of the Chal·de´ans, and I will make it desolate wastes to time indefinite.'"
This shows the 70 years were the entire period the Babylonians were conquering "these nations", and the period of vassalage to the Babylonians. Jeremiah 25 ends the 70 years with the "account against the King of Babylon". The Babylonians dominated for a seventy year period from their defeat of Assyria in 609 B.C.E., to their fall in 539 B.C.E.
Jeremiah 29:10 concurs with this. In a number of translations, this verse links the completion of the 70 years with Babylon.
"This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place." New International Version - see also ESV, NASB, RSV, ASV and DBY.
Not having a proper understanding of who the 70 years were being applied to is yet another mistake to add to their calculation. The next verse to consider is found again in Daniel.
Daniel 9:2 "In the first year of his reigning I myself, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of the years concerning which the word of Jehovah had occurred to Jeremiah the prophet, for fulfilling the devastations of Jerusalem, [namely,] seventy years."
The JWs point to this as proof that the 70 years apply to the desolation of Jerusalem. But that is not the word used here. It is the devastation of the temple. Zechariah 1:12 clarifies this by saying : "Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” In other words, when are you going to rebuild the temple? An important point to add here is the time in which this question was asked. Zechariah 1:1--In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo". Darius' second year was 519 B.C.E. So, that verse cannot be used to support 607.
Now let's examine some history.
A: Ancient Historians---Berossus, the Royal Canon(better known as Ptolemy's Canon)
B: The Cuneiform Documents----Chronicles, Kinglists, Royal Inscriptions, Economic-Administrative and Legal Documents, Prosopographical Evidence, Chronological Interlocking Joints
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt----Chronology of the Saite period, Synchronisims to the Chronology of the Saite period
D: Astronomical Diaries---VAT 4956, B.M. 32312, The Saturn Tablet (B.M. 76738 + 76813)
A: Ancient Historians
Berossus was a Babylonian priest that lived in the 3rd century B.C.E. He wrote a history of Babylon, which have been lost, but his work has been quoted and paraphrased by other ancient writers. The most famous being Josephus. The figures he gives for the reigns of the Neo-Babylonian Kings substantially agree with the evidence found in the ancient cunieform documents.
The Royal Canon, better known as Ptolemy's Canon, is a list of kings and their lengths of reign beginning with Nabonassar (747-734 bce) and continuing on through the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine rulers. However, Claudius Ptolemy was not where this list originated. A table of this kind was a prerequisite for the research and calculations performed by Babylonian and Greek Astronomers. Without it, they would have had no means for dating the astronomical events their calculations showed as occuring in the distant past. The Royal canon omits the rule of Labashi-Marduk, who only ruled for a few months, since it lists in whole years only.
B: The Cuneiform Documents
Neo-Babylonian Chronicles record specific details about Babylon, and which King was ruling. It also links certain kings together as one king would succeed another one. There are also details about kings from other nations, such as the Persian king Cyrus defeating the Median king Astyages and capturing the capital of Media. An interesting fact here is that the Nabonidus Chronicle which contains the account of the fall of Babylon, has Cyrus defeating the Medians in the 6th year of Nabonidus' reign. Cyrus ruled for 29 years and died in the year 530 bce. If 607 bce was when Jerusalem fell, this would not be possible. Though the Chronicles do not give a complete chronology for the Neo-Babylonian period, the dates that are preserved support those given by Berossus and the Royal Canon.
The Uruk Kinglist was badly preserved and some portions of it are missing. However, it still contains the names of Kings, and the length of reign of eack king during the Neo-Babylonian era. The preserved portion gives the following information.
Kandalanu 21 years
Sin-shum-lishir-and Sin-shar-ishkun 1 year
Nabopolassar 21 years
Nebuchadnezzar 43 years
Awel-Marduk 2 years
Neriglissar 3 years 8 months
Labashi-Marduk 3 months
Nabonidus 17 years.
The argument against this document is that is was recorded more than 300 years after the Neo-Babylonian era, so perhaps it is inaccurate. But the numbers line up with other independent forms of evidence.
Royal Inscriptions from the Assyrian and Babylonian eras have been found in great numbers. There are 3 of these inscriptions that are original documents from the reign of Nabonidus. 1.)Nabon. #18 is a cylinder inscription from an unnamed year of Nabonidus. Fulfilling the desire of Sin, the moon-god, Nabonidus dedicated a daughter of his to this god as a priestess at the Sin temple of Ur. A moon eclipse led to this dedication. Studies show that there was an eclipse that matches the description of this one during his 2nd year of reign, and the inscription also states that his daughter began her dedication took place during his 2nd year on the throne, thus confirming his length of reign. 2.) Nabon. #8 clearly establishes the total length of reigns of Neo-Babylonian kings up to Nabonidus, and enables us to know both the beginning year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, and the crucial year in which he desolated Jerusalem. 3.) Nabon. #24 provides the length of each kings reign, from Nabopolassar down to the 9th year of Nabonidus.
Economic-Administrative, and Legal Documents....there are literally thousands of documents such as promissary notes, contracts (the sales of houses, property, slaves, livestock, etc.), and records of lawsuits. Each document contains the year of the reigning king, the month, the day of the month. Every year of the Neo-Babylonian era is covered by these documents.
Prosopographical Evidence is basically the study of careers, especially of individuals linked by family, economic, social, or political relationships. The collection of tablets found were dated like the documents mentioned previously, and make it easy to determine when each King ruled, and for how long. The Egibi business house can be tracked quite easily from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the time of Darius.
Chronological Interlocking joints.
a) Nabopolassar to Nebuchadnezzar. Chronicle 5 (neo-babylonian chronicles) says that Nabopolassar ruled for 21 years, that he died on the eighth day of the month of Ab(5th month), and on the first day of the next month (Elul) his son Nebuchadnezzar ascended the royal throne in Babylon.
b) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk. Business document B.M. 30254 confirms that Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Awel-Marduk in the 43rd year of his reign.
c) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk to Neriglissar. A ledger on a tablet known as NBC 4897 tabulates the annual growth of a herd of sheep and goats belonging to the Eanna temple at Uruk for ten consecutive years, from the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar to the 1st year of Neriglissar.
d) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk. A tablet YBC 4012 shows that Labashi-Marduk succeeded Neriglissar as king early in the 4th year of his father's reign.
e) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk to Nabonidus. Royal inscription Nabon. No. 8. Nabonidus speaks of his own enthronement and names the last four of his predecessors: Nebuchadnezzar and Neriglissar, which he considered legitimate rulers, and their sons Awel-Marduk and Labashi-Marduk, which he regarded as illegitimate usurpers.
f) Nabonidus to Cyrus. Nabonidus Chronicle B.M. 35382. Nabonidus was ruling when Cyrus conquered Babylon.
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt.
2 Kings 23:29, Jeremiah 46:2, Jeremiah 44:30, and B.M.33041. Each of these names different rulers from either Egypt, Babylon, or Judah ruling at the same time. So now the boundaries are set. Chronology of the Saite period which is the 26th dynasty is established through death stelaes and stelaes of Holy Apis bulls. Basically this does for Egypt what the above evidence has done for Babylon. it allows us to know which Egyptian king reigned during which years, and for how long. Now examing the verses from the bible, 2 Kings 23:29 establishes that Josiah was killed by Necho during the time that each were ruling. Necho began his reign in the year 610 bce. Jeremiah 46:2 establishes that Nebuchadnezzar fought Necho during the 4th year of the King of Judah, Josiah's son. It was also Nebuchadnezzar's first year/ascension year on the throne which was in 605 bce. Jeremiah 44:30 establishes that Zedekiah had already lost and Jerusalem was destroyed during the reign of King Hophra/Apries, who ruled from 589-570 bce. The 4th document establishes that Nebuchadnezzar marched against Egypt during the reign of Amasis during Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year on the throne. The math fits perfectly. All of this makes the 607 claim impossible.
What needs to be established is the chronology of Egypt, which is done by way of a series of death stelae and stelae of holy Apis bulls. The length of reigns of the first four kings of the 26th dynasty can be established.
Psammetichus I--54 years, Necho II--15 years, Psammetichus II--6 years, and Apries (Hophra)--19 years. Amasis--44 years and Psammetichus III--6 months, are established by historians Herodotus and Manetho, as well as other lines of evidence such as the papyrus Rylands IX, which dates the time of Darius I (521-486 B.C.E.)and lists the 44th year of Amasis as his last year.
D: Astronomical Diaries
Vat 4956 is a diary dated from Nisanu 1 of Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year to Nisanu 1 of his 38th year. The positions were so exactly described that modern day astronomers can easily fix precise dates when they were seen. By doing so they have been able to show that all of these observations must have been made during the year 568/67 bce. This lines up with all of the evidence listed already, since it would place Nebuchadnezzar on the throne on 605/604 bce.
B.M. 32312 This diary gives details on the position of Mercury, Saturn, and Mars, which date it to the year 652/51 bce. An historical notice also repeated in the Akitu Chronicle and there dated to the 16th year of Shamashshumukin, fixes that year to 652/51 bce, which prevents any extension of the Neo-Babylonian era backwards in time.
The Saturn Tablet establishes the reign of Kandalanu, predecessor of Nabopolassar. The pattern of positions described in the text and fixed to specific dates in the Babylonian Lunar calendar is not repeated again for more than 17 years. The first 14 years of his reign are mentioned in the text. This also gives us the exact year in which Nabopolassar's reign began, which is 625 bce.
I think it is clear to see that history proves the attempted calculation of the JWs is incorrect. For them to not only ignore this evidence, but then attempt to teach this incorrect view to the public is something that Jesus warned against.
Matt. 24:23--At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
Saying that they know exactly when Jesus began ruling is an exact fulfillment of this warning. Jesus also stated : No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
So how can anyone assume to know exactly when Christ began his rule? That is an assumption based on a poor calculation.
Also, Jesus made it perfectly clear as to the attempt at calculating dates of importance. Acts 1: 6, 7 reads--So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
If Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to know the times or dates the Father has set, would it be wise to assume that this view has changed during modern times? Is this human calculation enough proof to assume that God has allowed anyone to know when Jesus began to rule as King?
The JWs believe that Daniel chapter 4 prophesied the Gentile Times of the Nations (Luke 21:24)in which Jehovah would not have a kingly ruler. This extends from the end of God's rulership through the Jews in 607 B.C., until God re-established his Kingdom in heaven in 1914. The Gentile Times are the 2,520 year period in between. The basis for this comes from Daniel, where the JWs have interpreted the following: 1)The cutting down of the tree represents the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar in 607 B.C.
2) The "seven times" constitute 2,520 days, 7 years of only 360 days each.
3) The "principle" of "a day for a year" converts 2,520 days to 2,520 years.
4) The 2,520 years of the Gentile Times ended in 1914, coinciding with the start of Jesus' heavenly rulership.
In order for this to be true, the temple in Jerusalem would have had to of been destroyed in the year 607 B.C. History paints a completely different picture. There is a wealth of information to go over that will prove that this calculation is in error. But before we look at the historical facts, let's look at some bible verses and see how strong their case is.
Daniel chapter 4 is the first place we should look to, since it is this chapter that the entire prophecy is based upon. Instantly we find a problem. Verses 28-37 go on to state that the dream was fulfilled. So if the dream was fulfilled, that would mean that the 7 times already happened, which of course offsets the entire mathematical calculation. There is no second fulfillment of this chapter. I could simply end this here, but let's examine another verse in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 25:11-12 "And all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years.'And it must occur that when seventy years have been fulfilled I shall call to account against the king of Babylon and against that nation,' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'their error, even against the land of the Chal·de´ans, and I will make it desolate wastes to time indefinite.'"
This shows the 70 years were the entire period the Babylonians were conquering "these nations", and the period of vassalage to the Babylonians. Jeremiah 25 ends the 70 years with the "account against the King of Babylon". The Babylonians dominated for a seventy year period from their defeat of Assyria in 609 B.C.E., to their fall in 539 B.C.E.
Jeremiah 29:10 concurs with this. In a number of translations, this verse links the completion of the 70 years with Babylon.
"This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place." New International Version - see also ESV, NASB, RSV, ASV and DBY.
Not having a proper understanding of who the 70 years were being applied to is yet another mistake to add to their calculation. The next verse to consider is found again in Daniel.
Daniel 9:2 "In the first year of his reigning I myself, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of the years concerning which the word of Jehovah had occurred to Jeremiah the prophet, for fulfilling the devastations of Jerusalem, [namely,] seventy years."
The JWs point to this as proof that the 70 years apply to the desolation of Jerusalem. But that is not the word used here. It is the devastation of the temple. Zechariah 1:12 clarifies this by saying : "Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” In other words, when are you going to rebuild the temple? An important point to add here is the time in which this question was asked. Zechariah 1:1--In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo". Darius' second year was 519 B.C.E. So, that verse cannot be used to support 607.
Now let's examine some history.
A: Ancient Historians---Berossus, the Royal Canon(better known as Ptolemy's Canon)
B: The Cuneiform Documents----Chronicles, Kinglists, Royal Inscriptions, Economic-Administrative and Legal Documents, Prosopographical Evidence, Chronological Interlocking Joints
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt----Chronology of the Saite period, Synchronisims to the Chronology of the Saite period
D: Astronomical Diaries---VAT 4956, B.M. 32312, The Saturn Tablet (B.M. 76738 + 76813)
A: Ancient Historians
Berossus was a Babylonian priest that lived in the 3rd century B.C.E. He wrote a history of Babylon, which have been lost, but his work has been quoted and paraphrased by other ancient writers. The most famous being Josephus. The figures he gives for the reigns of the Neo-Babylonian Kings substantially agree with the evidence found in the ancient cunieform documents.
The Royal Canon, better known as Ptolemy's Canon, is a list of kings and their lengths of reign beginning with Nabonassar (747-734 bce) and continuing on through the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine rulers. However, Claudius Ptolemy was not where this list originated. A table of this kind was a prerequisite for the research and calculations performed by Babylonian and Greek Astronomers. Without it, they would have had no means for dating the astronomical events their calculations showed as occuring in the distant past. The Royal canon omits the rule of Labashi-Marduk, who only ruled for a few months, since it lists in whole years only.
B: The Cuneiform Documents
Neo-Babylonian Chronicles record specific details about Babylon, and which King was ruling. It also links certain kings together as one king would succeed another one. There are also details about kings from other nations, such as the Persian king Cyrus defeating the Median king Astyages and capturing the capital of Media. An interesting fact here is that the Nabonidus Chronicle which contains the account of the fall of Babylon, has Cyrus defeating the Medians in the 6th year of Nabonidus' reign. Cyrus ruled for 29 years and died in the year 530 bce. If 607 bce was when Jerusalem fell, this would not be possible. Though the Chronicles do not give a complete chronology for the Neo-Babylonian period, the dates that are preserved support those given by Berossus and the Royal Canon.
The Uruk Kinglist was badly preserved and some portions of it are missing. However, it still contains the names of Kings, and the length of reign of eack king during the Neo-Babylonian era. The preserved portion gives the following information.
Kandalanu 21 years
Sin-shum-lishir-and Sin-shar-ishkun 1 year
Nabopolassar 21 years
Nebuchadnezzar 43 years
Awel-Marduk 2 years
Neriglissar 3 years 8 months
Labashi-Marduk 3 months
Nabonidus 17 years.
The argument against this document is that is was recorded more than 300 years after the Neo-Babylonian era, so perhaps it is inaccurate. But the numbers line up with other independent forms of evidence.
Royal Inscriptions from the Assyrian and Babylonian eras have been found in great numbers. There are 3 of these inscriptions that are original documents from the reign of Nabonidus. 1.)Nabon. #18 is a cylinder inscription from an unnamed year of Nabonidus. Fulfilling the desire of Sin, the moon-god, Nabonidus dedicated a daughter of his to this god as a priestess at the Sin temple of Ur. A moon eclipse led to this dedication. Studies show that there was an eclipse that matches the description of this one during his 2nd year of reign, and the inscription also states that his daughter began her dedication took place during his 2nd year on the throne, thus confirming his length of reign. 2.) Nabon. #8 clearly establishes the total length of reigns of Neo-Babylonian kings up to Nabonidus, and enables us to know both the beginning year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, and the crucial year in which he desolated Jerusalem. 3.) Nabon. #24 provides the length of each kings reign, from Nabopolassar down to the 9th year of Nabonidus.
Economic-Administrative, and Legal Documents....there are literally thousands of documents such as promissary notes, contracts (the sales of houses, property, slaves, livestock, etc.), and records of lawsuits. Each document contains the year of the reigning king, the month, the day of the month. Every year of the Neo-Babylonian era is covered by these documents.
Prosopographical Evidence is basically the study of careers, especially of individuals linked by family, economic, social, or political relationships. The collection of tablets found were dated like the documents mentioned previously, and make it easy to determine when each King ruled, and for how long. The Egibi business house can be tracked quite easily from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the time of Darius.
Chronological Interlocking joints.
a) Nabopolassar to Nebuchadnezzar. Chronicle 5 (neo-babylonian chronicles) says that Nabopolassar ruled for 21 years, that he died on the eighth day of the month of Ab(5th month), and on the first day of the next month (Elul) his son Nebuchadnezzar ascended the royal throne in Babylon.
b) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk. Business document B.M. 30254 confirms that Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Awel-Marduk in the 43rd year of his reign.
c) Nebuchadnezzar to Awel-Marduk to Neriglissar. A ledger on a tablet known as NBC 4897 tabulates the annual growth of a herd of sheep and goats belonging to the Eanna temple at Uruk for ten consecutive years, from the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar to the 1st year of Neriglissar.
d) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk. A tablet YBC 4012 shows that Labashi-Marduk succeeded Neriglissar as king early in the 4th year of his father's reign.
e) Neriglissar to Labashi-Marduk to Nabonidus. Royal inscription Nabon. No. 8. Nabonidus speaks of his own enthronement and names the last four of his predecessors: Nebuchadnezzar and Neriglissar, which he considered legitimate rulers, and their sons Awel-Marduk and Labashi-Marduk, which he regarded as illegitimate usurpers.
f) Nabonidus to Cyrus. Nabonidus Chronicle B.M. 35382. Nabonidus was ruling when Cyrus conquered Babylon.
C: Synchronic Links to the Chronology of Egypt.
2 Kings 23:29, Jeremiah 46:2, Jeremiah 44:30, and B.M.33041. Each of these names different rulers from either Egypt, Babylon, or Judah ruling at the same time. So now the boundaries are set. Chronology of the Saite period which is the 26th dynasty is established through death stelaes and stelaes of Holy Apis bulls. Basically this does for Egypt what the above evidence has done for Babylon. it allows us to know which Egyptian king reigned during which years, and for how long. Now examing the verses from the bible, 2 Kings 23:29 establishes that Josiah was killed by Necho during the time that each were ruling. Necho began his reign in the year 610 bce. Jeremiah 46:2 establishes that Nebuchadnezzar fought Necho during the 4th year of the King of Judah, Josiah's son. It was also Nebuchadnezzar's first year/ascension year on the throne which was in 605 bce. Jeremiah 44:30 establishes that Zedekiah had already lost and Jerusalem was destroyed during the reign of King Hophra/Apries, who ruled from 589-570 bce. The 4th document establishes that Nebuchadnezzar marched against Egypt during the reign of Amasis during Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year on the throne. The math fits perfectly. All of this makes the 607 claim impossible.
What needs to be established is the chronology of Egypt, which is done by way of a series of death stelae and stelae of holy Apis bulls. The length of reigns of the first four kings of the 26th dynasty can be established.
Psammetichus I--54 years, Necho II--15 years, Psammetichus II--6 years, and Apries (Hophra)--19 years. Amasis--44 years and Psammetichus III--6 months, are established by historians Herodotus and Manetho, as well as other lines of evidence such as the papyrus Rylands IX, which dates the time of Darius I (521-486 B.C.E.)and lists the 44th year of Amasis as his last year.
D: Astronomical Diaries
Vat 4956 is a diary dated from Nisanu 1 of Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year to Nisanu 1 of his 38th year. The positions were so exactly described that modern day astronomers can easily fix precise dates when they were seen. By doing so they have been able to show that all of these observations must have been made during the year 568/67 bce. This lines up with all of the evidence listed already, since it would place Nebuchadnezzar on the throne on 605/604 bce.
B.M. 32312 This diary gives details on the position of Mercury, Saturn, and Mars, which date it to the year 652/51 bce. An historical notice also repeated in the Akitu Chronicle and there dated to the 16th year of Shamashshumukin, fixes that year to 652/51 bce, which prevents any extension of the Neo-Babylonian era backwards in time.
The Saturn Tablet establishes the reign of Kandalanu, predecessor of Nabopolassar. The pattern of positions described in the text and fixed to specific dates in the Babylonian Lunar calendar is not repeated again for more than 17 years. The first 14 years of his reign are mentioned in the text. This also gives us the exact year in which Nabopolassar's reign began, which is 625 bce.
I think it is clear to see that history proves the attempted calculation of the JWs is incorrect. For them to not only ignore this evidence, but then attempt to teach this incorrect view to the public is something that Jesus warned against.
Matt. 24:23--At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
Saying that they know exactly when Jesus began ruling is an exact fulfillment of this warning. Jesus also stated : No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
So how can anyone assume to know exactly when Christ began his rule? That is an assumption based on a poor calculation.
Also, Jesus made it perfectly clear as to the attempt at calculating dates of importance. Acts 1: 6, 7 reads--So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
If Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to know the times or dates the Father has set, would it be wise to assume that this view has changed during modern times? Is this human calculation enough proof to assume that God has allowed anyone to know when Jesus began to rule as King?
Thursday, February 2, 2012
New Light?
Proverbs 4:18--"But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established."
Imagine that the Watchtower Society told you to meet at the top of the highest skyscraper in the city. They had interpreted from the bible that a true christian needed to have ultimate faith in order to survive Armageddon. All you needed to do is jump off of the building and place your faith in Jehovah's hands, because faith without works is dead. If you did not do this, you would be disfellowshipped. So you follow instructions, because the Watchtower Society is being guided by the holy spirit, and you jump. You hear people applauding your actions until you have dropped too far from the top of the building. You then have a moment of doubt. Should I have really jumped? I don't remember ever reading any scriptures saying that I should do something like this. But wait, wait, I shouldn't doubt them, you think. This is about faith. Trust in Jehovah. Suddenly you hear a voice calling to you from a loudspeaker. "Wait. Don't jump. We have received some "new light" from Jehovah's holy spirit. The bible says clearly that we should not put Jehovah to the test, and by jumping, that is exactly what we would be doing. Then again, we never actually told anyone to jump. That was over zealous members that were acting independantly. As you look down, you realize that in a few seconds, your life will be over.
How would you feel if that happened to you? The illustration is vivid, but it encompasses someone that spent their entire life believing doctrines that were supossedly coming from Jehovah, by means of His holy spirit, only to see those doctrines change. And you must accept those changes without question or risk being disfellowshipped. Sadly, many do accept these changes and do not even attempt to test them to see if there might be a misinterpretation. They are blinded by the false comfort that the Watchtower Society guarantees eternal life in exchange for unquestioned obedience.
Anytime a doctrine is proven false over time or circumstance and is in need of change, we see the phrase "new light" rise to the surface. What exactly is the meaning of new light? A JW will tell you that it is a new understanding of an old truth. Since Jehovah is gradually revealing truth to His people, they are willing to correct their thinking in order to have the right view, and then teach that right view to the world.
C.T. Russell said the following.
"If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now;… But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. "New Light" never extinguishes older "light" but adds to it…" Zion's Watch Tower 1881 February pp.3,188
The JWs believe that they are adding to the old light, but that it is not being changed. It is still the truth.
Really? What does the bible say?
Galations 1" 8,9--"But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."
Have the JWs taught anything contrary to what they preached before?
John 16:13-- "However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide YOU into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to YOU the things coming."
This is Jesus talking about the holy spirit at Pentecost. Does it say that the truth would be revealed gradually?
1 John 4:1--"Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world."
Notice that there is nothing mentioned here about any gradual understandings sent to them by the holy spirit. Why don't we take a look at some of the past teachings of the JWs and put them to the test.
Here is a list from the Finished Mystery, and NO, I'm not making this stuff up.
1) 88 "proofs" that Christ's "Second Advent occurred in the Fall of 1874" (pp.68-71)
2) The remaining Anointed would all be taken from earth to heaven in the spring of 1918. (p.64)
3) "Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions...." (p.485)
4) "Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920....Every kingdom of Earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." (p.258)
5) The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:2 is "the Bishop of Rome, the embryo Pope, the personal representative of Satan" (p.106)
6) Michael the Archangel is the pope of Rome. (p.188)
7) "Leviathan" of Job 41:2-19 is a locomotive. (p.85)
8) "The chariots rage in the streets, they jostle one another" of Natham 2:4 are the clanking and the bumping of railway cars. (p.93)
9) The "valiant men" of Nathum 2:3 are an engineer and a fireman. (p.93)
10) Demons will invade the minds of churchgoers in 1918, leading to their destruction. (p.128)
11) "Behemoth" of Job 40:15-24 is a stationary steam engine. (p.84)
12) The "voice from heaven" of Revelation 18:4 is the voice of The Watchtower Society. (p.276)
13) The glory of the angel of Revelation 18:1 refers to modern discoveries such as correspondence schools, celluloid, Divine Plan of the Ages, talking machines, vacuum cleaners, induction motors, pasteurization, Panama Canal, shoe sewing machines, subways, skyscrapers, Roentgen rays. (p.273)
14) Revelation 14:20 predicted the precise distance from the place where The Finished Mystery was produced in Stranton, Pennsylvania to its shipping destination in Bethel in New York City (p. 230)
This was from The Finished Mystery, a book from 1917. This was held up as the fulfilment of prophecy, "God-given interpretation" (Watch Tower 1917 December 15) and "the first and only book that makes clear every part of Revelation and Ezekiel." (Watch Tower 1917 October 1) It continues to proudly be described in the Proclaimers and Revelation Climax books as a powerful classic. (jwfacts.com)
God-Given interpretation? How many of these teachings were completely dropped? While you are mulling this over, let's look at a few other teachings from their past.
Most of you know about the pyramids being prophetic. There are also the failed date prophecies, the ever-changing meaning of a generation, and Jesus being worshipped into the 1950s. Ah, but here is one of my favorites.
The constellation of the seven stars forming the Pleiades appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve.... It has been suggested, and with much weight, that one of the stars of that group is the dwelling place of Jehovah and the place of the highest heavens;....
The constellation of the Pleiades is a small one compared with others which scientific instruments disclose to the wondering eyes of man. But the greatness in size of other stars or planets is small when compared to the Pleiades in importance, because the Pleiades is the place of the eternal throne of God.
J. F. Rutherford, Reconciliation, 1928, p. 14
How many of these were in need of gradual clarification? How many of these were simply dropped?
However, the Watchtower Society has attempted to justify their past mistakes.
"Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations." Reasoning from the Scriptures p.136
How many times did those Apostles teach those wrong expectations to the public?
Human imperfection falls by the wayside if God's holy spirit is guiding them. Clearly this is not the case.
New light is an excuse to explain away errors in understanding that were taught to the public as truth coming from God. What does God have to say about this?
Dueteronomy 18:20-22--"However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it."
Imagine that the Watchtower Society told you to meet at the top of the highest skyscraper in the city. They had interpreted from the bible that a true christian needed to have ultimate faith in order to survive Armageddon. All you needed to do is jump off of the building and place your faith in Jehovah's hands, because faith without works is dead. If you did not do this, you would be disfellowshipped. So you follow instructions, because the Watchtower Society is being guided by the holy spirit, and you jump. You hear people applauding your actions until you have dropped too far from the top of the building. You then have a moment of doubt. Should I have really jumped? I don't remember ever reading any scriptures saying that I should do something like this. But wait, wait, I shouldn't doubt them, you think. This is about faith. Trust in Jehovah. Suddenly you hear a voice calling to you from a loudspeaker. "Wait. Don't jump. We have received some "new light" from Jehovah's holy spirit. The bible says clearly that we should not put Jehovah to the test, and by jumping, that is exactly what we would be doing. Then again, we never actually told anyone to jump. That was over zealous members that were acting independantly. As you look down, you realize that in a few seconds, your life will be over.
How would you feel if that happened to you? The illustration is vivid, but it encompasses someone that spent their entire life believing doctrines that were supossedly coming from Jehovah, by means of His holy spirit, only to see those doctrines change. And you must accept those changes without question or risk being disfellowshipped. Sadly, many do accept these changes and do not even attempt to test them to see if there might be a misinterpretation. They are blinded by the false comfort that the Watchtower Society guarantees eternal life in exchange for unquestioned obedience.
Anytime a doctrine is proven false over time or circumstance and is in need of change, we see the phrase "new light" rise to the surface. What exactly is the meaning of new light? A JW will tell you that it is a new understanding of an old truth. Since Jehovah is gradually revealing truth to His people, they are willing to correct their thinking in order to have the right view, and then teach that right view to the world.
C.T. Russell said the following.
"If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now;… But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. "New Light" never extinguishes older "light" but adds to it…" Zion's Watch Tower 1881 February pp.3,188
The JWs believe that they are adding to the old light, but that it is not being changed. It is still the truth.
Really? What does the bible say?
Galations 1" 8,9--"But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."
Have the JWs taught anything contrary to what they preached before?
John 16:13-- "However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide YOU into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to YOU the things coming."
This is Jesus talking about the holy spirit at Pentecost. Does it say that the truth would be revealed gradually?
1 John 4:1--"Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world."
Notice that there is nothing mentioned here about any gradual understandings sent to them by the holy spirit. Why don't we take a look at some of the past teachings of the JWs and put them to the test.
Here is a list from the Finished Mystery, and NO, I'm not making this stuff up.
1) 88 "proofs" that Christ's "Second Advent occurred in the Fall of 1874" (pp.68-71)
2) The remaining Anointed would all be taken from earth to heaven in the spring of 1918. (p.64)
3) "Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions...." (p.485)
4) "Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920....Every kingdom of Earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." (p.258)
5) The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:2 is "the Bishop of Rome, the embryo Pope, the personal representative of Satan" (p.106)
6) Michael the Archangel is the pope of Rome. (p.188)
7) "Leviathan" of Job 41:2-19 is a locomotive. (p.85)
8) "The chariots rage in the streets, they jostle one another" of Natham 2:4 are the clanking and the bumping of railway cars. (p.93)
9) The "valiant men" of Nathum 2:3 are an engineer and a fireman. (p.93)
10) Demons will invade the minds of churchgoers in 1918, leading to their destruction. (p.128)
11) "Behemoth" of Job 40:15-24 is a stationary steam engine. (p.84)
12) The "voice from heaven" of Revelation 18:4 is the voice of The Watchtower Society. (p.276)
13) The glory of the angel of Revelation 18:1 refers to modern discoveries such as correspondence schools, celluloid, Divine Plan of the Ages, talking machines, vacuum cleaners, induction motors, pasteurization, Panama Canal, shoe sewing machines, subways, skyscrapers, Roentgen rays. (p.273)
14) Revelation 14:20 predicted the precise distance from the place where The Finished Mystery was produced in Stranton, Pennsylvania to its shipping destination in Bethel in New York City (p. 230)
This was from The Finished Mystery, a book from 1917. This was held up as the fulfilment of prophecy, "God-given interpretation" (Watch Tower 1917 December 15) and "the first and only book that makes clear every part of Revelation and Ezekiel." (Watch Tower 1917 October 1) It continues to proudly be described in the Proclaimers and Revelation Climax books as a powerful classic. (jwfacts.com)
God-Given interpretation? How many of these teachings were completely dropped? While you are mulling this over, let's look at a few other teachings from their past.
Most of you know about the pyramids being prophetic. There are also the failed date prophecies, the ever-changing meaning of a generation, and Jesus being worshipped into the 1950s. Ah, but here is one of my favorites.
The constellation of the seven stars forming the Pleiades appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve.... It has been suggested, and with much weight, that one of the stars of that group is the dwelling place of Jehovah and the place of the highest heavens;....
The constellation of the Pleiades is a small one compared with others which scientific instruments disclose to the wondering eyes of man. But the greatness in size of other stars or planets is small when compared to the Pleiades in importance, because the Pleiades is the place of the eternal throne of God.
J. F. Rutherford, Reconciliation, 1928, p. 14
How many of these were in need of gradual clarification? How many of these were simply dropped?
However, the Watchtower Society has attempted to justify their past mistakes.
"Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations." Reasoning from the Scriptures p.136
How many times did those Apostles teach those wrong expectations to the public?
Human imperfection falls by the wayside if God's holy spirit is guiding them. Clearly this is not the case.
New light is an excuse to explain away errors in understanding that were taught to the public as truth coming from God. What does God have to say about this?
Dueteronomy 18:20-22--"However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it."
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
144,000. Literal or Symbolic?
There are only two places in the bible that mention the 144,000. Both in Revelation.
7:3,4 says--“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
14:1,4,5 says--Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
To begin, the JWs teach that the number 144,000 is the exact number of people that are chosen from earth to rule alongside Jesus in heaven. Here are a few quotes to show this.
"As spirit-anointed brothers of Christ, all the early Christians had the prospect of being heavenly priests with Christ." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.35
"And Christians back there in the first century needed it. At that time all of them were spirit-anointed Christians who looked forward to a future resurrection "into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." "Let Your Kingdom Come" p.88
"We understand that this heavenly calling continued down through the centuries, though during the so-called Dark Ages, there may have been times when the number of anointed ones were very few. With the reestablishment of true Christianity near the end of the last century, more were called and chosen. But it seems that in the mid-1930's, the full number of the 144,000 was basically completed. Thus there began to appear a group of loyal Christians with the earthly hope. Jesus termed such "other sheep," who unite in worship with the anointed as one approved flock." Watchtower 1996 Aug 15 p.31
Although the view has changed from the number being complete in the 1930s, the general idea is that all of the early christians were of the anointed class, and a "re-establishment of christianity" in the late 1800s brought on more to be chosen.
First, let's attempt to establish just how many christians there were during these two time frames. Then let's go back and take a closer look at those bible verses.
According to JW sources, there were 40,000 that were martyred in 95 a.d. alone.
"Brief respite followed the death of Nero, but by the latter years of the first century the second great persecution, under Emperor Domitian, flared up. It is said that in the year 95 alone some 40,000 suffered martyrdom. Also, it was in this period that John, last living of the twelve apostles, was exiled to the isle of Patmos, from where he recorded the inspired Bible book of Revelation about A.D. 96." Watchtower 1951 Sep 1 p.516
If we estimate the 40,000 in 95 ad alone, obviously there were more christians that were put to death before and after that year. There were probably at least another 20,000 to add to that figure. Acts 2:41 states that 3,000 were baptized in one day. Verse 47 says that more were added to their number daily. And this was before Paul even started his preaching work. It is a conservative guess to say that there were probably about 60-65,000 christians in the 1st century. Of course, I am basing this from the figure given in the Watchtower, and adding some common sense reasoning.
In 1935, there were over 52,000 that partook of the emblems. Then we need to add the number of individuals that had died before 1935, and add the current number of ones claiming to be anointed. I can't do that though because I don't have that information to calculate a grand total.
Another quote adds more confusion to the equation.
"It has been calculated that by the end of the second century 60,000 copies of the major part of the Christian Greek Scriptures could have been in circulation, even if only one in every fifty of those professing Christianity possessed a copy." Watchtower 1963 April 15 p.249
How they obtained this information is unknown. But if one out of fifty posessed a copy, that would mean there were 3,000,000 christians by this time.
Now the claim is that the anointed ones had been covered over by "weed-like ones. (see my faithful and discreet slave blog)That is how the JWs attempt to explain away this number, even though many more were martyred. But I will get to that in a minute.
Back to the numbers. 65,000 plus 52,000 comes to 117,000. That would leave a mere 27,000 over a 1835 year stretch. If you subtract the 10,000 current ones that claim to be of the anointed, plus those that died in the few decades before 1935, the overall number shrinks even more. If that isn't enough to raise any eyebrows, let's consider another quote from the Watchtower.
"Diocletian assumed the crown A.D. 284. At first he seemed friendly to the Christians, but in the year 303 he gave in to persuasion and opened the tenth persecution, probably the most ferocious of all. Suffocation by smoke, forcible drinking of melted lead, mass drownings and burnings, breaking on the rack of men and women alike ran the empire with blood. In a single month 17,000 were slain. In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works." Watchtower 1951 September 1 p.518
861,000 Christians were put to death according to this article. If this is true, why wouldn't these people be considered true christians that died for Christ? Revelation 20:4 says the following,
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This shows that people that had been put to death "because of their testimony for Jesus" will come back to life. Why would only 144,000 of them be chosen when there were so many more that fulfilled this requirment? Now remember, these numbers are from JW literature. So it appears once again that their own literature is proving their claim wrong.
Let's take another look at those verses. If we are to take the number as literal, we must also take the rest of the verse as literal too. That means that the requirement of an anointed one would include them being from the tribes of Israel, having the name of Lamb and Father on their foreheads, virgins, holding no falsehood on their mouths, and without blemish. This would rule out any Americans claiming to be anointed (unless a line of descent can be proven linking them to a tribe of Israel). Since tatoos are forbidden to JWs, I don't know how they could have a name written on their forehead. Everlasting ink pen maybe? Virgins? That would eliminate a vast majority. I think you get the idea. Yet the JWs only hold the number as literal. And they cannot give a reason why, other than saying that the number was sealed. This type of reasoning is selctive at best. And that is wrong.
7:3,4 says--“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
14:1,4,5 says--Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
To begin, the JWs teach that the number 144,000 is the exact number of people that are chosen from earth to rule alongside Jesus in heaven. Here are a few quotes to show this.
"As spirit-anointed brothers of Christ, all the early Christians had the prospect of being heavenly priests with Christ." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.35
"And Christians back there in the first century needed it. At that time all of them were spirit-anointed Christians who looked forward to a future resurrection "into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." "Let Your Kingdom Come" p.88
"We understand that this heavenly calling continued down through the centuries, though during the so-called Dark Ages, there may have been times when the number of anointed ones were very few. With the reestablishment of true Christianity near the end of the last century, more were called and chosen. But it seems that in the mid-1930's, the full number of the 144,000 was basically completed. Thus there began to appear a group of loyal Christians with the earthly hope. Jesus termed such "other sheep," who unite in worship with the anointed as one approved flock." Watchtower 1996 Aug 15 p.31
Although the view has changed from the number being complete in the 1930s, the general idea is that all of the early christians were of the anointed class, and a "re-establishment of christianity" in the late 1800s brought on more to be chosen.
First, let's attempt to establish just how many christians there were during these two time frames. Then let's go back and take a closer look at those bible verses.
According to JW sources, there were 40,000 that were martyred in 95 a.d. alone.
"Brief respite followed the death of Nero, but by the latter years of the first century the second great persecution, under Emperor Domitian, flared up. It is said that in the year 95 alone some 40,000 suffered martyrdom. Also, it was in this period that John, last living of the twelve apostles, was exiled to the isle of Patmos, from where he recorded the inspired Bible book of Revelation about A.D. 96." Watchtower 1951 Sep 1 p.516
If we estimate the 40,000 in 95 ad alone, obviously there were more christians that were put to death before and after that year. There were probably at least another 20,000 to add to that figure. Acts 2:41 states that 3,000 were baptized in one day. Verse 47 says that more were added to their number daily. And this was before Paul even started his preaching work. It is a conservative guess to say that there were probably about 60-65,000 christians in the 1st century. Of course, I am basing this from the figure given in the Watchtower, and adding some common sense reasoning.
In 1935, there were over 52,000 that partook of the emblems. Then we need to add the number of individuals that had died before 1935, and add the current number of ones claiming to be anointed. I can't do that though because I don't have that information to calculate a grand total.
Another quote adds more confusion to the equation.
"It has been calculated that by the end of the second century 60,000 copies of the major part of the Christian Greek Scriptures could have been in circulation, even if only one in every fifty of those professing Christianity possessed a copy." Watchtower 1963 April 15 p.249
How they obtained this information is unknown. But if one out of fifty posessed a copy, that would mean there were 3,000,000 christians by this time.
Now the claim is that the anointed ones had been covered over by "weed-like ones. (see my faithful and discreet slave blog)That is how the JWs attempt to explain away this number, even though many more were martyred. But I will get to that in a minute.
Back to the numbers. 65,000 plus 52,000 comes to 117,000. That would leave a mere 27,000 over a 1835 year stretch. If you subtract the 10,000 current ones that claim to be of the anointed, plus those that died in the few decades before 1935, the overall number shrinks even more. If that isn't enough to raise any eyebrows, let's consider another quote from the Watchtower.
"Diocletian assumed the crown A.D. 284. At first he seemed friendly to the Christians, but in the year 303 he gave in to persuasion and opened the tenth persecution, probably the most ferocious of all. Suffocation by smoke, forcible drinking of melted lead, mass drownings and burnings, breaking on the rack of men and women alike ran the empire with blood. In a single month 17,000 were slain. In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works." Watchtower 1951 September 1 p.518
861,000 Christians were put to death according to this article. If this is true, why wouldn't these people be considered true christians that died for Christ? Revelation 20:4 says the following,
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This shows that people that had been put to death "because of their testimony for Jesus" will come back to life. Why would only 144,000 of them be chosen when there were so many more that fulfilled this requirment? Now remember, these numbers are from JW literature. So it appears once again that their own literature is proving their claim wrong.
Let's take another look at those verses. If we are to take the number as literal, we must also take the rest of the verse as literal too. That means that the requirement of an anointed one would include them being from the tribes of Israel, having the name of Lamb and Father on their foreheads, virgins, holding no falsehood on their mouths, and without blemish. This would rule out any Americans claiming to be anointed (unless a line of descent can be proven linking them to a tribe of Israel). Since tatoos are forbidden to JWs, I don't know how they could have a name written on their forehead. Everlasting ink pen maybe? Virgins? That would eliminate a vast majority. I think you get the idea. Yet the JWs only hold the number as literal. And they cannot give a reason why, other than saying that the number was sealed. This type of reasoning is selctive at best. And that is wrong.
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