Revelation: Its Grand Climax at Hand!

[Jagella]

The Christian prophecies of "the end of the age" have been with us at least as long as Christianity has haunted our dreams with visions of strange beasts and the destruction or damnation of the majority of humankind. The faithful have eagerly looked to the sky hoping to see Jesus riding in on "the clouds of heaven" to take them away while the rest of us suffer horrible punishments. But to their chagrin, it was just one disappointment after another when Jesus failed to show, and they returned to their boring little homes living out the rest of their lives like we all do.

One of the greatest disappointments the faithful have endured waiting for their grand apocalypse occurred on October 22, 1844. William Miller, a Baptist preacher, led a large group of followers to believe that Daniel's cleansing of the sanctuary was to occur on that date.

I hope I don't need to explain it didn't happen.

Undaunted, Christians continued to look for the return of Jesus. An entire sect, the Seventh-Day Adventists, grew up over this failed prophecy. They revised Miller's prediction saying that October 22 was not yet Jesus' return but the beginning of the final atonement and the "cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary." This event leads up to the second coming of Christ.

So Jesus is still coming if never arriving. Other groups have been caught up in this expectation, and they just never give up believing that someday soon Jesus will come bursting through the clouds. No number of failed prophecies of the end seems to stop them in their expectation.

One of these other groups are the Jehovah's Witnesses led by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I was recently reading their book, Revelation: Its Grand Climax at Hand! As the title suggests, the return of Christ is at the very doorstep. I believe this book is no longer in print. Perhaps one of the reasons it is no longer published by the Watchtower is that it was copyrighted in 1988. As I write this post, it has been about thirty years since that time. Apparently thirty years is way too long to qualify as "at hand." To save face, the Watchtower no doubt pulled the book.

In any case, what I find odd about this book in particular is that the Watchtower bothered to copyright it. If Jesus and the apocalypse were nigh, then it seems to me that trivialities like reserving rights to a printed work would be a rather low priority. Did the Jehovah's Witnesses think that they might end up suing a plagiarizer in court as the "great tribulation" raged the four horsemen meting out plagues to punish the earth?

You just can't be too sure, I suppose.

There's nothing new about these failed prophecies. Other failed predictions by Jehovah's Witnesses involved dates of the second coming in the years 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918 and 1925. When Jesus failed to show, the "prophecies" were always reinterpreted to mean something different.

Observe that the knowledge of these failures won't sway many Jehovah's Witnesses from continuing to believe the end is nigh. Sure, some of them wise up and leave only to be branded as "apostates" and shunned by those who remain faithful to the Watchtower.

But don't get me wrong. I'm not just picking on Jehovah's Witnesses. We've had many prophecies from many Christians throughout their history. "They end is near!" The fact that they keep getting these predictions wrong doesn't stop them from continuing to believe what they do.

Will this apocalyptic delusion ever end?

[JehovahsWitness]

Another thing about this book is that it equates "Christendom" with the whore of Babylon.

WHO or WHAT IS THE WHORE OF BABYLON?

On of the most striking and enigmatic images in the book of Revelation is that of The Whore of Babylon. This figure depicted as a prostitute, regally dressed and decked in gold, drinking blood and sitting on a multi-headed wild beast.

• Bible scholars have long speculated as to what this figure represents and come up with various interpretations including it being a metaphor for apostate Jerusalem, the Roman Empire or the Roman Catholic Church. The Jehovah's Witness view is that it BABYLON THE GREAT represents all false religion on earth at our present time (whether nominally Christian or not). So it is inaccurate to say Jehovah's Witnesses {quote} "equates "Christendom" with the whore of Babylon".

To learn more please go to other posts related to

THE LAST DAYS , .THE SECOND COMING * and ... THE BOOK OF REVELATION

*The Return of Christ



Do JWs view all Christian groups other than their own as "Satanic"?

• Satanic has been defined as "connected with satanism", " relating to, or worshipping the Devil". While Jehovah's Witnesses believe ultimately all false religion (just as all other elements of the present system such as Politics and Big Business) ultimately serves the interest of Satan, sincere individuals within these organizations (whether religious, political or entreprenerial) are not directly connected with spiritism or under his (Satan's) control and we are careful to make the distinction between the organization (which we view as corrupt, reprehensible and worthy of total descruction) and the individuals within those organizations (that we view as victims in need of spiritual education).

The Jehovah's Witnesses hate Christianity more than I do.

While I can make no comment about what you do or do not hate, I can assure you Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT hate Christianity.. We consider ourselves Christian and believe that it is the religion set up by Christ for the spiritual protection and edification of sincere seekers of truth.

Is the JW view evidence of Christians promoting hate?

• Jehovah's Witnesses (like many atheists I have met who long for an end to religion), are able to distinguish between a desire for an end to institutions we believe keep people in ignorance and servitude and the individuals within those religions who may be entirely sincere in their desire to please God. JW love all people and strive to be kind and considerate with everyone whether they be Catholic, Protestant, Hindu Jew or Muslim. We also recognize the good works done by many within these organizations including the brave men and women that translated and protected the bible during the dark ages. What Jehovah's Witesses do hate is exploitation, oppression and persecution, all of which false religion has been guilty of over the centuries. We believe God still has many sincere people trapped and duped in these religious organizations and urge them to "get out" while there is still time.

CONCLUSION We do not hate on others religious people nor do we believe they are Satanic or demon controlled but do believe that religious organizations have encouraged wars, stiffled progress, promoted ignorance and persecuted the innocent. These institutions we believe are represented by the metaphor of the Whore of Babylon and her days,if the book of Revelation is to be believed, are numbered.





JEHOVAH'S WITNESS

Further Reading:

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe That They Have the One True Religion?
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesse ... -religion/





RELATED POSTS

Which religions are part of Babylon the Great?
viewtopic.php?p=1038821#p1038821

Will all the religions be destroyed when Babylon is destroyed?
viewtopic.php?p=1096768#p1096768

Do JWs consider the individual members of false religions to be "harlots" (prostitutes)?
viewtopic.php?p=1038822#p1038822

Who Is the Antichrist?
viewtopic.php?p=1039331#p1039331

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

BABYLON THE GREAT , THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS and ... THE BOOK OF REVELATION

[Jagella]

[Replying to post 11 by JehovahsWitness]

WHO or WHAT IS THE WHORE OF BABYLON?

This sexist image that denigrates women represents the Roman Empire at the time Revelation was written. Christians hated the Romans and for good reason. They were afraid to name Rome in their writings and used coding language as a safer way to represent it.

So the "prophecy" in the catatonic Revelation has nothing to do with today but was meant to predict what was to happen shortly after it was written. That prophecy failed, of course, but like all failed prophecies, most Christians still cling to them despite all evidence to the contrary.

It fits the definition of "deluded" like a glove.

The Jehovah's Witness view is that it BABYLON THE GREAT represents all false religion on earth at our present time (whether nominally Christian or not). So it is inaccurate to say Jehovah's Witnesses {quote} "equates "Christendom" with the whore of Babylon".

If the "whore of Babylon" is all false religion, and Christendom is false religion, then Christendom is at least part of this whore of Babylon.

Needless to say, other Christian groups return the favor by labeling Jehovah's Witnesses a "cult" and that it is false religion that will damn your soul if believed.

So why do these Christian groups complain when they are criticized by atheists? They attack each other all the time!

Do JWs view all Christian groups other than their own as "Satanic"?

So in Watchtower-speak people can be serving the interests of Satan without being Satanic. The difference is very subtle, is it not?

While I can make no comment about what you do or do not hate, I can assure you Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT hate Christianity.. We consider ourselves Christian and believe that it is the religion set up by Christ for the spiritual protection and edification of sincere seekers of truth.

Hmmm. It appears that the hatred Jehovah's Witnesses may feel for Christianity depends on what is truly "Christianity." If you can define away other groups as not being a part of true Christianity, then to hate them is not to hate Christianity!

It is amazing how defining words can make all the difference.

Jehovah's Witnesses (like many atheists I have met who long for an end to religion), are able to distinguish between a desire for an end to institutions we believe keep people in ignorance and servitude...

Institutions that "keep people in ignorance and servitude..."? As if Jehovah's Witnesses don't do that!

JW love all people and strive to be kind and considerate with everyone whether they be Catholic, Protestant, Hindu Jew or Muslim.

Do you treat "apostates" with kindness and love? I'm sure those supposed apostates feel really loved when you shun them.

We believe God still has many sincere people trapped and duped in these religious organizations and urge them to "get out" while there is still time.

I urge trapped and duped people to get out of religions too. Only I include the Jehovah's Witnesses as one such religion to get out of.

[JehovahsWitness]

I urge trapped and duped people to get out of religions too. Only I include the Jehovah's Witnesses as one such religion to get out of.

Okay, and do you hate the people in these religions?

[JehovahsWitness]

So the "prophecy" in the catatonic Revelation has nothing to do with today but was meant to predict what was to happen shortly after it was written.

You opinion has been duly noted. I do believe I said that various groups have various interpretations as to what Babylon represents and yours is just one of the myriads of views, one to which JWs do not hold.

Was there anything else in the Book "Revelation it's Grand Climax at hand!" you wished to discuss?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 136#917136

[rikuoamero]

[Replying to post 1 by Jagella]

In any case, what I find odd about this book in particular is that the Watchtower bothered to copyright it.

Before I joined this site, I was a regular commenter on a blog site that was critical of copyright law. I am not a lawyer of course, but it is my understanding that everything is copyrighted the moment it gets put in a fixed form.
There is a difference though between automatic copyright and registering the copyright, which grants more rights under the law (or as I say, restrictions, since it's all about stopping other people from performing actions and not about you being allowed to perform them).
It could just be that the Watchtower got a registered copyright as part of the process of publishing the book, that they didn't think anything of the copyright.

Will this apocalyptic delusion ever end?

Doubt it. There will probably always be people believing the end is nigh, whether of a Christian flavour or otherwise.

[rikuoamero]

[Replying to post 10 by JehovahsWitness]

JW, having looked at the picture from p.127, I'm going to reveal one of the reasons why I don't believe these quote unquote prophecies.

The people depicted do not act like real people.

Look at what is happening. Jagella describes it quite correctly. A crowd of people, leaving a burning city, (on foot for some reason) grinning from ear to ear.
Is this what typically happens in disasters? Do crowds of people flee say a forest fire, or an earthquake, grinning and laughing to themselves? Do the people that Revelations talks about feel any survivor's guilt? I say no, if the line "God will wipe every tear" means anything.

I also want to comment on your metaphor.

To illustrate: Rescue workers and fellow survivors are often be seen cheerin and celebrating when a survivor is located and dragged from the rubble after an earthquake. Is their happiness "a sick celebration of the horror" of the earthquake or rather a celebration of the gift of life preserved after much effort?


It is the bible, not Jehovah's Witnesses that presents the image of survivors of a great destruction singing praises for surviving the "great tribulation" . Relief, joy and gratitude to rescue workers are normal human reactions for those coming through life threatening situations.

As the artist's impression of revelations shows, these people are not rescue workers. They are not digging through the rubble of the burning city looking for survivors.
They are leaving it, and are apparently paying no mind to the people who have been killed. They've survived, and those who died...well, God killed them, so why weep over them?

Should the end times happen as you envision them, JW, are you and yours going to dig through the rubble of destroyed cities and look for survivors? Try and help those who are being killed by God?

[Jagella]

I urge trapped and duped people to get out of religions too. Only I include the Jehovah's Witnesses as one such religion to get out of.

Okay, and do you hate the people in these religions?

Short Answer: No

Long Answer:

In my way of looking at morality, there's nothing wrong with hate. Hate can inspire us to oppose evil people and their evil ways. Note that above I said that the early Christians had good reason to hate their Roman oppressors.

But I don't hate religious people. Almost all of my friends are Christians, and I treat them well. I regularly meet with Jehovah's Witnesses to talk.

Were you hoping to make me out to be a hateful guy?

You may recall that one of the first Jehovah's Witnesses I met told me he was manic-depressive. One day I offered him a radio broadcast I had taped that featured a former Jehovah's Witness. When he returned it he was rather angry and told me that as soon as he realized it was an "apostate" he stopped listening to it. He told me: "We hate those people!"

It seems logical to me that any organization that treats its former members that way has something to hide.

In any case I know that Jehovah's Witnesses like to boast how much better they are than other groups. Upon examination, that claim is exposed as a lie.

[JehovahsWitness]

I urge trapped and duped people to get out of religions too. Only I include the Jehovah's Witnesses as one such religion to get out of.

Okay, and do you hate the people in these religions?

Short Answer: No

Well I don't either evidently it is possible to disageee without hate, you can do it, so can I. We (Jehovah's Witnesses) feel the same way as you, disagreeing and wanting an end to religion doesn't mean one has to hate religious people.

JW

[JehovahsWitness]

JW, having looked at the picture from p.127, I'm going to reveal one of the reasons why I don't believe these quote unquote prophecies.

Fortunately nobody is obliged to believe anything in the bible or the JWs interpretation of the book of Revelation.


Thanks for sharing.

JW

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 17 by Jagella]

So was there anything else in the book Revelation it's Grand Climax at hand! You wanted to discuss?


https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/lv/r1/lp-e/0/56388



FURTHER READING:

The book of revelation - what does it mean?
https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/q ... revelation

What is the battle of Harmageddon?
https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/q ... rmageddon/