JW's, what was wrong with the evidence you held of Christ's arrival in 1874?

Question

In your book "The Harp of God" there was evidence presented on page 235 that proved that Christ arrived invisibly in 1874 and was then taken up his throne and was ruling invisibly at the right hand of God.

This was not an interpretation of scripture, it was proof that it had already happened, therefore an excuse of "The light getting brighter" could not be applicable.

Was this evidence just manufactured by the society as it was then just ignored in 1930 when you then decided that Christ had taken up his throne invisibly in 1914 and 1874 was just a bad memory?

How can evidence, proof, be just ignored many years later when you found that 1914 needed a good reason to have 1914 as "a very important date."

...the Bridegroom came in the Autumn of 1874, and he appeared to the eyes of faith-seen by the light of the lamp-the Word.
(Zion’s Watch Tower Reprints October/November 1881 p. 289)

This proof shows that the Lord has been present since 1874...
(WT March 1, 1923 p. 67)

Surely there is not the slightest room for doubt that in the mind of a truly consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus Christ is present and has been since 1874.
(WT January 1, 1924 p. 5)

The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of the Lord Jesus Christ began in 1874 A.D.
(Prophecy 1929 p. 65)

In The Golden Age magazine (1930 p.503) Joseph Rutherford, the second president of the WTS, wrote “Jesus has been present since 1914” but he gave no supporting explanation. In 1932:


The prophecy of the Bible, fully supported by the physical facts in fulfillment thereof, shows that the second coming of Christ dates from the fall of the year 1914.
(What is Truth? 1932)

P.S. The age of the proof could not change the facts, if there was proof in 1874 the proof would still be the same proof.

Answer 1

In January, 1876, when he was 23 years old, Russell received a copy of The Herald of the Morning, an Adventist magazine published by Nelson H. Barbour of Rochester , New York . One of the distinguishing features of Barbour's group at that time was their belief that Christ returned invisibly in 1874, and this concept presented in The Herald captured Russell's attention. It meant that this Adventist splinter group had not remained defeated, as others had, when Christ failed to appear in 1874 as Adventist leaders had predicted; somehow this small group had managed to hold onto the date by affirming that the Lord had indeed returned at the appointed time, only invisibly.



Was this mere wishful thinking, coupled with a stubborn refusal to admit the error of failed chronological calculations? Barbour had some arguments to offer in support of his assertions. In particular, he came up with a basis for reinterpreting the Second Coming as an invisible event:



In Benjamin Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott translation of the New Testament the word rendered 'coming' in the King James Version at Matthew 24:27, 37, 39 is translated 'presence' instead. This served as the basis for Barbour's group to advocate, in addition to their time calculations, an invisible presence of Christ.



Although the idea appealed to young Charles Taze Russell, the reading public apparently refused to 'buy' the story of an invisible Second Coming, with the result that N. H. Barbour's publication The Herald of the Morning was failing financially. In the summer of 1876 wealthy Russell paid Barbour's way to Philadelphia and met with him to discuss both beliefs and finances. The upshot was that Russell became the magazine's financial backer and was added to the masthead as an assistant editor. He contributed articles for publication as well as monetary gifts, and Russell's small study group similarly became affiliated with Barbour's.



Russell and Barbour believed and taught that Christ's invisible return in 1874 would be followed soon afterward, in the spring of 1878 to be exact, by the Rapture, the bodily snatching away of believers to heaven. When this expected Rapture failed to occur on time in 1878, The Herald's editor, Mr. Barbour, came up with "new light" on this and other doctrines. Russell, however, rejected some of the new ideas and persuaded other members to oppose them. Finally, Russell quit the staff of the Adventist magazine and started his own. He called it Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence and published its first issue with the date July, 1879. In the beginning it had the same mailing list as The Herald of the Morning and considerable space was devoted to refuting the latter on points of disagreement, Russell having taken with him a copy of that magazine's mailing list when he resigned as assistant editor. This is where it got it's beginning "Invisible Presence". Later it served as scapegoat to the failed prophecy of 1914 and was adopted as the Invisible Presence of Jesus among other things. Then a scramble became and still persists today to be able to come up with a position of defense for this belief.



JESUS’ “RETURN” SWITCHED FROM 1874 TO 1914



In The Golden Age magazine (1930 p.503) Joseph Rutherford, the second president of the WTS, wrote “Jesus has been present since 1914” but he gave no supporting explanation.

After switching Jesus’ “return” from 1874 to 1914 the WTS writers began to claim or imply that their early Bible Students had anticipated 1914 as the date of Christ’s “presence” from their beginnings!

…history confirms that Jehovah’s witnesses were the only Christian group found awake as to 1914…

WT 1960 July 15 p. 433



We can clearly see that this is a lie!



This religion is steep in deception and lies. Their very doctrinal make up is having to support this "Invisible Presence of Jesus lie, therefore lies the reasoning behind their doctrines not following the Bible but have to be "reasoned from" or the use of the term "Scriptural Evidence" to conclude their concepts.

Answer 2

Russell never taught Christ began his invisible presence (Parousia) in 1914. He expected the Church to be complete in 1914. You mention above that the switch was done in 1930--Russell died in 1916. He based his conclusion on Chronology. It is clearly marked out in his second volume the Time is at Hand. By taking all the Chronology given in Genesis, the 40 years in the wilderness, the 6 years of Joshua, then the period of the Judges, Kings and so forth. He counted six thousand years from the creation of Adam. Also allowing that the Day with the Lord is a thousand years, otherwise called the Millennium, that would mean the Parousia would have to be a thousand years long. Also understanding that Jesus' coming is not a singular 24 hour event, you are left with the task of figuring out when certain events happen. He explains the Manner and object of Christ's return in a volume as well. There are three words used to describe Jesus' second Advent. Parousia, Epiphania and Apokalupsis. There are scriptures that say Christ will come like a thief and others that say every eye will see him. That must be harmonized, and I know of no other Christian group that looks at the different words use nor tries to harmonize these seeming contradictions. Parousia covers the entire coming and this is the word used in Matt. 24 when he describes the events that will be going on, he also uses the other words. Russell erroneously taught a 40 year harvest, by making parallels with the end of the Jewish Age, and that he later admits was false reasoning. That is why he thought the Church would be gone in 1914, he based them on these parallels. Like I said, he admits he had no basis for doing it. The Epiphania has not yet happened. This occurs when the Church (Little Flock) is complete. This won't happen until the hour of power of the beast (Catholic Church--which is a church/state union) The Apokalupsis is what the world sees, it is the inauguration of the Kingdom on the earth. Jude says he comes with myriads of his angels (this is the Bride of Christ--elsewhere seen in Rev. on white horses following behind him.) I know the that Witnesses don't allow anyone to read Russell's works, and that they keep them under lock and key, but they are readily available on the internet and in printed form for anyone who is interested in what he really taught. I have read Russell's works, I believe a lot of it. I am also not so blind that I cannot see he drew some wrong conclusions---like we all do, so if we want to label someone who in all sincerity misinterpreted the scriptures as a false prophet, then we better start calling ourselves one too, because I know I don't have all the Truth. Hind sight is 20-20, but if we are not looking ahead at the prophecies that God has given us, because we are afraid or have no interested in them, we are spiritually blind and God has no use for us. We are to watch and pray and to try to understand the prophecies.

Answer 3

Have you heard the word delusional: Russell was daydreaming about Ellen White's impressive prophecies and probably becoming popular, so he cooked his own version... thus the JW

If the JW predicted the 1st WW in 1914 or the appearance of Virgin Mary in Fatima 1917 [even missed a couple of years], they could have been credible.

Lesson: thou shalt not predict, for only God knows, lest thou shalt be a liar or a profit-oriented cult.

Further thou shalt not repeatedly publish these false JW prophecies, as AnnaNAT is having a tantrum. LOL

Answer 4

PLEASE! GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT AND STOP BRINGING JEHOVAH'S NAME TO REPROACH!



In 1877, Russell joined Nelson H. Barbour in publishing the book Three Worlds, and the Harvest of This World. It indicated that the end of the Gentile Times in 1914 would be preceded by a forty-year period to open with a three-and-a-half-year harvest beginning in 1874 C.E. According to Bible chronology thereafter adopted, it was understood that 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth ended in 1872, whereas six millenniums of human sin concluded and the seventh millennium began in 1874. Christ’s presence was thought to have begun in October 1874, at the start of the great antitypical Jubilee.—Lev. chap. 25; Rev. 20:4.



From that understanding, it was thought that the “chaste virgin” class began going forth to meet the Bridegroom in 1874. (2 Cor. 11:2) Hence, when C. T. Russell began publishing a new religious magazine in July 1879, it was called “Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence.” It was heralding Christ’s presence as having begun in 1874. This invisible presence was expected to continue until the Gentile Times ended in 1914, when the Gentile nations would be destroyed and the remnant of the “chaste virgin” class would be glorified with their Bridegroom in heaven by death and resurrection to live in the spirit. (1 Cor. 15:42-44) Thus would the “discreet virgin” class enter through the door into the wedding.



I AM ONLY ANSWERING PART OF YOUR QUESTION. I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING ....John 8:44~> YOU GIVE ME THE IMPRESSION OF EITHER BEING AN APOSTATE OR A D/F EX JW! ....IF YOU ARE?......I'M DONE

Answer 5

hi there.



aww these guys slaughter the meanings of many words, such as "truth" and "proof".

in this case, their "proof" turned out once again to be not proof at all.



but, hilariously, their current "proof" for 1914 is far outweighed by the "proof" they used to have for 1874.

but of course, it is still called "truth".



"the finished mystery" of 1917 presented 88 "proofs" that christs second advent occurred in the fall of 1874, and i don't even have room to list them all. only one scripture, from daniel, survived the update to 1914.



and they expect us to take their spiel seriously?



here is a sample of their 88 "proofs". see if the jws can spot the errors ...



“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isa. 40:2; B227.) “And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double.” (Jer. 16:18; B218.) “Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.” (Zech. 9:12; B224.) “The fourteenth day of the second month, at even, they shall keep it.” (Num. 9:11; Z.’98-68.) “And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins.” (Gen. 25:24; Z.’94-63.) “And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren. And when f orty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord.” “Wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the Wilderness forty years.”— Acts 7:23, 30, 36; Z.’11-215.”



ohh and it goes on like this for pages



http://www.archive.org/download/WatchTowerBibleandTractSocietyofPennsylvaniaWatchTowerpubs_0/wtclassic/pubs_1870-1960/1918_Studies_in_the_Scriptures_7.pdf

Answer 6

Don't expect JW's to answer, I've never met one that can handle the history of their own religion.

Edit: There you see it! JW's can't handle there own history. One of them can do no better then to accuse you of being an ex JW and therefor no good. They are pathetic are they not.

Edit2: AnnaNatt, your caps lock sticks on. You should fix that it makes your writing skills look, well, limited.

Answer 7

One unfailing truth is this: The Witnesses have the truth and you do not. It bothers you so much that you have to pour over articles more than 100 years ago in order to try and make a point & find fault.



I fear for the children...l really do.