Is The End Of The World Nigh - The Answer!

A few days ago (Nov 5) we were ready to go for a walk but the door bell rang. I answered and on the doorstep were two Jehovah Witnesses. I don't normally bother with them but I heard Karin answer the phone to one of her friends - so knew she would be a while!

So we chatted away about the end of the world as we know it - Armageddon - and I asked them lots of questions about 1914, 1975, how the Bible has been altered and so on. I asked if they followed the Bible and if they did, did they keep to the Divers Laws as in Leviticus 20-23. This threw them a bit.

The two men were lovely, genuine people but I think they were glad to get away from me, as opposed to the reaction they normally get on the doorstep. We shook hands and agreed to disagree.

With thoughts of the end of the world in my head Karin and I went for our walk. On the way back I popped in to buy a newspaper. I still occasionally like reading news the old fashioned way accompanied by a mug of tea and a biscuit.

I read the front page doom and gloom and then opened up the paper by 'chance' at page 40 - the astrology predictions. I glanced at my sign and it read:

"The end of the world, is it nigh? Many insist it is, indeed, all through history there have been such people. You can trace them back to the beginning of the world. And I suppose, if they just keep sticking to that line, one of these millennia they are going to be proved right. But not now. Not this year; next year nor any century soon. That said, we all live in a private, personal world that must one day come to an end. But that's nothing to fear. Forget about endings today; think instead of beginnings."

I'm not saying for one minute that I believe these sort of newspaper or magazine daily predictions. But it was synchronicity. I'd been talking about the end of the world and received an answer which confirmed what I thought on the matter. It was by 'chance' that I had bothered to buy a newspaper.

I don't believe the Jehovah Witnesses version of events and published two posts a while back about this: The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness Part 1 and The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness Part 2.

I don't doubt the sincerity of many Jehovah Witnesses, it takes guts to knock on doors, but I see it as a man made religion.

Judge Joseph R. Rutherford, one of their past leaders, said that 'Millions now living will never die.' What he meant by this, at the time, was that people born in 1914 would be alive at the time of Armageddon when the world on Earth, as we know it, would end. Instead it would be turned into a paradise for - well, I guess, Jehovah's Witnesses.

In 1925 Rutherford announced that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets were to return so he prepared a mansion ... and so on. I'll just add that Charles Taze Russell, the founder, had previously forecast 1914 as the date when the world would end.

Anyway, looks like we are all safe for a while yet: my newspaper astrologer couldn't possibly be wrong, could he!!

The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness - 2

This post follows on from The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness Part 1 we continue with more on the Jehovah's Witness religion.

Following the death of Charles Taze Russell (photo above), the founder, he was succeeded by Judge Joseph R. Rutherford - though he wasn't actually a judge.

Rutherford kept to the 'world will end' message and came up with the slogan 'Millions now living will never die.' What he meant by this was that people born in 1914 would be alive at the time of Armageddon when the world on Earth, as we know it, would end. Instead it would be turned into a paradise for - well, I guess, Jehovah's Witnesses.

In 1925 Rutherford announced that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets were to return so he prepared a mansion, Beth Sarim in San Diego, where they could live. Once ready he moved in himself (he also died there in 1942) and purchased a car so he could drive Abraham etc. about once they were resurrected.

Again this was yet another failed prophesy and the Watch Tower organisation brushed this under the carpet by selling the mansion.

Rutherford also talked about Pleides in the 1928 book Reconciliation. On page 14 he said:

"The constellation of the seven stars forming the Pleides appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve even as our sun's planets obey the sun and travel in their respective orbits. 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; that it is the place to which the inspired writer referred when he said: 'Hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven'; and that it is the place to which Job referred when under inspiration he wrote: 'Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?' (Job 38:31)

When Joseph R. Rutherford died his successor was Nathan Homer Knorr (1905-1977) and he in turn was replaced by Frederick Franz.

There was another problem with their predictions. For several years their magazines were saying that Armageddon would now occur in 1975. When this didn't materialise Franz had some explaining to do and their membership numbers dwindled.

In 1993 Milton Henschel took over from Franz. They had yet another problem as their prediction, that the generation born in 1914 would witness Armageddon, had almost died out - but again no Armageddon. Once more they changed track and in 1995 decided it better to start saying that the great event would happen 'soon' - but what is the definition of soon?

Despite getting so much wrong with their predictions the Jehovah's Witnesses door knocking is proving effective and numbers are growing once more. This all shows how there is a need for some form of spirituality, which the main churches aren't providing. Plus there is the 2012 factor.

I've a certain admiration for people who are prepared to follow their faith and live by a standard of rules, even if enforced ones - providing they have given it proper thought.

Jehovah's Witnesses can be 'disfellowshipped', similar to excommunication, for all sorts of reasons such as: attending a Catholic or Protestant church or receiving a blood transfusion.

They refuse to recognise the legitimacy of any governmental authority, since they believe all earthly authority is of Satan. They will not serve in the military, salute the flag, say the Pledge of Allegiance, vote, run for office, or serve as officials for labour unions. There are given standards for their sex lives, even if married.

It does seem that organised religions are often about control and manipulation. Pure speculation, of course, but just imagine if there was really a connection between the Jehovah Witness organisation and the Illuminati or even the Freemasons higher echelons.

The motto for the cross and crown symbol, shown on Charles Taze Russell's memorial and on early Watch Tower magazines is 'In Hoc Signo Vinces' - 'In this sign you will conquer.' As I say, pure speculation. Might be a story for Dan Brown there!

See also The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness Part 1

The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness - 1

I know someone who is a Jehovah Witness and she often sends people to see us. If I'm in the mood, and have time, I'll happily chat to them. I question them about predictions their organisation has made but they don't seem to have any answers, beyond what they have been taught. So I thought I'd look for some of the answers myself.

The guy who many call their founder is Charles Taze Russell. He was born in 1852 and worked in Pittsburgh. He seemed to have got involved with Adventism meetings and in particular with William Miller.

Miller predicted that the world would end in 1843 - it didn't, as you probably realise, but this must have had an impact on Russell as he went on to do a bit of doom and gloom forecasting himself. He thought Miller's calculations were wrong so had a go himself - by now he was calling himself Pastor Russell. 1914 was stated as the new date when the world would end.

Again the world didn't end so he adjusted his thinking and now claimed that Jesus had returned to Earth but, er, the problem was he was invisible.

The official Jehovah's Witness Watch Tower website does actually accept that they got 1914 wrong: "Not all that was expected to happen in 1914 did happen, but it did mark the end of the Gentile Times and was a year of special significance. Many historians and commentators agree that 1914 was a turning point in human history.

Pastor Russell died in 1916 and was succeeded by Judge Joseph R. Rutherford - though he wasn't actually a real judge.

First though, they had to bury Charles Taze Russell. I'd better mention this as his grave and nearby pyramid shaped memorial at Rosemont has caused some discussion, because of it's alleged links to the Freemasons. There are also suggestions that Russell had links with the Masons. Russell denied this (while still alive).

In 1913, during a speaking tour he is quoted as saying, "Although I have never been a Mason something I do seems to be the same as Masons do, I don't know what it is; but they often give me all kinds of grips and I give them back, then I tell them I don't know anything about it except just a few grips that have come to me naturally".

The only evidence, of sorts, of Russell being a Mason is Lady Queenborough's book Occult Theocracy. On page 737 it records C.T. Russell's Masonic membership.

Why do some insist he had ties with the Freemasons? It's partly down to his memorial, which is a short distance from his grave - see photo at the top of this post which shows the pyramid memorial with his grave in the background.

It's the symbol of the cross and crown at the top of the pyramid that causes so much debate. This has links to Freemasonry, the Illuminati and the likes of the Knights Templar (image above right shows a Knights Templar seal)

But there's more. The early Watchtower magazines also included this cross and crown symbol, as can be seen below.


To be fair though, the cross and crown symbol has also been used within some forms of Christianity.

Before I move on to further details on the Jehovah's Witnesses a little more about Charles Taze Russell.

On March 13, 1879, Russell married Maria Frances Ackley but they separated in 1897. Maria filed for divorce in June 1903 on grounds of mental cruelty.

During the divorce proceedings Mrs. Russell's attorney alleged that in 1894 Mr. Russell had engaged in 'improper intimacy' with Rose Ball a 25-year old woman. Mrs. Russell also alleged that Rose had told her that Charles Russell was an 'amorous jellyfish floating around' to different women until someone responded to his advances. The newspapers at the time mentioned the amorous jellyfish quote - as they probably would today.

Russell divorced, which is probably wrong according to the Bible, and there were a couple of other often mentioned disputes. As I understand it, Jehovah's Witnesses can divorce as long as there is no third party involved.

He is known to have promoted a 'Miracle Wheat' and sold this for $60 per bushel. It was expensive but Russell claimed it would grow five times quicker than your bog standard wheat. Problem was this was a bit of a porky pie. It was no better than ordinary wheat so he was sued.

He was also involved with a Millennial Bean to cure cancer. Unfortunately another fake.

There we have the beginnings of this religion. The Jehovah's Witness story is continued on The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness Part 2, starting with Joseph R. Rutherford's reign.