Posted by Friend [Friend] on October 31, 1999 at 15:56:08 {MDPAlM8llYhxaL3hj3H2OgnjR4Br/g}:
In Reply to: *Discussion summaries posted by AF on October 30, 1999 at 01:26:57:
AF
Friend quoted only a part of the paragraph in question, leaving out the most relevant part,…
That is an amazing little innuendo there, AF. Did it ever dawn upon you that I quoted the same portion as did nimrod, and that for a specific purpose? Besides that I did rebut issues having to do with the remainder of the paragraph (and question asked)
…and failed to consider the question at the bottom of the page.
That is just dead wrong. Here, I not only considered it, I answered it and commented on Gedanken’s own alternate answer.
In other words, right now -- right now in 1984, when the book is being published -- this is when the parable is being fulfilled, and any claim that it might be fulfilled at a later time, whether that be next year or a thousand years hence, is wrong.
That statement is not entirely accurate.
In 1984 it was taught that the sheep/goat/judgment was in progress. Therefore claiming that the sheep/goat/judgment would continue throughout "the conclusion of the system" would have been considered a correct claim, even if that happen to include the "next year" or subsequent years prior to the Millennial rule.
My single reason for participation on that "Serious Mistake" thread was because of nimrod’s constructed claim that the Society had committed their own supposed "serious mistake" when they had not. Context makes plain that the supposed "serious mistake" had to do with teaching that the sheep/goat/judgment would happen beyond the subject period, "the conclusion of the system". Since the Society has never taught that the sheep/goat/judgment would occur after "the conclusion of the system" then they have not made the "serious mistake" as it was presented in context.
Does all that mean that teachings regarding the sheep/goat/judgment remain identical with that taught in 1984? No. Pre-1995 it was taught the sheep/goat/judgment was in progress throughout the subject period of "the conclusion of the system." Post-1995 teaching is that the sheep/goat/judgment is only for the latter part of the subject period of "the conclusion of the system."
That means that in 1984 had a JW answered question 15 to the effect that the sheep/goat/judgment was future between now and the end (Armageddon) that he would have been corrected and told that it is already in the works but will continue as they said. In that respect the teaching has suffered a constriction but not a contradiction. Please, don’t jump on that last comment about constriction. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the supposed "serious mistake". I have offered it only to describe what happened with the teaching and what everyone knows to be the case.
My only point is that nimrod (and those agreeing with him) have taken the supposed "serious mistake" WAaaaayy out of context; it is applied to a time beyond the subject of the paragraph, period. The expression "until later on" clearly means later on beyond the subject period of "the conclusion of the system." The expression "We are living in that time" has also to do with the same subject period of "the conclusion of the system." What I don’t understand is why everyone wants to deny that the expression "until later on" is contextually tied to the same subject period as the rest of the paragraph. Ripping that context away from the initial sentence is dishonest.
Friend