# *Response-Cygnus' Misquote

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Posted by Cygnus [Cygnus] on November 03, 1999 at 13:42:13 {eZOTANvCI6B1pOXGOGwkL4bdfUTIaI}:

In Reply to: Response-Cygnus' Misquote posted by Greg Stafford on November 03, 1999 at 07:22:47:

Hi Greg

: Why did you omit the last sentence of the paragraph you quoted, in view of its obvious relevance to this issue?

You're right, I did omit it. Good of you to notice.

The first two paragraphs of the article in question state:

> WHAT about all this talk concerning the year 1975? Lively discussions, some based on speculation, have burst into flame during recent months among serious students of the Bible. Their interest has been kindled by the belief that 1975 will mark the end of 6,000 years of human history since Adam's creation. The nearness of such an important date indeed fires the imagination and presents unlimited possibilities for discussion.

> 2 But wait! How do we know their calculations are correct? What basis is there for saying Adam was created nearly 5,993 years ago? Does the one Book that can be implicitly trusted for its truthful historical accuracy, namely, the Inspired Word of Jehovah, the Holy Bible, give support and credence to such a conclusion?

So the Society writer was encouraging imaginative discussion regarding 1975, and asserting that the Society's chronology was correct and in perfect harmony with the Bible.

Greg, why did the Society ever even bring up 1975 in the first place? What was the title of the Watchtower article? Was the Society attempting to inhibit excitement over the year 1975, as if sternly demanding to know "Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975? [You Shouldn't Be, After All]"? I don't think so.

Why did the 5/1/68 Watchtower say in a timechart of biblically relevant dates:

> *** w68 5/1 272 Making Wise Use of the Remaining Time ***
> 1975 6000 End of 6th 1,000-year day of man's existence (in early autumn)

So when the next year this article came out:

> *** w69 9/1 523 Rich Blessings Poured Out at "Peace on Earth" International Assemblies ***
> That this peace is near is indicated, not only by world conditions, which fulfill Bible prophecy, but also by the fact that six thousand years of mankind's history is soon to end. It was pointed out that, in ancient Israel, a sabbath day was enjoyed after six days of toil; also that the thousand-year reign of Christ is merely a day from God's viewpoint. "In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be 'Lord even of the sabbath day,'" the speaker declared, "his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums." (Matt. 12:8, AV) That time is near at hand!

... what were people supposed to think?

A month and a half later, this idea was forcefully stated:

> *** w69 10/15 623 The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years ***
> Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind's laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed! And his King Jesus Christ will be Lord of that Sabbath.

With all of this in mind (and there's much more), it is evident that the Society meant to stir up anticipation, not distill it.

So let's reexamine the Watchtower paragraph in question, this time including the last sentence (with original italics):

> This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that "concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matt. 24:36) To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the "day and hour"!

The Society is, by italicizing "nobody" and "knows" obviously drawing a comparison to the two sentences involved. JWs shouldn't be complacent or indifferent because the Father knows that the End is coming -- when? It is sufficient that the Father knows -- when? Why should a JW make no mistake that the Father knows -- when? The Society italicized "nobody" for a distinct purpose -- don't 'toy with' or take "nobody" so literally in that "nobody" can not know the times and seasons.

To me, the Society is saying that the Father knows that the End is coming right around 1975, so JWs had better be prepared for it, and not 'toy' with the idea that the system could be around for much longer than the autumn of 1975. There are scores of Watchtower articles from the late sixties and early seventies which clearly state that the End will come within a matter of a few years. It is "sufficient" for the Father to know the exact day and hour, but the Watchtower, biblically of course, knows the season.

My omission of the last sentence actually helped your case, Greg. Now it's plain that its inclusion makes the Society look worse in actually claiming to almost know what the Father knows.

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- **Response-Cygnus' Misquote Lobo 16:17:03 11/03/99 (0)

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