Posted by Bibleman [Bibleman] on November 03, 1999 at 02:35:48 {eZOTANvCI6MRXA6xmpscslyACFuF8c}:
In Reply to: *Greg and 1914???????????? posted by Cygnus on November 03, 1999 at 00:22:14:
Just a comment on the misconceptions here.
First of all, if you read Matthew 24 carefully, you will know that the "end of the system of things" end when Jesus Christ appears in kingdom power. All those signs were to lead up to when the Messiah would come in kingdom power and thus end the "gentile times." The WTS currently thinks the "end" is the end of the world. So they have that wrong.
Secondly, while there may be much confusion using secular records to attempt to determine ancient history, there is another aspect of chronology and that is the Bible's own chronology which is self contained. That is, you can determine any Biblical date, historical or prophetic, based upon a single confirmed date, for instance, Jesus' baptism in 29CE.
Based upon that single date you have 483 years to the beginning of the 70-weeks prophecy which occurred in 455BCE in the 1st of Cyrus. From that date you can calculate the beginning of the 70-year desolation period (525BCE, 23rd year) and the fall of Jerusalem (529BCE, 19th year). And from that date, 529BCE for the fall of Jerusalem, you can then calculate the "end of the gentile times" specifically in 1992.
Of note, many have done this. That is, simply ignoring the confusing and obviously revised secular records for this period and just followed the Bible's chronology based upon the time of Jesus' baptism in 29CE.
So chronology is more than just trying to figure out ancient history. The Bible provides its own internal chronology, when interpreted correctly, of course.
So the chronology works whether one finds it convenient to abandon understanding how it has come true or not. But that being the case, they should move the Second Advent to near the end of the last generation as the Bible outlines. Jesus doesn't appear in kingdom power until AFTER all those signs occur, including the worldwide preaching of the "good news" and the "great tribulation" which is not Armageddon but the HOLOCAUST.
Cheers,
Bibleman