Posted by AF [AF] on March 29, 1999 at 08:33:52 {daOt1gg/ZkKBHuGOrfwUMWwDjRmAxB/kM}:
In Reply to: *Known to be Untrue posted by Moderator 14 on March 28, 1999 at 20:53:25:
: … There is a difference in 'presence' and 'receiving kingly power.'
Only in current Watchtower teaching. This is where you’ve misunderstood the Watchtower Society’s early writings, and have in fact fallen for the Society’s latest half-century of misleading statements about these terms, where they take advantage of the many changes in doctrine to obscure early teachings by using terms differently from the way the early Bible Students did.
For Russell and his contemporaries,
Christ’s “second presence” was almost identical to Christ’s “receiving kingly power”. According to Russell, Christ received this “kingly power” in 1874 and actually began exercising it in 1878. Note how pre-1912 editions of The Time Is At Hand
express it (page 101):
Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that it is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that the "battle of the great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914is already commenced. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God’s Word.If our vision be unobstructed by prejudice, when we get the telescope of God’s Word rightly adjusted we may see with clearness the character of many of the events due to take place in the "Day of the Lord" — that we are in the very midst of those events, and that "the Great Day of His Wrath is come."
For a much more extensive set of quotes showing early Bible Student teachings and proving
my contention, click here. : The Organization's statements on this have been consistent as long as we recognize that there was an acknowledged change in view as to
time. Yes, as my quote above shows, as well as the material at the linked site, for some 50 years the Society has consistently misrepresented what the early Bible Students taught so as to give the impression that they taught that Christ
would “receive kingly power” in 1914 when in fact they taught that he had already received it in 1874. Only in the Proclaimers book did the Society come close to telling the full truth, but even here the details of early Bible Student
teaching are not disclosed in a clear, straightforward fashion. You yourself quoted the following: Now, if by 1914 “the
Kingdom of God would have obtained full, universal control,”and if “the date had marked only a starting point as to Kingdom rule,” then Christ would necessarily have “received kingly power” prior to 1914. And again the exact time when the Bible
Students taught that this occurred is proved by the above quote from The Time Is At Hand: 1874, with actual exercise of such power beginning in 1878. : You show a fundamental lack of understanding as to what they're talking
about. On the contrary, COMF appears to understand the material very well. It is you who do not understand. You don’t even understand the material you quoted. : Russell, influenced by a number of things, believed and published
that Christ's presence began in 1874. He also believed and published, starting in 1877, that the Gentile times would end in 1914 So far so good, except that it was in 1876 that Russell started publishing his acceptance of Nelson Barbour’s
1914 teachings. : and that would be coupled with Christ's accepting kingly power to rule. “Coupled”, yes. This is another one of those fuzzy statements that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. I’ve explained the specific teachings
above. : After 1914, indeed starting in the period 1912 - 1914, there was a realization that things hadn't turned out like they thought they were going to. Your gift for understatement is exceeded only by that of the author of the
Proclaimers book. : In 1925 with a Watchtower article, the timing on the beginning of the presence was moved to 1914. Wrong. The Society taught explicitly through 1929 that the “presence” began in 1874, and it partially changed the
teaching beginning about 1930. Various references through the early 1940s indicate divided opinion among WTS writers on the matter until after the death of J. F. Rutherford. Indeed, according to the Society itself, the 1874 doctrine was
not fully abandoned until 1943. This is again evident in the material that you yourself quoted: : The organization has consistently related this chain of events just as I have stated althought with a
lot more verbage. It's been covered repeatedly in various issues of the Watchtower and in a number of books. Since you have several basic facts wrong, and your understanding of the basic teachings of the early Bible Students is
demonstrably faulty, I will agree with your above statement as it literally stands. However, what you mean by it is not true, and your next conclusion has now been demonstrated to be wrong: : Rather than being dishonest, they have been
brutally honest in acknowledging their original error and disappointment. There have been no attempt to conceal these facts. Of course there has. Your own misunderstanding of the Society’s confusing statements in a variety of publications
proves it. Statements published at various times, such as in summary type articles such as Tom posted in the above thread “Revisionism & Reality”, are entirely misleading in the sense that a naïve reader gets absolutely no sense that the Bible
Students were completely wrong about every prediction they made concerning physical events in 1914. : In fact, in 1996 this whole matter was discussed twice in every congregation on the face of the earth in two different sections of the
Proclaimers book. If they were following the recommendations associated with the Kingdom Ministry School, every Witness also read this material twice, though I'm sure that didn't happen. The Proclaimers book itself, while far more
honest about various early Bible Student teachings than anything else published in the last 50 years, is far from completely candid about many teachings, and tends to minimize the importance that these were given at the time they were said
to be “present truth”. It even appears that some current Watchtower writers have not absorbed the material in the book, as they keep writing things that mislead a reader into making wrong conclusions about early WTS teaching. Again, you
yourself demonstrate how these writings can mislead. : If you read the material posted below you'll see that there has been absolutely no attempt to decieve on this matter. I do not expect you to agree with the doctrine but if you're
honest you should at least admit that. : I expect no acknowledgement of error or apology because I believe you are incapable of it. Unfortunately I think you are completely captive to your prejudices and illusions. This is a rather
ironic statement, since you’ve quite thoroughly fallen for the Society’s misleading writing tactics. AF 135 10 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth
The Bible Students were not completely sure what would happen. They
were convinced that it would not result in a burning up of the earth and a blotting out of human life. Rather, they knew it would mark a significant point in regard to divine rulership. At first, they thought that by that date the
Kingdom of God would have obtained full, universal control. When that did not occur, their confidence in the Bible prophecies that marked the date did not waver. They concluded that, instead, the date had marked only a starting
point as to Kingdom rule.
Similarly, they also first thought that global troubles culminating in anarchy (which they understood would be associated with the war of "the great day of God the Almighty") would precede that date. (Rev.
16:14) But then, ten years before 1914, the Watch Tower suggested that worldwide turmoil that would result in the annihilating of human institutions would come right after the end of the Gentile Times. 1973 God's Kingdom Has Approached
209-10 11 "Here Is the Bridegroom!"
55 In the year 1943 the Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society published the book "The Truth Shall Make You Free." In its chapter 11, entitled "The Count of Time," it did away with the insertion of 100 years into the period of the Judges and went according to the oldest and most
authentic reading of Acts 13:20, and accepted the spelled-out numbers of the Hebrew Scriptures. This moved forward the end of six thousand years of man's existence into the decade of the 1970's. Naturally this did away with the year
1874 C.E. as the date of return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the beginning of his invisible presence or parousia.