Post by ResLight on Aug 29, 2022 17:39:36 GMT -5
The chick.com site presents an article written by Thomas Heinze, author of the book, *Answers to My Jehovah's Witnesses Friends*.
Thomas Heinze states that C.T. Russell, whom he falsely states to be the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, had suggested a test by which to recognize a false prophet. Heinze quotes Russell as saying:
"Jehovah...will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets."
As yet I have not found any place where Brother Russell actually stated this. In his book, *Answers to My Jehovah's Witnesses Friends*, page 22, we find the quote given above with a footnote reference that says:
QUOTE: C.T. Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, "The Time Is At Hand," Watch Tower and Bible Tract Society, 1889 (not in later editions), p.239. :ENDQUOTE
I have a pdf copy of the 1889 1st edition of Vol. 2 of the Studies, but I could not find any place on page 239 or anywhere else in the book where Russell stated what is being attributed to him.
I have executed several digital searches of Russell's works but still have not found any place where Russell stated this. If anyone has any information on this, please let me know.
Scripturally, according to Deuteronomy 18:19-22, is a prophet who speaks the words of Jehovah in the name of Jehovah, and whose words regarding the future come true. A false prophet could claim to speak the words of Jehovah in his name, but whose words regarding the future do not come true. However, a false prophet is also one who speaks in the name of another god than Jehovah; he is a false prophet even if his words regarding the future may come true.
Heinz misrepresents Russell several times. 1) By claiming that Russell's expectations were "prophecies"; 2) that Russell believed 1872 was the "Beginning of the millennium"; 3) by disregarding what Russell taught from 1904 onward which shows that he was no longer expecting all of mankind's governments to end in 1914; 4) that when man's governments had not been replaced by God's in 1914, the date was changed to 1915.
Russell consistently denied that his expectations and conclusions were "prophecies".
rlctr.blogspot.com/p/prophet.html
Russell did believe, without being dogmatic, that the 7th thousand years from Adam's creation began in 1872; he believed, without being dogmatic, that "the millennium" of Revelation 20 began in 1874, about 2 years after the beginning of the 7th millennium of mankind's creation.
Related:
rlctr.blogspot.com/2010/09/6000-years-from-adams-creation-1872-or.html
Russell, however, never presented his expectations as being "prophecies". What Rutherford wrote in his book, Light, Vol. 1, page 194, in which he uses the word, "prophecies" to describe the expectations of the Bible Students, is evidently done regarding the claims being made by "clergy and their allies", not the claims of Russell himself. Rutherford enclosed the word prophecies with single quotes as 'prophecies'. At any rate, Russell himself many times stated that his expectations were not prophecies.
Before 1904, Russell had expected that the end of the times of the Gentiles would also be the end of the time of trouble, and that the Gentile Kingdoms would no longer be ruling when he expected the Gentile Times to end in 1914. In 1904, however, he realized the time of trouble comes after the ending of the Gentile Times, and thus he rejected his earlier view.
rlctr.blogspot.com/2016/10/t-of-t.html
Russell never changed from 1914 to 1915. In his book, Heinz quotes from page 99 of the 1915 edition of The Time Is At Hand, which states that the full establishment of God's Kingdom was to be accomplished by the end of 1915. The 1909 edition is presented with 1914 rather than 1915, and thus it is claimed that due to a failure of expectations, the change was made in 1915 to 1915. The reality is that this change was made in the 1911 edition, about three years before 1914 had arrived. Thus the change has nothing at all to do with any "failure" of 1914.
rlctr.blogspot.com/2020/06/1914--1915.html
One may see Heinze's article at:
www.chick.com/battle-cry/article?id=why-jehovahs-witness-prophecy-is-important
Thomas Heinze states that C.T. Russell, whom he falsely states to be the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, had suggested a test by which to recognize a false prophet. Heinze quotes Russell as saying:
"Jehovah...will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets."
As yet I have not found any place where Brother Russell actually stated this. In his book, *Answers to My Jehovah's Witnesses Friends*, page 22, we find the quote given above with a footnote reference that says:
QUOTE: C.T. Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, "The Time Is At Hand," Watch Tower and Bible Tract Society, 1889 (not in later editions), p.239. :ENDQUOTE
I have a pdf copy of the 1889 1st edition of Vol. 2 of the Studies, but I could not find any place on page 239 or anywhere else in the book where Russell stated what is being attributed to him.
I have executed several digital searches of Russell's works but still have not found any place where Russell stated this. If anyone has any information on this, please let me know.
Scripturally, according to Deuteronomy 18:19-22, is a prophet who speaks the words of Jehovah in the name of Jehovah, and whose words regarding the future come true. A false prophet could claim to speak the words of Jehovah in his name, but whose words regarding the future do not come true. However, a false prophet is also one who speaks in the name of another god than Jehovah; he is a false prophet even if his words regarding the future may come true.
Heinz misrepresents Russell several times. 1) By claiming that Russell's expectations were "prophecies"; 2) that Russell believed 1872 was the "Beginning of the millennium"; 3) by disregarding what Russell taught from 1904 onward which shows that he was no longer expecting all of mankind's governments to end in 1914; 4) that when man's governments had not been replaced by God's in 1914, the date was changed to 1915.
Russell consistently denied that his expectations and conclusions were "prophecies".
rlctr.blogspot.com/p/prophet.html
Russell did believe, without being dogmatic, that the 7th thousand years from Adam's creation began in 1872; he believed, without being dogmatic, that "the millennium" of Revelation 20 began in 1874, about 2 years after the beginning of the 7th millennium of mankind's creation.
Related:
rlctr.blogspot.com/2010/09/6000-years-from-adams-creation-1872-or.html
Russell, however, never presented his expectations as being "prophecies". What Rutherford wrote in his book, Light, Vol. 1, page 194, in which he uses the word, "prophecies" to describe the expectations of the Bible Students, is evidently done regarding the claims being made by "clergy and their allies", not the claims of Russell himself. Rutherford enclosed the word prophecies with single quotes as 'prophecies'. At any rate, Russell himself many times stated that his expectations were not prophecies.
Before 1904, Russell had expected that the end of the times of the Gentiles would also be the end of the time of trouble, and that the Gentile Kingdoms would no longer be ruling when he expected the Gentile Times to end in 1914. In 1904, however, he realized the time of trouble comes after the ending of the Gentile Times, and thus he rejected his earlier view.
rlctr.blogspot.com/2016/10/t-of-t.html
Russell never changed from 1914 to 1915. In his book, Heinz quotes from page 99 of the 1915 edition of The Time Is At Hand, which states that the full establishment of God's Kingdom was to be accomplished by the end of 1915. The 1909 edition is presented with 1914 rather than 1915, and thus it is claimed that due to a failure of expectations, the change was made in 1915 to 1915. The reality is that this change was made in the 1911 edition, about three years before 1914 had arrived. Thus the change has nothing at all to do with any "failure" of 1914.
rlctr.blogspot.com/2020/06/1914--1915.html
One may see Heinze's article at:
www.chick.com/battle-cry/article?id=why-jehovahs-witness-prophecy-is-important
