Sunday, November 25, 2012

Charles Taze Russell's pyramidology and failed end-time prediction

One of the original Jehovah's Witnesses by the name of Charles Taze Russell wrote extensively about the end times and included specific dates of events to come.

He proclaimed Christ's return as occurring in 1874.  He used measurements of pyramids to calculate dates and predict events.(Source: as quoted by jwfiles.com: Jehovah’s Witnesses Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1993, pg 162; Studies in the Scriptures, The Devine Plan Of The Ages Volume 1, 1910; Thy Kingdom Come 3, 1897; Studies in Scriptures pg 342; Thy Kingdom Come 3,1916; Zion’s Wt, 5/1881, pg 225;   Zion’s Wt, 9/1881, pg 272; The Divine Plan of the Ages, 1910; Wt, 10/1/1917, pg 6149; Wt, 6/15/1922, pg 187; Wt, 5/15/1925, pg 148;    Wt, 11/15/1928, pg 344; Qualified to be Ministers, 1955, pg 304.)

This flies in the face of numerous prohibitions and criticisms by Jehovah's Witnesses of other religions, including ancient Egyptian beliefs. 

Now a book set in that time mentions this prophecy.  "The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark" by Lawana Blackwell, apparently says, "... but the discussion drifted over to a book circulating throughout England, written by an American named Charles Russell and stating positively that Christ would return in 1874..."

"If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now;… But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. 'New Light' never extinguishes older 'light' but adds to it…"
Zion's Watch Tower 1881 February pp.3,188 (as quoted by jwfacts.com)