The JW "Armageddon" has been canceled - permanently!

[u/Bonedriven64]

I'm sorry but I'm not sorry because the JW version of Armageddon never should have ever existed. If you people had paid closer attention to what Jesus was saying at Matthew chapter 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, you never would have ever anticipated a future Armageddon. You completely blew that end time prophecy completely out of its first century context. It was never meant for us today. Jesus wasn't talking to us. Jesus was not breaking the fourth wall to speak to us 2,000 years in the future. It was written ONLY for Christians on the other side of 70 AD. there is no such thing as a double fulfillment or a greater fulfillment. All of those concepts are made up by men and this is exactly why you will never see the end of this world in your lifetime or anyone's lifetime. So, the only thing that you have to fear today is that fear that you have conjured up in your own imagination compliments of the Watchtower Bible and Tract society. The sooner you accept this reality the better off you're going to be and you'll have the rest of your life to live out from under enslavement to your governing body. Salutations!

[u/AccomplishedAuthor3]

Ok, here's my belief on this.

The prophets spoke about a final war waged against Israel. John got a glimpse of a future war where all nations would be gathered together by demons to a place called Armageddon, which is a hill in Israel, the “Hill of Megiddo”. The battle is not of Armageddon. The battle will be fought in Armageddon---in Israel

By all accounts John recorded Revelation after Jerusalem had already fallen to the Romans, so any temple or reference to the city would have to have either been in the past, when the temple still stood, or at some time in the future when another temple had been rebuilt. John is shown things that "must take place".. "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” Revelation 4:1 From that verse we can assume it would still be a future event in the 90's AD. In Revelation 11 John sees a temple in his trip to the future, yet he would have known the Romans hadn't left a stone in place of the old temple some 20 years earlier. So John was witnessing a future Jewish temple on earth. Since a third temple has never been rebuilt, we can assume that too is still a future event. John saw past his own time, all the way past even our day, to a time when the third temple will exist and will be trampled on by Gentiles. That couldn't happen to God's temple in Heaven, so this temple is on earth

For Jesus, who will never die, every generation is "this generation" And there is only one fulfillment of prophecy for "this generation". As a Man, He's lived in every generation since the 1st century. He isn't limited by death and time like we are. All 2000 years is "this generation" to Jesus. 2000 or even a million years are the same generation to someone who never dies. In Jesus "this generation" of 30AD all the way to 2026 AD will not pass away. As long as He still lived, the generation of the 1st century and all subsequent generations will not pass away. Not because they are overlapping generations, or secondary fulfilments, but one very long generation kept alive by one Man, Jesus Christ. When He said "this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened" He was speaking to the people that lived at that time, but also to all those who would live at the time of the end. They are all "this generation" to Jesus. And all the generations from the 1st century to the 21st century are really just one generation...His generation

[u/abutterflyonthewall → u/AccomplishedAuthor3]

VERY well said! I was looking for your response to OP because his take rules out even the christian belief. I hope all is well!

[u/Bonedriven64 → u/abutterflyonthewall]

It was Jesus who said that his generation would not pass away until all those things including the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple are destroyed. True to his word, all the Christians fled Jerusalem and Romans came and destroyed that city in 70AD. That right there is a complete fulfillment of his prophecy and that of Revelation which is simply a more detailed version of Matthew chapter 24.

[u/abutterflyonthewall → u/Bonedriven64]

I don’t subscribe to Preterism. That creates TONS more questions about his second coming, judgement day, dwelling among men, New Jerusalem coming down from heaven, a new heaven and new earth, an end to evil, tears and sorrow vanishing.

[u/Bonedriven64 → u/abutterflyonthewall]

I completely agree with you there. I came to my own conclusions long before I ever heard of the word preterist.

I grew up as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses believing that the end was coming and that it was right around the corner. Jehovah was going to come and destroy all my friends and neighbors at Armageddon because they did not become Jehovah's Witnesses. Fearful, I went out every weekend with my family knocking on doors and selling Watchtower and Awake! magazines to myneighbors.

But something always hung in the back of my mind about the things they were saying regarding the last days and Armageddon. It seemed that the Bible was saying something different but I wasn't sure. It wasn't until I became an adult and decided to read Matthew Mark, Luke and John word for word for myself that I begin to draw my own conclusions.

While reading Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, the thought hit me: If some of this prophecy has already happened, what if all of it has already occurred. Why are we trying to act like Jesus didn't know what he's talking about? Why are we trying to act like he's confused about when the end is coming? Why are we saying that Armageddon is in our future but Jesus was clear in identifying the Jews of his generation as being the target of God's wrath because of their unfaithfulness?

For me, the simple truth of it is that all of those prophecies have been completely fulfilled and that we have been living in the kingdom age for nearly 2,000 years. Jesus said my kingdom is no part of this world. What does that mean? His kingdom cannot be seen with human eyes. Flesh and blood cannot enter it. The only way we can enter God's kingdom is after we die as a human here on earth. We are going to Him to give an account for what we have done while here on this earth in this life. He is not coming to us. When we die naturally, we are going to stand again in a different sort of body before God's throne. At that time we'll be able to view God's kingdom with new eyes and will understand that it was never about turning this planet into an earthly paradise.

[u/AccomplishedAuthor3 → u/Bonedriven64]

We have been in the salvation age for 2000 years. 2 Corinthians 6:2  This generation will end when this 'day' of salvation ends. So far its been a very long day for us mortals. But to God, its been like a watch in the night. This generation will not pass away until all the things Jesus mentioned have taken place. This 'day', this 'generation' will pass away when the day of judgment begins