Russell closely followed sixteenth century Protestant Biblical interpretive methodology, seeing Bible Prophecy as pointing to modern day fulfilment (where modern is the time period of the interpreter). Rather than try to determine from the text what the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation mean, the Watchtower uses eisegesis to fit prophetic meanings to current times. This has led to a constant change of understanding and interpretation.

A small sampling of prophecy that has undergone complete interpretive re-engineering follows, particularly regarding the significant changes made to the understanding of the prophetic days of Daniel and Revelation. Whereas Russell borrowed extensively from the Adventist movement to prove parallels in the 1800's, Rutherford found fulfilment in twentieth century events.

As will be shown, from Rutherford onwards interpretation became less logically consistent. Lack of consistent methodology has allowed desired explanations to be squeezed from almost any Scripture.

Franz's imagination knew no bounds; as seen from the 42 types and prophecies that were supposed to point to the Great Crowd, as listed in You May Survive Armageddon into God's New World (1955) pages 367-368. This included Rahab the Harlot, Lot and his daughters and "the very great multitude of fish that come to life in the healed waters of the Red Sea."

Current interpretation lacks consistency in many areas due to combining a matrix of methods to explain each passage, and arbitrarily choosing what to explain as literal or figurative. For instance, at times the word 'days' will be said to be literal days, at other times years and at yet other times be considered figurative. As quoted in detail later, during the 1800's the 1260 days of Revelation 11:3 were interpreted as years extending to 1798 A.D. (Three Worlds 1877 p.114); now they are literal days during World War One. And whilst the 1260 days of Revelation 11:3 are currently interpreted as a literal period of time, six verses later the 3 ½ days are said to be figurative. (Revelation, Its Grand Climax At Hand! pp.164-168)

Likewise, in the description of the 144,000 of Revelation 7:4 and 14:1, the number 144,000 is taken as literal but the statement that they are virgins, Jewish, male and standing on Mount Zion are all explained as figurative. (Revelation, Its Grand Climax At Hand! pp.116, 117, 198, 199) This method of interpretation makes it possible to arrive at whatever preconceived meaning is desired. That is why it is possible to have a new interpretation created every few decades.
Revelation

A book could be devoted to the changing Watchtower interpretation of Revelation. Rather than show each change, it is noted that within one century there were five major Watchtower publications attempting to interpret Revelation, each one substantially different than the one before. In 1917 The Finished Mystery was released. Then came Light (1930), followed by Babylon the Great Has Fallen! God's Kingdom Rules (1963), Then Is Finished the Mystery of God (1969) and most recently Revelation, Its Grand Climax At Hand! (1988). The September 2006 Kingdom Ministry insert, scanned below, listed 70 changes to the Revelation Climax book

adjustments.

The Watchtower claims that Jesus commenced his inspection of religious groups in 1918, and chose the Watchtower Society as the sole organization worthy of representing him, based on the spiritual food being served. Some of the food at that time is contained in the 1917 book The Finished Mystery. This was held up as the fulfilment of prophecy, "God-given interpretation" (Watch Tower 1917 December 15) and "the first and only book that makes clear every part of Revelation and Ezekiel." (Watch Tower 1917 October 1) It continues to proudly be described in the Proclaimers and Revelation Climax books as a powerful classic.

"Through the close of 1917 and into 1918, the Bible Students energetically distributed the new book, The Finished Mystery. By the end of 1917, the printers were busy on the 850,000 edition. The Watch Tower of December 15, 1917, reported: "The sale of the Seventh Volume is unparallelled by the sale of any other book known, in the same length of time, excepting the Bible." Jehovah's Witnesses-Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.69

"In 1917 the Bible Students published The Finished Mystery, a powerful commentary on Revelation and Ezekiel." Revelation - Its Grand Climax At Hand! p.165

In reality, almost every page of The Finished Mystery contains information that a Witness today would mock if they did not know it was one of their own. The majority of its teachings were incorrect and discarded in following publications. Some of the claims in The Finished Mystery were;

88 "proofs" that Christ's "Second Advent occurred in the Fall of 1874" (pp.68-71)
The remaining Anointed would all be taken from earth to heaven in the spring of 1918. (p.64)
"Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions...." (p.485)
"Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920....Every kingdom of Earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." (p.258)
The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:2 is "the Bishop of Rome, the embryo Pope, the personal representative of Satan" (p.106)
Michael the Archangel is the pope of Rome. (p.188)
"Leviathan" of Job 41:2-19 is a locomotive. (p.85)
"The chariots rage in the streets, they jostle one another" of Natham 2:4 are the clanking and the bumping of railway cars. (p.93)
The "valiant men" of Nathum 2:3 are an engineer and a fireman. (p.93)
Demons will invade the minds of churchgoers in 1918, leading to their destruction. (p.128)
"Behemoth" of Job 40:15-24 is a stationary steam engine. (p.84)
The "voice from heaven" of Revelation 18:4 is the voice of The Watchtower Society. (p.276)
The glory of the angel of Revelation 18:1 refers to modern discoveries such as correspondence schools, celluloid, Divine Plan of the Ages, talking machines, vacuum cleaners, induction motors, pasteurization, Panama Canal, shoe sewing machines, subways, skyscrapers, Roentgen rays. (p.273)
Revelation 14:20 predicted the precise distance from the place where The Finished Mystery was produced in Stranton, Pennsylvania to its shipping destination in Bethel in New York City (p. 230)

New books explaining Revelation have been necessary to replace preceding wrong interpretations. Even the latest Revelation book still contains ideas that are clearly wrong and will need to be changed again over time. The number of contradictory interpretations that the Watchtower Society have presented shows that these are little more than stabs in the dark, not a collection of teachings directed by God's Holy Spirit. How does the Organization explain such a major rewrite of the prophetic explanations? Revelation, It's Grand Climax At Hand! P.8 states;

"As early as 1917, the Watch Tower Society published the book The Finished Mystery. This was a verse-by-verse commentary on the Bible books of Ezekiel and Revelation. Then, as world events continued to unfold in fulfilment of Bible prophecy, a timely two-volume work entitled Light was prepared, being released in 1930. This offered an updated study of Revelation. Light continued to 'flash up for the righteous,' so that in 1963 the Society published the 704-page book "Babylon the Great Has Fallen! God's Kingdom Rules!"

The claim is made that these changes signify 'a flash of new light'. But wasn't The Finished Mystery said to be 'God given'? Can it truthfully be said that God gave the original interpretation if it was blatantly incorrect? When there have already been 5 vastly different attempts to get it right how can people believe a rewrite is new light from Jehovah and not just more of the same wrong light?

Take as examples the explanation of what the star named Wormwood is meant to signify, or who Michael the Archangel signifies. This was not "new light" resulting as "world events continued to unfold".

Wormwood


Revelation 8:10-11
"And the third angel blew his trumpet. And a great star burning as a lamp fell from heaven, and it fell upon a third of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters. 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood. And a third of the waters turned into wormwood, and many of the men died from the waters, because these had been made bitter."

There have been three different versions of "God given light" regarding wormwood in Watchtower publications so far:

1. Calvin

"Calvin is entitled to the honor of having at one time been a papal star .... Is called Wormwood. -- What an ideal name for the doctrine which has caused more bitterness against God than any other doctrine ever taught, and for the man who roasted Servetus at the stake" Studies in the Scriptures Series VII- The Finished Mystery p.151

2. Satan

"The 'great star' falling from heaven as a burning lamp was Satan .... The name of this star is called 'Wormwood', which means bitter. Being cast out of heaven Satan is in the 'gall of bitterness'" Light I pp.126, 127

3. Clergy of Christedom

"In view of these features about it. what religious class of people could this blazing, falling 'great star' picture but the apostate Christian clergy of Christendom, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant and otherwise sectarian? . . . But what should have been spiritual 'water' to sustain the spiritual life of the peoples, the apostate Christian clergy have turned into undrinkable, deadly, bitter wormwood waters false, pagan, unchristian, unbiblical doctrines" Then is Finished the Mystery of God pp.224,225

Michael the Archangel

Michael the Archangel is described in Daniel 10:13 as "Mi´cha·el, one of the foremost princes" and at Revelation 12:7 it says " Mi´cha·el and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled." In the fifty years between 1880 and 1930 there were five changes as to who Michael was.

1. An Angel that worships Jesus

"Hence it is said, "Let all the angels of God worship him;" [that must include Michael, the chief angel, hence Michael is not the Son of God] and the reason is, because He has "by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they."" Zion's Watch Tower 1879 Nov p.4

2. The Pope and Antichrist

"Michael and his angels"--the papacy and its supporters--fought against the dragon--pagan rulers, etc.,-- and the great dragon was cast out of heaven. Zion's Watch Tower 1879 December p.6

3. Michael was the pre-human Jesus Christ

"Can it be that he who was called Michael--Jehovah's chief-messenger--was none other than our Lord in his pre-human condition? we conclude that HE must have been "chief messenger." " Zion's Watch Tower 1883 June p.3

4. The Pope again

"Michael.--- "Who as God," the Pope." The Finished Mystery 1917 p.188

5. Jesus in heaven

Since the 1930's Michael is explained to be the heavenly name for Jesus.

"For many years Jehovah's Witnesses have taught that Michael is a heavenly name for the only-begotten Son of God, who was named Jesus while on earth." Watchtower 1984 December 15 p.26

The Governing Body of the Watchtower Society demonstrate that they have no idea as to how to interpret Revelation.

SOURCE: http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/revelation-daniel-prophetic-interpretation.php

paulGrundy:
adjustments.

You won't see them on a topic like this but just say Jesus is God or Man has spirit and watch them troop in like 144,000 before the throne.

All those revelation ish is just to scare the shit outta you so that you will convert

Emusan:


You won't see them on a topic like this but just say Jesus is God or Man has spirit and watch them troop in like 144,000 before the throne.

paulGrundy:
Michael the Archangel

Michael the Archangel is described in Daniel 10:13 as "Mi´cha·el, one of the foremost princes" and at Revelation 12:7 it says " Mi´cha·el and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled." In the fifty years between 1880 and 1930 there were five changes as to who Michael was.

1. An Angel that worships Jesus

"Hence it is said, "Let all the angels of God worship him;" [that must include Michael, the chief angel, hence Michael is not the Son of God] and the reason is, because He(the Son of God) has "by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they."" Zion's Watch Tower 1879 Nov p.4

@blue, added for clarity

They actually had that part right in 1879
and look at all the diffrent false beliefs since

2. The Pope and Antichrist

"Michael and his angels"--the papacy and its supporters--fought against the dragon--pagan rulers, etc.,-- and the great dragon was cast out of heaven. Zion's Watch Tower 1879 December p.6

3. Michael was the pre-human Jesus Christ

"Can it be that he who was called Michael--Jehovah's chief-messenger--was none other than our Lord in his pre-human condition? we conclude that HE must have been "chief messenger." " Zion's Watch Tower 1883 June p.3

4. The Pope again

"Michael.--- "Who as God," the Pope." The Finished Mystery 1917 p.188

5. Jesus in heaven

Since the 1930's Michael is explained to be the heavenly name for Jesus.

"For many years Jehovah's Witnesses have taught that Michael is a heavenly name for the only-begotten Son of God, who was named Jesus while on earth." Watchtower 1984 December 15 p.26

The Governing Body of the Watchtower Society demonstrate that they have no idea as to how to interpret Revelation.

SOURCE: http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/revelation-daniel-prophetic-interpretation.php

satan has a very strong grip on jw's, for them to ignore all the false prophecies, changing of scriptures etc.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Those are just a few more scriptures jw doesn't believe.

^^^A very strong grip tell you.

Hmmmm, they are the best christians oo. All of us are Apostates.
False prophets everywhere. Its so sad that people are still trooping in there.
The one I don't understand at all is Church of Jesus Christ of the Later Days Saints. What do they stand for? I don't know.
I have their Book,THe Mormons, I have tried to read it over and over, I can't make any head or tail from it. I can't connect it with the Bible.

Messiah

H4899

מָשִׁיחַ
mâshı̂yach
maw-shee'-akh
From H4886; anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically the Messiah: - anointed, Messiah.
Total KJV occurrences: 39


Christ

G5547

Χριστός
Christos
khris-tos'
From G5548; anointed, that is, the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus: - Christ.
Total KJV occurrences: 569


set up

H5258

נָסַךְ
nâsak
naw-sak'
A primitive root; to pour out, especially a libation, or to cast (metal); by analogy to anoint a king: - cover, melt, offer, (cause to) pour (out), set (up).
Total KJV occurrences: 25



Pro 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
Pro 8:23 I was set up(anointed King) from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

verse 22 could not be "the Lord created me before His works of old" for that would be a work of old
also His works of old would include creating Angels of which Michael is one.
God posessed the Word before creating the Angels, in fact God created the angels through the Word,
the Word created all things that are created, John 1:3.
verse 23 the Word was anointed King-Messiah-Christ from everlasting
God the Word became the Messiah, the Christ.