Mark your calendar. The world is slated to end (yet again) on June 24, 2018. So says conspiracy theorist and self proclaimed “prophet” Mathieu Jean-Marc Joseph Rodrigue.
He believes the Bible supports his doomsday theory, citing the passage in Revelation 13:5, which he claims points to the end of days. It reads, “…he was given authority to act for 42 months.”
He said he can support this cryptic passage with math and visions. In an interview with the Daily Star, Rodrigue said: “I heard a voice in the middle of the four living beings. This is wisdom. He who has intelligence can interpret the figure of the beast. It represents the name of a man. His figure is 666.” He claims by adding the number of crop harvests with the price hike, it should produce the doomsday date.
Many have foretold the impending annihilation of Earth repeatedly throughout history, but for some strange reason it never happens as predicted. Just last year, David Meade falsely predicted a planet named Nibiru would slam into Earth and explode. Happily, we’re still here. In antiquity, Pope Sylvester proclaimed Jesus would return in the year 1000. It didn’t happen. Emanuel Swedenborg preached it would happen in 1757; then William Miller said it would end in 1843 and 1844, for good measure; Charles Taze Russell said all would be lost in 1874; Mormon founder Joseph Smith predicted it would end in 1891; The Watchtower Society (of the Jehovah’s Witnesses) said time’s up in 1914; Herbert Armstrong confusingly predicted four separate dates, including 1935, 1943, 1972 and 1975; Harold Camping said 1994 and 2011 would see the end of days. Edgar Cayce guessed the year 2000; Jack Van Impe said 2012; and Mark Blitz proclaimed 2015. Thankfully, mankind has survived and the Earth is still here. For now.
I researched the data on several sites. Forgive me if I missed a blog post.
Charles Taze Russell never said anything at all about all would be lost in 1874, nor did he ever say anything to the effect that time’s up in 1914. Before 1874, Russell actually said nothing at all about 1874. He did not accept the date 1874 as having any significance until 1876, almost two years after 1874 had passed. Before the 1904, Russell was expecting that the time of blessing would begin in 1914; from 1904 onward he was expecting the time of trouble to begin in 1914, and that it would last until some time after 1914 before the times of blessing would begin. Russell did not believe in the JWs kind of Armageddon. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Watchtower did not exist before 1914.
For some of my research related to Russell and 1874:
http://rlctr.blogspot.com/2017/06/p-1874.html
For some of my research related to Russell and 1914:
http://rlctr.blogspot.com/2017/06/p-1914.html
Charles Taze Russell certainly DID say plenty about both 1874 and 1914, and printed it in the pages of the Watchtower. Defending your idol will not change the facts, we all know you worship Russell. What he said is in print, many of us have the books and/or reprints of the magazines or screenshots to prove it. Denying it does not change the facts Ronald. “We see no reason for changing the figures-nor could we change them if we would. Thev are, we believe. God’s dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble.” -1894 Watchtower July 15th pg. 226 Surely there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of truly consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874.” (W.T.Pg.5, Jan.1,1924)
Once again, no mention that the “greatest apostle” Paul was wrong about the timing of The End. It’s always an apologetic move to mention Henry Miller, but keep Paul clean of being wrong, too. It is noncontroversial biblical scholarship (outside of Evangelical fundamentalist circles) to say Paul wrong predicted The End would arrive in the 1st century. The most blatant failed prophecy is in 1 Thessalonians where Paul writes in a letter to a church: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” We who are still alive! All those “we” are long since dead. Paul was just as wrong as Henry Miller & Harold Camping.
You are right on the mark, there, Zeke. I didn’t even think about the bible verse. I was thinking more along the lines of the folks that came after who interpreted it. It’s all just a little bit nuts.