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by Anonymous on January 5th, 2006

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Did Charles Taze Russel ever claim to be a prophet?

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  • by JuleluvsJesus on January 6th, 2006

    JuleluvsJesus

    He claimed that to read the Bible alone without his 'prophetic insights' "would cause one to go off into darkness".Yet today nearly every one of this founder of Jehovah's Witness writings have been debunked,and if he essayed today the Watchtower would in fact disfellowship and disown him.

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  • by pugwashjw65 on January 7th, 2006

    pugwashjw65

    C.T. Russel was not a prophet .But he was a searcher for what is true. The Bible gives good advise and insight. Proverbs 2; 4-6 "4 if you keep seeking for it as for silver, and as for hid treasures you keep searching for it, 5 in that case you will understand the fear of Jehovah, and you will find the very knowledge of God. 6 For Jehovah himself gives wisdom; out of his mouth there are knowledge and discernment".
    This 'knowledge of God' is not out there in plain sight. And never forget that Satan is still here making life very miserable for anyone doing what Almighty God AND Jesus asked of us.
    C.T. Russell never claimed to be a prophet. A prophet being someone who claims that something will happen in the future. But he DID study the prophecies ALREADY EXISTING in the bible, to try and understand them. That is not the same as MAKING a prophecy.

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  • by Ron888 on March 24th, 2008

    Ron888

    Russell never claimed to be a prophet, and disclaimed being such many times.

    Charles Taze Russell (although he stated his views firmly as his beliefs) was never dogmatic about his beliefs on chronology and time prophecy, nor did he demand of the Bible Students associated with him or anyone else accept his beliefs. His statements were:

    "Our own views are not prophecy, but interpretations of the holy prophets of old." (Watch Tower, October 1890, page 8)

    "Neither must you lean upon the DAWN and the TOWER as infallible teachers. If it was proper for the early Christians to prove what they received from the apostles, who were and who claimed to be inspired, how much more important it is that you fully satisfy yourself that these teachings keep closely within their outline instructions and those of our Lord; -- since their author claims no inspiration, but merely the guidance of the Lord, as one used of him in feeding his flock." ("The Watch Tower", June, 1893)

    "We are not prophesying; we are merely giving our surmises, the Scriptural basis for which is already in the hands of our readers in the six volumes of SCRIPTURE STUDIES." (Watch Tower, January 1, 1908, page 5).

    "I am not a prophet." (What Pastor Russell Said, Q272:1, 1910)

    "Some people try to make out that I claim I am infallible, and know everything. You are all witnesses that that is not true." (What Pastor Russell Said, Q14:1, 1911)

    "We try to be careful about every word that goes into the Watch Tower, but we do not claim to be infallible; we are doing the best we can." (What Pastor Russell Said, Q56:1, 1910)

    "We have never set forth anything to indicate that our view in the matter was infallible. I do not know positively that the times of the Gentiles will end in October, 1914, or at any other particular time. We think there is strong reason for believing that the Gentile Times will end in October, 1914. We give it as our opinion, and set before you the Scriptural reason. Some may believe and some not. This is our thought and if it is correct, about that time, or shortly thereafter, a great time of trouble will come upon the world." (What Pastor Russell Said, Q313:2, 1914)

    Ronald
    http://ctr.reslight.net

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  • by ViceGrip on November 16th, 2006

    ViceGrip

    In Deuteronomy 18:21-22 we are told that anyone who claims to speak as a prophet of God and predicts something that does not come true is a false prophet.

    So yes he did! He used the length of a downward passage in one of the Great Pyramids measured in inches and correlated them into years to determine the beginning of the period of trouble. His first measurement was 3416 inches and he used it to calculate "for 1542 years B.C. plus 1874 years A.D. equals 3416 years. Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1874 was the chronological beginning of the time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation-"When they mis-quessed the time of World War 1 by 40 years he came back and gave a smooth re-measure from the "Entrance Passage" to the entrance of the "Pit" which remarkably came to 3457 inches symbolizing 3457 years from the above date, B.C. 1542 plus 3457 gives the calculation 1915 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble. "Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation-" And he wasn't even right about the measurements in either circumstance. The exact lengh is 3384.904 inches. Russell was off 31 inches in 1889 edition - 72 inches off in the 1905 edition. (Pyramid Discourse - 1929 Morton Edger)

    And someone said no, Russell never claimed to be a prophet. They even supplied us with a definition -"A prophet being someone who claims that something will happen in the future." Good try! I'm still praying for you!

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  • by Ron888 on March 24th, 2008

    Ron888

    Please note that the change concerning the measurement of the floor of the descending passsageway was made in the 1905 edition of "Thy Kingdom Come", at least nine years before 1914. Regarding both of these measurements, no actual measurement had been taken of the floor of descending passageway, so Russell was depending on someone's paper mathematical calculations to determine that length. The floor of the descending passageway was filled with debris, making measurements impossible. It was not until the Edgars cleared the passageway of all the debris that any true measurement could be made.

    However, the change was made, not because of he had "mis-quessed the time of World War 1 by 40 years" (World War I was still nine years away when the change was made), but because of some discussion that had been taking place for several months concerning those measurements and other matters during 1904, ten years before 1914. Again, however, this change was made in the 1905 edition, nine years before 1914. This change had little effect, however, on the chronological calculations as a whole. This was actually a very minute change that the opponents of Russell like to blow out of proportion and distort, often falsely making it appear that the change was made after 1914 due to failed expectations concerning 1914, which is totally false.

    Russell, of course, was not prophesying, nor did he claim to be. His claim was that he was "student of prophesy."

    Ronald

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