The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

sk WATCH TOWERing of the gentiles from thcir long a11d cruel dominion.This is the celeb~stcd "seven times" of punishment ofthe Jewish people, with which Bible students arefamiliar.111 the first prediction of this chastisenient for "seventimcs" an expressioil \\-as employcd by Jehovah wvllichimpliccl a prcvjons "seven timcs" of some kind: "Andif yc will not for all this hcarlccn unto meJ then I willpunjsh you sol;cn t*inles more for your sins."(Lcviticus26 : 18) 011 its fncc this utterance speaks of a final andcomplctc rlisciplin lng, additiona1 to the othcr castigationsprcclictcd in Leviticus 2G: 14-17 while they rcmaineclan inclependent nation. The cbvinely en1 ployedusc of thc ~rord "more: however, suggests a preceding"seven times" ; aucl the resercnt s tndent of the B~blewill not igllorc sudl a hint proceeding from the grcatTjmc-Keeper. Nlmi tl~c inlimation is hecded, and thec?il~onological periods arc csplored prior to 606 B.C.,\ifhen the "~vcii timcs moreJ' bcgnil, a marvelous viewof Rible chronology is obtained, which at a glance coversthe cntire 7000-ycrtr sevcath rest-day of God, with theaddition of a find judgment period of forty years, or7,040 ycars in all.The prcvious interval before thc "sevcn tiincs more"is esainined as follows: Going back from GO6 B.C. andcounting 2,520 ycars, the date obtained is 3126 B.C.This is not secn to he anything un~~s~ial until 1,000 jrcarsarc coi~nted birck from it, when the c!ate is found to bc4126 B.C., I\-hich rcverentiitl discernment recognizes asthe datc of the fall of Xrlnn and the bcgl~ming of the6,000 ?cars of sin. !['hen, going forward Sroin GOG B.C.for 2,520 ?cars, thc date 1914 A.D. is reached. This isthe ilntc \\-hci?n thc Scco~~il Adam, Jesus Christ, as Kingof earth, and Lord of lords, began to exercisc hismighty po\vcr against the kingdoms of Satan's empire,this present evil world. After 1914 A.D. will be the1000-year day of the Secoiond Adam, rcacliing to 2914A.D. ill which the Lord \rill rcign in might. "Thcncomctl~ tho end, when he shall havc delivered up theki~~gilom to God, even the Fat.her; when he shall haveput tloirn all rule abcl all zliithority and power. Forhe must rcigi~. till he hat11 put all enemies under hisfeet."-1 Cormth~ans 15 : 24,25.Thus t.hc "seven times more" of punishment upon theJewish nation arc seen to have been preceded by a prior(Iseven t~mes." 'I'hc first seven times, or 2,520 years,were 11reccdcd by tllc 1000-ycar day of the first Adam(Genesis 2: 17) ; and the 2,520 ycars "more" are tobe follow-ed bj- the 1000-year cltly of Christ, the SecondAdam.--Zechariah 14 : 9 ; liatthew 12 : 8; Lulce 17: 24 ;John 8: 56 ; 1 Corinthians 15 : 45.Thc harmonious succession of these chronological periodsmay be illustrated in the following manner:I000 years : 2520 J-~HIS : : 2520 gears : 1000 yearsTotal, 7040 YearsArranging the periods in the parallel-column form,with the dates, this grmd panorama of human historyappears thus ;TABLE OF "SEVEN TIMES" AND "SEVEN TI3IES 310~~"4126 U.C. Beginning of the1000-gear clay ofthe first Adatn.3226 B.C. End of the '1000-year clay of thefirst ;ld.7111.3126 B.C. Bcgi1111ing of thefirst "scb\ CII timcs,"606 B.C. Beginning of the"S~VCII li~~es~~lorc,"or 2,620 years. . or 2 2 years11IOPC.1914 AD. E~ld of 1l1e "seven1i11tes ~~iore," or2,520 .\-airs more.1014 AD. J5tgi1tl1111;: of LlielM~-yc:~r day oeIlle Seeortil A~:LIII.2914 A.D. li;rltl of tt~e 1000.JCUI' &IS of ttieSc~otid Adam.GOG E.O. End of the tirst"seven times," or2.520 years.The first of these long ages of 2,520 Sears was lessfden, far morc dcsirable for hum;~nkiiitl tlia.. tho "sc\rcntimes more." H~uiia~r governments \vel.c loss clcl~ravcdat first; there 1i7ere less pricle an11 insane Inrils~s:?essamong those in aulthonty, ancl the poor :lilt1 lo\\ly weremuch better oit'. 13urhg thc first "F~VC~I t.mcs'' Ihegovernments, so to speak, llarl a nlan's: heart, a n~c:isureof humanity. But concerning thc alt srad hart of theruling poner in tlic scconil 2,520 years it is written:"Let his hcart he ch:~ugccl from man's,. i~nd lct a bcast'sheart be given unta him. . . . The Uost High. . . set-teth up over it [the dominio~~] tllc .bil~est ol men."(Dallied 4: 36, 17) The a~~nitls of earth's liiligiioins lorthe "seven times morc," just elided in 1314 AD., havenot been recosds of kiugliness, kti?tlne~~, and of loveof man for man, but-under a dia!)olical allial~ce ofreligion, Business, and state-a cI~ronicIe of bcastlyrpinc, exploitrtt~on of the hclplessJ lust: abililclonedwickdness, and depravcd viciousness, even on to thisvery day.It is noteworthy that tllc date GO6 B.C. is cxactly llnkfway betwecn the fall of ifdam nnc2 the cnrl of the fortyyearjuilgme~it after the Biillcnnium-bctucen ParadiseLost and l.'aradlse Kcstorcd.An interval of "seven times," when divided in two,makcs two periods of three-aid -a-hiill times, or 1,260years, each. Seveit syntbolixes dwine complctencss. IrIalfof seven represents incompleteness, evil, trial, suffering.For esanple, the 1,260 yeam preceding t!le beginning ofthe Time of the End (1799 A. D.), arc characterizedby the Lord as follon-s: "The same horn nude warwith the saints ancl prevailed against then?';"A kingof fierce counteiiance . . . shall cIestl.op wonderfully. . .and shall cause crait [diplomacy, Jesuitical deceit1 toprosper in his hand"; "Shall take away the daily sacrifice,and place [set up in po~~cr) the 'abomination thatmaketh desolate [the mass]"; ''Shall speak great .tvordsagainst the Most High, and wear out the saints of theMost Highy'-truly a forecast of the dominion of in-