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The eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses is central to their religious beliefs. They believe that Jesus Christ has been ruling in heaven as king since 1914 (a date they believe was prophesied in Scripture), and that after that time a period of cleansing occurred, resulting in God's selection of the Bible Students associated with Charles Taze Russell to be his people in 1919. They also believe the destruction of those who reject their message and thus willfully refuse to obey God〔''You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, p. 155.〕〔''Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand!'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, p. 6.〕 will shortly take place at Armageddon, ensuring that the beginning of the new earthly society will be composed of willing subjects of that kingdom. The religion's doctrines surrounding 1914 are the legacy of a series of emphatic claims regarding the years 1799,〔''The Watchtower'', March 1, 1922, page 73, "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the 'time of the end' began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874."〕 1874,〔 1878, 1914,〔''The Watchtower'', (July 15, 1894, p. 1677 ): "We see no reason for changing the figures—nor could we change them if we would. They 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."〕 1918〔September 1, 1916 ''The Watchtower'', pages (264-265 )〕 and 1925〔''Millions Now Living Will Never Die'', 1920, page 97, "Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die."〕 made in the Watch Tower Society's publications between 1879 and 1924. Claims about the significance of those years, including the presence of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the "last days", the destruction of worldly governments and the earthly resurrection of Jewish patriarchs, were successively abandoned. In 1922 the society's principal journal, ''Watch Tower'', described its chronology as "no stronger than its weakest link", but also claimed the chronological relationships to be "of divine origin and divinely corroborated...in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct"〔"The Strong Cable of Chronology", ''Watch Tower'', July 15, 1922, page 217, "The chronology of present truth is, to begin with, a string of dates... Thus far it is a chain, and no stronger than its weakest link. There exist, however, well established relationships among the dates of present-truth chronology. These internal connections of the dates impart a much greater strength than can be found in other (archeological ) chronologies. Some of them are of so remarkable a character as clearly to indicate that this chronology is not of man, but of God. Being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct."〕 and "indisputable facts",〔 while repudiation of Russell's teachings was described as "equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord".〔''The Watchtower'', May 1, 1922, page 132, "To abandon or repudiate the Lord's chosen instrument means to abandon or repudiate the Lord himself, upon the principle that he who rejects the servant sent by the Master thereby rejects the Master. ... Brother Russell was the Lord's servant. Then to repudiate him and his work is equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord, upon the principle heretofore announced."〕 The Watch Tower Society has stated that its early leaders promoted "incomplete, even inaccurate concepts".〔''Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom'' (Watch Tower Society, 1993), chapter 10.〕 The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses says that, unlike Old Testament prophets, its interpretations of the Bible are not inspired or infallible.〔''Revelation – It's Grand Climax'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, page 9.〕 Witness publications say that Bible prophecies can be fully understood only after their fulfillment, citing examples of biblical figures who did not understand the meaning of prophecies they received. Watch Tower publications often cite Proverbs 4:18, "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established" (NWT) to support their view that there would be an increase in knowledge during "the time of the end", as mentioned in Daniel 12:4. Jehovah's Witnesses state that this increase in knowledge needs adjustments. Watch Tower publications also say that unfulfilled expectations are partly due to eagerness for God's Kingdom and that they do not call their core beliefs into question.〔Why have there been changes over the years in the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses?,"Jehovah's Witnesses", ''Reasoning From the Scriptures'', ©1989, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, page 205〕〔"Allow No Place for the Devil!", ''The Watchtower'', March 15, 1986, page 19〕〔"Keep in Step With Jehovah’s Organization", ''Watchtower'', January 15, 2001, page 18.〕 ==Current beliefs== Jehovah's Witnesses teach the imminent end of the current world society, or "system of things" by God's judgment, leading to deliverance for the saved. This judgment will begin with false religion, which they identify as the "harlot", Babylon the Great,〔''Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand'' 1988, pages 235-236 pars. 2-3 "Judging the Infamous Harlot", © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania〕〔''Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, pp. 205-206.〕 referred to in the Book of Revelation. They apply this designation to all other religions. They do not currently place their expectations on any specific date, but believe that various events will lead up to the end of this "system of things", culminating in Armageddon. Armageddon is understood to include the destruction of all earthly governments by God. After Armageddon, God will extend his heavenly kingdom to include earth. They believe that after Armageddon, based on scriptures such as John 5:28, 29, the dead will gradually be resurrected to a "day of judgment" lasting for a thousand years.〔''The Watchtower'', May 15, 2006, p 6.〕 This judgment will be based on their actions after resurrection, not on past deeds.〔''Insight on the Scriptures,'' Vol. 2, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988,p. 788.〕 At the end of the thousand years a final test will take place when Satan is brought back to mislead perfect mankind.〔''The Watchtower'', May 1, 2005, p. 20.〕 The end result will be a fully tested, glorified human race.〔''The Watchtower'', August 15, 2006, p. 31〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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