Posted by Friend crtd [Friend] on October 27, 1999 at 18:44:09 {dPkPwxsNJEhxaL3hj3H2OgnjR4Br/g}:
In Reply to: **"Serious Mistake" posted by Gedanken on October 27, 1999 at 17:04:47:
Gedanken
Rather, [nimrod] was showing that thinking that was once considered to be seriously mistaken is now "present truth."
That considered "seriously mistaken" was not then and is not now considered "present truth."
You argue that the wording of the first citation allows for what you call constriction. That is not true.
Wrong. The wording of the citation does not say what nimrod claims, period. Constriction has only to do with our actual views of 1984 versus 1995, not nimrod’s citation. Our views of 1984 versus 1995 do represent a constriction. Constriction can be contradiction but not necessarily. In this case both views (1984 vs. 1995) espouse the idea that Jesus separating work is done during the general period. The latter view simply assigns a more restricted period within that same general period. That does make the two views somewhat different, but different does not mean contradicting. Contradicting connotes conflicting ideas whereas different ideas can be compatible. In this case the two ideas are very compatible because the timing (which is the relevant issue here) is still within the same general period. Therefore we have a constricted view but compatible rather than contradictory.
The first citation was saying that it would be a serious mistake to conclude that this judging could not apply until a[ny] later time.
No. That statement of yours is wrong. Please, look again at what is said:
It would be a serious mistake to reason that, because the destruction of the "goats" is everlasting, the parable could not apply until later on, perhaps during the Millennial Reign of Christ. On the contrary, Jesus gave this parable as part of the sign of "the conclusion of the system of things." (Matthew 24:3) What he describes takes place after he is enthroned but also while his "brothers" are still in the flesh and experiencing the hardships that he mentions.—Dividing of People Over the Kingdom Issue, Survival into a New Earth, 1984: 120
"Could not apply until later on" has to do with later than or beyond "the conclusion of the system of things", not any later time. The "serious mistake" has to do with any application of Jesus parable beyond the conclusion of the system of things. Unless you contend that present JW teaching puts Jesus separating of "sheep" from "goats" beyond "the conclusion of the system of things" then you cannot contend that JWs have made the mentioned "serious mistake". Do you argue that present JW teaching puts Jesus separating beyond "the conclusion of the system of things"? That is what my argument addressed and is at the heart of whether the supposed "serious mistake" was made "new light". Nimrod and you have clearly misrepresented the pertinent citation.
Friend