{"id":4257,"date":"2022-03-02T05:37:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T05:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/?p=4257"},"modified":"2023-11-09T18:03:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T18:03:48","slug":"the-overlapping-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/2022\/03\/02\/the-overlapping-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"The &#8220;Overlapping&#8221; Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/overlapping_generation.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Video: How the Overlapping Generation was Revealed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How the Overlapping Generation was Revealed!\" width=\"663\" height=\"373\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DuBEdXoaPt0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Explanation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For over 40 years the Governing Body of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses had proclaimed that the generation that witnessed [and <em>understood<\/em>] the events of 1914 would \u201cby no means all pass away\u201d before the \u201cend of this system of things,\u201d occurred via a \u201cGreat Tribulation\u201d culminating in Armageddon. This would involve the slaughter of billions of non-Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, and would be followed by a \u201cNew System\u201d ruled over by the Governing Body (and other \u201canointed ones\u201d) from heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By &#8220;generation&#8221; they explicitly meant <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/1101968011#:~:text=But%20there%20are,this%20wicked%20system.\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/1101968011#:~:text=But%20there%20are,this%20wicked%20system.\" target=\"_blank\">the <em>individuals<\/em> who were alive in 1914<\/a> and who understood the &#8220;signs of the last days.&#8221; [Though, if those people were believing what was actually published by the <em>Watchtower <\/em>at the time, they would&#8217;ve understood that year as <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/orthocath.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/05\/1894-zionswatchtower7-15p2263.jpg\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/orthocath.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/05\/1894-zionswatchtower7-15p2263.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">the <em>end <\/em>of the last days<\/a> rather than their <em>start<\/em>. So, there never really was such a &#8220;generation&#8221; as the WT proclaims; no one understood the significance of that year in the way the WT currently understands it: as <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/1968324#:~:text=the%20great%20sign,battle%20of%20Armageddon.\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/1968324#:~:text=the%20great%20sign,battle%20of%20Armageddon.\" target=\"_blank\">the <em>start <\/em>of the last days<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, in 1995 &#8212; when the 1914 generation had dwindled away &#8212; the Governing Body changed the meaning of \u201cgeneration\u201d to just mean <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/1995805#:~:text=%E2%80%9Cthis%20generation%E2%80%9D%20apparently%20refers%20to%20the%20peoples%20of%20earth%20who%20see%20the%20sign%20of%20Christ%E2%80%99s%20presence%20but%20fail%20to%20mend%20their%20ways.\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/1995805#:~:text=%E2%80%9Cthis%20generation%E2%80%9D%20apparently%20refers%20to%20the%20peoples%20of%20earth%20who%20see%20the%20sign%20of%20Christ%E2%80%99s%20presence%20but%20fail%20to%20mend%20their%20ways.\" target=\"_blank\">wicked people living at the time of the end<\/a>. This removed any sort of time limit on the start of Armageddon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then in 2008 the Governing Body changed the meaning of \u201cgeneration\u201d once again. Now it was said to refer to all of the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2008125#:~:text=As%20a%20class%2C%20these%20anointed%20ones%20make%20up%20the%20modern%2Dday%20%E2%80%9Cgeneration%E2%80%9D%20of%20contemporaries%20that%20will%20not%20pass%20away%20%E2%80%9Cuntil%20all%20these%20things%20occur.%E2%80%9D\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2008125#:~:text=As%20a%20class%2C%20these%20anointed%20ones%20make%20up%20the%20modern%2Dday%20%E2%80%9Cgeneration%E2%80%9D%20of%20contemporaries%20that%20will%20not%20pass%20away%20%E2%80%9Cuntil%20all%20these%20things%20occur.%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\">\u201canointed\u201d Christians for the past 2,000 years<\/a>. So, in a 180 degree turn, the generation went from meaning <em>wicked <\/em>people to meaning <em>righteous<\/em> people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But compared to the previous long-standing doctrine, none of these changes made Armageddon seem imminent. Also lost was any meaningful connection to the year 1914: a year that had been the cornerstone of WT propaganda for too long to abandon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another change was called for to rectify the above and to remotivate their followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That change came in the year 2010, when the Governing Body declared that &#8220;generation&#8221; meant <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2010282#:~:text=How%2C%20then%2C%20are%20we%20to%20understand%20Jesus%E2%80%99%20words%20about%20%E2%80%9Cthis%20generation%E2%80%9D%3F%20He%20evidently%20meant%20that%20the%20lives%20of%20the%20anointed%20who%20were%20on%20hand%20when%20the%20sign%20began%20to%20become%20evident%20in%201914%20would%20overlap%20with%20the%20lives%20of%20other%20anointed%20ones%20who%20would%20see%20the%20start%20of%20the%20great%20tribulation.\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2010282#:~:text=How%2C%20then%2C%20are%20we%20to%20understand%20Jesus%E2%80%99%20words%20about%20%E2%80%9Cthis%20generation%E2%80%9D%3F%20He%20evidently%20meant%20that%20the%20lives%20of%20the%20anointed%20who%20were%20on%20hand%20when%20the%20sign%20began%20to%20become%20evident%20in%201914%20would%20overlap%20with%20the%20lives%20of%20other%20anointed%20ones%20who%20would%20see%20the%20start%20of%20the%20great%20tribulation.\" target=\"_blank\">two overlapping generations<\/a>! Any Jehovah&#8217;s Witness who became anointed while any of the 1914 generation of anointed ones was still alive would henceforth be considered part of the <em>same<\/em> generation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This current understanding of &#8220;generation&#8221; is an obvious and lame attempt to save face following the death of the 1914 generation, and the consequent unmasking of the Governing Body as false prophets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Five Reasons Why the \u201cGeneration teaching\u201d is Absurd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Logically Flawed or Failed to Meet Goal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As pointed out in the video, if the overlapping reasoning works between the 1914 generation (generation \u201cA\u201d) and their younger contemporaries (generation \u201cB\u201d), then it would also have to work between that generation (\u201cB\u201d) and the next (\u201cC\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, C would have to be the same generation as B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if C is the same generation as B, and B is the same generation as A, then C also <em>has to be<\/em> the same generation as A. (\u201cIf A equals B and B equals C, then A equals C.\u201d) So then, every newly anointed person going forward would be of \u201cthat generation\u201d Jesus was referring to. This means that either their logic is flawed (A does <em>not <\/em>equal C) or their reasoning has failed to accomplish their goal of making Armageddon seem imminent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Mathematically Impossible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The doctrine not only fails the test of logic, but of math as well. Mathematically we could express their doctrine as <strong><em>g<\/em> = 2<em>g<\/em><\/strong>, where <em>g<\/em> stands for generation. They are saying \u201cthe generation\u201d means two generations. But one of something can\u2019t equal two of that same something. If <em>g<\/em> is something (rather than nothing: a zero) then <em>g<\/em> = 2<em>g<\/em> is a mathematical <em>impossibility<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Inherently Contradictory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s examine the statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe generation refers to the 1914 generation and the overlapping generation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That synopsis of the GB\u2019s doctrine is an oxymoron: it contains a self-contradiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the statement were true, then \u201cgeneration\u201d would mean two generations, and if that\u2019s true, then the first \u201cgeneration\u201d in that sentence means two generations. And the \u201ctwo generations\u201d in the previous sentence means 4 generations. And the \u201c4 generations\u201d in the previous sentence has to mean 8 generations\u2026 ad infinitum. A recursive fallacy which renders the word \u201cgeneration\u201d meaningless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Not Biblical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The doctrine also fails the biblical test. In the same book of <em>Matthew<\/em>, the word \u201cgeneration\u201d is used consistently to mean <em>one <\/em>generation: not <em>two<\/em> generations or <em>overlapping <\/em>generations. The first chapter of that book enumerates Jesus\u2019 supposed ancestors, counting one ancestor per generation, and concluding that there were three sets of 14 generations (not 3 sets of 7 overlapping generations, as there would be if we applied the Governing Body\u2019s interpretation of \u201cgeneration\u201d in chapter 24). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jw.org\/en\/library\/bible\/nwt\/books\/matthew\/1\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.jw.org\/en\/library\/bible\/nwt\/books\/matthew\/1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MT 1:1-17<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, instead of using the book of <em>Matthew <\/em>to understand the book of <em>Matthew<\/em>, the GB goes to a different author, writing in a different language, over 600 years earlier. The book of <em>Exodus<\/em>, they tell us, refers to <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2008125#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Cgeneration%E2%80%9D%20usually,on%20after%20he%20died.\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2008125#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Cgeneration%E2%80%9D%20usually,on%20after%20he%20died.\" target=\"_blank\">Joseph\u2019s brothers and \u201call that generation.\u201d<\/a> But this is irrelevant; the brothers of Joseph all lived within a 40-year timespan: a typical range given for a generation. So, it does not provide evidence that the author of that passage in <em>Exodus <\/em>had the bizarre notion of \u201coverlapping generations\u201d in mind.&nbsp;(Not that what he had in mind has any bearing on what the author of <em>Matthew <\/em>had in mind, in any case.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. An Already-Failed Crutch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u201coverlapping generation\u201d has an even greater span of years than the original \u201c1914 generation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When considering the &#8220;overlapping&#8221; generation, the GB focuses its attention on individuals who were anointed just prior to the 1914 gang\u2019s dying out. But the \u201coverlapping generation\u201d would\u2019ve begun in the year 1915, with anointed ones who <em>just<\/em> missed the events of 1914. This second group, then, would currently span at least 107 years!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Judging by their perceived need to extend the generation, the GB assumed that the 1914 generation had died off by 2010: a span of 96 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, at 107 years, this second group, brought in to bolster their failing doctrine regarding the first group, has <em>already exceeded<\/em> the time-limit the GB had themselves set for the first group! It thereby fails the GB&#8217;s own requirement that a generation be &#8220;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2008125#:~:text=So%20when%20the%20term%20%E2%80%9Cgeneration%E2%80%9D%20is%20used%20with%20reference%20to%20people%20living%20at%20a%20particular%20time%2C%20the%20exact%20length%20of%20that%20time%20cannot%20be%20stated%20except%20that%20it%20does%20have%20an%20end%20and%20would%20not%20be%20excessively%20long.\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/d\/r1\/lp-e\/2008125#:~:text=So%20when%20the%20term%20%E2%80%9Cgeneration%E2%80%9D%20is%20used%20with%20reference%20to%20people%20living%20at%20a%20particular%20time%2C%20the%20exact%20length%20of%20that%20time%20cannot%20be%20stated%20except%20that%20it%20does%20have%20an%20end%20and%20would%20not%20be%20excessively%20long.\" target=\"_blank\">not excessively long<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To put it simply: the &#8220;overlapping generation&#8221; could only extend the &#8220;1914 generation&#8221; by one year, since it had to start in 1915. So, at best, the doctrine would&#8217;ve failed just one year after the death of the 1914 generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From this we see that the current \u201cgeneration teaching\u201d has its own <em>self-destructing flaw<\/em> built in from the get-go!  The overlapping generation would&#8217;ve already expired by 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What will they think of next? [And could it possibly insult our intelligence even more than this?]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>See Also<\/strong>: The Morris family discussing the Overlapping Generation on JW Reality TV:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jehovah&#039;s Witness Reality TV s1e8: &quot;Tell-All&quot; Part 5\" width=\"663\" height=\"373\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Yznjbqi_W10?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other supporting links:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jwfacts.com\/video\/homosexuality-herd.mp4\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.jwfacts.com\/video\/homosexuality-herd.mp4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Recording of Herd\u2019s talk<\/a> stating that women can\u2019t have positions of authority in the congregation because of their \u201csmaller brains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Video of <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1bbuNsxWkDo?list=PLtizNalcHHE8cajR2UZI6OF2is_QdxCTu&amp;t=157\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1bbuNsxWkDo?list=PLtizNalcHHE8cajR2UZI6OF2is_QdxCTu&amp;t=157\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Morris stocking up on liquor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Video of <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/9PwX1BbB4mg?t=6\" data-type=\"URL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Herd grunting in anticipation of being a superman<\/a> who will descend from heaven to personally kill non-Witnesses in Armageddon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Article on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/2022\/01\/31\/gb-member-morris-liar-apostate-or-both\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/2022\/01\/31\/gb-member-morris-liar-apostate-or-both\/\" target=\"_blank\">GB member laughing at the gullibility of Witnesses<\/a> who actually believe the GB\u2019s doctrines and apply them to their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A great in-depth analysis of the <a href=\"https:\/\/jwfacts.com\/watchtower\/generation.php\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/jwfacts.com\/watchtower\/generation.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">changes made to the &#8220;generation&#8221; doctrine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/2016\/03\/08\/1914-debunked-once-and-for-all\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2518\">1914 Debunked once and for all!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PLjq3I8ZyMo\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PLjq3I8ZyMo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Abbott and Costello&#8217;s equivalent &#8220;generation teaching&#8221;<\/a> (It makes about as much sense as the GB&#8217;s version, but isn&#8217;t <em>quite<\/em> as funny.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/watchtowerhelp.club\/logpage.php?l='Blog:Overlap'\" alt=\"\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Video: How the Overlapping Generation was Revealed An Explanation For over 40 years the Governing Body of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses had proclaimed that the generation that witnessed [and understood] the events of 1914 would \u201cby no means all pass away\u201d before the \u201cend of this system of things,\u201d occurred via a \u201cGreat Tribulation\u201d culminating in&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/2022\/03\/02\/the-overlapping-generation\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The &#8220;Overlapping&#8221; Generation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[27,4,26,3],"class_list":["post-4257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-27","tag-jehovahs-witnesses","tag-overlapping-generation","tag-watchtower"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4257"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4425,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4257\/revisions\/4425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchtowerhelp.club\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}