The Accidental Prophet

Most of us are familiar with Charles Taze "CT" Russel, either through websites like JWFacts and JWSurvey, or through the Proclaimers publication that was studied sometime during the 90's. He was know as a charismatic figure whose sermons were refreshingly positive and popular with many Christians. The origin and soundness of his teachings is enough to leave one cross-eyed, but in the waning years of Victorian sensibilities, his ramblings took root.

He was perhaps one of the first ministers to take a pragmatic stance toward Christian beliefs. He purposefully set out to establish the origins of Christian traditions, practices, and faith. What could not be established by scripture, or was found to be non-Christian in origin, was discarded. His particular brand of faith was pared down to what could be proved scripturally.

He did, however, fall into the trap of sensationalism and a desire to predict the end of the world. Every apocalyptic religion in the world has done it at least once. Many keep trying. Russel had one of the more interesting slants on his predictions.

Pyramids.

Well, one of them anyway. The Great Pyramid of Giza. Khufu's tomb. Being entranced by the writings of Charles Smyth, Russel expounded on the idea that the pyramid itself was a representation of Bible prophecy, inspired by God Himself. With the application of an "inch for a year", Russel concluded that the prophecy of Isaiah 19:19, 20 could refer only to the pyramid itself, and therefore foretold the second coming of Christ in 1874. Due to either a mathematical error by Smyth or a publishing error by Russel, this date was later revised to 1914. The outbreak of World War I in that year thus validated Russel's prediction as correct and divinely inspired.

However, in 1928, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which Russel founded, abandoned this teaching and alternately claimed that the pyramid construction had been inspired by the Devil and not God. Inexplicably, they did not likewise abandon the notion that 1914 had been a watershed year. Having died in 1916, Russel was never aware that the movement he founded had completely abandoned his original teaching.

This begs certain questions. Primarily, was Russel correct...? 

If he was correct, why would he be guided by Holy Spirit to a correct conclusion by way of a flawed process? Would it not be sensible for God to direct His servant to a path that was biblically sound? The bible is not known for portraying God as subtle, clever, and certainly not enigmatic. He is direct. Often brutally so. Sodom and Gomorrah, for example, received emissaries with an unmistakable message. The fire and sulfur that rained down after lacked finesse and did not lend itself to interpretation. Likewise, Moses' burning bush got right to to point. The Egyptian army and the Red Sea, Noah's flood, Jericho, the sun over Gibeon; direct and explicit (deadly) messages from God. 

If Russel was incorrect, why does the Society hold on so adamantly to his conclusions while dismissing his process? Consider that the flip-flop on the source of the pyramid's inspiration did not alter their belief in 1914. Even with the repeated relabeling of the meaning of 1914, it would still mean that the Devil had foreknowledge of events and when they would happen, so as to properly inspire pyramid builders to lay the path for interpreting the prophecy... 

Matthew 24:36, anyone...? Anyone at all...?

If this was a message from the Devil (a very big 'if'), why would it not have pointed to some other date? The Devil's entire purpose is to mislead mankind. Why, of all things, would he give an explicit, indisputable, prophetic date on which millions of people rightly bet their salvation? 

There are almost unlimited valid, and yet unanswerable, questions.

CT Russel would be the Forrest Gump of all prophets. He figuratively wrote books to describe the smell of the color nine and came up with 1914; a date which is so closely guarded that it is a disfellowshipping-offense to believe it is wrong. 

The book of Revelation notwithstanding, God's messages in the bible have been direct and unmistakable. He did not tell the Jews they were going to the promised land, but then give them directions to South America. No. He said, "Hey guys... it's right over there. I'm pointing right the fuck at it. Do you see it?!?"

No one under God's direction has ever had to wonder what He expected of them. No one in bible canon has revised anything they ever had inscribed. So why Russel's successors? If he was wrong, he was wrong all the way, and not under the direction of Holy Spirit. If he was right, then modern day Witnesses are working under the direction of people who have obscured the word of God and thus under the influence of Satan. I'm completely failing to see a middle ground here.

A pyramidologist and numerologist decodes the prophecy of Isaiah using a monument inspired by the Devil to identify, alternately, the end of days and the start of the end of days, AND it coincides precisely with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, IF you're willing to ignore archaeological evidence...

That can't be an accident, right...?