I am wondering if you have any thoughts on the prophetic significance of Matthew 18:21-22 because I cannot find anything written by the Society on the relevance. Is it possible that it's because of how the NWT renders the scripture (compared to other translations, including the Emphatic Diaglott); the NWT misinterprets the original thoughts conveyed by the original language?
The NWT renders the scripture this way: "Then Peter came up and said to him: "Lord, how many times is my brother to sin against me and am I to forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him: "I say to you, not, Up to seven times, but, Up to seventy-seven times."
Whereas, other Bible translations have it this way:
"...until seventy times seven." (KJV, NLT, Diaglott, ESV, BBE, ASV, et al)
As you must already know, seventy times seven equals 490, so might this not have been of far more prophetic significance than simply the extent we should be willing to forgive our brothers and sisters? Might this not have been Jesus' way of referring to the 70-week (490 years) prophecy in Daniel 9:24 "There are seventy weeks that have been determined upon your people and upon your holy city, in order to terminate the transgression, and to finish off sin, and to make atonement for error, and to bring in righteousness for times indefinite, and to imprint a seal upon vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies."
If Jesus was actually trying to bring Daniel's prophetic declaration to mind for Peter because it addresses Israel's "transgression," why is it that the Society has not published anything about this in our literature, especially because of its prophetic significance?
Whether the correct rendering is 77 or 70 X 7 I don’t think there is any prophetic significance to Jesus’ comment. (Apparently neither does the Watchtower) He was apparently simply using a figure of speech, which he frequently employed, called a hyperbole; which is a form of exaggeration. Jesus wanted to impress upon Peter that the idea of even keeping an account of the number of offenses was ridiculous. Who is going to keep a ledger of even 77 offenses, let alone hundreds?
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Friday, April 07, 2006
Thoughts on the Prophetic Significance of Matthew 18:21-22
When you think about the human body and all of its intricate parts working together, it is truly a work of art in the superlative degree. (Psalm 139:14-16) Such a marvelous work cannot be attributed to anyone other than our Creator, Jehovah God. (Revelation 4:11) But what if an enemy comes along and injects our bodies with a lethal substance, so that we begin to function improperly with death in view. (Genesis 3:1-19) Would it not be good to know that the same God, who created us in such a marvelous way, is also capable of providing the perfect antidote for our full recovery? Jehovah has done just that by sending his Son for us, providing a model for us to follow. (Matthew 1: 20-25; 1 Peter 2:21-25) Are we ready and willing to model our lives after God's Son, Christ Jesus? If we do, then we are accepting a powerful antidote that not only can reverse the damages that have been inflicted upon us by the enemy, but eliminating them altogether. (Isaiah 25: 8; 35:10; Revelation 7:17; 21:4) This process begins by inviting and accepting Christ into our lives. (Revelation 3:20) Then we will find it easier to love and to forgive one another, ultimately with the same ease of drinking a refreshing cup of water. (Matthew 10:42) That is Jesus’ message of how we should be ready and willing to forgive others as God is willing to forgive us and cancel our debts. (Matthew 18:27) It is part of the antidote or God’s grand design for us to love one another. (Matthew 22:37-40) It carries a prophetic significance that will stretch to time indefinite. –John 6:40.
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