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 | Disfellowshipped Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Muslims, most Christians, and followers of other religions will be exterminated. The WTS teaches that only active adults in good standing of the Jehovah's Witnesses will survive the killing fields. The fate of children and of mentally disadvantaged adults will be up to God. |
| They believe that the Rapture has already happened in an invisible form during 1918-9. There will be no Christians elevated to meet Jesus in the sky at the time of the world's end. |
All of the WTS past prophecies about the date of the end of the world have been wrong. They still teach that Armageddon will happen in our near future. However, they no longer predict a fixed year.
A description of their major past predictions follows:
1914:
Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), the WTS founder, believed that Christ had secretly arrived in the year 1874 and that he would establish the Kingdom of God on Earth in 1914-OCT. Russell based this prophecy on a "bewildering number of dates" which he recovered from his studies of the Bible and the Great Pyramid. A key component to the calculation was derived from the book of Daniel, Chapter 4. The book refers to "seven times". He interpreted each "time" as equal to 360 days, giving a total of 2,520 days. He further interpreted this as representing exactly 2,520 years, measured from the starting date of 607 BCE. This resulted in the year 1914-OCT being the target date for the Millennium. 20 Russell's belief became a key teaching of the Jehovah's Witnesses (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society). Since late in the 19th century, they had taught that the "battle of the Great Day of God Almighty" (Armageddon) would happen in that year.
Some specific predictions by Russell:
| "And, with the end of A.D. 1914, what God calls Babylon , and what men call Christendom, will have passed away, as is already shown from prophecy." Studies In The Scriptures, Vol. III, (1897) 2 |
| "...we consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished by the end of A.D. 1914" (1889). 1 |
| "In the coming 26 years, all present governments will be overthrown and dissolved." Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. II, (1889) 2 |
However, in 1912, he back-peddled somewhat:
| "...he wrote that, while the prophecy remains valid, the power of the Gentiles could end either in October 1914 or in October 1915." 21 |
"Russell's movement expanded rapidly" in the years leading up to 1914. 20 However, the year 1914 came and passed without the visible appearance of Christ, the massive genocide, and the new Kingdom of God. The WTS regarded the start of the World War 1 as confirmation that the process leading to TEOTWAWKI, and to Christ's return, had started. They decided that 1914 was the year that Jesus invisibly began his rule from heaven.
1915, 1918, & 1920
In 1914-NOV, immediately after Russell's prophecy had failed, he wrote that the period of transition could run a "good many years." 21
The
Watchtower magazine suggested that the destruction would happen "...shortly
after 1914 with the utter destruction" of other Christian
denominations and the inauguration of Christ's millennial reign. They
first predicted that this would happen in 1915.
Drawing a parallel with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Army in
70 CE, the authors of the 1915 Edition of The Time Is At Hand wrote: "The
Gentile Times prove that the present governments must all be overthrown about
the close of A.D. 1915; and Parallelism above shows that this period corresponds
exactly with the year A.D. 70, which witnessed the completion of the downfall of
the Jewish polity." 3
After Russell's death in 1916, the WTS rewrote large portions of his Studies
in the Scriptures to reflect the new belief that the year 1914 was merely
the beginning of the end of Gentile times. 21
The WTS later delayed the millennium to 1918. 4 A 1917 WTS publication, "The Finished Mystery" stated: "...in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of Christianity." 5 That year also passed uneventfully, except for the end of World War I.
The WTS introduced the concept that Christ would establish his millennial kingdom on earth "before the generation who saw the events of 1914 passes away." With many humans achieving a life span of over 90 years, this could place the War of Armageddon at any time between 1914 and the early 21st century.
1925:
The next estimate of the TEOTWAWKI was set at sometime in 1925.
| In 1918, J.E. Rutherford -- the WTS' second president and the author of "Millions now living will never die" -- wrote: "...there will be a resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other faithful ones of old ... we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible, legal representatives of the new order of things on earth.... Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection." 6 |
| In 1922, Rutherford wrote: "Fulfilled prophecy shows beyond a doubt that (Christ) did appear in 1874. Fulfilled prophecy is otherwise designated the physical facts; and these facts are indisputable....We understand that the jubilee type began to count in 1575 B.C.; and the 3,500 year period embracing the type must end in 1925....It follows, then, that the year 1925 will mark the beginning of the restoration of all things lost by Adam's disobedience." 7 |
| In 1923, a Watchtower article predicted: "Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge." 8 |
As the year approached, the WTS appeared to back-peddle somewhat:
| Watchtower magazine predicted in mid-1924: "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914; but it would be presumptuous on the part of any faithful follower of the Lord to assume just what the Lord is going to do during that year." 9 |
| At the beginning of 1925, a Watchtower article commented: "With great expectations Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be... Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year." 10 |
1925 also came and passed uneventfully.
There were some additional predictions:
| "Christendom to be overthrown" in 1932. 2 |
| 1941-Fall: The world is "...in the remaining months before Armageddon." 11 |
1975:
Some Witnesses expected a dramatic event to occur in 1966-JUN (6/66) because the number 666 was referred to as the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13:18. It was in this month that the WTS published "Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God." It contained a chronological chart which shows that 1975 was the "end of the sixth thousand year day of man's existence." 22
They regarded the year 1975 a promising date for the end of the world, based on their original belief that it was the 6,000th anniversary of creation of both Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden in 4026 BCE. They believe, along with many other conservative Protestant denominations, that the world would exist for exactly 1,000 years for each day of the creation week. Their Watchtower or Awake magazines taught that:
| "according to reliable Bible chronology Adam was created in the year 4026 BCE, likely in the autumn of the year, at the end of the sixth day of creation." 12 |
| "According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in 4026 BCE" 13 |
| "30 Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then? Possibly, but we wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year period of man’s existence coincides with the sabbathlike thousand-year reign of Christ....Our chronology, however, which is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible), at the best only points to the autumn of 1975 as the end of 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth." 14 |
This prophecy was reinforced in their publications, notably Watchtower and Awake, and at their assemblies. The close proximity of the end times encouraged the membership to increase their proselytizing efforts. Membership rose significantly in the years leading up to 1975. Some members sold their possessions, cashed in their insurance policies, etc. in anticipation of the Millennium's arrival.
This prophecy also failed. Proselytism began to decline. The next two years saw an unprecedented decrease in the total number of publishers. The newly-elected head of the WTS, Frederick Franz and his leadership team had to find an explanation for the error. They appear to have settled on a double-pronged approach:
| Recalculating the date: They changed their mind about the computing of the prophecy. They had originally believed that Eve was created in 4026 BCE -- the same year as Adam. They revised their thinking by concluding that Eve was created at a later time. Adam must have been alone for some years before God formed his partner/helper out of his rib. The WTS decided that: |
"...no one knew exactly how long after Adam’s creation Eve came on the scene. Franz said that it was months—even years. Hence he was able to "stretch" the 1975 date to some indeterminate time in the future. In any case, Franz said that Witnesses would just have to wait, knowing the end is right around the corner." 15
In 1976, an article in the Watchtower stated that Armageddon will come after the time period corresponding with the interval between Adam's creation and Eve's creation. 16
| Denial and purge: Following the failed 1975 prophecy, the WTS "leadership embarked upon a five-year period of denial and purge." 23 The general membership was blamed for misinterpreting the leaders' interpretation of 1975. The leadership maintained that there never was an explicit prophecy. The membership is highly disciplined and were quickly able to revise their thinking. Large scale disfellowshipping followed. In 1978 alone, nearly 30,000 Witnesses were expelled. Many in the writing committee were dismissed and disfellowshipped during 1980. |
A reason for the prophetic failures:
The WTS Governing Body wrote in 1981:
"However, it may have seemed to some as though that path has not always gone straight forward. At times explanations given by Jehovah's visible organization have shown adjustments, seemingly to previous points of view. But this has not actually been the case. This might be compared to what is known in navigational circles as 'tacking.' By maneuvering the sails the sailors can cause a ship to go from right to left, back and forth, but all the time making progress toward their destination in spite of contrary winds'." 17
1994:
Some Witnesses interpreted Psalms 90:10 as defining the length of a generation to be 80 years. Since 1914 plus 80 equals 1994, they predicted Armageddon would occur around that year. This prediction came from the grass-roots level of the organization. The Watchtower Society itself did not officially proclaim it. This prophecy also failed.
Will TEOTWAWKI happen in our near future?
The WTS had taught that the generation that saw the events of 1914 would experience TEOTWAWKI. But the people who were born in 1914 or earlier are now 90 years of age or older. They are rapidly dying out. In 1996-APR, the WTS changed their criteria for TEOTWAWKI. "They now say that the generation that saw the events of 1914 is actually any generation that understands what happened" at that time. 18 This allows an indefinite delay in the arrival of the Millennium.
The latest estimate is 6,000 years after the creation of Eve, for which no date can be determined with any accuracy. The Jehovah's Witnesses are no longer setting absolute dates, but still expect that TEOTWAWKI may happen at any time in our immediate future. In their 1995-NOV issue of the Watchtower, the WTS suggested that earlier dates for Armageddon were speculation rather than settled doctrine. In 1995-DEC, Newsweek quoted Witnesses spokesperson Bob Pevy as saying: "The end is still close. We just can't put numbers on Jesus' words." 19
The "yeartext" for 2004, published in the WTS Yearbook is: "Keep on the Watch... Prove Yourselves Ready." It is a quotation taken from Matthew 24:42-44. This yeartext is accompanied with the following remarks:
"Consistently, God's Word reminds us that Jehovah's day will arrive with shocking suddenness. Hence, our yeartext for 2004 reflects Jesus' deep love for his disciples, whom he wants to preserve through 'the great tribulation.' (Rev. 7:14 ) How do we remain spiritually watchful and ready? By allowing nothing to distract us from our study of God's Word and from our privileges of sacred service." 2
The WatchTowerInformationService.org comments:
"Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the only chance for [personal] salvation is to actively preach the end of this world and the Kingdom of God . If they are not busy with their 'sacred service' when the 'day of Jehovah' will arrive with 'shocking suddenness' they believe that they will die with the wicked ones."
That is, they will be exterminated, along with all non-Christians, and with the vast majority of Christians who are not members in good standing of the WTS. 2
Criticism of the WTS estimates:
The WTS has been criticized by some conservative Christians for attempting to predict a precise date for Armageddon, in an apparent violation of Matthew 24:35-36: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (KJV) However, the criticism does not appear to be valid, as the WTS' estimates have never involved the day and hour of the end -- only the year.
References:
- Charles Taze Russell, "The Time is at Hand," Page 99. Cited in Ref 5.
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Cited in: Rado Vleugel, "2004: Jehovah's Witnesses still on the watch for the end of this world," WatchTowerInformation Service.org, at: http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/
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"The Time Is At Hand," 1915 Edition.
- "Jehovah's Witnesses and the History of 1914," Watchman Fellowship, Inc., at: http://www.watchman.org/jw
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The Finished Mystery, (1917), Page 485.
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"Millions now living will never die," (1918), Page 89.
-
"The Watchtower," 1922-NOV-1, Pages 333 & 346.
-
"The Watchtower," 1923-APR-1, Page 106.
- Watchtower magazine, 1924-JUL-15, Page 211).
-
"The Watchtower," 1925-JAN-1, Page 3.
-
"The Watchtower," 1941-SEP-15, Page 288.
- The Watchtower Magazine, 1968-APR-1.
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"Awake," 1968-OCT-8, Page 14. Online at: http://www.blueletterbible.org/
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"The Watchtower," 1968-AUG-15.
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"History of the Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers, at: http://www.catholic.com/
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"The Watchtower," 1976-JUL, Page 436.
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"The Watchtower," 1981-DEC-1, Page 27.
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Comment by Roy Lister, in Calvary Home Page at: http://www.picknowl.com.au/
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Kenneth Woodward, "Jehovah's Witnesses Decide the End is Fluid," Newsweek, 1995-DEC-18, at: http://www.rickross.com/
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Mathew Schmalz, "When Festinger Fails," Chapter 13 of Jon Stone, Ed., "Expecting Armageddon: Essential readings in failed prophecy," Routledge, (2000), Page 236. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store.
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Ibid, Page 237.
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Ibid, Page 239.
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Ibid, Page 240.
Copyright © 2003 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2003-DEC-28
Latest update: 2007-AUG-15
Author: B.A. Robinson
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