The only formal admission of guilt was a 1980 Watchtower article which confessed excitement surrounding 1975 was encouraged. However,
one can not help note with disappointment the 5 years span before such admission, or the subtle shifting of the blame to the attitude
of the members.
"In modern times such eagerness, commendable in itself, has led to attempts at setting dates for the desired
liberation from the suffering and troubles that are the lot of persons throughout the earth. With the appearance of the book Life
Everlasting-in Freedom of the Sons of God, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to
parallel the seventh millennium of man's existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements
made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information,
there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere
possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup
of the expectation already initiated. In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our
sights on a certain date, stated: "If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate
on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that
his own understanding was based on wrong premises." In saying "anyone," The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah's
Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered
on that date. Nevertheless, there is no reason for us to be shaken in faith in God's promises. Rather, as a consequence, we are all
moved to make a closer examination of the Scriptures regarding this matter of a day of judgment. In doing so, we find that the important
thing is not the date. What is important is our keeping ever in mind that there is such a day-and it is getting closer and it will
require an accounting on the part of all of us. Peter said that Christians should rightly be "awaiting and keeping close in mind the
presence of the day of Jehovah." (2 Pet. 3:12) It is not a certain date ahead; it is day-to-day living on the part of the Christian
that is important. He must not live a single day without having in mind that he is under Jehovah's loving care and direction and must
submit himself thereto, keeping also in mind that he must account for his acts." Watchtower 1980 March 15 p.17
Is it fair for this
article to blame the members for their excitement over 1975?
The Effect
This teaching had a dramatic effect on people's
lives. In 1974 the Kingdom Ministry reported that the number of pioneers boomed, with people commended for selling homes to spend
the short time left in God's Service. Likewise it was recommended to put off raising children.
"Yes, since the summer of 1973
there have been new peaks in pioneers every month. Now there are 20,394 regular and special pioneers in the
"Today there is a great crowd of people who are confident that a destruction of even greater magnitude
is now imminent. The evidence is that Jesus' prophecy will shortly have a major fulfilment, upon this entire system of things. This
has been a major factor in influencing many couples to decide not to have children at this time." Awake! 1974 November 8 p.11
Witnesses
stocked up on long life food, reminiscent of Mormon pantries. One of my friend's families hid items in the bush, including a cross
bow so they could quietly hunt animals during Armageddon. Others went further; they cashed in superannuation plans, cancelled health
insurance and sold their homes and bought caravans to live in. This created great problems for many families as they were totally
unprepared for lives that would extend on for many decades.
Even external news sources understood the message that the Watchtower
was indicating. The July 18th 1969 issue of Time contained an article "Witnessing the End" that stated;
"In fact, they fully
expect the cataclysm of Armageddon within the next few years. The latest calculations of this energetic, eschatology-minded sect date
the end of the world in autumn, 1975. Fearful as it may be to other religious believers, the end is a prospect that rejoices the hearts
of the 323,688 U.S. members of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, as the Witnesses are..."1
Jehovah's Witnesses are forced to
ignore intelligent lines of reason and follow whatever is promoted in the Watchtower, with the excitement over 1975 as testament to
how their thinking ability atrophies. There are at least three obvious reasons for why 1975 could not be the date for Armageddon.
1. Adam's creation was neither the end of creation nor the start of God's day of rest. The Bible does not tell when God created
Eve. The Watchtower 1955 February 1 p.95 specifically said as much:
"The very fact that, as part of Jehovah's secret, no one
today is able to find out how much time Adam and later Eve lived during the closing days of the sixth creative period, so no one can
now determine when six thousand years of Jehovah's present rest day come to an end."
During the 1975 hype it began being stated
that Adam and Eve were created in the same year, speaking of "the year of Adam and Eve's creation in 4026 B.C.E." (Watchtower 1968
May 1 p.271)Immediately following the failure of 1975 the Watchtower reverted to their original position.
"But that great rest
day did not begin immediately after Adam's creation. Other events took place after Adam's creation but before the close of the sixth
creative day. One of these is of great importance to all of us. That is the creation of the first woman, Eve." Watchtower 1976 July
15 p.436
2. The Bible does not specify the length of the creative days or the seventh day. It does not indicate that God's
day of rest is 7,000 years, or that Jesus reign is to start after 6,000 years.
3. The Bible states that angels did not know
the time for the end.
Matthew 24:36 "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son,
but only the Father."
The angels watched as the day of creation ended and hence would know the day for the start of Armageddon
if it was to be a simple 6000 year calculation.
Promoting 1975 with such shallow reasoning does not say much for the doctrinal integrity
of the Watchtower Society. Acceptance of it says wonders about the gullibility of the followers, indicating a lack of any deep desire
to see truth beyond what appears written in the pages of the Watchtower.
The failure of 1914 and 1925 taught the Watchtower the danger
of specific date setting, but there can be no misunderstanding the implication of the articles prior to 1975. However, ask a Jehovah's
Witnesses now whether 1975 was ever thought to be the end of the world and the answer will invariably be denial. This is in line with
how the Watchtower paints this part of its history. Notice the brief discussion the Proclaimers book devotes to this important time
of growth and the extent of an admission of error.
"Brother Franz then referred to the many questions that had arisen as to
whether the material in the new book meant that by 1975 Armageddon would be finished, and Satan would be bound. He stated, in essence:
'It could. But we are not saying…. However, other statements were published on this subject, and some were likely more definite than
advisable." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.104
Footnotes
1.http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,901074,00.html 8th
August 2006
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND FALSE PROPHECY
20 Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses on False Prophecies of the Watchtower
Society
1 How can we know the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet?
“True, there have been those
in times past who predicted an ‘end of the world,’ even announcing a specific date. …Yet, nothing happened. The ‘end’ did not come.
They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing? …Missing from such people were God’s truths and the evidence that
he was guiding and using them.”—Awake!, October 8, 1968, p. 23 **
2 Has the Watchtower Society claimed to be God’s “prophet”?
“So,
does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? …He had a “prophet” to warn them.
This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known
at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. …Of course, it is easy to say
that this group acts as a “prophet” of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record.
What does it show?” —The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197
1914
3 What does the Watchtower Society’s record show? Did the Society proclaim that 1914 would “end” world governments?
“…the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Rev. 16:14),
which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced.”—The Time is At Hand,
Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 2, 1886, 1911 edition, p. 101
4 How sure was the Society that the date 1914 would not be “changed”
and that it was “not the date for the beginning, but for the end”?
“We see no reason for changing the figures—nor could we change
them if we would. They are, we believe, God’s dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning,
but for the end of the time of trouble.”—
1915
5
When 1914 failed, what “date” did the Society “change” in their updated edition of The Time is At Hand book?
“…the ‘battle of
the great day of God Almighty’ (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1915 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership,
is already commenced.”—The Time is At Hand, Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 2, 1886, 1915 edition, p. 101
1918
6 When 1915
failed, what did the Society say God would do in 1918?
“Also, 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 Russel to learn the meaning of
the downfall of ‘Christianity.’ ” —The Finished Mystery, Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 7, 1917, p. 485
1925
7 When 1918
failed, what date did the Society give for the “old world” to end and the “new order” to begin with the “resurrection” of the Old
Testament saints?
“…the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order
is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old… it is reasonable to conclude that millions
of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must
reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die.”—Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920,
p. 97
1940’s
8 Why did the Society discourage Jehovah’s Witnesses from bearing children in 1938?
“…it would therefore
appear that there is no reasonable or Scriptural injunction to bring children into the world immediately before Armageddon, where
we now are.”—The Watchtower, November 1, 1938, p. 324
9 How soon was Armageddon to break out in 1941?
“Never was there a
more moving sight in these ‘last days’. …Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them …the Lord’s provided instrument
for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon. What a gift! and to so many! The manner of releasing the new book
Children was an outright surprise to all….”—The Watchtower, September 15, 1941, p. 288
1975
10 Why were Jehovah’s Witnesses
looking forward to 1975?
“WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO 1975? WHAT about all this talk concerning the year 1975? …Their
interest has been kindled by the belief that 1975 will mark the end of 6,000 years of human history since Adam’s creation.”—The Watchtower,
August 15, 1968, p. 494
“According to trustworthy Bible chronology six thousand years from man’s creation will end in 1975, and
the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of
11 What did the Society say “would have to be” occurring in the “seventh in a series of thousand-year
periods or millenniums”?
“…six millenniums of mankind’s life on earth would end in the mid-seventies. Thus the seventh millennium
from man’s creation by Jehovah God would begin within less than ten years…. In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be ‘Lord even of
the sabbath day,’ his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums…. Would
not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind’s laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God
to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed! And his King Jesus Christ will be Lord of that Sabbath.”
—The Watchtower, October 15, 1969, pp. 622-623
12 Did the Society encourage Jehovah’s Witnesses to sell their homes in preparation
for the “wicked world’s end” to come in 1975?
“Yes, the end of this system is so very near! Is that no reason to increase our
activity?… Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this
old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.”—Kingdom
Ministry, May 1974, p. 3
THE GENERATION OF 1914
13 What time period did the Watchtower Society say would bring “the end”?
“THE
Bible speaks of the time in which we are living as the ‘last days’ or the ‘time of the end.’ …The facts show that this is a limited
period that has a definite beginning and a definite end. It began in 1914. …there are people still living who were alive in 1914 …
‘This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.’ Some of them will still be alive to see the end of this
wicked system. This means that only a short time is left before the end comes!”—The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, 1968, pp. 94-95
“We
can be happy, therefore, for Jesus’ assurance that there will be survivors of ‘the generation of 1914’—that this generation will not
have completely passed away—when the ‘great tribulation’ rings down the curtain on this wicked world system.”—The Watchtower, October
15, 1980, p. 31
14 How long did the Society say a “generation” would last?
“When the term ‘generation’ is used with reference
to the people living at a particular time, the exact length of that time cannot be stated, except that the time would fall within
reasonable limits. These limits would be determined by the life span of the people of that time or of that population. …Today, much
as it was in the time of Moses, people living under favorable conditions may reach 70 or 80 years of age.”—Insight on the Scriptures,
vol. 1, 1988, pp. 917-918
15 If the “generation” of the “time of the end” would last up to 80 years, what date failed to bring
the end as prophesied by the Society? 1914 generation + 80 years = 1994. How did the Society excuse away this false prophecy?
“Jehovah’s
people have at times speculated about the time when the ‘great tribulation’ would break out, even tying this to calculations of what
is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. However, we ‘bring a heart of wisdom in,’ not by speculating about how many years
or days make up a generation, but by thinking about how we ‘count our days’ in bringing joyful praise to Jehovah. …Is anything to
be gained, then, by looking for dates or by speculating about the literal lifetime of a ‘generation’? Far from it!”—The Watchtower,
November 1, 1995, p. 17, 19
A NEW “GENERATION” TO BRING THE END!
16 Since the “generation” of 1914 failed to bring the end,
what new “generation” does the Society now point to in order to bring in the end?
“…the number of genuine anointed disciples
of Christ is dwindling, though some will evidently still be on earth when the great tribulation begins. Most of the remnant are quite
elderly, and over the years the number of those who are truly anointed has been getting smaller.…Evidently, then, some of Christ’s
‘chosen ones’ will still be on earth when the great tribulation begins. …It seems that by the year 1935, the general ingathering of
the anointed was complete.” —The Watchtower, January 15, 2000, pp. 13, 16
“As a class, these anointed ones make up the modern-day
‘generation’ of contemporaries that will not pass away ‘until all these things occur.’ This suggests that some who are Christ’s anointed
brothers will still be alive on earth when the foretold great tribulation begins. …Can We Calculate the Length of ‘This Generation’?
…So when the term ‘generation’ is used with reference to people living at a particular time, the exact length of that time cannot
be stated except that it does have an end and would not be excessively long.”—The Watchtower, February 15, 2008, pp. 24-25
TRUE
OR FALSE?
17 Do you agree that Jehovah “will put all false prophets to shame …by not fulfilling the false prediction”? Do you agree, “false prophets will try to hide their reason for feeling shame by denying who they really are”?
“Jehovah, the
God of the true prophets, will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming
prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets. False prophets will
try to hide their reason for feeling shame by denying who they really are.”—Paradise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!, 1972, pp.
353-354
18 Does the Watchtower Society deny that they are a “false prophet” by claiming that they never presumed to “originate
predictions ‘in the name of Jehovah’ ”?
“Jehovah’s Witnesses, in their eagerness for Jesus’ second coming, having suggested
dates that turned out to be incorrect. Because of this, some have called them false prophets. Never in these instances, however, did
they presume to originate predictions ‘in the name of Jehovah.’”—Awake! March 22, 1993, p. 4
19 Is it true that Jehovah’s Witnesses
“never” presumed to speak as a “prophet” in the “name” of Jehovah?
“More accurately, was there any group on whom Jehovah would
be willing to bestow the commission to speak as a ‘prophet’ in His name, as was done toward Ezekiel back there in 613 B.C.E.? What were the qualifications? …It is of importance to every individual on earth to identify the group that Jehovah has commissioned
as his ‘servant’ or messenger. …For this reason forthcoming issues of The Watchtower will further discuss the identity and work of
Jehovah’s commissioned messenger as revealed in His vision to Ezekiel.”—The Watchtower, March 15, 1972, pp. 189-190
“ ‘They shall
know that A PROPHET WAS AMONG THEM’ …So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to
come? …He had a “prophet” to warn them. This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of
footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian
witnesses.”—The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197
20 Do you agree that people should no longer trust false prophets “as safe
guides”?
“Their prophecies did not come true. Therefore they are false prophets; and the people should no longer trust
them as safe guides…”—The Watch Tower, May 15, 1930, p. 156
“However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that
I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say
in your heart: ‘How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?’ when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word
does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not
get frightened at him.’ ” —Deuteronomy 18:20-22, New World Translation
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