I'm on Revelation duty again this week. I figure if I'm marking it, I can comment on it, too. I'm just going to take a on bit of twisted history,"Thus, when C. T. Russell appeared for morning worship with the Brooklyn, New York Bethel family on the morning of October 2, 1914, he made the dramatic announcement: "The Gentile Times have ended; their kings have had their day." Indeed, the worldwide upheaval that began in 1914 was so far-reaching that many long-standing monarchies disappeared." (Revelation, it's Grand Climx At Hand, Chapter 18, para 5, p 105)
What they leave out, of course, is that Russell sincerely taught up to that time that the seven signs were fulfilled and Armageddon was immenent. I went hunting for more quotes from that period, and here's a small sampling. For those of you who may be attending the study this week, you may want to comment. For historical accuracy, of course.
The Watchtower Society is now highly bureaucratized, but "C. T. Russell," according to A. H. Macmillan, "had no idea of building a strongly knit organization. . . . We saw no need for it. We expected 1914 would mark the end of this system of things on earth. Our big concern . . . . . was to preach as effectively and extensively as possible before that date arrived. In the meantime, we thought, we must prepare ourselves individually to go to heaven." [Faith, p.44]
On October 2, 1914, Charles Taze Russell entered the Bethel dining room. "The Gentile Times have ended, their kings have had their day," he rumbled. "Anyone disappointed? I'm not. Everything is moving right on schedule." [Yearbook, 1975, p.73]
At the commencement of our Christian era, 606 years of this time had passed…which deducted from 2520, would show that the seven times would end in 1914…We will ask, but not now answer, another question: If the Gentile Times end in 1914, (and there are many other and clearer evidences pointing to the same time) and we are told that it shall be with fury poured out; a time of trouble such as never was before, nor ever shall be; a day of wrath etc., how long before does the church escape? as Jesus says, "watch that ye may be accounted worthy to escape those things coming upon the world".
Bible Examiner October 1876 pp. 27-28
We see no reason in 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.
The Watchtower July 15, 1894 p. 226
…the full end of the times of the Gentiles, i.e., the full end of their lease of dominion, will be reached in A.D. 1914; and that date will be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men.
The Time Is At Hand 1889 p. 76-77.
http://www.jwfiles.com/falsifies.htm
The culmination of Armageddon would occur in 1914 preceded by the gathering of all the saints (both resurrected and living) to heaven. Russell enumerated 7 expectations for 1914 in The Time is at Hand: "In this chapter we will present the Bible evidence proving that the full end of the times of the Gentiles, i.e., the full end of their lease of dominion, will be reached in A.D. 1914; and that date will be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men...
"Firstly, That at that date the Kingdom of God, for which our Lord taught us to pray, saying, 'Thy Kingdom come,' will obtain full, universal control, and that it will then be 'set up,' or firmly established, in the earth, on the ruins of present institutions.
"Secondly, It will prove that he whose right it is thus to take the domination will then be present as earth’s new Ruler...
"Thirdly, It will prove that some time before the end of A.D. 1914 the last member of the divinely recognized Church of Christ, the 'royal priesthood,' 'the body of Christ,' will be glorified with the Head...
"Fourthly, It will prove that from that time forward Jerusalem shall no longer be trodden down by the Gentiles...
"Fifthly, it will prove that by that date, or sooner, Israel’s blindness will begin to be turned away...
"Sixthly, It will prove that the great 'time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,' will reach its culmination in a world-wide reign of anarchy...
"Seventhly, It will prove that before that date [emphasis in original] God’s Kingdom, organized in power, will be in the earth and then smite and crush the Gentile image (Dan. 2:34) - and fully consume the power of these kings."[23]
At first the hopes for 1914 were stretched to "near the end of A.D. 1915."[24]A few months before his death in October 1916, Russell wrote: "We believe that the dates have proven to be quite right. We believe that Gentile Times have ended...The Lord did not say that the Church would all be glorified by 1914. We merely inferred it, and, evidently, erred."[25]Writing in the September 1, 1916 Watch Tower, Russell felt the war in Europe was the beginning of Armageddon: "Our eyes of understanding should discern clearly the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty now in progress." No longer willing to speculate as to the end of the "Harvest Work" (the gathering of the last of the 144,000), he did point to the destruction of the "nominal Church" as being due in April 1918.[26]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses#.22The_Time_Is_At_Hand.22_1874-1918
Ever since 1879 The Watch Tower had been calling attention to the foretold end of the present systems as due to begin in 1914. But while we were all looking forward to 1914 and the end of wickedness and sorrow in the earth, many of us were thinking more of our own personal, individual "change" than anything else. On August 23, 1914, as I well recall, Pastor Russell started on a trip to the Northwest, down the Pacific coast and over into the Southern states, and then ending at Saratoga Springs, New York, where we held a convention September 27-30. That was a highly interesting time because a few of us seriously thought we were going to heaven during the first week of that October. At that Saratoga Springs convention quite a number were in attendance. Wednesday (September 30) I was invited to talk on the subject, "The End of All Things Is at Hand; Therefore Let Us Be Sober, Watchful and Pray." Well, as one would say, that was down my road. I believed it myself sincerely — that the church was "going home" in October. During that discourse I made this unfortunate remark: "This is probably the last public address I shall ever deliver because we shall be going home soon." Next morning (October I ) about five hundred of us began the return trip to Brooklyn, including a lovely ride on the Hudson River Day Line steamer from Albany to New York. Sunday morning we were to open services in Brooklyn, this to conclude our convention. Quite a number of the conventioners stayed at Bethel, the home of the headquarters staff members. Friday morning (October 2) we all were seated at the breakfast table when Russell came down. As he entered the room he hesitated a moment as was his custom and said cheerily, "Good morning all." But this morning, instead of proceeding to his seat as usual, he briskly clapped his hands and happily announced: "The Gentile times have ended; their kings have had their day." We all applauded.
We were highly excited and I would not have been surprised if at that moment we had just started up, that becoming the signal to begin ascending heavenward — but of course there was nothing like that, really.
Russell took his seat at the head of the table and made a few remarks, and then I came in for some good-natured twitting. He said, "We are going to make some changes in the program for Sunday. At 10:30 Sunday morning Brother Macmillan will give us an address." Everybody laughed heartily, recalling what I had said on Wednesday at Saratoga Springs — my "last public address"!
Well, then I had to get busy to find something to say. I found Psalm 74: 9, "We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long." Now that was different. In that talk I tried to show the friends that perhaps some of us had been a bit too hasty in thinking that we were going to heaven right away, and the thing for us to do would be to keep busy in the Lord's service until he determined when any of his approved servants would be taken home to heaven.
http://reactor-core.org/faith-on-the-march.html (Faith on the March Page 47 and 48)