I don't think that one was ever in print, but it sure spread around in whispers around dinner tables with elders and that sort of thing.
Was I alone in my thinking about the year 1994?
by JimmyPage 17 Replies latest jw friends
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worf
You were not alone in your thinking. I was born into the borg and read and heard such predictions all my life.
In fact here are a couple more of their predictions in print: WT 1/1/89 page 12: "The apostle Paul was spearheading the Christian missionary activity. He was also laying a foundation for a work that would be completed in our 20th century."
My comment on the above is that all of us know that the society also always pointed out that when the preaching work would end, that would signal the "end" of this system and armageddon would begin. Well, not only has their so-called missionary activity continued past the 20th century, but the "end" has also not come.
Here is another one: WT DEC 1, 1968 page 715: " It is not reasonable to expect that present favorable conditions for preaching the good news will continue indefinitely. Besides, did not Jesus say that this generation will not pass away until all things are fulfilled? A generation, according to Psalm 90:10, is from seventy to eighty years. The generation that witnessed the end of the Gentile Times in 1914 does not have many more years left. "
As has been pointed out, 1914 + 80 = 1994. And that article was written in 1968.
And here is another prediction that indicates 1999 as the latest date that this system could last from the WT publication" The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah-How? from 1971 on page 216: " Shortly, within our twentieth century, the 'battle in the day of Jehovah' will begin against the modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom."
To have all of these false predictions in a concise collection, you can order the publication: "The End Is Near" - A Comprehensive Compilation Of Watchtower Dates from Randy's site.
Good thread.
Worf
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katiekitten
They set the sum up but they let you do the maths and come up with the answer. That way when nothing happens they can blame the R&F for being presumptuous and running ahead of jehoober.
The real problem is they just cant stop doing it. You'd think they would have been burned by 1914, but no. They just cant help themselves, but they will always be careful so say ' we never said that date, some presumptuous ones ran ahead of jehoober and tried to second guess him'.
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blondie
*** w68 12/1 p. 715 Putting First the Preaching of the Good News ***
Besides, did not Jesus say that this generation will not pass away until all things are fulfilled? A generation, according to Psalm 90:10, is from seventy to eighty years. The generation that witnessed the end of the Gentile Times in 1914 does not have many more years left.—Luke 21:24, 32-36.
*** w67 12/15 p. 751 pars. 27-29 "In All the Nations the Good News Has to Be Preached First" ***
Well, now, what about this preaching of God’s kingdom from even the days of the apostles and down to the end of the Gentile Times in the year 1914? Was this the fulfillment of Jesus’ words: "In all the nations the good news has to be preached first"? (Mark 13:10) It was thought so until early in this twentieth century. But note this: All such preaching of God’s kingdom was done before the ending of the Gentile Times in 1914 and it published God’s kingdom as coming, by world conversion, as many religionists of Christendom thought. Well, then, would such long-extended preaching, stretching out over almost nineteen centuries, be of itself any proof or indication that God’s kingdom had come? No! It is true that, in his prophecy foretelling the Kingdom preaching, Jesus said: "Truly I say to you that this generation [geneá] will by no means pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." But what about that expression "this generation"?—Mark 13:30, 31.
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By that expression Jesus was not referring to the entire church or congregation of his faithful disciples, from the day of Pentecost of 33 C.E. until the glorification in heaven of the last member of Christ’s congregation. True, the apostle Peter wrote to the Christian congregation and said: "You are ‘a chosen race [génos].’" (1 Pet. 2:9) But that race or generation would by now be a race or generation over nineteen hundreds of years old. The life length of such a generation would not be a brief time, and so it would not be confined to a limited time of tremendous urgency. However, the expression "this generation" was used by Jesus to mark a very limited period of time, the life-span of members of a generation of people living during the time that certain epoch-making events occurred. According to Psalm 90:10, that life-span could be of seventy years or even of eighty years.29
Into this comparatively short period of time must be crowded all the things that Jesus prophesied in answer to the request for a "sign when all these things are destined to come to a conclusion." (Mark 13:4) Because of its being a part of the "sign," the preaching of the "good news" first in all the nations must be a special preaching that is carried on to a finish during the lifetime of "this generation." It must, therefore, be an urgent work, which fact is one reason why it must be done "first."*** Man's Salvation (1975) sl chap. 1 p. 7 pars. 1-2 The Outlook After Sixty Years of World Distress ***
HOW much more will the present generation of mankind have to take of this world distress that has plagued us since 1914 C.E.? How much more can we take of it without reaching the worst—the end of mankind? Quite a number of us have managed to reach seventy years of age or more. Fewer of us have attained to eighty years of age or more. In times such as these, such an age attainment is very good, according to the age-old saying that set a reasonable time-length for a generation:
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"The days of our years in this life are seventy years; and if by uncommon vigour they be eighty, yet is their greatness trouble and mishap; for it soon hasteneth off, and we fly away."This is why the WTS had the change the 1914 generation doctrine in 1995. Many jws had reason to believe that 80 plus 1914 = 1994 and that was the outside date for the end to come.
Blondie
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BrentR
I worked in EMS from the early 80's through 91'. We often responed to calls at nursing homes and one thing I noticed is there were very few patients that were 90 or older. I realized by 1990 that "the generation" had for the most part passed away. Quite a contrast to "by no means will have passed away". I smelled bull$hit also and left in 90'.
The logic I used was "by no means will have passed away" (more living then dead) would be around 70, maybe 80 years old. There are alot of 70-80 year old people around but when you get to 90 yrs the population numbers go way down.
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DanTheMan
I've often wondered if there was any connection between the passing of Freddie Franz in 1994 and the Generations change in 1995. What I mean is, was there a faction at Bethel that had been pushing for New Light on the Generations interpretation long before 1995, but whose efforts were stymied by Fred and his peeps? Just speculating.
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lawrence
After all this evidence from their own publications, how can any thinking person ignore the facts that these are FALSE PROPHETS and should be shunned (in ancient Israel would have been stoned with big jagged rocks). This is no game. These are the thieves that Jesus spoke about, who steal souls. Wicked and mean miserable bastards whose mouths will be shut by the Heavens! New folks here, do your research, and never doubt your inner feelings... these are WICKED men!
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Nathan Natas
If memory serves, Gary Botting, the co-author of "The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses" tells a funny story about one of his experiences with one of his teachers in school. The teacher was very well-versed in JW misology and one day asked the class, "What religion expects the world to end in 1984?" Gary kept his hand down because he hadn't yet heard the "logic" of 1914 + 70 years. No one answered, so the teacher called on Gary anyway, since he knew Gary was a JW. "Gary, why don't you tell us?" Gary was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say.