Question about "millions now living will never die"

Perversion of a truth

Okay, so the other day someone posted something about the talk in 1918 givin by Rutherford (also released in pamplet and the talk repeated numerous times through 1924) titled "The World Has Ended, Millions Now Living Will Never Die". When looked up on the watchtower library, numerous times the talk is sometimes referred to as "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" and also "Millions Now Living May Never Die". My question is there some honest explanation as to why some times it would read "Will" and other times read "May"? Or is this just more deceit from this religion trying to rewrite their own history...?

Laika

When Rutherford first started giving the talk, it was originally called 'Millions now living may never die'

It was Rutherford himself who changed it later to 'Millions now living will never die'

EdenOne

And he changed the "may" to "will" because he was convinced that Armageddon would come in 1925 ...so it was getting closer.

Eden

gma-tired2

In our family pictures there is one where my Aunts in teens are standing by a big truck with a huge sign the reads "Many Now Living Will Never Die" These Aunts are all dead but one and she is in her 80s. I think my son has my mothers copy of this picture but he hasn't found it yet. I want him to post it here when he finds it.

Tech49

The change to the word "WILL" was made within a year or two after the initial release of the talk, and was forever thereafter known as the title we are all familiar with: MILLIONS NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE.

If you look at the online library, or the WT CDROM, the ONLY time the title MILLIONS NOW LIVING MAY NEVER DIE comes up is in that recent article, and only that one time.

Was it an intentional thing? Absolutely. The first time I saw the word MAY in the title, I was at a total loss. Only after researching it, did I understand where it came from. Because this is the ONLY time it has been referenced in any of the WT literature, you can be sure it was an intentional slant on the material, to force a gradual shift of the rank and file to start heading down the road of "they never said that", and "they never really MEANT the word NEVER".

It made me ill just to see a VERY obscure little tidbit of fact that was known to almost NOBODY (not even me!), twisted to fit the material in that WT article.

The worst part? No one ever said a word about it, just went right over everyone's head.

BluesBrother

blondie

***Proclaimers book jv p. 719 Noteworthy Events in the Modern-day History of Jehovah’s Witnesses ***

1918 The discourse “The World Has Ended—Millions Now Living MayNever Die” is first delivered, on February 24, in Los Angeles, California. On March 31, in Boston, Massachusetts, the talk is entitled “The World Has Ended—Millions Now Living Will Never Die”

*** yb75 p. 127 Part 2—United States of America ***

Contributing to disciple-making work in those days was a new preaching activity—the “Millions Campaign.” It featured distribution of the 128-page book Millions Now Living Will Never Die, placed with the people on a contribution of 25c a copy. The book was used in conjunction with a public-speaking program that began on September 25, 1920, and that centered around a lecture (originally entitled “The World Has Ended—Millions Now Living May Never Die”) given by J. F. Rutherford in Los Angeles on February 24, 1918, and published in the new book in 1920.

DATA-DOG

I wonder why the WTBTS did not try to revise that bit of history? Wouldn't it have been smart to switch the order from "will" to "may", instead of telling "the truth."

BluesBrother

Here is another pic that I scanned from the Proclaimers Book. p163. It surprises me that the WTS wants to present this as a meritous part of their history, when it was so totally and utterly wrong ?

I note what it says on the side of the kiosk.."This means what it says. It is a FACT. Investigate"

Some "fact"

OneEyedJack

Let's let Fred Franz, former president of the WT, explain the theories on when the world was supposed to end himself. He does it well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7coPgNoGQU

The whole video is worth a listen, but he specifically adresses this at about 5:30

Question about "millions now living will never die"

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