Older ones here, what do you remember being told about 1975 ??? (page 4)

I remember the 1975 hype well. I didn't go to college right out of high school because of it. Some older pioneers that I often went in service with were totally conviced that 1975 would be "it". In 1968 the Circuit Servant, one Anthony Conte, electrified the congregation with his remarks, "Do you know that there are only 88 months left until October 1975? And do you realize what that means?"

Of course, all of this was completely at the Watchtower Society's direction, even though the lying bastards today do everything possible to distance themselves from their false predictions and charlatanish hype.

For a look at many of the Society's statements about 1975, see here: http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/pro3.htm

Here's another set of statements, many from the Kingdom Ministry brochure's intended only for JWs:

What Did the Watchtower Society Really Say About 1975?

Jehovah's Witnesses today often minimize or forget what the Watchtower Society said about Armageddon coming in 1975 in the years before that date. This is similar to their forgetfulness with respect to earlier dates that the Society set, such as 1914, 1918 and 1925.

For example, with respect to 1925 the Society said, in the book Millions Now Living Will Never Die (pages 89-90):

We may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old.

The May 15, 1922 Watch Tower said:

There can be no more question about 1925 than there was about 1914.

The June 15, 1922 Watch Tower said:

We affirm that, Scripturally, scientifically, and historically, present-truth chronology is correct beyond a doubt.

The July 15, 1922 Watch Tower said:

This chronology is not of man, but of God. Being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct.

The September 1, 1922 Watch Tower said:

The physical facts show beyond question of a doubt that 1914 ended the Gentile times . . . The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures.

The Watch Tower, April 1, 1923, said

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 (so far as the Scriptures reveal) upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge.

At a number of assemblies in 1976, Fred Franz, vice-president of the Watchtower Society, gave a talk in which he told how J. F. Rutherford characterized his proclamation of the 1925 date: "I know I made an ass of myself." Governing Body member Karl Klein, in his life story in the October 1, 1984 Watchtower, mentioned a similar recollection: "Regarding his misguided statements as to what we could expect in 1925, he once confessed to us at Bethel, 'I made an ass of myself.'?

How many of Jehovah's Witnesses today know these things? How many know the extent to which their organization promulgated false predictions about the date of the coming of Armageddon?

Getting back to 1975, while the Society published a number of cautionary notes warning Jehovah's Witnesses about being too specific about the date, it also published a good deal of material encouraging people to look forward to the date. For example, by the mid-1960s the Society had apparently forgotten much of what it had learned about setting dates. The book Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, said on pages 26-30:

The time is fast drawing near for the reality that was foreshadowed by the Jubilee of liberty to be proclaimed throughout the earth to all mankind.... Most certainly the near future would be the most appropriate time for it. God?s own written Word indicates that it is the appointed time for it.... In this twentieth century an independent study has been carried on that does not blindly follow some traditional chronological calculations of Christendom, and the published timetable resulting from this independent study gives the date of man?s creation as 4026 B.C.E. According to this 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 1975 C.E..... So in not many years within our own generation we are reaching what Jehovah God could view as the seventh day of man?s existence.

How appropriate it would be for Jehovah God to make of this coming seventh period of a thousand years a sabbath period of rest and release, a great Jubilee sabbath for the proclaiming of liberty throughout the earth to all its inhabitants! This would be most timely for mankind. It would also be most fitting on God?s part, for, remember, mankind has yet ahead of it what the last book of the Holy Bible speaks of as the reign of Jesus Christ over earth for a thousand years, the millennial reign of Christ.... It would not be by mere chance or accident but would be according to the loving purpose of Jehovah God for the reign of Jesus Christ, the "Lord of the sabbath," to run parallel with the seventh millennium of man?s existence.

Although the writer had not said flat out that 1975 would see the start of the millennium, he certainly intimated it. It would seem reasonable that if he said that it was "fitting" for God to do certain things, then he must have a good measure of certainty. If he was not certain then he was presumptuous. By saying "it would be according to the loving purpose of God" that the two millennia would coincide, does he not assure the reader of its certainty? Especially since all the suggestions of the "faithful and discreet slave" are to be accorded great weight?

The October 8, 1966 Awake! carried an article entitled "How Much Longer Will It Be?" and under the subheading "6,000 Years Completed in 1975," it too reasoned that the millennium would be the last 1000 years of a 7000-year rest day of God. Abandoning some of the caution shown in the above it said on page 19-20:

Hence, the fact that we are nearing the end of the first 6,000 years of man?s existence is of great significance.

Does God?s rest day parallel the time man has been on earth since his creation? Apparently so. From the most reliable investigations of Bible chronology, harmonizing with many accepted dates of secular history, we find that Adam was created in the autumn of the year 4026 B.C.E. Sometime in that year Eve could well have been created, directly after which God?s rest day commenced. In what year, then, would the first 6,000 years of man?s existence and also the first 6,000 years of God?s rest day come to an end? The year 1975. This is worthy of notice, particularly in view of the fact that the "last days" began in 1914, and that the physical facts of our day in fulfillment of prophecy mark this as the last generation of this wicked world. So we can expect the immediate future to be filled with thrilling events for those who rest their faith in God and his promises. It means that within relatively few years we will witness the fulfillment of the remaining prophecies that have to do with the "time of the end."

The October 15, 1966 Watchtower followed suit with the following comments (pp. 628-31):

Only a liberated people can preach a release to captives, conventioners were told in the speech "Preach a Release to the Captives," which thrilled them with its hopeful outlook. "Jehovah, the God of freedom and liberty, has freed his people from Babylonish bondage and has given them a work of liberation to do. That work of liberation and salvation must go on to the finish! To give aid today in this critical time to prospective sons of God," announced President Knorr, "a new book in English, entitled ?Life Everlasting ? in Freedom of the Sons of God,? has been published." At all assembly points where it was released, the book was received enthusiastically. Crowds gathered around stands and soon supplies of the book were depleted. Immediately its contents were examined. It did not take the brothers very long to find the chart beginning on page 31, showing that 6,000 years of man?s existence end in 1975. Discussion of 1975 overshadowed about everything else. "The new book compels us to realize that Armageddon is, in fact, very close indeed," said a conventioner. Surely it was one of the outstanding blessings to be carried home! . . .

At the Baltimore assembly Brother Franz in his closing remarks made some interesting comments regarding the year 1975. He began casually by saying, "Just before I got on the platform a young man came to me and said, ?Say, what does this 1975 mean? Does it mean this, that or any other thing?? " In part, Brother Franz went on to say: ?You have noticed the chart [on pages 31-35 in the book Life Everlasting ? in Freedom of the Sons of God]. It shows that 6,000 years of human experience will end in 1975, about nine years from now. What does that mean? Does it mean that God?s rest day began in 4026 B.C.E.? It could have. The Life Everlasting book does not say it did not. The book merely presents the chronology. You can accept it or reject it. If that is the case, what does that mean to us? [He went into some length showing the feasibility of the 4026 B.C.E. date as being the beginning of God?s rest day.]

?What about the year 1975? What is it going to mean, dear friends?? asked Brother Franz. ?Does it mean that Armageddon is going to be finished, with Satan bound, by 1975? It could! It could! All things are possible with God. Does it mean that Babylon the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that Babylon the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that the attack of Gog of Magog is going to be made on Jehovah?s witnesses to wipe them out, then Gog himself will be put out of action? It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don?t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975. But the big point of it all is this, dear friends: Time is short. Time is running out, no question about that.

?When we were approaching the end of the Gentile Times in 1914, there was no sign that the Gentile Times were going to end. Conditions on earth gave us no hint of what was to come, even as late as June of that year. Then suddenly there was a murder. World War I broke out. You know the rest. Famines, earthquakes and pestilences followed, as Jesus foretold would happen.

?But what do we have today as we approach 1975? Conditions have not been peaceful. We?ve been having world wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences and we have these conditions still as we approach 1975. Do these things mean something? These things mean that we?re in the "time of the end." And the end has to come sometime. Jesus said: "As these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near." (Luke 21:28) So we know that as we come to 1975 our deliverance is that much nearer.?

Statements such as these created a sense of urgency among Jehovah's Witnesses that was reflected in subsequent Society publications, including and especially in Kingdom Ministry articles. For example, the October 1966 KM (for the U.S.; all subsequent references are to the U.S. KM's) stated in the "Dear Publishers" letter (p. 1):

All of us who attended one of the "God's Sons of Liberty" District Assemblies this past summer were given much to think about, weren't we? The talks and the dramas made us feel the urgency of the times and the need of walking circumspectly before Jehovah.

This KM encouraged the placing of the special October 8, 1966 issue of Awake!, which considered the topic "Why Does God Permit Wickedness?" This issue contained the article "How Much Longer Will It Be?" in answer to the question "When will God bring an end to wickedness?" Under the subheading "6,000 Years Completed in 1975," it reasoned that the millennium would be the last 1000 years of a 7000-year rest day of God. On pages 19-20 it said:

The Bible shows that when God began to shape the earth for human habitation, he worked for six "days," or time periods. From the indications in God's Word, each was apparently 7,000 years in length. Then Genesis 2:22 states, Jehovah "proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made." This seventh day, God's rest day, has progressed nearly 6,000 years, and there is still the 1,000-year reign of Christ to go before its end. (Rev. 20:3, 7) This seventh 1,000-year period of human existence could well be likened to a great sabbath day, pictured by the sabbath day God commanded ancient Israel to keep after working for six days. (Ex. 20:8-10; 2 Pet. 3:8) After six thousand years of toil and bondage to sin, sickness, death and Satan, mankind is due to enjoy a rest and is in dire need of a rest. (Heb. 4:1-11) Hence, the fact that we are nearing the end of the first 6,000 years of man's existence is of great significance.

Does God's rest day parallel the time man has been on earth since his creation? Apparently so. From the most reliable investigations of Bible chronology, harmonizing with many accepted dates of secular history, we find that Adam was created in the autumn of the year 4026 B.C.E. Sometime in that year Eve could well have been created, directly after which God's rest day commenced. In what year, then, would the first 6,000 years of man's existence and also the first 6,000 years of God's rest day come to an end? The year 1975. This is worthy of notice, particularly in view of the fact that the "last days" began in 1914, and that the physical facts of our day in fulfillment of prophecy mark this as the last generation of this wicked world. So we can expect the immediate future to be filled with thrilling events for those who rest their faith in God and his promises. It means that within relatively few years we will witness the fulfillment of the remaining prophecies that have to do with the "time of the end."

The bolded statements clearly indicate that the Society's thinking was that because Eve was likely created within a short time of Adam, and the 7th creative day commenced shortly after Eve's creation, and the 6th creative day was going to end in the autumn of 1975, it was virtually a sure thing that Christ's Millennial Reign would begin at that time. This will be further illustrated in subsequent quotations.

Continuing the theme of urgency, the December 1966 KM said (p. 4): "Never have we felt the nearness of Armageddon and the urgency of our work as we do now."

The February 1967 KM contained an insert with the sub-article "Serving Jehovah in the Time Remaining" (pp. 4-5). It commented on the number of "vacation pioneers" and asked, "what motivated them to vacation pioneer?" The answer included these comments:

Many of them had in mind Jesus' electrifying words: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." Our very generation is seeing the sign marking Jesus' second presence. Truly, "the time left is reduced." (Matt. 24:34; 1 Cor. 7:29) For this reason many of your brothers, young and old, appreciated the importance of serving God in the time remaining. Having Scriptural responsibilities that prevented them from sharing in the ministry as regular pioneers, missionaries or members of Bethel families, they demonstrated their appreciation of the shortness of the time remaining by vacation pioneering.

Expectations were further inflamed in 1967. The following is taken from a talk entitled "Serving with Everlasting Life In View," given at a circuit assembly in the spring of 1967 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin by Charles Sunutko, a District Servant and representative of the Society. Sunutko emphasized the nearness of Armageddon and specifically said that it would come before 1975. Speaking of the world to come after Armageddon, he said:

Well, now, who will be there, of us here tonight? For the Society has made application of this scripture, in pointing out that those of us among Jehovah?s Witnesses that are not regularly associating with his people, without good cause, such as being flat on our back, will not be in the new order. And we?re the ones that are going to come around when the doors close, and say ?I want in now. Sir, open to us!? And Jesus will have to say, ?I?m sorry, I don?t even recognize you.? Now wouldn?t that be an awful thing. Do you see now why the Society implores us, year in and year out, the same old thing, ?Brothers, get in the flock. Don?t let any excuses get in our way. Nothing of any nature. There?s only one thing that?s going to count when that time comes, and that?s that we are inside.? And we hope that all of us here tonight are going to listen to the Society?s imploring. We?re going to listen to the agonizing entreaty, ?Brothers get in!?, because they know what?s coming. And it?s coming fast ? and don?t wait till ?75. The door is going to be shut before then.

In line with these expectations, the lead article "All the More So" in the July 1967 KM (p. 1) said:

Are you glad that you have remained faithful until now? Certainly! ... This being true, what should be our attitude toward meeting together in the days ahead as the end of the old system draws near and the outside pressures increase? The apostle Paul provides the answer in the verses that support our theme for the month of July. Read carefully Hebrews 10:23-25 and note Paul's encouragement to meet together and build one another up and to do this all the more so as we "behold the day drawing near." Obviously, then, we will need to give even more attention to supporting God's house in the time ahead.

The lead article "The Finest Work on Earth" in the October 1967 KM (p. 1) continued the theme of preaching with a sense of urgency:

It is a real pleasure to have a part in the finest work done on earth today, the work Jehovah is asking us to do in these "last days," isn't it? All of us appreciate that there is little time left for this present system of things. In the remaining time it is our desire to share in the preaching work as fully as possible so as to help many more honest-hearted persons to escape from Babylon the Great.

The lead article "Help Wanted" in the December 1967 KM (p. 1) said:

"For what?" you may ask. To do the Kingdom preaching work. The remaining time is short, and, as Jesus put it, "the good news has to be preached first," before the old system comes to its end. (Mark 13:10) True, there are more than 300,000 helpers in the field in this country, but we know you will agree that more are needed to get the job done thoroughly.

The March 1968 KM contained an insert titled "An Opportunity to Increase Your Happiness" (pp. 3-6) that encouraged "vacation pioneering" in April. It contained some statements that were electrifying to many of the friends:

Since we have dedicated ourselves to Jehovah, we want to do his will to the fullest extent possible. Making some special effort to do more than the usual helps us live up to our dedication. In view of the short period of time left, we want to do this as often as circumstances permit. Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of man's existence on earth is completed. Do you remember what we learned at the assemblies last summer? The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out, and there are no resurrection hopes for those who are destroyed then. So, now more than ever, it is vital not to ignore that spirit of wanting to do more.

The May 1, 1968 Watchtower continued this stimulation of anticipation. Using much the same argument as the above article, it said on page 272:

The immediate future is certain to be filled with climactic events, for this old system is nearing its complete end. Within a few years at most the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these "last days" will undergo fulfillment, resulting in the liberation of surviving mankind into Christ?s glorious 1,000-year reign. What difficult days, but, at the same time, what grand days are just ahead!

It is obvious that the Society was now strongly encouraging the friends to believe that Christ would begin his millennial rule very soon, likely by about the beginning of October 1975. The "Dear Publishers" letter in the June 1968 KM continued this theme:

Yes, Jehovah has surely filled our mouths with song, and as we move on into June's activities, expressing gratitude in a practical manner, we shall, in effect, be sharing in a victory procession--the joyful march toward mankind's grand millennium of deliverance!

Similarly, the October 8, 1968 Awake!, on page 13, emphasized the shortness of the time:

The fact that fifty-four years of the period called the "last days" have already gone by is highly significant. It means that only a few years, at most, remain before the corrupt system of things dominating the earth is destroyed by God.

In 2001, some thirty five years later, we may ask, What does the phrase "the immediate future" mean? How many years are "a few years at most"?

Among the strongest of encouragements about the urgency of 1975 was the article "Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?" in the August 15, 1975 Watchtower. Note that the question was not, "Are You Looking Forward..." but "Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?" This is a clear proof that the Society in effect told JWs that they ought to have been looking forward to 1975. Many JWs fully took this signal to heart.

This Watchtower of August 15, 1968, spoke at length about the significance of 1975 on pages 488-501. In the article "The Book of Truthful Historical Dates" it said on page 488:

Do we know that the seventh year from now will conclude the 6,000th year since Adam was created? And if we live to that year 1975, what should we expect to happen?

In this Watchtower, the article "Why Are You Looking Forward To 1975?" raised a good deal of anticipation when it said on page 494:

What about all this talk concerning the year 1975? Lively discussions, some based on speculation, have burst into flame during recent months among serious students of the Bible. [which students, and who started the fire?] 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 nearness of such an important date indeed fires the imagination and presents unlimited possibilities for discussion.

.... of what benefit is this information to us today?.... why should we be any more interested in the date of Adam?s creation than in the birth of King Tut?.... in the fall of the year 1975, a little over seven years from now.... it will be 6,000 years since the creation of Adam.

Note the sense of urgency, and the implication that 6000 years is a figure of special significance. Continuing on page 499:

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. If these two periods run parallel with each other as to the calendar year, it will not be by mere chance or accident but will be according to Jehovah?s loving and timely purposes. [What can we say of this from the perspective of 1998?] 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. It does not necessarily mean that 1975 marks the end of the first 6,000 years of Jehovah?s seventh creative "day." Why not? Because after his creation Adam lived some time during the "sixth day," which unknown amount of time would need to be subtracted from Adam?s 930 years, to determine when the sixth seven-thousand-year period or "day" ended, and how long Adam lived into the "seventh day." And yet the end of that sixth creative "day" could end within the same Gregorian calendar year of Adam?s creation. It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years.

Note how this reasoning produces a sense of urgency in the reader. It also ignores the express statement in Genesis 2:23 "This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Why would the Bible use the term "at last" if only a short period of less than one year were involved? The Society is well aware of this; Fred Franz did most of the translating of the Hebrew Scriptures and he wrote Life Everlasting In Freedom of the Sons of God, in which this reckoning was first emphasized. Also, there is no scriptural justification for requiring that Eve?s creation marked the end of the sixth creative day. There is plenty of room for extra time, as the events since 1975 have borne out.

Actually there is no scriptural justification whatsoever for Fred Franz?s continual strong emphasis that the 6000 or 7000 year figures mean anything at all. C. T. Russell placed the acceptance of the 6000 year prophetic scheme in proper perspective when he wrote, in The Time Is At Hand, 1889, page 39:

And though the Bible contains no direct statement that the seventh thousand will be the epoch of Christ?s reign, the great Sabbath Day of restitution to the world, yet the venerable tradition is not without reasonable foundation.

One of the people Russell got many ideas from was a Lutheran minister from Philadelphia named Joseph A. Seiss. For many years Seiss was the editor of a magazine called The Prophetic Times. In the January, 1870 issue, Vol. VIII No. 1, pages 12-3, Seiss discussed his ideas on Bible chronology, giving figures that he said were evidence that "1870 brings us to the commencement of the Seventh Thousand of the years since the present world began." In contrast with Barbour and Russell, Seiss was not dogmatic about these figures: "We lay no great stress upon the arithmetic of prophecy; because the starting-points, as well as many of the integers of the calculations, lack in certainty."

As for the "Great Sabbath Day" tradition, Russell wrote:

It has been a very old, and a very widely accredited theory, that the world, of which Adam was the beginning, is to continue 6000 years in its secular, ailing and toiling condition; and that the seventh thousand is to be one of glorious sabbatic rest, ushered in by the winding up of this present age or dispensation.

The idea is indeed a venerable tradition. It may ultimately be based on an old tradition that the seventh creative day of Genesis is itself 7000 years long, and that the Messiah would reign during the final 1000 years of it. A very early source, quite possibly 1st century A.D., is the New Testament apocryphal book called "The Epistle of Barnabas." There exist a number of early Christian writings sometimes referred to as the apocrypha of the New Testament, which were at one time or another considered for membership in the New Testament canon. From the 1979 reprint of a 1926 English translation of these, called The Lost Books of the Bible, here are the relevant passages:

Furthermore it is written concerning the sabbath, in the Ten Commandments, which God spake in the Mount Sinai to Moses, face to face; Sanctify the sabbath of the Lord with pure hands, and with a clean heart. And elsewhere he saith; If thy children shall keep my sabbaths, then will I put my mercy upon them. And even in the beginning of the creation he makes mention of the sabbath. And God made in six days the works of his hands; and he finished them on the seventh day, and he rested the seventh day, and sanctified it.

Consider, my children, what that signifies, he finished them in six days. The meaning of it is this; that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring all things to an end. For with him one day is a thousand years; as himself testifieth, saying, Behold this day shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, shall all things be accomplished. And what is that he saith, And he rested the seventh day: he meaneth this; that when his Son shall come, and abolish the season of the Wicked One, and judge the ungodly; and shall change the sun and the moon, and the stars; then he shall gloriously rest in that seventh day. [The Lost Books of the Bible, p. 160-2; Chap. 13, The Epistle of Barnabas]

This writer wrote a letter to the Society in the early 1970s, expressing his misgivings about the 6000 and 7000 years as exact numbers. Their reply said, essentially, that rounding off the numbers is an assumption, i.e., since we are near the 6000 year mark already, and the end is so close, the round number 6000 looks awfully nice.

Another point is that if 6000 years, as an exact number, has any meaning, and if Jesus was actually the one through whom God created everything else, and if angels were witnesses to all that creative activity, as Job 38:7 seems to indicate, then Jesus and the angels would have been able to figure out when the final end of the world would come. But Jesus said explicitly: "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." Therefore the 6000 year round number assumption must be incorrect.

Ignoring these considerations, the August 15, 1968 Watchtower article continues, on page 500:

This time between Adam?s creation and the beginning of the seventh day, the day of rest, let it be noted, need not have been a long time. It could have been a rather short one. The naming of the animals by Adam, and his discovery that there was no complement for himself, required no great length of time.

Note how definite the writer is on this point. It is clear that producing a sense of urgency is the whole point of the article. Continuing on pages 500-501:

One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled Bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of man?s existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent.

The article even implies that one should be careful about putting too much weight on Jesus? own cautionary words:

This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that "concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the "day and hour."

The article even justifies producing a sense of urgency:

There was a ring of alarm and a cry of urgency in all their [the apostles] writings.... And rightly so. If they had delayed or dillydallied and had been complacent with the idea the end was was some thousands of years off they would never have finished running the race set before them.

As if the apostles needed to be kept in the dark or they would have slacked off. This speaks volumes as to the Society?s attitude toward those in its care.

The Watchtower, May 1, 1968, abandoned all caution when it said on page 271, paragraph 4:

Thus, Adam?s naming of the animals and his realizing that he needed a counterpart would have occupied only a brief time after his creation. Since it was also Jehovah?s purpose for man to multiply and fill the earth, it is logical that he would create Eve soon after Adam, perhaps just a few weeks or months later in the same year, 4026 B.C.E. After her creation, God?s rest day, the seventh period, immediately followed.

The study question for this paragraph asked, "When were Adam and Eve created?" Paragraphs 5 and 6 then said:

Therefore, God?s seventh day and the time man has been on earth apparently run parallel. To calculate where man is in the stream of time relative to God?s seventh day of 7,000 years, we need to determine how long a time has elapsed from the year of Adam and Eve?s creation in 4026 B.C.E.....

The seventh day of the Jewish week, the sabbath, would well picture the final 1,000-year reign of God?s kingdom under Christ when mankind would be uplifted from 6,000 years of sin and death. (Rev. 20:6) Hence, when Christians note from God?s timetable the approaching end of 6,000 years of human history, it fills them with anticipation. Particularly is this true because the great sign of the "last days" has been in the course of fulfillment since the beginning of the "time of the end" in 1914.

Compare this with what Russell had said in The Time Is At Hand (see above) ? the idea the sabbath day pictures the 7th 1000 year period was a venerable tradition even in his day.

The Watchtower article added a cautionary note on page 272:

Does this mean that the year 1975 will bring the battle of Armageddon? No one can say with certainty what any particular year will bring.

However, this cautionary note was bound to be lost in view of the strong previous statements. That some Watchtower writers lost their caution is further emphasized by the statement in the October 8, 1968 Awake!, which said on page 14:

According to reliable Bible chronology Adam and Eve were created in 4026 B.C.E.

Such a statement is equivalent to a statement that "Armageddon will arrive in 1975", because of the Society's definite statements that Christ's millennial rule must begin immediately after the beginning of the 7th creative day, which the Society definitely stated began immediately after Eve's creation.

Further indicating this, the 1969 book Aid to Bible Understanding indicated that Adam and Eve were created in the same year. On page 333, under the subject "Chronology," it said that the time from Adam?s creation to the birth of Seth was 130 years, and on page 538, under the subject "Eve," it said that at the age of 130 Eve gave birth to Seth. Since this book was published as an authoritative, encyclopedia-like reference, these comments again assured the reader that the Society was certain that Adam and Eve were created in the same year, and implied that it was certain that "everything would be over" by 1975.

The 1969 booklet The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years was also definite about 1975. On pages 25-26 it said:

More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the 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.

The above material is remarkably similar in spirit to the admittedly asinine claims made by J. F. Rutherford in Millions Now Living Will Never Die.

As stated above, some very direct statements about 1975 came from Kingdom Ministry. The March, 1968 issue urged getting into pioneer service, saying:

In view of the short period of time left, we want to do this as often as circumstances permit. Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of man?s existence on earth is completed.

The Kingdom Ministry of June 1969 mentioned approvingly that some were turning down scholarships and employment in the spirit of increased service.

The May, 1974 Kingdom Ministry, having referred to the "short time left," approvingly said:

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.

At this point some may say, "Oh, but all of this stuff just shows that the Society was merely speculating about 1975." Not so! The 1974 book God?s "Eternal Purpose" Now Triumphing for Man?s Good shows that the idea that the 7th "creative day" began in 4026 B.C.E. was by this time a well-established doctrine. Without reticence, page 51 displays the subtitle "?Evening? of Seventh Creative ?Day? Begins, 4026 B.C.E."

Another proof of the Society's taking the lead in promoting 1975 as the date of Armageddon was its promotion of a six-month Bible study program. At the summer district conventions in 1968 the Society instituted a new six-month bible study program that was to be based on the new "Truth" book -- The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life -- a.k.a., "the blue bombshell". This program was a direct result of acting on the belief that the times were particularly urgent. The September 1968 KM (p. 8) gave details of the new program in the article "A New Outlook on Bible Studies" in the "Presenting the Good News" section:

Free home Bible studies are a hallmark of Jehovah's witnesses the world around. How helpful this work has been in aiding hundreds of thousands of persons to come to an accurate knowledge of the truth and to take their stand on Jehovah's side! But now time is running short for this old system of things and we want to help as many sheeplike ones as we can to learn the truth and act on it while there is still time.

So we have a new approach to use in the Bible-study work. Yes, it is still free of charge. But, as suggested at the "Good News for All Nations" district assemblies this summer, we will seek to help as many people as possible through a six-month Bible-study program.

To accomplish this, endeavor to hold your studies each week. If an unavoidable situation arises and you personally have to miss a study, perhaps another publisher with whom the householder is acquainted can conduct the study that week. Progress is directly related to the regularity of the study. Have in mind helping them learn enough of the truth so that they can act on it within six months...

At all times keep before interested ones the importance of beginning to associate with Jehovah's people at the meetings. If, at the end of six months of intensive study and conscientious efforts to get them to meetings, they are not yet associating with the congregation, then it may be best to use your time to study with someone else who really wants to learn the truth and make progress. Make it your goal to present the good news on Bible studies in such a way that interested ones will act within six months!

Many JWs were not happy about this new arrangement, because it was very hard to get Bible students under the best of circumstances. For those wanting to qualify to pioneer, it was especially difficult because one of the qualifications was holding several regular Bible studies, so pioneer-wannabes needed to hold on to every student they had. Prior to this time it was not unusual for a Bible student to continue for two to five years before making a decision.

During these years the Society constantly stressed the urgency of the times. The lead article "Making Known an Urgent Message" in the October 1968 KM plugged the above-quoted October 8 special Awake! on "Is It Later Than You Think?":

A few weeks ago you heard a letter read to your congregation about the October 8 special issue of Awake! But by now you no doubt have your own copy, and you have seen for yourself what it contains. Isn't it fine? How appropriate this material is for our magazine that bears the title "Awake!" With a powerful array of facts, persuasive argument and visual aids it drives home the point that we really are living in the "last days." Kindly but firmly it emphasizes the fact that the time left is very short and that, if a person wants to serve God and survive into his righteous new system, he must take the necessary steps now.

The November 1968 KM again emphasized the urgency of the new bible study program, and made it clear that publishers were to discontinue studies that were unproductive after six months. This was a two-pronged method that got publishers to be more enthusiastic door-to-door preachers, and forced bible students to really think about what they were learning. The article "In the Short Time Remaining" in the "Presenting the Good News" section (p. 8) gave suggestions on presenting the Truth book:

How often does your congregation cover its territory? Do you reach every home at least three times a year? Is it a thorough coverage each time, getting each not-at-home and speaking to different occupants in the house? In view of the shortness of the remaining time, it makes one stop and think, doesn't it?

Also, after you have found interested persons and started home Bible studies with them, think how long it takes to teach them the truth, bring them along to dedication and baptism, train them in the field ministry and assist them to progress to maturity! Yes, we all do well to think seriously about having a good share now in the door-to-door work, not postponing it until some later time.--Mark 13:10.

There are other reasons for sharing fully in the door-to-door work. With the improved method of conducting home Bible studies, many students will be making a decision much sooner than has been done in the past. Some will show the necessary initiative and will act. They will progress toward maturity much faster and the study can be stopped sooner. Others will not act on the knowledge they take in and we will discontinue the study. Thus it will not be a matter of conducting a study for years as some have done in the past but there will be a concluding of studies and a need to start new studies. It will require regular and effective door-to-door work in order for these new studies to be started. It will be good to be conducting more than one study at a time so that we will be regular in this feature of the work and thus will always be teaching someone the truth if one of our studies is discontinued.

The Society published the pointed article "Have You Been Studying for Six Months?" in the May 15, 1969 Watchtower (pp. 309-12). It was aimed at new bible students and gave publishers information helpful to get their students to make a decision. Again the idea was that a decision was necessary because of the urgency of the times. The article said:

ARE you among the over one million persons who are at present being helped by Jehovah's witnesses to learn what the Holy Bible teaches? If you are, likely you are using the Bible-study aid The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. Undoubtedly it has helped you to learn many wonderful things about God and his will for mankind.

Those of you who have been studying the Bible for about six months should by now be in position to decide whether you are going to follow through on what you have learned. Do you really want to become a dedicated and baptized worshiper of Jehovah God and do you want to share with others the life-giving truths from God's Word? ...

DECISION NOW IS VITAL

The urgency of the times in which we are living requires that we do all we can to bring our lives into harmony with God's will. From what you have learned you know why this system of things is rapidly deteriorating before our eyes. You know the meaning of the unrest and increased violence in all the earth. All this shows that we have approached the very brink of the earth-cleansing destruction of which Jesus and the Bible writers prophesied!

This is the most serious time in human history, and you are living in this time of change. "The world is passing away," the Bible says, but those who do 'the will of God will remain forever.' (1 John 2:17) Your studying the Bible is to equip you to learn that will of God so you can do it. Yes, there is a purpose behind this study; there is a future attached to it...

In view of the short time left in which to do their work, Jehovah's witnesses do not continue to study the Bible with any who fail to respond to its urgent message within six months. The nearness of this system's end compels them to use their time in the most effective way possible. So they feel obligated to spend their time calling on someone else who might respond by attending meetings at the Kingdom Hall and by speaking to others about the Bible truths learned. Thus it may be that if you have not as yet responded by even becoming a regular attender at some of the congregation meetings, the one who is studying the Bible with you may cancel that study arrangement in order to give his time to someone else. This arrangement is not meant to be harsh, but the urgency of the times in which we live demands it. There are millions of persons who need spiritual help and God's servants want to reach all they possibly can.

We, therefore, urge you to consider very carefully your position. You have embarked on a course of study that has opened up to you the magnificent opportunity of life forever in eternal happiness. (John 17:3) If you love God and appreciate his provision for eternal life, do not turn your back on it. Realize that God has shown great consideration for you by making it possible for someone to come to your home to help you learn His will and purposes. Respond to his divine love by deciding now to do his will, along with the entire association of those who are serving God "with spirit and truth."-John 4:23, 24.

The May 1969 KM followed this up with the article "Have You Studied with Them for Six Months?" (p. 3). It instructed publishers who had been studying the Truth book with new ones for more than six months to evaluate how the student was doing. After considering a few negative specifics, it asked whether the student fit them and said:

If so, the fact that the book has not been completed is not a sound reason for spending more than six months with such a person who lacks appreciation. It might be better to go to chapter fourteen, if this has not yet been studied; study it together and then terminate the study if the householder is not taking any positive action to associate regularly with the congregation... Has the student begun to associate with the local congregation in a meaningful way? ... Has the householder demonstrated that he is taking the truth to heart and has set his mind on serving Jehovah? How? If he formerly had images around the house, have these been removed? ...If positive action is not being taken by the householder, it is likely that the study should not be continued... If you are planning to discontinue a particular study, it might be well to spend one or two sudy periods with the student having a heart-to-heart discussion about the things that have been learned and their significance and the urgency of the times, rather than going ahead with a regular study of additional material... there is an urgency about our work and we have a responsibility before God to use our time to aid persons who truly want to serve him... We appreciate the urgency of the work we are doing. When individuals show by their actions that they want to do Jehovah's will, we will continue to aid them. Where substantial progress is not seen, then, rather than continuing the study, we do well to spend that time each week trying to find and help someone who is sincerely interested in doing something about the truth.

In the March 1969 KM insert (p. 6) the Society urged new ones to begin sharing in field service:

Remember that Jehovah's organization in heaven and on earth backs up those who serve Jehovah by proclaiming the "good news." (Rev. 14:6, 7) We recognize, as you do, that we are deep into the "time of the end." There is little time left for this old system of things.

The sense of urgency was effective in getting some students to make a decision. The June 1, 1969 Watchtower (p. 347) said:

Even folks who studied the Bible with the Witnesses for years without acting on what they learned are now taking a decisive stand to serve Jehovah. One family in the southern United States who had studied with the Witnesses for three years had done very little about what they had learned. But when they were told about the new six-month Bible-study arrangement, they were visibly touched. Now for the first time a real sense of urgency struck them. They could not bear the thought of having all connections with Jehovah's people severed. So they sent a letter of withdrawal to the Baptist church because they knew that they were not being taught the Bible's truth there. They began attending all the Bible meetings of Jehovah's witnesses and sharing with others the things they learned.

The lead article "Time Left Is Reduced" in the October 1969 KM again continued the sense of urgency (p. 1):

Time is passing by quickly, isn't it? Just think, each passing day draws us one day closer to the end of this wicked system of things and one day closer to the time when the peace of a thousand years will begin.

The letter from the Brooklyn Branch Office, "Dear Kingdom Publishers", in the December 1969 KM said (p. 1):

We are very thankful to Jehovah that he is giving such increases and gathering so many sheeplike persons in these "last days." ... We hope there will be a large number of new publishers joining with us in the service during December and on into 1970. Indeed, we have good reasons to hold our heads up high as we see our deliverance drawing near.

Ironically, the lead article "Faith Builders at Work" in the December 1969 KM said:

If ever there was a need for faith building it is now. It makes one sorry to see so many people, young and old, with no faith in God and no hope for the future. Expectations built up by the false promises of secular and religious leaders have been postponed so many times that the hearts of the people in general are sick. But as the apostle Paul explained, "faith is not a possession of all people." It is, though, of Jehovah's Christian witnesses. We have confidence in the sure promises of the Word of God.--2 Thess. 3:2.

The 1970 Yearbook (p. 34) stressed the urgency of the times:

Jehovah's witnesses feel the urgency of getting this work done under Jehovah God's guidance. They feel the time is near at hand for the end of this wicked system of things.

The "Question Box" in the February 1970 KM (p. 4) asked the question, "How should we go about terminating unfruitful Bible studies?" and answered:

This is a question that we ought to consider if any of our present studies have been in progress for approximately six months. Are they coming to the congregation meetings as yet, and are they beginning to make their lives over in harmony with what they have learned from God's Word? If so, we want to continue to help them. But, if not, it may be that we could accomplish more good with our time by using it to witness to others.

If you realize that you should terminate a particular study, discuss it with the householder in a kindly way. Let him know that you have counted it a privilege to share with him what the Bible says, but remind him that it is a six-month free study course that we offer. Now it is up to him to decide what he will do about what he has learned and to take the initiative to follow through.-Josh. 24:14, 15.

Emphasize the urgency of the times and explain that we want to give others the same opportunity to learn the truth and take their stand on Jehovah's side.-Zeph. 2:3.

Explain to the householder that you will be available and that if he wants to get in touch with you you will be glad to help him spiritually. Encourage him to think seriously about the course he should take in order to please Jehovah and to pray about it. Urge him to come to the meetings, and let him know that if he really decides to serve Jehovah and regularly associates with the congregation, you will be glad to resume the study, using more advanced material to help him progress to maturity.

The March 1970 KM reported on how well publishers were doing in dropping unproductive bible students. The article "Become `Intensely Occupied with the Word'" in the "Presenting the Good News" section said (p. 4):

A little over a year ago we were introduced to the six-month home Bible-study program. We immediately grasped that this would be an additional effective method to help get the work done in the short time remaining.

Now reports from the field show that Bible studies are being discontinued as publishers realize that the student is not making progress. This is entirely proper. There is no reason to spend our time with those who obviously are not really interested in doing something about the truths they are learning. Some publishers still ask, "How can I know whether to discontinue the study when they appear to be interested and still are glad to have me come?" The answer is that we discontinue studies when it is apparent that there is not the appreciation for the truth that there should be. There might be interest in continuing to take in knowledge. But is there appreciation for the knowledge already taken in? Appreciation for Jehovah and the truth is demonstrated by deeds...

Apparently the matter is being taken seriously by the brothers, because circuit servant reports show that many publishers unhesitatingly discontinue studies when the time comes to do so.

In view of the above information from various Society publications -- from The Watchtower, Awake!, Kingdom Ministry, Yearbooks and from various books and booklets that have not been quoted here -- it does no good for any of Jehovah's Witnesses to try to say that the Society never encouraged belief that 1975 would bring Armageddon. It is a documented fact that they did. It is clear that the Society dogmatically taught that Adam and Eve were created in 4026 B.C.E., that the 7th creative day began then, that 6,000 years of human history would end in 1975, and that the Millennium would be the last part of the 7th day. These dogmatic statements lead inevitably to the conclusion that the Battle of Armageddon would have to be over by late 1975.

As 1975 approached, the Society backed off a bit from the earlier dogmatism. Sometimes when commenting on the "Adam and Eve gap" the Society or its representatives would say that it was not known for certain how long this "gap" was, but would then turn around and imply strongly that it had to be "a short time." For example, Fred Franz gave a talk at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on February 10, 1975. In his address, "Time in Which We Are Now Interested," Franz stated that 6,000 years of human history would definitely end at sundown, September 5, 1975. He also disclosed what many Witnesses were expecting in 1975:

Now [in] our inquiries around the world with brothers as to what they?re expecting to occur between now and the end of 1975, it is revealed, that some, are very sanguine about matters in the near future, and they?re expecting the great tribulation to occur and the destruction of Babylon the Great and the annihilation of all the political systems of this world and then the binding of Satan and his demons and their abyssing to occur before this year is ended. This year 1975. And immediately thereafter the thousand year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ to begin. So they expect a great deal. And they?re venting their views to their brothers and sisters in the congregations and raising their expectations very, very high indeed. Well now, we?re not saying that by the end of this year 1975 all these things cannot take place. That God cannot bring all these things about! He can! He?s almighty. And this omniptent One can bring this about in a hurry if He wants to do so. But, in view of what the Scriptures inform us, are we warranted in expecting so much to occur by September 5, 1975? . . .

Franz then explained again the significance of the "Adam and Eve gap," that there was a time interval between Adam?s creation and Eve?s, and that the 6th creative day ended only after Eve?s creation. So while September 5, 1975 would mark the end of 6,000 years of man?s existence, it did not necessarily mean that mankind would be 6,000 years into the 7th day. This view was later presented in the October 1, 1975 Watchtower. If this time interval were one month, then things could terminate in October, if two months, November, and so on. Franz stated, "Well, since that is the case, then we do not necessarily have to insist or even expect that everything is going to be through and over with by September 5 of this year. . . ."

Despite such words of caution, Franz lapsed into producing the usual sense of urgency:

. . . After September 5, things could happen, and it looks very likely they?re going to happen, according to the way that affairs are going in the world . . .

. . . So it could come, quickly, within a short time after the terminal day of the lunar year 1975. And we should not jump to wrong decisions on that account and say, well, the time after September 5, 1975 is indefintely long and so it will allow for me to realize my human aspirations, getting married and raising a family ? kids; or, going to college for a few years and learning engineering and finding a fine position as an engineer . . . or some other prominent, fine paying job. No! The time does not allow for that dear friends . . . . Evidently there is not much time left . . .

So according to Franz, who was in practice the head theologian of the Society, Armageddon and the millennial reign of Christ could take place almost immediately ? or at some time during the next few years.

The Watchtower, May 1, 1975, said that Franz soon addressed a Watchtower Bible School of Gilead graduation held on March 2, 1975, and said much the same as at the Los Angeles Sports Arena:

Another speaker, F. W. Franz, the Society?s vice-president, forcefully impressed on the audience the urgency of the Christian preaching work. He stressed that, according to dependable Bible chronology, 6,000 years of human history will end this coming September according to the lunar calendar. This coincides with a time when "the human species [is] about to starve itself to death," as well as its being faced with poisoning by pollution and destruction by nuclear weapons. Franz added: "There?s no basis for believing that mankind, faced with what it now faces, can exist for the seventh thousand-year period" under the present system of things.

Does this mean that we know exactly when God will destroy this old system and establish a new one? Franz showed that we do not, for we do not know how short was the time interval between Adam?s creation and the creation of Eve, at which point God?s rest day of seven thousand years began. (Heb. 4:3,4) But, he pointed out, "we should not think that this year of 1975 is of no significance to us," for the Bible proves that Jehovah is "the greatest chronologist" and "we have the anchor date, 1914, marking the end of the Gentile Times." So, he continued, "we are filled with anticipation for the near future, for our generation."

If this is not building anticipation without quite saying specifically what the anticipation should be based on, this writer doesn't know what is.

The Society was even more direct in its private communications with its own officials. The following excerpt is taken from a letter from the Society to District Overseer Lester Duggan, apparently sometime in 1975, in answer to a question regarding the subheading on page 51 in the "Eternal Purpose" book (this subheading was mentioned above).

While the beginning of the "seventh day" is admittedly tentative, the end of the six thousand years of man?s history in the fall of 1975 is not tentative, but is accepted as a certain date. So in good faith and with right motive to enhance Bible education, the date 1975 has been presented with confidence, as one of considerable significance. While some outsiders have come to be quick in denouncing the Society, yet we calmly wait for the completion of this Biblical year of 1975, as we continue to strengthen ourselves spiritually. From Jehovah?s viewpoint and his eternal purpose for the earth, the completion of six thousand years of man?s residence on this earth is bound to be important.

Even the "year texts" for the early 1970s reflected the sense of urgency the Society was building.

1974: "Although the fig tree itself may not blossom,.... I will exult in Jehovah himself." ? Hab. 3:17, 18.

1975: "I will say to Jehovah: ?You are my refuge and my stronghold? " ? Ps. 91:2

The sense of urgency continued to be built, through 1974 and on into 1975. Note how the following excerpt from the December 15, 1974 Watchtower (pp. 764-66) does so:

. . . now, as the critical year of 1975 enters, it may well be asked: Has the Most High God of prophecy made a name for himself? The answer is self-evident, Yes! By whom? Not by Christendom or by Jewry, but by Jehovah?s Christian witnesses!? . . .

Only from the end of the year 1928 was the prospect opened up to the spiritual understanding of the anointed remnant of the "Israel of God" to survive the "war of the great day of God the Almighty" at Har- Magedon and enter here on earth into Jehovah?s righteous new order. . . And now, as the year 1975 opens up, some thousands of the anointed remnant, still alive on this earth, look ahead to realizing that joyful prospect. The increasing "great crowd" of their sheeplike companions look forward with them to entering the New Order without interruption of life. In the New Order Jehovah God will add to the "length of days" of the anointed remnant on earth to the point of satisfying the members thereof. It remains to be seen whether they will be yet retained here on earth to see the start of the resurrection of the earthly dead and to meet faithful witnesses of ancient, pre-Christian times. They would enjoy that, before being taken off the earthly scene to the heavenly reward with Christ.

Note how the above-quoted article emphasized "the critical year of 1975." If, as some apologists today claim, the Society only suggested 1975 as a possible date for "the end," then why did the article call the year "critical"? What was "critical" about it, except that it was probably going to be the year of "the end"?

In December 1975 a revised version of the book The Jehovah?s Witnesses and Prophetic Speculation (Edmond C. Gruss, Presbyterian and Reformed, 1972, 1975) was published. On pages vii-viii it quoted from the London religious newspaper Evangelical Times of January 1975, which printed an article "Will the World End This Year?" (by ex-Witnesses Richard E. Cotton and George Terry). It said:

The year 1975 has dawned, and with it comes the question: Could this be the year of Nemesis, of retribution, for Jehovah?s Witnesses? Could it be the year of yet another dashed hope?

To many of the rank and file within the Watchtower Movement, 1975 has meant only one thing ? the long awaited year of Divine Wrath. The time of judgment, when God would destroy the wicked and restore this old earth to a paradise state. Eternal life in the restored earth has been the hope of most Jehovah?s Witnesses.

For almost ten years 1975 has hung over the heads of the faithful like a chronological carrot. True, very little has been written about it in official Watchtower publications, but a great deal has been said at grassroot level. And when Witnesses are taught to believe that God is using the Watchtower organisation to the total exclusion of all other churches or bodies (for this is their claim) it only requires a hint of a date to begin a wave of speculation. This is very understandable in a group maintaining that we are living at the very end of the Bible?s "time of the end."

A date like 1975 had a fine apocalyptic ring when it was still ten years or so ahead. In 1966 a publication called Life Everlasting ? in Freedom of the Sons of God announced that independent research into Bible chronology had established that 6,000 years of human history would come to an end in the autumn of 1975. As Jehovah?s Witnesses believe that there will be a millenium to complete a divine cycle of 7,000 years, it was clear that the long awaited period would begin around the autumn of 1975.

When the date was made public 1966, the present writer was a Witness and was able to see what happened. Very little apart from that statement was ever published, but things began to be said and great was the speculation. No doubt many can recall the famous football star who stated on television that the Bible taught that the end would come in 1975. He was so certain of this, viewers were told, that if the expected results did not materialise, he would throw his Bible away.

In the months and years that followed overseers and visiting speakers of the cult were known to speak to the congregation about the "short time left." Some of the more convinced would total up the number of days to October 1975. When told by indignant householders, "You people are always round at our doors," one full time worker would answer: "We shall not be calling many more times."

Bible Studies with the unconverted were limited to a certain number of weeks because of the nearness of the end. Some Witnesses never bothered to increase their mortgage repayments as interest rates shot upwards. They were hoping for a permanent settlement on the amount outstanding in 1975. Some were so convinced the world was on its last legs that they speculated the system could not last until 1975.

D.I.Y. fans in the movement were known to remark in the early ?70s that the house would not need repainting ever again. There was even the JW in need of surgery who preferred to live with the condition until the healing rays of the Millenium restored all to perfect health.

How many Witnesses, we wonder, will be suffering from loss of memory this year about their expressed hopes of only a year or so back? But these things were said and no amount of forgetting can unsay them.

To add to the fires of speculation some Witnesses got hold of typed copies of a talk which it was claimed was given by one of the Watchtower Directors in some far away country. This explosive material indicated that soon calamities and even flesh-consuming plagues of a cosmic nature would befall the world of men. Yet members of the Watchtower Movement would be untouched by these manifestations of divine anger.

How sure everyone seemed. Yet now 1975 is here and the dilemma of the Witnesses continues to increase. . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

But this is not all. Other problems now arise for the Witnesses? world view. They no longer have the luxury of being able to extend their time of waiting for still further years. For decades now the publications have emphasised that the second coming or presence of our Lord began in the year 1914. Using this year as a chronological anchor for the plan of the "last days," they confidently state ("from" Matt. 24:34) that in less than the passing of one human generation from 1914 all will be completed.

The honest observer may well be asking what many thinking JWs are asking. How long is a generation? From 1914 to 1975 is 61 years, a rather long time. If we think in terms of 40 years as a reasonable and scriptural figure then the cult has lost out. Even if we stretch the post-1914 period to its full limit by giving it a full biblical "threescore years and ten", we still find problems.

As stated before, the Movement stresses that it is the generation that is alive and witnessed 1914 that will still be around when the final end comes. So we are dealing with a time period years less than a full 70 years.

Time is no longer on the side of the Watchtower. Their prophetic hourglass is empty, but for a few grains of sand. As the critical year progresses, it may well be that pressure will be eased by diversionary tactics. We do not doubt the ability of the "men at the top" to make fresh calculations for the future, but the fact remains that this year may well be a critical one for the movement.

The predictions the above article made with respect to the Watchtower Society?s actions after 1975 proved close to the mark. In 1977 the Witnesses began seeing a drop in membership for the first time since the late 1920s. By 1995 the Society had realized that its prophetic speculations even about the length of "the generation of 1914" were wrong, and so it detached "the generation" from 1914 altogether by making it open-ended.

By early 1976 it had become evident that the Society?s expectations for 1975 would not be realized, just as they had not been for 1914 and 1925. Did the Society follow the excellent example of Bible writers and own up to the error? Did it show same candor as the Bible writers? No. Instead it followed exactly the same course J. F. Rutherford had followed after the 1925 failure, and blamed the disappointment on Jehovah?s Witnesses themselves. The July 15, 1976 Watchtower, on page 441, approached the problem sideways. Without actually mentioning 1975 it said:

.... it is not advisable for us to set our sights on a certain date, neglecting everyday things we would ordinarily care for as Christians, such as things that we and our families really need. We may be forgetting that, when the "day" comes, it will not change the principle that Christians must at all times take care of all their responsibilities. 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.

How cynical can you get? Who was it that provided the "wrong premises"? Did each one of Jehovah?s Witnesses, individually, conclude that 1975 was to be the end of 6000 years of human history, that "we should not think that this year of 1975 is of no significance to us," that "according to reliable Bible chronology Adam and Eve were created in 4026 B.C.E.," that "the seventh millennium from man?s creation by Jehovah God would begin within less than ten years," that Jesus? "thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums," and that "God?s seventh day and the time man has been on earth apparently run parallel"? I know I never thought of such things on my own. Nor would I have been permitted to express or act on them if I had.

By 1979 it became evident that the 1975 failure had produced a serious credibility gap. Even worse, the years 1977 and 1978 had shown a drop in the worldwide number of publishers for the first time in decades. So in early 1980 the Society finally admitted it had been wrong, that it had had at least some part in building up the false hopes for 1975.

The March 15, 1980 Watchtower article "Choosing the Best Way of Life" contains, on pages 17-18, the acknowledgement that the Society misled people by its promotion of the 1975 date. That it came at all is surprising; this writer remembers his own reaction upon reading it when it first came out. That it came more than four years after the failure of the 1975 prediction became evident is inexcusable. The article said:

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.

Note how even this admission is buried in an article about something else, "choosing the best way of life." It does not candidly admit that the Society had some responsibility for what happened. Rather, it uses the passive voice to shift responsibility into outer space: "it is to be regretted" that these things happened. Again, how cynical!

In this case the "wrong premises" were entirely given to the community of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Society itself, in particular by "persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date."

As for the fact that the statements of urgency overshadowed the cautionary ones, was that not the intention from the very start? Why else would such information be emphasized? What other result could possibly have been expected? Especially since the Society has published many statements on how it expects Jehovah?s Witnesses to view what it publishes, such as:

Do we truly appreciate how Jehovah is directing his visible organization?

When we appreciatively accept the spiritual provisions that come through the ?slave? class and its Governing body, for whom are we showing respect?

Their duties include receiving and passing on to all of Jehovah?s earthly servants spiritual food at the proper time.

How vital it is for everyone in God?s family to submit loyally to the teachings and arrangements of the Great Theocrat, Jehovah, and his King-Son, Christ Jesus, as transmitted through the ?faithful slave? on earth!

Jehovah's Witnesses are encouraged by the Society not to be bothered by the various false predictions it has made. Over the years a number of excuses and minimizations have been published. Note what the above-mentioned 1980 Watchtower went on to say:

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.

With respect to 1975, is this not a case of "too little, too late"?

We must again point out the irony in what the above-quoted December 1969 KM said:

Expectations built up by the false promises of secular and religious leaders have been postponed so many times that the hearts of the people in general are sick.

The October 8, 1968 Awake! (p. 23) ironically spoke about the Society's contention that the Bible indicates we are living in the last days. It emphasized that those who falsely predicted the end of the world were false prophets:

Still some persons may say: "How can you be sure? Maybe it is later than many people think. But maybe it is not as late as some persons claim. People have been mistaken about these prophecies before.".... True, there have been those in times past who predicted an "end to 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 was the full measure of evidence required in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Missing from such people were God's truths and the evidence that he was guiding and using them.

With regard to misrepresentations, and particularly those of the Bible, the 1974 book Is This Life All There Is? said (p. 46), without regard for the motives of the misrepresenter:

Knowing these things, what will you do? It is obvious that the true God, who is himself "the God of truth" and who hates lies, will not look with favor on persons who cling to organizations that teach falsehood. (Psalm 31:5; Proverbs 6:16-19; Revelation 21:8) And, really, would you want to be even associated with a religion that had not been honest with you?

The Society did candidly acknowledge some responsibility for the hopes it raised by the 1975 prediction, but it was not for general public consumption. The 1980 Yearbook, on pages 30-31, spoke of a talk given at the 1979 conventions, called by the title of the above Watchtower article, "Choosing the Best Way of Life." The talk "acknowledged the Society?s responsibility for some of the disappointment a number felt regarding 1975."

Today, all the decade-long buildup of hopes centered on 1975, if remembered at all, is discounted as being of any importance. Many who became Jehovah?s Witnesses since 1975 have little or no idea of the sense of urgency that was in the air. The essence of C. T. Russell?s words in 1916 is again expressed by the organization: It "certainly did have a very stimulating and sanctifying effect upon thousands, all of whom can praise the Lord ? even for the mistake."

Alan Feuerbacher

Older ones here, what do you remember being told about 1975 ???

waiting

lurk

waiting

plmkrzy

JT

Sassy

AlanF

Double Edge

OICU8it2

shamus

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