truthseeker
Charles Taze Russell indeed was never a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization. He did not believe in such sectarian authoritarianism, nor did he believe in the organization/Armageddon message preached by the JWs.
Nor was Russell expecting "the Apocalypse" (which scripturally means revealing, making manifest, known) to come in 1914. Most people think of' "the Apocalpse" as being the end of the world, but Russell was definitely not expecting the end of the world for 1914. Especially from 1904 onward, Russell was expecting the time of trouble was to begin in 1914 and end at some unknown time after 1914. Russell died in 1916, still holding to the belief that the time of trouble had begun in 1914.
Brother Russell did not believe in the concept of "the Apocalypse" as that term is often used today. The last book of the Bible is often called the Apocalypse, because it reveals by signs (symbols) things that already were and things that were yet future. Russell believed that most of the book of Revelation was already fulfilled in the past, that it started to be fulfilled even the first century, long, long before 1914. He was, therefore, not expecting the series of events often associated the phrase "the Apocalypse", as described in the OP.
Brother Russell believed that the appearance of anti-christ had begun in the first century, and that, after the apostles died, the spirit of antichrist produced what the KJV refers to as the Man of Sin, which Russell identified with the Papal system. He identified Babylon the Great also as being manifest especially in the sectarian Papal system. He was not expecting the antichrist nor Babylon the Great to come in 1914 or anytime after 1914. He was expecting Babylon the Great to be destroyed either in 1914 or sometime after 1914.
It is reported that Russell did announce at Bethel, on October 2, 1914, that the Gentile Times had ended, and that the Kings have had their day. As far as I have been able to discern, the only source of the date when this took place was that A. H. MacMillan, in his book, Faith on the March. Whether that was the specific date, and exactly what Russell said, I have not been able to verify.
Generally Russell did not specifically spell out October 2, 1914 as being when end of the Gentiles would be reached, and that the time of trouble was to begin. He most often referred to October 1 in a general way, but he also stated he didn't know exactly what day the Gentile times would end, but that he pointed to October 1 as being the general time. Russell never predicted that end of the world was to begin in 1914. He did believe that the end of the age -- which often rendered in most translations as "the end of the world" -- had begun 1874. He orignally thought the time period for the end of the age would itself end in 1914; however, his change of viewpoint (in 1904) concerning the beginning of time of trouble would indicate that from 1904 onward he was no longer expecting the end of the age period of time would come to a halt in 1914.
Russell did not believe in "Russellites." He believe that a Christian should follow Christ, not Russell.
However, the Bible Students as a whole rejected Rutherford's "Jehovah's visible organization" dogma. They did not take the name "Jehovah's Witnesses". Bible Students still exist today, separate from the JW organization that Rutherford created.
