1914 is the set up for the Two-Salvation System taught by the WT. Here's a paper I wrote on this for a class I conducted just the other day:
Just because some believers in different time periods may have a different position, authority, destination, reward, function etc.; the scriptures are clear that they are all legally declared righteous by faith and not by works. The “Great Crowd” takes part of the New Covenant as is evident from a plain reading of Rev. 7: 14 – “And he said to me, These are they who come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood [covenant] of the Lamb.”
Even though the bible says that, 1.) “the great crowd” achieves a righteous standing by the blood of the lamb, and 2.) that blood is only accessed by faith in Jesus’ New Covenant, and 3.) the New Covenant is for “forgiveness of sins”(Mt. 26: 27&28); modern Jehovah’s Witnesses DO NOT profess to be a part of the New Covenant and do not partake of the bread and the wine emblems at their observance of the Lord’s Supper. They are taught that door was shut in 1914 and for sure by the expiration of the “generation” thereafter. They believe their salvation is achieved by association with and obedience to the “faithful & discreet slave class” aka – Bride of Christ, aka – 144K “spiritual Israelites”; which is now the leaders of the Watchtower – the last remnant of true church age Believers.Watchtower leaders thus position themselves as co-mediators with Christ. Official church doctrine is that Christ is only a Mediator for Church Age Believers (of which leaders are the last true remnant) and Jesus in not the Mediator for the “Great Crowd”. – WT 4/1/79 p.31
The great weakness in Watchtower theology is that most JW’s are not aware that Jesus is not their Mediator, according to official WT doctrine. Most have not stopped to consider that the Great Crowd is made “white” by the “blood of the lamb” – the New Covenant. JW’s are also completely unaware of a personal judgment after death(Hebrews 9: 28), and hence a personal savior seems unnecessary, if not ought right silly. When a personal judgement is pointed out to them, they are unable to provide an explanation of how they will personally escape judgment, while positioned outside of the New Covenant…. especially after Mt. 26: 27& 28 is read to them where it plainly states in their own bible that the New Covenant is specifically for “the forgiveness of sins”.
The (UN) Importance of 1914
The “Generation of 1914” was bedrock Watchtower doctrine for nearly 100 years and explains much of Watchtower error. The doctrine stated unequivocally that the generation that saw 1914 would not pass away until Jesus returned all the way to the earth to wipe out his enemies at the battle of Armageddon. As time marched on further and further away from 1914, with no earthly return; the Watchtower changed its definition of “generation” many times in an attempt to explain the failure. At first, the term was applied to those old enough to understand the events of 1914 (WW 1). Then it was applied to those born in 1914 or before. Then it was changed from “70 or 80 years” to a maximum length of 100 years. Since it has now been over 100 years, the Watchtower has once again changed the definition of “a generation” to mean, “over-lapping generations” indicative of an undetermined period of time. Most Jehovah’s Witnesses admit this is nonsense, even if they do not publically acknowledge it. Yet, this is still the basis for their personal rejection on the New Covenant.
In light of the embarrassing manipulation of the term “generation” to fit a failed prediction; doesn’t it make more sense that: it is the 1914 date of “Christs’ Arrival/Presence” that is wrong? Consequently, common sense dictates that that we are all still living in the Church Age/Age of Grace/Gentile Times.
Here's a link for downloading and printing if anyone finds this useful.
