with the book crisis of conscience detailing the turbulence at bethel during the early to mid 70's, the transformation from autocratic rule to governance by committee or a body of men, many of us can speak to how that felt among the rank and file of the local congregations during those years.
we learned new concepts based in large part to research done for the aid to bible understanding volume, then we were asked or coerced into unlearning those principles, going back to the old ways.
some of us never readjusted, finding ourselves very different from our more hardline compadres.. the inertia for the changes that eventually were initiated in the congregations came from the discovery that the greek words episkopos and presbyteros were used biblically to refer to all qualified men in a congregation, not just one.
"I remember when women were finally accepted as elders and ministerial servants.
When they got up on stage in their pantsuits and gave the main talk on Sunday."
No, villagegirl. The liberalization never went that far although among JWs there are far more capable women then men.
tms
with the book crisis of conscience detailing the turbulence at bethel during the early to mid 70's, the transformation from autocratic rule to governance by committee or a body of men, many of us can speak to how that felt among the rank and file of the local congregations during those years.
we learned new concepts based in large part to research done for the aid to bible understanding volume, then we were asked or coerced into unlearning those principles, going back to the old ways.
some of us never readjusted, finding ourselves very different from our more hardline compadres.. the inertia for the changes that eventually were initiated in the congregations came from the discovery that the greek words episkopos and presbyteros were used biblically to refer to all qualified men in a congregation, not just one.
"MANDATORY Rotation forced people to work in unfamiliar domains. The fumbling loving bumbler suddenly had to lead, and everybody loved it and helped."
Very good points, proglogos. The rotation seemed to demystify offices like Presiding Overseer. An unlikely, unnatural leader could hold the reins for a year and the congregation didn't die.
Some brothers nimbly sidestepped the Secretary position as they knew it involved actual clerical work. Later on, Service Overseer was thrust on newbie elders since one almost HAD to take a lead in field service in that role. One thing quickly learned was to never miss an elder's meeting or you might end up with an assignment or book study you didn't want.
tms
with the book crisis of conscience detailing the turbulence at bethel during the early to mid 70's, the transformation from autocratic rule to governance by committee or a body of men, many of us can speak to how that felt among the rank and file of the local congregations during those years.
we learned new concepts based in large part to research done for the aid to bible understanding volume, then we were asked or coerced into unlearning those principles, going back to the old ways.
some of us never readjusted, finding ourselves very different from our more hardline compadres.. the inertia for the changes that eventually were initiated in the congregations came from the discovery that the greek words episkopos and presbyteros were used biblically to refer to all qualified men in a congregation, not just one.
"I recall when the elder arrangement came in. It was quite traumatic at our hall for the elderly cong. overseer who had been "top dog". He was a kind, loving man who was actually pushed to the side once others were appointed as elders."
mamochan13,
The new elder arrangement rendered some tyrants almost powerless, but it did make good, elderly overseers feel almost useless with so much eager new blood seizing the opportunity to lead. The wife of the former Congregation Servant also had her position as queen of the congregation now challenged by the upstart new elder's wives. Some congregations adjusted better than others but it wasn't unusual for the old Congregation Servant and his wife to change congregations seeking that acceptance and respect to which they had become accustomed.
tms
i was describing jehovah's witnesses to a family member who had no idea whatsoever about them.
i may be straightforward and describe things in terms i have learned since reading about cults, but i was not over the top in any way.
i was simply stating the facts in a way that did not try to put any positive spin on anything.. my family member said, "so they are basically the amish but with televisions and electricity.
OTWO,
I've been using the Amish comparison for a while. Many are familiar with the fascinating ex-Amish programs on TV so understand the similarities. The high control, the shunning, the need to placate the elders. . . all are similar. In contrast, I never felt that Mormans and JWs were that similar EXCEPT for the proselytizing. The Mormans encourage higher education, business success and even network to help each other in those areas.
tms
that seems almost redundant to me.
isn't all family business important and necessary?
having a meal with your grown, disfellowshipped child seems to me necessary part of having raised a decent, family-values sort of child.
" TMS... that's what I'd do if anyone told me I couldn't talk to my children anymore if they were Dfed. My son also told me the same if I was Dfed.
If anyone ever dared come between me and children...... "
Of course, I'm not saying we didn't pay a price organizationally even though we weren't disfellowshipped. We moved to a nearby congregation with our "reputation" for not following "theocratic order" following us. Just to understand. . . I had been an elder over 20 years, a congregation servant before that, gave talks at district and circuit assembies, conducted Pioneer Service School, etc., but wasn't allowed to read in the book study in my new congregation. This put the burden on an unbaptized husband of an elderly sister, who struggled so mightily through the study, the conductor would have to dispense with the reading of the paragraphs to finish on time.
When we showed up for midweek field service(we had been regular pioneers) the sisters naturally deferred to me. This made the Service Overseer scramble to get some young MS to take the group during the week. Just to play with them, I would alternate my days of participating to give them even more ground to cover. I eventually stopped altogether, but I'm certain they never felt comfortable leaving the assignment uncovered. A bizarre situation happened one Sunday when the speaker didn't show up. Some of the elders were out of town and the one in charge panicked and asked me if I would give the public talk on short notice. I complied, thinking how ironic that I wasn't qualified to read in the book study but was giving the public talk . . . . lol!
My wife was the first to stop attending and the elders made an issue of not issuing her a Kingdom Ministry. When I asked the presiding overseer somewhat incredulously if it was really a body decision, he slipped me a KM sort of on the sly. Later when the body decision was more rigidly enforced, I would let my wife have the original and make a crudely obvious black and white copy that I stapled together for my use. I sort of used it with pride, just waiting for some elder to have the nerve to bring up the old Lamp book quote about not copying publications.
While all of that was a very painful period for all of us as we were still essentially true believers, all of the anguish quickly dissipated when I read one chapter of Crisis of Conscience online in 1996. That very day I unloaded W&A volumes from 1956-94 into the dumpster along with all our other publications.
tms
that seems almost redundant to me.
isn't all family business important and necessary?
having a meal with your grown, disfellowshipped child seems to me necessary part of having raised a decent, family-values sort of child.
It's a bullshit rule, but JW's, as always, simply get creative in circumventing the rule. I'll give 4 quick example from my personal experience:
1. An elder, who was also a medical doctor and so had the means, rents a separate apartment for his 20 year old DF'd son. The elder keeps his position, but still "confers' regularly with his son about rent, utilities and other necessary business.
2. A mother with a 21 year old DF'd daughter gets together routinely to go over their shared VISA credit card.
3. A father and mother rent the old family home to their 22 year old DF'd son, stopping periodically to check on maintenance issues and collect the rent.
4. During this same time period(the early 90's), our 21yr old son was DF'd. My wife, on her own volition, took a very different approach. She went to each of the very hardnosed elders on our son's judicial committee and told them in no uncertain terms that she was not going to play any silly games pretending to have "necessary business" to communicate with our son, but she was for certain going to maintain contact. She told each JC member to "disfellowship me right now, but I'm not going to stop talking to my son." None of them ever made a move to do that. When she told me that night what she had just done, I couldn't disagree. I was proud of her.
tms
lately i have been dreaming a lot about old jw's i used to know and be friends with.
i have been out since 2008 but yet i think often of those i liked a lot at the kingdom hall.
i do not get it why do these still thoughts still come?
Reliving my JW life has been part of my sleep for the last 17 years. At first it was primarily the interaction with the judicial committee in my son's disfellowshipping and other injustices. Then, the entry level job I held for 30 years, the conversations, the frustrations of life in that mindset would alternately become the focus. But, it was all related to my life as a JW.
Therapy for me has been to fantasize on how life would have been, either as a less-than-fanatical JW or a former JW knowing TTATT, not making my home available for a book study, buying that two-door sports car, fun vacations instead of assemblies, more children, college, making money. Thinking about how much fun I would have had and the anger and jealousy I would have generated can be therapeutic.
The consolation is NOT living that life anymore in real time, not waking up in the morning still a cult member.
tms
" {watchtower sep 1 1989 12}.
" {tiah 240-1, also references in wr oct 1879 3941, tkic 84}.
'" {zions watchtower mar 1880 repr 82}.
long list of false prophecies with added commentary by a 'Prominent Bethelite.' Abbreviations for Watchtower publications are at the end of the article. Example: "1776" is the year the year to which the claim refers. Where no specific date is claimed, the earliest date of publication by WTBTS of the quoted text is shown. The list is sorted by this date. The section following that, within " ", is the quotation. Anything within brackets ( ) therein was also bracketed in the original. Anything in " " within the quoted text has been altered to ' ' for clarity. Text has only been omitted for brevity, without changing the meaning of the quotation - omitted text is replaced by .. The source publication is identified in { } - here BATT refers "C.T.Russell: Studies in the Scriptures IV - Battle of Armageddon (till 1910, called The Day of Vengeance), 1897, 1904-20, 1923-5, 1927". The key-list of publications appears at the end of Part 3/3. As no date is shown against the abbreviated name, the quotation is present in the earliest version (and is likely to be present in all versions, as there is no reference to the contrary). 584 refers to the page number on which the quotation is to be found in the version referred to. Text within [ ] represents (my) commentary. It may well contain other quotations in " ".
1776 | "And this long persecution, in which 'many were purified and made white and tried,' and in which the Mother of Harlots was 'drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus' (Rev. 17:6) ended as we have already shown, practically in 1776.." {BATT 584} [Also see 1799] |
1780 | "signs in sun, moon and stars [of] Matthew 24:29" {WR Jan 1885 711} |
1780 | "Are these signs to be regarded as literal or as symbolic? and have they yet been fulfilled? We answer that they have had a literal fulfilment, and are now having a symbolic fulfilment much more momentous. On May 19, 1780 (still 'in those days,' the 1260 years of Papal power, but after that power had begun to wane and the brunt of the tribulation had passed) a phenomenal darkening of the sun occurred, for which scientists of that time and since have never been able to account.. This unaccountable day, except as a sign from the Lord, is reckoned to have extended over 320,000 square miles - an area about twenty-five times the size of Palestine, to which the signs of the first advent were limited. Indeed, the fact that these signs were chiefly confined to the New England and Middle States need not surprise us, when we remember that the first movement amongst the 'Virgins'* (Matt. 25:1-5) was chiefly in the same locality. And that God should use the 'land of liberty' for sending the message of these signs to the world, is no more wonderful than that he has been pleased to send from the same quarter many of the modern blessings and inventions and lessons, recognized by the whole world, and aptly emblemized by the gift of the great French artist, Bartholdi, to New York harbor - the statue of 'Liberty Enlightening the World.'" {BATT 585-8} |
1798 | "Start of 'the last days'" [i.e. after the end of 1260 days of Rev 12.] {HOTW 1147} |
1798 | "Having thus furnished grounds for establishing the identity of this character (Napoleon), whose deeds mark the beginning of the 'Time of the End,' the prophecy proceeds to show which particular event of that time is to be understood as definitely marking the exact date of the beginning of the 'Time of the End.' This event is shown to be Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, which covered a period of a year and nearly five months. He sailed May, 1798 and, returning, landed in France Oct. 9, 1799. This campaign is graphically described in a few words in verses 40-44. Verse 40: 'And at the (fixed) Time of the End shall the king of the South (Egypt) fight against him, and the king of the North (England) shall come against him like a tempest, with chariots and with horsemen (the Egyptian Mamelukes, etc.) and with a great navy. (The English forces consisted of a navy under Admiral Nelson.) And he (Napoleon) shall enter into the countries, and shall destroy and pass through (victoriously).'" {TKIC 44-5} |
1799 | "After the three and a half years, 1260 days, when Elijah returned from the wilderness, the errors of Jezebel's priests were manifested, the true God was honored, and copious rains followed. 1 Kings 18:41-45. At the end of 1260 years the power of the truth and its witnesses was manifested (A.D. 1799)" {TIAH 256} |
1799 | ".. this great apostasy or falling away mentioned by Paul has come, and that this Man of Sin has been developed, has sat 'in the temple of God' (the real, not the typical), has fulfilled all the predictions of the apostles and prophets concerning his character, work, etc., has been revealed, and now, since A.D. 1799, is being consumed by the spirit of the Lord's mouth (the truth), and will be utterly destroyed during this day of the Lord's wrath and revelation with flaming fire of retribution, already beginning." {TIAH 272-3} |
1799 | "Henceforth we deal with the Antichrist, whose gradual development and organization from secretly working ambition are a fitting prelude to the terrible character displayed after the coveted power had been grasped - from 539 A.D. to 1799 A.D., 1260 years." {TIAH 296} |
1799 | "1799 .. start of 'the last days'" {WR Jan/Feb 1889 1093} |
1799 | "THE 'Time of the End,' a period of one hundred and fifteen (115) years, from A.D. 1799 to A.D. 1914, is particularly marked in the Scriptures.. Though our information pointing out the date of this period is furnished in Daniel's prophecy, we know that he understood nothing at all concerning it, as he said: 'I heard, but I understood not.' (Dan. 12:8). In answer to his anxious inquiries he was told that the words were closed up and sealed until the Time of the End. It follows, therefore, that no one could understand the prophecy before 1799 .. But 1799 was only the beginning of the period known as 'the Time of the End,' within the limits of which every vestige of that system shall pass away.. We have thus shown that 1799 began the period called the Time of the End; that in this time Papacy is to be consumed piece-meal" {TKIC 23-4/48/59} [Did every vestige even of the Papacy pass away in 1914?] |
1799 | "The length of time this persecution was to continue is not stated here, except that it will be concluded as appointed, at the Time of the End. From other scriptures we learn that it was a period of 1260 years, which ended with A.D. 1799, a date prominently noted by Daniel and the Revelator as well as in history." {TKIC 38} |
1799 | ".. the Lord's little flock of consecrated followers, now living, enjoy greater enlightenment than was ever the privilege of any of their forerunners; for in this period all the rays of prophetic testimony reach a grand focus, illuminating to the eye of faith the plan of God, including its developments, past, present and future. Since the beginning (1799) of the Time of the End, God has been preparing his consecrated 'holy people,' his 'Sanctuary,' for the great blessings he intended to pour upon them during these forty years of harvest: which blessings are also intended as special preparation for their entering with Christ into full joy and joint-heirship with him, as his bride. At the exact 'time appointed,' 1799, the end of the 1260 days, the power of the Man of Sin, the great oppressor of the Church, was broken, and his dominion taken away. With one stroke of his mighty hand, God there struck off Zion's fetters, and bade the oppressed go free. And forth came, and are coming, the 'Sanctuary' class, the 'holy people,' weak, and halt, and lame, and almost naked, and blind, from the dungeon darkness and filth and misery of papal bondage. Poor souls! they had been trying to serve God faithfully in the very midst of the lurid flames of persecution, clinging to the cross of Christ when almost every other truth had been swept away, and courageously endeavoring to emancipate God's 'Two Witnesses' (the Old and New Testaments), which had so long been bound, and which had prophesied only under the sackcloth of dead languages. 'Rev. 11:3'. In his wisdom, God did not overpower them with the great flood of light now granted to the saints..." {TKIC 122-3} [The last sentence means, it was all hidden - predicting events which cannot be verified is relatively safe! TIAH 256 and WR Apr 1880 87 have the same theme] |
1799 | "The predicted Man of Sin, the Antichrist, has also made his appearance, and accomplished his long and terrible reign; and at the exact 'time appointed' (1799) his dominion was taken away. The cleansing of the sanctuary was also accomplished as predicted." {TKIC 129} |
1799 | "At the end of 1260 years the power of the truth and its witnesses was manifested (A.D. 1799) .. The saints will be changed from earthly to heavenly conditions.. The present little season, before the storm-cloud bursts upon the world, is a most favorable time for the work of the Elijah class, and corresponds to the successful days of both Elijah and John." {TIAH 256-7} |
1799 | "We have noted the fulfilment of the 1,260 days, or the time, times and half a time, of Papacy's power to persecute, and the beginning there, in 1799, of the Time of the End." {TKIC 306} |
1799 | "The Papal dominion (and much of the abject reverence of the people for ecclesiasticism in general), as already shown, was broken down at the beginning of the Time of the End - 1799; and, though the subsequent process of consumption has been slow, and there have been occasional signs of apparent recovery, which never seemed more flattering than at present .." {BATT 37} |
1799 | "The fact is that the entire Gospel age has been a period of tribulation referred to in Matt. 24:9-12, and now in verse 29. (1) The early Church was persecuted by civil Rome, while later, when Papal Rome got control, all who refused to approve her abominations were persecuted by her (Jezebel) directly, or indirectly by the civil powers to which she was wedded (Ahab). And they were given into her power, and she wore out the saints of the Most High for a time, times and a half time - 1260 years - until A.D. 1799. And this long persecution, in which 'many were purified and made white and tried,' and in which the Mother of Harlots was 'drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus' (Rev. 17:6) ended as we have already shown, practically in 1776 and actually in 1799 when the Pope and his authority were humiliated before the World." {BATT 584} |
1799 | "Napoleon began this Egyptian campaign in 1798, finished it, and then returned to France on October 1, 1799. The campaign is briefly, yet graphically described in the prophecy, verses 40-44 [Daniel 11:40-44]; and its being completed in 1799 marks, according to the prophet's own words, the beginning of 'the time of the end'." {CREA 293, THOG 1925 ed 228-9} |
1799 | "'The time of the end' embraces a period from 1799 A.D. to the time of the complete overthrow of Satan's empire and the establishment of the kingdom of Messiah." {CREA 319} |
1799 | "Twelve hundred and sixty years from 539 A.D. brings us to 1799, which is another proof that 1799 definitely marks the beginning of 'the time of the end'. This also shows that it is from the date 539 A.D. that the other prophetic days of Daniel must be counted." {CREA 294} |
1799 | "'The time of the end' embraces a period from 1799 A.D." {THOG 236} |
1799 | "The time of the end is from 1799.." {Watchtower Nov 1 1922 333/346} |
1799 | "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the "time of the end" began in 1799 .." {Watchtower Mar 1 1922} |
1799 | "In Biblical symbology a time means a year of twelve months of thirty days each, or 360 days. Each day is considered for a year .. Here are mentioned, then, three and a half times of 360 prophetic days each, or a total of 1260 prophetic days, equal to 1260 years. The Prophet then was shown that 1260 years would mark the beginning of the time of the end of this beastly order. Twelve-hundred sixty years from A.D. 539 brings us to 1799 - another proof that 1799 marks the beginning of the 'time of the end'. This also shows that it is from the date 539 A.D. that the other prophetic days of Daniel must be counted." {THOG 229-30} |
1799 | "Some Roman Catholics have claimed that Jesus Christ's thousand Year Reign ended in 1799 when French armies captured Rome and deposed the pope as its ruler, so that he was deported as a prisoner to France, where he died." {Watchtower Sep 1 1989 12} |
1800 | "As, prior to the year 800, Papacy was rising, supported by the Roman 'beast' (people) and by its 'horns' (powers), so since |
1800 | it has been cast off from temporal authority over kings and peoples, and has been torn and pillaged by those who formerly gave it support. (Rev. 17:16,17)" {TIAH 354-5} |
1829 | [End of the 1290 years (from 539 A.D.) of Daniel 12:11, when W.Miller's movement started.] {TFIM 40/60/163, OLOR 27} |
1829 | "Though our information pointing out the date of this period is furnished in Daniel's prophecy, we know that he understood nothing at all concerning it, as he said: 'I heard, but I understood not.' ('Dan. 12:8') In answer to his anxious inquiries he was told that the words were closed up and sealed until the Time of the End. It follows, therefore, that no one could understand the prophecy before 1799; and before leaving the subject we shall show that the prophecy indicates that it would not begin to be understood before 1829 .. We have seen how the 1,290 days marked the beginning of an understanding of the mysteries of prophecy in the year 1829." {TKIC 24/306} |
1829 | "And note, further, that both of these measures are given in answer to Daniel's question as to what would occur to God's holy ones after their power (the truth) would be released from Papal crushing, (that is, after 1799), and before the setting up of the kingdom of Messiah - Michael. The reply in substance is that Daniel need not hope to understand further, but that in thirty years after the beginning of the Time of the End (1260 + 30 = 1290), a purifying, cleansing, refining work would begin among the holy people, in connection with which an understanding of the prophecy would be granted to the wise among this tried, cleansed, separated class; yet the knowledge would be so communicated that the ungodly and unpurified would not receive or believe it. It was shown, further, that the right understanding of the vision would be far from complete or full; in fact it would be deficient in some of its chief elements until 45 years later (1290 + 45 = 1335), or 75 years after the beginning of the Time of the End, A.D. 1799 (1260 + 75 = 1335). This is clearly indicated by the Hebrew text, which represents the matter as though the watchers, who already have seen something, and are waiting patiently, would suddenly (when '1335 days' had passed) get a full, clear view, far beyond their expectations. 'Oh! the blessedness of him!'. Reckoning from A.D. 539, the 1290 symbolic days ended in 1829 .. A religious movement .. generally known as 'Second Adventists' and 'Millerites,' .. began about 1829.. Thus it will be seen that the separating work of the 'Miller movement' had its beginning at the time foretold - at the end of the 1290 days, 1829." {TKIC 83-4/88} |
1829 | " Those who choose might without inconsistency say that the century or generation might as properly reckon from the last sign, the falling of the stars, as from the first, the darkening of the sun and moon: and a century beginning 1833 would be still far from run out. Many are living who witnessed the star-falling sign. Those who are walking with us in the light of present truth are not looking for things to come which are already here, but are waiting for the consummation of matters already in progress. Or, since the Master said, 'When ye shall see all these things,' and since 'the sign of the Son of Man in heaven,' and the budding fig tree, and the gathering of 'the elect' are counted among the signs, it would not be inconsistent to reckon the 'generation' from 1878 to 1914 - 36 1/2 years - about the average of human life today." {BATT 604-5} ["the genea of 1833"] |
1829 | "This message concerning Michael's Kingdom, gradually opening from 1829 onward, is symbolically represented in the book of 'Revelation (chap. 10:2,8-10)' as a 'little book,' which the 'wise' of the 'holy people,' represented by John, are instructed to eat" {TKIC 89} |
1833 | "signs in sun, moon and stars [of] Matthew 24:29" [had their fulfillment in a mysterious event in 1833] {WR Jan 1885 711} |
1833 | "Half a century passed before the next sign appeared, the falling of the stars from heaven, as when a fig tree casteth her unripe fruit when shaken of a mighty wind. Our Lord's words found a fulfilment (though not their complete and only fulfilment, as we shall see later) in the wonderful meteoric showers of the early morning of Nov. 13, 1833. Those inclined to quibble by urging that 'the fixed stars did not fall' are reminded that our Lord said nothing about fixed stars falling, and that fixed stars could not fall: their falling would prove that they were not fixed. the event of 1833 seems to have accomplished the purpose of the sign; and indeed, in connection with the preceding sign, it evidently had considerable to do with the first arousing of the Virgins to meet the Bridegroom, prophesied in the next chapter. Matt. 25:1-5.. these literal signs served their designed purpose in drawing general attention to the Time of the End" {BATT 589-91} |
1840 | "We need not here repeat the evidences that the 'seventh trump' began its sounding A.D. 1840, and will continue until the end of the time of trouble" {Zions Watchtower Nov 1880 1} |
1844 | "But in each case only a few are able to recognize the Deliverer and enlist under his banner in the service of the truth. In the Jewish harvest, there was a going forth of many to meet the Lord when all men 'were in expectation' of him (Luke 3:15), at the time of his birth, thirty years before his anointing as Messiah at the beginning of his ministry; and so there was a corresponding expectation and movement on the part of many (afterward called Adventists) led mainly by a Baptist brother named William Miller, in this country, and by Mr. Wolff and others in Europe and Asia. This culminated in the year A.D. 1844, just thirty years before A.D. 1874, when Christ the Bridegroom and Reaper actually came, as shown by the Jubilee's teaching. In this we find another striking time-parallel between these ages; for those thirty years corresponded exactly to the thirty years from the birth of the babe Jesus unto Messiah the Anointed - baptized, and introduced as Bridegroom and Reaper, at the age of thirty. Matt. 3:11; John 3:29. In both cases there was a disappointment and a tarrying-time of thirty years, during which all slumbered, and only a few in each case awakened at the proper time to a realization of Messiah's presence. The great nominal mass in both houses fail to recognize the visitation, because overcharged and lukewarm, neglecting the command to take heed and watch. Thus will be fulfilled the prediction by the Prophet --'He shall be for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel.' ('Isa. 8:14') The fleshly house stumbled because they had made void the law of God through giving attention to traditions ('Mark 7:9,13'), and so had not a proper conception of the manner and object of the first advent. For that reason they were unprepared to receive him in the way he did come, and so stumbled over him and his work of sacrifice." {TIAH 240-1, also references in WR Oct 1879 3941, TKIC 84} |
1846 | "Then, 1810 years (prophetic, symbolic days) must be the measure from the close of the seventy weeks to the time when the Sanctuary class will be cleansed from the various defilements of Papacy--the desolating abomination which has for so many centuries defiled the temple of God. The death of Messiah, as shown, was in the spring of A.D. 33; and this was the midst or middle of the last week of the seventy, the full end of which was therefore a half week, or three and a half years later--in the autumn of A.D. 36. Therefore, 1810 years from the autumn of A.D. 36, viz., the autumn of 1846, marks the end of the vision of the 2300 days, and the date when the Sanctuary was due to be cleansed. This prophecy being fulfilled, we should expect, in this as in other cases of fulfilled prophecy, to find the facts proving its fulfilment clearly set forth on the pages of history; for, though historians are often unbelievers in the Bible and the God of the Bible, yet, unknown to them, God has overruled their work, so that wherever a prophecy has been fulfilled, the facts have unmistakably passed into history, and always on good and reliable authority. And so it has been in this case of the cleansing of the Sanctuary." {TKIC 107-8} |
1846 | "We have marked, too, the fixed dates to which the Prophet Daniel calls attention. The 2,300 days point to 1846 as the time when God's sanctuary would be cleansed of the defiling errors and principles of Papacy; and we have noted the cleansing there accomplished." {TKIC 305-6} |
1846 | [Start of] "spiritistic" "evangelical alliance" [between protestant churches.] {TFIM 163} |
1846 | "Although the Evangelical Alliance was organized in 1846, it has not been able to accomplish its purpose, because it did not know how to operate." {BATT 9} |
1872 | "In this chapter we present the Bible evidence which indicates that six thousand years from the creation of Adam were complete with A.D. 1874; and hence that, since A.D. 1872, we are chronologically entered upon the seventh thousand or the Millennium - the forepart of which, the 'Day of the Lord,' the 'day of trouble,' is to witness the breaking into pieces of the kingdoms of this world and the establishment of the Kingdom of God under the whole heavens." {TIAH 1913 ed 33} |
1872 | "THERE ARE EVIDENCES THAT - Six thousand Years from Adam ended in A.D. 1872." {DPOA A17} |
1872 | "No, they are not accidental: undoubtedly the same all-wise One who taught us through the Chronology that six thousand years from Adam's creation ended with A.D. 1872, and that the seventh thousand, the Millennial age, began there; who through the Jubilee cycles taught us that the Lord would be present and the Times of Restitution begin in the fall of 1874; and who through the Times of the Gentiles showed us that we must not expect these things to be done in haste, but by seemingly natural means covering a period of forty years, has in these Parallel Dispensations marked by Israel's 'double' given us evidence which not only itself teaches clearly the Lord's presence, the harvest and the restitution (beginning with favor to fleshly Israel), but at the same time furnishes a proof of the correctness of the other prophetic evidences and of the Chronology. For be it distinctly noticed that if the Chronology, or any of these time-periods, be changed but one year, the beauty and force of this parallelism are destroyed. For instance, if the Chronology be altered but one year, more or less - if we add one year, say to the period of the Kings or the Judges, or if we make it one year less - it would spoil the parallelism. If we should add one year it would make the first of Israel's periods 1846 years long, and the double or other half of it would thus be thrown one year later, while, on the contrary, by such a change of the Chronology the Jubilee cycles would be thrown one year earlier, i.e., A.D. 1873; and it would make the 6000 years end in A.D. 1871, while the Gentile Times would not be affected by it at all. All can see that the harmony or parallelism would thus be utterly destroyed. Or, if one year should be deducted from the chronological reckoning the confusion would be just as great, the changes to the several periods being in an opposite direction. Thus these various time prophecies corroborate each other, while the parallelism of the two dispensations clinches their testimony." {TIAH 241-2} [So exactly A.D. 1872 is.. it] |
1872 | ".. the exact Bible Chronology points to October 1872 as the beginning of the seventh thousand years, or Millennium .." {TKIC 1905 ed 127} |
1872 | ".. six thousand years from the creation of Adam .. ended with the Jewish year which began in the autumn of A.D. 1872, and we are, therefore, already in 'the great day of the Lord'; or seventh thousand." {HOTW 67} |
1872 | "We are already living in the seventh millennium - since October 1872." {TIAH 1915 ed 363} |
1872 | "Six thousand Years from Adam ended in A.D. 1872." {DHMB 6 from end} |
1872 | ".. showing the year 1872 A.D. to be the year of the world 6000, and 1873 A.D. the commencement of the seventh thousand-year period, the seventh millennium .." {TIAH 1913 ed 53-4} |
1872 | "Here we furnish the evidence that from the creation of Adam to (but not including) A.D. 1873 was six thousand years. 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 a reasonable foundation." {TIAH 39} [the venerable tradition referred to is of a a Lutheran minister from Philadelphia named Joseph A. Seiss, editor of The Prophetic Times, in whose Jan 1870 issue Vol VIII No 1 p 12-3 appears "1870 brings us to the commencement of the Seventh Thousand of the years since the present world began .. 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.. 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."] |
1873 | [Six thousand Years of man's existence ends in A.D. 1873] {WR Apr 1880 88} |
1873 | "Here we furnish the evidence that from the creation of Adam to A.D. 1873 was six thousand years. 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.. If, then, the seventh thousand-year period of earth's history be an epoch specially noted as the period of Christ's reign, we shall, by showing that it began in A.D. 1873, be proving that we are already in it." {TIAH 1915 ed 39-40} |
1873 | "Thus the Word of God corrects the few slight errors which have crept into it by any means.. God has so guarded his Word that the few trivial errors of copyists are made very manifest, and the full harmony of his Word gives ample foundation for faith .. So, then, whereas Usher dates A.D. 1 as the year 4005 from the creation of Adam, it really was, as we have shown, the year 4129, according to the Bible record, thus showing the year 1872 A.D. to be the year of the world 6000, and 1873 A.D. the commencement of the seventh thousand-year period, the seventh millennium, or thousand-year day of earth's history. {TIAH 53-4} |
1873 | "The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 1000 year days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great 7th Day, the 1000 years of Christ's Reign, began in 1873." {TIAH 1916 ed Foreword 2} |
1873 | "If, then, the seventh thousand-year period of earth's history be an epoch specially noted as the period of Christ's reign, we shall, by showing that it began in A.D. 1873, be proving that we are already in it." {TIAH 1915 ed 40} |
1873 | "For instance, as we look back and note that the Scriptures marked 1873 as the end of six thousand years from Adam to the beginning of the seventh thousand, and the fall of 1874 as the beginning of the forty-year harvest of the Gospel age and day of wrath for the overthrow of all the institutions of 'this present evil world (or order of affairs),' we can see that facts have well borne out those predictions of Scripture." {WR Jul 15 1894 1675} |
1874 | "The Scriptures show that the second presence [of the Lord] was due in 1874 .. This proof shows that the Lord has been present since 1874" {Watchtower Mar 1 1923 67} |
1874 | The next chapter will present Bible evidence that 1874 A.D. was the exact date of the beginning of the 'Times of Restitution,' and hence of our Lord's return." {TAIH 170-1} |
1874 | "Hence the 2500th year, which would be the great 50th Jubilee, must be the antitype, the real Jubilee or Restitution. But instead of being a year, as in the type, it will be larger; it will be the beginning of the great thousand-year Jubilee - the Millennium. Just so it has been in the fulfilment of every type in which time was a feature. Thus the Pentecostal outpouring of the holy Spirit came upon the typical day of Pentecost - or fiftieth day. Christ, our Passover sacrifice, died in the same night in which the typical lamb was appointed to be killed - a day before or a day after would not answer. So here, not the year after nor the year before the 2500th, or closing of the typical cycle, would do; but that very year, beginning October, 1874, must have begun the antitype of Restitution times." {TIAH 181} |
1874 | "We have marked with special delight the 1,335 days, pointing, as they do, to 1874 as the exact date of our Lord's return; and we have since that time experienced the very blessedness promised--through the clearer unfoldings of the wonderful mysteries of the divine plan." {TKIC 306} |
1874 | "Christ came in the character of a Bridegroom in 1874 .. at the beginning of the Gospel harvest." {Watchtower Oct 1879 4} |
1874 | "[Entering] age of .. Laodicean church.. C.T.Russell is .. messenger or 'angel' of [that] church." {WR 1918 6212} |
1874 | "The fact of our Lord's second coming is definitely settled by the Scriptures.. The Scriptures show that his second presence was due in 1874.. This proof shows that the Lord has been present since 1874 .. The indisputable facts, therefore, show that .. the Lord's second presence began in 1874." {Watchtower Mar 1 1922 67-} |
1874 | "The Lord did not come in 1844, and the world was not burned up with fire .. this was a great disappointment to those 'holy people' who had so confidently looked for Christ ('Michael') then to appear and to exalt them with him in power and glory. But, notwithstanding the disappointment, [Miller's] movement had its designed effects - of awakening an interest in the subject of the Lord's coming, and of casting reproach upon the subject by reason of mistaken expectations. We say designed effects because without a doubt the hand of the Lord was in it. It not only did a work corresponding to that of the first advent movement, when our Lord was born, when the wise men came from the East and when 'all men were in expectation of him' ('Matt. 2:1,2'; 'Luke 3:15'), but it corresponded with it in time also, being just thirty years before the anointing of our Lord, at thirty years of age, at the beginning of his work as Messiah.. we recognize that movement as being in God's order, and as doing a very important work in the separating, purifying, refining, and thus making ready, of a waiting people prepared for the Lord. And not only did it do a purifying and testing work in its own day, but, by casting reproach upon the study of prophecy and upon the doctrine of the Lord's second advent, it has ever since served to test and prove the consecrated .. it was the beginning of the right understanding of Daniel's visions, and at the right time to fit the prophecy. Mr. Miller's application of the three and a half times (1260 years) was practically the same as that we have just given, but he made the mistake of not starting the 1290 and 1335 periods at the same point. Had he done so he would have been right. On the contrary, he started them thirty years sooner - about 509 instead of 539, which ended the 1335 days in 1844, instead of 1874." .. The disappointment of 1844 is briefly recorded in the parable, by the statement that 'the Bridegroom tarried' - i.e., he seemed to the expectant ones to tarry. And the confusion and darkness experienced by all, and the many false and visionary views entered into by some who were there disappointed, are shown in the parable by the statement: 'While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.' Yea, and in their darkness and slumber many of them dreamed strange, unreasonable things. But the parable shows a second movement, similar, and yet different, among the same virgins. The same general class is referred to but not necessarily the same individuals. As the first movement was the result of light upon the prophecy, regarding the time for Messiah's second advent as the Bridegroom of the Church, so was the second movement. But there are several differences. In the first, the lamps of all the virgins burned alike, and the company expecting the Bridegroom was mixed; whereas in the second movement, while all will be aroused, only those will be led out who have the spirit of the truth in their hearts, as well as a knowledge of the Bible - a trimmed lamp. Disappointment was predicted for the first movement, and waiting for the 1335 days was necessary; but the second was not a disappointment, and a waiting was no longer necessary; for fulfilment came exactly at the close of the 1335 prophetic days - in October 1874. " {TKIC 85-93} |
1874 | [Division between the "wise and foolish virgins" was over the 1874 date of the return of the bridegroom] {WR Apr 1880 88} [This matter was not raised when C.T.Russell was divorced by his wife for sexual misconduct with a maidservant/secretary] |
1874 | "Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874, A.D., according to the testimony of the prophets .." {BATT 1913 ed 621} |
1874 | "[end of the] tarrying time [of Christ, corresponding to 30 years from Jesus' birth to his baptism]" {TIAH 240, WR Oct 1879 3941} [also Adventist's end of the world per W.Miller] |
1874 | "Prophecy can not be understood until it has been fulfilled or is in the course of fulfillment. From 1874 to 1914 the prophecy concerning the Lord's coming was being fulfilled and could be understood, and was understood, by those who were faithful to the Lord and who were watching the development of events, but not by others." {CREA 290} |
1874 | "Thus we find that the twenty-five hundredth year began with the beginning of the year A.D. 1875, which in Jewish civil time, by which this is reckoned (Lev. 25:9), began about October, 1874. So, then, if the great Jubilee were to be only a year, like its type, it would have commenced October, A.D. 1874, at end of 2499 years, and would have ended October, A.D. 1875. But this is not the type, but the reality; it was not a Jubilee Year, but the antitypical Thousand years of Restitution of all things, which commenced October, A.D. 1874." {TIAH 187} |
1874 | "Bible prophecy shows that the Lord was due to appear for the second time in the year 1874. Fulfilled prophecy shows beyond a doubt that he did appear in 1874. Fulfilled prophecy is otherwise designated the physical facts; and these facts are indisputable." {Watchtower Nov 1 1922 333} |
1874 | "Applying the same rule then, of a day for a year, 1335 days after 539 A.D. brings us to 1874 A.D. at which time, according to Biblical chronology, the Lord's second presence was due." {CREA 298} [the day for a year basis is a technique used in Astrology known as Progressions] |
1874 | "We have no doubt whatever in regard to the chronology relating to the dates of 1874 .." {Watchtower May 15 1922 150} |
1874 | "The most important thing to which all the prophecies point and for which the apostles looked forward has been the second coming of the Lord. It is described by the Prophet as a blessed time. Daniel then says: 'Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.' (Daniel 12:12). The watchers here, without question are those who were instructed by the Lord to watch for his return. This date, therefore, when understood, would certainly fix the time when the Lord is due at his second appearing. Applying the same rule, then, of a day for a year, 1335 days after 539 A.D. brings us to A.D. 1874, at which time, according to Biblical chronology, the Lord's second presence is due. If this calculation is correct, from that time forward we ought to be able to find some evidences marking the Lord's presence." {THOG 229-30} |
1874 | "No one can properly understand the work of God at this present time who does not realize that since 1874, the time of the Lord's return in power, there has been a complete change in God's operations." {WRT Sep 15 1922 278} |
1874 | "The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of the Lord Jesus Christ began in 1874 A.D." {PROP 65} |
1874 | "The Scriptural proof is that the period of his presence and the day of God's preparation is a period from A.D. 1874 forward. The second coming of the Lord therefore began in 1874 .." {CREA 310} |
1874 | "[C.T.Russell taught that 1874 marked] "the start of the Battle of Armageddon" {TIAH 101} |
1874 | "(Revelation) 3:20. Behold, I stand at the door. Some of the Scriptures, which, when understood in their connections and significance, prove that the Lord's Second Advent occurred in the fall of 1874 are as follows: [a jumble of Biblical verses follow as 'proof'] and these are but 88 of the proofs hastily collected." {TFIM 68-71} |
1874 | "Surely there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874." {Watchtower Jan 1 1924 5} |
1874 | ".. this measurement [of a length of an interior passageway discovered inside the Pyramids - it has no reference in Scripture] is 3416 inches, symbolizing 3416 years .. This calculation shows A.D. 1874 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble" {TKIC 1897 ed 342} [In ZWT Nov 1 1904 326, he further justified the "3416 inches" by writing "We cannot therefore see how any longer measure for the passage could be possible." It is strange then that TKIC 1916 ed was changed to read: "We find it to be 3457 inches, symbolizing 3457 years .. Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble .." It should be noted that C.T.Russell, the founder of the Watchtower Bible and tract Society, was a pyramidologist, a spiritist, a Knights Templar (Free)Mason (of York Rite, Allegheny Pa.), and believed in healing-handkerchiefs, phrenology, the Winged-Sun-Disk, Enochian Magical planes and many other strange things, a few of which are illustrated by quotations later in this text. There is space for less than 1% of what could have been included! The symbolisation of years as inches is a complete nonsense, as the ancient Egyptians never used the inch as a measuring unit!] |
1874 | "From year A.D. 1 to A.D. 1875 (Jewish time, beginning Oct. 1874) .. Thus, the year which began October 1874 was the 2500th [calculated as 50 x 50 Jubilee cycles] year, but since the antitype is larger than the type - 1000 years instead of one year - 1875 (beginning Oct. 1874), instead of being a Jubilee year was the first of the 1000 years of Jubilee." {TIAH 186} |
1874 | "And since the entire number of typical Jubilees, designed to precede the antitype, is thus proved to be seventy, we are thus furnished another means of calculating when the antitype is due to begin. The calculating of this prophetic statement of the entire number of Jubilees is simple and easy; and, as we should expect, its results agree exactly with those already obtained by the method of counting furnished by the Law. The entire number being seventy, and nineteen of these having been observed in a half-hearted way by Israel before the desolation, it follows that the remaining fifty-one (70-19=51) mark the period from the last Jubilee which Israel imperfectly observed, down to the great antitype. But here note a difference in the manner of counting. Under the Law reckoning, we counted the future as well as the past cycles of forty-nine years with the fiftieth or Jubilee Year added; for the Law shows things as they would have been, had Israel carried them out properly. But prophecy records things just as they will actually occur. We are now examining the prophetic statement, remember, and hence should now reckon these cycles as they have occurred - cycles of forty-nine years, without Jubilees; for Israel did not observe a Jubilee since their nineteenth one. The first nineteen cycles had Jubilee Years, but the fifty-one since have had none; hence we must reckon fifty-one cycles of forty-nine years each, or 2499 years (49 x 51 = 2499), from the last typical Jubilee observed by Israel to the antitype. This calculation, though entirely distinct from the other, ends exactly as shown by the Law method of reckoning previously examined - October, A.D. 1874." {TIAH 193) [actually, all that he is saying is that 50x50=2500 and (50+1)x(50-1)=2499, which differ by 1. He seems unaware this would happen no matter what number was used in place of "50"!] |
1874 | [Significance of this date was proven by measurements of the Tabernacle] {Watchtower May 15 1919 159} |
1874 | "'The time of the end' embraces a period .. to the time of the complete overthrow of Satan's empire and the establishment of the kingdom of the Messiah. The time of the Lord's second presence dates from 1874, as above stated. The latter period is within the first named, of course, and in the latter part of the period known as 'the time of the end.'" {THOG 236} |
1874 | "It is on the basis of such and so many correspondencies - in accordance with the soundest laws known to science - that we affirm that, Scripturally, scientifically, and historically, present-truth chronology is correct beyond a doubt. Its reliability has been abundantly confirmed by the dates and events of 1874 .. Present-truth chronology is a secure basis on which the consecrated child of God may endeavor to search out things to come." {Watchtower Jun 15 1922 187} |
1874 | "The Scriptural proof is that the period of his presence and the day of God's preparation is a period from 1874 A.D. forward. The second coming of the Lord, therefore, began in 1874 .." {CREA 289/310} |
1874 | ".. the battle of the great day of God Almighty.. so great is our confidence in the Word of God and in the light of present truth shining upon it, that we could not have doubted its testimony whatever had been the appearances.. beginning dating from October, 1874." {Zions Watchtower Jan 15 1892 repr 1355} |
1874 | ".. the beginning of the Times of Restitution in 1874" {TFIM 64} |
1874 | "Actual Presence of the Lord as Bridegroom and Reaper - October, A.D. 1874." {TIAH 1923 ed 247} |
1874 | "Nor will we here, again present the conclusive Bible proof that our Lord came for his Bride in 1874, and has an unseen work as Reaper of the first-fruits of this Gospel Age." {Zions Watchtower Nov 1880 1} |
1874 | ".. the Lord became present in October, 1874 .." {TKIC 1923 ed 235} [many other references in HOTW, TIAH 170, OLOR 27, HIS2 133] |
1874 | "Our Lord's presence as Bridegroom and Reaper was recognized during the first three and a half years, from A.D. 1874 to A.D. 1878." {TIAH 1913 ed 239} |
1874 | "Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874, A.D .. and the formal inauguration of his kingly office dates from April 1878, A.D." {BATT 621} |
1874 | "The natural harvest was used by the Lord to illustrate his harvest of Christians. In the Jewish natural harvest it was customary to glean the field after the regular harvest was over. We should therefore expect to find a harvest period from 1878 to 1918, and thereafter for a time a gleaning work to be done, which we will indicate. The question now is, Do we find a period of harvest in the gospel age after 1874 which serves as a fulfillment of the prophecy of the Lord?" {TFIM 236} |
1874 | -8 "The Scriptures disclose a complete parallel concerning the Jewish and gospel ages. The parallel exists with reference to time as well as events. The Jewish age ended with a harvest, which harvest began with the ascension of our Lord in the year A.D. 33. By the term 'harvest' here used is meant the gathering of the remnant of the Jews to Christ. Jesus' statement plainly is that the gospel age will end with a harvest, during which time he would be present, directing the work of that harvest. In the earth three and a half years from the time of his consecration and baptism, Jesus was preparing the Jews for the harvest of that age. We should expect to find a parallel of this reference to the harvest of the gospel age, and we do find it. Counting three and a half years from 1874, the time of his presence, brings us to 1878. During the presence of the Lord from 1874 to 1878 he was making preparation for the harvest of the gospel age." {THOG 235-6} |
1875 | "Besides, when we shall shortly show that, reckoned from the beginning of the seventy years desolation under Babylon, the great cycle ends with the year A.D. 1875, it will be manifest to all that it could not have commenced at an earlier date, prior to that Babylonian captivity; for if we place it even one Jubilee earlier, it would locate the termination of the cycle fifty years earlier than A.D. 1875, namely A.D. 1825; and surely no Jubilee age of restitution began with that year." {TIAH 183-4} |
1875 | "[End of] Great Jubilee Cycle .. End of 1335 days in Dan 12:12 .. The invisible resurrection of the saints started" [C.T.Russell held that the "Biblical year" 1875 started in Oct 1874, later both replaced by 1878] {HOTW} |
1876 | "For forty years the Lord has been present, feeding those who have been hungering and thirsting for righteousness. For forty years Pastor Russell - that faithful servant of the Lord - has set forth clear and unmistakable evidence of the presence of the Master. He nailed the banner of Christ's presence on the title page of The Watch Tower; and it shall never come down until the kingdom is known in the earth." {WR Dec 15 1916 6015} [the banner came down in 1939, and now the WT banner only claims 'Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom'] |
1876 | "Furthermore, the remnant of spiritual Israel had for decades, yes, since 1876, been looking forward to the ending of the Times of the Gentiles .." {MSWD 136} |
1876 | "CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.. The number of years since A.D. 1, necessary to complete the cycle of 2500 years - 1875 years" {TIAH 185} |
1877 | "The End Of This World; that is the end of the gospel and the beginning of the millennial age is nearer than most men suppose; indeed we have already entered the transition period, which is to be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation Dan. 12:3." {HOTW 17} |
1878 | "So it was in this harvest also up to A.D. 1878 the time prophecies and the fact of the Lord's presence, substantially as here presented, though less clearly, was our message. Since then the work has widened, and the view of other truths has become brighter and clearer; but the same fact and scriptures, teaching the same time and presence, stand unchallenged and incontrovertible." {TIAH 1915 ed 236} |
1878 | "[In this year] Christ Jesus is present [and has] assumed office of King .. choosing a 'servant' [identified in the same article as clearly being C.T.Russell] on earth to represent him." {WR 1906 3811} [Article written by Mrs. C.T.Russell] |
1878 | "Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that it is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14), which will end .. with the complete overthrow of the earth's present rulership, is already commenced." {TIAH 1915 ed 101} |
1878 | "Until 1878 the nominal church had been in a sense God's sanctuary or temple" {TFIM 484} |
1878 | "End of gospel age .. the rapture of the saints .. to heaven" {HOTW 68, HIS2 632, HIS1 19} [in 1881, C.T.Russell explained rapture was invisible and occurred at death of individual saints] |
1878 | "in the spring of 1878 all the holy apostles and other 'overcomers' of the Gospel age who slept in Jesus were raised spirit beings .. we, therefore, conclude that their resurrection is now an accomplished fact .. the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom, and that the setting up of that Kingdom has actually been in progress since the year 1878; that there the resurrection of all the dead in Christ was due; and that therefore, since that date, not only is our Lord and Head invisibly present in the world, but all these holy messengers are also with him." {TKIC 1923 ed 234/305} [By contrast, Matt 24:23-27 says the Lord would come like "lightning" and Rev 1:7 says even his enemies would see him] |
1878 | "the awakening of the sleeping saints in the Spring of 1878.. The awakening of the sleeping saints, A.D. 1878, was just half way (three and one-half years each way) between the beginning of the Times of Restitution in 1874 and the close of the High Calling in 1881." {TFIM 64} |
1878 | "And it was in 1878, then, that the process of setting up the kingdom began. There our Lord raised the sleeping saints from the tomb and joined them to himself .." {Watchtower Jun 1 1922 174} |
1878 | "And though, in a sense, the grandeur and blessing of the new dispensation began at the birth of Jesus ('Luke 2:10-14,25-38'), yet the Great Pyramid should, in some way, indicate the full length of Israel's favor. This we finally found to be most ingeniously shown. The granite 'Plug' proved to be the exact length to fill out this period to the very limit. Then we knew why that 'Plug' was so securely fixed that none had succeeded in displacing it. The great Master-Builder had placed it there to stay, that we might hear its testimony today corroborating the Bible, as to both its plan and its chronology. In measuring this passage with its 'Plug,' we should consider it as though it were a telescope, with the 'Plug' drawn out until the upper end reaches the place originally marked by the lower end of it. The distance downward from the north entrance of the 'Grand Gallery' to the lower end of the granite 'Plug' is 1470 inches, to which if we add the length of the 'Plug,' 179 inches, we have a total of 1649 inches, representing 1649 years; and the one inch-year of difference between this and the 1650 years shown by the Bible chronology of that period is easily accounted for when we remember that one end of this granite 'Plug' had been considerably chipped by those who endeavored to force it from its fixed position in the passageway. Thus, exactly, does the stone 'Witness' corroborate the testimony of the Bible, and show that the period from the exodus of Israel from Egypt until the full end of their national favor, A.D. 36, was 1650 years. But let none confound this period with the period shown in the Parallels of the Jewish and Christian dispensations - showing the two ages to be each 1845 years in length, the one from the death of Jacob to A.D. 33, and the other from A.D. 33 to A.D. 1878." {TKIC 346-7} |
1878 | [Many other references to Heavenly resurrection of dead saints, 3 1/2 years of Christ's ministry on earth, a "sifting out" is occurring among those who don't accept 1878 as the coming of the Bridegroom, and God's favor returning to the Jews, with the Kingdom of God starting to exercise power] {Watchtower Oct 1879 repr 39-41, TNCR 1904 ed 663, MLND 27-8, THOG 236/44} [references are omitted in THOG 1928 ed] |
1878 | -81 "The same year, 1881, is prophetically marked as the time for the final withdrawal of favor from the churches, a favor which had begun to be withdrawn in 1878 - the year in which the clergy were cast off as representatives of the Divine Word, and when Pastor Russell began his work by the publication of 50,000 copies of Object and Manner of the Lord's Return. In 1878 the stewardship of the things of God, the teaching of Bible truths, was taken from the clergy, unfaithful to their age long stewardship, and given to Pastor Russell. In the interim, until 1881, the new steward was setting the things in order, getting the truths of the Bible in logical and Scriptural form for presentation, until the last great item of the Hebrew tabernacle types, was ready. Then, in 1881, he became God's watchman for all Christendom, and began his gigantic work of Witness." {TFIM 1921 ed 386-387} |
1879 | "[God's] position is contrasted with men and angels, as he is Lord of both, having 'all power in heaven and earth'. Hence it is said, 'Let all of the angels of God worship him' (that must include Michael, the chief angel, hence Michael is not the Son of God) and the reason is, because he has 'by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.'" {Watchtower Nov 1879, bracketed comment in the original} [So Jesus is the chief angel, Michael. But Heb 1 says that Jesus is definitely not an angel. The Watchtower and the Bible cannot both be correct. Also, the apostle John says Jesus possesses the very substance and nature of God, though not the Father] |
1880 | "But understanding genea here, as elsewhere, to mean generation, and recognizing that our Lord's words were a prophecy covering the entire Gospel age, we have no difficulty in understanding the statement to mean - 'This generation (which will witness the signs inquired for by the apostles and just enumerated by our Lord - namely, the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars) - this generation shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled.' In other words, the signs mentioned will occur within a generation-epoch in the close of the age. The sprouting of the fig tree may have been but a casual remark, but we incline to think that it was not. The peculiar circumstance narrated of our Lord's curse upon a fig tree which bore no fruit, and which withered away directly (Matt. 21:19,20) inclines us to believe that the fig tree in this prophecy may be understood to signify the Jewish nation. If so, it is being signally fulfilled .. A 'generation' might be reckoned as equivalent to a century (practically the present limit) or one hundred and twenty years, Moses' lifetime and the Scripture limit. (Gen. 6:3) Reckoning a hundred years from 1780, the date of the first sign, the limit would reach to 1880; and, to our understanding, every item predicted had begun to be fulfilled at that date .." {BATT 603-4} |
1880 | "[Restoration of Jews to Palestine and the conversion of 144,000 literal Jews due before 1914.] {Watchtower Jun 1880 108} |
1881 | [Rapture of the Saints, including C.T.Russell and other Bible Students] {Watchtower Jan 1881 repr 180, WT Dec 1880 repr 172} [denied from WT May 1881 224] |
1881 | "the close of the High Calling in 1881." {TFIM 64} |
1881 | "[C.T.Russell supports the] Faith Cottage Pink Cure" {WR 1881 226} |
1881 | [Close of "high calling" to be among the 144,000 .. Fall of Babylon] {HIS2 632} [In 1922 "1881" replaced by "1918", later to "1935", see WT Jun 15 1992 23, HIS2 166] |
1881 | "Further, where the special favor of the general Gospel call ceased (October, 1881), the blessing upon the world would seem to be due to have a beginning. The 'Well,' which marks at its upper end the ransom which secures the coming blessing, should, it would seem, at its lower end (where it connects with the downward passage) mark the date when restitution blessings would begin to reach the world. It seems to say, Here the benefits of the ransom will begin to bless all the families of the earth, when the elections or selections of the Jewish and Gospel ages are completed. Now if we adopt the clearly marked close of the special call and favor of the Gospel age, 1881, as the date at which the call to restitution blessings was due to have a beginning, and if we regard the lower terminus of the 'Well' as marking that date (1881), we find something of interest by measuring back along that 'Entrance Passage' to the original entrance of the Pyramid. This distance we find to be 3826 pyramid inches, thus representing 3826 years. And if our supposition be well founded, 3826 years before A.D. 1881 some notable event must have occurred. And as we search the historic records of God's Word to see if any notable event occurred at that time, we find a remarkable confirmation of our supposition; for, just 3826 years before A.D. 1881, which would be B.C. 1945, Isaac, the typical seed of promise, became the heir of all his father Abraham's wealth, and was thus in position to bless all his brethren - Ishmael, the son of Hagar (type of fleshly Israel), and the many sons and daughters of Keturah, Abraham's second wife (typical of the world in general). Thus the 'Entrance Passage,' from the outside edge down to the nearest edge of the passage connecting with the 'Well,' marks in year-inches the period of time from the day the typical Isaac (in whom typically centered the promise of blessing to the world) became heir of all, B.C. 1945, to A.D. 1881, when the blessing was actually due to the world through the antitypical Isaac - the Christ, the heir of all things. Gal. 3:16,29. We measure the time from the date of Isaac's inheritance, and consequent privilege of blessing his brethren, to the year A.D. 1881, thus: Isaac came into possession of his inheritance at the death of his father Abraham, which occurred 100 years after the Abrahamic Covenant was made (for Abraham was 75 years old when the Covenant was made, and he died at the age of 175 years). Then from the Covenant to the death of Jacob, Isaac's son, was 232 years; and from the time that Isaac came into his inheritance - 100 years after the Covenant was made - to the death of Jacob would be 132 years (232 years less 100 years). To this we add the 1813 years from the death of Jacob to our Anno Domini, and we have the date 1945 B.C., the date when the typical Isaac came into possession of all that Abraham had. ('Gen. 25:5') And this 1945 years B.C. added to the 1881 years A.D. makes the 3826 years indicated in the Pyramid inches as the length of time that must elapse between the typical blessing of his brethren by the typical seed, Isaac, and the blessing of the whole world through the antitypical Isaac, the Christ. Does the question arise with any, what beginning of restitution work was marked by October, 1881? We answer: Nothing occurred which the world could discern. We still walk by faith and not by sight. All the preparatory steps toward the great restitution work since the date 1881 are to be reckoned as droppings of the great shower of blessing which shall ere long refresh the whole earth. That which occurred in 1881, like that which occurred in 1874, can be discerned only by the eye of faith in the light of God's Word. It was the date of the close of the high calling, and hence the date for the beginning of restitution announcement - the Jubilee trumpet. About that date the author, and, so far as he knows, no one else, had noticed the distinction between the call to the divine nature, open during the Gospel age, and the opportunity for restitution of human perfection and all that was lost in Adam, due at the close of the Gospel high calling." {TKIC 365-7} |
1881 | "To our understanding the general call to this joint heirship with our Redeemer as members of the New Creation of God, ceased in 1881." {TNCR 1915 ed 95} [Route to heaven closed in 1881 - but there are many changes in mind in the future on this one!] |
1881 | "As in the type that date - three and a half years after the death of Christ - marked the end of all special favor to the Jew and the beginning of favor to the Gentiles, so we recognize A.D. 1881 as marking the close of the 'high calling, ' or invitation to the blessing peculiar to this age - to become joint-heirs with Christ and partakers of the divine nature." {TIAH 1915 ed 235} |
1883 | "God [had] placed the Great Pyramid [of Gizeh in Egypt]" {WR Sep 1883 525} [compare with claim that Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt was built under direction of Satan, made in {Watchtower 1928 339-45/355-62}] |
1886 | "The outlook at the opening of the New Year has some very encouraging features. The outward evidences are that the marshaling of the hosts for the battle of the great day of God Almighty, is in progress while the skirmishing is commencing.. The time is come for Messiah to take the dominion of earth and to overthrow the oppressors and corrupters of the earth, (Rev. 19:15 and 11:17, 18) preparatory to the establishment of everlasting peace upon the only firm foundation of righteousness and truth.. In the battle already beginning, we are clearly told that there will be a general division of the world into two contending parties. The kings, chief men, and mighty or influential men, the wealthy and the worldly great, are all on one side the battle, and with them the symbolic beast (Papacy) and Protestantism." {Zions Watchtower Jan 1886 repr 817} |
1888 | "we present proofs that the setting up of the kingdom of God is already begun .. that the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16: 14) which shall end .. with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced." {TIAH 101} |
1892 | ".. the battle of the great day of God Almighty.. so great is our confidence in the Word of God and in the light of present truth shining upon it, that we could not have doubted its testimony whatever had been the appearances.. It is already in progress .." {Zions Watchtower Jan 15 1892 repr 1355} |
1894 | "A few more years will wind up the present order of things, and then the chastened world will stand face to face with the actual conditions of the established Kingdom of God. And yet the course of the Church is to be finished within the space of time that intervenes." {Watchtower 1894 56} |
1897 | "The distillery, the brewery, the saloon, the brothel, the pool-room, all time-killing and character-depraving business will be stopped; and their servants will be given something to do that will be beneficial to themselves and others .. Similarly, the building of war-vessels, the manufacture of munitions of war and defense will cease, and armies will be disbanded. The new Kingdom will have no need of these, but will have abundant power to execute summary justice in the punishment of evil doers .. The banking and brokerage business, and other like employment's, very useful under present conditions, will no longer have a place; for under the new conditions the human race will be required to treat each others as members of one family, and private capital and money to loan and to be needed will be things of the past. Landlords and renting agencies will find new employment also, because the new King will not recognize as valid patents and deeds now on record.. namely, that with present conveniences, if the whole people were put to work systematically and wisely, not more than three hours labor for each individual would be necessary." {BATT 633-635} |
1898 | "Notice that there is no command in the Scriptures against military service" {Watchtower Aug 1 1898 231} [And re-supported in 1903 in "There could be nothing against our conscience in going into the army. Wherever we would go we could take the Lord with us, the Captain of our salvation, and wherever we would go we could find opportunities to serve him and his cause" {Watchtower Apr 15 1903 120}. So what is the gigantic objection now?] |
1898 | "God .. evidently has been a respecter of races, and has specially blessed and favored certain branches of the Aryan race in Europe and America.. the white race has been more abundantly blessed with the light of the Gospel than others .. the elect Church will probably be composed chiefly of the highly favored white race.." {EVOL 30-1} |
1900 | "There are probably as many as a hundred colored brethren on the Watch Tower lists, some of them very clear in the truth, and very earnest in its service, financially and other-wise .. [but they are not allowed to participate in the "pioneer work" as] although we have received letters from several of these, who had intended engaging in the volunteer work, expressing surprise that in the call for volunteers in the March 1, 1900 issue we restricted the inquiry to white Protestant churches. .. The reason is that so far as we are able to judge, colored people have less education than whites - many of them quite insufficient to permit them to profit by such reading as we have to give forth. Our conclusion therefore is based upon the supposition that reading matter distributed to a colored congregation would more than half of it be utterly wasted, and a very small percentage indeed likely to yield good results. We advise, therefore, that where the Watch Tower literature is introduced to colored people it be not by promiscuous circulation, but only to those who give evidence of some ear for the truth. We avoid, so far as possible, putting the pearls of present truth into the hands of the vicious and depraved .." {Zions Watchtower Apr 15 1900 122} |
1900 | "Though, once as black as charcoal, the Rev. Mr. Draper is now white. His people say that his color was changed in answer to prayer. . Many years ago Draper was employed by a fair-skinned man, and he was often heard to remark that if he could only be white like his employer, he would be happy. While in the white man's service Draper 'experienced' religion." {WR Oct 1 1900 2706} [Michael Jackson ceased to be a Jehovah's Witness in 1987] |
1901 | "'It too often happens that, while the negro rapidly masters the rules and regulations of the Christian religion, he still continues to be gross, immoral, and deceitful. They (missionaries) may have succeeded in turning their disciples into professing Catholics, Anglicans, or Baptists; but the impartial observer is surprised to find that adultery, drunkenness, and lying are more apparent among the converts than among their heathen brethren.' And again: 'I regret to say that, with a few - very rare - exceptions, those native African pastors, teachers, and catechists whom I have met have been all, more or less, bad men. They attempted to veil an unbridled immorality with an unblushing hypocrisy and a profane display of mouth-religion which, to an honest mind, seemed even more disgusting than the immorality itself. While it was apparent that not one particle of true religion had made its way into their gross minds, it was also evident that the spirit of sturdy manliness which was present in their savage forefathers found no place in their false, cowardly natures.." [Given as a quotation by Russell without adverse comment] {Zions Watchtower Aug 15 1901 266} |
1902 | "The Negro Not a Beast .. that Ham's characteristics which had led him to unseemly conduct disrespectful to his father, would be found cropping out later, inherited by his son, and prophetically he foretold that this degeneracy would mark the posterity of Canaan, degrading him, making him servile. We are not able to determine to a certainty that the sons of Ham and Canaan are negroes; but we consider that general view as probable as any other.. We are not to forget, either, that Africa is inhabited by various tribes or nations of negroes - some more and some less degraded than the average.. While it is true that the white race exhibits some qualities of superiority over any other, we are to remember that there are wide differences in the same Caucasian (Semitic and Aryan) family.. The secret of the greater intelligence and aptitude of the Caucasian undoubtedly in great measure is to be attributed to the commingling of blood amongst its various branches; and this was evidently forced in large measure by circumstances under divine control. It remains to be proven that the similar commingling of the various tribes of Chinese for several centuries would not equally brighten their intellects; and the same with the peoples of India and Africa." {Zions Watchtower Jul 15 1902 216} |
1903 | "The second runner, Cushi, or literally a Cushite - that is, a negro - was probably one of the king's household servants .." {Zions Watchtower Nov 1 1903 410-1} |
1904 | "Can The Ethiopian Change His skin color? No. But.. what the Ethiopian cannot do for himself God could readily do for him. The difference between the races of men .. have long been arguments against the solidarity of the human family. The doctrine of restitution has also raised the question. How could all men be brought to perfection and which color of skin was the original? The answer is now provided. God can change the Ethiopian's skin in his own due time.. Julius Jackson, of New Frankfort, Montana, a negro boy of nine years, began to grow white in September, 1901, and is now fully nine-tenths white. He assures us that this is no whitish skin disease; but that the new white skin is as healthy as that of any white boy, and that the changed boy has never been sick and never has taken medicines.." [and so God can and will change blacks to whites in the New World]" {Zions Watchtower Feb 15 1904 52-3} |
1904 | "Even though Christmas is not the real anniversary of our Lord's birth, but more properly the annunciation day or the date of his human begetting (Luke 1:28), nevertheless, since the celebration of our Lord's birth is not a matter of divine appointment or injunction, but merely a tribute of respect to him, it is not necessary for us to quibble particularly about the date. We may as well join with the civilized world in celebrating the grand event on the day which the majority celebrate - 'Christmas day.'" {Watchtower Dec 1 1904 364} [What changed?] |
1908 | The negro and Latin races will probably always be inclined to superstition." {Zions Watchtower Apr 1 1908 99} |
1910 | [Expected "Rapture of the Saints", based on measurements in corridor in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh] {TKIC 364} [Omitted in TKIC post-1910 editions] |
1911 | "According to our expectations the stress of the great time of trouble will be on us soon, somewhere between 1910 and 1912" {TNCR 1904 ed 579} |
1911 | "Rather we should seek for dependent Bible study, rather than for independent Bible study." {Watchtower Sep 15 1911 4885} |
1912 | "Sister Smith of Nebraska recently discovered one stalk of beans which she declares yielded so prolifically that she calls it the Millennial Bean.. Sister Smith writes that they should be planted one bean to the hill, and the hills six feet apart. They should be planted in April. They keep bearing right along for weeks, and five should supply a small family." {Zions Watchtower Jan 15 1912 26} |
1912 | "It is known that only about three out of every one hundred operated upon for appendicitis really have a diseased appendix needing removal. We give below a simple cure for appendicitis symptoms. The pain in the appendix region is caused by the biting of worms near the junction of the transverse colon with the small intestines, low down on the right side of the abdomen. This remedy is recommended also for typhoid fever, which is also a worm disease. The medicine is Santonine dose, 3 grains, an hour before breakfast; repeated for four mornings, or until all the symptoms disappear. Then one dose per month for three months to eradicate all germs. This recipe is of INCALCULABLE VALUE. Not only will it save the surgeon's and hospital fees of perhaps $200, but it saves weeks of ill health, inconvenience, convalescence and loss of salary." {Zions Watchtower Jan 15 1912 26} |
1913 | "just use the Bible [and reject all developed theology in the history of Christianity]" {WR 1913 5156} |
1914 | "In this chapter we present the Bible evidence proving that the full end of the times of the gentiles, i.e., the full end of their lease of dominion, will be reached in A.D. 1914; and that the date will be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men. And be it observed, that if this is shown to be a fact firmly established by the Scriptures, it will prove; Firstly, that at that date the Kingdom of God, for which our Lord taught us to pray, saying, Thy Kingdom come, will obtain full, universal control, and that it will then be set up, or firmly established, in the earth, on the ruins of present institutions.. It will prove that he whose right it is to thus take the dominion, will then be present as earth's new Ruler; and not only so, but it will prove that he will be present for a considerable period before that date .. It will prove that some time before the end of A.D. 1914 the last member of the divinely recognized church of Christ, the 'royal priesthood' 'the body of Christ,' will be glorified with the Head .. It will prove that from that time forward Jerusalem shall no longer be trodden down of the Gentiles, but shall arise from the dust of divine disfavor, to honor .. It will prove that by that date, or sooner, .. the full number from among the Gentiles, who are to be members of the body or bride of Christ, would be fully selected .. It will prove that the great 'time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,' will reach its final culmination, and end, at that date .. The condition of things spoken of in symbolic language as raging waves of the sea, melting earth, falling mountains, and burning heavens, will then have passed away .. It will prove that before that date, God's kingdom, organized in power, will be in the earth, and will have smitten and crushed the Gentile image .." {TIAH 76-8} |
1914 | "And, with the end of A.D. 1914, what God calls Babylon, and what men call Christendom, will have passed away, as is already shown from prophecy." {TKIC 153} |
1914 | "The time of the end is .. to 1914." {Watchtower Nov 1 1922 333/346} |
1914 | "The Watchtower, and its companion publications of the society, for forty years emphasized that fact that 1914 would witness the establishment of God's kingdom and the complete glorification of the church. During that period of forty years God's people on earth were carrying on a witness work, which work was foreshadowed by Elijah and John the Baptist. all of the lords people looked forward to 1914 with joyful expectation. when that time came and passed there was much disappointment, chagrin and mourning, and the lords people were greatly in reproach. they were ridiculed by the clergy and their allies in particular, and pointed to with scorn, because they had said so much about 1914, and what would come to pass, and their prophecies had not been fulfilled." {LIT1 194} |
1914 | "The 'Time of the End', a period of one hundred and fifteen (115) years, from A.D. 1799 to A.D. 1914, is particularly marked in the Scriptures." {TKIC 1923 ed 23} |
1914 | "In this chapter we present the Bible evidence proving that the full end of the times of Gentiles, i.e., the full end or their lease of dominion, will be reached in A.D. 1914; and that that date will be the farest limit of the rule of imperfect men.. That at that date the Kingdom of God, for which our Lord taught us to pray, saying, 'The Kingdom come,' will have obtained full, universal control, and that it will then be 'set up,' or firmly established, in the earth.. Church taken home in a rapture .. It will prove that some time before the end of A.D. 1914 the last member of the divinely recognized Church of Christ, the 'royal priesthood,' 'the body of Christ,' will be glorified with the Head; because every member is to reign with Christ, being a joint-heir with him of the Kingdom, and it cannot be fully 'set up' without every member." {TIAH 76-7} |
1914 | "It is on the basis of such and so many correspondencies - in accordance with the soundest laws known to science- that we affirm that, Scripturally, scientifically, and historically, present-truth chronology is correct beyond a doubt. Its reliability has been abundantly confirmed by the dates and events of .. 1914 .. Present-truth chronology is a secure basis on which the consecrated child of God may endeavor to search out things to come." {Watchtower Jun 15 1922 187} |
1914 | "we present proofs that the setting up of the kingdom of God is already begun .. and that the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16: 14) which shall end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership .. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God's word." {TIAH 101} [TIAH 1915 ed contains '1915' instead of '1914'] |
1914 | ".. the overthrow of the professedly Christian kingdoms, really 'kingdoms of this world', and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God in the earth at A.D. 1914 .." {TKIC 1905 ed 126} |
1914 | "The 'Gentil Times' prove that the present governments must all be overturned about the close of A.D. 1914" {TIAH 242} |
1914 | "Can It Be Delayed until 1914? .. Seventeen years ago people said, concerning the time features presented in Millennial Dawn, They seem reasonable in many respects, but surely no such radical changes could occur between now and the close of 1914: if you had proved that they would come about in a century or two, it would seem much more probable. What changes have since occurred, and what velocity is gained daily? 'The old is quickly passing and the new is coming in.' Now, in view of recent labor troubles and threatened anarchy, our readers are writing to know if there may not be a mistake in the 1914 date. They say that they do not see how present conditions can hold out so long under the strain. We see no reason for changing the figures-nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble. We see no reason for changing from our opinion expressed in the view presented in the Watch Tower of January 15, '92. We advise that it be read again." {Zions Watchtower Jul 15 1894 repr 1677} |
1914 | "As far back as 1876, Jehovah's Witnesses realized that Bible prophecy marked the year 1914 C.E. as a time when major events would take place that would have far-reaching effects on human affairs. They gave the reason for this fact wide publicity." {TPAS 70} |
1914 | "Remember that the forty years' Jewish Harvest ended October A.D. 69, and was followed by the complete overthrow of that nation; and that likewise the forty years of the Gospel age harvest will end October, 1914, and that likewise the overthrow of 'Christendom,' so-called, must be expected to immediately follow." {TIAH 245} |
1914 | "If nature favors the colored brethren and sisters in the exercise of humility it is that much to their advantage, if they are rightly exercised by it. A little while, and [their] humility will work out for [their] good.. those who have been faithful .. will be granted new bodies, spiritual, beyond the veil, where color and sex distinctions will be no more.. A little while, and the Millennial kingdom will be inaugurated, which will bring restitution to all mankind - restitution to the perfection of .. color, to the grand original standard, which God declared "very good," and which was lost for a time through sin, but which is soon to be |
rest | restored by the powerful kingdom of the Messiah." {Watchtower Apr 1 1914 110} |
1914 | "Ever since the 1870's, Bible Students had been serving with a date in mind - first 1914, then 1925. Now they realized that they must serve for as long as Jehovah wishes." {Watchtower Nov 1 1993 12} |
1914 | "We find it to be 3457 inches, symbolizing 3457 years .. Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble .." {TKIC 1916 ed} [TKIC 1897 ed 342 stated ".. this measurement is 3416 inches, symbolizing 3416 years .. This calculation shows A.D. 1874 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble .." - but 1874 had passed.] |
1914 | "Complete destruction of the 'powers that be' of 'this present evil worlds - political, financial, ecclesiastical - about the close of the Time of the Gentiles; October A.D. 1914." {BATT 622} |
1914 | "Recognizing that it meant either the success or the failure of the enterprise of the [Photo] Drama as respects the whites, we have been compelled to assign the colored friends to the gallery, which, however, is just as good for seeing and hearing as any other part of The Temple. Some were offended at this arrangement. We have received numerous letters from the colored friends, some claiming that it is not right to make a difference, others indignantly and bitterly denouncing us as enemies of the colored people. Some, confident that Brother Russell had never sanctioned such a discrimination, told that they believe it would be duty to stand up for equal rights and always to help the oppressed, etc. We were obliged to explain the facts, assuring all of our loving interest in the colored people, and of our desire to do them good, and not injury. We again suggested that if a suitable place could be found in which the Drama could be presented for the benefit of the colored people alone, we would be glad to make such arrangements, or to cooperate with any others in doing so.. Our explanations were ... it is a question of putting either the interests of God's cause first, or else the interests of the race first. We believed it our duty to put God first and the truth first--at any cost to others or to ourself! We explained that we thought that all the colored brethren should know .. that we love to serve them in any way possible and to give them the very best we have to give of the Gospel message; and that it is only a question of whether our giving to them in one way would entirely deprive us of giving the truth to others" {Watchtower Apr 1 1914 105} [Racial segregation justified in order to achieve goals] |
1914 | "1914 Final overthrow of Nominal Christendom .. 1521 - PERIOD of 393 YEARS FROM THE DIVISION OF CHRISTENDOM TILL ITS FINAL OVERTHROW - 1914" {Zions Watchtower Jun 15 1905 repr 3575} |
1914 | "Studying God's Word, we have measured the 2520 years, the seven symbolic times, from that year 606 B.C. and have found that it reached down to October, 1914, as nearly as we were able to reckon. We did not say positively that this would be the year." {Watchtower Nov 1 1914 325} [However, Jerusalem, according to Bible chronology, fell in 587-6 B.C. and not 607-6 B.C. Compton's Encyclopedia of History: "David, king of the Israelites, captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites in about 1000 BC. King Solomon, his son, extended the city and built the great temple that stood until 586 BC when it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. In the 50 years of their Babylonian captivity .." Columbia Concise Encyclopedia: "Babylonian captivity in the history of Israel, the period from the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) to the reconstruction in Palestine of a new Jewish state (after 538 B.C.). Following the capture of the city by the Babylonians, thousands of JEWS were deported to Mesopotamia. In 538 B.C. the Persian King CYRUS THE GREAT decreed the restoration of worship at Jerusalem."] |
1914 | "Pastor Russell's mission, in large part, was to advise Christendom of its impending end, in the time of world-wide trouble. It is the Divine judgment upon the nations.. There will be no chance of escaping from destruction, through the nations.. The trouble is due to the dawning of the Day of Christ, the Millennium. It is the Day of Vengeance, which began in the world war of 1914 .." {TFIM 404} |
1914 | "We see no reason for changing the figures - nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble." {Watchtower Jul 15 1894 266 repr 1677} |
1914 | "Firstly, that at that date [1914] the Kingdom of God, for which our Lord taught us to pray, saying, 'Thy Kingdom come,' will begin to assume control, and that it will then shortly be 'set up,' or firmly established, in the earth, on the ruins of present institutions." {TIAH 1915 ed 77} |
1914 | "1914 ended the Gentile Times." {Watchtower Sep 1 1922 262} |
1914 | "'The Times of the Gentiles' extend to 1914, and the heavenly kingdom will not have full sway till then, but as a 'Stone' the kingdom of God is set up 'in the days of these (ten gentile) kings' and by consuming them it becomes a universal kingdom - a 'great mountain and fills the whole Earth.'" {Zions Watchtower Mar 1880 repr 82} |
1914 | "Under the guidance of God's spirit of freedom the magazine today known as the Watchtower but known back there as Zion's Watch Tower, began to be published in July, 1879. In the first year of its publication it pointed to the date 1914 as marked in the Bible." {WRDM 308} |
1914 | ".. ending with the times of the Gentiles in 1914, when the kingdom of God (soon to be set up or exalted to power) will have broken in pieces and consumed all earthly kingdoms." {Zions Watchtower Aug 1880 repr 124} |
1914 | "When Uranus and Jupiter meet in the humane sign of Aquarius in 1914, the long-promised era will have made a fair start in the work of setting man free to work out his own salvation, and will insure the ultimate realization of dreams and ideals of all poets and sages in history." {Watchtower May 1 1903/6 130-1 repr 3184} |
1914 | ".. the end of 'The times of the Gentiles,' A.D., 1914, and that it is the trouble of this 'Great day,' .. which is here symbolically called the voice of the Archangel when he begins the deliverance of fleshly Israel.. At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince (Archangel) which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. Dan. xii. 1" {Zions Watchtower Nov 1880 1} |
1914 | "This remnant of anointed ones have identified themselves on the pages of history since 1914 C.E. Before this year members of this anointed remnant had been earnestly studying God's Word apart from Christendom. They put the Holy Bible ahead of man-made religious traditions. As early as 1876 they were publishing that the Gentile Times of 2, 520 years would terminate in the year 1914. Events that have taken place from that year onward prove they were not wrong." {GEPT 178-9} |
1914 | "Jesus Christ began to rule as king of God's heavenly government [in 1914]" {YCLF 141} |
1914 | "Furthermore, the remnant of spiritual Israel had for decades .. been looking forward to the ending of the Times of the Gentiles in the autumn of 1914. They were expecting God's Messianic Kingdom to be fully established in the heavens by then and also for the remnant of spiritual Israel to be glorified with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom at that time. All understanding of the Holy Scriptures was slanted in that direction or adjusted to that idea." {MSWD 136} |
1914 | "That the Lord must be present, and set up his Kingdom, and exercise his great power so as to dash the nations to pieces as a potter's vessel, before A.D. 1914, is then clearly fixed; for it is 'in the days of these kings' - before their overthrow - i.e. before A.D. 1914 - that the God of heaven shall set up his Kingdom." {TIAH 170} |
1914 | "According to our expectations the stress of the great time of trouble will be on us soon .. culminating with the end of the 'Times of the Gentiles', October, 1914." {TNCR 1904 ed 579} |
1914 | "1914 [is] a marked year. Years in advance Bible Scholars realized that 1914 was to be a year of great significance. They expected great changes to take place, and the facts confirm that 1914 was, indeed, a marked year." {TLEL 91} |
1914 | "Such activity in publishing God's kingdom and clearing his name of the Devil's reproaches by religion was mistakenly given a place secondary to the making of the bride of Christ class ready for the marriage with him in heaven, in 1914 as some thought." {TNWD 273-4} |
1914 | "Prior to the latter part of the year 1914, many Christians expected Christ to return at that time and to take them away to heaven. Thus, in a discourse given on September 30, 1914, A.H. Macmillan, a Bible Student, stated: 'This is probably the last public address I shall ever deliver because we shall be going home (to heaven) soon.' Clearly, Macmillan was mistaken, but that was not the only unfulfilled expectation he or his fellow Bible Students had.. Consequently, A.H. Macmillan explained later: 'I learned that we should admit our mistakes and continue searching God's Word for more enlightenment. No matter what adjustments we would have to make from time to time in our views, that would not change the gracious provision of the ransom and God's promise of eternal life .. Indeed, God's promises can be trusted! It is humans who are prone to error. Therefore, true Christians will maintain a waiting attitude in obedience to Jesus' command. They will keep awake and ready for Christ's inevitable coming as God's Executioner. They will not allow false predictions to dull their senses and cause them to ignore the true warning of the world's end." {AWAK Jun 22 1995 6-9} [why no mention of Russell's belief in exactly the same thing?] |
1914 | "There is absolutely no ground for Bible students to question that the consummation of this Gospel age is now even at the door, and that it will end as the Scriptures foretell in a great time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. We see the participants in this great crisis banding themselves together .. The great crisis, the great clash, symbolically represented as a fire, that will consume the ecclesiastical heavens and the social earth, is very near." {WR VI May 1 1914 5450} |
1914 | "We have no doubt whatever in regard to the chronology relating to the dates of .. 1914, .. It was on this line of reckoning that the dates .. 1914 .. were located; and the Lord has placed the stamp of his seal upon 1914 .. beyond any possibility of erasure. What further evidence do we need?" {Watchtower May 15 1922 150} |
1914 | "We see no reason for doubting, therefore, that the Times of the Gentiles ended in October, 1914; and that a few more years will witness their utter collapse and the full establishment of God's kingdom in the hands of Messiah." {WR VI Sept 1 1916 5950} |
1914 | "That the deliverance of the saints must take place some time before 1914 is manifest, since the deliverance of fleshly Israel, as we shall see, is appointed to take place at that time, and the angry nations will then be authoritatively commanded to be still, and will be made to recognize the power of Jehovah's Anointed.. Just how long before 1914 the last living members of the body of Christ will be glorified, we are not directly informed .." {TKIC 228} |
1914 | "Many of such had been looking for the Lord to come and take them to heaven, and had particularly fixed the year 1914 as when this should be done. The year 1914 was a marked date; but these had merely contemplated something to happen which did not come to pass." {PROP 1,589,000 ed 89} |
1914 | ".. the battle of the great day of God Almighty.. so great is our confidence in the Word of God and in the light of present truth shining upon it, that we could not have doubted its testimony whatever had been the appearances. The date of the close of that 'battle' is definitely marked in Scripture as October, 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874." {Zions Watchtower Jan 15 1892 repr 1355} |
1914 | "As far back as 1880 The Watchtower pointed to A.D. 1914 as the date marking the end of the world, at which time great trouble would come upon the nations; but at that time it was not seen by God's people on earth that the trouble would be the battle of Jehovah against Satan's organization. For many years it was believed by them, and so stated in The Watchtower, that "the time of trouble" would be a terrific clash between the various elements of the earth, such as capital and labor." {Watchtower Feb 1 1938 35} |
1914 | "The prophecy of the Bible, fully supported by the physical facts in fulfilment thereof, shows that the second coming of Christ dates from the fall of the year 1914." {WHAT} [written in 1932: see next quotation] |
1914 | "In the year 1943 the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society published the book 'The Truth Shall Make You Free.' In its chapter 11, entitled 'The Count of the Time,' it did away with the insertion of 100 years into the period of the Judges and went according to the oldest and most authentic reading of Acts 13:20, and accepted the spell-out numbers of the Hebrew Scriptures. This moved forward the end of six thousand years of man's existence into the decade of the 1970's. Naturally this did away with the year 1874 C.E. as the date of return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the beginning of his invisible presence or parousia." {GKTY 209} [Claim that 'parousia' change from 1874 to 1914 came only in 1943, not in 1932 in WHAT, when the WTBTS completed a new chronological system, which included moving Jerusalem's destruction from 606 B.C. to 607 B.C.E. to keep the 1914 date while finally accounting for the non-existing zero year. Also see HIS2 133] |
1914 | "True, it is expecting great things to claim, as we do, that within the coming twenty-six years all present governments will be overthrown and dissolved.. In view of this strong bible evidence concerning the Times of the Gentiles, we consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished at the end of A.D. 1914 .." {TIAH 1908 ed 98-9} |
1914 | "We did not say positively that this would be the year." {Watchtower Nov 1 1914 repr 5565} [Failed Prophecy..] |
1914 | "Even if the time of our change should not come within ten years, what more should we ask? Are we not a blessed, happy people? Is not our God faithful? If anyone knows anything better, let him take it. If any of you ever find anything better, we hope you will tell us." {Watchtower Dec 15 1914 376} [The words of a False Prophet] |
1914 | -8 ".. the years 1914 and 1918 are specially marked dates with reference to his coming." {CREA 289/310} |
1914 | -8 "Like Elijah of old, they became quite disconsolate, uncertain of life, thinking the end of existence and work was at hand. This was especially the case since the remnant was part of the virgin class espoused to Christ as his Bride and she failed to realize her hopes of being glorified to heavenly life with him both in 1914 and now in 1918." {LYNS 313} |
1914 | -8 "Ezek. 5:2, 12, 16, 17, relate to features of the destruction of literal Jerusalem in 606 B.C. and 70-73 A.D. and of Christendom in 1914 to 1918 A.D." {TFIM 398} |
1915 | "The 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14) which will end in A.D. 1915 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God's word." {TIAH 1915 ed 101} [original TIAH used "1914" instead of "1915"] |
1915 | "[C.T.Russell promotes] Dr Park's cure for pneumonia [which] seems to effect a cure every time." {WR 1915 5691} |
1915 | "In view of this strong Bible evidence concerning the Times of the Gentiles, we consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the kingdom of God, will be accomplished near the end of A.D. 1915. {TIAH 1915 ed 99} |
1915 | "While it's possible that Armageddon may begin next Spring, yet this purely speculation to attempt to say just when. We see, however, that there are parallels between the close of the Jewish age and this Gospel age. These parallels seem to point to the year just before us part particularly the early months." {WR VI Sep 1 1914 5527} |
1915 | "we consider it an established truth, that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the kingdom of God will be accomplished by A.D. 1915. At that time the prayer of the church, ever since her Lord took his departure, - 'Thy kingdom come' - will be answered; and under its wise and just administration, the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord" {TIAH 1915 ed 99} [Original contains '1914' instead of '1915'] |
1915 | "The Gentile Times prove that the present governments must all be overturned about the close of A.D. 1915; and Parallelism above shows that this period corresponds exactly with the year A.D. 70, which witnessed the completion of the downfall of the Jewish polity." {TIAH 1915 ed 242} |
1915 | "Furthermore, Science declares that there is a far mightier Center, around which these countless millions of suns revolve, accompanied by their planets and satellites. This great Center seems to be associated with the Pleiades, particularly with Alcyone, the central star of this renowned group. For this reason the suggestion has been made that the Pleiades may represent the Residence of Jehovah, the place from which He governs the Universe. This thought gives new force to the question which the Almighty asked the patriarch Job: "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth the constellations of the Zodiac in their season?"-- 'Job 38:31,32'. There seem to be fewer stars in the North than in any other part of the heavens. Thus the North seems to have been given a very prominent position, the other points of the compass giving it homage, as it were. This fact was observed by the ancients, as the Prophet Job declares--"He stretcheth out the North over the empty space, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." ('Job 26:7'.) Throughout the Scriptures the North seems to be closely associated with Jehovah's government of the earth. {Zions Watchtower Jun 15 1915 185} [This nonsense was a frequent theme - also see TKIC 327, ZWT May 15 1895 repr 1814, ZWT Dec 1 1896 repr 2075, GA Sep 10 1924 793-4. The belief persisted in the Society at the highest levels, long after C.T.Russell's death - see 1927-8 entries. Further, the associated pre-eminence of the North was in line with C.T.Russell's belief that northern (i.e. white) races were likely to be the chief component of the elect Church of the future - see EVOL 30-1 for 1898] |
1915 | "While the glorified members of the Kingdom beyond the veil are doing a work in shaping the current of present events and preparing for the glorious reign, those on this side of the veil have also an important work." {TKIC 1915 ed 303} [And also "Additionally, such should remember that they themselves, on the other side of the veil, will have still as good an opportunity of watching over the interests of their loved ones as they now have, and a much better opportunity than now to exercise a protecting care over them - a providential guidance in their affairs under divine wisdom, with which they will concur absolutely." {TNCR 1915 ed 555-6}. So claims from the Society that there is conscious life after death. But "Now Satan knows that his time is very short until the great fight at Armageddon takes place, and he hastens to drive all men into spiritism or devilism and therefore against God; and for that reason at the present time there is a great turning to spiritism and spirit mediums throughout the land." {RICH 101}. So the Society is driven by Satan. And the belief in spirit mediums continues into 1988 - see REVE 125] |
1915 | "The Battle of Armageddon, to which this war is leading, will be a great contest between right and wrong, and will signify the complete and everlasting overthrow of the wrong, and the permanent establishment of Messiah's righteous kingdom for the blessing of the world.. Our sympathies are broad enough to cover all engaged in the dreadful strife, as our hope is broad enough and deep enough to include all in the great blessings which our Master and his Millennial kingdom are about to bring to the world. {WR VI Apr 1 1915 5659} |
1917 | "The present great war in Europe is the beginning of the Armageddon of the Scriptures (Rev 19:16-20). It will eventuate in the complete overthrow of all the systems of error which have so long oppressed the people of God and deluded the world. We believe the present war cannot last much longer until revolutions shall break out." {PRSS 676} |
1917 | "Following the election Brother Rutherford, addressing the the meeting, said in part: 'The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is the greatest corporation in the world, because from the time of its organization until now the lord has used it as his channel through which to make known the glad tidings..'" {Watchtower Jan 15 1917 22} |
1917 | "The Scriptures indicate that Russell was chosen of the Lord from his birth. The two most prominent messengers were Paul and Pastor Russell. Russell is the servant of Matthew 24:45-47." {WR Nov 1 1917 6159} |
1917 | "No doubt Satan believed the Millennial Kingdom was due to be set-up in 1915" {TFIM 128} [So did the Society] |
1917 | "[In Revelation] Abaddon-Apollyon [refers to] Satan" {TFIM} [But according to TFMG 232, it refers to Jesus Christ!] |
1917 | "Thou wilt lengthen out leviathan (the locomotive) with a hook (automatic coupler) and a snare (coupling-pin) which will cause his tongue (coupling-link) to drop down." {TFIM 84-6} [Biblical reference to Leviathan is fulfilled by the arrival of the Locomotive Engine] |
1918 | "The parallel, therefore, would establish definitely that the harvest would close forty years thereafter; to wit, in the spring of A.D. 1918. If this is true, and the evidence is very conclusive that it is true, then we have only a few months in which to labor before the great night settles down when no man can work." {WR Oct 1 1917 6149} |
1918 | "The data presented .. in the light of the foregoing Scriptures, prove that the Spring of 1918 will bring upon Christendom a spasm of anguish greater even than that experienced in the Fall of 1914 .. The travail that is coming is to be upon nominal Zion - 'Christendom' .. 'Babylon'; and it will be a great and sore affliction- 'A Time of Trouble such as was not since there was a nation.'" {TFIM 62} |
1918 | "Comments on Revelation 11:13 .. We anticipate that the 'earthquake' will occur early in 1918" {TFIM 178} |
1918 | "Pastor Russell's mission, in large part, was to advise Christendom of its impending end, in the time of world-wide trouble. It is the Divine judgment upon the nations.. There will be no chance of escaping from destruction, through the nations.. The trouble is due to the dawning of the Day of Christ, the Millennium. It is the Day of Vengeance .. which will break like a furious morning storm in 1918." {TFIM 404} |
1918 | "[Since] "the death of the apostles .. the gospel of the kingdom of God and of his Christ was not preached until after 1918 A.D." {Watchtower Dec 1 1928 364} [thereby cutting off all of C.T.Russell's work!] |
1918 | ".. He was from then [1878] on, culminating in 1918, to remove it with a stroke or plague of erroneous doctrines and deeds Divinely permitted. The Church was the strength of Christendom, that about which its life centered, and around which its institutions were built. It was the desire of the eyes of the people, that which all Christians loved. Nevertheless, God was to make manifest the profanation which ecclesiasticism had made of the Christian Church, and to cause the church organizations to become to Him as one dead, an unclean thing, not to be touched, or mourned. And the 'children of the church' shall perish by the sword of war, revolution and anarchy, and by the Sword of the Spirit be made to see that they have lost their hope of life on the spirit plane - that 'the door is shut.'" {TFIM 484} |
1918 | "By his spirit, the holy spirit, Jehovah God guides or leads his people up to a certain point of time, and thus he did until the time when 'the comforter' was taken away, which would necessarily occur when Jesus, the Head of his organization, came to the temple and gathered unto himself those whom he found faithful when he, as the great Judge, began his judgment, in 1918." {PRES 193-4} |
1918 | "[False religion, especially Christendom, to be destroyed. Demons would enter the minds of clergy, the] swine class [causing them to do stupid things that provokes] the masses [to destroy them] .. It seems conclusive that the hour of Nominal Zion's travail is fixed for the Passover of 1918. (See Rev. 3:14.) That will be 7 years prior to 1925. At that time there is every reason to believe the fallen angels will invade the minds of many of the Nominal Church people, driving them to exceedingly unwise conduct and leading to their destruction at the hands of the enraged masses, who will later be dragged to the same fate.. [Question] 'in the parallel year 1918, I infer we should look for the complete overthrow of nominal Spiritual Israel; i.e., the fall of Babylon. (Rev. 18.) [Answer] Brother Russell replied: 'Exactly. That is exactly the inference to draw.'" {TFIM 128-9} |
1918 | "Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of 'Christianity'." {TFIM 485} |
1918 | "The natural harvest was used by the Lord to illustrate his harvest of Christians. In the Jewish natural harvest it was customary to glean the field after the regular harvest was over. We should therefore expect to find a harvest period .. to 1918, and thereafter for a time a gleaning work to be done, which we will indicate." {TFIM 236} [Written in 1917 to extend the period claimed to end in 1918] |
1918 | "The Jewish harvest covered a period of forty years, ending in A.D. 73. We should expect, then, the general harvest of the gospel age to end in 1918." {THOG 236} |
1918 | "It is on the basis of such and so many correspondencies - in accordance with the soundest laws known to science - that we affirm that, Scripturally, scientifically, and historically, present-truth chronology is correct beyond a doubt. Its reliability has been abundantly confirmed by the dates and events of .. 1918. Present-truth chronology is a secure basis on which the consecrated child of God may endeavor to search out things to come." {Watchtower Jun 15 1922 187} |
1918 | "And when the year 1914 ended amid the flames of World War I and the remnant of spiritual Israel found themselves still here on the earth, then they were inclined to think that they would be glorified in the year 1918, three and a half years after the end of the Gentile Times." {MSWD 136} |
1918 | "We have no doubt whatever in regard to the chronology relating to the dates of .. 1918, .. It was on this line of reckoning that the dates .. 1918 were located; and the Lord has placed the stamp of his seal upon .. 1918 beyond any possibility of erasure. What further evidence do we need?" {Watchtower May 15 1922 150} |
1918 | "As the fleshly-minded apostates from Christianity, siding with the radicals and revolutionaries, will rejoice at the inheritance of desolation that will be Christendom's after 1918, so will God do to the successful revolutionary movement; it shall be utterly desolated, 'even all of it.'" {TFIM 542} |
1918 | "In accordance with the resolution of Congress of April 2nd, and with the proclamation of the President of the United States of May 11, it is suggested that the Lord's people everywhere make May 30th a day of prayer and supplication. God was graciously pleased to cause this nation to be formed and to grow under the most favorable conditions in the world for the preservation of liberty, civil and religious. This is the land divinely 'shadowed with wings' - overshadowed by the providential watchcare of God's Word - where God has lifted up an ensign on the mountain (kingdom), and where he has blown the trumpet message of the truth.." {Watchtower Jan 6 1918 174} [Worse still, an "ensign" is a "flag"] |
1918 | /9 "The preservation of the remnant of spiritual new creation to the end of World War I in 1918 and their being kept alive in the flesh in the postwar year of 1919 came as a wondrous surprise." {Watchtower Sep 1 1989 13} |
1919 | "So by 1919 Babylon the Great had fallen" [and The Bible Student / Watchtower movement chosen by Christ to be only "channel" of communication from God to men] {REVE 260} [still current doctrine] |
1919 | "TIME OF INSPECTION BY THE SLAVE'S MASTER .. Without a question of doubt, it was a real time for inspection of the Master's 'slave' class. All the facts of the case argue that the Master came for the work of inspection at the time. Such a thing was to be expected according to the prophecy of Malachi 3:1-5. Of course, the sectarian churches of Christendom had made a wartime record for themselves, an open record that had a heavy bearing on their claim to be disciples and slaves of Jesus Christ. Could they, by even their latest record down till 1919, prove that they themselves were the composite 'faithful and discreet slave' class of the heavenly Lord and Master, Jesus Christ? He as Judge would indicate what his findings were by the way he thereafter dealt with the hundreds of religious sects of Christendom." {GKTY 349} |
1919 | "There would, however, be a further application of Joel 2:28-32. Indeed, this prophecy has had remarkable fulfillment since September 1919. At that time a memorable convention of Jehovah's people was held in Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A. God's spirit was clearly manifest, and his anointed servants were stimulated to embark on the global witnessing campaign that extends into the present day." {Watchtower May 1 1992 13} |
1919 | "Even years ago it was known by some people that the use of pacifiers by babies is one of the chief causes of diseased and enlarged tonsils and adenoid growths, which results from the suction." {GA Nov 26 1919 153} |
1919 | -22 "Particularly in 1919 and 1922 were there modern outpourings of Jehovah's spirit, especially in connection with the two conventions of Jehovah's dedicated people at Cedar Point, Ohio." {Watchtower Jun 1 1981 30} |
1920 | [Intravenous drug use would become common during the Millennium - it would be used by The Christ (the 144,000 and Jesus) to help mankind become perfect and free of all diseases] {GA Mar 17 1920 808} |
1920 | "As the fleshly-minded apostates from Christianity, siding with the radicals and revolutionaries, will rejoice at the inheritance of desolation that will be Christendom's .. so will God do to the successful revolutionary movement; it shall be utterly desolated, 'even all of it.' Not one vestige of [Christendom] shall survive the ravages of world-wide all embracing anarchy, in the fall of 1920. (Rev. II: 7-13)" {TFIM 542} [TFIM 1926 ed replaces "fall of 1920" with "end of the time of trouble"] |
1920 | "'Life and the Life-Giver' .. The Radio-Solar Pad [The Society's second president, J.F. Rutherford, claimed he wore the Pad to help his pneumonia on the advice of his doctor, J.W. Coolidge - The Golden Age printed his article and the Rutherford's endorsement] " {GA Jun 23 1920 606-7} [Advertisements for it followed in GA Jan 19 1921 239, GA May 11 1921 480, etc. This "medical radiesthesia" being promoted by the Society was an occult philosophy that unknown and invisible rays, waves and "vibrations" can be used to diagnose and cure diseases - for example, even at a distance using a handwriting sample, picture, blood sample or other personal item. The Society now views this as "spiritism"] |
1920 | "And the mountains were not found. Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920. And the mountains were not found. Every kingdom of earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy." {TFIM 258} [TFIM 1926 ed omits this] |
1920 | "Comments on Revelation 11:13 .. Some interesting developments in connection with the setting up of the Kingdom may occur in 1920, six years after the great Time of Trouble began. It would not be strange if this were so, when we recall that after forty years wandering in the wilderness the Israelites came into possession of the land of Canaan after a further six years. As these matters are still future we can but wait to see. We anticipate that .. the 'fire' will come in the fall of 1920." {TFIM 178} [TFIM 1926 ed replaces "come in the fall of 1920" with "follow in due course"] |
1920 | "Milk is the greatest curative food known." {GA Dec 8 1920 146} [Mr. Rutherford preferred a Prohibited alternative, in excess] |
1921 | [Chiropractor A.G.Eckols treated Society President J.F.Rutherford's pneumonia in San Diego.. this led to the construction of Beth Sarim, see 1929 entries, perhaps also for the 'princes'] {GA Apr 27 1921 437} [Chiropractors were supported by Society publications, because they were like Osteopaths, and believed all disease was caused by subluxations of spinal vertebrae which constricted nerves. The 'vital', 'life' force expresed itself this way and was hindered by subluxations, which were treated by 'adjustments' to the spine, without any anesthetic or drugs; Jack Raso: Alternative Healthcare - A Comprehensive Guide (Prometheus Books, 1993) 148] |
1921 | "The cross of Christ is the greatest pivotal truth of the divine arrangement, from which radiate the hopes of men." {THOG 142} [Picture of crucified Christ is on page 113 of both editions of this book, as it is on CREA 265/336. A picture of Christ carrying a cross appears in LIFE 198] |
1921 | "'Radium - Earths Most Valuable Substance' .. honest demons [speaking through mediums or Ouija Boards said that in discovering Radium, mankind was getting close to the] secret [of life - though] lying spirits [were involved,] even liars will sometimes tell the truth." {GA Feb 2 1921 260} [the author had in GA Jun 23 1920 606-7 directly promoted the use of Radium in protracted close proximity to the human body, with radiation poisoning a certain result] |
1921 | "Vaccination never prevented anything and never will, and is the most barbarous practice .. Use your rights as American citizens [i.e. participate politically!!] to forever abolish the devilish practice of vaccination." {GA Oct 12 1921 17} [GA, CONS and AWAK articles until the 1960s contain far too many examples of medical imprudence and quackery to quote from other than sparingly. GA advocated the Grape Cure which was purported to cure cancer by fasting and only eating grapes, which (according to its founder, Johanna Brandt, who the Society endorsed) worked because grapes were 'magnetic' and rejuvenated your mind with the sun's healing 'vibrations'] |
1922 | "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 .." {Watchtower Jul 15 1922 217} |
1922 | "But Jehovah raised them up by his spirit and word of truth. Shortly thereafter, at their 1922 convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, they loyally determined to advertise the King and Kingdom. Jehovah has been guiding them since then, so that his name and kingdom have become known worldwide." {Watchtower Dec 15 1980 19} |
1922 | "There is no one in present truth today who can honestly say that he received a knowledge of the divine plan from any source other than by the ministry of Brother Russell, either directly or indirectly.. C.T. Russell was the 'faithful and wise servant' of Matthew 24:45.. Then to repudiate him and his work is equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord.." {Watchtower May 1 1922 132} [Mrs. C.T.Russell also confirmed in WR 1906 3811 that her husband was the "faithful slave" of prophecy - this was before she divorced him for cruelty. The court decree was one of separation. So why then in WR 1881 291 were the "144,000" pictured, years earlier, as the "Faithful & wise servant", and not just Russell? And why did the Society change its mind yet again on this matter in 1927, when in WT 1927 51-7 the 'Faithful and wise servant' is identified as the remnant of the 144,000 still on earth, and not as Russell?] |
1923 | "C.T.Russell is [identified as] 'man with inkhorn' [of] Ezekiel Chapter 9" {LAOD 150} |
1923 | "'The faithful and wise servant' [was] C.T.Russell {Watchtower Dec 1 1916 through to WT Mar 1 1923 68} [But PLPR 193 identified 'The faithful and discreet slave' as the 'Remnant of Spiritual Israelites' (i.e. the annointed remnant on earth of the 144,000 'heavenly class')] |
1923 | "When asked who the faithful and wise servant was, Russell would reply, 'Some say I am while others say the Society is'; both are true, since Russell was in fact the Society." {Watchtower Mar 1 1923 68} [How then the assertion that "'That Faithful and Wise Servant' does not apply to one individual and not to brother Russell. Russell never made that claim himself." {Watchtower Feb 15 1927 56} be made four years later?] |
1923 | "But the dog-rabies-vaccine imposition is the latest.. Rabies! When it has been shown conclusively that there is no such thing as rabies [hydrophobia]!.. a mental hoax .. Vaccination, summed up, is the most unhygienic, barbaric, filthy, abhorrent, and most dangerous system of infection known. Its vile poison taints, corrupts, and pollutes the blood of the healthy, resulting in ulcers, syphilis, scrofula, erysipelas, tuberculosis, cancer, tetanus, insanity, and death" {GA Jan 1 1923 214) |
1924 | "It has never been proven that a single disease is due to germs." {GA Jan 16 1924 250} [This was dozens of years after medicine had proven bacteria and viruses caused most diseases. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society instead taught that diseases caused germs, and that medical evidence that germs caused diseases was entirely false. The diseases themselves were actually caused by improper diet and constipation, and fewer than two regular bowel movements in the day would have dire effects - you would contract any number of diseases in short order.] |
1924 | -5 "After 1925 expect shortly Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.. No doubt many boys and girls who read this book will live to see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, and those other men of old come forth in the glory of their better resurrection, of perfect in mind and body. It will not take long for Christ to appoint them to their post of honor and authority as his earthly representatives. The world and all the present conveniences will seen strange to them at first, but they will soon become accustomed to the new methods. They may have some amusing experiences at first; for they never saw telephones, radios, automobiles, electric lights, aeroplanes, steam engines, and many other things so familiar to us." {TWTP 224-6} |
1925 | "[By 1925] You will have secured the services of the best decorators you can find. Some of them used to be undertakers; but since there are no more people dying, they have had to seek some new occupation. Their experience as undertakers prepared them to become decorators with very little difficulty." {TWTP 228} |
1925 | "The great Pyramid of Egypt, standing as a silent and manimate witness of the Lord, is a messenger; and its testimony speaks with great eloquence concerning the devine plan (Isaiah 19:19).. Arius .. Waldo .. John Wycliffe .. Martin Luther [were all] part of God's Organization." {Watchtower May 15 1925 148-9} |
1925 | "You have made all preparations for father and mother. The home is all ready; a special room is prepared for them, fitted with every thing you can think of that might give pleasure and delight. You then call up the princes at Jerusalem, state your case, and make request that your father and your mother might be awakened. In joyful expectancy you wait. Some morning you hear talking in the room you have prepared. There was no one there last night. You know that there are no thieves or intruders; for all such experiences have been eliminated. You do not need to be fearful; so you listen at the door. You hear father's familiar voice saying, 'Mother, where are we? Are we dreaming? Why, I thought I attended your funeral last summer; then I was taken sick, and they had the doctor, and that is the last I can remember.' Mother says: 'I don't understand it either, Dear. The last I can remember is that I was so sick, and you and the doctors were standing at the bedside, and you were holding my hand. What has happened? We are not sick now, and this room is different from any room I ever saw. It is so beautiful and everything is so peaceful. Just hear those birds sing, and did you ever! Why, where did you get that suit of clothes? You are handsome as you were on our wedding day.'" {TWTP 228-9} |
1925 | "We understand that the jubilee type began to count in 1575 B.C.; and the 3,500 year period embracing the type must end in 1925.. It follows, then, that the year 1925 will mark the beginning of the restoration of all things lost by Adam's disobedience." {Watchtower Nov 1 1922 346} |
1925 | "We cannot be blamed for presenting from the Scriptures such evidence as they afford which leads us to believe that a certain event will take place at a given time. Some times the Lord has let His people looking for the right thing at the wrong time, and more frequently they have looked for the wrong things at the right time. But all the enemies of the cause of present truth in the earth are fervently hoping that the Bible students will not be so successful in 1925 in looking for the right thing at the right time as they were in 1914. if they are, however, it will be the other fellow that will have to do the explaining, and not we." {GA Feb 13 1924 314} |
1925 | "Have we more reason, or as much, to believe the kingdom will be established in 1925 than Noah had to believe that there would be a flood? .. Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures, marking the end of the typical jubilees. Just exactly what will happen at that time no one can tell to a certainty; but we expect such a climax in the affairs of the world that the people will begin to realize the presence of the Lord and his kingdom power.. 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." {Watchtower Mar 1 1923 106} |
1925 | "This vision of the prophet Ezekiel depicts the established theocratic Kingdom of God on earth, civil and religious, spiritual and earthly .. The Temple .. is a type and symbol of 'better things to come', after the wars, revolutions and anarchy of the period from 1914 to 1925 have passed." {TFIM 569} [TFIM 1926 ed replaces "period from 1914 to 1925" with "time of trouble"] |
1925 | "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914" {Watchtower 1924 211} |
1925 | "We have no doubt whatever in regard to the chronology relating to the dates of .. 1925.. What further evidence do we need? Using this same measuring line .. it is an easy matter to locate 1925, probably in the fall, for the beginning of the antitypical jubilee. There can be no more question about 1925 than there was about 1914." {Watchtower May 15 1922 150} |
1925 | "The chief thing to be restored is the human race to life; and since other Scriptures definitely fix the fact that there will be a resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful ones of old, and that these will have the first favor, we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible, legal representatives of the new order of things on earth.. They are to be resurrected as perfect men and constitute the princes or rulers in the earth .. Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection.. A simple calculation of these jubilees brings us to this important fact: Seventy jubilees of fifty years each would be a total of 3500 years. That period of time beginning 1575 years before A.D. 1 of necessity would end in the fall of 1925, at which time the type ends and the great antitype must begin. What, then, should we expect to take palace? In the type there must be a full restoration; beginning of restoration of all things." {MLND 88-90} ["Princes" not to be resurrected until after Armageddon per HIS1 252-3] |
1925 | "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 upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge." {Watchtower Apr 1 1923 106} |
1925 | "Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die." {MLND 97} |
1925 | "The period must end in 1925. The type ending, the antitype must begin; and therefore 1925 is definitely fixed in the scriptures. every thinking person can see that a great climax is at hand. The Scriptures clearly indicate that the climax is the fall of Satan's empire and the full establishment of the Messianic kingdom. This climax being reached by 1925, and that marking the beginning of the fulfillment of the long promised blessings of life to the people, millions now living on earth will be living then and those who obey the righteous laws of the new arrangement will live forever. Therefore it can be confidently said at this time that millions now living will never die." {GA Jan 4 1922 217} |
1925 | "There is no food that is right food for the morning meal. At breakfast is no time to break a fast. Keep up the daily fast until the noon hour.. Drink plenty of water two hours after each meal; drink none just before eating; and a small quantity if any at meal time. Good buttermilk is a health drink at meal times and in between. Do not take a bath until two hours after eating a meal, nor closer than one hour before eating. Drink a full glass of water both before and after the bath." {GA Sep 9 1925 784-5} |
1925 | "Not until 1925 was 'the time of trouble' scripturally understood." {Watchtower Feb 1 1938 35} |
1925 | ".. about April 1, 1925, at which time we may expect the resurrection of the Ancient Worthies .." {MLND 110} |
1925 | "They had preached that in an early time God would overthrow "Christendom". Many had emphasized the year 1925 .." {Watchtower Feb 15 1938 54} [Many? The Society. Now, it tries to distance itself] |
1925 | "Further, the widely circulated booklet Millions Now Living Will Never Die presented the view that in 1925, God's purposes regarding the restoring of the earth to Paradise and the resurrecting of the faithful ones of old would begin to be fulfilled." {Watchtower Nov 1 1993 12} |
1925 | "The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year." {Watchtower Jan 1 1925 3} |
1925 | "It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the consecrated, the thought that 1925 should see an end to the work .." {Watchtower Sep 1925 262} |
1925 | "Be that as it may, there is evidence that the establishment of the Kingdom in Palestine will probably be in 1925, ten years later than we once calculated." {TFIM 128} |
1925 | "Some one asked me the other day: Suppose you should be here in 1925 what would you do? I said, I believe I will be home in the Pleiades before then .." {Watchtower Nov 1 1920 334} |
1925 | "I have named this new discovery, which I believe will be epochal in the history of the treatment of disease, and which I am exclusively announcing in THE GOLDEN AGE prior to its general publication elsewhere, The Electronic Radio Biola, which means life renewed by radio waves or electrons. The Biola automatically diagnoses and treats diseases by the use of the electronic vibrations. The diagnosis is 100 percent correct, rendering better service in this respect than the most experienced diagnostician.. The principle of operation of the Biola is the collection... of the disease vibrations.. the fluid containing the same waves or vibrations enters the body, meets the disease waves and destroys them.. This is a great step forward, marking the Biola as the most valuable treatment apparatus obtainable today, and well worthy of notice in the columns of a magazine like THE GOLDEN AGE.." {GA Apr 22 1925 454} [Advertisement for sale of 'The Electronic Radio Biola' appears on page 479] |
1925 | "The year 1925 came and went. Jesus' anointed followers were still on earth as a class. The faithful men of old time - Abraham, David and others - had not been resurrected to become princes in the earth. (Ps. 45:16) So, as Anna MacDonald recalls: '1925 was a sad year for many brothers. Some of them were stumbled; their hopes were dashed .. Instead of it's being considered a 'probability', they read into it that it was a 'certainty' and some prepared for their loved ones with expectations of their resurrection." {YEAR 1975 146} |
1925 | "The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures because it is fixed by the law God gave to Israel. Viewing the present situation in Europe, one wonders how it will be possible to hold back the explosion much longer; and that even before 1925 the great crisis will be reached and probably passed." {Watchtower Sep 1 1922 262} |
1925 | "Bible Students, known since 1931 as Jehovah's Witnesses, also expected that the year 1925 would see the fulfillment of marvelous Bible prophecies." {AWAK Jun 22 1995 9} |
1925 | "There will be no slip-up .. Abraham should enter upon the actual possession of his promised inheritance in the year 1925 A.D." {Watchtower Oct 15 1917 6157} |
1925 | "Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything." {Watchtower 1926 232} |
1925 | [NO MENTION!] {HIS2 Section 'Notable Dates' - Official 1993 version of WTBTS's history of predictions} |
1926 | "Truly the year 1926 deserved to be marked as the happy climax of the close of the 1,335 days. Those of Daniel's "people" who kept in expectation and reached the end of the 1,335 days were launched off into a happiness that has not diminished, but that, despite mounting persecution and World War II (1939-1945) and subsequent world troubles, has persisted and increased." {OIWG 146-7} |
1926 | "Many have wondered how accidents would be avoided during Christ's kingdom, since we are told that nothing shall then hurt or destroy. Most accidents are due to gravitation and its effects. Falling from airplanes.. may be avoided by an individual negative gravity device. Scientists tell us that there is enough atomic energy in a finger-nail to propel a battleship. The people of the future may carry a little of this energy around with them, and if they fall down an elevator shaft they can let themselves down easy. Then they can turn a little more on and go back up.. No danger of falling down stairs then." {GA Mar 24 1926 404} |
1926 | [The distance from the Society's printing press in Scranton, Pa to the bethel offices in Brooklyn, NY, using a ferry, with a Railway Guide (extract included) to prove the distance from Lackawanna station in Scranton to Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey, is the "exact distance" referred to in the Bible at Revelation 14:20 "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs"] {TFIM 230 1926 ed} |
1927 | [Pictures of a crucified Christ] {CREA 265/366} [Also in THOG (both editions) 113. A picture of Christ carrying a cross appears in LIFE 198] |
1927 | "The face of the deep, of course, would be toward the Pleiades, which are claimed to be the habitation of Jehovah." {CREA 94} |
1928 | "The constellation of the seven stars forming the Pleiades appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve even as our sun's planets obey the sun and travel in their respective orbits. It has been suggested, and with much weight, that one of the stars of that group is the dwelling-place of Jehovah and the place of the highest heavens;.. The constellation of the Pleiades is a small one compared with others which scientific instruments disclose to the wondering eyes of man. But the greatness in size of other stars or planets is small when compared with the Pleiades in importance, because the Pleiades is the place of the eternal throne of God." {RECO 14} |
1928 | "All human ailments have their start in the intestines." {GA Nov 28 1928 133} |
1928 | "The cross of Christ is the greatest pivotal truth of the divine arrangement, from which radiate the hopes of men." {THOG 142} [Picture of crucified Christ is on page 113 of both editions of this book, as it is on CREA 265/336. A picture of Christ carrying a cross appears in LIFE 198] |
1928 | [Great Pyramid at Gzeh in Egypt was built under direction of Satan] {Watchtower 1928 339-45/355-62} [compare with [God had placed the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt] {WR Sep 1883 525}] |
1929 | "Is there anything in the Bible that reveals the origin of the Negro? It is generally believed that the curse which Noah pronounced upon Canaan was the origin of the Black race. Certain it is that when Noah said, 'Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren,' he pictured the future of the Colored race. They have been and are a race of servants .. There is no servant in the world as good as a good colored servant, and the joy that he gets from rendering faithful service is one of the purest joys there is in the world." {GA Jul 24 1929 702} |
1929 | [Romans 13:17 reinterpreted, so the "higher powers" previously stated in {TIAH 81} to refer to secular authorities, actually were "identified" as "Jehovah" and "Jesus"] {Watchtower Jun 1 1929, WT Jun 15 1929, TMYF 312} [This permitted followers to disregard non-Watchtower authorities. However, because of the many absurdities the 1929 change caused, {Watchtower Nov 15 1962 681-95, MSWD 326} reversed this again, so that "higher powers" once again meant "worldly/earthly governments"] |
1929 | "Jesus was crucified upon the cross; but it is a well-known fact that, contrary to the custom in respect to the victims of crucifixion, not one bone of his body was broken." {LIFE 216} [A picture of Christ carrying a cross appears on page 198, and a crucified Christ in CREA 265/336 and THOG (both editions) 113] |
1929 | "Avoid serum inoculations and vaccinations as they pollute the blood stream with their filthy pus." {GA Nov 13 1929 106-7} [Louis Pasteur was described by the Society as a "fake", and GA and CONS both directly and repeatedly advised to avoid pasteurized milk and instead to drink untreated milk, as smallpox did not actually exist] |
1929 | "Thinking people would rather have smallpox than vaccination, because the latter sows the seed of syphilis, cancers, escema, erysipelas, scrofula, consumption, even leprosy and many other loathsome affections. Hence the practice of vaccination is a crime, an outrage and a delusion." {GA May 1 1929 502} [Vaccinations were also stated by the Society to be a "direct violation of the everlasting covenant" and Witnesses were told not to have any - until WT Dec 15 1952 764 "The matter of vaccination is one for the individual that has to face it to decide for himself ... our Society cannot afford to be drawn into the affair legally or take the responsibility for the way the case turns out ... all objection to vaccination on scriptural grounds seems to be lacking."] |
1929 | "At San Diego, California, there is a small piece of land, on which, in the year 1929 there was built a house, which is called and known as Beth Sarim. The Hebrew words Beth Sarim mean 'House of the Princes'; and the purpose of acquiring that property and building the house was that there are those on earth today who fully believe in God and Christ Jesus and in His Kingdom, and who believe that the faithful men of old will soon be resurrected by the Lord, be back on earth, and take charge of the visible affairs of earth. The title to Beth Sarim is vested in the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in trust, to be used by the president of the Society and his assistants for the present, and thereafter to be forever at the disposal of the aforementioned princes on the earth .. It stands there as a testimony to Jehovah's name; and when the princes do return, and some of them occupy the property, such will be a confirmation of the faith and hope that induced the building of Beth Sarim." {SALV 311} [Original legal deed to Beth Sarim, by Rutherford, in 1929 stated "Both the grantor and the grantee are fully persuaded from the Bible testimony which is the word of Jehovah God and from extraneous evidence that God's Kingdom is now in the course of establishment and that it will result beneficially for the peoples of earth; that the governing power and authority will be invisible to men but that the kingdom of God will have visible representatives on the earth who will have charge of the affairs of the nations under supervision of the invisible ruler, Christ. That among those who will be thus the faithful representatives and visible governors of the world will be David, who was once King over Israel; and Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, and Jepthai, and Joseph, formerly ruler of Egypt, and Samuel the prophet and other faithful men named with approval in the Bible at Hebrews 11th. chapter."] |
1929 | "In time, a direct contribution was made for the purpose of constructing a house in San Diego for brother Rutherford's use .. Concerning this property the 1939 book Salvation stated: 'At San Diego, California, there is a small piece of land, on which, in the year 1929, there was built a house, which is called and known as Beth Sarim. {YEAR 1975 194} [Omitting a few details. The San Diego Sun of Mar 15 1930 wrote: "But how will you identify King David or any of the other representatives from God?' Rutherford was asked. 'I thought all that out before I wrote the deed,' the judge replied with a twinkle in his gray eyes. 'I realized the possibility of some old codger turning up bright and early some morning and declaring he was David. The men whom I have designated to test the identity of these men are officers of my societies and have consecrated themselves to the Lord, they will be divinely authorized to know impostors from the real princes.'" Time Magazine of Mar 31, 1930 wrote: "Judge Joseph Frederick Rutherford 60, lives in a ten room Spanish mansion, No 4440 Braeburn Rd, San Diego, Calif. Last week he deeded No 4440 Braeburn Road, and adjacent two car garage and a pair of automobiles to King David, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, Samuel and sundry other mighties of ancient Palestine. Positive is he that they are shortly to reappear on earth, Said he: 'I have purposely landscaped the place with palm and olive trees so that these princes of the universe will feel at home ..". The San Diego Sun of Jan 9 1931 wrote: "A gaunt unshaven tramp has been the lone claimant for the $75,000 Southern Californian mansion of David, king of Israel, since it was deeded to the Biblical character a year ago. This was revealed today by Judge James Rutherford, temporary owner of the luxuriantly furnished Spanish type mansion at 440 Braeburn Rd in the exclusive Kensington Heights district. In one of the oddest deeds ever recorded, Rutherford, president of the International Bible Students Association and the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, has placed in trust the magnificent estate for ancient kings and prophets of Israel The slayer of Goliath and his companions may occupy the 10 room modern home with it's landscaped gardens and patio as soon as their credentials are approved by Rutherford and officials of his societies, divinely authorised to recognise them. One morning as I was going from the house to the garage, a queer looking creature approached me, tipped his dirty hat and cried 'Howdy Judge, I'm David' 'Go and tell that to the winds', I told him and he left without arguing the matter. I could see at a glance that he was not David. He didn't look like I knew David would look.' Asked how he expected David and his distinguished brethren to look, Rutherford, without hesitation, opened his huge Bible and pointed to a verse which said that the Princes of the Universe would be risen from the dead 'as perfect men'. 'I interpret that to mean', the tall dignified Judge declared, 'that David, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthae, Joseph and Samuel will be sent here to wrench the world from Satan's grasp, clothed in modern garb as we are, and able, with little effort, to speak our tongue.' Rutherford pictured the arrival of the biblical delegation perhaps in frock coats, high hats, canes and spats. At Beth Sarim (House of Princes) as Rutherford has named his mansion, David will find the most modern appliances that science has devised. When the distinguished guests walk up the circular stairway to the second floor, they will find a large office with red leather chairs and shiny flat topped desk with inverted lighting. Even French telephones await the touch of the princes. Opening a wide door, the native sons of Palestine will behold a large bathroom, resplendent in shiny black tile with needle shower and an amply filled medicine chest. What a thrill giant shouldered Samson, who wrecked a palace with his bare fists might find in the gold safety razor and strop! Rutherford built the second floor bedroom, which he temporarily occupies, large in order to accommodate several of the expected owners. With wide pane windows that look out on the purple Cuyamacas to the East and California's first mission to the north, the bedroom is almost severe in it's furnishings. The rulers of the universe will have simple tastes, the judge apparently believes, although the austere end tables sported gaily covered fiction magazines. Rutherford has imported some Koniach, Wasser from Cologne, Germany to freshen the princely faces after shaving. A black skull cap hangs over one of the bedposts. The coming of David and his companions will be the greatest news story of the ages, Rutherford predicted. 'I am not a publicity seeker,' Rutherford said with a twinkle in his kindly brown eyes, 'but I feel that the world should know about their arrival. It will be a great news story.' Word of his 'House of king David' has reached into every corner of the world, the judge stated. 'Everywhere I went people asked me about this place,' Rutherford said. 'In Chicago a millionaire manufacturer offered to build another house for David, but I declined the offer. 'Literally thousands have driven here to see this place,' Rutherford continued. 'Many have come to the door and my secretary has shown them about the place.' The patio with it's silver pool and olive and palm trees is gay with flowers. Down toward the canyon, paths have been landscaped to allow David and his friends to walk in meditation. Many of the fruits and trees, native to their Palestine, will greet the rulers when they arrive. In the two car garage next door stands a new, yellow 16 cylinder coupe which will be turned over to the rulers along with all the personal property on the place. 'Everything will be theirs, the house, the land, the furnishings and even the clothes if they need them,' Judge Rutherford said. 'What will I do? Oh, don't worry about me. I'll manage somehow.' the judge smiled. He had another 'Watch Tower' residence on Staten Island and practically an entire floor at Bethel. The seven famous men will not have long to rest at their San Diego estate because they soon will lead the forces of the Lord to vanquish the minions of Satan at the battle of Armageddon, Rutherford believed. 'But they will win out. The Lord will punish the devil and will show that the preachers and the politicians have been giving the people false counsel,' Rutherford said confidently. Rutherford will sail May 9 for Europe where he will speak before conventions in Berlin Paris and London."] |
1929 | "From 1929 on, Brother Rutherford spent the winters working at a San Diego residence he had named Beth-Sarim. Beth-Sarim was built with funds that were a direct contribution for that purpose." {HIS2 76} [From the Official History many years later - did they miss anything out?] |
1929 | "If these prophesies have not been fulfilled, and if all possibility of fulfilment is past, then these prophets are proven false." {PROP 22} |
1929 | "If the organs [of your body] are diseased, heal them by correcting your diet. Avoid the use of aluminum cooking utensils and alum baking powders as they are injurious to your health, poisoning your blood stream.. Sleep on the right side or flat on your back, with the head toward the north so as to get benefit of the earth's magnetic currents. Avoid serum inoculations as they pollute the blood stream with their filthy pus.. Stop chewing gum, as you need the saliva for your food." {GA Nov 12 1929 107} [A campaign against Aluminium cooking ware was pursued for many years, as the Society alone stated these caused all manner of ailments and disease from athlete's foot to cancer] |
1930 | "The great climax is at hand. The kings of earth now set themselves against his anointed Stone." {LIT2 327} |
1930 | "The false prophets of our day are the financial, political and clerical prognosticators.. They assume to foretell future events; but their dreams or guesses never come true.. In 1914-1918 these same three classes told the whole world that the great world war would end all wars and make the world safe.. their prophecies did not come true. therefore, they are false prophets; and the people should no longer trust them as safe guides.." {Watchtower May 15 1930 155-6} [They are clearly talking about themselves] |
1930 | "[Dissenting Bible Students are] Evil Servants (slaves) {and identified with the] man of perdition [who would be] destroyed" {Watchtower 1930 275-81} [compare "We would not refuse to treat one as a brother because he did not believe the Society is the Lord's channel.. If others see it in a different way, that is their priviledge. There should be full liberty of conscience." {Watchtower Apr 1 1920 100-1}] |
1931 | "Quite likely there is some connection between the violation of human blood [vaccines] and the spread of demonism.. sexual immorality .. Vaccination has never saved a human life. It does not prevent smallpox." {GA Feb 4 1931 293-4} |
1931 | "God's faithful people on earth emphasized the importance of the dates 1914 and 1918 and 1925. They had much to say about these dates and what would come to pass, but all they predicted did not come to pass." {VIN1 146} |
1931 | ".. a drop or two of kerosene excellent for quickly cleaning sinks and bathtubs; it cuts the dirt immediately and leaves no odor; and when applied to cuts the cuts heal sooner. Try it." {CONS Dec 1 1931 12} |
1931 | "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah's faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1914, 1918 and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time. Later the faithful learned that these dates were definitely fixed in the Scriptures; and they also learned to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date, but to rely (and they do rely) upon the Word of God as to the events that must come to pass." {VIN1 338-9} |
1931 | [New name of "Jehovah's Witnesses" adopted, to "distinguish" themselves from "dissenters" and "Christians"] {Watchtower 1931 278-9} [How then could any reference to "Christ" have been dropped when the declaration had been made that "We always refuse to be called by any other name than that of our Head [Christ]. Christians continually claiming that there can be no division among those continually led by his Spirit and example as made known through his Word." {WR Mar 1883 458} ?] |
1931 | "We do well to bear in mind that among the drugs, serums, vaccines, surgical operations, etc., of the medical profession, there is nothing of value save an occasional surgical proceedure. Their so-called 'science' grew out of Egyptian black magic and has not lost its demonological character.. we shall be in a sad plight when we place the welfare of the race in their hands." {GA Aug 5 1931 727} [Pyramids may have had the same source?] |
1931 | "God's kingdom has begun to operate. His day of vengeance is here and Armageddon is at hand and certain to fall upon Christendom and that within an early date. God's judgment is upon Christendom and must shortly be executed." {VIN1 147} |
1931 | -2 "Establishment of the Kingdom in Power" [based on Ezek 40:1, which dates a prophetic message to "the fourteenth year after the city was conquered", and 14 + 1918 = 1932] {TFIM 569} [TFIM later editions were amended to point to 1931, as to get the "fourteenth year" one must add 13] |
1932 | "They had preached that in an early time God would overthrow "Christendom" [in 1925] and then when that date did not materialize the date was moved up to 1932. Again, 1932 came and 'Christendom' was not destroyed, and now it was discovered that "Christendom" would be spared for a while longer for the sake of the Jonadab class, and this made the proud "elective elder" crowd very mad." {Watchtower Feb 15 1938 54} |
1932 | "These angels are invisible to human eyes and are there to carry out the orders of the Lord. No doubt they first hear the instruction which the Lord issues to his remnant and then these invisible messengers pass such instruction on to the remnant. The facts show that the angels of the Lord with him at his temple have been thus rendering service [see RICH 316 - by transmitting God's messages to the Society] unto the remnant since 1919." {VIN3 250} |
1932 | "Osteopathic Treatment of Insanity [and of numerous other ailments]" {GA Oct 26 1932 53-4, AWAK May 8 1949 13-5, AWAK Dec 8 1961 20-3} [Osteopathy taught that all disease is caused by vertebrae of the spine pinching nerves, and at the time the Society strongly recommended them supported a "no drugs, no serums, no surgery" stance] |
1932 | [Abolition of locally-elected, popularist Elders, as their office is "unscriptural".. centrally appointed officers to replace them. Per new view of Rev 7:13-17, "elders" are the "144,000"] {Watchtower Sep 1 1932 259-62} [compare WR 1895 1891 which had set up the now-abolished system. However, the 1932 reversal was re-reversed in WT 1971 695-701, where the pre-1932 system of Elders and Deacons would be restored. Instead of being elected they would be recommended locally (by whom?) and then chosen centrally. Also, a body of elders would preside in each congregation] |
1932 | "Jews [are] no longer important to God.. Jehovah's Witnesses [are, per a new symbolic meaning given to Romans 11, the only] Israel of God.. during the World War the Jews received recognition of the heathen nations. In 1917 the Balfour Declaration, sponsored by the heathen governments of Satan's organization, came forth, recognized the Jews, and bestowed upon them great favors.. The Jews have received more attention at their hands than they really deserved." {VIN2 257-8} [Directly contradicting the assertion that Jews would be restored to Palestine and of the conversion of 144,000 literal Jews, stated in {Watchtower Jun 1880 108}. And the attacks on Jews by the Society grew stronger during their dealings with Hitler and the Nazis..]. |
1933 | "The earlier in the forenoon you take the sun bath, the greater will be the beneficial effect, because you get more of the ultra-violet rays, which are healing." {GA Sep 13 1933 777} [And in excess, cause skin cancer] |
1933 | "Some claiming to be fully devoted to Jehovah find it difficult to learn to be obedient to organization instructions. This is strong proof that such are not in the temple. .. If you find it difficult to be in harmony with the organization instructions, that is sufficient reason for a careful self-examination to see what is your standing before the Lord.. angels are delegated by the Lord to convey his instructions to the members of his organization on earth. Just how this is done is not necessary for us to understand." {Watchtower Dec 1 1933 364} |
1933 | "Certain duties and kingdom interests have been committed by the Lord to his angels, which include the transmission of information to God's anointed people on the earth for their aid and comfort. Even though we cannot understand how the angels transmit this information, we know that they do it; and the Scriptures and the facts show that it is done." {PREP 36-7} |
1933 | "Enfeebled constitutions, inherited from fashionable mothers, cannot stand up under tobacco.." {GA Oct 25 1933 57} |
1934 | "All who have taken their stand on the side of Jehovah must abide in his organization under Christ, if they would live. There is no exception to this rule.. The name 'Jehovah's witnesses' applies specifically to God's anointed ones who have been taken out of the world [i.e. are not part of this wicked system of things, etc.] and made witnesses for Jehovah, and these alone bear the new name.. The official organization of Jehovah on earth consists of his anointed remnant, and the Jonadabs who walk with the anointed are to be taught, but not to be leaders." {Watchtower Aug 15 1934 249} |
1934 | "Vindication of Jehovah's name [is] now more important than God's love to man through Christ." {JEHO 320} |
1934 | "The Journal of the A.M.A. is the vilest sheet that passes the United States mail.. Nothing new and useful in therapeutics escapes its unqualified condemnation. Its attacks are generally ad hominem. Its editorial columns are largely devoted to character assassination.. Its editor [a Jew] is of the type of Jew that crucified Jesus Christ." {GA Sep 26 1934 807} |
1934 | "[Nazi Germany] .. It has been the commercial Jews of the British-American empire that have built up and carried on Big Business as a means of exploiting and oppressing the peoples of many nations.. Instead of being against the principles advocated by the government of Germany, we stand squarely for such principles, and point out that Jehovah God through Christ Jesus will bring about the full realization of these principles .. [The] Bible Students are fighting for the SAME high, ethical goals and ideals that the national German Reich proclaimed regarding the relationship of man to God .. there are no opposing views .. but that, to the contrary, respecting the purely religious and apolitical goals .. these are in complete harmony with .. the National Government of the German Reich.. A careful examination of our books and literature will disclose the fact that the very high ideals held and promulgated by the present national government are set forth in and endorsed and strongly emphasized in our publications and show that Jehovah God will see to it that these high ideals in due time will be attained by all persons who love righteousness." {YEAR 1934 134-7 'Declaration of Facts'} [the ideals and goals held by the 1934 national government of Germany, Hitler and the Nazis, were some 30 years later described in GKTY 8-9 as "Shortly after the United States was plunged into World War II, information on this Nazi plan was gleaned from seized Nazi documents.. This plan aimed at a Nazi world order that Hitler, if successful in World War II, would mercilessly enforce upon the world and mankind.. [He] evidently had in mind the Germanic Holy Roman Empire.. At any rate, there was no re-establishment.. as many people of Hitler's religion had hoped."] |
1935 | "Saluting of flags .. singing national anthems .. banned" {HIS1 143-4} [Removing all competing loyalties for Witnesses, though this did not stop hymns being sung at German Assembly Halls to the tune of 'Deutschland Uber Alles'. Also, the word "flag" was edited out of the Society's Bible as far as possible. What a change from {Watchtower Jan 6 1918 174}!] |
1935 | "How many people know, I wonder, of the curative properties of olive oil. The word 'cure' is a strong term.. I personally know of more than one being relieved of liver trouble, and even cured of gall stones, by the use of olive oil.. A friend who for years has suffered pain in the region of the appendix was entirely relieved by the oil treatments." {GA Jul 5 1935 632} |
1935 | [Close of "high calling" of the 144,000 .. from 1935 WTBTS have taught that only about 8,000 of the 144,000 are still alive in the 1990s, that the "Great Company/Crowd" in Rev 7 are not considered anointed Christians, are not "born again" do not partake in communion, do not have Christ as mediator, and can at most expect eternal life on Earth] {Watchtower Jun 15 1992 23, HIS2 166} |
1935 | "[The time period from 1914 until Armageddon is the] 'great tribulation.'" {Watchtower Aug 15 1935 246-51} |
1935 | "Aspirin - The Menace of Heart Disease [aspirin causes heart disease and other maladies]" {GA Feb 27 1935 343-4, GA Sep 23 1936 822, CONS Oct 5 1938 7} |
1935 | ".. the scriptural evidence and the physical facts strongly indicate that such witness work is now almost done; and when it is done the universal war will begin. Universal war is absolutely certain to come and that soon, and no power can stop it.. during the few remaining months until the breaking of that universal cataclysm the powers that rule the nations of the earth will continue to make treaties and tell the people that by such means they will keep that world peace and bring about prosperity." {UNWN 3/26-7} |
1936 | [All adults and older children who fail to accept the message of the Jehovah's Witnesses after 1918, and all babies and small children who might die at Armageddon because of their parents' rejection, will have no hope of resurrection] {CONS May 6 1936 508, WT 1938 133/313-4/326-7/376, WT 1939 170} |
1936 | "[a lie is] 'a false statement by one to another one who is entitled to hear and to know the truth, and which false statement tends to work injury to the other'" {Riches 177} |
1936 | "Jehovah has made the necessary arrangements within his organization to instruct his people, and all recognize that for some years The Watchtower has been the means of communicating information to God's people. That does not mean that those who prepare the manuscript for The Watchtower are inspired, but rather it means that the Lord through his angels sees to it that the information is given to his people in due time, and he brings to pass the events in fulfillment of his prophecy and then invites those devoted to him to see the same." {RICH 316} |
1937 | "Before one can enter this great multitude class he must .. connect himself with God's organization .." {ARMA 57} |
1937 | "At Los Angeles a youth of 20 years was caught in the act of choking a woman of 75. Arrested, and suspected of three murders, he claims the urge to kill came as a result of serum inoculations.." {CONS Dec 1 1937 12} |
1938 | ".. mark the words of Jesus, which definitely seem to discourage the bearing of children immediately before or during Armageddon .. It would therefore appear that there is no reasonable or scriptural injunction to bring children into the world immediately before Armageddon, where we now are." {Watchtower Nov 1 1938 324} |
1938 | "They must find protection in God's organization, which shows that they must be immersed, baptized or hidden in that organization." {FATF 41} |
1938 | "Would it be scripturally proper for them to marry and begin to rear children? No, is the answer, which is supported by the scriptures .. I will be far better to be unhampered and without burdens, that they may do the Lord's will now, as the Lord commands, and also be without hindrance during Armageddon.. Those .. who now contemplate marriage, it would seem, would do better if they wait a few years, until the fiery storm of Armageddon is gone." {FATF 46-50} |
1938 | "The resolutions adopted by conventions of God's anointed people, booklets, magazines, and books published by them, contain the message of God's truth and are from the Almighty God, Jehovah, and provided by him through Christ Jesus and his underofficers .. It is his truth and not man's .." {Watchtower May 1 1938 143} [so, The Watchtower is the Word of God?] |
1939 | "It should be expected that the Lord would have a means of communicating to his people on the earth, and he has clearly shown that the magazine called The Watchtower is used for that purpose." {YEAR 1939 85} |
1939 | "The abundance of Scriptural evidence, together with the physical facts that have come to pass showing the fulfillment of prophecy, conclusively proves that the time for the battle of the great day of God Almighty is very near and that in that battle all of God's enemies shall be destroyed and the earth cleared of wickedness." {SALV 310} |
1939 | "[Vaccination is a] cruel hoax [by] Satan" {CINS May 31 1939 3} [Food poisoning being stated to be caused by aluminum cookware] |
1939 | "Likewise today, all the nations and peoples of earth are face to face with the greatest emergency. They are being warned as God commands, that the disaster of Armageddon is just ahead." {SALV 361} |
1940 | "The year 1940 is certain to be the most important year yet because Armageddon is very near. It behooves all who love righteousness to put forth every effort to advertise The Theocracy while the privileges are still open." {INF Apr 1940 1} |
1940 | "The Kingdom is here, the King is enthroned. Armageddon is just ahead. The glorious reign of Christ that shall bring blessings to the world will immediately follow. Therefore the great climax has been reached. Tribulation has fallen upon those who stand by the Lord." {MESS Sep 1 1940 6} |
1940 | "The prophecies of Almighty God, the fulfillment of which now clearly appears from the physical facts, show that the end of religion has come and with its end the complete downfall of Satan's entire organization." {RELI 336} |
1940 | "The witness work for The Theocracy appears to be about done in most of the countries of 'Christendom'.. Now the totalitarian rule has suppressed the Theocratic message, and it should be expected that when they quit fighting amongst themselves all the totalitarian rulers will turn their attention to the complete suppression of everything pertaining to the Theocratic Government. What, then, does it mean that the Theocratic Government is now suppressed in many nations? It means that the hour is rapidly approaching when the 'sign' of Armageddon will be clearly revealed and all who are on the side of Jehovah will see and appreciate it .. [we are] anxiously and watchfully waiting for the appearance of the sign for the battle (Armageddon) to begin." {Watchtower Sep 1 1940 265} |
1940 | "Always have in mind that there is but one place of safety, and that is in or under .. the head of Jehovah's capital organization, which organization furnishes protection to those who flee to the Lord at this time." {Watchtower Feb 15 1940 51} |
1940 | "We resolve that we shall obey all instruction received from the Watch Tower, knowing that such proceed from the higher powers, Jehovah God and Christ Jesus. We resolve to be completely obedient to the Society as the visible part of the Great Theocracy." {Watchtower Feb 1 1940 47} |
1940 | "Religion is the worship and service of the Devil and his associate demons .. Religion is the chief means that puts fear into the minds of the people and leads them into the Devil's snare .. Truly then, as stated, 'religion is a snare and a racket,' employed to collect money from them under false representations." {Watchtower Jan 15 1940 29} [And taking money in exchange for 'Millions Now Living Shall Never Die' is?] |
1940 | "LAWYER: Who subsequently became the Editor of the magazine, the main editor of the 'Watch Tower' magazine? F.FRANZ: In 1931, October 15th, as I recall, the 'Watch Tower' discontinued publishing the names of any editorial committee on the second page. THE COURT: He asked you who became the editor. F.FRANZ: And it said.. THE COURT: Who became the editor? LAWYER: Who became the editor when this was discontinued? F.FRANZ: Jehovah God." {NEW YORK KING'S COUNTY CLERKS'S COURT RECORD 1940 vol II 795} [The testimony in the 1943 lawsuit is similar. F.Franz later became the President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. So Jehovah God is the editor of the Watchtower since 1931, since which date the magazine cannot contain errors] |
1941 | "Armageddon is surely near, and during that time the Lord will clean off the earth everything that offends and is disagreeable.. From now on we shall have our heart devotion fixed on The Theocracy, knowing that soon we shall journey forever together in the earth. Our hope is that within a few years our marriage may be consummated and, by the Lord's grace, we shall have sweet children that will be an honor to the Lord. We can well defer our marriage until lasting peace comes to the earth." {CHIL 366} |
1941 | "John, dear, don't you think we should have The Watchtower and study it regularly, that we might be informed of the unfolding of Jehovah's prophecies?" {CHIL 214} |
1941 | "Should men and women, both of whom are Jonadabs or 'other sheep' of the Lord, now marry before Armageddon and bring forth children? They may chose to do so, but the admonition or advice of the scriptures appears to be against it.. The prophetic picture seems to set forth the correct rule, to wit: The three sons of Noah and their wives were in the ark and were saved from the flood. They did not have any children, however, until after the flood. They began to have children two years after the flood. (Genesis 11:10,11) No children were taken into the ark and none were born in the ark, and hence none were brought out of the ark. Only eight persons went in and eight came out of the ark. (1 Peter 3:20; Genesis 8:18) That would appear to indicate that it would be proper that those who will form the 'great multitude' should wait until after Armageddon to bring children into the world." {CHIL 312-3} [Does it also mean that the non-Jonadabs among Witnesses can multiply freely?] |
1941 | "I shall shun politics, religion and commerce, and I shall avoid cities and the enticements thereof." {CHIL 367} |
1941 | "Receiving the gift, [Rutherford's book, Children] the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord's provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon." {Watchtower Sep 15 1941 288} |
1942 | "Now, with Armageddon immediately before us, it is a matter of life or destruction. Those who would be of the Lords other sheep that shall compose the great multitude of Armageddon survivors and live joyfully on earth forever must find the answer to a very personal question, and very important." {Watchtower Apr 1 1942 139} |
1942 | "The record as herewith published would, on the face of it, show that the Theocratic witness work on earth is about done." {YEAR 1942 29} |
1942 | "The New World Is At The Doors .. The time is short. Those who do not inform themselves and who do not now choose the new world which Higher Powers shall establish will never live to enter into blessings and glories." {TNWD 10} [All Society literature now published anonymously, after embarrassing disclosures in Court over the credentials, capabilities, competence and identity of some editors/authors] |
1942 | "The Lord Jesus has now come to the temple for judgment, and the remnant of the members of 'his body' yet on earth he has gathered into the temple condition of perfect unity with himself (Malachi 3:1-3), and hence those faithful men of old may be expected back from the dead any day now. The Scriptures give good reason to believe that it shall be shortly before Armageddon breaks. In this expectation the house at San Diego, California, which house has been much publicized with malicious intent by the religious enemy, was built, in 1930, and named 'Beth Sarim,' meaning 'House of Princes.' It is now held in trust for the occupancy of those princes on their return. The most recent facts show that the religionists of this doomed world are gnashing their teeth because of the testimony which that 'House of Princes' hears to the new world. To those religionists and their allies the return of those faithful men of old to rule with judgment over the people shall not bring any pleasure. But to the people whom the angels sang about, 'men of good will,' it shall be an occasion for unbounded jubilation, and they shall rally to the side of those princely representatives of the kingdom of heaven." {TNWD 104-5} |
1942 | "Before the Lord's Messenger came to the temple and began interpreting God's will and teaching, the Job class had been darkening counsel by words without knowledge, it not then being due time for the disclosure of such knowledge. Some of the consecrated ones thought they must be taken home to heaven at a time certain in order to help God run the universe." {TNWD 2,000,000 ed 308} |
1942 | "The faithful acts of the men who were known as fathers in Israel are recounted in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Genesis 12:1-3; 28:13, 14; Acts 7:2-5 .. These men will be the visible representatives of the Theocracy, which is the government created and built up by the almighty God as his capital organization and which shall rule the world. Further proof that these princes will shortly take office upon earth as perfect men is found in the prophecy of Daniel. But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:13) Daniel's lot is that of these princes. Proof is now submitted that we are now living at the end of the days, and we may expect to see Daniel and the other mentioned princes any day now!" {CONS Apr 27 1942 13} |
1943 | "LAWYER: At any rate, Jehovah God is now the editor of the paper, is that right? F.FRANZ: He is today the editor of the paper. LAWYER: How long has he been editor of the paper? F.FRANZ: Since its inception he has been guiding it. LAWYER: Even before 1931? F.FRANZ: Yes, sir. .. LAWYER: But you don't make any mention in the fore part of your Watch Tower that 'We are not infallible and subject to correction and may make mistakes'? N.H.KNORR: We have never claimed infallibility. LAWYER: But you don't make any such statement, that you are subject to correction, in your Watch Tower papers do you? N.H.KNORR: Not that I recall. LAWYER: In fact, it is set forth directly as God's Word, isn't it? N.H.KNORR: Yes, as His Word. LAWYER: Without any qualification whatsoever? N.H.KNORR: That is right." {Action for Libel: Olin R. Moyle v. F.W.Franz, et al, May 10 - May 27 1943, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, sections 2596-7, 4420-1} [The testimony in the 1940 lawsuit is similar. N.H.Knorr was, and F.Franz later became, the President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. So Jehovah God is the editor of the Watchtower since 1931, since which date the magazine cannot contain errors] |
1943 | "Man on earth can no more get rid of these demonic 'heavens' (the organization of wicked spirits) than man can by airplane or rockets or other means get up above the air envelope which is about our earthly globe and in which man breathes." {TMYF 285} |
1943 | "The final war will come as a most sudden and complete surprise .. Nevertheless, the appearing of the 'desolating abomination in the holy place' is an unerring proof that the unknown day and hour of the beginning of the final war is dangerously near." {TMYF 341} |
1943 | "This is not giving any credit to the magazine's [The Watchtower's] publishers, but is due to the great Author of the Bible with its truths and prophecies, and who now interprets its prophecies. He it is that makes possible the material that is published in the columns of this magazine .." {Watchtower Apr 15 1943 127} |
1943 | "Christ Jesus, the court's official mouthpiece of interpretation, reserves to himself that office as Head of Jehovah's 'faithful and wise servant' class. He merely uses the 'servant' class to publish the interpretation after the Supreme Court by Christ Jesus reveals it. How does the Lord God make known the interpretation? By causing the facts to come to pass visibly which are in fulfillment of the prophecy .." {Watchtower Jul 1 1943 203} |
1944 | "[The establishment of the United Nations was] one of the most positive evidences that 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand' and that the end of the world arrangement is now near. Jesus foretold the setting up of that anti-Christ organization." {KIAH 342} [strange then is "We cannot but admire the high principles embodied in the proposed League of Nations, formulated undoubtedly by those who have no knowledge of the great plan of God. This fact makes all the more wonderful the ideals which they express.. the league shall not be established merely for the purpose of promoting peace by threat or coercion; but that its purpose, when put into operation, will be to make of all nations of earth one great family, working together for the common benefit in all the avenues of national life. Truly this is idealistic, and approximates in a small way that which God has foretold that he will bring about after this great time of trouble." {Watchtower Feb 15 1919 51}] |
1945 | "'The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth' .. When the "day of vengeance of our God" will have passed and the "meek of the earth" will come forth from their place of hiding from Armageddon's storm, they will look for the place once occupied by the wicked bosses and oppressors of men. But it shall not be! There will be a free New World, free from unrighteous men and from the demons under Satan. The cleansed earth will be open for occupancy by the meek [all those big houses]; and they will appreciate the literal fulfillment of the divine promise: 'Wait on the LORD [Jehovah], and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.' (Psalm 37: 10, 34) .. the meek will wait upon the King and his visible princes in the earth to locate them and assign them their portion in the land.. They will gladly accept the grant of land that the King graciously makes to them. When Jehovah God in ancient days settled the nation of Israel in the Promised Land of Palestine, he aided them by his miraculous power to dispossess the wrongful, wicked occupiers thereof, the religious demon worshiping heathen. He thrust out the Canaanites .. in their place he located the Israelites who kept covenant with him. The religious worshipers or false gods were not let possess the land, but those who worshiped the true and living God Jehovah were planted in the land." {MEEK 24-7} [do they "stake out" your house when they come witnessing?] |
1945 | "Blood transfusions [are] pagan [and] God-dishonoring" {Watchtower Jul 1 1945 198-201} [But WR 1909 4374 had stated "Then they briefly summed up, not as Law .. Abstain .. (2) and from blood;" - so the prohibition on blood in Acts 15 was not a law for Christians] |
1946 | "the disaster of Armageddon, greater than that which befell Sodom and Gomorrah, is at the door." {LGBT 194} |
1950 | "By keeping the people ignorant they led them into having Jesus killed on a torture stake at Calvary. Thirty-seven years later this willfully cultivated ignorance led to its fatal consequences, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem with an enormous loss of human lives, just as Jesus had predicted, and the breaking up of the Jewish nation till this day. And now in this 'time of the end' the revived nation of Israel with capital at the modern city of Jerusalem chooses to go on in the steps of its forefathers .." {Watchtower Sep 1 1950 277, WT Nov 1 1950 407} [The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. happened 37 years after Jesus' death, and 1914 + 37 = 1951] |
1950 | "It is good to remember there is only one table of the Lord. Ample supply of excellent food is prepared and served there, and, if you know such to be the case, then why go nibbling at the table of those who are opposed to this wise steward of the Master's provisions? You might get spiritual poison, for their food has not been Theocratically tested. Why be concerned with the meager dishes of those outside of God's faithful household when there is so much to digest in the Lord's house? Those who are without are not cooperating with the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society and therefore cannot help you, for they do not have the Lord's blessing, and you will be dishonoring God the Provider." {Watchtower Aug 1 1950 231} |
1951 | "The length of time is indicated by him when he said, 'Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' (Matt. 24:34) The actual meaning of these words is, beyond question, that which takes a 'generation' in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period." {Watchtower Jul 1 1951 404} |
1951 | "There are those who may think it strange that these 2500-year-old prophecies {Daniel 12:7-12] are now receiving fulfillment in a few short years. But we must realize that they must come to pass sometime, and why not now?" {Watchtower Jul 15 1951 433-4} |
1951 | "Counting from the end of the 'appointed times of the nations' in 1914, we are 37 years into the 'time of the end' of this world. (Luke 21:24, Dan. 12:4) During these crucial years Jehovah's witnesses have sought shelter and strength in him, and they can confess for themselves that he is a "well-proved help in trouble". If it were not for this, they would not be here today nor increasing in numbers. But we are entering the most serious and trialsome years of this "time of the end". The final conflict of Armageddon draws near." {Watchtower Feb/Mar 3 1951 179} |
1951 | "Whereas the 'appointed times of the nations' ended in 1914, it is now 37 years that we have been in the 'time of the end' of Satan's world." {Watchtower Apr 1 1951 214} [and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. happened 37 years after Jesus' death, as claimed in WT Sep 1 1950] |
1951 | [vigorous promotion of Zone Therapy, including the placing of rubber bands on certain toes in certain positions, to alleviate pain, ailments and even diseases elsewhere in the body, was pursued over ten years] {AWAK Sep 22 1951 27-8} |
1951 | "But if each of us were left to himself just because he has a copy of the Bible and were to direct his movements independently as he thought he understood the Word, what? It is likely, or possible, that there would be a great deal of confusion or working in competition among us. Hence, besides individually possessing God's Word, we need a theocratic organization. Yes, besides having God's spirit of illumination, a Christian needs Jehovah's theocratic organization in order to understand the Bible." {Watchtower Jun 15 1951 375} [Competition might promote understanding - what is wrong with that?] |
1952 | "The Holy Spirit [is] God's impersonal active force" {Watchtower Jun 1 1952 24} [And the name of that impersonal force?] |
1952 | "Know that all living at Armageddon will be baptized, either with fire for destruction with the wicked or with salvation for life with the theocratic organization." {Watchtower Jun 1 1952 350} |
1952 | "We should meekly go along with the Lord's theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to us and proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord's visible organization and not be so foolish as to pit against Jehovah's channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings." {Watchtower Feb 1 1952 80} |
1952 | "In the case of where a father or mother or son or daughter is disfellowshiped, how should such person be treated by members of the family in their family relationship? .. We are not living today among theocratic nations where such members of our fleshly family relationship could be exterminated for apostasy from God and his theocratic organization, as was possible and was ordered in the nation of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai and in the land of Palestine. 'Thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him to death with stones, because he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God, .. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee.'-Deut. 13:6-11, AS. Being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live .. we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent.. Of course, if the children are of age, then there can be a departing and breaking of family ties in a physical way, because the spiritual ties have already snapped.. The purpose of observing the disfellowship order is to .. safeguard your own salvation to life in the new world in vindication of God (2 Thess. 3:14, 15; Titus 2:8) .. do not defeat the purpose of the congregation's disfellowship order by eating spiritual or religious food with such one or receiving such one favorably in a religious way and bidding him farewell with a wish for his prosperity in his apostate course." {Watchtower Nov 15 1952} |
1952 | "Really, our colored brothers have a great cause for rejoicing. Their race is meek and teachable, and from it comes a high percentage of the theocratic increase." {Watchtower Feb 1 1952 95} |
1952 | -3 "We must show understanding, appreciating our relationship to the visible theocratic organization, remembering the fate of those like Korah, Achan and others, who forgot the theocratic order. Jehovah God deals with his people as a servant class. He does not feed each one individually nor does he appoint an individual over them. No individual student of God's Word reveals God's will or interprets His Word. God interprets and teaches through Christ the Chief Servant, who in turn uses the discreet 'slave' class as the visible channel, the visible theocratic organization. David approached God through the priestly organization represented by Abiathar, who had the ephod; and a servant today must likewise look to God's visible organization for spiritual food that is timely and for directions in Kingdom service." {YEAR 1953 Nov 9} |
1953 | "After almost six thousand years of human sorrow, suffering and death, at last permanent relief is near at hand and will be realized within this generation." {NHNE 7} |
1954 | "In view of its unbreakable connection with the Christian theocratic organization, the Bible is organization-minded and it cannot be fully understood without our having the theocratic organization in mind.. All the sheep of God's flock must be organization-minded, like the Bible." {Watchtower Sep 1 1954 529} [compare with "For the same reasons that Jesus did not organize congregations while present with his disciples in the Jewish harvest, we do not consider expedient or necessary organizations even simple and unsectarian as those established by the apostles." {WR Oct 1883 536}] |
1955 | "If we have love for Jehovah and for the organization of his people we shall not be suspicious, but shall, as the Bible says, 'believe all things,' all the things that The Watchtower brings out.." {QTBM 156} |
1955 | "In the light of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy it is becoming clear that the war of Armageddon is nearing its breaking-out point." {YMSA 331} |
1955 | "Jehovah's Witnesses are an organization of truth. We should want to speak the truth and be absolutely accurate in every detail at all times." {QTBM} [!!] |
1956 | "Who controls the organization, who directs it? Who is head? A Man? A group of men? A Clergy class? A pope? A hierarchy? Council? No, none of these. How is this possible? In any organization is it not necessary that there be a directing head or policy-making part that controls or guides the organization? Yes!.. Is the living God, Jehovah, the theocratic Christian organization? Yes!.. because of the fact the heaven-enthroned Christ Jesus is Jehovah's Executive Officer carrying on his work in the earth and because of the further fact that the spirit of God by Christ Jesus." {Watchtower Nov 1 1956 666} [With 'the Number of the Beast' as page] |
1956 | "Certain blood fractions, particularly albumin, also come under the Scriptural ban." {AWAK Sep 8 1956 20} [The ban dating from 1945, though albumin has many other sources. The prohibition against blood fractions was then reversed, allowing it in WT Sep 15 1958 575. Then banned again in WT Sep 15 1961 557. Then allowed again in WT Nov 1 1961 669-70. Then banned yet again with "Any fraction of blood considered as a nutrient not to be used in medical treatment." in WT Feb 15 1963 123-4. And partially reversed in AWAK Aug 22 1965 18. But AWAK Feb 22 1975 30 may have reimposed it. Then grudgingly allowed for haemophiliacs in WT Jun 15 1978 20 and expanded on in BSYL 27. Finally, and many deaths later, came in 1982 "Witness religious understanding does not absolutely prohibit the use of components such as albumin, immune globulins, and hemophiliac preparations; each Witness must decide individually if he can accept these." {AWAK Jun 22 1982 25}? Also read WT Jun 1 1990 30, WT Aug 15 1990 29, WT Oct 1 1994 31, AWAK Nov 8 1996 30 for concessions and further rules] |
1956 | "The enemies [here identified as those who resist or persecute Jehovah's Witnesses] did not deserve to learn the truth to the hurt or endangerment of Jehovah's servants. In wartime it is proper to misdirect the wolfish enemy. .. It is proper to cover over our arrangements for the work that God commands us to do. If the wolfish foes draw wrong conclusions from our maneuvers to outwit them, no harm has been done to them by the harmless sheep, innocent in their motives as doves." {Watchtower Feb 1 1956 80/86} {Lying is acceptable - see next quotation] |
1957 | "[We must] show our respect for Jehovah's organization, for she is our mother and the beloved wife of our heavenly Father, Jehovah God.. A Witness of Jehovah was going from house to house in Eastern Germany when she met a violent opposer. Knowing at once what to expect she changed her red blouse for a green one in the very next hallway. No sooner had she appeared on the street than a Communist officer asked her if she had seen a woman with a red blouse. No, she replied, and went on her way. Did she tell a lie? No, she did not. She was not a liar. Rather, she was using theocratic war strategy, hiding the truth by action and word for the sake of the ministry." {Watchtower May 1 1957 285} [Lying is commendable, as for 1956, 1960, 1988, 1993] |
1957 | "'Appreciating Basic Christian Publications' Their zeal for knowledge may even prompt them to dig back into things that were published long before they came into the truth, expanding and deepening their understanding, and ever growing in Christian maturity.. Do you dig out older publications to expand and deepen your knowledge on subjects about which questions arise? Have you really studied these earlier publications?.. How is your background of knowledge?.. Never think: "Oh, I know most of that." For you will find, indeed, that you do not and that you will be strengthened by your additional study.. once you have completed your study of them you can then look to even older publications.. Only by studying earlier publications and digging back through previous issues of The Watchtower kept in the library at your local Kingdom Hall. There is much in the way of spiritual riches and aids toward mature knowledge in these earlier publications, and their study is most certainly worth your time." {Watchtower May 5 1957 313-5} [I commend you to study those earlier publications - but not only the 'selection' made available by the Society. Plenty of information is available in this document] |
1957 | "The world is full of Bibles, which Book contains the commandments of God. Why, then, do the people not know which way to go? Because they do not also have the teaching or law of the mother, which is light. Jehovah God has provided his holy written Word for all mankind and it contains all the information that is needed for men in taking a course leading to life. But God has not arranged for that Word to speak independently or to shine forth life-giving truths by itself. His Word says: 'Light is sown for the righteous.' (Ps. 97:11) It is through his organization that God provides this light that the proverb says is the teaching or law of the mother. If we are to walk in the light of truth we must recognize not only Jehovah God as our Father but his organization as our mother." {Watchtower May 1 1957 274} [Independent Bible reading is dangerous.. to the Society] |
1957 | "Jehovah has established a very definite channel of communication through which he deals with his people .. It is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the 'slave' as we would to the voice of God." {Watchtower Jun 15 1957 370} [This means, follow the Society as you would follow God] |
1957 | "Question: What is 'this generation (genea')?'(Mt. 24:34; Mr. 13:30; Luke 21:32) Most all say genea' differs from genos. genos means offspring, people, race. See TDNT Vol. l p. 685 (genos at 1 Pet. 2:9) Answer may be tied to question on Mt. 24:33. What is meant by: 'When you see all these things'? Lange's Commentary (vol. 8) suggests that 'these things' do not refer to C.E. 70, nor the parousia 1914 but to vss. 29, 30 the celestial phenomena that He now see began with the space age 1957 onward. In that case it would then be the contemporary generation of mankind living since 1957. Three Sections Lange's Commentary divides Matthew 24th chapter into 'three cycles.' 1st cycle - Matt. 24:1-14 2nd cycle - Matt. 24:15-28 3rd cycle - Matt. 24:29-44 (synteleia or conclusion) (See Vol. 8 pp 421, 424 and 427) Based on Matt. 24:3 question in three parts. The Watchtower and God's kingdom of a Thousand Years (ka) Have now also divided Matthew 24 into three parts so to speak (1) Matt. 24:3-22 Has parallel fulfillments in 1st century and today since 1914. (See w 75 p. 273, ka p. 205) (2) Matt. 24:23-28 Period into Christ's parousia of 1914. (See w 75 p. 275) (3) Matt. 24:29-44 'Celestial Phenomina' have literal application since the space age began in 1957 and onward to include Christ's erkhomenon (coming as the executioner at the beginning of the 'great tribulation.') (See w 75 p 276 par. 18; ka pp 323 to 328) All these things' would have to throw back in the context to the nearest items listed in the composite sign, namely, the celestial phenomina of verses 29 and 30. * If this is true: to Then 'this generation' would refer/contemporary mankind living as knowledgeable ones from 1957 onward. * Confirmed in thought by C.T.Russell in Berean Commentary, p. 217: 'Genea, people living contemporaneously which witness the signs just mentioned.' Vol. 4 p. 604." {Unanimous Report of Chairman's Committee to members of the Governing Body of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Mar 3 1980} [While not a published document, this amazing transcript (disclosed in Raymond Franz: Crisis of Conscience 218-20) shows the Society was seriously considering shifting the start date for 'this generation' who would witness Armageddon from those who were following the events of 1914 to those who were following the events of 1957, as that was when the first Russian Sputnik was launched into earth's outer space. "Evidently the Chairman's Committee felt that that event could be accepted as marking the start of the fulfillment of these words of Jesus: '.. the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.' (Matt 24:29)] |
1958 | "'Sometime between April 16 and 23, 1957, Armageddon will sweep the world! Millions of persons will perish in its flames and the land will be scorched.' So prophesied a certain California pastor, Mihran Ask, in January 1957. Such false prophets tend to put the subject of Armageddon in disrepute." {Watchtower Oct 15 1958 613} |
1958 | "Down with the Old-Up with the New! .. but, Who will be Jehovah's prophet to the nations, to speak to them everything that He should command? Who will be the modern Jeremiah? .. So who will prophesy with his message in this time of the end of the nations of this world? .. How was the question answered? .. Back there, about forty years ago, that was the question. Today we may ask, How was the question answered? There are facts to show. We should not appeal to religious pride or boasting or self-made claims. We should appeal to the facts. Let facts speak for themselves.. The fact that decides the answer to the question is, not, Do all the clergy of Roman Catholicism and of Protestantism agree that Jehovah's witnesses have been and are God's prophet to the nations? But, Who discerned the divine will for Christians in this time of the world's end and offered themselves to do it? Who have undertaken God's foreordained work for this day of judgment of the nations? Who have answered the call to the work and have done it down till this year 1958? Whom has God actually used as his prophet? By the historical facts of the case Christendom is beaten back in defeat. Jehovah's witnesses are deeply grateful today that the plain facts show that God has been pleased to use them.. It has been because Jehovah thrust out his hand of power and touched their lips and put his words in their mouths .." {Watchtower Jan 15 1959 39-41} |
1958 | "'The faithful and discreet slave' [refers to the] 'Remnant of Spiritual Israelites' [i.e. the annointed remnant on earth of the 144,000 'heavenly class'] {PLPR 193} [WT Dec 1 1916 through to WT Mar 1 1923 68 stated 'The faithful and wise servant' - an exactly analogous term, used interchangeably - was C.T.Russell] |
1959 | ["Princes" not to be resurrected until after Armageddon.] {HIS1 252-3} [compare with 1929 teachings re Beth Sarim being built for the physical resurrection of the princes in 1929, before Armageddon] |
1960 | "As a soldier of Christ he is in theocratic warfare and he must exercise caution when dealing with God's foes. Thus the Scriptures show that for the purpose of protecting the interests of God's cause, it is proper to hide the truth from God's enemies." {Watchtower Jun 1 1960 352} [Lying is proper - also see 1956-7, 1988, 1993] |
1960 | "Revelation 22: .. Trees are the anointed remnant.. Leaves are the organizational arrangements made through the anointed remnant.. The facts show that during this time and up to the present hour the 'slave' class has served as God's sole collective channel of communication from heaven to earth for the flow of Biblical truth to men on earth ... Thus organizationally the 'discreet slave' class since 1919 has been channeling an ever-increasing flow of Biblical publications by the millions that contain the 'waters of life' featuring Jehovah's will as emanating from God's throne in heaven." {Watchtower Jul 15 1960 439-41} [Water of life from the Society got deeper and deeper following 1919 until by 1931 you could barely swim through it] |
1961 | "They have come to know that there exists a true prophet in spiritual Israel and that there is no God anywhere in the earth except among the prophet's people, spiritual Israel." {LYNS 347} |
1961 | "The blood in any person is in reality the person himself.. poisons due to personal living, eating and drinking habits .. The poisons that produce the impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood. Moral insanity, sexual perversions, repression, inferiority complexes, petty crimes - these often follow in the wake of blood transfusion." {Watchtower Sep 1 1961 564} [But as the Society repeatedly states man is wholly physical - monochotomous - how can sin be transmitted by physical blood?] |
1961 | "[Taking [a] blood transfusion [is] grounds for disfellowshipping." {Watchtower 1961 63-4} [Having read the excellent technical argument in {Watchtower Sep 1 1961 564} against transfusion, what more can be said?] |
1961 | "Regardless of whether it is whole blood or a blood substance that is involved, God's law remains the same." {BMLG 14} [Why then 13 years later, and only in a footnote, did appear "When this happens, the serum might be administered." {Watchtower Jun 1 1974 351} ? To compound the matter, "This journal and it's companion, The Watchtower, have commented consistently on the matter .. some Christians have concluded that to them it does not seem a violation of Bible law .. The decision whether to take RhIG [Rhogam serum] remains finally, though, a matter for each Christian couple to decide conscientiously." {AWAK Dec 8 1984 27}] |
1963 | "Jesus [was an] angel [who became] a man" {Watchtower May 15 1963 307} |
1964 | "Jehovah, the God of Progressive Revelation .. THE KINGDOM'S ESTABLISHMENT .. As Jehovah revealed his truths by means of the first-century Christian congregation so he does today by means of the present-day Christian congregation. Through this agency he is having carried out prophesying on an intensified and unparalleled scale. All this activity is not an accident. Jehovah is the one behind all of it. The abundance of spiritual food and the amazing details of Jehovah's purposes that have been revealed to Jehovah's anointed witnesses are clear evidence that they are the ones mentioned by Jesus when he foretold a 'faithful and discreet slave' class that would be used to dispense God's progressive revelations in these last days.. The holy spirit of Jehovah is working mightily today! How thankful we should be for the provision God has made of this slave class, the modern spiritual remnant, as they faithfully dispense the revealed truths of Jehovah! With these rich truths to light the way, Christians do not grope in this dark, jungle-like world as do the masses of people in Christendom and heathendom alike." {Watchtower June 15 1964 365-6} |
1964 | "Pay Attention to Prophecy .. for God has on earth today a prophetlike organization, .. Jehovah's anointed witnesses on earth." {Watchtower Oct 1 1964 601} |
1965 | "The best method of proof is to put a prophecy to the test of time and circumstances. The Bible invites such a test." {Watchtower Mar 1 1965 151} |
1965 | [Resurrection will include people of "Tyre and Sidon", and "Sodom and Gomorrah" as well as most who die before Armageddon, even if having heard and rejected the message of Jehovah's Witnesses.] {Watchtower Mar 1 1965 137/142} [compare with CONS May 6 1936 508 which says almost exactly the opposite] |
1965 | "[God] does not impart his holy spirit and and understanding and appreciation of his Word apart from his visible organization." {Watchtower Jul 1 1965 391} |
1967 | "Parents who are Jehovah's witnesses have another very sound reason for channeling their children's lives into useful trades. They know from fulfilled Bible prophecy that today's industrial society is near its end. Soon it will be given its death stroke by Almighty God himself. After that, in God's new order a reconstruction work will be done to transform this entire earth into a paradise. Trades of many types will be very useful then, as will skills in agriculture and homemaking. So by guiding their children away from the so-called 'higher' education of today, these parents spare their children exposure to an increasingly demoralizing atmosphere, and at the same time prepare them for life in a new system as well." {AWAK Jun 8 1967 38} |
1967 | "Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah's visible organization in mind.. Since 1879 the Watch Tower magazine has been used by this collective group to dispense spiritual food regularly to those of this 'little flock' of true Christians.. Jehovah poured out his spirit upon them and assigned them the responsibility of serving as his sole visible channel, through whom alone spiritual instruction was to come. Those who recognize Jehovah's visible theocratic organization, therefore, must recognize and accept this appointment of the 'faithful and discreet slave' and be submissive to it.. Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential for life.. in submitting to Jehovah's visible theocratic organization, we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements." {Watchtower Oct 1 1967 587-92} |
1967 | "When men of science conclude that this normal process will no longer work and they suggest removing the organ and replacing it directly with an organ from another human, this is simply a shortcut. Those who submit to such operations are thus living off the flesh of another human. That is cannibalistic. However, in allowing man to eat animal flesh Jehovah God did not grant permission for humans to try to perpetuate their lives by cannibalistically taking into their bodies human flesh, whether chewed or in the form of whole organs or body parts taken from others." {Watchtower Nov 15 1967 702-4} [See 1968 entry for further light] |
1968 | ".. Christian Witnesses of Jehovah .. consider all transplants between humans as cannibalism." {AWAK Jun 8 1968 21} [Amazingly this 1968 item got left out of the CD-ROM versions of AWAKE. It contradicted "The question of placing one's body or parts of one's body at the disposal of men of science or doctors at one's death for purposes of scientific experimentation or replacement in others is frowned upon by certain religious bodies. However, it does not seem that any scriptural principle or law is involved. It is therefore something that each individual must decide for himself." {Watchtower Aug 1 1961 480]. it was later reversed in "There is no Biblical command pointedly forbidding the taking in of other human tissue .. It is a matter for personal decision. The congregation judicial committee would not take disciplinary action if someone accepted an organ transplant." {Watchtower Mar 15 1980 31}. So the Society's position changed at least twice, 1961 -> 1968 -> 1980. And further "Accepting a bone marrow transplant is up to your conscience." {Watchtower May 15 1984 31}. As a history of reversals, the blood transfusion saga - see 1956 - is even more amazing] |
1968 | "During world war I, God's people expected it to lead directly into Armageddon, but Jehovah prevented such a climax at that time. We didn't succumb to such an expectation during world war II." {KMIN Jan 1968 5} |
1968 | "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. 'When were Adam and Eve created?' .. After [Eve's] creation, God's rest day, the seventh period, immediately followed. 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... eight years remain to account for a full 6,000 years of the seventh day. Eight years from the autumn of 1967 would bring us to the autumn of 1975, fully 6,000 years into God's seventh day, his rest day. The immediate future is certain to be filled with climatic 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!" {Watchtower May 1 1968 271-3} [the cautionary "No one can say with certainty what any particular year will bring." clearly being lost in the tumult] |
1968 | "A religion may claim to advocate worship of the true God of the Bible and it may use the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, but of what value is this if it is contaminated with Babylonish doctrines and practices? .. [We] need to make a clean break from any and all organizations of Babylon the Great. We need to quit sharing in their activities" {TLEL 134-5} [Look for 'Swaggart'] |
1968 | "Jesus was obviously speaking about those who were old enough to witness with understanding what took place when the 'last days' began. Jesus was saying that some of those persons who were alive at the appearance of the `sign of the last days' would still be alive when God brought this system to its end.. Even if we presume that youngsters 15 years of age would be perceptive enough to realize the import of what happened in 1914, it would still make the youngest of 'this generation' nearly 70 years old today. So the great majority of the generation to which Jesus was referring has already passed away in death. The remaining ones are approaching old age. And remember, Jesus said that the end of this wicked world would come before that generation passed away in death." {AWAK Oct 8 1968 13-4} [So the end of the wicked world is very close.. 1975 at the latest, by which time those 15 year olds will be 76, older than any Biblically defined generation] |
1968 | "The Bible speaks of the time in which we are living as the 'last days' or the "time of the end." (2 Timothy 3: 1; Daniel 11: 40) The facts show that this is a limited period that has a definite beginning and a definite end. It began in 1914 when Jesus Christ was enthroned as king in the heavens. It will end when God destroys this present wicked system of things.. How soon will that be? God's own Son, Jesus Christ, gives the answer. After drawing attention to the many things that mark the period from 1914 onward as the 'time of the end' Jesus said: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' (Matthew 24:34) Which generation did he mean? Jesus had just referred to persons who would 'see all these things.' 'These things' are the events that have taken place since 1914 and those yet to occur down to the end of this wicked system. (Matthew 24:33) Persons born even as much as fifty years ago could not see 'all these things.' They came on the scene after the foretold events were already under way. But there are people still living who were alive in 1914 and saw what was happening then and who were old enough that they still remember those events. This generation is getting up in years now. A great number of them have already passed away in death. Yet Jesus very pointedly said: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' Some of them will still be alive to see the end of this wicked system. This means that only a short time is left before the end comes!" {TLEL 94} |
1968 | "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 from such people were God's truths and the evidence that He was using and guiding them. .. But what about today? Today we have the evidence required, all of it. And it is overwhelming! All the many, many parts of the great sign of the last days are here, together with verifying Bible chronology." {AWAK Oct 8 1968 23} [Incredible then is "Is it not far preferable to make some mistakes because of overeagerness to see God's purposes accomplished...?" {Watchtower Dec 1 1984 1618}] |
1968 | "Bible prophecy reveals unmistakably that we are living now during 'the conclusion of the system of things.'" {TLEL 185} |
1969 | "In view of the short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things is not only unwise but extremely dangerous .. Many young brothers and sisters were offered scholarship or employment that promised fine pay. However, they turned them down and put spiritual interests first." {KMIN Jun 1969 3} [compare with WT Nov 1 1992 18 "If .. minimal or even high school education will only allow them to find jobs providing insufficient income to support themselves as pioneers, then supplementary education or training might be considered. This would be with the specific goal of full-time service." A complete volte-face.] |
1969 | "[In Revelation] Abaddon-Apollyon [refers to] Jesus Christ" {TFMG 232} [But according to TFIM it refers to Satan!] |
1969 | "'What Influences Decisions in Your Life?' Many schools now have student counselors who encourage one to pursue higher education after high school, to pursue a career with a future in this system of things. Do not be influenced by them. Do not let them "brainwash" you with the Devil's propaganda to get ahead, to make something of yourself in this world. The world has very little time left! Any 'future' this world offers is no future! .. Make pioneer service, the fulltime ministry, with the possibility of Bethel or missionary service your goal. This is a life that offers an everlasting future!" {Watchtower Mar 15 1969 171} [statistics having revealed that people possessing anything more than the most basic level of education were unlikely to be converted to 'the truth', there was a danger that upon educating themselves, even existing followers would leave] |
1969 | "If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the 'last days' in 1914, Jesus foretold: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way towards its finish, if not actually gone! This is why parents who base their lives on God's prophetic Word find it much more practical to direct their young ones into trades that do not require such long periods of additional schooling.. True, those who do not understand where we are in the stream of time from God's viewpoint will call this impractical. But which is really practical: preparing yourself for a position in this world that soon will pass away? or working toward surviving this system's end and enjoying eternal life in God's righteous new order?" {AWAK May 22 1969 15} |
1969 | "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 mans creation by Jehovah god would begin within less than ten years. Apart from the global change that present-day world condition indicate is fast getting near, the arrival of the seventh millennium of mans existence on earth suggests a gladsome change for war-stricken humankind.. 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. (Matt 12:8, AV) Thus it would be a sabbatic reign. Since early in the existence of mankind Satan the Devil has been on the loose, making the human family to toil in hard bondage, causing the earth to be filled with violence before the global flood of Noahs day and inducing the same old earth to be filled with even greater violence today. Soon now six millenniums of his wicked exploiting of mankind as his slaves will end, within the lifetime of the generation that has witnessed world events since the close of the gentile times in 1914 till now, according to the prophetic words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34. Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind's laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed! And his King Jesus Christ will be Lord of that Sabbath." {Watchtower Oct 15 1969 622-3, APTY 25-6} |
1969 | "We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teachings in full harmony with God's Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If we are lovers of the truth, there is nothing to fear from such an examination." {TLEL 13, WT Mar 15 1969 166} |
1970 | ".. millions of persons have been shocked to learn things they were taught as being vital for salvation are now considered by their church to be wrong. .. A businessman in Medellin, Colombia, expressed the effect that changes have had on many. [He said,] 'How can I have confidence in anything? How can I believe in the Bible, in God, or have faith? Just ten years ago we Catholics had the absolute truth, we put all our faith in this. Now the pope and our priests are telling us this is not the way to believe anymore, but we are to believe new things. How do I know the new things will be the truth in five years?.. If you are a Catholic, can you understand how a practice that was considered by the Church a 'mortal sin' can suddenly be approved? If it was a sin five years ago, why is it not today?' .. The change in teaching has shaken their confidence in the Church. Would you not feel the same way if what you had always been taught to be vital for salvation was suddenly considered unnecessary? Would you not be inclined to question other teachings of your church also?" {AWAK Apr 22 1970 8} [see the 1997 entry for the Society's reversal on blood transfusion] |
1971 | "Why, then, is the name [Jehovah, or YHWH] absent from the extant manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures or the so called 'New Testament'? Evidently because by the time those extant copies were made (from the third century C.E. onward) the original text of the writings of the apostles and disciples had been altered. The divine name in the Tetragrammaton form was undoubtedly replaced with 'Kyrios' and 'Ho Theos' by later copyists." {AIDB 887} [so there is no evidence at all that "YHWH" or "Jehovah" were ever intended to be used in the New Testament - though the Society has packed it with such references in its NWT version of the Bible] |
1971 | "The first recorded use of this form [Jehovah] dates from the thirteenth century C.E. Raymundus Martini, a Spanish monk of the Dominican Order, used it in his book Pugeo Fidei of the year 1270 C.E." {AIDB 884-5} [so the insisted-upon usage is unscriptural] |
1971 | "There is an authentic prophetic class of Christians among us. Jehovah has raised up a genuine 'prophet' within our generation. Regardless of how Christendom views or regards this group of anointed witnesses of Jehovah, the time must come, and that shortly, when those making up Christendom will know that really a 'prophet' of Jehovah was among them.. Whom could the real 'chariot' of Jehovah's organization roll up to and confront that He might bestow upon this qualified one the commission to speak as a prophet in the name of Jehovah?... They were a small minority group of men and women who had dedicated themselves to Jehovah as God by following in the footsteps of his Son Jesus Christ.. Who is Ezekiel's present-day counterpart, whose message and conduct correspond with that of that ancient prophet of Jehovah? Of whom today was he a 'sign' or 'portent'? Not of some individual man, but of a group of people.. Who were they?.. they became Jehovah's witnesses." {TNSK 58-9/61/66} |
1971 | "How Is Your Heart? .. The heart, nevertheless, is intricately connected with the brain by the nervous system and is well supplied with sensory nerve endings. The sensations of the heart are recorded on the brain. It is here that the heart brings to bear on the mind its desires and its affections in arriving at conclusions having to do with motivations. In reverse flow, the mind feeds the heart with interpretations of the impulses from the senses and with conclusions reached that are based on the knowledge it has received, either at the moment or from the memory. There is a close interrelationship between the heart and the mind, but they are two different faculties, centering in different locations. The heart .. more significantly [has] our emotional and motivating capacities .. built within it. Love, hate, desire (good and bad), preference for one thing over another, ambition, fear - in effect, all that serves to motivate us in relationship to our affections and desires springs from the heart.. It is significant that heart-transplant patients, where the nerves connecting the heart and brain are severed, have serious emotional problems after the operation.. the new heart in turn registers few, if any, clear factors of motivation on the brain. To what extent the nerve endings of the body and the new heart are able to make some connections in time is not clear, but this cannot be ruled out as one of the several factors causing the serious mental aberrations and disorientation that doctors report are observed in heart-transplant patients. These patients have donor-supplied pumps for their blood, but do they now have all the factors needed to say they have a 'heart'? One thing is sure, in losing their own hearts, they have had taken away from them the capacities of 'heart' built up in them over the years and which contributed to making them who they were as to personality." {Watchtower Mar 1 1971 133-9} [Heart transplants change personalities?] |
1971 | "And have you read the older publications of the Society in your language? To the extent that you can make time to read the material, there is a blessing in store for you." {THEO 21} {Please do, a selection having been provided at the start] |
1971 | "A Governing Body [is] chosen to rule over the organization [as] the representative of the 'faithful and discreet slave' class." {Watchtower 1971 755-62} [compare with "For the same reasons that Jesus did not organize congregations while present with his disciples in the Jewish harvest, we do not consider expedient or necessary organizations even simple and unsectarian as those established by the apostles." {WR Oct 1883 536}] |
1971 | "So, as we draw close to the completion of six thousand years of human existence during this decade, there is the thrilling hope that a grand Sabbath of rest and relief is indeed at hand." [AWAK Oct 8 1971] |
1972 | "Wanted - a Messenger .. WHAT IS REQUIRED OF GOD'S MESSENGER .. More accurately, was there any group on whom Jehovah would be willing to bestow the commission to speak as a 'prophet' in His name, as was done toward Ezekiel back there in 613 B.C.E.? .. It is of importance to every individual on earth to identify the group that Jehovah has commissioned as his 'servant' or messenger. We must recognize and understand the warning that he brings. We need to take action on the warning to safeguard our lives, for they are in a danger as grave as that of the lives of Jerusalem's citizens as that city neared destruction. For this reason forthcoming issues of The Watchtower will further discuss the identity and work of Jehovah's commissioned messenger as revealed in His vision to Ezekiel." {Watchtower Mar 15 1972 189-90} |
1972 | "'They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them' .. So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? .. IDENTIFYING THE 'PROPHET' .. These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? .. This 'prophet' was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian witnesses. They are still proclaiming a warning .. Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a 'prophet' of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?" {Watchtower Apr 1 1972 197} [An excellent question!] |
1972 | "Does this admission of making mistakes stamp them [Watchtower] as false prophets? Not at all, for false prophets do not admit to making mistakes." {Watchtower Nov 1 1972 644} |
1972 | "If it is his purpose to have this beautification of the whole earth accomplished by the end of his seventh creative day - Scripturally a period of seven thousand years, then the time is near at hand for the ruining of the earth by exploiters to be stopped by theocratic power and the blessed transformation to a delightsome garden to begin. Already, nearly six thousand years of man's existence from the close of the sixth creative day have run their dreary course. We must be approaching the threshold of that thousand-year-long reign of Jesus Christ, which must be accompanied by Paradise according to what Jesus promised the sympathetic evildoer on the stake there at Mount Calvary." {PRTM 18} |
1972 | "Jehovah, the God of the true prophets, will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets. False prophets will try to hide their reason for feeling shame by denying who they really are." {PRTM 353-4} |
1972 | "From Adam's creation to the end of 1943 A.D. is 5,971 years .. We are therefore near the end of six thousand years of human history" {TMYF 152} [so another 29 years, in 1972, would come year 6,000 since Adam] |
1973 | "What is the view of Jehovah's Witnesses toward interracial marriage? .. [while interracial marriages are not intrinsically wrong, 'deep-seated prejudices' remain 'in the world' and] "A Christian, being realistic, must face life as it is - not as he wishes it might be." {Watchtower Dec 1 1973 755-6} [i.e., if such a marriage would compromise one's potential to give a witness for Jehovah, it might be theocratically imprudent to pursue it] |
1973 | "Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah's organization alone, in all the earth, is directed by God's holy spirit or active force. (Zech. 4:6) Only this organization functions for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. To it alone God's Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book.. How very much true Christians appreciate associating with the only organization on earth that understands the 'deep things of God'!" {Watchtower Jul 1 1973 402} |
1973 | "we should be deeply appreciative of all the fine spiritual food that 'the faithful and discreet slave' class has been providing through The Watchtower, now for ninety-four years." {Watchtower Aug 1 1973 460} |
1973 | ".. the generation alive in 1914, some will see the major fulfillment of Christ Jesus' prophecy and the destruction." {AWAK Oct 8 1973 19} |
1973 | "'The Encouragement of Parents Helps' .. At times the heart's desire for what is good needs to be strengthened. Parents can do much to aid their children in this regard.. An elder in Korea encouraged his four children to pioneer. At a circuit assembly he and the children were interviewed. The oldest daughter related how she had been the highest scholastically in her high school. She herself wanted to go to college at one point. However, her father informed her that, while she was free to choose such a course, she could not expect financial support from him. She changed her mind about college, and now she is enjoying many blessings as a pioneer. The next oldest, a son, told how he also at one time wanted to go to college and follow a worldly course. But his father sat down and reviewed the Scriptures with him. His father also told him that, if he insisted on following a worldly course, he would also have to find another place to live. He heeded his father's counsel and is very grateful that his father was kind but firm in his stand. The two younger children explained that they were impressed by what happened to the two older ones. From the beginning they planned to become pioneers. The youngest son gave up his high school education to pioneer." {KMIN May 1973 6} [compare this with "The endeavor to compel all men to think alike on all subjects, culminated in the great apostasy and the development of the great Papal system; and thereby the 'gospel,' the 'one faith,' which Paul and the other apostles set forth, was lost buried under the mass of uninspired decrees of popes and councils. The union of the early church, based upon the simple gospel and bound only by love, gave place to the bondage of the church of Rome a slavery of God's children, from the degradation of which multitudes are still weak and suffering." {WR 1893 1572}] |
1973 | "Truly it is 'intellectually dishonest' not to want any opposing views heard on such a disputed matter. It has to make reasonable persons ask, Why?" {AWAK Oct 22 1973 7} |
1974 | "At times I detect among certain [Jehovah's Witnesses] leftover attitudes of racial superiority, and I have sometimes seen a certain uncomfortableness of some of them when in close association with persons of another race" {Watchtower Dec 1 1974 713-4} |
1974 | "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. And, really, would you want to be even associated with a religion that had not been honest with you?" {ITLA 46} |
1974 | "Similarly, the 'false prophet' is not a person, but is a system or an organization." {Watchtower Jun 15 1974 381} [Sounds very true!] |
1974 | "How Are You Using Your Life? .. Yes, the end of this system is so very near! Is that not reason to increase our activity? In this regard we can learn something from a runner who puts on a final burst of speed near the finish of a race. Look at Jesus, who apparently stepped up his activity during his final days on earth. In fact, over 27 percent of the material in the Gospels is devoted to just the last week of Jesus' earthly ministry!-Matt. 21:1-27:50; Mark 11:1-15:37; Luke 19:29-23:46; John 11:55-19:30. By carefully and prayerfully examining our own circumstances, we also may find that we can spend more time and energy in preaching during this final period before the present system ends. Many of our brothers and sisters are doing just that. This is evident from the rapidly increasing number of pioneers. Yes, since the summer of 1973 there have been new peaks in pioneers every month. Now there are 20,394 regular and special pioneers in the United States, an all-time peak. That is 5,190 more than there were in February 1973! A 34-percent increase! Does that not warm our hearts? 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.-1 John 2:17. Remain an enduring witness to his wisdom and faithfulness!" {KMIN May 1974 3} [compare with WT Nov 1 1992 18 "If .. minimal or even high school education will only allow them to find jobs providing insufficient income to support themselves as pioneers, then supplementary education or training might be considered. This would be with the specific goal of full-time service." A complete volte-face.] |
1974 | It also tells us that this millennium must be preceded immediately by the most destructive war in all human history. We can now see the political rulers .. being gathered .. for that War of all wars .. ' {Watchtower Jul 1 1974 397} |
1974 | "Although the fig tree itself may not blossom,.. I will exult in Jehovah himself. - Hab. 3:17, 18." {Year Text 1974} |
1975 | "' .. 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.' .. 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,' .. THE YEAR 1975 .. 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 4026 B.C.E.? It could have. The Life Everlasting book does not say it did not.. '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 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." {Watchtower Oct 15 1966 628-31} |
1975 | "Today, there are many teenage baptized servants of Jehovah.. how far should they go with a secular education? It would hardly be consistent for such a youth, of his own choice, to pursue extensive secular studies beyond what is required by the law and by his parents.. additional years of college education may present snares." {Watchtower Sep 1 1975 543} |
1975 | "'How Much Longer Will It Be?' 6,000 Years Completed in 1975 .. 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.. 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 same year Eve could well have been created, directly after which God's rest day commenced .. There is another chronological indication that we are rapidly nearing the closing time for this wicked system of things. It is the fact that shortly, according to reliable Bible chronology, 6,000 years of human history will come to an end.. 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.. 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.'" {AWAK Oct 8 1966 19-20} |
1975 | "6,000 Years Nearing Completion .. 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. Today, many years later, we may ask, What does the phrase 'the immediate future' mean? How many years are 'a few years at most'? .. According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in 4026 B.C.E.. There is another way that helps confirm the fact that we are living in the final few years of this 'time of the end.' (Dan. 12:9) The Bible shows that we are nearing the end of a full 6,000 years of human history. What significance does this have? When God gave his laws to ancient Israel, one of those laws involved keeping the sabbath day holy. On the seventh day of the week there was to be no labor. The people were to rest from all their toil. (Ex 20:8-11) The Bible states that 'the Law has a shadow of the good things to come.' - Heb. 10:1. Revelation chapter 20, verse 6, shows that God's heavenly kingdom will rule over the earth for one thousand years after the end of this system of things. That millennium will bring a sabbathlike rest to the earth and all those then inhabiting it. Hence, the first six thousand years since man's creation could be likened to the first six days of the week in ancient Israel. The seventh one-thousand-year period could be likened to the seventh day, the sabbath, of that week. - 2 Pet. 3:8. How fitting it would be for God, following this pattern, to end man's misery after six thousand years of human rule and follow it with His glorious Kingdom rule for a thousand years! .. only seven more years from the autumn of 1968 to complete 6,000 full years of human history. That seven-year period will evidently finish in the autumn of the year 1975.. Concerning political instability, former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson said in 1960: 'I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in 15 years from today (or, by 1975), this world is going to be too dangerous to live in.' .. [Chart] 1975 C.E. END OF 6,000 YEARS .. In the book Famine - 1975! food experts W. and P. Paddock state: .. 'I forecast a specific date, 1975, when the new crisis will be upon us in all its awesome importance.'" {AWAK Oct 8 1968 14-5} |
1975 | "Would there be another creative 'day,' a seventh 'day,' at the close of the 'morning' of which the whole earth would be populated with a human family and be a global Paradise? 'Evening' of seventh creative 'day' begins, 4026 B.C.E." {GEPT 51} [4026 B.C.E. + 6000 years to take to start of the seventh day = 1975] |
1975 | "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. So six thousand years of man's existence on earth will soon be up, yes, within this generation.. Since the time of Ussher intensive study of Bible chronology has been carried on. 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 six thousand years of man's existence on earth will soon be up, yes, within this generation. Jehovah God is timeless, as it is written in Psalm 90:1, 2: "O Jehovah, you yourself have proved to be a real dwelling for us during generation after generation. Before the mountains themselves were born, or you proceeded to bring forth as with labor pains the earth and the productive land, even from time indefinite to time indefinite you are God." So from the standpoint of Jehovah God these passing six thousand years of man's existence are but as six days of twenty-four hours, for this same psalm (verses 3, 4) goes on to say: "You make mortal man go back to crushed matter, and you say: `Go back, you sons of men.' For a thousand years are in your eyes but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch during the night." 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. 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. Prophetically Jesus Christ, when on earth nineteen centuries ago, said concerning himself: "For Lord of the sabbath is what the Son of man is." (Matthew 12: 8). 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." {LEIF 26-30} |
1975 | "1975 - 6000 End of 6th 1,000-year day of man's existence (in early autumn)" {LEIF 35} |
1975 | "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. (Matt. 12:8, AV) Thus it would be a sabbatic reign. Since early in the existence of mankind Satan the Devil has been on the loose, making the human family to toil in hard bondage, causing the earth to be filled with violence before the global flood of Noah's day and inducing the same old earth to be filled with even greater violence today. Soon now six millenniums of his wicked exploiting of mankind as his slaves will end, within the lifetime of the generation that has witnessed world events since the close of the Gentile Times in 1914 till now, according to the prophetic words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34. Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind's laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed!" {Watchtower Oct 15 1969 623, APTY 26-7} |
1975 | "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." {APTY 25} |
1975 | "Interestingly, the autumn of the year 1975 marks the end of 6,000 years of human experience. This is ascertainable from reliable chronology preserved in the Bible itself. What will that year mean for humankind? Will it be the time when God executes the wicked and starts off the thousand-year reign of his Son Jesus Christ? It very well could, but we will have to wait to see.. A glorious new order is immediately before us." {Watchtower May 1 1967 262} |
1975 | "According to reliable Bible chronology Adam was created in the year 4026 B.C.E., likely in the autumn of the year, at the end of the sixth day of creation. Then God brought the animals to man to name. Yet, of Adam, Genesis states these words of Jehovah: 'It is not good for the man to continue by himself.' (Gen. 2:18) Adam would realize this lonely condition very quickly, perhaps in just a few days or a few weeks. He would realize he needed another earthling with whom he could communicate, share his experiences, and his life. Nor would his naming the animals take an unduly long time. The basic animal kinds could have been relatively quickly named, for when such basic kinds were taken into the ark in Noah's day, it did not involve millions of beasts, but perhaps only a few hundred basic kinds. 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.. Eight years from the Autumn of 1967 would bring us to the Autumn of 1975, fully 6,000 years into God's seventh day, his rest day.. 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! " {Watchtower May 1 1968 271-2} |
1975 | "Of what significance is this today? It means that by the fall of 1963 mankind has dwelt upon this earth 5,988 years. Does this mean, then, that by 1963 we had progressed 5,988 years into the 'day' on which Jehovah 'has been resting from all his work'? (Gen. 2:3) No, for the creation of Adam does not correspond with the beginning of Jehovah's rest day. Following Adam's creation, and still within the sixth creative day, Jehovah appears to have been forming further animal and bird creations. Also, he had Adam name the animals, which would take some time, and he proceeded to create Eve. (Gen. 2:18-22; see also NWT, 1953 Ed., footnote on Vs. 19) Whatever time elapsed between Adam's creation and the end of the 'sixth day' must be subtracted from the 5,988 years in order to give the actual length of time from the beginning of the 'seventh day' until now. It does no good to use Bible chronology for speculating on dates that are still future in the stream of time." {ASII 286} |
1975 | "'The Book of Truthful Historical Dates' .. 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?" {Watchtower Aug 15 1968 488} |
1975 | "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO 1975? .. 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. 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." {Watchtower Aug 15 1968 494} |
1975 | "'Adam Created At Close Of 'Sixth Day' .. 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, the father of all mankind! 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 Sabbath-like thousand-year reign of Christ .. 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. 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.. 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.. 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. 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.' .. 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." {Watchtower Aug 15 1968 499-501, in accordance with the Adam/Eve age-difference claims in AID 333/538} |
1975 | "It is just as a former United States Secretary of State noted in the June 13, 1960, issue of U.S. News & World Report. He declared that our time is 'a period of unequaled instability, unequaled violence,' and warned: 'I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in 15 years from today, this world is going to be too dangerous to live in.' Fifteen years from 1960 brings us to 1975. He predicted that by 1975 this world would be too dangerous! Interestingly, this date is also the one indicated by the most reliable Bible research as marking the end of 6,000 years of rebellion of men and demons against God." {AWAK Jan 8 1968 19} |
1975 | ".. as reported back in 1960, a former United States Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, declared that our time is 'a period of unequaled instability, unequaled violence.' and he warned: 'I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in fifteen years from today, this world is going to be too dangerous to live in.'" {TLEL 9} [1960 + 15 = 1975; however TLEL 1981 ed 9 was amended so the words "and he warned: 'I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in fifteen years from today," disappeared and in their place appeared "Based on what he knew was then going on in the world, it was his conclusion that soon '"] |
1975 | "More recently, the book entitled "Famine-1975!" [by W. & P. Paddock, 1967, pp. 52, 55, 61.] said concerning today's food shortages: "Hunger is rampant throughout country after country, continent after continent around the undeveloped belt of the tropics and subtropics. Today's crisis can move in only one direction - toward catastrophe. Today hungry nations; tomorrow starving nations.. By 1975 civil disorder, anarchy, military dictatorships, runaway inflation, transportation breakdowns and chaotic unrest will be the order of the day in many of the hungry nations." {TLEL 88-9} [Elsewhere, the same source is quoted as stating "By 1975 a disaster of unprecedented magnitude will face the world. Famines, greater than any in history, will ravage the undeveloped nations."] |
1975 | "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." {KMIN Mar 1968 4} [Mar 1968 + 90 months = Oct 1975] |
1975 | "The publications of Jehovah's witnesses have shown that, according to Bible chronology, it appears that 6,000 years of man's existence will be completed in the mid-1970's. But these publications have never said that the world's end would come then. Nevertheless, there has been considerable individual speculation on the matter." {Watchtower Oct 15 1974 635} |
1975 | ".. millions of people now living will see the 'day' of Christ's coming to mete out justice upon this system of things .." {Watchtower Jan 1 1975 11} |
1975 | ".. the Creator's promise of a new order of lasting peace and true security within our generation." {AWAK Jan 8 1975} |
1975 | "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.' {Watchtower May 1 1975 285} [tick tock, four months of 1975 over] |
1975 | "However, the Bible's time clock does indicate to us that 6,000 years of human history end in this year 1975.. Does this mean, then, that mankind has now reached 6,000 years into the 7,000 year period that God blessed and made sacred as his rest day? .. No, It does not mean that.. Well, the Bible record shows that God's creations on the 'day' just preceeding that 7,000-year 'rest day' did not end with Adam's creation. It shows a time lapse between the creation of Adam and that of his wife, Eve. During that time, God had Adam name the animals. Whether that period amounted to weeks or months or years, we do not know." {Watchtower Oct 1 1975 579} [tick tock] |
1975 | "Just think where we are in the stream of time! Its importance was deeply impressed on our minds back in 1966. God's people then received the absorbing book Life Everlasting - in Freedom of the Sons of God. It did not take long for most of them to note the chronological chart in it that identified 1975 as the "end of 6th 1,000-year day of man's existence (in early autumn)." This certainly raised questions. Does this mean that Babylon the Great will go down by 1975? Will Armageddon be over, with Satan bound, by then? 'It could,' acknowledged F. W. Franz, the Watch Tower Society's vice-president, .. ' .. 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.'" {YEAR 1975 256} |
1975 | "However, suddenly, there came an end to World War I. It did not lead on, as Bible students expected, into world revolution and anarchy or the battle of Armageddon. And the sincere worshippers of Jehovah who were in the new covenant with him through his Mediator Jesus Christ, found themselves still in the flesh on the earth." {MSWD 98} |
1975 | "'Morning' of seventh creative 'day' begins, 526 B.C.E. The first half or 'evening' period of God's seventh creative 'day' was now closing, 3,500 years from creation of Adam and Eve." {GEPT 131} [so another 2,500 years of the 6,000 would bring us to 1975] |
1975 | ".. this marked the beginning of a period of education in the written Word of God from the standpoint that Bible prophecy is best understood after it has been fulfilled. So there needed to be a correction of our previous views, and the surviving remnant of spiritual Israel needed to be readjusted to the postwar realities and opportunities.. This revised program of Bible education had a profound effect on the remnant. It oriented their work in the right direction." {MSWD 191} |
1975 | "Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing in common with other religious groups and can never seek any affiliation with them." {AWAK Nov 22 1975} [In 1980, the State of California informed Jimmy Swaggart Ministries that tax was due for religious books and tapes sold in the state since 1974. The case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court. On June 22, 1989, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society filed an 'amicus curiae' (friend of the court) brief on behalf of Jimmy Swaggert Ministries (No. 88-1374 in the Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1988). Others who acted similarly included the National Council of Churches and the Society for Krishna Consciousness. On January 17, 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against them them declaring that the sales tax must be paid. 35 days later an official Society letter to (all) congregations failed to mention this but instead claimed set prices for literature items were being eliminated because 'By adopting a method of literature distribution based completely on donation, Jehovah's people are able to greatly simplify our Bible education work and separate ourselves from those who commercialize religion.' There has been rumoured legal collaboration in 1999 with the Church of Scientology in one or more countries of what used to be the Eastern bloc.] |
1975 | "'Choosing the best way of life' .. 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 mans existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. 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. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a 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 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." {Watchtower Mar 15 1980 17-8} |
1975 | ".. acknowledged the Society's responsibility for some of the disappointment a number felt regarding 1975." {YEAR 1980 30-1} |
1975 | "More recently, many Witnesses conjectured that events associated with the beginning of Christ's Millennial Reign might start to take place in 1975. Their anticipation was based on the understanding that the seventh millennium of human history would begin then." {AWAK Jun 22 1995 9} |
1975 | [NO MENTION!] {HIS2 Section 'Notable Dates' - Official 1993 version of WTBTS's history of predictions} |
1975 | "Following Adam's creation, and still within the sixth creative day, Jehovah appears to have been forming further animal and bird creations. Also, he had Adam name the animals, which would take some time, and he proceeded to create Eve. (Gen. 2:18-22; see also NW, 1953 Ed., footnote on vs. 19) Whatever time elapsed between Adam's creation and the end of the 'sixth day' must be subtracted from the 5,988 years in order to give the actual length of time from the beginning of the 'seventh day' until now." {ASII 286} [1963 + (6000 - less than 5988) = more than 1975, allowing an escape from the 1975 prediction. However, see below AID 333/538, also WT Aug 15 1968 499 - at most, an extra year] |
1975 | -6 "Adam at age 130 had a son, Seth .. Eve at age 130 had a son, Seth" {AID 333/538} [hence the difference in age between Adam and Eve is shown to be less than one year. So the postponement of the '1975 prediction' claimed in ASII 286 etc. can at most be more one year i.e. to 1976, as also claimed in WT Aug 15 1968 499. These previous statements are ignored in WT Jul 1976 436] |
1976 | "Although the time of Adam's creation can be determined, the beginning of God's 'rest day' cannot. This is so because there was a time lapse of unspecified length between Adam's creation and the creation of Eve. Not until after the creation of Eve did God's 'rest day' begin. The start of that day being unknown, its end is likewise unknown." {Watchtower Jan 1 1976 30} [how then were predictions made on this basis in 1966 and with such confidence from 1968 to 1971?] |
1976 | "Would not a failure to respond to direction from God through his organization really indicate a rejection of divine rulership?" {Watchtower Feb 15 1976 214} [excusing therefore the imprudent and indiscreet actions re 1975. But compare with "For the same reasons that Jesus did not organize congregations while present with his disciples in the Jewish harvest, we do not consider expedient or necessary organizations even simple and unsectarian as those established by the apostles." {WR Oct 1883 536}] |
1976 | "They do not claim infallibility or perfection. Neither are they inspired prophets." {Watchtower May 15 1976 297} [1975 prediction having just failed] |
1976 | "He has put his word, his message of the hour, into the mouth of the spiritual remnant for them to confess openly before all the world, for their own salvation, and for that of responsive hearers." {SPIR 176} [So Society is not responsible for those who missed the few caveats re 1975] |
1976 | "The very fact that, as part of Jehovah's secret, no one today is able to find out how much time Adam and later Eve lived during the closing days of the sixth creative period, so no one can now determine when six thousand years of Jehovah's present rest day come to an end. Obviously, whatever amount of Adam's 930 years was lived before the beginning of that seventh-day rest of Jehovah, that unknown amount would have to be added to the 1976 date." {Watchtower Feb 1 1955 95} |
1976 | "It is a serious matter to represent God and Christ in one way, then find that our understanding of the major teachings and fundamental doctrines of the Scriptures was in error, and then after that, to go back to the very doctrines that, by years of study, we had thoroughly determined to be in error. Christians cannot be vacillating - 'wishy washy' - about such fundamental teachings. What confidence can one put in the sincerity or judgment of such persons?" {Watchtower May 15 1976 298} |
1976 | "It may be that some who have been serving God have planned their lives according to a mistaken view of just what was to happen on a certain date or in a certain year. They may have, for this reason, put off or neglected things that they otherwise would have cared for. But they have missed the point of the Bible's warnings concerning the end of this system of things, thinking that Bible chronology reveals the specific date.. 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." {Watchtower Jul 15 1976 440-1} |
1976 | "Spirit of Life from God Entered into Them .. The announced purpose behind God's pouring out of his spirit upon all sorts of flesh was that the recipients thereof might prophesy. The facts substantiate that the remnant of Christ's anointed disciples have been doing that prophesying to all the nations for a witness in favor of God's kingdom. Logically, then, they must be the ones upon whom God's spirit has actually been poured out. That spirit is behind their worldwide preaching. Why argue about it?" {SPIR 148} |
1977 | ".. many a person might decline blood simply because it is essentially an organ transplant that at best is only partially compatible with his own blood." {JWQB 41} [A most amazing 'medical' analogy!] |
1978 | "Avoid bloodguilt from (1) eating blood [blood transfusions], (2) sharing in bloodguilty organizations" {Watchtower Jun 15 1978 25} |
1978 | "A WATCHTOWER enables a person to look far into the distance and announce to others what is seen. Likewise, this magazine, published by Jehovah's Witnesses, aids the reader to see what the future holds" {Watchtower masthead for many years} [Therefore, a prophet] |
1978 | "[The generation of 1914 includes those who] "were able to observe" [the events of 1914] {Watchtower Oct 1 1978} [The start of the change of the definition of the generation some of whom were promised by the Society to witness Armageddon before they died - see AWAK Oct 8 1968 13-4, where it had been those were able to witness "with understanding what took place" in 1914 who comprised the generation!] |
1979 | "In the second issue of the Watch Tower [published Aug 1879], we expressed our confidence that it 'has .. Jehovah for its backer.'" {Watchtower Jul 1 1979 4} ["we" shows that the same organization has been the publisher throughout, and that the early works of Russell are accepted,as {Watchtower Dec 1 1990 19} asserts] |
1979 | "Is there any cause for us to lose faith in Jehovah's visible organization because of mounting difficulties in this world [e.g. its false prophecy about 1975] ? Those who believe that Jehovah will never desert his faithful witnesses answer, 'Absolutely not!' In demonstration of such faith, we will keep on sticking to it and working with it without slacking the hand. Our unwavering faith will be rewarded with victory and the crown of life!" {Watchtower Mar 1 1979 18} |
1979 | [Of those living at the time of Armageddon, only Jehovah's Witnesses will be saved] {Watchtower Feb 15 1979 30} |
1979 | "Because of this hope, the 'faithful and discreet slave' has alerted all of God's people to the sign of the times indicating the nearness of God's Kingdom rule. In this regard, however, it must be observed that this 'faithful and discreet slave' was never inspired, never perfect. Those writings by certain members of the 'slave' class that came to form the Christian part of God's Word were inspired and infallible, but that is not true of other writings since. Things published were not perfect in the days of Charles Taze Russell, first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; nor were they perfect in the days of J.F. Rutherford, the succeeding president. The increasing light on God's Word as well as the facts of history have repeatedly required that adjustments of one kind or another be made down to the very present time. But let us never forget that the motives of this 'slave' were always pure, unselfish; at all times it has been well-meaning." {Watchtower Mar 1 1979 24} |
1979 | "Partly because of eagerness to be alive when Jesus Christ reveals himself in glory, there have been believers throughout the centuries who began looking for a particular period or a year for the windup of the ungodly system of things. this has happened right down to these 'last days.' Since certain expectations were not realized, many stumbled and returned to the ways of the world. In fulfillment of Peter's words, even today we hear the voice of ridiculers. (2 Peter 3:3, 4)" {CBWL 169} |
1979 | "PUT FAITH in a VICTORIOUS ORGANIZATION" {Watchtower Mar 1 1979 1} [were the victories all invisible, like the Parousia, Angelic communication, End of time of the Gentiles, Christ's rule, etc.? Also compare with "For the same reasons that Jesus did not organize congregations while present with his disciples in the Jewish harvest, we do not consider expedient or necessary organizations even simple and unsectarian as those established by the apostles." {WR Oct 1883 536}] |
1980 | "[citing an article in the U.S. News & World Report magazine suggesting that ten years of age could be the point at which events start creating] a lasting impression on a person's memory.. then there are today more than 13 million Americans who have a recollection of World War I." {Watchtower Oct 15 1980 31} [Down from 15 per AWAK Oct 8 1968 13-4 to 10 years; also changing the 1914 reference to one of World War I, which for Americans lasted from 1917-18. This yields another 5 + 4 = 9 years to the generation - apocalypse postponed, thanks to the Society. Except it was they who had promoted it in the first place] |
1980 | "The actual depopulation of the whole of Palestine did not occur until the year 135 A.D. (corresponding to our year 1980), .. It is possible that A.D. 1980 may have something of special interest for Fleshly Israel, but certainly not for us. It is 70 years beyond 1910, the date when Pastor Russell gave his great witness to the Jewish people in the New York Hippodrome." {TFIM 61-2} |
1981 | "From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah's people those who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude. They do not want to serve 'shoulder to shoulder' with the worldwide brotherhood. Rather, they present a 'stubborn shoulder' to Jehovah's words. (Zech. 7:11, 12) Reviling the pattern of the 'pure language' that Jehovah has so graciously taught his people over the past century, these haughty ones try to draw the 'sheep' away from the one international 'flock' that Jesus has gathered in the earth. (John 10:7-10, 16) They try to sow doubts and to separate unsuspecting ones from the bounteous 'table' of spiritual food spread at the Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses, where truly there is 'nothing lacking.' (Ps. 23:1-6) They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such 'Bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago." {Watchtower Aug 15 1981 28-9} [compare "just use the Bible" {WR 1913 5156}] |
1981 | "No question about it. We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the 'faithful and discreet slave' organization.. [which is the] only channel [of] God's truth" {Watchtower Feb 15 1981 19} [Also, see below] |
1981 | "Any person who wants to survive into God's righteous new order urgently needs to come into a right relationship with [Jehovah's] earthly organization now.. come to Jehovah's organization for salvation .." {Watchtower Nov 15 1981 16-7/21}[compare with "For the same reasons that Jesus did not organize congregations while present with his disciples in the Jewish harvest, we do not consider expedient or necessary organizations even simple and unsectarian as those established by the apostles." {WR Oct 1883 536}] |
1981 | "However, it may have seemed to some as though that path has not always gone straight forward. At times explanations given by Jehovah's visible organization have shown adjustments, seemingly to previous points of view. But this has not actually been the case. This might be compared to what is known in navigational circles as 'tacking.' By maneuvering the sails the sailors can cause a ship to go from right to left, back and forth, but all the time making progress toward their destination in spite of contrary winds.. No matter where we may live on earth, God's Word continues to serve as a light to our path and a lamp to our roadway as to our conduct and beliefs. (Ps. 119:105) But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his 'faithful and discreet slave,' made up of spirit anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do." {Watchtower Dec 1 1981 27} |
1981 | [The Gospel preached since 1918 (about the enthronement of Christ in 1914) is a "new Gospel", never before preached] {Watchtower May 1 1981 17} [A new Gospel is an Addition to the Bible!] |
1982 | "The Bible not only foretold these things, but indicated that they would occur on a worldwide scale. Also, the Bible said that all these things would happen upon the generation that was alive in 1914. Yet what were prominent world leaders foretelling just before 1914? They were saying that conditions promising world peace were never more favorable. Yet the terrible troubles the Bible foretold began right on time, in 1914! In fact, world leaders now say that 1914 was a turning point in history. After drawing attention to the many things that have marked the period from 1914 onward, Jesus said: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things [including the end of this system] occur.' (Matthew 24:34, 14) Which generation did Jesus mean? He meant the generation of people who were living in 1914. Those persons yet remaining of that generation are now very old. However, some of them will still be alive to see the end of this wicked system. So of this we can be certain: Shortly now there will be a sudden end to all wickedness and wicked people at Armageddon." {YCLF 154} |
1982 | "Be as Men Who Are Facing Har-Magedon Unafraid .. In behalf of such right-hearted individuals Jehovah has considerately raised up his 'prophet to the nations.' .. In behalf of such individuals who at heart seek God's rule instead of man's rule, the 'prophet' whom Jehovah has raised up has been, not an individual man as in the case of Jeremiah, but a class. The members of this class are, like the prophet-priest Jeremiah, wholly dedicated to Jehovah God through Christ and, by the begettal of Jehovah's holy spirit, they have been made part of 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession' .. At this late date, there is a mere remnant of this 'prophet' class yet on earth." {Watchtower Oct 1 1982 26-7} |
1982 | "God's people must treat his name as holy and make it known throughout the earth .. There is only one people that is really following Jesus' example in this regard. Their main purpose in life is to serve God and bear witness to his name, just as Jesus did. So they have taken the scriptural name 'Jehovah's Witnesses'." {YCLF 185} |
1982 | "Today, a remnant of this 'faithful slave' is still alive on earth. They occupy a position similar to that of Paul .. when that apostle said of the wonderful truths .. 'It is to us God has revealed them through his spirit.' .. 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." {Watchtower Jun 1 1982 17 etc.} |
1982 | "Today people talk a lot about living together in peace, and have even set up a 'United Nations' organization. Yet people and nations are divided as never before. What is needed? The hearts of people need to change. But it is simply impossible for the governments of the world to perform such a miracle. The Bible's message about God's love, however, is doing it." {YCLF 183} |
1982 | "At the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn, New York, there is a governing body of older Christian men from various parts of the earth who give the needed oversight to the worldwide activities of God's people. This governing body is made up of members of 'the faithful and discreet slave.' It serves as a spokesman for that faithful 'slave.' The men of that governing body, like the apostles and older men in Jerusalem, have many years of experience in God's service. But they do not rely on human wisdom in making decisions. No, being governed theocratically, they follow the example of the early governing body in Jerusalem, whose decisions were based on God's Word and were made under the direction of holy spirit." {YCLF 195} |
1982 | "[Jehovah's Witnesses live] in Satan's world, but still [are] no part of it." {YCLF 212} |
1982 | "Do not conclude that there are different roads, or ways, that you can follow to gain life in God's new system. There is only one. There was just one ark that survived the Flood, not a number of boats. And there will be only one organization - God's visible organization - that will survive the fast-approaching 'great tribulation.' It is simply not true that all religions lead to the same goal .. You must be part of Jehovah's organization, doing God's will, in order to receive his blessing of everlasting life." {YCLF 255} [but "[The time period from 1914 until Armageddon is the] 'great tribulation.'" {Watchtower Aug 15 1935 246-51}, so it began 68 years earlier, and cannot therefore be fast-approaching] |
1983 | "A third requirement is that we be associated with God's channel, his organization. God has always used an organization.. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." {Watchtower Feb 15 1983 12} [compare with "For the same reasons that Jesus did not organize congregations while present with his disciples in the Jewish harvest, we do not consider expedient or necessary organizations even simple and unsectarian as those established by the apostles." {WR Oct 1883 536}] |
1983 | "The Scriptures show that if we are part of any organization that is bloodguilty before God, we must sever our ties with it if we do not want to share in its sins. (Rev. 18;4, 24: Mic. 4:3)" {UWTG 155} |
1983 | "And just as in the first century there was only one true Christian organization, so today Jehovah is using only one organization. (Ephesians 4:4, 5; Matthew 24:45-47) Yet there are some who point out that the organization has had to make adjustments before, and so they argue: 'This shows that we have to make up our own mind on what to believe.' This is independent thinking. Why is it so dangerous? Such thinking is an evidence of pride. And the Bible says: 'Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.' (Proverbs 16:18) If we get to thinking that we know better than the organization, we should ask ourselves: 'Where did we learn Bible truth in the first place? Would we know the way of the truth if it had not been for guidance from the organization? Really, can we get along without the direction of God's organization?' No, we cannot!.. Fight against independent thinking." {Watchtower Jan 15 1983 27} [compare with "For the same reasons that Jesus did not organize congregations while present with his disciples in the Jewish harvest, we do not consider expedient or necessary organizations even simple and unsectarian as those established by the apostles." {WR Oct 1883 536}] |
1983 | "Even though Witness youths are interested in a good education, they do not pursue schooling with the intention of obtaining prestige or prominence. Their main goal in life is to serve effectively as ministers of God, and they appreciate schooling as an aid to that end. So they generally choose courses that are useful for supporting themselves in the modern world. Thus, many may take vocational courses or attend a vocational school. When they leave school they desire to obtain work that will allow them to concentrate on their principle vocation, the Christian ministry." {SCHO 5} |
1983 | "Avoid Independent Thinking .. How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization." {Watchtower Jan 15 1983 22} |
1983 | "Consider some of the other 'twisted things' used to mislead God's people today. On occasion opposers will question the various teachings that Jehovah's people hold in common. Often this becomes a debate about words, just as it was in the first century. (1 Timothy 6:3,4) They may also question the need for an organization to direct the minds of God's people. Their view is, God's spirit can direct individuals without some central, organized body of men giving direction. They will declare that all one needs to do is to read the Bible." {Watchtower Mar 1 1983 25} [A wicked idea indeed] |
1983 | "Although the overseers are imperfect men, there is no need for anyone in the congregation to hold back from being submissive since it is Jehovah's arrangement and he will hold the overseers responsible for their actions." {OAOM 39} [and if they commit child abuse?] |
1984 | "Some of that 'generation [of 1914]' could survive until the end of the century. But there are many indications that 'the end' is much closer than that!" {Watchtower Mar 1 1984 18-9} |
1984 | "These definitions embrace both those born around the time of a historic event and all those alive at that time. If Jesus used 'generation' in that sense and we apply it to 1914, then the babies of that generation are now 70 years old or older. And others alive in 1914 are in their 80's or 90's, a few even having reached a hundred. There are still many millions of that generation alive. Some of them 'will by no means pass away until all things occur." {Watchtower May 15 1984 5} |
1984 | "It is easy for the established churches of Christendom and other people to criticize Jehovah's Witnesses because their publications have, at times, stated that certain things could take place on certain dates. But is not such line of action in harmony with Christ's injunction to 'keep on the watch'? .. But is it not far preferable to make some mistakes because of overeagerness to see God's purposes accomplished.. ?" {Watchtower Dec 1 1984 17-8} |
1984 | "The Catholic Church occupies a very significant position in the world and claims to be the way of salvation for hundreds of millions of people. Any organization that assumes that position should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticism." {AWAK Aug 22 1984 28} |
1984 | "[God] has put his 'words', his message, into the mouths of his servants, for them to proclaim earthwide." {SURV 109} |
1984 | "So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not be transferring from house to house." {NWT Luke 10:7} [But this Scripture verse speaking against house-to-house work, is not quoted in the index of the 1984 NWT] |
1984 | "Even the Watchtower Society's publications have been the subject of rumours - for example, that one of the artists had secretly been introducing pictures of demons into the illustrations, was subsequently found out and disfellowshipped.. Certainly, the rumour concerning the Society's publications was harmful, as well as slanderous. [But was it true?]" {Watchtower Sep 1 1984 20} |
1985 | "It means reading the footnotes in Watchtower articles, some of which refer the reader to an older publication that provides a fuller explanation of a certain passage or prophecy. It requires digging deeper, putting forth effort to locate that older publication and then studying the pages referred to." {Watchtower Jun 15 1985 12} [it is even more fruitful to study pages from older publications that were not referred to] |
1985 | "According to the Bible, when we deliberately put someone's life unnecessarily in danger, we could become bloodguilty. (Compare 1 Chronicles 11:17-19.)" {AWAK Jun 22 1985} [check the numerous GA excerpts for examples of the Society's bloodguilt through medical quackery] |
1985 | "Christ as King did not immediately proceed to destroy all who refused to acknowledge Jehovah's sovereignty and himself as Messiah. Instead, as he had foretold, a global preaching work was to be done .. As King he would direct a dividing of peoples of all nations, those proving to be righteous being granted the prospect of everlasting life, and the wicked being consigned to everlasting cutting off in death .. In the meantime, the very difficult conditions foretold for 'the last days' would prevail .. Before the last members of the generation that was alive in 1914 will have passed off the scene, all the things foretold will occur, including the 'great tribulation' in which the present wicked world will end." {RFTS 97} [but "[The time period from 1914 until Armageddon is the] 'great tribulation.'" {Watchtower Aug 15 1935 246-51}, so it began 68 years earlier, and cannot therefore be a future event in 1985] |
1985 | "[Our] beliefs and practices are not new but are a restoration of first-century Christianity .. Jesus was [only] a perfect man .. not God in flesh" {RFTS 203/306} |
1986 | ".. how can you identify the true Christian congregation? By examining the Scriptures about the first-century Christian congregation and then by seeing who today follow the same pattern." {UDGW 5-7, 12-3, 26} |
1986 | "You must search out and find the true, unhypocritical worship that will bring you God's peace and protection .. Does any such worship exist today? Millions have found it among Jehovah's Witnesses." {TPAS 33} |
1986 | "Shocking as it is, even some who have been prominent in Jehovah's organization have succumbed to immoral practices, including homosexuality, wife swapping, and child molesting. It is to be noted, also, that during the past year, 36,638 individuals had to be disfellowshipped from the Christian congregation, the greater number of them for practicing immorality." {Watchtower Jan 1 1986 13} |
1986 | "Now, what will you do if you are confronted with apostate teaching [picture of Witness throwing such literature into the garbage can as soon as received] - subtle reasonings - claiming that what you believe as one of Jehovah's Witnesses is not the truth? For example, what will you do if you receive a letter or some literature, open it and see right away that it is from an apostate? Will curiosity cause you to read it, just to see what he has to say? You may even reason: 'It won't affect me; I'm too strong in the truth. And, besides, if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test.' In thinking this way, some have fed their minds upon apostate reasoning and have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt.. Therefore, resolve in your heart that you will never even touch the poison that apostates want you to sip." {Watchtower Mar 15 1986 12/20} |
1986 | "Why have Jehovah's Witnesses disfellowshiped for apostasy some who still profess belief in God, the Bible and Jesus Christ? Approved association with Jehovah's Witnesses requires accepting the entire range of the true teachings of the Bible, including those Scriptural beliefs that are unique to Jehovah's Witnesses. What do such beliefs include? .. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses are the sole interpreters of the Bible.. That 1914 marked the end of the Gentile Times and the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the heavens, as well as the time for Christ's foretold presence.. Only 144,000 will go to heaven.. Armageddon is near, followed by the Paradise earth, where the rest of the Witnesses will live." {Watchtower Apr 1 1986 30-1} [So failure to believe in C.T.Russell's writings would still in 1986 be grounds for disfellowshipping for apostasy. And compare with "We would not refuse to treat one as a brother because he did not believe the Society is the Lord's channel.. If others see it in a different way, that is their privilege. There should be full liberty of conscience." {Watchtower Apr 1 1920 100-1}] |
1986 | "Prophetic information in the Bible about our day detail the following: .. The survival of at least some of the generation that saw the beginning of 'the conclusion of the system of things.'" {TPAS 70} |
1986 | [1986 was declared by United Nations to be 'International Year of Peace' which caused much expectations with Witnesses about the expected declaration of "peace and security", a sign of the imminent end based on a special interpretation of 1Th 5:3] {Watchtower Oct 1 1985} |
1986 | "Would That All Were Prophets! .. You will be interested to learn that God has on earth a people, all of whom are prophets, or witnesses for God. In fact, they are known throughout the world as Jehovah's Witnesses" {Watchtower Jun 8 1986 9} |
1987 | ".. right from the beginning of the Christian congregation, Christ had the holy spirit, angels, and a visible governing body at his disposal to enable him actively to lead his disciples on earth.. the Jerusalem elders became a part of the governing body of the early Christian congregation, along with the 12 apostles." {Watchtower Aug 1 1987 12-3} [no Scriptural reference, though, for "God via Governing Body"] |
1987 | "Be careful that they don't get the impression that they are in a demonstration at the circuit assembly, when they would show that the first things in life are service and going to the Kingdom Hall. Show hobbies, crafts, social activity, sports, and especially plans for the future. Be careful they don't all say that they are going to be pioneers. Plans can be trade, getting married and having children, journalism, and all kinds of other things. Maybe you can show an interest in art and the theatre. They must be clean, moral, honest, but with the interests that you would expect from other young people." {CUST 42} [this from a long book advising on how to win child custody cases in the courts, which somehow does not contain a title page or copyright notice or anything showing it originated from the Society. Compare the advice with the assertion that Filed service and Kingdom Hall activities should be "the most important thing in their lives" {Watchtower Apr 1 1979 14}] |
1988 | Presumptuousness .. To Be Carefully Guarded Against.. The danger is great, therefore, and something to be closely guarded against. A presumptuous act is a much more serious sin than a mistake. Whether one is in a high position or a low one, the taking of liberties is a detestable thing in God's sight.. Presumptuousness leads to disastrous results; modesty will save a person. The wise man says: 'Has presumptuousness come? Then dishonor will come; but wisdom is with the modest ones.' (Pr 11:2). Disrespect for God's Sovereignty .. When a person acts presumptuously toward God he is showing disrespect for Jehovah's sovereignty and Godship. Those claiming to be his servants and misrepresenting him are most reprehensible. Of the false prophets, Jehovah said: 'The prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak .. that prophet must die.. When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it.'" De 18:20-22.. Matthew 7:15-16: Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep's covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves.. By their fruits YOU will recognize them." Zechariah 13:3: And it must occur [that] in case a man should prophesy anymore, his father and his mother, the ones who caused his birth, must also say to him, 'You will not live, because falsehood is what you have spoken in the name of Jehovah.' And his father and his mother, the ones who caused his birth, must pierce him through because of his prophesying.' {INS2 680-1} |
1988 | "The three essentials for establishing the credentials of a true prophet, as given through Moses, were: The true prophet would speak in Jehovah's name; the things foretold would come to pass (De 18:20-22); and his prophesying must promote true worship" {INS2 696} |
1988 | ".. this does not mean that a person is under obligation to divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to it. ... Evidently the course of Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, and Elisha in misdirecting or in withholding full facts from non-worshipers of Jehovah must be viewed in the same light. -Ge 12:10-19; chap 20 [Abraham lying to Pharoah and Abimelech]; 26:1-10 [Isaac lying to Abimelech]; Jos 2:1-6; Jas 2:25 [Rahab lying to king of Jericho]" {INS2 245} [Lying is O.K. - also see 1956-7, 1960, 1993] |
1988 | "Pride .. Pride Is Deceptive and Destructive. The proud person may not recognize that he is proud and may attribute his actions to other causes in order to avoid facing the fact of his pride. Each person should examine himself and his motives thoroughly to determine whether he has this bad trait. The apostle Paul shows the need for the right motive, and the knowledge a person should have of himself in this respect, when he says: 'If I give all my belongings to feed others, and if I hand over my body, that I may boast [kau•khe'so•mai], but do not have love, I am not profited at all.' -1Co 13:3." {INS2 682} |
1988 | "You will find valuable information in the older publications." {KMIN Jan 1988 7} [a fair selection of which appears above] |
1988 | "Some young couples have decided to remain childless. Although the wives had maternal instincts just as strong as those in other women, they decided, in agreement with their husbands, to refrain from having children in order to devote themselves to serving Jehovah full-time. Many of them have served as pioneers or missionaries.. Many married couples throughout the world who have relinquished the joys of parenthood have been able to serve Jehovah in the circuit work, the district work, or at Bethel. [Remaining childless is a condition of continuing in these responsible positions] These likewise look back with satisfaction over their lives spent in serving Jehovah and their brothers in these special privileges. They have no regrets. While they have not had the joy of bringing children into the world, they have played a vital part in furthering Kingdom interests in their various fields of activity.. So the matter of childbearing in this time of the end is a personal one that each couple must decide for itself. However, since 'the time left is reduced,' married couples would do well to weigh carefully and prayerfully the pros and cons of child bearing in these times." {Watchtower Mar 1 1988 25-6} |
1988 | "And in response one of the elders said to me: 'These who are dressed in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?' So right away I said to him 'My lord, you are the one that knows.' (Revelation 7:13, 14a) Yes, that elder could locate the answer and give it to John. This suggests that resurrected ones of the 24-elders group may be involved in the communicating of divine truths today." {REVE 125} [This is belief in the spirit medium. Note who creates such ideas: "Now Satan knows that his time is very short until the great fight at Armageddon takes place, and he hastens to drive all men into spiritism or devilism and therefore against God; and for that reason at the present time there is a great turning to spiritism and spirit mediums throughout the land." {RICH 101}. The Society has thus proven - by its own logic - that Satan drives it] |
1989 | "Before the 1914 generation completely dies out, God's judgment must be executed." {Watchtower May 1 1985 4} |
1989 | "Most of the generation of 1914 has passed away. However, there are still millions on earth who were born in that year or prior to it.. Jesus' words will come true, 'this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.. J. A. Bengel states in his New Testament Word Studies: 'The Hebrews . . . reckon seventy-five years as one generation, and the words, shall not pass away, intimate that the greater part of that generation [of Jesus' day] indeed, but not the whole of it, should have passed away before all should be fulfilled.'" {Watchtower Apr 8 1988 14 [1914 + 75 = 1989 even if babies born in 1914 were included!] |
1989 | "In the early part of our 20th century prior to 1919, the Bible Students, as Jehovah's Witnesses were then known, had to be released from a form of spiritual captivity to the ideas and practices of false religion. Although having rejected such false teachings as the Trinity and immortal soul, they were still tainted by Babylonish practices. Many had developed a self-righteous attitude in character development. Some were exalting creatures, indulging in a personality cult that focused on Charles T. Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Without any Biblical basis, they were observing birthdays and Christmas. the cross was still prominent in their thinking. Some even wore a cross-and-crown lapel emblem, while others sought the respectability accorded Christendom." {Watchtower May 1 1989 3} |
1989 | "Back in 1904, the book The New Creation called attention to this new organization that came into existence in the first century C.E. (Studies In The Scriptures, Series VI, Study V, entitled 'The Organization of the New Creation') Owing to its view of what the end of the Gentile Times would mean, that book did not envision the remarkable organizational work that was due to take place after the crippling effects of the first world war of human history." {Watchtower Sep 1 1989 12-3} |
1989 | "They have a modern Governing Body of older Christian men from various parts of the earth who give needed oversight to the worldwide activities of God's people. these men, like the apostles and older men in Jerusalem in the first century, are anointed members of the faithful and discreet slave class designated by Jesus to care for all of his Kingdom interests here upon earth. History has proved that they can be trusted to follow the direction of the holy spirit and that they do not rely on human wisdom in teaching the flock of God the ways of genuine peace." {Watchtower Dec 15 1989 6} |
1990 | "Adult Christians too can be disappointed, and this has in some cases led to spiritual disaster. Some set their hope on a date when they were sure Armageddon would come. When nothing happened on that day, they felt let down." {Watchtower Apr 15 1990 27} |
1990 | "identifying themselves with Jehovah's organization is essential to their salvation." {KMIN Nov 1990 1} |
1990 | "We cannot take part in any modern version of idolatry - be it worshipful gestures toward an image or symbol or the imputing of salvation to a person or an organization." {Watchtower Nov 1 1990 26} [The name of one of the centres for Jeroboam to worship golden calves was "Bethel" (1 Kings 12:28-33)] |
1990 | ".. there are common threads going through the confused tapestry of the world's religions. Many religions have their roots in mythology. Nearly all are tied together by some form of belief in a supposed immortal human soul that survives death and goes to a hereafter or transmigrates to another creature. Many have the common denominator of belief in a dreadful place of torment and torture called hell. Others are connected by ancient pagan beliefs in triads, trinities, and mother goddesses. Therefore, it is only appropriate that they should all be grouped together under the one composite symbol of the harlot 'Babylon the Great.'" {MSFG 369-70} |
1990 | "For over a century, delightful, correct words of truth covering every aspect of life have been presented in the Watch Tower Society's publications .." {Watchtower Dec 15 1990 26} [i.e. since 1890, when C.T.Russell was in the middle of publishing the Studies in Scriptures etc. - check them out above] |
1990 | ".. show love for our brothers who take the lead in the congregation or in connection with Jehovah's visible organization worldwide. This includes being loyal to 'the faithful and discreet slave.' [of Brooklyn] (Matthew 24:45-47) Let us face the fact that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would never have learned the truth on our own." {Watchtower Dec 1 1990 19} |
1991 | "But we are as strong for it as we ever were, and we are appreciating it all the more the longer we have to wait for it. It is something worth waiting for, even if it required a million years." {Watchtower Dec 15 1991 11} [so 1799, 1874-8, 1910, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1925, 1929, 193x, 194x, 1975-6, pre-2000 is now postponed to 1,001,991 A.D.?] |
1991 | "The present-day fulfillments of these and other prophecies prove that we are indeed living in "the last days." {Watchtower Jul 15 1991 5} [these last days do.. last!] |
1991 | "There is no allowance in this language for lying, deceit, or a tricky tongue. Those who speak this language must always speak truth." {Watchtower Apr 1 1991 24} |
1991 | "If we are Jehovah's Witnesses, we should remember that our life and the lives of others depend upon our obedience. (1 Timothy 4:15, 16) Each Witness needs to keep pace with Jehovah's organization." {Watchtower Mar 15 1991 15} |
1991 | "After many years of service to Jehovah, one brother said 'If one thing has been most important to me, it has been the matter of keeping close to Jehovah's visible organization. My early experience taught me how unsound it is to rely on human reasoning. Once my mind had been resolved on that point, I determined to stay by the faithful organization. How else can one get Jehovah's favor and blessing?' Do you similarly cherish your privilege of serving Jehovah with his joyful people? (Psalm 100:2) If so, you will let nothing draw you away from God's organization or destroy your relationship with the One whose arm saves all who love him." {Watchtower Oct 1 1991 10} |
1991 | "A God-fearing man named Charles Taze Russell separated himself from mainstream theology and began publishing this very journal - The Watch Tower." {Watchtower Feb 15 1991 7} [the Society believes its followers are ignorant of all those past misfortunes?] |
1991 | "['Awake' is] for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today's problems, It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away." {AWAK Feb 22 1991 4} |
1991 | "In case of a natural disaster, arrange to provide comfort spiritually and to assist the brothers physically and materially. (w73 3/1 pp. 134-5; w73 2/1 pp. 95-6)" {PAYF} [and who looks after those not in the Society?] |
1991 | "Marrying an unbeliever is contrary to Bible principles. (Deut. 7:3,4; 1 Cor. 7:39; 2 Cor. 6:14,15). If a dedicated, baptized Christian marries an unbeliever, this would result in disqualification from all special privileges for the time being. (1 Tim. 3:2,4,5,12,13; w82 3/15 p. 31)" {PAYF} |
1992 | "The Year That Shocked The World .. Today, a small percentage of mankind can still recall the dramatic events of 1914. Will that elderly generation pass away before God saves the earth from ruin? Not according to Bible prophecy. 'When you see all these things,' Jesus PROMISED, 'know that he is near at the doors. Truly I say to you that THIS generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' - Matthew 24:33, 34." {Watchtower May 1 1992 3} |
1992 | "'Hailing God's New World of Freedom' .. the global work of witnessing about God's Kingdom is strong evidence that we are near the end of this wicked system and that true freedom is at hand. The ones calling on people with the hope-filled message of God's new world are described at Acts 15:14 as 'a people for [God's] name.' Who bear Jehovah's name and give the global witness about Jehovah and his Kingdom? The historical record of the 20th century answers: only Jehovah's Witnesses. Today they number more than four million in more than 66,000 congregations all over the world." {Watchtower Apr 1 1992 12} |
1992 | "In the present system of things under Satan's control, there are many things that may seem to promise fine benefits but can actually be damaging to our relationship with God. Such things as climbing the corporate ladder, pursuing higher education to advance one's position, courting unbelievers, or engaging in questionable business schemes can easily lead to a loss of faith and an eventual fall from Jehovah's favor. We must carefully count the cost when confronted with such temptations. A few years ago, a young Christian man in a large city in the Far East had the opportunity to go abroad to further his study. Though he already had a good secular education and a well-paying job, he felt that this was not enough; he wanted to better his lot in life. Fellow Christians tried to reason with him in line with the Scriptural points we have just considered, but he was adamant and went ahead with the plan. Though he tried to hold on to his faith at first, gradually he lost his appreciation for Bible truth, and doubt began to set in. In just a year or so, he lost his faith completely and claimed to be an agnostic." {Watchtower Aug 15 1992 28-9} |
1992 | "This magazine has placed emphasis on the dangers of higher learning, and justifiably so, for much higher education opposes the 'healthful teaching' of the Bible." {Watchtower Nov 1 1992 16-20} |
1992 | "Christians should regard education as a means to an end. In these last days, their purpose is to serve Jehovah as much and as effectively as possible. If, in the country where they live, minimal or even high school education will only allow them to find jobs providing insufficient income to support themselves as pioneers, then supplementary education or training might be considered. This would be with the specific goal of full-time service." {Watchtower Nov 1 1992 18} [compare with "In view of the short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things is not only unwise but extremely dangerous .. Many young brothers and sisters were offered scholarship or employment that promised fine pay. However, they turned them down and put spiritual interests first." {KMIN Jun 1969 3} and also "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." {KMIN May 1974 3}. What a volte face!] |
1993 | "Jehovah's Witnesses, in their eagerness for Jesus' second coming, have suggested dates that turned out to be incorrect.. Never did they say, 'These are the words of Jehovah.'" {AWAK Mar 22 1993 4} |
1993 | "What about Rahab's misleading words [lies, actually] to pursuers of the spies? God approved of her course. (Compare Romans 14:4) She took a risk in order to protect his servants, giving evidence of her faith.. a person is not obligated to divulge truthful information .. Even Jesus Christ did not give full details or direct answers when doing so could have brought unnecessary harm. (Matthew 7:6; 15:1-6; 21:23-27; John 7:3-10) Evidently, Rahab's course of misdirecting the enemy officers must be view in that light." {Watchtower Dec 15 1993 25} [In line with teachings from 1956-7, 1960 and 1988 - on this subject, the Society is steadfast. Lying can be Good] |
1993 | "connecting a computer to an electronic bulletin board [the more modern equivalent being the Internet] can open the way to serious spiritual dangers. Just as an unscrupulous individual can place on a bulletin board a virus - a program designed to corrupt and destroy computer files - apostates, clergymen, and persons seeking to corrupt others morally or otherwise can freely place their poisonous ideas on bulletin boards. Unless a bulletin board, even one labeled 'JW Only,' is properly supervised, with its use being limited to those who are mature, faithful servants of Jehovah, it could expose Christian users to 'bad associations.' (1 Cor. 15:33) The Society has received reports that such so-called private networks have been used not only to speculate regarding spiritual matters but also to give bad advice, spread gossip and false information, plant negative ideas, raise questions and doubts that subvert the faith of some, and disseminate private interpretations of Scripture. On the surface, some information may appear to be Interesting and informative, and yet it may be laced with poisonous elements. Christians look to 'the faithful and discreet slave' for timely spiritual food and for clarifications." {Watchtower Aug 1 1993 17} [How much more powerful Satan must be, to be such a great danger!] |
1994 | "It is not reasonable to expect that present favorable conditions for preaching the good news will continue indefinitely. [Not with the arrival of the Internet - see above!] 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." {Watchtower Dec 1 1968 715} [1914 + 80 = 1994] |
1994 | "Eager to see the end of this evil system, Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time when the 'great tribulation' would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. However, we bring a heart of wisdom in, not by speculating about how many years or days makeup a generation, but by thinking about how we 'count our days' in bringing joyful praise to Jehovah.. Therefore, in the final fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy today, 'this generation' apparently refers to the peoples of earth who see the sign of Christ's presence but fail to mend their ways .. Does our more precise viewpoint on 'this generation' mean that Armageddon is further away than we had thought? Not at all! Though we at no time have known the 'day and hour,' Jehovah God has always known it, and he does not change." {Watchtower Nov 1 1995 18-20} [Generation of 1914 + 80 (upper end of predictions for length of a generation per WT Dec 1 1968 715) = 1994] |
1994 | "Webster's unabridged dictionary gives, in part, this definition of generation: 'The average lifetime of man, or the ordinary period of time at which one rank follows another, or father is succeeded by child; an age. A generation is usually taken to be about 33 years.' But the Bible is not so specific. It gives no number of years for a generation. And in Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32, the texts mentioning the generation the question refers to, we are not to take generation as meaning the average time for one generation to be succeeded by the next, as Webster's does in its 33-year approximation; but rather more like Webster's first-quoted definition, 'the average lifetime of man.' Three or even four generations may be living at the same time, their lives overlapping. (Ps. 78:4; 145:4) Before the Noachian flood the life span was hundreds of years. Down through the centuries since, it has varied, and even now is different in different countries. The Bible does speak of a man's days as being threescore and ten or fourscore years; but it assigns no specific number of years to a generation. - Ps. 90:10.. To try to say how many years before its end would be speculative. The texts merely set a limit that is sufficiently definite for all present practical purposes. Some persons living A.D. 1914 when the series of foretold events began will also be living when the series ends with Armageddon. All the events will come within the span of a generation. There are hundreds of millions of persons living now that were living in 1914, and many millions of these persons could yet live a score or more years. Just when the lives of the majority of them will be cut short by Armageddon we cannot say." {Watchtower Sep 1 1952 542-3} [1914 + at least fourscore >= 1994] |
1994 | "From a purely human viewpoint, it could appear that these developments could hardly take place before the generation of 1914 disappears from the scene. But fulfillment of all the foretold events affecting the generation of 1914 does not depend on comparatively slow human action. Jehovah's prophetic word through Christ Jesus is: 'This generation (of 1914) will by no means pass away until all things occur.' (Luke 21:32) And Jehovah, who is the source of inspired and unfailing prophecy, will bring about the fulfillment of his Son's words in a relatively short time." {Watchtower May 15 1984 6} |
1994 | "Bible prophecies indicate that Satan's world has been in its last days for nearly 80 years now, since the pivotal year 1914. This world is nearing its end." {Watchtower Mar 15 1994 20} [30,000 last days?] |
1994 | "Other Bible prophecies confirm that this would occur during the last days of the wicked system. That is where we are, in the conclusion of the system of things." {Watchtower Apr 15 1994 11} |
1995 | "By now, in this latter part of 'the last days,' the great majority of the 144,000 have died and received their heavenly reward." {Watchtower Jul 1 1995 15} |
1995 | "Many divinely inspired Bible prophecies are being fulfilled today - a number of them on the Christian congregation." {Watchtower Sep 1 1995 17} [see AWAK Nov 8 1995 below] |
1995 | "Why Awake is Published .. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away." {AWAK for seven and a half years up to Oct 22 1995} |
1995 | "Why Awake is Published .. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things." {AWAK from Nov 8 1995} [reference to '1914 generation' deleted] |
1995 | "Rather than providing a rule for measuring time, the term 'generation' as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics." {Watchtower Nov 1 1995 17} [cutting the link to the promise that the generation of 1914 will see Armageddon, and preparing the reader for the change to the declaration in AWAK] |
1997 | "Modesty on the part of the faithful and discreet slave class, commissioned to provide the Christian household with food at the proper time, prevents it from presumptuously running ahead and wildly speculating about things that are still unclear. The slave class strives to avoid being dogmatic. It is not too proud to admit that as of now it cannot answer every question, keeping Proverbs 14:18 clearly in mind. But how thrilling to know that Jehovah, in his own due time and in his own way, will continue to reveal his secrets as to his purposes! Never should we become impatient with Jehovah's arrangement, indiscreetly trying to rush ahead of the Revealer of secrets. How reassuring it is to know that the channel Jehovah is using today does not do so! It is both faithful and discreet." {Watchtower June 1 1997 14} |
1997 | "As regards the alleged involvement of children, the [WatchTower Bible and tract Society] submits that children cannot become members of the association but only participate, together with their parents, in the religious activities of the community. In respect of the refusal of blood transfusion, the applicant association submits that there are no religious sanctions for a Jehovah's Witness who chooses to accept blood transfusion and that, therefore, the fact that the religious doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses is against blood transfusion cannot amount to a threat to public health." {Sworn testimony submitted by the Society in evidence before the European Human Rights Commission Jul 3 1997} [An astounding pair of.. 'declarations'] |
1999 | "Since sterilization procedures are now said to be reversible on request, might a Christian view them as [an acceptable] birth-control option? .. Christians [should] shape their thinking and deeds by God's esteem for reproductive potential. (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; 2:2, 5-8) This would reflect mature sensitivity to Scriptural indications. Yet, what if it became publicly known that a Christian blithely disregarded God's evaluations? Would not others doubt whether he (or, she) was a good example, having a reputation of making decisions in harmony with the Bible? Such a disturbing blemish on one's reputation could, of course, affect a minister's being qualified for special privileges of service.." {Watchtower Jun 15 1999 27-8} [So no change since WT 1975 158-60. A vasectomy without serious medical cause in 1999 is a disturbing blemish on one's reputation in the eyes of the Society, carrying with it sanctions] |
1999 | "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." {Watchtower Jan 1 1989 12} [bound volume changed "20th century" to "day"] |
1999 | ".. there are many indications that 'the end' is much closer than that [the turn of the century]" {Watchtower Mar 1 1984 18-9} |
1999 | "Shortly, within our twentieth century, the 'battle in the day of Jehovah' will begin against the modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom." {TNSK 216} |
2000 | "For the year 2000, I visualize a world transformed into a beautiful paradise! But I don't think that either the present world or its rulers will live to see that day.. We are living in the last days of the system of things." {AWAK Nov 8 1986 78} |
2000 | -1 "If the wicked system of this world survived until the turn of the century [the year 2001 ?], which is highly improbable in view of world trends and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, there would still be survivors of the World War I generation. However, the fact that their number is dwindling is one more indication that 'the conclusion of the system of things' is moving fast toward its end." {Watchtower Oct 15 1980 31} |
this list of failed watchtower predictions came out when i was still a believer.
"prominent bethelite" had a caustic personality as we still believing jw's tried to engage him.
but his research was/is impeccable.. each quote from the watchtower publications is followed by the specific source in brackets.
With the current thead by jwfacts about 1914, I wanted to resurrect the link to Prominent Bethelite's infamous "List" of Watchtower dates.
tms
My apologies. The link at he top no longer works. Here is a new link: http://www.freeminds.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=198:comprehensive- list -of-false-dates-set-by- the -watch-tower&catid=4:prophecy-end-times&Itemid=708
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noonhome,
You seem similar to a sensitive, articulate JWs I have known. What would complicate your life is to marry within the cult, adding unnecessary pain and heartbreak to your life if you eventually need to break totally free from your inherited belief system.
Your mother and some of your close friends in the religion seem to be way above the curve in terms of humanity and tolerance. Unfortunately, there are some real assholes among Jehovah's Witnesses, especially in the leadership, local, travelling and corporate. A few more of those sprinkled in your life, might have made your eventual decision easier.
tms
BTW, my son wore out my George Harrison 3 record set, playing it on his bedroom record player when he was in high school. He is now 41 and just now getting his post-JW life together.
