The day is Sunday 28 June, 1914. A car takes a wrong turn down a street in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
As the driver backs up, a bystander approaches. He pulls out a pistol, and shoots the couple sitting on the passenger seat. Both die within minutes. The assassin’s name was Gavrillo Princip, and his victims were Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.
This single incident set off a chain of events that would ultimately lead to two world wars and a long and bitter cold war. Millions would die from the anarchy and chaos that would ensue once the powder keg of Europe had been ignited by this simple spark.
But apart from the far-reaching ramifications on world history and politics, the events on that fateful day would also breathe life into a hitherto innocuous Bible group in America – blowing a gust of wind into its otherwise lifeless sails that would propel it well into the next century.
I refer, of course, to the Bible Students under Charles Taze Russell, who were to later morph into what we know today as Jehovah’s Witnesses. If the start of World War I had not coincided with 1914, then quite possibly that religion (and this website) would not exist.
It was the fact that something of significance happened in that year that enabled Russell and his associates to claim that their predictions had not been a complete failure. 1914 would thus become an anchor point in Witness teachings around which an entire religion could be built for decades to follow.
We now sit on the cusp of 2014. As 1914 slips deeper into the fog of history, you would expect the Watch Tower Society to begin quietly distancing itself from that year. But quite the opposite is happening. The Governing Body recently unveiled a revision to its New World Translation which enshrined 1914 as a year of significance in its appendix. And more recently still, a new Watchtower study magazine has been released that mentions 1914 no less than 18 times (excluding the questions).
To download the magazine, please click here.
When reading this latest magazine the impression is given that a person would need to be stupid not to reach the same conclusions as Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding the year 1914.
“Because we regularly study God’s Word, we can see that prophecy is being fulfilled right now. What a contrast with people in general! They are so involved in their lives and pursuits that they overlook the clear evidence that Christ has been ruling since 1914 and will soon bring God’s judgment.” – w14 1/15 p.28
“As one writer states: ‘The world of 1914 was full of hope and promise.’ With the outbreak of World War I later that year, however, Bible prophecy came true. The subsequent famines, earthquakes, and pestilences as well as the fulfillment of other Bible prophecies proved conclusively that Jesus Christ had begun to rule in heaven as King of God’s Kingdom in 1914.” – w14 1/15 p.13
This sneering and bullish refusal to let go of the 1914 teaching permeates the entire magazine. Great pride is taken in the fact that “the Bible Students spent decades pointing out that the year 1914 would be significant.” (page 12)
Significant in what respect? Precisely WHAT did Russell and his associates expect to happen in that year? To find out, let us consult some words penned by Russell in his second volume of Studies In The Scriptures, published in 1906…
As can be clearly seen from the above, Russell expected 1914 to mark, not the beginning, but the END of Armageddon. He further claimed that Christ had already started ruling invisibly in 1878.
Were these claims put forward as innocent suggestions on a “take it or leave it” basis? No. Russell considered the imminence of Armageddon back then as “plainly visible” from the Bible’s standpoint. And yet notice how the latest Watchtower describes pre-1914 expectations…
“They were not completely sure about what would happen. Still, they knew that 1914 would mark a turning point regarding divine rulership.” – w14 1/15 p.28
It is impossible to read those words and identify them with the certainty with which Russell propounded his specific expectations for 1914. Consider two more of his quotes from pre-1914, and notice the conviction with which these statements are made…
“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.” – Watchtower reprints, January 15, 1892, p.1355
“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 reprints, July 15, 1894, p. 1677
For more similar quotes, please click here.
By claiming that Russell and his associates were not “completely sure” about what would happen in 1914, Watchtower is re-writing its own history. And not for the first time either. The publications show that Russell WAS totally convinced of what would happen in 1914 – he just turned out to be wrong. And he died in 1916 before he could see just how wrong he was.
Sticking to the plan
But where does all this leave the Governing Body of 2013?
Well, as the 100-year anniversary of October 4/5 1914 (Tishri 15) looms ever closer, they are presented with two options. They can either begin distancing themselves from 1914 and start to hint at “new light” as to when Christ’s heavenly rule began, OR they can stick rigidly with a year that has all but vanished into the distant past. The fact that the Governing Body has adopted the latter course indicates to me that they are either bereft of imagination, or heavily deluded by their own Witness upbringing – or perhaps both.
But I struggle to find sympathy for the Governing Body’s situation. When presented with clear evidence that previous understandings have failed they SHOULD be humbly apologizing – not just for their error but for ruthlessly punishing any who disagree with their narrow interpretation of scripture. Instead they not only re-write their own history – they also chain themselves emphatically to a chronology that is already obsolete.
If the 1914 teaching were a beloved pet dog that died a long time ago, the Governing Body is a slightly deranged owner that takes it to the taxidermist, has it stuffed in a lifelike position, and places it prominently in his home – pretending it is still alive. That is how I would illustrate their preoccupation with this year. Any Witnesses who consider themselves loyal must demonstrate the same irrational devotion.
As an example, read the article “100 Years of Kingdom Rule – How Does It Affect You?” which attempts to invoke pride among Witnesses in the 1914 teaching. Consider the following timeline, which appears on pages 13 and 14…
The above timeline is clearly designed to impress Witnesses with the organization’s accomplishments since 1914 – and doubtless many will be won over. But when it is scrutinized objectively, things begin to unravel. For example, IF this is truly God’s organization and Christ has been guiding the organization as its head since 1919…
- Why did it take 8 years for house-to-house work on Sundays to be organized?
- Why did it take 19 years for ministerial servants to begin being appointed theocratically?
- Why did it take 53 years for congregation oversight to be assigned to a body of elders?
- And so on…
There is simply no justification, biblical or otherwise, as to why it would take Christ so very long to implement such rudimentary procedures. For example, it did not take years for Christ to organization his disciples to undertake a preaching tour of Israel, as we see in Matthew 10. But for some reason getting his chosen organization to start preaching on Sundays took Jesus 8 years!
I was also bemused by the part of the timeline that heralds 1976 as the year “the Governing Body is organized into six committees.” Why so?
As this website has already explained, the Governing Body only truly came into existence in the form we recognize it in 1971. It was in this year that it was decided that the spiritual leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses should be distinct and separate from the board of directors of the Watch Tower Society.
Fast forward five years, and 1976 didn’t just see the formation of the six Governing Body committees – it saw the powers of the President significantly reduced (much to Knorr’s protest, if you read Crisis of Conscience) so that the Governing Body could finally assume the power and prominence it enjoys today.
The timeline in this latest Watchtower is intended to gloss over all of this, and leave Witnesses with the impression that there has ALWAYS been a Governing Body directing them. But this simply isn’t true. Neither Charles Taze Russell nor Joseph Rutherford ever sat on any “governing body” where their personal views or wishes could be superseded by the views of the majority. That is simply not what we see through any objective analysis of Watchtower history.
I would rather not allow myself to become too diverted on this issue. Suffice to say you can find more information from the following sources, which I would highly recommend if you are at all unclear as to how long the Governing Body has been around in its current form…
- Wikipedia article on the history of the Governing Body
- December 15th 1971 Watchtower article “A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation” (see Watchtower Library)
- JWsurvey article “The Governing Body Explained”
Duping the next generation
The more I observe the Governing Body, the less I am surprised at their apparent inability to embrace substantive change – either doctrinally or procedurally.
Here we have a group of men who were under the organization’s spell for decades before they ascended to their current positions. They were chosen BECAUSE of their steadfast allegiance to the organization and to keeping the status quo. They are thus programmed to keep Knorr’s Watchtower of the 1950s ticking over smoothly rather than to help it reform and change with the times. We see this right down to their aversion to beards and insistence on forcing everyone to dress like an extra on “I Love Lucy.”
What I do find intolerable is the conceitedness of it all. Any who dare to say “maybe we got it wrong” is branded an apostate and punished in the worst possible way by being cut off from his or her JW family.
Equally troubling is the manner in which the Governing Body is voraciously pursuing the next generation of Witnesses, which I touched on in a previous article. This sadistic recruitment drive is in further evidence in the January Watchtower.
A chapter entitled “Making Wise Choices During Youth” drills home the idea that becoming a Witness is a necessity rather than a choice for young ones. The only choice available to them is how quickly and to what extent they will volunteer their time and skills to Watchtower’s benefit. “Each person must make his own choice how he will spend his life as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” declares page 18 paradoxically.
The follow-up chapter, entitled “Serving Jehovah Before the Days of Distress Come,” is targeted at the older generation of Witnesses. In reminding them of ways in which they can put their age and experience to good use, it suggests: “Could you invite younger servants of God to your home for some upbuilding association? Could you ask them to accompany you in the Christian ministry and show them the joy you experience in serving Jehovah?” (page 23)
In other words, “Yes, you threw away your career prospects and wasted decades believing our failed promises. Now, please make yourselves useful by encouraging the next generation to do the same.”
If you happen to receive a copy of the January 15th 2014, please do me a favor. Put it in a safe place – some place where it can lie undisturbed for many many years. Make sure your new revised Bible is equally safeguarded. Why? Because decades from now, when the Governing Body of the future is telling us that they never said they were “completely sure” that 1914 marked the beginning of Christ’s rule, I have a feeling you may find it useful.
Further reading…
- Revised New World Translation – will it stand the test of time?
- The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses – Explained
- Quotes about 1914 in Watchtower literature
Warm thanks to Vincent Deporter for contributing a cartoon for this article.
Great article John Cedars. I think they are holding on to 1914, because they are going to ‘up’ the time of the end.
If they remove 1914 NOW, that would be just too much ‘New Light’ people are dying to get out of this cult. This quite possibly would be the death knell. They know the flock is restless!
They have to keep the dim light flickering.
I have just read the Watchtower articles and I’m gob-smacked! It seems Jah become king in our day as did Jesus, that is according to page 12 anyway. Then there are 2 groups of anointed ones? It is only the second Watchtower I have read since awakening in March this year – mostly because I am afraid of the articles playing on my emotions and I don’t want to start half-believing because I have allowed fear to overcome good sense. I’m proud to say that I was able to identify the above-mentioned two points and clearly see the points Cedars made about them clinging to the 1914 thing all without being overcome by fear. It’s a good feeling.
Great article indeed Cedars! I am pretty sure GB will never change standpoint about 1914 because everything would fall apart. So, they are choosing easier way and staying put. Any change in 1914 after WT of 15.07.2013 and 15.01.2014 is most probably out of the question because they would have to change most of their theology.
Hi Cedars, excellent article!
I was amazed myself when I saw the first article of that edition, shouldn’t the focus be on Christ’s reign? He has been left aside so much lately!
I think a major point here is to make it evident that the GB didn’t come into existence until the 70’s. They couldn’t possibly had been chosen as true religion by Christ in the 1910’s.
Again, your articles have a lot of insight and sharing that with us is relieving!
Cheers!
Next stop: 2034. Watch as they gradually start hinting about 2034.
This is a quote from page 23 of the January 15, 2014 article….”Could you invite younger servants of God to your home for some upbuilding association? Could you ask them to accompany you in the Christian ministry and show them the joy you experience in serving Jehovah?”
Those encouraging words are the exact circumstances under which thousands of children have been sexually abused. By repeating those words, they are just encouraging the pedophiles to continue their hard work of sex abuse, and at the same time encouraging kids that its ok to be hanging around those pedophiles because they read the same articles.
The way they twist “this generation” is unbelievable. “They were not simply alive during the lifetime of those
in the first group, but they were anointed with holy spirit during the time that those of the first group were still on earth. Thus, not every anointed person today is included in ‘this generation’ of whom Jesus spoke. Today, those in this second group are themselves advancing in years.”
Except Jesus didn’t say “those generations” or “the next generation.” “When you see the signs, sometime down the road I’ll anoint a generation. It will be them.” No, he said “this generation.” Singular. When you see the signs, that one generation would not pass away.
By their logic, the end could be hundreds of years away, as long as there was another generation who thought they were anointed too. If you’re going to start talking about overlapping generations, why stop with one? If you’re going to twist “generation” into “generations,” why couldn’t you be talking about six generations, or fifteen?
I love your illustration of the stuffed dead dog representing 1914. Yes this year has come and gone and the incorrect beliefs associated with it should have died like the dog. I would add that the Watchtower forces their followers to also believe that this stuffed dead dog is still alive and any who disagree are punished and cut off. Cult much?!
Good post, John.
It wasn’t just the outbreak of war in 1914 which, though not what was expected, seemed to fit reasonably well into a not-too- drastically amended interpretation of the prophecies. Understood as the outbreak of the times of trouble or “last fit of madness” (cf Nebuchadnezzar’s madness – Daniel 4:28-37) from which mankind would emerge chastened and ready to accept the rule of God’s kingdom, it needed to culminate in the right manner.
Russell had expected that culmination to happen when the war-weary masses turned against all institutions of church and state. (See Studies in the Scriptures vol 4, The Battle of Armageddon) With the outbreak of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917 it appeared that everything was working out properly after all, even if a little delayed. The trouble was, the “ancient worthies” failed to be resurrected to form a righteous government in Jerusalem and thus inaugurate the earthly phase of the kingdom of God.
And so it goes on!
In the last article entitled: “Let Your Kingdom Come” But When?
———————————————————
They say:
“This Generation Will Not Pass Away” is a third reason for “confidence that God’s anointed King will SOON take additional steps toward having the divine will done fully on earth”.
———————————————————-
They say:
“Jesus was referring to two groups of Anointed Christians”.
———————————————————-
Of course they said the same thing with just as much conviction and assurance in the late 60’s and early 70’s about just ONE group of Anointed Christians. I am an eye witness of that. I was a teenager then and was told that I would NOT get old before the end comes all based on Matt. 24:34.
This is the first time in a long time that I have seen them even refer to Matt. 24:34. They have for the most part been ignoring this scripture since 2010 when they come up with the “overlapping generations” explanation, because it is one scripture that actually proves 1914 is wrong!!
It won’t be long and they will have to say: oops!! Jesus evidently meant THREE groups of Anointed Christians!
“We understand that in mentioning “this generation,” Jesus was referring to two groups of anointed Christians.”
LOL! New Light yet again. Where are the scriptures that suggest two groups? Nowhere. They make it up.
Desperate rationalizations for desperate damage control.
Pathetic, really.
Now please, print cedars article out, make copies and go tell the jws at the hall. It’s all good and well the jws ONLINE are reading it, yet please go and SHARE WHAT YOU READ HERE, offline. It is so very easy to do so.
I plan on doing this next week. And along with handing them out near the kh parking lo, on the public sidewalk, I am going to READ IT ALOUD, as my freedom of speech will allow.
The constructive ways of getting this point of view acroos, are endless, if you just use your imaginations.
I spoke to my mother before the AGM, and told her that she needs to be prepared for serious changes that will most likely end ALL communications between us because the policies are about to be tweaked.
When I read how the gb are pushing to get jws such as my mother, to do to other children what she did to us by instilling those wt policies and regulations, by encouraging them to carry on the wt tradition of fraudulence on society…the gb are now going to have serious problems with certain people in the exjw community, who comprehend beyond all levels of thought, just excatly what the wtbts has up their slimey sleeves, from day one. RUSSELL DOES NOT GET OFF THAT EASY. JUST AS MR RAYMOND FRANZ DOES NOT, in some peoples minds. I am one of those. I reserve that right of opinion and care not what others think or feel of such. All are welcomed to their own opinions on such issues. I will not do go further on that dynamic if any questions are posed in relation.
As cedars puts it, this all could have been over with a freaking century ago. And Russell knew this yet MONEY SUPERCEDES ALL IN THIS CORPORATE WORLD.
Russell was an oil speculator, for gawd sakes. Why he got ‘involved’ with ANYTHING BIBLICAL is beyond me.
The way this world functions is so beyond me, yet I have no other choice, other than suicide, but to STAY LIVING IN THE MUCK AND THE MIRE OF A MAN-MADE SOCIETY. THAT is what I yearn to see reformation of. As if, I know.
If you all really think that jws are being hurt and their children and the ones the gb now wants other jws like my mother, to GROOM FOR THE FUTURE SO AS TO PREACH LETHAL IDEOLOGY TO OTHER CHILDREN, and so on and so on and so on, for years to come….
please start printing out wat you are learning online and take it to THEM. We already know it. They need to know it now too. We cannot wait for them to finally, somehow appear here and read it. TAKE IT OFFLINE TO THEM. In any capacity that you ca. CAN DO PEOPLE. It is a can do OPPORTUNITY that WILL be effective, if you just give it a chance.
Don’t negate ALL of my ideas. I am not here to bash what you are doing online. It is paramount NOW, with all that is going on in what you are pointing out in your articles regarding new light and the encouraging of older jws to HELP CREATE MORE JWS, by slying infesting a childs entire soul and spirit, and eventually body, if it ever came down to it [blood POLICY], to print it and distribute it TO THOSE THAT MUST SEE IT NOW.
I hope my mother is receptive of what I will read to her. Not because ‘i want my mother back’, yet because her world is about to get even more sequestered as a jw and she will now be pushed to do to other children what she did to us and countless other children who she studied with for years. When you go deeper into all of the dynamics of what is really happening to a child when an adult jw gets a hold of their soul, mind and body…why would you EVER hesitate in telling them THE TRUTH OF THE ENTIRE MATTER OF BEING A JW? It would seem a dire strait to the most common of human being and move them swiftly to action of helping said child(dren).
{deep sigh of relief}
Thank you for allowing my opinions, thought and feelings concerning these issues, to be presented here.
~skally~
In the last article entitled: “Let Your Kingdom Come” But When?
—————————————————–
They say:
“This Generation Will Not Pass Away” is a third reason for “confidence that God’s anointed King will SOON take additional steps toward having the divine will done fully on earth”.
—————————————————–
They say:
“Jesus was referring to two groups of Anointed Christians”.
—————————————————–
Of course they said the same thing with just as much conviction and assurance in the late 60’s and early 70’s about just ONE group of Anointed Christians. I am an eye witness of that. I was a teenager then and was told that I would NOT get old before the end comes all based on Matt. 24:34.
This is the first time in a long time that I have seen them even refer to Matt. 24:34. They have for the most part been ignoring this scripture since 2010 when they come up with the “overlapping generations” explanation, because it is one scripture that actually proves 1914 is wrong!!
It won’t be long and they will have to say: oops!! Jesus evidently meant THREE groups of Anointed Christians!!
BeenMislead…
They have already said there are three groups of Anointed
1. Anoited ones before or closed to 1914
2. Anoited ones that overlap with the first group
3. Anoited ones that don’t overlap with the first group…
The explanation that the WT provides seems to be: “Well, Jesus was not speaking clear at all… He said ‘this generation’ but he meant ‘these generations’, so we are here to correct Jesus’ mistake”…
The Bible says: “let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). Why don’t just admit it?
Ray Franz, former Governing Body member of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society notes in his book Crisis of Conscience that the Watchtower has attempted to buy out more time for Armageddon for a number of years, as their expectations failed, particularly with regards to the prediction that 1975 would bring Armageddon. According to Franz, they even considered changing the start of such generation to 1957, but such a change was rejected by popular vote in the secret Governing Body sessions. (Crisis, p. 218)
One thing that still plays on my mind is the fact that the BIBLE ITSELF talks about Armageddon. Can anyone explain to me what Peter was talking about at 2 Peter 3:8-13. Two thousand years ago, why did he encourage the brothers to “keep close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah”?
2 Peter 3:1-7 is a clear warning to us all, really. We can laugh and joke about “mistakes” the watchtower has made but at least they are encouraging us to live with “Jehovah’s day in mind”.
I’ve read Crisis of Conscience, with a lot of interest, but where is Franz now? I certainly don’t agree with the way he was treated. But this guy was setting up private “study groups” in secret when he was at Brooklyn. There is a lot of things that went on behind the scenes with this fella.
I do think the watchtower society has changed so much, especially since the old guard has died off, especially Dan Sydlik. I personally don’t like it. It does come across as corporate now. The old style “three square sheparding visit a year” elders have been replaced by “fast tracked” ministerial training school, by the book pioneers who lack the bedside manner and experience of what we had before.
At this time, we simply don’t 100% know that 1914 is wrong. We are 100% sure that Gods Kingdom will come-one day!
Aren’t we? ;)
Jesus said
“Look out that you are not misled, for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time is near.’ Do not go after them. (Luke 21:8)
Then he said:
“It does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction. (Acts 1:7)
As you may note, Jesus does not want us to distribute papers proclaming false dates and preaching that only the witnesses will be saved in Armaggedon. The true religion is said to be the following:
The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world. (James 1:27)
Can anyone answer my question please?
Cedars ??
2 Peter 3:1-7.
Ray has passed on. google it mike.
Another great article thankyou Cedars. I love the cartoon illustration, and the stuffed dog comparison! Thanks for the quotes you supplied demonstrating the certainty Russell had regarding his date setting. Wow, Skally…you are really fired up! I will take on board your suggestions.
Jehovah’s day can be kept in mind without lying and manipulating people, being abusive, using mind control tactics, using hate speech, isolating people from non-members, telling people not to go to college, not to have careers, etc. As far as the 1914 date goes, when I was a kid I was told it would be 70 years or 80 years from 1914, because a generation was 70 or 80 years – this is what I was told when my dad joined in 1979/1980. Also, I see nothing wrong with R. Franz having private “study groups” in secret when he was at Brooklyn, if that was what he was inclined to do.
As I said before, something has changed from the top down and I personally don’t like it. If I say anything, and I mean anything which contradicts what the society says, my aged parents respond by saying “this is negative speech – and the society has warned us about negativity!” – which is of course ridiculous. Yes, I do see “mind control” which I find concerning.
I left around 2008 and have been looking for answers ever since, but seem to be going round and around in circles.
After reading Franz’s book, I questioned everything I ever learned. However, no quality alternative seems to be out there for me. And 2 Peter 3 leaves me asking the same question. Why would we be told to keep in mind jehovahs day if that day was never going to come?
Bringing things up to date, what does Ray Franz stand for now? Okay, so he left the Watchtower, now what? What is the truth? He admited that he is not really sure. He advises a wait-and-see approach, much like the atheist or agnostic who shrugs off any commitment to search for the truth by saying ‘we’ll find out when we die.’ Franz had no burning passion for truth. He demonstrated no commitment to the glorification of God. Franz and men like him are exactly described by Jude as “stars with no set course, for which the blackness of darkness stands reserved forever.”
Ultimately, who we choose now for our guide will determine whether we reach our goal of salvation or not. The Bible advises that we keep focused on God’s prophetic word and live with Jehovah’s day in mind.
We would do well to seriously reflect upon the course Ray Franz has provided by his pattern and decide if you really want to follow his way of thinking – with no real hope for the future.
“what does Ray Franz stand for now?”
Not much in the earthly realm now, since he’s dead.
“Ultimately, who we choose now for our guide will determine whether we reach our goal of salvation or not.”
This statement truly concerns me with the fundamental assumptions it makes. I much prefer Ray Franz’s view that a deep, personal relationship with Christ should be our guide, and the Bible itself our guidebook. It almost seems as though you’re simply looking for a “better” cult to choose.
“We would do well to seriously reflect upon the course Ray Franz has provided by his pattern and decide if you really want to follow his way of thinking – with no real hope for the future.”
I personally am finding the “not-knowing” to be a much more joyous way of living than “having others inform me of what I must believe as absolute truth” ever was.
I believe that WTS has been a cult and a false prophet since their inception. The bible is very clear about false prophets and false teachers. Jesus is the only truth and the only way – you need to accept him to be saved.
Hello Mike:
I tried to answer you in my first reply above.
As for Raymond, he was worry about the Truth, but he was not Jesus or God the Father to know which is the best chronology which fits better with the Bible prophecies. However, Raymond exposed many aspects of the lack of love of the pharisaical Watchtower theology.
About the third chapter of 2 Peter. If this letter was from Peter (I do believe it), this letter was before the year 70 AD, because Peter died some years before in Rome. However, the day of Jehovah did come to the Jews by the Jerusalem’s destruction. Jesus promised that that generation would not pass before that event, and it happened. The prophecy was fulfilled. However, Jesus also said:
and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)
We now know when Jerusalem was trampled on by the nations, but we don’t know when the gentile times will end. So, Christ does not want us to waste money in printing speculations and to create false expectations. This is what the Watchtower has done since its fundation. This is not the work of Christ. The work of Christ is to preach the Gospel and to live accordingly by looking after orphans and widows in their tribulations (James 1:27). The Truth is to follow Christ in our way of living. Christianity is a way of life, not sectarism.
The Watchtower preaches lies. This organization is proclaiming that Christ appointed his “faithful and discreet slave” in 1919. This is a lie very easy to verify. Read how many false prophecies were published in the book The Finished Mystery in 1917. This book was a mess in full lunatic predictions. Do you believe that Christ could appoint the editors of the Society in 1919?. Furthermore, after 1919 Rutherford preached that in 1925 all the ancient worthies would resurrect on earth. This was another false prophecy. Also, in 1930, Rutherford published that the Holy Spirit was not more the paraclete since 1918 (w30 09/01, p.264), because the “temple class” received direct messages from the angels after 1918.
I see that the truth about the Watchtower is simple, it is a false religious organization.
Regards,
Octavio
Mike – read the “God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins, it will open your mind.
Be aware of JWsurvey.org….!!
Please see Jehovah’s witness to clarify what you read from here!!! Judas was among apostles but quieted to gain 30 pieces!! What we believe since 1914 and before are all public under http://www.jw.org…. Just to type on search bar and prove on your own time!!
Thanks for being curious when you search for a true GOD JEHOVAH and his NARROW GATE TODAY (PSALM 83:18, MATHEW 7:13–16).
Mike, I feel your pain.
You know, you don’t need the WTS to follow Christ. It’s between you and him, as he said himself. In fact, their placing themselves between you and him is something they will have to answer to him.
However, others like me found an alternative to happiness.
It’s up to you. I agree you should read for your own information the book “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins.
It may or may not give you what you search, but it will give you food for thought.
Whether you believe or not, be consistent with yourself.
I wish you the best. :)
PONSIAN ELIASI, if you honestly read the articles here, you will notice that the information is directly linked to what the WTS says on its official site. Believe me, most JW don’t know their own history, nor dare “make sure of all things” and question the authority they trust (or else).
Truth fears no examination. Hence, you attempting to demonize this site says a lot about your standards for controlling information.
Atheism fails at the most fundamental level: existence.
If there is no God, the universe would not exist. There would be nothing. No energy, no matter, no E=mc2. Atheists can’t answer the philisophical question of existence. I don’t waste my time reading their books.
Well I’ve debated this enough, and as you admit, you don’t waste your time reading any information that questions your bias.
I rest my case.
This is totally doing my head in! I cannot get any peace. Every quiet moment I get, the meetings, etc comes to mind. Vincent, “you don’t waste your time reading any information that questions your bias”? My attitude is the truth should always stand up to questions. “Keep testing the inspired expressions – to prove they are true.” – says the Bible. This applies to the Watchtower Society, even more so. I used to run a web site called “watchtower memorabilia” a number of years ago, and this is when questions and doubts started to creep in. I used to have “millions now living will never die” – the original booklet. It was NOTHING like the spin that modern publications put on it. Nothing. It is nuts. The elders actively discouraged me from reading “old light” – viewing it almost as being apocryphal!
The back of recent Watchtower articles feature “our spiritual heritage” and again, the spin on this is unbelievable.
However…When i mentioned this to an old friend quite recently he said something that I can’t deny. He said “I’m not really interested in any of that, I have experienced Jehovahs Holy Spirit working through me, especially in the ministry. Haven’t you?”
I have to say that I have.
Oh sod it! I’m joining the Salvation Army! ;)
Well stated Mike
@Mike. A Muslim May yell you he experienced the same feeling in a different context. Also a Buddhist. You cannot trust your perceptions about feeling the hand of god. Think about it rationally.
@johnny. If you can claim that your god has always existed, then I can equally claim the universe has always existed.
@reader: I remember talking to a Mormon who said that seeing is believing but feeling is knowing.
I do know what you mean.
You have to appreciate that for 40 years I have been taught that Armageddon is going to get you!
Good to see that the GB have fallen into their own temporal trap. Every day the time gets longer and longer, without this questionable paradise arriving through the death of billions.
By sticking to 1914 no matter what, the witnesses have confirmed that they are a millennialist religion.
It saddens me that many people can contemplate the death of billions for this panda cuddling paradise with a shrug. Isn’t the price too high? I know it is for me.
Thanks for you kind comments
No matter how wrong the GB keeps to be on the 1914 matter I believe their faith in this year will keep on, for many decades. And even if there will be speculations about 2014, this too shall pass. I remember an article about failed prophecies, and among other cults the JW’s were included in the study (with the 1975 prophecy). It seems tome that the January 2014 magazine raises 2014 speculation to the rang of truth (just like they did with 1975) and things will go on. Not many will leave as long as the freedom to information is demonized at the kingdom halls. I think many of you fellow faders and get-outers have studies cognitive dissonance to understand what the hells is happening when you have serious doubts. Here is a link to that study:
http://commonsenseatheism.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Dawson-When-Prophecy-Fails-and-Faith-Persists.pdfProphecy-Fails-and-Faith-Persists
@VD You jumped to conclusions and twisted my words. I’ve already read enough atheist propaganda to know they’re wrong. No need to waste more time reading their wrong ideas again and again.
As I said, atheists can’t answer the question of existence. When that question is raised, the debate is over.