"We present Bible
evidence 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 that 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:- "The "battle of the great day of God Almighty" which will end in
A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced." "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." - WT
7-15-1894 p.226
Firstly, that at that date the Kingdom of God will obtain full universal
control, and that it will be then "set up," or firmly established, IN THE EARTH, on the ruins of present
institutions." [emphasis mine]
- The Time is at Hand (1888) pp. 76,77
- The Time is at Hand (1888) 1911 Ed. p.101
Here are some comparisons of how the Watchtower Society covered up its failed predictions regarding the events of 1914:
BEFORE 1914:
The Time is at Hand -
1906. pp. 76,77
"...the full end of their lease of dominion will
be reached in A.D. 1914; and that date will be the farthest limit of the rule
of imperfect men." ...it will prove that sometime before the end of 1914, the
last member of the divinely recognized church of Christwill be
glorified."
AFTER 1914:
The Time is at Hand -
1920, pp. 76,77
"...the full end of their lease of dominion will
be reached in A.D. 1914; and that date will be the disintegration of the rule
of imperfect men." ...it will prove that sometime before the end of the
overthrow, the last member of the divinely recognized church of Christwill be
glorified."
BEFORE 1914:
Thy Kingdom Come -
1906, p. 228
"That the deliverance of the saints must take
place some time before 1914...Just how long before 1914 the last
living members of the body of Christ will be glorified, we are not directly
informed."
AFTER 1914:
Thy Kingdom Come -
1916, p. 228
"That the deliverance of the saints must take
place very soon after 1914...Just how long after 1914 the last
living members of the body of Christ will be glorified, we are not directly
informed."
BEFORE 1918: AFTER 1918 "1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures, marking the end of
the typical jubilee. - WT 9-1-23 p.106
"The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the
Scriptures, MORE CLEARLY than that of 1914." [emphasis mine] - WT 7-15-24 p.211
"The purpose of acquiring that property and building the house
was that there might be some tangible proof that there are those on earth today who fully believe 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." - Salvation, 1939, pp.
311,312
The Society held the title in trust for the Old Testament prophets: "The hundred-acre estate at San Diego, California, , held
in trust for the New Earth's Princes. the house he built theron he named "Beth-Sarim"; it was
deeded to those princes." - Consolation, May 27, 1942 p.3
As of 1942, Beth-Sarim was still being held in trust for the princes: But now there is a re-explanation for the purpose of Beth Sarim: "Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left
before 6,000 years of man's existence on earth is completed." - Kingdom Ministry, June, 1968,
p,4
"Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?" - WT 8-15-68
p.494
"How can it be determined when 6,000 years of human history
will end? According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in 4026 B.C.E. This would
leave 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." - AWAKE! 10-8-68
p.14
"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? "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." Higher education discouraged - Pioneer ministry emphasized: "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." "It is logical that Jehovah would create Eve soon after Adam,
perhaps just a few weeks or months later in the same year, 4026 B.C.E. Adam and Eve were created in the same year. According to this
Society Encyclopedia, both were 130 years old when Seth was born. It is now the year 1975. The Society's leadership is suddenly proceeding with utmost caution in
its statements: There is similar wording of a possible time lapse between Adam
and Eve's creation. There is now a change in the wording in the Society's new
Encyclopedia about Eve's creation. The older "Aid to Bible Understanding" stated that Eve
ALSO was 130 years old when Seth was born. It wasn't until 1980 that the Society made any mention
regarding the expectations surrounding the year 1975. In a Watchtower magazine article, they give a
partial confession of having the responsibility of building up the hopes of its members. The rest of the blame was referenced to the "over zealous" members themselves. The article
writer(s) claim that any statements published about the year 1975 were to have been regarded as mere
"possibilities." - WT 3-15-80 pp. 17,18
Religious hypocrisy will be exposed. False prophets are false teachers. Ezekiel 13: 3,5,8 Zephaniah 3:13 "We are not 'inspired'
prophets." "We make
mistakes" The issue here is that the anointed Witnesses claim to be
commissioned to speak as God's sole "channel of communication" - His actual "prophet on earth."
Therefore, has this prophet made false prophecies "in Jehovah's name? Has this prophet ever claimed that
God "said something through them?" The answer to both of these questions is a resounding "Yes!"
The Society's leaders liken themselves to the Apostles who had
some wrong expectations. That is not the issue. Did the Apostles ever make false prophecies? NO! They
never said Jehovah told them through His angels to say something that was not true. They were inspired
in their prophesying - the Jehovah's Witnesses are not.
"We were too
eager" Is this Jehovah's promise or the AWAKE!'s promise?
Do the
Witnesses believe that: So "who" speaks today by means of his organization?
Also, the WT 1-1-42 p.5 says: The Watchtower's "prophet" claims to speak as God's "channel of
communication." If this is true, we would expect that their message which they claim to be communicated
from Jehovah, would always be the exact truth. Would a perfect God who doesn't change (Malachi
3:6) choose a channel which constantly has to change and update predictions - all in Jehovah's
name? How could we rely on such a God whose message was always changing? How would we know
when the message was finally in its true form?
"The Finished Mystery" 1917 edition, p. 485
"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."
"The Finished Mystery," 1926 edition, p. 485
"Also, in the year 1918, when God begins to
destroy the churches 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."
1925
"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 chapter eleven, to the condition of human perfection."
- Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, pp. 89,90
"The condition herein is that the said WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND
TRACT SOCIETY shall hold said title perpetually in trust for the use of any or all of the men above
named as representatives of God's kingdom on earth and that such men shall have possession and use of
said property hereinabove described as they may deem for the best interest for the work in which they are
engaged."
- Deed, p.2 to Beth Sarim (1929)
"Those faithful men of old may be expected back from the dead any
day now. The house in San Diego, California named "Beth-Sarim" is now held in trust for the occupancy
of those princes on their return." - The New World, 1942, pp. 104,105
"In time, a direct contribution was made for the purpose of
constructing a house in San Diego for Brother Rutherford's use. It was not built at the expense of the
Watch Tower Society. 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."
- 1975 Yearbook pp.
194,195
1975
The First 1975 Prophecy:
"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." - Life Everlasting in Freedom... (1966) pp. 29,30
Missing was the full measure of evidence required in fulfillment of
Bible prophecy. Missing from such people were God's truths and the evidence that he was guiding and
using them.
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." - AWAKE! 10-8-68 p.23
- WT 10-15-69 pp. 622, 623
"The influence and spirit of this world is to get ahead, to make a
name for oneself. Schools encourage students to pursue higher education after high school, to pursue a
career with a future in this system of things. Do not let them "brainwash" you with the Devil's propaganda
to get ahead, to make something of yourself in this world. This world has very little time left!" - WT
3-15-69 p.171
- Kingdom Ministry, May, 1974, p.3
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." - WT 5-1-68 p.271
- Aid to Bible Understanding, 1971, pp. 333 & 538
"Does this mean that we know exactly when God will destroy this old
system and establish a new one? Franz (Society vice-president) 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."
- WT 5-1-75 p.285
- WT 10-1-75 p.579
"When Adam was 130 years old, Eve gave birth to a son whom she
called Seth."
- Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. I, 1988, pp. 459, 772
"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 false 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." - Paradise Restored to Mankind,
1972, pp. 353,354
"The difference between a true and a false prophet is that the one is
speaking the word of the Lord and the other is speaking his own dreams and guesses." - WT 5-15-30
p.153
CONCLUSION:
Jeremiah 23:16
THE SCRIPTURES SAY IT BEST
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the
prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out
of the mouth of the LORD."
"Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow
their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for
the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD."
" The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither
shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make
them afraid."
HOW THE WATCHTOWER
The Watchtower Society has made the following defensive statements
to those who accuse them of being false prophets.
SOCIETY DEFENDS ITSELF
As seen in Part 1, the Society has used the same vocabulary
doled out to those ancient Biblical prophets who were inspired and has placed themselves in the same
category of such inspired prophets as Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
Could a prophet in ancient Israel make this defense if his prediction
proved false? Obviously every false prophet could point to his own human fallibility for the failure. Every
false prophet has misinterpreted matters. Deut. 18:20-22 prescribed the death penalty if the
prediction failed, regardless of the reason.
The WT 12-15-92 p.32 speaks of a prophecy God gave through Ezekiel noting
that:
"God gives
Himself absolutely no "scope for getting it wrong." He is the God "who cannot lie."
Read I Samuel 13:8-14. Did eagerness excuse Saul for
doing what was incorrect? The Society's predicted dates were not merely "suggested" dates.
"THE WORDS OF JEHOVAH"
Read any AWAKE! magazine on page 4.
It says in part:
"Most
importantly, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world
that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things."
"Today God
speaks to his servants directly as he did to Job? Instead, he reproves them by means of his Word and his
spirit-directed organization." WT 6-1-93 p.21
"God uses the
Watchtower magazine to communicate to his people and calling attention to his
prophecies."
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