Jehovah’ Witnesses: All Dressed Up and No Where to Go.

It occurred to me some time ago that for once in their long, sordid history, fraught with false prophesies, loony assertions and strange and improvable assumptions, Jehovah’s Witnesses, at this specific time in their history don’t have a date. They are dateless, stood up and left at the curb, in their prom dress with the wilting corsage.

In the entire history of this eclectic and often derided Religious group, they have always had a “date”. They have always been looking forward, like the donkey follows the carrot on the stick, to Armageddon and it was always real close and going to come within specific, measurable time periods.

 “It’s just around the corner!”. Don’t waste your time in “worldly pursuits! Armageddon and God’s new world is soooo close”

Interestingly, at this particular snapshot in time, they do not have a date for Armageddon. Oh, it’s still close, it’s still “around the corner” but the Watchtower Society has not set any precise time period or “Drop dead date”, like they have in the past.

I was raised a Jo Ho, from birth. At age 18 I was reading this from the Awake, May 22, 1969 page 15:

“All the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophesy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Jesus foretold “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur”.

From the same Awake, page 15: “Therefore as a young person you will never fulfill any career that this system offers.”

I am 57, a grandfather, a college graduate, have started and sold several successful companies and am contemplating retirement. But, in 1969, “this corrupt system (was) due to end in a few years” and I had no time to “fulfill any career that this system offers”, surely the system would end before I was 30 or even 35.

Again, historically, Jo Ho’s have always had a date or a time period. For example, The Watchtower Society prophesied that Armageddon would come at 6 separate and distinct time periods and they were wrong.

1914 – “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 by the end of 1914.” (The Time is at Hand, 1902 edition, p. 99) Note: this same statement was contained in the 1908 edition of the same book.

End of WW1: “The present great war in Europe is the beginning of the Armageddon of the Scriptures (Revelation 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”. (Pastor Russell’s Sermons, 1915, p. 676) In the same year (1915),

1925 – “The period must end in 1925 . . . [This date] 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 . . . Therefore, it can be confidently said at this time that millions now living will never die”. (Golden Age, January 4, 1922, p. 217)

1975 – Watchtower, October 15, 1969 pages 622 and 623:

“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…. 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.”

Notice the use of the definite article “the”. It would be “the fitting time”, not “a fitting time” not “an appropriate time” but “THE FITTING TIME”, to the exclusion of all other times. “Yes, Indeed! And his King Jesus Christ will be Lord of that Sabbath”. Not “might be”, not “could be”, but “WILL BE”.
, for sure now….”

End of the 20th Century – Again in 1971, they said it would come in the 20th century: ”Shortly, within our twentieth century, the “battle in the day of Jehovah” will begin”. From: The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah – How? 1971 p. 216”

Within the life span of the 1914 generation: Watchtower, 7/1/69 pg395:

“People who were only just old enough to understand what was happening to the world in 1914 are now approaching seventy years of age. Yes, the numbers of that generation are dwindling fast, but before they all pass away this system must meet its end in the war of Armageddon.”

I lived the 1975 thing, the before the end of the 20^th Century thing and the 1914 generation thing.

I was still a Witness in 1995 when the definition of the 1914 generation was changed. It was so subtle that, although I read every publication, I apparently missed that. And so did many Witnesses. When I have a conversation with a Witness, I will ask about the 1914 gen and the changed in 1995. (They also changed it again sometime in 2002 or so back to the original 1927 definition).  Most current Jo Ho’s have no idea what I am taking about. Either they are old enough to remember the original definition, shown above from the July, 1, 1969 Watchtower or they are too young to be aware of what it was and what it now is.

Here are the three incarnations of the definition of the 1914 generation.:

1-      Wt 2/15/27, page 62: The Anointed ones make up the generation

 

2-      Some time in the 1950’s it changed to this: Watchtower, 7/1/69 pg395: “People who were only just old enough to understand what was happening to the world in 1914 are now approaching seventy years of age. Yes, the numbers of that generation are dwindling fast, but before they all pass away this system must meet its end in the war of Armageddon.”

 

3-      WT 11/1/95, pg 19-20:  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.

 

4-      2008, the 1914 generation  changed again, back to the 1927 teaching. WT 2/15/2008, page 24 “Anointed ones make up the generation”

 

So the definition of the 1914 gen went full circle and now it is not attached to anytime period, like the death of those of that generation.

The Jo Ho’s have no date.  They are dateless.

Without being raised in this frantic environment of “We’re running out of time”, “Armageddon is just around the corner”, I can’t imagine being a Jo Ho without a date.

But alas, they are dateless, adrift on a sea of reality, as their past dates did not happen and perhaps they are reticent to quote a new one.

However, I have faith in the Watchtower Society. I have complete faith that they will not be dateless for long. Look for a date that perhaps has something to do with Noah, 120 years and 1914. I am keeping up with the Jo Ho lit, even the Watchtowers they study and no longer distribute door to door.

Oh yea, they have two Watchtowers, one for Jo Ho’s and one for the public. I have access to it all and lately it looks like they are hinting at this Noah connection. I predict that they say that Armageddon will come before 2034, or 120 years from 1914.

“This is the new “Truth” from Jehovah, as all our previous predictions have been bullshit”

The Watchtower, 10/1/94, pg 8

“Even as Bible prophecy pointed forward to the Messiah, it also directs us to the close-knit body of anointed Christian Witnesses that now serve as the faithful and discreet slave. It helps us to understand the Word of God. All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.”

Hey, they were only wrong 100% in the 20^th Century. Let’s see what the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.” Has for us in the 21^st Century. More bullshit dates.