# ***1914 Predicted??

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Posted by Tom [Zachary] on November 24, 1999 at 09:13:41 {BlpRHB6gpcp97koDwT8kPaEpA0ijdc}:

In Reply to: **1914 Predicted?? posted by Noggin on November 24, 1999 at 07:39:09:

Noggin,

Here are a handful of quotes that express most of the things Snowball said.

The May 1881 issue of Zion’s Watch Tower on page 5 clearly showed that the Bible Students were not looking forward to Christ’s return as a future event:

> “We would like to correct this misapprehension once for all, by stating that we do not expect Jesus to come this year, nor any other year, for we believe that all time prophecies (bearing upon Jesus’ coming) ended at and before the fall of 1874, and that He came there, and the second advent is now in progress and will continue during the entire Millennial age. We believe that his presence will be revealed to the eyes of men’s understandings gradually during this “Day of the Lord,” (forty years---from 1874 to 1914,) as it now is to ours; except that we, discern it through the word of prophecy revealed by the Spirit, and they will recognize his presence by His judgment upon Nominal Zion, and the World—for the Father “hath committed all judgment unto the son’”

The January 15, 1892 issue of Zion's Watch Tower on page 19 listed some of the events which were sure to happen in the coming years before 1914:

> "The Scriptures give unmistakable testimony to those who have full faith in its records, that there is a great time of trouble ahead of the present comparative calm in the world—a trouble which will embroil all nations, overthrow all existing institutions, civil, social and religious, bring about a universal reign of anarchy and terror, and prostrate humanity in the very dust of despair, thus to make them ready to appreciate the power that will bring order out of that confusion and institute the new rule of righteousness. All this, the Scriptures show us, is to come to pass before the year 1914 (See MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol. II, Chapter IV.) -- that is, within the next twenty-three years."

The same issue on page 21 reiterated the fact that everything would be over with by October of 1914:

> "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. Thus far it has been chiefly a battle of words and a time of organizing forces----capital, labor, armies and secret societies. Never was there such a general time of banding together as at present.”

The July 15, 1894 issue of Zion's Watch Tower on page 224 stressed the uniqueness and urgency of the times:

> “No one can be indifferent to the phenomenal times in which we are living; for, although the rush and crush of business and pleasure continue, and even increasingly, there is, deep down in men’s hearts, even at the theaters and sporting grounds, a feeling of unrest which cannot be better described than by the prophetic words of our master: “Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after [toward] those things coming upon the earth.”
> “It is interesting to look back and note the accuracy of the fulfillment of God’s Word, so that our hearts may be established with the greater confidence respecting the future--the things coming upon the earth. 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. We see that the present world-wide distress had its beginning there; that it has been progressing with increasing momentum every year since;”

The same issue on page 266 stated the expectations of the Bible students in even more confident terms.

> "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."

The Time Is At Hand, (1907 edition) on pages 76 and 77 pointed out that 1914 would be the farthest limit that man would be allowed to rule:

> "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 AD 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."

Pages 98 and 99 acknowledge that the Bible Students were making a fairly spectacular claim:

> "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; but we are living in a special and peculiar time, the "Day of Jehovah," in which matters culminate quickly; and it is written, "A short work will the Lord make upon the earth."

> "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 AD 1915."

Page 101 introduced further proof that the battle of Armageddon would be over with by 1915:

> "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 AD 1878, and that the "battle of the great day of God Almighty" (`Rev. 16:14`), which will end in AD 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."

Page 242 again stresses the confidence in the 1874 date:

> "The Jubilee cycles prove that our Lord Jesus was due to be present and begin the restitution work in the fall of 1874 AD and the parallelism above referred to shows that date (1874) to correspond exactly with the anointing of Jesus as the Messiah, at the beginning of the Jewish "harvest," at the first advent. The "Gentile Times" prove that the present governments must all be overturned about the close of AD 1915; and the parallelism above shows that this period corresponds exactly with the year AD 70, which witnessed the completion of the downfall of the Jewish polity."

Some of these quotes seem humorous today inasmuch as they were so obviously wrong. In my opinion, the real problem today is not that they were wrong (given the religious atmosphere of 19th century America) but that the WTB&TS for about the last 50 years has often presented an illusory picture of the beliefs of the Bible Students that is demonstrably incorrect.

Tom

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