Tenth chapter of the book Bible and Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Adventists, on whom Charles Taze Russell, the founder of Jehovah’s Witnesses, originally depended, had announced the end of the world for 1843, and later for 1844.-

Russell announced it for 1874 and then for 1914. He writes:

The great day of Jehovah began in 1874 and will continue for 40 years, and will end with the expiration of the times of the Gentiles in the dethronement of worldly and satanic dominion on earth and the full investiture of Emmanuel—Christ Jesus—and his saints… The times of the Gentiles will definitively end in the year 1914 and… at that time they will be overthrown and the Kingdom of Christ will be fully established. (Studies in the Scriptures, pp. 170 and 250).

The Bible refers to the time in which we live as “the last days” or “the time of the end” (2 Tim. 3:1; Dan. 11:40). Reality shows that this is a limited time, with 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 the present wicked system of things… Is that far off? The Son of God himself, 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” (Mt 24:33). People born fifty years ago (This book is from 1968) could not see “all these things.” They came on the scene after the foretold events had already begun. But there are still people alive who were alive in 1914 and saw what was happening and who, being old enough then, still remember those events. This generation is now growing old. A large number of people of this generation have already died. Nevertheless, Jesus said very directly, “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” Some of these people will still be alive when the end of this wicked system comes and will see it. This means that only a very short time remains before the end comes. So now is the time to take urgent action if you do not want to be swept away with this wicked system. (The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, pp. 94-95).

Why is the beginning of that limited time the year 1914? What did that enthronement of Jesus Christ in 1914 consist of?

Those who were born in 1914 have already reached, or are about to reach, seventy-five years of age in this year of grace 1989 [when this online edition was made, those people had already reached or were about to reach eighty-three… and the count continues!]

The Bible gives us the certain datum that the world will have an end; but the circumstances of “when” and “how” remain hidden in the time of this event.

Two fundamental passages address the subject directly:

-Jesus’ eschatological discourse (Mt 24 = Mk 13 and Lk 21).

-Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians.

1. Eschatological discourse

It is called “eschatological” because it speaks of the end of Jerusalem and of the world; it is also called the “synoptic apocalypse.”

In the discourse two themes are intertwined: the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world. At the beginning of the discourse (Mt 24:1-3), Jesus speaks of the buildings of the temple and their imminent destruction.

The disciples ask him: “When will all this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the consummation of the world?”

There will be many precursor misfortunes. But this is not yet the end.

The destruction of Jerusalem becomes a type or figure of the end of the world. That is why it is difficult to group the phrases that refer to one thing or the other. Even the great cosmic upheaval spoken of—“the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven”—does not certainly have to be referred to the end of the world. These are apocalyptic images taken from the prophets, who speak of the fall of empires:

-Is 13:9-10: fall of Babylon;

-Jer 4:23-26: invasion of Judah by the kingdoms of the North; -Ez 32:7-8: destruction of Egypt;

-Am 8:9: a mysterious punishment, not specified.

When Jesus says, “this generation will not pass away until all this happens,” he is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in the year 70 and was a symbol of the destruction of the world.

2. Letters to the Thessalonians

In the two letters to the Thessalonians there are frequent allusions to the “coming of Christ.” The expression leads us to think of Christ’s final glorious coming, at the end of time. But it seems that not all these phrases refer so clearly and unanimously to the final coming; rather, on some occasions they speak of the coming of Christ, of the encounter with him, at the moment of each person’s death. The following can be understood in this sense:

-1 Thess 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 5:23.

In this same sense Saint Paul expresses himself in:

-2 Cor 5:1-10; Phil 1:20-26; 2 Tim 4:6-8.

For this personal encounter with Christ, at the death of each one, we must prepare ourselves. In this same sense we should understand the exhortation to vigilance with which Mt 24 ends. The end of our mortal course is truly imminent. Then we shall give an account to God of our works.

Other texts speak of the manifestation of Christ against the Jewish persecution, which will end with the destruction of Jerusalem, not yet occurred when Paul—around the 50s—writes these letters to the Thessalonians. Paul suffered this Jewish persecution precisely in Thessalonica with special virulence (Acts 16 and 17). Let us see:

-2 Thess 1:1-12; 2:1-12.

This last text is among the darkest and most difficult to interpret.

Among the fundamental truths of Christianity, Paul lists, together with faith and baptism, “the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment.” “Christ will come to judge the living and the dead” (2 Tim 4:1). This formula expresses the universality of the final judgment. In this respect the text of 1 Thess 4:13-18 is clear:

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about the fate of those who have died, so that you may not grieve like men without hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, likewise those who have died in Jesus, God will bring with him.

This is what we tell you as the Word of the Lord: we who are alive and remain until his coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. For the Lord himself, at the voice of the archangel and at the sound of the divine trumpet, will descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up with them in the cloud, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The Thessalonians were concerned about the fate of the dead. They thought that they would not be able to go out to meet Christ at his coming. Paul consoles them by saying that those who have died in the Lord will rise first, to receive the deserved reward. Paul hypothetically places himself among those who will be alive at the coming of the Lord. This has given occasion to think that Paul expected this coming of Christ to be imminent. It is simply a literary device: Paul, in order to dialogue with his interlocutors, speaks in the first person; we find the same thing repeatedly in the following chapter:

-we do not belong to the night (v. 5);

-let us not sleep as the others do (v. 6);

-we belong to the day (v. 8);

-whether awake or asleep, let us live with him (v. 10).

3. When will all this happen?

In every age—Saint Augustine already alludes to this—people have wanted to point out in full detail concrete and imminent dates for the end of the world. All predictions made public have failed. It is enough to read the following texts:

Mt 24:36:

Of that day and hour no one knows anything, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Mt 24:42-44:

Watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Understand this well: if the master of the house knew at what hour of the night the thief was going to come, he would stay awake and would not allow his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also must be prepared, because at a moment you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

1 Thess 5:1-3:

As for the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need for us to write to you. You yourselves know perfectly well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say “peace and security,” then suddenly ruin will come upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman; and they will not escape.

These texts that we have just cited would be enough to deduce that any attempt to announce the end of the world is totally contrary to the Gospel and to Saint Paul, who explicitly say that this date is not revealed.

Source: Apologetica.org