One of the most curious doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses holds that the coming of Christ which all Christians await already occurred in 1914, but invisibly.
Yes, you have read correctly: they claim that Christ returned but in an invisible manner, and that is why no one could see Him, and that He is now reigning, from heaven, over the earth.
Background.
To understand where this doctrine originated, we must study a little of the history of the Watch Tower Society and its failed prophecies about the end of the world.
One of the basic pillars of the Society is its teaching about Armageddon and the end of what they call “this system of things.” Throughout their history they have been characterized by believing that the end is just around the corner, repeatedly announcing it for 1914, 1918, 1925, 1941, and 1975.
“In view of the strong Biblical evidence, we consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world and the complete establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth will be accomplished by the end of 1914.”[1]
“In this chapter we give the Biblical evidence that affirms that the Times of the Gentiles will end in 1914. This means that by this date the Kingdom of God will be firmly established on earth. The Kingdom of which Christ taught us: Thy Kingdom come.”[2]
“This war will culminate in the battle of Armageddon; signifying the permanent and complete establishment of the Kingdom of the Messiah.”[3]
However, 1914 passed and nothing happened. Instead of learning from their error, they stumbled over the same stone again and again, repeatedly shifting the date.
“The Day of Vengeance, which began with the World War of 1914, will burst forth in a furious storm in 1918.”[4]
“We have only a few months left before the great night manifests itself.”[5]
“What will the year 1918 bring?… Christians expect to see the hopes of the Church completely fulfilled.”[6]
“As we have already indicated, the great jubilee cycle will end in 1925. At that time the earthly phase of the Kingdom will be recognized. Therefore we can confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful Prophets of antiquity, especially those named by the Apostle in Hebrews, chapter 11.”[7]
“The most indispensable of the things that must be restored is the life of the human race, and inasmuch as there are various citations which without question indicate the resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other faithful ones of ancient times, these will enjoy the first favor; we may expect that the year 1925 will witness the return of these faithful ones, coming forth from the grave, fully restored to human perfection and constituted as legal and visible representatives of the new order of things on earth. Once the Messianic Kingdom is established, the great Messiah, composed of Jesus and His glorified Church, will dispense upon the world the blessings so long awaited and desired.”[8]
They even went so far as to build a mansion for the patriarchs to live in when they rose from the dead—which, as one might imagine, did not go to waste, being used by their president until his death.
It is to be supposed that when 1925 passed and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not rise from the dead, the leaders of the governing body thought to themselves: “Blast!” It is said that they were grieved because the end of this “iniquitous system of things” had not come.
The fiasco was such that the very president of the Jehovah’s Witnesses had to acknowledge that he had made himself look foolish when his predictions of the end were not fulfilled—something they took as an example of humility.
“Examples of humility to be imitated…
Another faithful servant of our times whom Jehovah made great use of was Joseph F. Rutherford, mentioned at the beginning of the article. He was a courageous defender of biblical truth and, in particular, of the name of Jehovah. Although generally known as Judge Rutherford, he was a humble man at heart. For example, on one occasion he made categorical statements regarding what events Christians could expect in 1925. When what he anticipated did not come to pass, he humbly told the Brooklyn Bethel family that he had made a fool of himself.”[9]
But it would be necessary to keep stumbling over the same stone:
“The work of the Witness for the Theocracy seems to have been done in the majority of the countries of Christendom; we are anxiously and attentively awaiting the signal for the battle of Armageddon.”[10]
“The new book “Children” will prove useful in the last months that remain before Armageddon.”[11]
“We are in the months close to the battle of Armageddon.”[12]
“According to reliable Biblical chronology, six thousand years from the creation of man will end in 1975 and the seventh thousand-year period of human history will begin in the autumn of 1975 A.D. So 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth will soon be over.”[13]
“According to a more recent calculation of the Bible’s timetable, six thousand years of man’s existence will end in the second half of the year 1975. The biblical millennium lies before us.”[14]
“Note, brothers, that only 90 months remain before the existence of man on earth is completed.”[15]
The worst of all lies in the psychological consequences that can result from having the end of the world just around the corner, and how this is exploited by the sect to take advantage of its members. One example is found in the following publication, which recommends postponing marriage until eternal peace has come upon the earth:
“It is better to postpone our marriage until eternal peace has come upon the earth. Right now we must not increase our burden; we must be free for the Lord.”[16]
The reader can well imagine how many Jehovah’s Witnesses took this advice seriously and postponed their marriage while awaiting eternal peace.
“Having children today…
Now, more than ever, “the time left is reduced.” Yes, the time remaining is limited for Jehovah’s people to finish the work He has entrusted to them, namely: “This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14.) That work must be accomplished before the end comes. Therefore it is appropriate for Christians to ask themselves what effect their getting married, or if married, their having children will have on their participation in that vital work.”[17]
Just imagine how many married couples, believing that the time was “reduced,” decided not to have children.
But things did not stop there, and the Watchtower was happy to receive not only the properties of its members given that the end was imminent, but also to encourage others to do the same:
“Reports are heard of brothers who are selling their homes and property and making plans to finish out the rest of these days of this old system in the pioneer service.
Certainly this is a fine way to use the short time remaining before the end of this wicked world. —1 John 2:17”[18]
They recommended that parents guide their children toward trades such as plumbing or carpentry and avoid long careers like medicine or engineering, so that they could support themselves and thus devote more time to “preaching”:
“If you, the reader, are a young person, you also have to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years.”…Therefore, as a young person, you will never pursue any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, that means at least four, maybe even six or eight more years to obtain your degree in a specialized profession. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well along toward its finish, if it has not actually disappeared!
That is why to parents who base their life on God’s prophetic Word it is much more practical to direct their young ones into trades that do not require such long periods of additional education. And trades such as carpentry, plumbing and others, not only will be useful now, but may be even more so in the reconstruction work that will be done in God’s new order.
With such practical trades, many young people have been able to support themselves by working part-time. This allows them to spend much more of their time helping people who show interest to learn God’s requirements for life by studying the Bible with them.”[19]
When I showed this magazine to a Jehovah’s Witness, he replied that it was more than 30 years old and that point of view had been “corrected,” but the fact remains that there are surely a good number of 45-year-olds who, having wanted to study medicine or engineering, ended up as carpenters or plumbers — all because the sect found it convenient to keep them spending more time “preaching” (distributing its literature).
The Generation of 1914.
After stumbling so many times over the same stone, the WT’s doctrine takes its current form, in which they claim that in 1914 Christ did become “present” but in an “invisible” way, is “reigning in the midst of his enemies,” and will finish establishing God’s Kingdom and eternal peace in due course.
“On October 2, 1914, Charles Taze Russell, then president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, boldly announced: “The Gentile Times have ended; their kings have had their day.” How true those words proved to be! Although invisible to human eyes, in October 1914 an event of world-shaking importance occurred in heaven. Jesus Christ, the permanent heir to “the throne of David,” began reigning as King over all mankind. (Luke 1:32, 33; Revelation 11:15.)”[20]
This quotation is very revealing because it attempts to turn Russell’s great failure in predicting the end of the world for 1914 into a perfectly fulfilled but unverifiable prediction. Although anyone with a shred of common sense might ask how it is that Christ is reigning, given that the world sinks into ever greater immorality each day (more abortions are performed, same-sex marriage is legalized, euthanasia is legalized, wars, murders, and thefts continue), they have also devised an ingenious answer:
“But — you may ask — if Christ began ruling in 1914, why did conditions on Earth worsen? Because Satan still existed, mankind’s invisible enemy. Satan had access to heaven until 1914. But that changed when God’s Kingdom was established in 1914. “War broke out in heaven.” (Revelation 12:7.) Satan and his demons were defeated and hurled down to the Earth, which produced catastrophic effects on mankind. The Bible predicted: “Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing that he has a short period of time.” (Revelation 12:12.)”[21]
This doctrine also includes the belief that God’s Kingdom on earth would be definitively established before the generation of 1914 passed away.
“If Jesus used the word “generation” in that sense and we apply it to 1914, then the infants of that generation are now 70 years of age or more. And others who were alive in 1914 are now more than 80 or 90 years old, and some have even reached 100. Many millions of people of that generation are still alive. Some of them “will by no means pass away until all things occur.” (Luke 21:32.)
From a purely human standpoint, it might seem that those events would hardly be able to occur before the generation of 1914 passes from the scene. But the fulfillment of all the foretold events affecting the generation of 1914 does not depend on human efforts, which are relatively slow. The prophetic word that Jehovah uttered through Christ Jesus is: “This generation [of 1914] will by no means pass away until all things occur” (Luke 21:32). Moreover, Jehovah, who is the source of inspired and unfailing prophecy, will bring about the fulfillment of his Son’s words within a relatively short period of time. (Isaiah 46:9, 10; 55:10, 11.)
The nearness of God’s Kingdom today means the end of the divisive political, religious, and commercial systems of our time. It means that a new, just government will be introduced for all obedient people of mankind. You can choose everlasting life under this arrangement of “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13; John 17:3). Yes, you can live to see this promised New Order, along with the survivors of the generation of 1914… the generation that will not pass away.”[22]
Up to this point we have seen the antecedents of this doctrine and its final form. I will now proceed to make a biblical analysis of its arguments.
The Method of Calculating the Date of 1914
The following is how Jehovah’s Witnesses explain how they calculate the date of 1914:
“If you open your Bible to the fourth chapter of Daniel, you will find a prophecy that reveals God’s purpose regarding exercising his sovereignty over the Earth. The purpose behind the fulfillment of that prophecy is stated to be “that people living may know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind, and that he gives it to whomever he wants” (verses 2, 3, 17). We know that the person “to whom” the Most High gives “the kingdom” is Christ Jesus. And the last book of the Bible speaks of the time when Christ as heavenly King is given “the kingdom of the world.” (Revelation 11:15; 12:10.) This means, then, that Daniel’s prophecy deals with the time when God would intervene in human affairs by giving “the kingdom of the world” to Jesus Christ. When does the prophecy show that would happen?
7 The prophetic dream recorded in Daniel describes a huge tree that was cut down and banded with iron and copper until “seven times” passed over it. During that time it would be given “the heart of a beast.” (Daniel 4:10-16.) What did this mean? God caused Daniel to explain: Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, would lose his sanity and be removed from his throne and driven away from men, and would live like a beast. After seven years the king would regain his sanity. This actually happened to the king, and he was restored to his throne as someone who acknowledged the superiority of God’s sovereignty. (Daniel 4:20-37.) However, all of this had a greater significance, and for that reason it is recorded in the Bible.
8 The greater significance has to do with a more powerful rulership that would benefit every living creature on Earth. Of that rulership, as the prophecy says, there would be “food for all,” and protection even for the animals and the birds. (Daniel 4:12.) The only rulership that can truly supply these benefits is God’s Kingdom. The righteous principles of that government were demonstrated through the history of Judah, with its kings in Jerusalem. But, because of the unfaithfulness that manifested itself, Jehovah allowed the kingdom of Judah to be conquered by Babylon in 607 B.C.E. It was as if the tree in the dream had been cut down and restraining bands placed around the stump. Without divine intervention, national governments have exercised world domination since then. Since these national kingdoms are represented in the Bible by “beasts,” it was as if an angel from heaven had proclaimed: “Let the heart of a beast be given to it, and let seven times pass over it.” (Daniel 4:16; 8:1-8, 20-22.) In time, however, those “seven times” of rulership by beastlike governments would expire. Then the “bands” would be removed, and the “tree” would grow again as the one to whom Jehovah would give “the kingdom of the world” would begin to exercise world domination.
9 How long would those “seven times” last? Much longer than seven years, for centuries later Jesus Christ indicated that these “appointed times of the nations” were still continuing. The nations had had world domination since Babylon’s conquest of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E., and would continue to have it for some time yet. (Luke 21:24.)
10 Note how the Bible refers to prophetic “times.” Revelation 11:2, 3 shows that 1,260 days make up 42 months, or three and a half years. Revelation 12:6, 14 mentions the same number of days (1,260), but calls them “a time and times and half a time,” or three and a half “times.” Each of those “times” is 360 days (3 1/2 × 360 = 1,260). Each day of those prophetic “times” represents a full year, according to the “a day for a year” principle. (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.) Thus the “seven times” are 2,520 years (7 × 360). Counting from the autumn of 607 B.C.E., when Babylon overthrew the typical kingdom of God in Judah, 2,520 years bring us to the autumn of 1914 A.D. (606 1/4 + 1913 3/4 = 2,520). In that year “the kingdom of the world” was to be entrusted to Jesus Christ.”[23]
In order for the reader to appreciate how absurd this method of calculating the date of the end of the age is, he must read the fourth chapter of Daniel in its entirety. First of all, it must be noted that the passage cited — in which Jehovah’s Witnesses claim God “reveals his purpose regarding exercising his sovereignty over the Earth” — refers not to the end of the age, but to teaching Nebuchadnezzar a lesson, for in his pride he did not acknowledge God’s sovereignty. Daniel himself makes this plain when he interprets the prophecy:
“This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: You shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”[24]
This is the explanation of the prophet himself as he interprets the very passage that Jehovah’s Witnesses claim reflects God’s purpose to exercise his sovereignty over the earth:
“The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will, and sets over it the lowliest of men.”[25]
Thus they have taken that passage out of context, because there, although God does exercise his sovereignty by humbling Nebuchadnezzar, they have tried to make it appear that the text refers to God’s definitive sovereignty at the end of the age.
But that is not the only instance in which they take texts out of context — for example, when they claim:
“However, all of this had a greater significance, and for that reason it is recorded in the Bible. The greater significance has to do with a more powerful rulership that would benefit every living creature on Earth. Of that rulership, as the prophecy says, there would be “food for all,” and protection even for the animals and the birds. (Daniel 4:12.) The only rulership that can truly supply these benefits is God’s Kingdom.”
Apart from what Daniel himself already interpreted in that prophecy, they find another “greater” significance that apparently escaped the prophet Daniel’s notice, and the basis for this is that a more powerful rulership is mentioned from which there would be “food for all,” which according to them could refer only to the reign of Christ. However, they fail again here, since Daniel himself interpreted the tree from which all the inhabitants fed as a metaphor describing the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
“That tree which you saw, which grew large and strong, whose height reached to heaven and which was visible over all the earth, which had beautiful foliage and abundant fruit, in which there was food for all, under which the beasts of the field found shelter and in whose branches the birds of heaven nested—it is you, O king, who have grown great and strong, whose greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and whose dominion extends to the ends of the earth.”[26]
Then comes the arbitrary association in which they take the 7 times during which Nebuchadnezzar had the heart of a beast as a hidden key that supposedly means 2,520 years (following an arbitrary formula) counted from the fall of Jerusalem — a date that has also drawn heavy criticism since the one they use differs from the one generally accepted by historians.
Before writing this article I expressed to several Jehovah’s Witnesses my view that the association they were drawing between the fourth chapter of Daniel and the end of the age was completely arbitrary, and that there was no reason to seek a “greater significance” beyond the one that Daniel himself, as a prophet of God, gave to the prophecy when he explained it. They simply replied: “You read the Bible like a comic book.” When I pointed out that there was no connection between those 7 times and the period when God’s kingdom would be established following the fall of Jerusalem, they told me: “Your understanding is veiled and your heart is hardened, and that is why you cannot understand it.” Suffice it to say that against such persuasive arguments no one can prevail.
Does the Bible Speak of an “Invisible” Coming of Christ?
Among the countless publications in which Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Christ spoke of his invisible presence is the following:
“Shortly before finishing his ministry on Earth, Jesus predicted the sign of his invisible presence in Kingdom power. (Matthew, chapters 24 and 25.) He clearly described what the times would be like during his real presence, and the events that fulfill the prophecy show that he was enthroned in the heavens in 1914. He also pointed to a situation that at that time would put to the test the authenticity of our faith. This had to do with the moment when Jesus would act as Executioner to destroy the present wicked system in the great tribulation, for he said: “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, not even the angels of the heavens, nor the Son, but only the Father.” With this in mind, he went on to say: “Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:36, 42.)”
The truth is that if you read the whole of Matthew chapters 24 and 25, you will not find Jesus speaking of his “invisible” presence. The text begins when the disciples show him the temple in amazement, and Jesus tells them that not one stone will be left upon another.
“Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?””[27]
As can be seen, they ask him two questions:
1) “When will this be”: This refers to the destruction of the temple about which Christ had just spoken (which occurred in 70 A.D.).
2) “What will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age”: Here they do ask him about his coming.
Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the Greek word translated here as “coming” is parousia, which actually means “presence.” Upon consulting two Greek dictionaries (Strong’s and Barclay’s), both meanings are acknowledged; however, it is the context that indicates whether that presence is visible or invisible. When Christ responds to his disciples, he begins to describe the events that would occur before his coming (wars, earthquakes, famines) — which Jehovah’s Witnesses erroneously interpret as a sign that he is already present invisibly. After this he speaks of his coming in Matthew 24:30-31:
“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Here Christ’s very words rule out any “invisible” coming, because the text states:
1) “All the tribes of the earth will mourn”: But how could all the tribes of the earth mourn (a sign of lamentation) if his coming was invisible to human eyes?
2) “They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”: It would be absurd for the text to say they will “see” him if he comes in an “invisible” manner.
3) “He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds”: This means that the elect will be brought into the presence of Christ to be with him always. But if Christ already came and did none of this, did he forget to take the Jehovah’s Witnesses with him? No mass disappearance of Jehovah’s Witnesses was recorded in 1914; what was recorded was a mass defection — which is quite a different matter.
Another passage in which Christ’s coming is indicated even more clearly is found in the Apocalypse:
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”[28]
One advocate of the invisible coming told me that since the text says “they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” this proved the coming would be invisible, since the clouds would “cover” him.
Another very clear passage demonstrating that the second coming of Christ will not be invisible is the following:
“For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”[29]
How Should the Attitude of the Watch Tower Society Be Characterized?
It has been altogether irresponsible on the part of the Watch Tower Society to have launched its string of failed prophecies about the end of the age. When this chapter was written, a change in the 1914 doctrine was already foreseeable — indeed necessary — since the generation of 1914 was nearing its end and “the end” had still not come. A possible symptom of this change can be found in the fact that in one of the explanatory phrases included in the section presenting their publication titled “Why Awake! Is Published,” they wrote, before 1995:
“… More important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.”
However, this is what they now write:
“… a peaceful and secure new world that will soon replace the present wicked system of things.”
Does this mean that after stumbling so often over the same stone they are preparing to change course? Time ended up confirming this expectation: in The Watchtower of April 15, 2010, the organization introduced the explanation of the “overlapping generations,” according to which “this generation” would also include the anointed whose lives overlap with those of the ones who witnessed the events of 1914 — thus prolonging, once again, the term of the prophecy.
What Is the Moral of the Story?
Christ’s message is that we should always be prepared because we do not know the day or the hour — not because the end is just around the corner.
Even if the world were to end in ten thousand years, our own end of the world will come when death reaches us and we must give an account to God. Since we cannot know when that will occur, the best course is to be always watchful.
“But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”[30]
Notes
- Studies in the Scriptures 2, pages 76-78, 285 ↩
- Studies in the Scriptures 3, pages 247 / 306 ↩
- The Watchtower (English), April 1, 1915 (Reprint) ↩
- Studies in the Scriptures 7, page 404, 1917 ↩
- The Watchtower (English), October 1, 1917, page 6149 (reprint) ↩
- The Watchtower (English), January 1, 1918, page 6191 (reprint) ↩
- Millions Now Living Will Never Die, page 73, 1920 ↩
- Millions Now Living Will Never Die, pages 72/88, 1920 ↩
- The Watchtower, December 1, 1993 ↩
- The Watchtower (English), September 1, 1940 ↩
- The Watchtower (English), August 15, 1941 ↩
- The Watchtower (English), September 15, 1941 ↩
- Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, pages 29/30, 1966 ↩
- The Watchtower, April 15, 1967 ↩
- Kingdom Ministry (English), March 1968, page 4 ↩
- Children, page 346, 1941 ↩
- The Watchtower, March 1, 1988 ↩
- This appeared in English in Our Kingdom Ministry, in the May 1974 issue ↩
- Awake!, August 29, 1969, p. 15 ↩
- The 1914 generation… why is it significant? The Watchtower, May 1, 1992, pp. 6-7 ↩
- The 1914 generation… why is it significant? The Watchtower, May 1, 1992, pp. 6-7 ↩
- 1914… the generation that will not pass away. The Watchtower, May 15, 1984, pp. 4-7 ↩
- The marked year… 1914 C.E. (You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, pp. 69-85) ↩
- Daniel 4,21-22 ↩
- Daniel 4,14 ↩
- Daniel 4,17-19 ↩
- Matthew 24,1-3 ↩
- Revelation 1,7 ↩
- 1 Thessalonians 4,15-18 ↩
- Luke 12,39-40 ↩
