Jehovah's Witnesses - The Eschaton Strikes Again

Eschaton is the Greek term for the end times. The Jehovah's Witnesses have repeatedly predicted the occurrence of the eschaton. This document merely seeks to provide information as to where these predictions may be found within Jehovah's Witnesses literature. We will provide citations and quotations regarding their predictions that Armageddon, the end of the world, would occur in 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975 and 2000.

What we recommend for you to do with this information includes some do's and don'ts:

When Jehovah's Witnesses come to your door do not instantly tell them that they a members of a cult and that they follow false prophets. Do not print this out, hold it in front of their face and say, "What about this huh? Read 'em and weep heretic!"

Jehovah's Witnesses distribute more literature than any other religious group but they are trained not to accept any literature from non- Jehovah's Witnesses. Even if they take something you give them they will likely through it away as soon as possible.

Your best bet is to accept whatever literature that they want to offer you. Tell them the truth, which is that you are interested in what they have to say and will read it.

Moreover, tell them that you are interested in Jehovah's Witnesses and have heard certain things about them. Tell them that you do not have access to a lot of Jehovah's Witnesses publications, magazines and books, and that you would like their help in tracking certain things down. Since they are able to go to the Kingdom Hall and do research in their libraries ask them if they could do one or more of the following things. It depends on how you want to handle it but the point is to give them the information above and making them research whether their publications state these things or not.

You may try printing the portion of this document that contains their quotes and citations. Then tell them that you found this information somewhere and would like to know whether these things are accurate or not. They should do the research and get back to you. Or you could cut and paste from this document only the citations and in this way simply provide them a list of references. They should research them, make you a photocopy of each of the pages and then get back in touch with you.

The point is to get them to go to their Kingdom Halls, do the research, find these things out for themselves, ask their elders about it. This should lead them to see the truth about their group, to see that some of these publications may have been recalled by the Watchtower and no longer available. Have them feel the problematic nature of simply asking these sort of questions to their fellow Jehovah's Witnesses and elders. And, of course, to have them leave the Watchtower and come to Jesus.

Armageddon 1914

The Watchtower Reprints, January 15, 1892, p. 1355
"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."

The Watchtower Reprints, July 15, 1894, p. 1672
"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."

The Watchtower Reprints, September 15, 1901, p. 2876
"The culmination of the trouble in October, 1914, is clearly marked in the Scriptures; and we are bound therefore to expect a beginning of that severe trouble not later than 1910; - with severe spasms between now and then."

The Watchtower Reprints, June 15, 1905, p. 3576
Charts showing 1914 date.

The Time Is at Hand (SS-2), 1907 ed., pp. 76-77
"In this chapter we will 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 A.D. 1914; and that date will be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men."

The Time Is at Hand (SS-2), 1907 ed., pp. 77-78
"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.
Secondly, It will prove that he whose right it is thus to take the domination will then be present as earth's new Ruler…
Thirdly, It will prove that some time before the end of A.D. 1914 the last member of the divinely recognized Church of Christ, the 'royal priesthood,' 'the body of Christ,' will be glorified with the Head…
Fourthly, It will prove that from that time forward Jerusalem shall no longer be trodden down by the Gentiles…
Fifthly, it will prove that by that date, or sooner, Israel's blindness will begin to be turned away…
Sixthly, It will prove that the great 'time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,' will reach its culmination in a world-wide reign of anarchy…
Seventhly, It will prove that before that date God's Kingdom, organized in power, will be in the earth and then smite and crush the Gentile image (Dan. 2:34) - and fully consume the power of these kings."

The Time Is at Hand (SS-2), 1907 ed., p. 101
"The 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced."

Armageddon 1918

The Finished Mystery (SS-7), 1917 ed., p. 62
"The data presented in comments on Rev. 2:1 prove that the conquest of Judea was not completed until the day of the Passover, A.D. 73, and in the light of the foregoing Scriptures, prove that the Spring of 1918 will bring upon Christendom a spasm of anguish greater even than that experienced in the Fall of 1914. Reexamine the table of the Parallel Dispensations in STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, Vol. 2, pages 246 and 247; change the 37 to 40, 70 to 73, and 1914 to 1918, and we believe it is correct and will be fulfilled 'with great power and glory.' (Mark 13:26)"

The Finished Mystery (SS-7), 1917 ed., p. 404
"The trouble is due to the dawning of the Day of Christ, the Millennium. It is the Day of Vengeance, which began in the world war of 1914 and which will break like a furious morning storm in 1918. - Lam. 4:18."

The Finished Mystery (SS-7), 1917 ed., 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 Watchtower Reprints, May 1, 1918, p. 6243
"That the harvest began in 1878, there is ample and convincing proof. The end of the harvest is due in the spring of 1918."

Armageddon 1925

The Watchtower, September 1, 1922, p. 262
"The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated the Scriptures because it is fixed by the law God gave to Israel. Viewing the present situation in Europe, one wonders how it will be possible to hold back the explosion much longer; and that even before 1925 the great crisis will be reached and probably passed."

The Watchtower, April 1, 1923, p. 106
"1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures, marking the end of the typical jubilees...As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had (so far as the Scriptures reveal) upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge."

The Watchtower, July 15, 1924, p. 211
"The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914."

The Watchtower, August 1, 1926, p. 232
"Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not so state."

Vindication I, 1931 ed., pp. 338-339
"There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah's faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1914, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time. Later the faithful learned that those dates were definitely fixed in the Scriptures, and they also learned to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date."

Armageddon 1975

Life Everlasting-in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966 ed., p. 29
"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."

Kingdom Ministry, March 1968, p. 4
"There are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of man's existence on earth is completed…The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out."

The Watchtower, August 15, 1968, p. 494
"What about all this talk concerning the year 1975? Lively discussions, some based on speculation, have burst into flame during recent months among serious students of the Bible. Their interest has been kindled by the belief that 1975 will mark the end of 6,000 years of human history since Adam's creation.
The nearness of such an important date indeed fires the imagination and presents unlimited possibilities for discussion."

Awake!, October 8, 1968, p. 14
"There is another way that helps confirm the fact that we are living in the final few years of this "time of the end." (Dan. 12:9) The Bible shows that we are nearing the end of a full 6,000 years of human history. What significance does this have?...Revelation chapter 20, verse 6, shows that God's heavenly kingdom will rule over the earth for one thousand years after the end of this system of things…The seventh one-thousand-year period could be likened to the seventh day, the sabbath, of that week…
How fitting it would be for God, following this pattern, to end man's misery after six thousand years of human rule and follow it with His glorious Kingdom rule for a thousand years…According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in 4026 B.C.E….That seven-year period will evidently finish in the autumn of the year 1975."

Aid to Bible Understanding, 1971 ed., p. 333
"Total time period form Adam's creation to the present year, 1969, C.E.: 5,994 years."

Armageddon 2000

The Watchtower, January 1, 1989, p. 12 (magazine only, it was changed in bound volume)
"The apostle Paul was spearheading the Christian missionary activity. He was also laying a foundation for a work that would be completed in our 20th century."

Awake! November 8, 1986, p. 78
"For the year 2000, I visualize a world transformed into a beautiful paradise! But I don't think that either the present world or its rulers will live to see that day.. We are living in the last days of the system of things."

The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah - How?, 1971
"Shortly, within our twentieth century, the 'battle in the day of Jehovah' will begin against the modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom."