Jehovah’s Witnesses have an interesting history. One that is bold in its predictions and just as humiliating in its failures. And rather than falling apart, Jehovah’s Witnesses were somehow able to hold the whole thing together.
The “somehow” is really quite interesting because, from the outside looking in it’s easy to see how. But for someone in the middle of it, it’s not so easy.
Jehovah’s Witnesses rely heavily upon the people that publish their Bible Study materials and sermon outlines. Everything taught to Jehovah’s Witnesses comes from the organization’s governing body. That governing body is considered to be the “faithful and discreet slave” that serves as a “channel of communication” between the people and God. Notice how it is worded here in the October 1st, 1994 edition of the Watchtower Magazine.
Found on Page 8 of the October 1st, 1994, Watchtower Magazine. You can read it here. And you can still read what Jehovah’s Witnesses teach today about their governing body. They still call them the Faithful and Discreet Slave. But the part I’d like you to really pay attention to is that last line.
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.”
Pay attention because this is important. The governing body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to be the only conduit through which people can understand God.
That is why their preachers don’t create their own sermons. They can’t be trusted with that. The Faithful and Discreet Slave must do it for them. The governing body is the conduit through which the people can understand God and His Word.
This is the reason that the governing body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses produce so many materials and don’t allow their church members to read other materials. They can’t be trusted with that. The Faithful and Discreet Slave must do it or the people will not understand God and His Word.
For most people reading this today it will sound very strange. But this is helpful. These people are claiming to speak for God and should be treated as such. They are claiming to be the “channel of communication” between God and man. They are claiming the role of a prophet, which is massively helpful.
Now we have a way of thinking through what they claim and a way to deal with what they say. Treat them like a prophet, for that is what they claim to be.
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’– when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 ESV)
As you may be aware, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to have the only correct Bible translation. It is called The New World Translation. And you could probably guess who published it, The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. They are the publishing arm of The Faithful and Discreet Slave that dispenses all information to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Just in case a Jehovah’s Witness is reading this, I’d like to use their translation to prove to them that what I am saying is true.
If any prophet presumptuously speaks a word in my name that I did not command him to speak or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. However, you may say in your heart: “How will we know that Jehovah has not spoken the word?” When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word is not fulfilled or does not come true, then Jehovah did not speak that word. The prophet spoke it presumptuously. You should not fear him.’ Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NWT)
Both translations proclaim that the person who claims to have a word from the Lord that does not come true, is a person was to be put to death. Because we don’t live in a theocracy, we are not going to be putting people to death. But the application for us is that we “need not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:22). And it means that we treat that person as if they have committed a horrific sin and ignore what they have to say.
And so I am going to post some information on a few of their failed prophecies. And my reason for doing this is for you to understand what they are. I am bringing the evidence before you that they claim to speak for God but do not. If you are a Jehovah’s Witness reading this, I hope you’ll take this evidence and mull it over. If you are not, I hope you will consider these things next time you talk with them. Their leaders are false prophets who have drawn multitudes of people into falsehoods. And they have proven this with every failed prophecy.
Every sermon, Bible Study, Watch Tower, and Awake Publications are to be marked by you as coming from a false prophet. They are to be marked as such and avoided. For they have claimed to speak for God and obviously do not. And these false prophecies prove it!
1914 Came and Went
Charles Taze Russel was the founder of the Bible Student movement that later became the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 1879 he began the Bible journal that was eventually called “The Watch Tower” and he founded the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1884. His books and booklets circulated far and wide. And he was, for a while, the only Faithful and Discreet Slave for what would become the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was himself the governing body that was the conduit through which others could understand God and the Scriptures.
In 1889, Charles Taze Russell predicted the complete overthrow of “earth’s present rulership”. And he said it would happen in 1914.
In this chapter we present the Bible evidence proving that the full end of the times of the Gentiles, the full end of their lease of dominion, be reached in A. D. 1 9 1 4 ; and that that date will be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men. (Charles Taze Russell, “The Time is at Hand”, accessed here, Pp. 76-77.
And a few pages later, he wrote.
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 A. D. 1878, and that 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. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God’s Word.” (Charles Taze Russell, “The Time is at Hand”, accessed here, p. 101.
And all one has to do in the Year of Our Lord 2025 is look around and you can see that it did not happen. But Russell was not finished. Before he died, he proposed that he was not wrong. He proposed that Jesus was ruling physically on Earth, but the Gentiles were going to be allowed to tarry a few more years.
It still seems clear to us that the prophetic period known as the Times of the Gentiles ended chronologically in October 1914. The fact that the great day of wrath upon the nation began there marks a good fulfillment of our expectations. The Gentile nations were guaranteed a certain amount of possession and control for a certain period of time. That time having expired, dispossession proceedings are now in process. The winds of strife, winds of war, are let loose with great damage to the whole world, weaking the kingdoms of Europe in respect to their best blood and their financial strength.
How long the war may last, who can say? All the belligerent nations are proud and self-confident. The humbling, which the Bible mentions, has not yet been accomplished. it is possible that the war may continue for quite a while yet, before the nations shall have been weakened and humbled sufficiently to desire peace. Then will come other troubles. Revolution will threaten; the governments will associate themselves still more firmly with the nominal church systems, both seeking protection and strength. Next we may expect the great collapse of spiritual Babylon, leading on to the great revolution earthquake of Revelation. “So mighty an earthquake was not since men were upon the earth.” (Revelation 16:18)
This in turn, will lead on, according to our understanding of the Bible, to the terrible anarchy, in which all present institutions will succumb before the fire of human passion, prejudice, etc. Then, at the auspicious moment, the Gentile dominions having passed away, Messiah’s kingdom will manifest itself for the blessing of the whole world, and will prove to be “the desire of all peoples.” (Haggai 2:7.
We see no reason for doubting, therefore, that the Times of the Gentiles ended in October, 1914; and that a few more years will witness their utter collapse and the full establishment of God’s kingdom in the hands of Messiah. But by that time, the Elijah class will have passed beyond the Veil; for “when he [Jesus] shall appear in his glory, we [the church] also will appear with him.” (Watchtower Magazine, September 1, 1916. accessed here.
If you think about what happened here, then you’ll notice how everything shifted. This man who claimed to be the Faithful and Discreet Slave who delivered this food to all the people was wrong. But he didn’t admit that he’d been wrong and ride off into the sunset. He continued to publish, preach, and teach. And instead of admitting that he was wrong he simply said that he was off by a few years, and it would happen soon. And with a world war shaking out, many people believed him.
But again, look around and notice that evil rulers are still doing evil ruler things upon the Earth.
Looking ahead, in 1920’s the Jehovah’s Witness leadership had to do something about this failed prediction. Rather famously, the International Bible Student Association, which became the Jehovah’s Witnesses published a tract that seems to have fixed the 1914 problem. In 1922, it stated that Jesus took His throne on Earth in 1914 and now reigned invisibly.
For forty years and more before the World War the Bible Students, under the leadership of Pastor Russell, predicted that 1914 would mark the beginning of world trouble. Their predictions came true, as the facts now fully show.
The Bible Students hold and teach that the Lord’s kingdom for which Christians have been praying for nineteen hundred years is at hand, and that the Lord Jesus, invisible to man, is now present and beginning His reign, that the nations are now dashing themselves to pieces to make way for the righteous reign of Messiah, and that His reign will bring the desire of all nations, namely, peace on earth, good will to men, life, liberty, and happiness.”
But as far as fixing problems goes, this is like the time I stripped a bolt in my Dodge Durango and decided to try and drill it out. I missed and instead of a $20 repair, it cost me over $500. I’m still sour about it almost a decade later. I should’ve stopped and took it to the shop, it would’ve cost a lot less. By covering up one problem, they created others and made matters worse.
Where was Jesus from the time He ascended until the year 1914?
What do you mean He was not reigning until 1914?
What did Jesus say to His disciples when He ascended?
The New World Translation, which is a product of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, is a corrupt version of the Bible. I don’t use it because I trust it. I use it here because Jehovah’s Witnesses trust it. They went out of their way to misinterpret many passages of Scripture, but men can’t come up with a way to cover all their tracks. Even in their mangling of the Bible, they didn’t cover up the fact that Jesus is and has been reigning for a very long time. Notice what Jesus said to His disciples, even in their translation.
Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NWT)
It’s not as if Jesus didn’t reign until 1914. He ruled and reigned when He spoke these words to His disciples.
The very basis for Jesus telling the Disciples to go forth and make disciples was His authority. He ruled and reigned, so they went. And we read where they went in the Book of Acts. Because Jesus already had all authority, they went to the ends of the Earth.
1975 Came and Went
There were other false prophecies, but I’d like to focus in on 1975.
In 1966 the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society published a book entitled “Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God”.
In the new French edition of 1940 of La Sainte Bible, by J. N. Darby, the chronological data give the time as 4,000 years from Adam’s creation to the birth of the Messiah (Christ). In agreement with this is the German Lutheran clergyman, Abraham Calovius (Calov), born 1612 in Prussia, died 1686. See Chronological data in the Swedish Biblia Thet ar All then Heliga Skrift PA twentieth century an independent study has been carried on that does not blindly follow some traditional chronological calculations of Christendom, and the published timetable resulting from this independent study gives the date of man’s creation as 4026 B.C.E.f According to this trust- worthy 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. “Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God” Pp. 28-29 it can be accessed here Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God
Throughout the end of the book, we see that this was the date they believed Armageddon would happen.
And this was not the only writing. For instance, Awake stated the same thing.
“Fifteen years from 1960 brings us to 1975. He predicted that by 1975 this world would be too dangerous! Interestingly, this date is also the one indicated by the most reliable Bible research as marking the end of 6,000 years of rebellion of men and demons against God.
We can be confident that soon, now, almighty God, Jehovah, for a certainty will bring this lawless system of things to an end. He will rid the world of lawlessness by smashing the hopeless rule of men and demons.” Awake!, can be accessed here.
People were in a fervor and by all counts the Jehovah’s Witnesses grew rapidly as their claims grew widespread. Leaders in the movement grabbed national attention. They even did interviews where they warned the people of Armageddon coming in 1975.
Here is audio from an interview given in 1968 from a London Watch Tower spokesmen. In it, he echoed what had already been published far and wide. Armageddon would come in 1975.
But again 1975 came and went. Armageddon did not happen. New Years 1976 came and everything was the same, except a large number of Jehovah’s Witnesses that left the faith never to return. This response makes sense because many sold all they had to focus on evangelism. But what were they to do now that it was 1976 and the prediction proved false?
Would The Faithful and Discreet Slave admit wrong and so reveal their self to all that they are false prophets?
Obviously not.
They did what abusive people all over the globe do every day. They blamed it on those who took them seriously. They blamed it on the people that had trusted them.
In “A Solid Basis for Confidence”, an article in the July 15, 1976 issue of The Watch Tower, we read.
15. If a person has regulated his life with the view that the end would come on a certain date, what should he now do?
15 But it is not advisable for us to set our sights on a certain date, neglecting everyday things we would ordinarily care for as Christians, such as things that we and our families really need. We may be forgetting that, when the “day” comes, it will not change the principle that Christians must at all times take care of all their responsibilities. If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.
The Watch Tower “A Solid Basis for Confidence”, July 15, 1976
This was the first time I’d read this response. And it made me angry. I was furious. And the reason for that is that these people had placed complete trust in the self-proclaimed Faithful and Discreet Slave. And when it didn’t happen they were told it was their fault. These poor people were told that they just didn’t understand things rightly.
Scroll back up to the prophecies of 1975. The governing body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses called their prediction trustworthy and biblical, yet it didn’t come to pass. They expressed confidence that these predictions would come to pass. And then, when 1976 happened claimed they shouldn’t have been taken so seriously.
Is God Wrong?
Let me frame this another way. These people claimed to be the conduit through which people understood God and His Word. Yet, they’ve been wrong time and time again. Who is wrong? Is it God? Or is it the people claiming to speak for God?
Obviously, the answer is those people that are claiming to speak for God. God, who does not lie or change his mind (Numbers 23:19) is not wrong. God who knows the end from the beginning is not guessing as to when the end will come, He knows it already (Isaiah 46:9-10).
It is not God that is wrong. It is the self-proclaimed Faithful and Discreet Slave that has been wrong and attempted to cover it up over and over again.
How Could This Happen?
The governing body for the Jehovah’s Witnesses produce EVERYTHING that a faithful Jehovah’s Witness reads or studies. They produce the Bible they’re allowed to read, Bible studies, magazines, tracts, booklets, and books. The sermons preached on Sunday Morning are created by the governing body and given to preachers to deliver to their churches. EVERYTHING is controlled by the governing body, the self-proclaimed Faithful and Discreet slave, the self-proclaimed conduit through which people can understand their Bibles and God. And the people are taught that they can’t know God’s Word without the materials that the governing body gives.
How can this happen?
How could it not happen?
The Faithful and Discreet Slave speaks for God to the people. That’s what Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught to think. Any excuse they make for missing a prophecy is coming straight from the conduit given to them to understand God. Any change made comes straight from the Faithful and Discreet Slave to the people.
And who are they to question it?
The False Prophet
We didn’t discuss the failed prophecies that fell between 1914 and 1975. Nor did we discuss the more recent ones. There are lists out there if you want to explore them. But these two are enough to prove my point.
The governing body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is a body of false prophets claiming to speak for God. They have repeatedly proven that they do not speak for God. They are in heinous sin and will stand before God someday in judgment for their wicked deceptions.
Remember the Scripture from earlier.
If any prophet presumptuously speaks a word in my name that I did not command him to speak or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. However, you may say in your heart: “How will we know that Jehovah has not spoken the word?” When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word is not fulfilled or does not come true, then Jehovah did not speak that word. The prophet spoke it presumptuously. You should not fear him.’ Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NWT)
The supposed channel to understand God’s Word and God Himself has committed a sin worthy of death. And you do not need to fear them.
If you are or have been deceived by these people, I pray you find a good and faithful church to call home. I pray you find a pastor that loves and cares for you and walks through coming out of this with you. I pray you find God the Son through the power of God the Holy Spirit and you are united to the Father.
Come out from among them and live in the freedom that Christ gives.
Image Attribution: Kerry Raymond, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Leave a Reply