Watchtower Contradicts The Lord's
Presence
"...Bible chronology also
fixes the time for Christ's second presence and the assuming of his right to rule as at
1914; this date was published in The Watchtower as early as 1879, 35 years before
1914." [The Sign of Christ's Presence, p.3]
Once again the Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society [legal representatives of the Jehovah's Witnesses] have been caught
in a "historical revisionism", that of rewriting their history in a more
favorable light. As is quite often the case with the Society, when it wishes to re-write
its history, no specific information relating to the 1879 Watchtower issue is
provided, [e.g. no date, no page number, no paragraph, etc.]
In a similar situation, the Watchtower
of January 15, 1993 p. 5 states: "The Watchtower has consistently presented
evidence...that Jesus' presence in heavenly kingdom power began in 1914."
How does we know for sure that the
Watchtower is not being truthful? For one, we have access to the original Watch Tower's.
Both the Originals and the Reprints for those years were reviewed for the 1914 date, as
well as a computer database search of the complete set of Watchtower's from 1879 -
1916, the search came up void, empty. The claims of the society were not found.
Could there have been an oversight on
our part? Possibly, but not probable. As a Bible Student historian the facts show that the
Watchtower Society did not even espouse the 1914 date for Jesus' second presence until
1943. So the Society could not have published the year 1914 for Jesus' second presence. In
fact, evidence shows that for some thirty years since 1914, the Society taught 1874 as the
year of Jesus' return.
Let the evidence stand on its own,
the Society's own writings is sufficient enough to condemn them. Below are some quotations
from the Society's own publications which further reveal that they could not have
published the 1914 date for Jesus' second presence in 1879, because they believed, up to
1943, that Jesus' second presence started in 1874.
"It is true that the editor and
publisher of Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Second presence calculated that the
"presence" or parousia of the heavenly bridegroom began in the year 1874 C.E.
...In the year 1943 the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society published the book "The
Truth Shall Make You Free." In its chapter 11, entitled "The Count of Time"
it did away with the insertion of 100 years into the period of the Judges and went
according to the oldest and most authentic reading of Acts 13:20, and accepted the
spelled-out numbers of the Hebrew Scriptures. This moved forward the end of six thousand
years of man's existence into the decade of the 1970's. Naturally this did away with the
year 1874 C.E."
[God's Kingdom Of A Thousand Years Has Approached. 1973. pp. 206, 209.]
"Pastor Russell adhered closely
to the teachings of the Scriptures. He believed and taught that we are living in the time
of the second presence of our Lord, and that His presence dates from 1874; that since that
time we have been living in the "time of the end"--the "end of the
Age," during which the Lord has been conducting His great Harvest work; that, in
harmony with the Lord's own statement, this Harvest work is separating true Christians
designated as "wheat," from merely professing Christians, designated as
"tares," and gathering the true saints into the Kingdom of the Lord. It is here
interesting to note that Jesus said, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his Lord hath made ruler over His Household, to give them meat in due season?" [Watch
Tower Dec. 1916, pg. 357 [R5998]]
"There are two important dates
here that we must not confuse, but clearly differentiate, namely, the beginning of
"the time of the end" and of the presence of the Lord. "The time of the
end" embraces a period from 1799 A.D., as above indicated, to the time of the
complete overthrow of Satan's empire and the establishment of the kingdom of Messiah. The
time of the Lord's second presence dates from 1874, as above stated." [ Lord's
Return pg. 27, 1929]
"The second coming of our Lord
therefore began in 1874..." [Creation, p. 291, early editions, p. 310 later
editions, 1927]
"The Scriptural Proof is that
the second presence of the Lord Jesus Christ began in 1874 A.D." [Prophecy, p.
65, 1929]
"No one can properly understand
the work of God at this time who does not realize that since 1874, the time of the Lord's
return in power, there has been a complete change in God's operations." [Watchtower
Sept. 15, 1922, p. 278]
"The Scriptures show that the
second presence was due in 1874...This proof shows that the Lord has been present since
1874." [Watchtower March 1, 1923, p. 67]
"Surely there is not the
slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child of God that the Lord
Jesus is present and has been since 1874." [Watchtower Jan. 1, 1924, p.5]
"The Scriptural proof is that
the second presence of the Lord Jesus Christ began in 1874 A.D. This proof is specifically
set out in the booklet entitledOur Lord's Return. [Prophecy 1929 pp. 65-66.]
"Surely there is not the
slightest room for doubt...that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874." [Watch
Tower 1924, January, 1, p. 5.]
We can only wonder at what prompts
the Society to make such claims, as in the Watchtower quoted above.
What do they have to gain from it?
Any informed person can uncover these misquotes and untruths. Can it be that they are
trying to impress on the minds of the Jehovah's Witnesses their feigned foreknowledge? The
rank and file Jehovah's Witnesses do not have access to older Watchtower publications,
many Kingdom Hall Libraries do not even stock the older literature, and those that do, are
not readily available to the Witnesses or are considered taboo to look at.
The above is by no means an isolated
example of the dishonest statements made by the Watchtower Society. In fact the Society's
latest history book, Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom [1993],
contain many sugar-coated versions of embarrassing episodes in Watchtower history, and
includes statements which contradict historical accounts printed in their earlier
publications.
Why would an organization that claims
to speak for God make such claims? This is just another attempt on the part of the
Watchtower Society to re-write their history in a favorable light. But history shows that
the light is getting dimmer, and that the skeletons within the Society's closets are being
revealed. The facts show that the Society is nothing more than a publishing house, and
Jehovah's Witnesses are nothing more than their salesmen.
There are many sincere people within
the rank and file Jehovah's Witnesses, and we wish them the Lord's enlightenment and pray
that they will soon know the truth...for the Truth is truly what sets one free.
