Question for Jehovah's witness only?

Question

The following is what a jehovahs witness told me to a previous question i had:

Last days: They believe that we are living now, since 1914, in the last days of this wicked system of things; that some who saw the events of 1914 will also see the complete destruction of the present wicked world; that lovers of righteousness will survive into a cleansed earth.

The question i have to ask, is what are the events that occured in 1914?

Answer 1

1914—The Year That Shocked the World

“The Great War of 1914-18 lies like a band of scorched earth dividing that time from ours. In wiping out so many lives . . . , in destroying beliefs, changing ideas, and leaving incurable wounds of disillusion, it created a physical as well as psychological gulf between two epochs.”—From The Proud Tower—A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890–1914, by Barbara Tuchman.

“It is almost—but not quite yet—part of history, for many thousands of people who were young at the beginning of this momentous twentieth century are still alive.”—From the book 1914, by Lyn MacDonald, published in 1987.

WHY be interested in the year 1914? ‘It is the future that concerns me,’ you may say, ‘not the past.’ With problems such as the global pollution, the breakdown of family life, the increase in crime, mental sickness, and unemployment, man’s future may look bleak. Many who have examined the significance of 1914, however, found a basis for hope in a better future.

For decades The Watchtower has explained that in 1914 mankind experienced what is called “a beginning of pangs of distress.” That expression forms part of Jesus Christ’s great prophecy about events that would precede the end of man’s wicked system.—Matthew 24:7, 8.

Today, a small percentage of mankind can still recall the dramatic events of 1914. Will that elderly generation pass away before God saves the earth from ruin? Not according to Bible prophecy. “When you see all these things,” Jesus promised, “know that he is near at the doors. Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.”—Matthew 24:33, 34.

To appreciate why the year 1914 has such historical significance, consider the world situation up until the middle of 1914. Before that time, monarchs such as Czar Nicholas of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, and Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary wielded great power. Each of these men could mobilize over four million fighting men and send them off to battle. But their forefathers had signed what was called the Holy Alliance, proclaiming that God had delegated them to govern different parts of one great “Christian nation.”

According to The Encyclopædia Britannica, this document “powerfully affected the course of European diplomacy during the 19th century.” It was used to oppose democratic movements and to favor the so-called divine right of kings. “We Christian Kings,” Kaiser Wilhelm wrote to Czar Nicholas, “have one holy duty, imposed on us by Heaven, that is to uphold the principle of [the divine right of kings].” Did this mean that Europe’s kings were somehow connected with the Kingdom of God? (Compare 1 Corinthians 4:8.) And what about the churches that supported those kings? Was their profession of Christianity genuine? The answer to these questions became clear in the years immediately following 1914.

Suddenly, in August

“The spring and summer of 1914 were marked in Europe by an exceptional tranquillity,” wrote British statesman Winston Churchill. People were generally optimistic about the future. “The world of 1914 was full of hope and promise,” said Louis Snyder in his book World War I.

True, for many years there had been intense rivalry between Germany and Britain. Nevertheless, as historian G. P. Gooch explains in his book Under Six Reigns: “A European conflict appeared less likely in 1914 than in 1911, 1912 or 1913 . . . The relations of the two governments were better than they had been for years.” According to Winston Churchill, a member of Britain’s 1914 cabinet: “Germany seemed with us, to be set on peace.”

However, with the assassination at Sarajevo of the crown prince of the Empire of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914, a dark cloud appeared on the horizon. A month later, Emperor Franz Josef declared war on Serbia and then ordered his troops to invade that kingdom. In the meantime, on the night of August 3, 1914, by order of Kaiser Wilhelm, a large German army suddenly invaded the kingdom of Belgium and fought its way toward France. The next day Britain declared war on Germany. As for Czar Nicholas, he had ordered the mobilization of the massive Russian army for war with Germany and Austria-Hungary. The Holy Alliance had failed to stop Europe’s kings from plunging the continent into a bloodbath of mutual slaughter. But the big shocks were yet to come.

Over by Christmas?

The outbreak of war did not dampen people’s optimism. Many believed that it would produce a better world, and huge crowds gathered throughout Europe to express their support for it. “No one in 1914,” writes A. J. P. Taylor in his book The Struggle for Mastery in Europe—1848–1918, “took the dangers of war seriously except on a purely military plane. . . . None expected a social catastrophe.” Instead, many prophesied that it would be over in a few months.

Nevertheless, long before Europeans could celebrate their 1914 Christmas, a bloody stalemate had developed along a line of trenches stretching over 450 miles [700 km] from Switzerland in the south to the Belgian coast in the north. This was called the Western Front, and German author Herbert Sulzbach mentioned it in an entry in his diary made on the last day of 1914. The entry reads: “This terrible war goes on and on, and whereas you thought at the start that it would be over in a few weeks, there is now no end in sight.” Meanwhile, in other parts of Europe, bloody battles raged between the troops of Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Serbia. The conflict soon spread beyond Europe, and battles were fought on the oceans and in Africa, the Middle East, and the islands of the Pacific.

Four years later Europe was devastated. Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary each lost between one and two million soldiers. Russia had even lost its monarchy in the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. What a shock for Europe’s kings and their clergy supporters! Modern historians still express surprise. In his book Royal Sunset, Gordon Brook-Shepherd asks: “How was it that rulers, mostly related by blood or marriage and all dedicated to the preservation of kingship, allowed themselves to slip into a fratricidal bloodbath which wiped several of them out of existence and left all the survivors weakened?”

The republic of France also lost over a million soldiers, and the British Empire, whose monarchy had already been weakened long before the war, lost over 900,000. In all, more than 9 million soldiers died, and a further 21 million were wounded. Concerning noncombatant losses, The World Book Encyclopedia states: “No one knows how many civilians died of disease, starvation, and other war-related causes. Some historians believe that as many civilians died as soldiers.” The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 reaped another 21,000,000 lives around the earth.

Radical Change

The world was never the same after the Great War, as it was then called. Since so many churches of Christendom had enthusiastically participated in it, many disillusioned survivors turned their back on religion in favor of atheism. Others turned to the pursuit of material riches and pleasures. According to Professor Modris Eksteins in his book Rites of Spring, the 1920’s “witnessed a hedonism and narcissism of remarkable proportions.”

“The war,” explains Professor Eksteins, “assaulted moral standards.” Men on both sides had been taught by religious, military, and political leaders to view mass killing as morally good. This, admits Eksteins, “was merely the crudest of assaults on a moral order that claimed to be rooted in a Judaeo-Christian ethic.” “On the Western Front,” he adds, “brothels were soon regular appurtenances of base camps . . . On the home front morality loosened its corsets and belts too. Prostitution increased strikingly.”

Indeed, 1914 changed much. It had not produced a better world, and the war did not turn out to be “the war to end all wars,” as many people had hoped. Instead, as historian Barbara Tuchman observes: “Illusions and enthusiasms possible up to 1914 slowly sank beneath a sea of massive disillusionment.”

However, some who witnessed the 1914 tragedy were not surprised by the events of that year. In fact, before the war broke out, they had been expecting “an awful time of trouble.”

Answer 2

“Suddenly, unexpectedly, one morning in 1914 the whole thing came to an end,” declared Britain’s former prime minister Harold Macmillan in a speech at Yale University. He said that the great war that began in 1914 marked the end of “100 years of peace and progress” and signaled “the end of an era.” Before that the world seemed to be in an age of “automatic progress,” where “everything would get better and better,” said the 86-year-old statesman. “This was the world I was born in.”

Macmillan then noted that the League of Nations was “an attempt to reproduce in the new age something of the stability created by the great nations” before 1914. But the League failed, he said, because there no longer existed “any sense of unity which had prevailed in the previous 100 years of peace.”

Hence, another respected authority adds his voice to those of numerous statesmen and historians who, in looking back, recognized the significance of the year 1914. Yet, decades before that year arrived, dedicated students of Bible prophecy were able to identify 1914 as a climactic turning point. These Bible prophecies also reveal that the “generation” that saw the events beginning in 1914 would also see the “conclusion of the system of things.”—Matt. 24:3, 7-22, 32-35.
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Answer 3

Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe the bible to teach that individuals alive in 1914 must survive to Armageddon.

Humanity experienced historic upheaval that began with World War I. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that mankind in general has seen a wide range of specific signs since 1914, and that anyone can perceive these as significant without even opening a bible.

Yet the bible DOES comment upon it! Jesus foretold this specific collection of signs as evidence that his "presence" or so-called 'second coming' had arrived. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that "presence" to be Jesus' presence as the King of God's Kingdom.

(Matthew 24:3) disciples approached [Jesus] privately, saying: "Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence

(Luke 21:7,24) Teacher, when will these things actually be, and what will be the sign when these things are destined to occur?

(Matthew 24:7-14) For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. ...You will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name. Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved. And 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.


Amazingly, since the 1870's, Jehovah's Witnesses had recognized 1914 as a significant year according to the chronology indicated in bible prophecy. Decades before 1914, Witnesses noted that Jesus' discussion of his second "coming", or second "presence" specifically mentions "the appointed times of the nations", which Jehovah's Witnesses believe to be a centuries-long period of relative godlessness when God's rulership through the Davidic kingship was interrupted (the line of hereditary kings beginning with King David of Israel).

Learn more:
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/dg/index.htm?article=article_09.htm

Answer 4

Why direct this to JWs? According to the History Channel, every Christian denomination believes the last days began with WWI. The only difference is they and a few others started saying it before 1914.

Answer 5

ok, here goes.... the 1914 thing is quite complicated to explain, especially since i do not know how much bible knowledge you have, but i'll do my best to help out.
ok, prophecy plays a big part in this, and the first part relates to the destruction of Jerusalem in 607bce, as jerusalem was descriptive of gods rulership via humans, the destruction by babylon signified a trampling of gods rulership .. a disruption in the line of kings put in their place by God to rule over israel. in ezekiel 21:26,27 says in essance that the kingship will be no ones until he comes that has the legal right. so the trampling would end when Jesus became king. when would that be?.
the bible tells us that the trampling would go on for 7 times.... how long is that?
Revelation 12:6,14 tells us that 3 1/2 times equals 1260 days. so seven times would be 2520 days.
you right?? :)
on the basis of numbers 14:34 and ezekial 4:6 which talks about a day for a year, the seven times would be 2520 years.

if the 2520 years began in october 607 when jerusalem was destroyed, counting forward, (ignoring year 0 as it isnt counted in history) you come to the year october 1914 this is when the appointed times of the nations ended and Jesus christ was installed as heavenly king.

Jesus predicted his prescence as king would be marked by dramatic world events. war, famine, earthquakes, pestilences.( mathew 24:3-8) (luke 21:11) so, this marks the beginning of the last days of this system of things.

Think about it... what happened in 1914??? WW1.
think of all the diseases, famines etc since that time... and all the earth quakes lately..... time is quickly running out, and then jesus will bring judgement with Jehovahs great war of armageddon, he will wipe out the wicked just as before in noahs day, and sodom and gomorrah..... then the righteous will posess the earth..... forever... as god intended. then jesus will hand the kingship back to jehovah god, presenting him with his earth as origionally perposed, humans worshiping god, in a paradise earth forever...

I have noticed, that some are "saying " they are jehovahs witnesses... but be careful, many try to say they are, then answer completely incorrectly, thus giving people a warped and inaccurate picture of what jehovahs witnesses believe. go to the official website www.watchtower.org. you can request info there

Answer 6

nicely the comparable way that we've a private call and can prefer to be observed as by way of our call instead of guy, woman, Boy & so forth is the comparable way that God feels. Psalms 80 3:18 says "would human beings understand which you, whose call is Jehovah,You on my own are the main severe over each and all of the earth." the reality that his call is stated interior the Bible shows God needs his call to be trouble-loose & considering that we are his witnesses or followers, we are observed as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Answer 7

Before describing the “last days,” Jesus cautioned: “You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matt. 24:6) True to his words, there were many disturbances among nations during the centuries that followed, and the simple fact is that the “last days” did not come during that time.

Then Jesus related some of the events that would mark the “last days.” He stated: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Following this “there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another pestilences and food shortages.” (Luke 21:10, 11) What was Jesus telling his future followers? To look for a disastrous war the dimensions of which were unheard of in history, one that would be accompanied quickly by other disasters, such as disease, food shortages and earthquakes.

Answer 8

Among other things, World War 1.

Answer 9

Ok Why if Jesus died and rose from dead and went to heaven in the year 33, now is the end of time? why Jesus didn´r came back 1000 years ago? or how do you know that maybe he will come back in 2000 years?
Because until one prophecy that is in the book of Daniel was fuflfilled Jesus couldn´t rule among his enemies , 1914 is not when Jesus began to rule the earth, no is the time when he began to rule among his enemies, he began to rule the congregation in 33 C.E but not over his enemies nor over the earth, that prophecy finish in 1914 and began every thing that Jesus said that will happen when his presence´time in Matthew 24:7-14.

Answer 10

The beginning of World War I, which Witnesses believe showed the beginnings of the end times.

They also believe that 1914 is the year that Satan was cast out of Heaven, as well as the beginning of Christ's Second Coming.

Answer 11

Jehovah Witnesses are delusional. We are not living in the "last days" - to believe otherwise is sheer lunacy and arrogance