Did the JWs say the end would come in 1975?

Question

"Adam's naming of the animals [...] would have occupied only a brief time after his creation... Jehovah's purpose for man to multiply and fill the earth, ... logical that he would create Eve soon after Adam, perhaps...later in the same year, 4026 B.C.E. ... God's rest day, the seventh period, immediately followed. ... To calculate ...the stream of time relative to God's seventh day of 7,000 years, ... determine how long a time has elapsed from the year of Adam and Eve's creation in 4026 B.C.E.. ... Hence, when Christians note from God's timetable the approaching end of 6,000 years of human history, it fills them with anticipation. Particularly is this true because the great sign of the "last days" has been ...in fulfillment since ... 1914... eight years remain ... 1975, fully 6,000 years into God's seventh ... day. ... Within a few years at most the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these 'last days' will undergo fulfillment, resulting in ... Christ's glorious 1,000 year reign!

Watchtower, May 1 1968 pages 271-3 (edited to fit question form)

Note regarding comments from some answers:

As I said, the question had to be edited to fit the Yahoo space. That's why there are elipses [...] to show where text was left out.

That's also why I added the specific reference from the specific publication. There are several publications which state the 1975 will likely be the end of the system of things. All you have to do is search on "1975" on your WT library CD rom and you'll find 'em. And if you actually read them. (Don't forget to check the KMs. Those are quite specific.)

Did I SAY "end of the world" in the question? No, I DID NOT. Do I understand JW teaching? You bet. (Did you know witnesses aren't supposed to use the word "bet?") I left the term "the end" because it means one thing to JWs and something else to others.

The witnesses believe that Armageddon will bring the destruction of the "wicked" (everyone but them) and will leave the earth in a state to be restored to perfection along with mankind.

"True, there have been those in times past who predicted an 'end' to the world, even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The 'end' did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing? Missing from such people were God's truths and the evidence that He was using and guiding them. .. But what about today? Today we have the evidence required, all of it. And it is overwhelming! All the many, many parts of the great sign of the last days are here, together with verifying Bible chronology." {AWAK Oct 8 1968 p23}

Answer 1

What was said in print was that the end of 6,000 years of man's existence on earth should end by October 1975, at the latest. You have to know what that means to JWs to understand that it was equivalent to saying Armageddon would be sure to start around then, leading to the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth:

"According to this trustworthy Bible chronology [their own] 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."
"When do 6,000 years end?... the Sabbath-like millennium of Christ's rule [will] take place after the autumn of 1975."
"Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of man's existence on earth is completed. Do you remember what we learned at the assemblies last summer? The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out, and there are no resurrection hopes for those who are destroyed then."
JWs were urged to complete the Kingdom preaching "since we have such a short time left now... the end of this system is so very near? ...spend more time and energy in preaching during this final period before the present system ends." The Society's heart was warmed to hear reports "of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world's end."
The Society confidently said Eve was created within the same year that Adam was created: "...this exciting fact fills Christians with anticipation." However, once 1975 arrived they began to back-track on this, the vice-President contradicting that previous Watchtower article by saying the time gap between Adam and Eve's creation was unknown. Eve's creation marked the end of the sixth 'day' of creation [each day 1,000 years long] and the Bible does not say how long Adam was without his helper, so the Society used this 'loop-hole' to wriggle out of its self-inflicted dilemma

"Furious back-peddling", denied by stalwart JWs here, but inadvertently exposed by one answerer who quoted "Brother Franz". He was the Governing Body leader who backtracked shortly before October 1975 arrived, clearly alarmed that expectations had been so built up by himself (and other leaders) that he started finding cop-out clauses in the small print a few months earlier! Notice how the answerer quoted from a Watchtower of the 21st century, yet the quote was uttered in 1975? No, you wouldn't notice, because he failed to mention that critical fact. I wonder why?

After 1975, JW Herald Toutijian had his life-story published in the Watchtower. He admitted to unrealised expectations of his JW father and grandfather regarding 1914 and 1925. Regarding 1975 he wrote, "We were expecting that 6,000 years of man's existence would be reached in 1975. Would this date bring us to the start of Christ's Millennial Reign? That possibility intrigued us."

But less than 10 years later the Wt.Soc rebuked members who became upset at the falsity of 1975 expectations: "If a person does not serve God with the right motive, he may quit if his expectations are not realized within a certain period of time. For instance, some people expected Jesus Christ to return in 1843 or 1844..." (then quoted what was said then about such ones - "They were stimulated by wrong motives. Their selfishness was the principal thing appealed to and excited.")

To help the uninitiated understand this, let me provide an illustration: Mary tells Jane that in October 2006 she will celebrate 25 years of marriage and as Jane is one of her best friends, she will be invited to a big celebration party. As the date approaches, Mary keeps referring to this exciting event, but no invitation is received by Jane. October 2006 passes and Jane phones Mary.
'Are things all right with you, Mary? You've not had a divorce or been widowed, have you?'
'Of course not! Why do you ask?'
'Well, it's just that I was awaiting an invitation to your Silver Wedding anniversary celebrations but it never came.'
'Dear me, Jane! Don't read more into what I said than I actually said! I only told you October 2006 would mark 25 years of my marriage. I never even mentioned the phrase 'Silver Wedding'. You surely didn't expect to be at a big party in October 2006 did you?'
'Well, yes, actually. I bought an expensive dress and cancelled an important event so I could be free to attend.'
'But Jane, the invitation WILL come. Don't take the huff or I shall begin to think you are only my friend for wrong, selfish motives. One day soon the invitation will arrive, though I cannot say exactly when.'
'Why don't you know when the invitation will come?'
'Oh, it's a bit complicated because I can't calculate how long our engagement lasted. I'm sure it was only a few months - certainly less than a year - but now it seems to have been a bit longer. Once I've sorted it out I'll post you an invitation.'
Jane would be entirely justified in never bothering to speak to such a friend again, and if an invitation DID arrive, 30 years later, she would probably bin it.

Answer 2

Greetings, (Rick G is right the form of your question is totally illogical.) However, anyone who claims that the Watchtower Society said that “in the fall of 1975 the great Battle of Armageddon would take place” is perverting the truth. And anyone repeating such false prejudicial statements are rejecting all the facts. I was baptized as a Witness in 1966 so I was there in 1975 and it had absolutely no effect on me nor anyone in my very large family. Nor did it have a great effect on very many that I knew personally. The reason that it had no effect on 99.9% of Witnesses is because most were listening to what was really being said and not speculating. Most were serving because they knew it was the truth and not for a date. One Watchtower article from *1974* that I carry around with me shows what mature Witnesses knew and were saying: "The publications of Jehovah's witnesses have shown that, according to Bible chronology, it appears that 6,000 years of man's existence will be completed in the mid-1970's. But these publications HAVE NEVER SAID THAT THE WORLD'S END WOULD COME THEN. Nevertheless, there has been considerable individual speculation on the matter. So the assembly presentation "Why We Have Not Been Told ‘That Day and Hour'" was very timely. It emphasized that we do not know the exact time when God will bring the end."--w74 10/15 p. 635 Growing in Appreciation for the "Divine Purpose": You will notice that this appeared in the Watchtower at the end of 1974 and it was referring to what all Witnesses heard at their conventions the previous year. Anyone who was saying that Armageddon as going to come by 1975 just was not listening carefully. They were doing what critics still do; rip statements out of context and selectively choose only what they want out of the literature. Or they just plain spread falsehood The truth is that from the start of discussions on 1975, JWs were told not to speculate on what may or may not happen. Human impatience led some few individuals to assume more than they should have. For some, it was a real test as to why they were JWs. Was it because of a date to save their necks, or were they JWs because they loved and appreciated the Truth and Jehovah? Many who became Witnesses during that time only did so for selfish reasons and now they continue to misrepresenting the facts and blame someone else for their own speculations. These type of people are the ones who constantly ignore every explicit statement written in the Watchtower that shows they have never claimed to speak as inspired prophets. They also spread misrepresentations like that found in some of the answers to this question, all in the hopes that people will not double check the facts. These opposers depend upon and feed off of the gullibility and prejudice of others. Yours, BAR-ANERGES

Answer 3

No, JWs did not teach that "the end of the world" would come in 1975. This so-called "question" itself includes apparent quotes which seem to indicate that after 1975 there were likely to be "years" before "the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these 'last days' will undergo fulfillment".

Critics of Jehovah's Witnesses pretend that they taught that Armageddon would come in 1975. Is that the way Jehovah's Witnesses themselves understood the matter?

In 1975, there was a peak of 2,179,256 active Witnesses preaching from house to house. Did they quit in 1976? No.

By 2005, there were 6,613,829 actively preaching Jehovah's Witnesses, more than THREE TIMES as many!

Even in the United States, Jehovah's Witnesses doubled their numbers since 1975. The articles of Jehovah's Witnesses which mentioned 1975 did so because it seemed to represent 6000 years since mankind's creation; no connection was made between that year and Armageddon.

Jehovah's Witnesses have long taught that not even Jesus knew the day and hour of Armageddon.

(Matthew 24:3-36) .The disciples approached [Jesus] privately, saying: “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” 4 And in answer Jesus said to them: “Look out... 10 Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. ...13 But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved. 14 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. ...36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.


It is sad when the enemies of truth work to spread misinformation regarding this peaceful Christian religion.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20000622/
http://watchtower.org/e/dg/article_09.htm

Answer 4

It is true that the Witnesses have never said the world will come to an end - what they did (and still do) say is that "this wicked system of things will come to an end" - a different thing altogether.

The subtlety is that (from the Watchtower article above) before Christ's glorious 1,000 year reign can happen, the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these 'last days' will have to be fulfilled. And what, I hear you ask, is that? Why, the battle of Armageddon, of course! The long-awaited, hugely anticipated destruction of all wickedness on this planet, when everyone who is not a JW will be destroyed.

So, Suzanne, the answer to your question is that the JW's thought "the end of this wicked system of things" was going to happen around 1975, not the end of the world. They believe the earth will endure forever and it will be populated by faithful, believing, obedient JW's who will be ruled over from heaven by Christ and the 144,000.

I was utterly amazed when I read the comment from Adam's Rib that "Christ will never come to earth again". Now, because I used to be a JW I understand they think Christ's second coming happened invisibly in 1914. But doesn't it say in the Bible that "every eye will see him"? Excuse me, but the only people who have percived this momentous occassion seem to be JW's, and even then, it was not a literal perception, was it? So HOW COME CHRIST'S SECOND COMING WAS INVISIBLE in direct contradiction to what the Bible says? Please don't bother to attempt an answer - I know what the answer is, from the Bible, and the JW arguments on this topic are as full of holes now as they ever were.

Oh, any while we're at it, would anyone like to explain away the fact that "Within a few years [from 1975] at most the final parts of Bible prophecy....... will undergo fulfilment resulting in..... Christ's glorious 1,000 year reign?" STILL HAS NOT HAPPENED? Over 30 years have elapsed since 1975 and it looks like we're still waiting. Don't tell me the 'Faithful and Discrete Slave' (that's the Governing Body) got it wrong? Or should that read "the light is getting ever brighter" as new light is bestowed upon JW's from above?

Ishvarlan said that sadly some witnesses decided....... and implies that they had come to a wrong conclusion all by their poor, misguided selves. PLEASE NOTE: The Society ENCOURAGED everyone to think that Christ's glorious 1,000 year reign was iminent shortly after 1975. The rank and file JW's did not make anything up - the Society DELIBERATELY lifted up everyone's expectations and their numbers swelled. Then, guess what, folks? After 1975 came and went without the battle of Armageddon happening, thousands of disillusioned Witnesses left - including me. So please do not try to give the false impression that all those thousands of disillusioned Witnesses had got the wrong end of the stick. Any reasonable, intelligent person will realise that the predictions were false (again) and that the rank and file witnesses were led up the garden path by their glorious leaders (again).

By the way, my mother and father became Witness around 1945 and fully expected Armageddon to happen in their lifetime because they were told that the generation that was around in 1914 (when Christ appeared invisibly) would be the generation to inherit the earth. Guess what? That generation has died out AND WE ARE STILL WAITING. My parents died disappointed

"NO CONNECTION WAS MADE BETWEEN THAT YEAR [1975] AND ARMAGEDDON" - I cannot believe my eyes! I've never come accross such blatant and furious back-peddling in all my life. I am not an enemy of JW's - I love JW's - but I am an enemy of false prophets who distort the Gospel message and lead people astray.

"Within a few years at most..." They were saying within a few years at most WAY BACK IN 1949. WAKE UP! You may not have been born then but I was and I LIVED WITH THIS LIE FOR 25 YEARS. And this lie is still being perpetuated.

Answer 5

It's not back pedaling to be honest.

'Within a few years at most'

Is still being taught.

Even Billy Graham made that same comment.

In 1950, Billy Graham, the well-known US evangelist, told a rally in Los Angeles: “I sincerely believe that the Lord draweth nigh. We may have another year, maybe two years, to work for Jesus Christ, and, Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe it is all going to be over ... two years and it’s all going to be over.”

Unsurprisingly, however, the sources that attack the Witnesses for false prophecy do not generally take the same position when it comes to Protestant figures who have made very similar errors.

True Christians are to remain awake.

‘What about the year 1975? What is it going to mean, dear friends?’ asked Brother Franz. ‘Does it mean that Armageddon is going to be finished, with Satan bound, by 1975? It could! It could! All things are possible with God. Does it mean that Babylon the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that the attack of Gog of Magog is going to be made on Jehovah’s witnesses to wipe them out, then Gog himself will be put out of action? It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975.

The prophet Nathan told David 'he would build the temple'

Then he (Nathan) had to David 'he would not build the temple'

Nathan was an inspired Prophet, and was wrong.

The context of the verses used to 'prove' JWs are false prophets, also include the purpose of those false prophets to approve of disobeying God.

Satan is an example: Gen 3:4The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

5"For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Jehovah's Organization as always pointed people not to themselves but to Jehovah and his Word.

Although the slave class is defined as “faithful and discreet,” Jesus did not say that it would be infallible. This group of faithful anointed brothers still consists of imperfect Christians. Even with the best of intentions, they can be mistaken, as such men sometimes were in the first century.
The Watchtower, 1 December 2002, page 17

Answer 6

No. Sadly some Witnesses and others decided that year was the end. My mother a Witness now, and back then, used to chuckle when people would ask her about the world ending then.

Answer 7

I do not know about 1975, but if it is so, then its the third (3rd) prediction of the end time since 1844 for this group. Many groups like the JW's came about as a result of Henry Millers ( an ex-communicated baptist) failed prediction of Jesus' return in 1844. Some of these of note are: Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, and Branch Davidians.
"Birds of a feather.........."

Answer 8

The Jehovah's Witnesses have actually predicted the end of the world on numerous occasions, and the predictions are always shown to be false, but JW keep on believing what the higher-ups tell them.

We should not put our trust in men, but in God and His Church.

Answer 9

They said that numerous times. 1874 was the first time, then 1914,1918,1920,1925, and then again in 1975

Answer 10

http://www.abhota.info/end1.htm