In 2010, in order to revive a sense of urgency, the April 15 Watchtower announced yet another change to the generation doctrine.
So, what does “this generation” that “will by no means pass away” mean now?
Both—but with a twist! Continue reading
Last week, when we looked at the Watchtower’s definition of “this generation” that would “by no means pass away,” it meant, “peoples of earth who see the sign of Christ’s presence but fail to mend their ways.” (The Watchtower, November 1, 1995, p. 19)
But in 2008, the meaning of “this generation” changed again! Continue reading
In 1995, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses bit the bullet.
“This generation” referred to by Jesus was untied from the generation of 1914! Continue reading
The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, p. 95
It all seemed so simple when Jehovah’s Witnesses explained the 1914 generation teaching to me in 1972.
The 1914 generation would by no means pass away until Armageddon came and Christ’s millennial Kingdom on earth would begin.
But then the Watchtower’s definition of “generation” kept shifting. Continue reading
As I described in last week’s post, for some time after the 1925 debacle the Watchtower stopped proclaiming specific dates for the “last days,” preferring instead to tie them to “this generation.”
According to president Joseph “Judge” Rutherford, this meant everyone in the new creation—from Jesus’ original disciples down to Rutherford himself and all 20th century “anointed” ones.
At least some of “this generation”—the anointed—would be on earth when Armageddon came.
Once Rutherford explained that there are two classes of Christians—the 144,000 anointed and the great crowd of other sheep—it was no longer clear who the anointed were.
This amorphous concept was open ended and did nothing to fuel end times fervor. Continue reading
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