The 1914 date is critical to the Watchtower’s claim that its leadership is the “faithful and discreet slave” spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:45.

If Jesus didn’t return invisibly in 1914, then he didn’t inspect the world’s religions in 1918-1919, name the Watchtower organization as his “faithful and discreet slave” and give it worldwide authority as the only true religion.

But since the number “1914” doesn’t appear in the Bible, did the Watchtower just pull that date out of thin air?

No, if you ask knowledgeable Jehovah’s Witnesses to explain how they arrived at that did, they will give you a detailed explanation from pages 95-97 of the Watchtower book, Reasoning from the Scriptures (1985).

  1. In Luke 21:24, Jesus said: “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
  2. Daniel 4:16 said “the times of the Gentiles” would last “7 times” = 7 years
  3. Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34 show that in calculating prophetic time, the Bible counts a prophetic “day” as a year.
  4. Revelation 11:2-3 states that 3½ years = 1,260 prophetic “days.”
  5. Multiplying by 2 shows that 7 years (“7 times”) = 2,520 “days” = 2,520 years.
  6. The “ Gentile Times” began when Jerusalem fell to Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.
  7. Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar in early October, 607 B.C.E.

Adding up the years:

  • Early October, 607 B.C.E. to December 31, 607 B.C.E. =             ¼ year
  • January 1, 606 B.C.E. to December 31, 1 B.C.E.                 =    606 years
  • January 1, 1 C.E. to December 31, 1913 C.E.                       = 1,913 years
  • January 1, 1913 C.E. to early October, 1914 C.E.              =            ¾ year
  • So, the total time from 607 B.C.E. to 1914 C.E.                   = 2,520 years

Obviously, all this involves a great deal of Bible hopscotching, speculation, and convoluted reasoning, but Jehovah’s Witnesses firmly believe it is accurate. Not only so, but they also believe that those of us outside the Watchtower organization are in darkness because we don’t understand the significance of the dates which Jehovah has revealed through these scriptures.

One way to challenge this reasoning is to ignore the calculations and focus on the scriptures.

Ask them to read the explanation of Daniel’s prophecy as given in Daniel 4:24-27

This is the interpretation, O king; it is the decree of the Most High that must befall my lord the king. You will be driven away from among men, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field, and you will be given vegetation to eat just like bulls; and you will become wet with the dew of the heavens, and seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that he grants it to whomever he wants. But because they said to leave the stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be yours again after you come to know that the heavens are ruling. Therefore, O king, may my counsel be acceptable to you. Turn away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquity by showing mercy to the poor. It may be that your prosperity will be extended. [Emphasis added]

You might say something like this: “Given Daniel’s explanation, I don’t see why you believe his prophecy foretells the length of time the Gentiles will trample Jerusalem until their rule is cut off. Doesn’t it instead foretell the length of time the Gentile Nebuchadnezzar would be driven out of power by his madness until his reason and rulership were restored?”

However they respond, point out that verse 28 says, “All of this befell King Nebuchadnezzar.”

You can follow this up by asking two questions:

  1. Is Daniel 4 a prophecy about how long the Gentiles (Nebuchadnezzar) will run roughshod over Jerusalem until their rule is ended?
  2. Isn’t it rather a prophecy about how long Jehovah would humble Nebuchadnezzar before restoring him to power?

The Watchtower’s currently claims that when the Gentile Times ended in 1914, “Jehovah entrusted rulership over mankind to his own Son, Jesus Christ, glorified in the heavens.” (Reasoning from the Scriptures, p. 97)

In response, ask them to read aloud Matthew 28:18: “Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: ‘All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.’”

Ask, “According to this verse, did Jesus have to wait until 1914 to receive rulership authority over mankind or had all authority in heaven and on earth already been given to him by the time he said this to his first century disciples?”

 

 

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