In 1931, Watchtower president Joseph Rutherford wrote that after 1914, 1918 and 1925, Watchtower leaders “learned to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date.” (J. F. Rutherford, Vindication, pp. 338-339)
That is, until Watchtower vice president Fred Franz (as he then was) declared that 1975 would be an appropriate time for God to act. (Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, p. 30)
How did that develop? Continue reading
The Watchtower has a video about wrong expectations. It’s told from the point of view of a Jehovah’s Witness who’s now a grandfather. He relates how hard it was for him when his wife died so young but that Jehovah and his fellow Witnesses saw him through it.
Then it segues into another test of his faith. He wanted this old system of things to end, and some Witnesses started believing in a particular date (which the video doesn’t specify). Some Witnesses even sold their property and belongings in anticipation. But through his own Bible study and teachings at Watchtower meetings he realized that Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour.
When the date came and went, he knew that his dedication was to Jehovah, not to a date. Some Witnesses left, but most remained loyal to Jehovah.
But here’s what the video doesn’t tell you. Continue reading
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