1914

[Arauna]

5 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

and understand history ... you are DOOMED to repeat it.

  5 hours ago, Arauna said:

 

That cliche is happening right now!  The whole world is repeating the same history we saw before WW1 and WW2 right now!!. It looks different on the surface but yet the same....... so they will wake up too late.  Wicked mankind is doomed to repeat the same history over and over with worse results than ever before. 

We should know our own JW history with its flaws but endless analyses  on it does not serve a purpose - each generation  of GB will make new mistakes and if your expectations are that the JW.org. will not make new mistakes or cannot make them  - think again. 

Thankfully there are several  ibble principles we can apply to this:  jehovah judges the end of a matter not its beginning.  Wicked king  manasseh  comes to mind.

Jehovah does not see the imperfection but the motive of the heart. Ps 103 comes to mind - he remembers we are flesh.  The world judges JWs harshly on every little detail but jehovah judges us with tenderness because we try hard to do his will in an increasing hostile world.  Jesus was perfect and was viciously attacked by satan's world -  we also  will not get off lightly

The light is getting brighter - and JWs are fulfilling bible prophecy related to the last days   Matt 24:14,  Isaiah 2:2-4.  Other Christian religions do not even  understand that the kingdom is a real government and those that do have some other core beliefs that do not come from the bible.

We should be thankful to jehovah.  We get food that is prepared  in abundance. We get home from work, prepare litteral food, and can sit down with spiritual food already prepared in easy understandable bites/bytes..

We search for people with the right heart condition. We teach them the newest  bible information we have because this is what we as JW org are right now and  the light we understand at this moment.  We make them aware of our flawed past but to dwell on the past JW history is a mistake.  There are too many positive core teachings the person will not be able to learn from ANY other earthly organization and we must let them eat this first so they can make a decision to join us to serve jehovah  -  or not.  Lot's wife looked back to her detriment.  We must leave our own personal history behind (what high positions we had or could have been, or wicked history ) and focus on the now and the future.  JW  org history is good to know but does NOT affect what we are right now. Mistakes were made and they will definitely come back to bite us in a hostile world - for sure. But we should build our own faith now to withstand the trials ahead.

People who come to this forum to troll or hate - do not have a ready heart.   On field service we go back to those who show a positive attitude or are prepared to learn despite them having difficult personalities .  We help those who are ready to receive help.  With difficult people I make sure to leave a thought they can think about to change their heart condition. We plant and jehovah makes it grow - or not.....

Keep evaluating what is taught in the present era - if it is in line with scripture.  Are the GB careful in what they teach today? Not getting political? Sticking to the godly commission of preaching and giving proper spiritual food to all?   Preparing us to be ready for Armageddon?  Not rushing ahead with dates and prophecies like they did before?  I can answer a yes to all of these.

 

1 hour ago, the Sower of Seed said:

1914 seems like a long time ago, but

106 years is nothing to jehovah.  I do not know how long before the flood Noah had completed the ark.   Food had to be harvested etc. They could have been mocking him saying:  where is the rain you promised...... your ark has been standing there for so long.... maybe the wood aged a bit in its positions and additional bitumen was needed.  120 years jehovah set for that doomed generation. Did Noah know it was 120 years? Maybe not..... but later he knew because it is written down.  

The world is mocking us right now.  I love to study ancient history and discovered one aspect  of generation before the GB.   There are multiple generations always living at the same time.  This never bothered me because like Noah we should keep busy with the right things. The evidence around us is overwhelming.  We have been trained by GB to discern the time! ....a d to keep busy with the right things.

[TrueTomHarley]

4 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

On an old rotary phone, circa 1960, you would dial BE4-5789, in the United States.

Did you check that on yours?

[Srecko Sostar]

4 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

Now miraculously You Are Safe! Are you thankful to God? Or do you begin complaining about Moses leadership?

I believe how the order is always similar: First you thanks God, and Second blame the people. Almost always works this way

4 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

Like the person leaving Egypt, we have witnessed many unusual events. 

That makes another problem. Do you by "unusual events" mean "miracles"? If yes, we both shall be disappointed. WT Society said, miracles stopped in 1 Century. 

4 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

1914 and the Good News. The International Bible Students began in all earnest effort to make the Kingdom known from 1919 until today. Like the person leaving Egypt, we have witnessed many unusual events. Jesus stated these would occur after he was enthroned as Jehovah's Appointed King.

"we have witnessed many unusual events"

Obviously you speaking about "signs": wars, famine, crimes .... But, all what was described not belong to "unusual events". Bible said how nothing new is happening under Earth. In that context, wars, famine, earthquakes, crimes .... can't be considered  as "unusual"  for humankind, these are not "miracles". But everyday process in life of people and Earth. Even "preaching" is not a miracle, but repeated history.

[Witness]

10 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

1914 saw the beginning of the Last Days, Jesus foretold how they would begin with a war beyond the clash between 2 kings.

The “war” began in Genesis:

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”  Gen 3:15

Jesus has been ruling since the first century.  To say he hasn’t, reflects a greater perceived power to be attributed to Satan, than to Christ.  And who would mislead us with the lie that Jesus’ power was inert until 1914, if not Satan and his ministers? 2 Cor 11:12-15  Who can manipulate the world’s actions to create a counterfeit fulfillment of scripture, misleading God’s people in this war of truth against lies?  Satan is the master of deceit!  1 John 5:19; Matt 24:24; Luke 21:8; 2 Cor 11:3,4; Col 2:8; 2 Thess 2:3,9; Rev 16:13,14

 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”  Matt 28:18 

“So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”  Mar 16:19 

The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!  Ps 110:1,2 

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 1 Cor 15:25

10 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

1914 Saw the beginning of the sitting of the 144,000 King and Priests

Fabrication. Zion includes the “144,000”. 

“The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!”  Ps 110:2

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels”  Heb 12:22

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,  who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”   Phil 3:20,21 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”  Eph 6:10-17 

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”  2 Cor 10:3-5

“by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left”  2 Cor 6:7

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”  Rom 13:12

 

These early priests of God were standing with Christ in this war, during their physical life time and in Spirit once they died.  Each faithful anointed in Christ since, has fought the same war during their fleshly time on the earth and once in heaven. 

“If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.”  2 Tim 2:12

 

 

[the Sower of Seed]

1 hour ago, Witness said:

Jesus has been ruling since the first century.  To say he hasn’t, reflects a greater perceived power to be attributed to Satan, than to Christ.

Please provide some evidence that Christ was enthroned in the 1st century.

The Book of Revelation was written in 96 C.E., The First action of the Newborn King is tied to the ouster of Satan from Heaven.

What happened the last four years of the 1st century to support your theory?

Revelation 12:10 I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God! 

1914 is a year foretold by Matthew 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. 

If Jesus was ENTHRONED in the 1st century then he is in no hurry to cleanse the Earth of the haters of his God.

If the resurrection and anointing to fill the 144,000 has continued since Christ resurrection, then who really will be saved? 

No, the enthronement must have been in 1914. 

 

1 hour ago, Witness said:

The Lord said to my Lord,

This is why the truth is hidden to many. 

As you wrote the Lord said to himself..................

[TrueTomHarley]

33 minutes ago, the Sower of Seed said:

1 hour ago, Witness said:

The Lord said to my Lord,

This is why the truth is hidden to many. 

As you wrote the Lord said to himself..................

I love this verse, usually rendered as: “The LORD said to my Lord”

”Do you know why that is?” I will ask people, referring to how one is in all caps and the other not so.

[the Sower of Seed]

1 hour ago, Witness said:

Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

 

Jehovah said sit at my right hand ( until I prepare the Earth for your Kingship). Jehovah is the one acting as KING. You would expect Jehovah to stand down and watch His Son Rule if Jesus had been enthroned.

Ps.2:1 Why are the nations agitated And the peoples muttering an empty thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And high officials gather together as one Against Jehovah and against his anointed one.

The nations gather against Jehovah and His anointed one. 

What year is this?

 

5 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

I love this verse, usually rendered as: “The LORD said to my Lord”

”Do you know why that is?” I will ask people, referring to how one is in all caps and the other not so.

Yes this is where the King James 1611 did the world a great disservice they removed YHWH and Inserted LORD or GOD. (ALmighty)

When speaking of Jesus they would print Lord or god.(Lessor) See John 1:1

[Kosonen]

@the Sower of Seed The problem with 1914 is that according to Revelation 12 after Satan is thrown down to earth he will be for a short time here raging. 106 years is way long. And longer than any generation. 

It surely started ill with WW1 and then soon WW2. But why did it calm down seriously after that for more than 70 years? Many people have experienced a much better life since then. And the world's population has been able to grow as never before. In 1914 world's population was about 1,8 billion. Now it is 100 years later 7,7 billions. That is more than 4 times. That is thanks to better living conditions. 

It does not seem that Satan was permanently thrown down to earth around 1914. Looks like he made an extra effort to disturb life on earth from 1914 to 1945. But then it has been very prosperous times until recently. 

So instead I believe Satan will be cast down to earth just a few years before the end of this system of things.

Then it can be said that he will have a short period of time as says Revelation 12.

[Srecko Sostar]

20 minutes ago, the Sower of Seed said:

Jehovah is the one acting as KING. You would expect Jehovah to stand down and watch His Son Rule if Jesus had been enthroned.

For in Him all things were created, thing in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. - Coll 1

 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen. - Romans 9 -

It seems how this individual here have been always in position to be over, above all thrones and rulers and authorities. According to this he has everything. 

[Witness]

3 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

Please provide some evidence that Christ was enthroned in the 1st century.

I did, with plenty of scripture. I’m surprised that not even Ps 110:2  clicked.   Maybe you should go back and read them?  But, here’s another one:

“And also, corresponding to this, baptism now saves you, not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him.” 1 Pet 3:21,22

3 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

The Book of Revelation was written in 96 C.E., The First action of the Newborn King is tied to the ouster of Satan from Heaven.

What power did Jesus say he possessed when on the earth?

“Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”

What did he tell his apostles?

"Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you.”  Luke 10:19

This gives evidence that Jesus began his kingdom rule even when on the earth, starting with this given authority that produced results, when sharing it with his apostles.

Why did he take those actions?  To set the groundwork for the Kingdom to come, which required a complete Temple of “living stones” built on his body, to be proven worthy to rule with him in God’s Kingdom.  (John 2:20-22; 1 Pet 2:5,9; 1 Cor 3:16,17; Eph 2:20-22; Rev 5:9,10) A ruler is not given authority and power over others who are in subjection to him, without utilizing that authority and power, which we see that Jesus did utilize his authority. 

3 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

Revelation 12:10

 

And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“Now the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God
    and the authority of his Christ have come,
because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down,
    the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

Who is being continually accused by Satan?  Each individual anointed one, a "brother" of Christ, beginning with those in the first century, who is tested just as Jesus was through slander against them, and deceit to mislead them.   (Luke 22:31; John 16:20,22,33; Eph 6:12)

Read further –

Rev 12:11 – “And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives until death.”

Each anointed must “conquer” Satan by their testimony to truth.  This is what the battle is about – conquering Satan’s lies with Christ’s truth.  During the last days, the remaining remnant of anointed ones have the most difficult deception inspired by Satan, placed before them.  2 Thess 2:9-12; Rev 13:1,2,11,12,14-17; 12:17; 9:5,9; 6:9-11 

3 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

If Jesus was ENTHRONED in the 1st century then he is in no hurry to cleanse the Earth of the haters of his God.

To believe that there is a literal 1000 years after Armageddon and that Satan is let loose then to cause destruction and death, would be charging Jesus Christ as having “no hurry to cleanse the Earth of the haters of God”. As if during his time in heaven since his resurrection he was completely ineffective even through Armageddon, of putting enemies under his feet. 

“But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For “He has put all things under His feet.”  1 Cor 15:23-27a”

Death is destroyed in the end - at the end of Armageddon.  Death is not resurrected a thousand literal years after Armageddon.

Since Jesus began ruling in the first century, his symbolic reign of a “thousand years” also began.   We have obvious scriptures that tell us that a thousand years can be symbolic. (Ps 90:4; 2 Pet 3:8)   And since the symbolic book of Revelation uses it (Rev 20:2,3,7), we should see that it can’t be a literal time period.    As I believe I’ve pointed out here in the past, the scripture’s use of a “1,000” can mean a reached fullness, perfection. Researching the frequent use of a “1,000” in scriptures supports this.  

And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸ So he said to them, “I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, I have given you the authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will ever harm you. ²⁰ Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are inscribed in heaven.”  Luke 10:17-20

This gives evidence that Satan was “abyssed” or restricted in using his full powers against the anointed until the last days, when he is “let loose”…to DECEIVE THE SAINTS. 

Your organization teaches you a confused rendition of the identities of Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:7,8. Simply, they are the two Beasts of Revelation. (Rev 13)  Your leaders tell you Gog and Magog appear during Armageddon, and even after Armageddon.  I don’t see anything in God’s Word that supports two Gogs and two Magogs, one pair to appear now and one later.   This confusion is because of their teaching of a thousand years to come after Armageddon, and all is based on the falsehood of 1914, where Jesus is found to be languishing in heaven until 1914. 

Rev 20:9,10 states that the “saints”/anointed are surrounded by “Gog and Magog” at the end of the symbolic thousand years to be deceived by the devil, the beast and the false prophet.  (Rev 16:13,14; Rev 13:1,2,11,12)   If this was to occur when the saints are ruling with Christ on the other side of Armageddon, they can’t be surrounded if they have received a “kingdom”.  They will have conquered Satan and his lies well before then.  They will have been found victorious over the Beast/organization.  Rev 15:2 

So, where are the anointed today?  What “surrounds” them?  The walls of the organization and the false teachings of 1914, a “thousand years” to come, the need for an earthly organization, and many more lies that they must individually conquer, even if it means being “killed” for rejecting them, and giving testimony to Christ’s truth.  Matt 16:25; Rev 13:15; 11:3,7

3 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

1914 is a year foretold by Matthew 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. 

 

The signs are spiritual, not physical although Satan will lead you to believe they all take place in the realm of the physical earth and the world; and he can make it physically happen.  Job 1:16-19

The “kings”/”nations” that are at war are Jesus’ “kings of the earth”; the faithful against the unfaithful.  Rev 1:5; 5:9,10; 16:14; 17:1,2

“food shortages”, the result of an “evil steward” ruling of the House of God, cutting off all supply of spiritual provisions that the entire household of anointed priests should contribute to.   Luke 16:1,2; Amos 8:11; 2 Chron 15:3; Rev 2:9. 

“earthquakes”, Heb 12:26; Isa 13:13; Luke 23:30; Isa 2:19,21; Hos 10:8

 If you read through Matt 24, who are warned not to be deceived in the last days, and by whom?

3 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

5 hours ago, Witness said:

The Lord said to my Lord,

This is why the truth is hidden to many. 

As you wrote the Lord said to himself..................

 Within the last say, 4-5 years, I and other anointed ones have learned that “Jehovah” is not appropriate to use when referring to God.

A declaration of YHWH/YHVH to my lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
² YHWH will send out your mighty scepter from Zion;
rule in the midst of your enemies.  Ps 110:1,2

Although, if you notice that Jesus never did refer to God as “Jehovah”; nor YHWH, but always, “Father”. The WT has taken bold liberty to insert “Jehovah” into its NWT of the Greek scriptures. But, look at Matt 22:41-46, read from Watchtower’s Kingdom Interlinear:

“Having been lead together but of the Pharisees inquired upon them the Jesus saying What to you does it seem about the Christ?  Who’s son is he?  They are saying to him Of the David   He is saying to them How therefore David in spirit is calling him Lord saying    Said Lord to the lord of me   Be sitting out of right-hand [parts] of me until likely I should put the enemies of you beneath the feet of you?    If David is calling him Lord how Son of him is he?”

Your NWT rejected their own Interlinear rendering and inserted “Jehovah”, and I believe you will not find an Interlinear using “Jehovah” in these scriptures.   

 

3 hours ago, the Sower of Seed said:

Jehovah said sit at my right hand ( until I prepare the Earth for your Kingship).

Again:

Ps 110:2 - The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Do you see it? God is telling Christ when he sat down at His right hand,  to RULE!

"RULE" - 

רָדָה râdâh, raw-daw'; a primitive root; to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically, to crumble off:—(come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r, over), take.

"REIGN IN THE MIDST OF YOUR ENEMIES"!

 

 

Pearl Doxsey, "The Sign of the End" 4womaninthewilderness

 

 

[TrueTomHarley]

4 hours ago, Kosonen said:

Many people have experienced a much better life since then....That is thanks to better living conditions. 

It all depends upon where you look and what is most important to you.

I am reminded of that line from the 1968 book The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life: “True, there has been progress in a materialistic way. But is it really progress when men send rockets to the moon, and yet cannot live together in peace on earth?”

Some people think it is.

[JW Insider]

22 hours ago, Arauna said:

Frankly, I do not care if Russel did not understand 1914 or not.

It's easy to understand why you wouldn't care. In the overall stream of things I do not care either. I know you might not have been directing your comments at me, but in defense of the person who brought it up here, he seemed to think it was important, and I respect his reason for making the point. Believe it or not, this is NOT a teaching from our past. The Watchtower considers it relevant to our CURRENT teachings, and it has been repeated several times in the last few years. The importance of this point to the CURRENT Watchtower teachings is the reason I wanted to make sure we knew whether this current teaching is based on facts.

Note this very recent Watchtower, where the teaching about what Russell discerned in 1914 was important enough to repeat here and in many other places in our publications:

*** w17 February p. 25 par. 8 Who Is Leading God’s People Today? ***
To help them disseminate Bible truth in various languages, Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was legally incorporated in 1884, with Brother Russell as president. . . . He discerned that Christ would return invisibly and that “the appointed times of the nations” would end in 1914.

Also note how this is current teaching from another perspective:

*** w14 1/15 p. 31 par. 15 “Let Your Kingdom Come”—But When? ***
In his detailed prophecy about the conclusion of this system of things, Jesus said: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen.” (Read Matthew 24:33-35.) We understand that in mentioning “this generation,” Jesus was referring to two groups of anointed Christians. The first group was on hand in 1914, and they readily discerned the sign of Christ’s presence in that year.

*** w10 6/15 p. 5 United in Love—Annual Meeting Report ***
How comforting it is to know that the younger anointed contemporaries of those older anointed ones who discerned the sign when it became evident beginning in 1914 will not die off before the great tribulation starts!

You do not think it is important, and I agree. I was only dealing with the fact that the Watch Tower publications indicate that the GB believes it is something we should currently care about.

Also, when Cesar Chavez brought this up, it was likely primarily in the context of defending this current teaching.

On 12/30/2019 at 3:08 PM, César Chávez said:

It is by faith that we accept those events to be true, just like faith gave a person insight to understand the end of the gentile times in 1914 way before the event of WW1 happened.

And we know that the Watchtower CURRENTLY teaches that this idea refers especially to Russell and his associates. (See the books "God's Kingdom Rules" and "Pure Worship.")

Of course, Cesar may also have had in mind a parallel discussion here about whether it is still "FAITH" when it leads us into a false teaching, a false doctrine.

*** sl chap. 16 p. 287 par. 12 Awaiting the “New Heavens and a New Earth” ***
Russell calculated that Christ’s “presence” had begun in the year 1874 C.E., unseen to human eyes and seen only by the eye of faith.

The implication from the above article is that it is OK to have FAITH in a false teaching, or false doctrine. As long as the false teaching also contains some important element of truth. This topic might not interest you, and that's OK. But I just wanted to explain why he seemed to have brought it up and why I responded for any who might be taking the topic seriously.

For me, as I've said, there is also a matter of "making sure of ALL things" and the need to pay attention to ourselves and to our teaching. This is because we all need to HONEST teachers with nothing to be ashamed of. And I agree with you, that this "shame" should have nothing to do with past teachings, but is about our CURRENT teachings.

Here's where the issue of honesty comes in. Almost every one of these statements about what was discerned "decades in advance" is almost always written ambiguously in such a way that it could give us, or our Bible students, the impression that Russell had actually had faith and insight, sometime before 1914 that Jesus would return invisibly in 1914. In fact, we know that Russell didn't even have faith or discernment that Jesus would EVER return invisibly at any date in the near future, because when Russell accepted this teaching, it included the "fact" that Jesus had ALREADY returned invisibly in the PAST, not that he would return invisibly in the future.

If we were not aware of the way almost all these statements are made ambiguously, then how easy it would be to give our Bible students the impression that something like the following was true.

*** w98 9/15 p. 15 par. 1 Waiting in “Eager Expectation” ***
By linking the “seven times” of Daniel 4:25 with “the times of the Gentiles,” they anticipated that Christ would receive Kingdom power in 1914.

This is very obviously a false statement, since they did NOT believe Christ would receive Kingdom power in 1914. Christ had already received Kingdom power in 1878, and 1914 was the time for the Jews to receive Kingdom power in Jerusalem, and the time for a resurrection, not of any Christians, but beginning with Jewish, faithful men of old. Most statements have been more careful to provide just enough ambiguity to imply what that quote states without making a false statement. But several false statements have still slipped through. Use the Watchtower Library and look up the term "decades in advance" or "decades before 1914" (adding the quotation marks) and you should see several examples of this.

*** yb75 p. 37 Part 1—United States of America ***
Russell said: “The seven times will end in A.D. 1914.” He had correctly linked the Gentile Times with the “seven times” mentioned in the book of Daniel. (Dan. 4:16, 23, 25, 32) True to such calculations, 1914 did mark the end of those times and the birth of God’s kingdom in heaven with Christ Jesus as king.

Notice how the same false implication is there, but it was worded ambiguously so that it only implies that Russell correctly calculated the birth of God's kingdom in heaven.

*** w13 2/15 p. 18 par. 4 Stay in Jehovah’s Valley of Protection ***
Decades before 1914, Jehovah’s worshippers declared to the nations that the end of “the appointed times of the nations” would come in that year and that the world would enter into an unequaled period of trouble.

Here's another recent teaching which states that decades before 1914, we taught that the world would enter into an unequaled time of trouble. What would you do if you had a Bible study who believed this statement. Would you correct him or her? Should you? In truth, decades before 1914, Jehovah's worshippers declared that the world would finally enter an unequaled period of peace, because the time of trouble would END in October 1914: Decades in advance, Russell said in Studies in the Scriptures, V.5, p.604:

". . . the time of trouble, or “day of wrath” which began October 1874 and will end October 1914."