The
"accursed" cult leaders continued to inflame the emotions of their
followers with their substitute gospel until 1925 came and disconfirmed
it.
What was "expected"? What was "unqualified"?
The
chronology for 1925 was "absolutely and unqualifiedly correct" (Watch
Tower 1922 July 15, p. 217) Also indisputable is: "we must reach the
positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will
never die."
No specific year is set when the millions would stop dying, and delay
until 1935 was a suggested possibility. If the delay became so long
that "millions" from 1920 were no longer alive, it would be obviously a
false prophecy.
The
resurrection of the "worthies" in 1925 is usually qualified with "may
expect", "may confidently expect", and a "reasonable conclusion". The Golden Age, quoted above, however, expresses certainty by stating "1925 marks the date when all shall see…"
Rutherford
had been a practicing lawyer, highly intelligent and slick with words.
He framed his message so people would see it as predicting the return
of the ancient worthies in 1925 and be aroused to great zeal in
preaching. But he also allowed wriggle room so that after 1925 he could
claim it was a probability and "opinion".
Here it is again in 1921-1922:
Seventy
jubilees of fifty years each would be a total of 3,500 years. That
period of time, beginning in 1575 before A.D. 1, of necessity would end
in the fall of the year 1925, at which time the type ends and the great
antitype must begin. What, then, should we expect to take place? In the
type there must be a full restoration; therefore the great antitype
must mark the beginning of restoration of all things.
The
chief thing to be restored is the human race to life; and since other
Scriptures definitely fix the fact that there will be a resurrection of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful ones of old, and that these
will have the first favor, we may expect 1925 to witness the return of
these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being
resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the
visible, legal representatives of the new order of things on earth,
right here in Jerusalem.
Then
Jerusalem will become the capital of the world, and out from this
nation will flow blessings to all the nations of the earth. Because
that time is at hand we can confidently say "Millions now living will
never die". (The Golden Age 1921, March 16, p. 381)
The
physical facts show beyond question of a doubt that 1914 ended the
Gentile times; and as the Lord foretold, the old order is being
destroyed by war, famine, pestilence, and revolution.
The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the scriptures
because it is fixed by the law God gave to Israel. Viewing the present
situation in Europe, one wonders how it will be possible to hold back
the explosion much longer; and that even before 1925 the great crisis
will be reached and probably passed. (Watch Tower 1922 September 1, p. 262)
1925 would also see the death of Christendom:
...the
end of the seventy cycles (as indicated by seventy jubilees), in the
fall of 1925, will surely bring the deathblow to symbolic Babylon.
(Watch Tower 1924 May 15, p. 159)
Rutherford's Evidence
The
cult had previously predicted that the Old Testament "worthies" would
return in 1914/1915 and establish a government that would constitute
the "earthly part of God's Kingdom".
The
"heavenly part" or "heavenly kingdom" supposedly began in 1878 when
deceased Christian "saints" were resurrected in ghost-like form and
ascended to heaven to reign.
1914/1915
was calculated by adding 2520 years to 606 BCE when King Nebuchadnezzar
of Babylon burned Jerusalem. That event actually occurred in 586 BCE
this being the historical date. (Stett 2019) But to accept established
history would have ruined the predictions the cult made for 1914-1915.
Therefore the leaders claimed that the fulfillment would: "probably be
in 1925, ten years later than we once calculated."
They also had their argument of adding 70 x 50 to 1575 BCE to get 1925. The problems here are:
a. The correct date for Israel's entry to Canaan is roughly a century after 1575 BCE;
b. Irrespective of which date is correct, the Bible does not teach that 70 x 50 should be added to it.
As
proof of the imminent changeover starting in 1925 the cult pointed to
World War I; the 1918-1919 Flu pandemic; scientific technology and new
inventions (which would help the resurrected "princes" bring world-wide
prosperity); the 1925-message (which supposedly fulfilled Jesus'
prophecy in Matthew 24:14); capitalism; and perplexing world conditions:
The
conditions which have arisen in the world since 1914 are distressing
and perplexing. All the rulers of earth are perplexed. The financiers
are in perplexity; the business men are in perplexity; the people are
in perplexity; and all are in distress... All of this is but in
fulfillment of the words of Jesus. (Millions... pp 57-58)
Rutherford
jumped between literal and metaphorical interpretations of Jesus'
predictions. In Matthew 24 "Nation will rise against nation" was
literally the World War, and "pestilences" included literally the Flu
pandemic. But “earthquakes” were symbolic and meant revolutions like
Communism. And the sun and moon darkened and stars falling, referred to
clergymen (pp 42-43) falling away from the gospel. In other words
Jesus' predictions were a mishmash of literal and symbolic which no one
understood until Rutherford unraveled them and climaxed them in 1925!
Proclamation
After the initial sermon in 1918 the main proclamation got under way in 1920 with:
• The book Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1920);
• The Watch Tower magazine;
• The Golden Age magazine;
• Meetings in rented halls in many countries;
• Conventions attended by thousands;
• Door-to-door distribution of tracts and leaflets;
• The books The Harp of God (1921) and The Way to Paradise (1924);
• Newspaper reports and advertisements;
• Broadcasts on radio including the cult's radio station inaugurated in 1924.
In 1921 publicizing was in full swing:
On
September 25, 1921, October 30 and December 11 thereafter, public
meetings were simultaneously held in all parts of the United States and
Canada, at which the message "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" was
proclaimed… We invite the Watch Tower readers, the consecrated brethren
throughout the world, regardless of language, to join in this
proclamation of the message of truth… (Watch Tower 1922, January 1, p.
8)
On
December 11, 1921, President J. F. Rutherford of the Watch Tower
Society addressed 7,000 listeners in the old Hippodrome of New York
City on the subject, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” (Watchtower
1966, September 1, p. 517)
"I had
the privilege of pasting signs on traffic centers throughout Leipzig
[Germany]. How satisfying to see the Alberthalle, largest lecture hall
we could get, crowded out by an audience of 4,000…" (Watchtower 1967,
August 1, p. 473)
Radio
was still a novelty. The first wireless signal crossed the Atlantic in
1901 and the world's first radio station began daily broadcasts from
Pittsburgh in 1920. In April 1922 listeners in the north-east USA heard
Rutherford speak. The Philadelphia Record (1922, April 17), a daily paper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reported:
"Radio
Tells the World Millennium is Coming. Judge Rutherford’s Lecture
Broadcasted from Metropolitan Opera House. Talks into Transmitter.
Message is Carried Over Miles of Bell Telephone Wires to Howlett’s
[Radio] Station.
"The
millennium sets in the Year 1925, human woe will then start to vanish,
and disease and sickness, and death itself will be no more, was the
message pronounced through a radio-transmitter by ex-Judge J. F.
Rutherford, of the New York City Bar, standing on the platform of the
Metropolitan Opera House yesterday afternoon…
"Judge Rutherford delivered his lecture, 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die'…
(Quoted in The Watch Tower1922 June 15, p. 180)
Rutherford's book Light
Volume One says: "That same year [1922] the same lecture was delivered
by a large number of speakers in thirty-three different languages."
(Light I, 1930, 315)
The Harp
The Harp of God
became the cult's main doctrinal textbook in 1921. The title page says:
"Proof Conclusive that Millions now Living will never Die".
Pages
333/340 state:
The
proof cited herein shows that the old world (social and political
order) ended and began to pass away in 1914, and that this will be
completed in a few years and righteousness fully established… Seeing,
then, that we are at the end of the old order and the opening of the
new, and that according to the Scriptures many must pass over to the
new, it can be confidently announced that MILLIONS OF PEOPLE NOW LIVING
WILL NEVER DIE…
Hence these faithful men may be expected on earth within the next few years. (pp 333, 340)
Definitely fixed in the Scriptures
In 1922-1924 the use of prophecy to "spur" believers to "greater zeal to give witness" continued:
The
chief thing to be restored is the human race to life; and since other
Scriptures definitely fix the fact that there will be a resurrection of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful ones of old, and that these
will have the first favor, we may expect 1925 to witness the return of
these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being
resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible
legal representatives of the new order of things on earth, right here
in Jerusalem.
The
period must end in 1925. The type ending, the antitype must begin; and
therefore 1925 is definitely fixed in the scriptures. Every thinking
person can see that a great climax is at hand. The Scriptures clearly
indicate that that climax is the fall of Satan's empire and the full
establishment of the Messianic kingdom. This climax being reached by
1925, and that marking the beginning of the fulfillment of the
long-promised blessings of life to the people, millions now living on
earth will be living then and those who obey the righteous laws of the
new arrangement will live forever. Therefore it can be confidently said
at this time that MILLIONS NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE." (The Golden Age 1922, January 4, p. 217)
15If
we assume that the harvest of the wheat class, namely, the saints,
began with the beginning of the second presence of our Lord in 1874,
then would it be unreasonable to conclude that the harvest must
continue for fifty symbolic days, or fifty literal years? If so, then
we might expect the harvest to end fifty years after 1874, or with the
year 1924. If this be true, what a wonderful incentive for the saints
to be watchful, prayerful, active, and rejoicing in their privileges to
have a part in the Lord’s work in these concluding days of the harvest.
That would mean that the selection of the royal family would be
completed with the end of 1924. If this be true, then surely with
confidence the saints now on earth can announce with the opening of
this year, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," because all the members
of the royal line are about completed for the kingdom...
16Surely
there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly
consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been
since 1874; that the harvest has been in progress during that time;
that most of the saints have now been gathered. Therefore, can there be
a reasonable doubt about the early completion of the church and its
glorification in view of the fulfillment of prophecy? Do not all the
physical facts about us indicate just exactly what we expected during
the concluding hours of the church’s earthly pilgrimage?
(Watch Tower 1924 January 1, p. 5)
In his book The Way to Paradise
(1924) Van Amburgh, the cult's secretary-treasurer, expanded 1925 to
include 1926 and identified it as part of Bible "prophecy":
The
Jewish legal year begins in the fall, about our October first. The year
1926 would therefore begin about October first, 1925. It would be very
reasonable to expect to see some beginning of God's favor returning to
the Jewish people, as a part of the world, shortly after that date… We
should, therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the awakening of
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham…and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter
of Hebrews. (p. 224)
Let us
suppose that you are living after the kingdom is established and the
blessings have begun to flow out to the people in abundant measure. Of
course it will take some time to get things in smoothly running order
after the great stress between now and 1926. It may be ten years or
more… (p. 228)
The
Bible and “The Bible in Stone” [the Pyramid of Giza] give the date
1914: for the beginning of the great change. History proves that the
ouster proceedings began promptly on time. Prophecy indicates that
1925-1926 will see the greater part of the ousting completed. All the
world’s statesmen are dreading the next few years. (p. 171)
When
you take up a more advanced study of the Bible, you will find that the
year 1925 A. D. is particularly marked in prophecy. (p. 220)
Life in the Cult
Many
cult members repeated the foolery that had occurred when 1914
approached. They abandoned jobs, sold their houses, cancelled health
care, and became idiots in the eyes of neighbors.
William Schnell, in his book 30 Years A Watchtower Slave, writes:
This
expectation was fanned by every publication of the Organization of that
time and it left a deep imprint upon our minds. In fact, it virtually
made irrational crack-pots out of many of us. For example, I well
remember that in the fall of 1924 my father offered to buy me a much
needed suit of clothes. I asked him not to do it since it was only a
few months to 1925, and with it would come the Kingdom. This now seems
utterly ridiculous to me. Even if the Kingdom as expected had come, I
meanwhile very badly needed new clothes.
The
Watchtower Society kept fanning this great expectation to a high
pitch... However, at that time some of the more mature among the Bible
students began to catch on and to notice the discrepancy in the
Society's statements about 1925 being the beginning of the Kingdom and
the end of the present wicked world, and the Society's increasing
activities of buying land, buildings, ordering printing presses, all
making for expansion! The two just did not go together.
In
parallel with "fanning this great expectation" Rutherford reorganized
the Watchtower organization. He revised doctrines, made the hierarchy
more structured, introduced and enforced stricter levels of uniformity,
and put ever greater emphasis on cult-members going door to door to
sell his books.
The
prospect of missing out on eternal life motivated conformity even as
Rutherford introduced doctrinal revisions that demolished numerous
previous beliefs. Followers who conformed and preached the "gospel" of
1925 in effect "burned their bridges", making going back to their
earlier lives too humiliating if 1925 turned out to be a delusion.
Anticipation Deflated
It's
probable that Rutherford instituted his false predictions deliberately
to inspire people to commit their lives to his cult. He was competing
with other divisions of Russellism to win over former followers of
Charles T. Russell, and his bold predictions can be interpreted as a
strategy to win the lion's share.
In 1923 Rutherford deflated the anticipation a little:
Our
thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures, marking
the end of the typical jubilees. Just exactly what will happen at that
time no one can tell to a certainty; but we expect such a climax in the
affairs of the world that the people will begin to realize the presence
of the Lord and his kingdom power. (Watch Tower 1923, April 1, p. 106)
In
1924 Rutherford criticized the attitude that "the work will not be
finished" in 1925, but also suggested an extension of "several years":
2It
will not do to say that 1925 is approaching and the work will not be
finished during that year, and that therefore one can slack up for
awhile and take on the work again some time later. Who knows that the
work of the Church this side the vail may not be completed in 1925? ...
3Suppose
the Lord should say to his people in 1925 words to the effect that
several years more will be required to give the witness to the nations
before all the body members shall be changed into glorious spirit
beings. Would not the truly loyal ones respond in effect thus?
"Gracious Lord, thy will be done..."
The
year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures,
even more clearly than that of 1914; but it would be presumptuous on
the part of any faithful follower of the Lord to assume just what the
Lord is going to do during that year. (Watch Tower 1924 July 15, p. 211)
"Changed
into glorious spirit beings" referred to going to heaven. Russell had
predicted the physical/bodily ascent of the "saints" (i.e. the
Russellites or Watch Tower cult) in 1878; then 1881; then 1914/1915.
This was among the events postponed, as quoted above, "ten years later
than we once calculated". When 1925 dawned Rutherford deflated the
anticipation further:
2The
year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked
forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members
of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during the
year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God
will accomplish his purposes concerning his own people. Christians
should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire during this
year that they would fail to joyfully do what the Lord would have them
do. (Watch Tower 1925, January 1, p. 3)
Response to Failure
Many
of Rutherford's supporters concluded that false predictions identify
false prophets, and dropped out. Rutherford anticipated this loss and
tried to minimize it:
51It
seems to be a weakness of many Bible Students that if they locate a
future date in the Bible, immediately they center as many prophecies
upon that date as possible. This has been the cause of many siftings in
the past. As far as we recall, all the dates foreseen were correct. The
difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond
reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were
inclined to throw away everything. No doubt Mr Miller was correct in
locating 1844 as a Bible date. But he expected too much. 1874 was also
easily located. 1878 was also a marked date, and one which caused
Brother Russell a severe trial until he corrected his expectations, as
noted in his "Harvest Siftings", of April, 1894, now out of print. Many
can remember how "absolutely sure" some were about 1914. No doubt the
Lord was pleased with the zeal manifested by his servants; but did they
have a Scriptural basis for all they expected to come to pass that
year? Let us be cautious, therefore, about predicting particulars.
(Watch Tower 1925 February15, p. 57)
25It
is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the
consecrated the thought that 1925 should see an end of the work, and
that therefore it would be needless for them to do more. (Watch Tower
1925 September 1, p. 262)
William Schnell, who in 1925 served at the cult's German headquarters in Magdeburg, writes:
By
the spring of 1925, when the world was supposed to come to an end
according to the expectations raised by the Watchtower predictions, and
the princes were scheduled to appear to us, there appeared in their
place Judge Rutherford. He came with a pocket full of American dollars,
which the Society had collected in the form of contributions for books,
and soon bought us a brand new plot of land, and buildings, and
machines. As soon as he left there began a year-long expansion program.
(p. 46)
Schnell
also recalls Rutherford's address to the 150-member headquarters staff.
Rutherford outlined a "master plan" of world rule which he had probably
thought up while in prison in 1918-1919:
Assuming
the role of a seer atop the high Watchtower of the Society, his eyes
took on a far away look and he began to tell us that we should not
selfishly anticipate going to heaven in 1925, when there was still so
much work to be done on earth. He was letting us down! Our pent-up
emotions tied in with our expectation for the end of the world were
being deflated. But, in doing so he took us high up on the Watchtower
with him, as high as the mountain of temptation which overlooked all
the kingdoms of the world, and he showed us a great world organization!
He pictured vast billions coming out of all the kingdoms of the world,
person after person and class after class, slowly learning the
Kingdom...
What
the Judge outlined at the Magdeburg Convention clearly showed us that
he was operating along lines of a well-laid master plan. (pp 47-48)
In 1926 Rutherford gave the following excuse:
“Question: Have the ancient worthies returned?
Answer: Certainly they have not returned. No one has seen them, and it
would be foolish to make such an announcement. It was stated in the
“Millions” book that we might reasonably expect them to return shortly
after 1925, but this was merely an expressed opinion; besides it is
still shortly after 1925. There is no good reason why we should expect
the ancient worthies to return until the church is complete and the
work of the church on earth is done.” (Watch Tower 1926, July 1, p. 196)
Of
course it was not "merely an expressed opinion". It was the "gospel"
based on "divinely corroborated" chronology, "absolutely and
unqualifiedly correct", and cult members turned their lives upside down
to proclaim it.
How
many people did the cult lose? This might be investigated in a future
article. Briefly, the Memorial, the annual remembrance of Christ's
death, declined from 90,000 attending worldwide in 1925 to perhaps
17,000 in 1928. Members who went door-to-door experienced rapid
turnover but stabilized at over 20,000. These rationalized that the
predictions were not false, merely delayed, and they would "live
forever" because the "blessing is now about to begin":
The
faithful shall live forever, receiving from the Lord the right to live.
This blessing is now about to begin, hence it may be properly said that
millions now living will never die... (Deliverance 1926, 352)
It has
also been the cult's practice since its inception, to always have
standby dates, functioning like "the carrot on the stick". In 1975 the
reserve dates were "the generation of 1914" and "within our twentieth
century". In 1878 it was 1881. In 1881 it was "by 1914" changed in 1904
to "immediately after 1914. In 1915 it was 1918 and 1925. In 1925 it
was "several years" and "ten years".
Rutherford
also flattered his followers, made them feel important, by giving them
labels based on Bible names, such as "anointed Christians", "Samson
class", "faithful and wise servant class", "Mordecai class", "Esther
class", etc. He claimed that the Old Testament stories were prophetic
dramas in which the good guys (such as Daniel, David and Mordecai)
pictured them; and the bad guys pictured Catholics, Nazis, Christendom,
and rival divisions of Russellism.
Furthermore,
the Great Depression, which started in 1929, seemed like proof that
Armageddon was imminent. Millions of people lost jobs and joined food
queues, but many of Rutherford's followers survived financially by
selling his books.
As decades passed some flattering titles were removed or reassigned. For example, in 1993 we read:
...the
small body of anointed Christians who lived through those times really
is the faithful and discreet slave. In the years since then, Jehovah’s
organization has expanded enormously, but the faithful and discreet
slave is still at its center, guiding it... (Watchtower 1993 November
1, p. 12)
Sometime
around 2010 the "faithful and wise servant class" lost their title, in
effect got booted out of this class, and the title was reassigned and
restricted to the JW Governing Body. A "Bible truth" proclaimed for 80
years was changed!
After 1925 Proclamation Revised
After 1925 the "millions" prediction stayed on, but attached to new dates:
THE
PEOPLES of this earth are now numbered by the thousands of millions.
Many of these millions are in the days of their youth. The average
length of human life is now approximately forty years. In view of these
admitted facts and of the positive and indisputable truths set forth in
the Bible it can now be confidently said that there are millions of
these persons now on the earth who will never die… (Health And Life
1932, p. 20)
All
the facts show that Armageddon is only a short time away, and that
period much less than the length of a generation. (ibid p. 24)
In the
early 1930s Rutherford introduced the doctrine that only JWs would
survive Armageddon, and in 1934-1935 that a "great multitude" called
"Jonadabs" will live forever on Earth but first had to be converted.
The Millions prediction was thereafter applied to this "great crowd":
The
Scriptures show that God's promise is to preserve the Jonadab class, or
people of good will, and that "millions now living will never die".
(Jehovah 1934, pp 99; 25)
These
predictions in 1932-1934 were false too because although JWs now in
2020 number over 8 million they do not include "millions" who were
alive in 1932-1934!
In the
1960s and 1970s the phrase used was "many now living will never die".
After that, when JWs numbered several million, the phrase "millions now
living [or "now alive"] will never die" returned.
The Watchtower October 1, 1981 has as its main articles:
• "Millions Now Alive Will Never Die Off Our Earth"
• "Millions Get Ready for Uninterrupted Life on Earth"
We read:
• Millions today appreciate that the "new heavens" and the "new earth" are immediately ahead of us. (p. 10)
• Millions of dedicated, baptized witnesses of Jehovah expect to survive… (p. 12)
•
We have basis for believing that there are living today millions of
such potential candidates for an unbroken endless life on earth. (p 14)
•
The eyebrow-raising declaration "Millions now alive will never die off
our earth" is not based upon mere human mathematical calculation… (p.
16)
•
Today the vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses are members of that
"great multitude" that is to survive "the war of the great day of God
the Almighty at…Armageddon." (p. 16)
In
1981 claims like "immediately ahead" and "Millions...expect to survive"
relied on the doctrine that the generation living in 1914 would live
until Armageddon which would occur "within our twentieth century". But
that doctrine too was false and was revised in 1995.
The
JWs alive in 1981, of whom "millions...expect to survive" numbered 2.3
million. Their expectation too was wrong since about half of the 1981
members have already either died or deserted the sect.
Princes Revised
Belief
in the ancient "worthies", or "princes", to be resurrected after 1925
and rule the world was kept fresh by building a mansion in California
for them in 1929. The mansion was named "Beth Sarim" meaning "House of
Princes".
In 1942 the JW book The New World said the princes "may be expected back from the dead any day now" (p. 104) but this also failed!
After
WWII the House was sold and in 1950 the "princes" doctrine was revised.
The "princes" were now the JW overseers who run the congregations. The
overseers would be the rulers of the world after Armageddon but
subservient to the supposed "heavenly kingdom".
False Prediction Caused By God
After JWs abandoned the original "Millions" message they still claimed it had come from God:
Stirring
up increasing interest in them, Jehovah caused to be preached from 1918
onward the startling public message “Millions Now Living Will Never
Die,” and in 1923 he provided the interpretation of “the parable of the
sheep and the goats.” (Matt. 25:31-46) (The Watchtower 1955 November 15, p.
698)
The
interpretation of the sheep and the goats which Jehovah “provided”,
with Rutherford's cult being the "sheep", was abandoned in 1995. (See
Investigator #47)
The 1975 Yearbook of JWs says:
Jehovah
certainly blessed his people back in the 1920’s... He also proved
himself to be a God of progressive revelation. The Bible Students, in
turn, found it necessary to adjust their thinking to some extent. But
they were grateful for God’s guidance and were eager to be “taught by Jehovah.”...
God’s faithful servants
had not dedicated themselves to him only until a certain year. They
were determined to serve him forever. To such persons the unfulfilled
expectations concerning 1925 did not pose a great problem... (pp
146-147)
Amazingly
JWs don't question the inconsistency of claiming they alone are "God's
faithful servants" "taught by Jehovah", when in hundreds of points
(including the 1925 predictions) JWs alone were wrong!
The "Millions" message and other things proclaimed in 1914-1925, was supposedly the "true knowledge" foretold in Daniel 12:4:
The
foretold “time of the end” began in 1914. Did true knowledge about the
hope of mankind become plentiful? (Dan. 12:4)... From 1918 until 1925,
the talk “Millions Now Living Will Never Die,” which explained the hope
of everlasting life on earth, was presented by Jehovah’s servants...
(Watchtower 2009 August 15, pp 15-17)
"Millions" certainly was not "true knowledge". The period also included The Finished Mystery
(1917) which, as shown in another article, had an estimated 1300
explanations of Bible verses that the cult later discarded. Not "true
knowledge" at all!
Still Bible Based; Still The Truth
The Watchtower Library (2015) is the official CD of JW publications that were published since 1950 (but missing some).
The CD's search function can produce lists of every occurrence of any word or phrase.
The phrase "Millions Now Living" occurs 231 times and "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" 185 times.
Many of these references claim the message was "Bible based" and "Bible truth", or otherwise give it a positive spin:
J. F. Rutherford, on the other hand, was not making forecasts based on science or medicine. His discussion was based on the Bible.
He demonstrated by means of fulfilled Bible prophecies that the world
of mankind had entered into its "time of the end." (Daniel 12:4)
(Awake! 1990 April 22, pp 6-7)
This talk expressed the Bible truth
that some would survive the “war of the great day of God the Almighty”
right here on earth... (Watchtower 1967 December 1, p. 729)
When I
was only four years old, we attended a Bible lecture entitled “Millions
Now Living Will Never Die,”... My mother recognized the message in the
lecture as the truth. (Watchtower 1973 January 15, p. 52)
Millions Now Living Will Never Die and the worldwide public talks under that title, commencing early in 1918, gave Scriptural proof
that a multitude of people would survive Armageddon and live forever on
earth under God’s kingdom. (Watchtower 1965 August 1, p. 472)
The
Millions message was actually neither "Bible truth" nor had "Scriptural
proof". No Christian denomination accepted it, and even JWs discarded
it in its original form. The "multitude of people" of 1920, predicted
to survive, is now virtually extinct. The reference to "God's kingdom"
is deceitful too since "God's kingdom" until 1925 was defined as
established in 1878. It was discarded in 1925 and replaced with "God's
kingdom" of 1914:
Be
not surprised then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that
the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that it is due
to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that the 'battle of
the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14) which will end in A.D.
1915, with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is
already commenced. (Russell 1889)
It was
about 1925 that the faithful discerned the fact that the kingdom had
begun and that Satan had been cast out of heaven... (Light 1930, Volume
2, p. 309)
Other positive descriptions that mislead naïve readers to think the Millions message was true include:
• "This grand public lecture..." (Watchtower 1964 January 15, p. 59)
• "What an exciting message..." (JWs Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993, p. 425)
• "Millions Now Living Will Never Die! vividly presented the Kingdom as a reality yet to come, with its grand possibilities of living forever on earth under that glorious government." (Watchtower 1954 June 1, p. 344)
The Bible never calls false predictions "grand" or "exciting", instead "appalling" and "horrible"! (Jeremiah 5:30-31)
"Fornicator" and "Lying Fraud"
In
1990 seventy years had passed since 1920 which is enough time to have
said "Sorry" for the false predictions. Instead JWs recalled that:
The Golden Age of September 29, 1920, plainly exposed Christendom as a fornicator, a lying fraud, and a misleader of the people...
Since then, Jehovah’s people have cooperated fearlessly with the angels
in telling all mankind that Christendom is spiritually dead, her clergy
are fallen leaders, and soon she and the rest of this satanic world
will be destroyed. (Watchtower 1990 April 1, p. 31)
Pointing
to a huge category like "Christendom" and tarring everyone with the
same brush is the same error that racists make. The JW leaders did it
not only in 1920 but still do it — assigning hateful, spiteful labels
to other faiths.
Considering
that the alterations that the JW leaders have made to their so-called
"Bible truth" number thousands, descriptions such as "lying fraud" and
"misleader of the people" look like attempts to hide their own guilt by
deflecting the spotlight.
What about "fornicator"?
JWs
use this word metaphorically to badmouth religions that try to
influence governments, and they call such interaction "fornication".
However, "fornicator" could literally describe the JW Organization.
Australia's
Royal Commission to investigate child abuse, uncovered among JWs 1000
perpetrators since 1950 who had fornicated with, or otherwise sexually
abused 1800 children. JWs reported no offenders to the police, but
shunned many victims who complained when they got older. (Royal
Commission 2016) Nor has the sect yet (June 2020) joined the national
redress scheme, instead is accused of transferring assets off-shore to
avoid paying compensation. (O'Brien 2020)
No
global paradise governed by resurrected ancient "worthies" came after
1925. Instead there came among JWs what some commentators called a
"pedophile's paradise".
Blame
The Watchtower leaders in 1926 and afterwards blamed the victims for their disappointment:
Ever
since the 1870’s, Bible Students had been serving with a date in
mind—first 1914, then 1925. Now, they realized that they must serve for
as long as Jehovah wishes. (Watchtower 1993 November 1, p. 12)
If the
cult members served "with a date in mind", it was the leaders who set
the dates and called their chronology "unqualifiedly correct"!
JWs
constantly tell people in other religions to flee their religion
because of false teachings. But among JWs, despite false teachings,
"Jehovah wishes" more service!
This situation is supposedly "similar" to Jesus' Apostles in Acts chapter 1:
The
year 1925 came and went. Some abandoned their hope. But the vast
majority of the Bible Students remained faithful. “Our family,”
explained Herald Toutjian, whose grandparents had become Bible Students
about the turn of the century, “came to appreciate that unrealized
hopes are not unique to our day. The apostles themselves had similar misplaced expectations... Jehovah is worthy of loyal service and praise with or without the ultimate reward.”—Compare Acts 1:6, 7. (JWs Proclaimers of God's Kingdom 1993, p. 78)
In
Acts 1 the apostles asked Jesus a question: "Lord, is this the time
when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Asking a question is not
"similar" to making false predictions for specific years, claiming
these dates are of "divine origin", and insisting that everyone disrupt
their lives to preach them!
And
how can cooperation in such a disruptive, exploitative, deceitful
agenda be "loyal service and praise" to God? The Bible, in contrast,
teaches:
If
a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the thing does not take
place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD has not spoken. The
prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.
(Deuteronomy 18:22)
Answering Hepburn
Brenton
Hepburn, an apologist for JWs in Adelaide, says that Rutherford's
"Millions" message was not a prophecy but an invitation to consider the
evidence. Rutherford was presenting what he believed was in the Bible;
he didn't prophesy or claim to be inspired.
Hepburn quotes from page 13:
We
invite the reader, therefore, to examine each point carefully as here
made, compare the argument with the Scriptures cited, and view the same
in the light of present day events... Every man should be persuaded in
his own mind and no man should permit himself to be deterred from
examining a question based upon the Bible because a clergyman or any
one else makes the unsupported assertion that it is dangerous or
unworthy to consider. (Millions..., p. 13)
Yes
"The reader" is invited "to examine each point carefully". But
Rutherford also supplies the "indisputable conclusion" which is:
Then,
based upon the promises set forth in the divine word, we must reach the
positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will
never die"... (p. 97)
We noted above that Van Amburgh, the cult's secretary/treasurer, called it "prophecy". Was anyone a prophet in the 1920s?
He
[Jehovah] had a “prophet” to warn them. This “prophet” was not one man,
but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep
followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible
Students.... (Watchtower 1972 April 1, p. 197)
Hepburn
further explains that the word "prophet" in the Bible has a broader
meaning than a "foreteller of events"; it also refers to a
"spokesperson".
That's
correct but unhelpful as an excuse for 1925, since the co-called
modern-day "prophet" claims to be both — spokesperson for God and
foreteller — and repeatedly failed in both.
Hepburn
also argues that the JW leaders never claimed to be "inspired" by God
like the Bible writers were. Hepburn makes this point because to be
"inspired of God" implies total accuracy, infallibility.
Firstly,
people are responsible for any false or misleading information they
disseminate whether they claim to be inspired or not!
Secondly, in the case of the JW leaders, they use terms and phrases equivalent to claiming inspiration. A few examples:
As
Jehovah revealed his truths by means of the first-century Christian
congregation so he does today by means of the present-day Christian
congregation. Through this agency he is having carried out prophesying
on an intensified and unparalleled scale. All this activity is not an
accident. Jehovah is the one behind all of it. (Watchtower 1964 March
15, p. 365)
Jehovah
God is therefore the only Supreme Court of interpretation of His
inspired word… He merely uses the "servant" class to publish the
interpretation after the Supreme Court by Christ Jesus reveals it. (The Watchtower 1943 7/1 202-203)
Consider,
too, the fact that Jehovah's organization alone, in all the earth, is
directed by God's holy spirit or active force. (Zech. 4:6) Only this
organization functions for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. To it
alone God's Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book…
(The Watchtower 1973 7/1 402)
It
will be clearly shown that present-truth chronology displays
indisputable evidence of divine foreknowledge of the principle dates,
and that this is proof of divine origin, and that the system is not a
human invention but a discovery of divine truth. (Watchtower 1922
July15, p. 218)
If the
Bible is "inspired" then a "spokesperson" or "prophet" who claims to
understand it and demands obedience to everything he understands cannot
be wrong in what he proclaims. Such a prophet is implying he's inspired.
Did "Millions Now Living" in 1920 "Never Die"?
Wikipedia in 2020 reported: "The United Nations predicts that there are 573,000 centenarians currently..."
This is way short of millions. Even if the world's remaining
centenarians were all to join JWs so as to "never die", Rutherford's
prediction stays false.
REFERENCES:
Bednarski, W. 2015 Year 1925 and Millions Now Living Will Never Die,
https://www.academia.edu/35922079/Year_1925_and_Millions_now_living_will_never_die_
Hepburn, B.
http://homepages.picknowl.com.au/hepburn/prophecy.htm
Kotwall, B.J. Separation Of Sheep and Goats Stopped, Jesus Rejects Assignment From God, Investigator #47, March 1996
O'Brien, N. Jehovah's 'hiding money', Sunday Mail, June 14, 2020, p. 24
Royal Commission 2016, Report of Case Study No. 29
https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-07/case_ study_29_-_findings_report_-_jehovahs_witnesses
Russell, C.T. 1889 Studies in the Scriptures, Volume II, p. 101
Rutherford, J.F. 1920 Millions Now Living Will Never Die
https://ia802609.us.archive.org/18/items/MillionsNowLivingWillNeverDie/1920_Millions_Now_Living_Will_Never_Die
Rutherford, J.F. 1921 The Harp of God
Rutherford, J.F. 1926 Deliverance
Rutherford, J.F. 1930 Light I and II
Rutherford, J.F. 1932 Health and Life
Schnell, W. 1971 30 Years A Watchtower Slave, Baker Book House
Stett, B. From Jerusalem To Babylon: 586 BCE or 607 BCE? Investigator 186, March 2019
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centenarian
(BS)
