There is so much significance for the year 1914 for Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) that I thought it would make a good issue to bring up here and (as always) let others have their say as well. For one thing, JWs believe that Jesus actually returned on this date (albeit invisibly unlike Christian churches which believe that Jesus is still yet to come physically - see Matt. 24).Another significant aspect of the date 1914 for JWs was the concept of the generation of that time. Up until October 22, 1995 every copy of the Watchtower's Awake magazine used to carry the following confident statement on page 4 at the bottom of the page:
"...the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away." (Awake!, page 4, up until October 22, 1995).
But after this edition this statment was changed to read:
"...the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things." (Awake!, page 4 November 8, 1995, page 4).
David A. Reed comments on the Watchtower's justification for this noteworthy change:
Even more significant is the ‘new truth’ introduced in the November 1, 1995 issue of The Watchtower. On pages 17-19 it changes the Society’s interpretation of Jesus’ words at Matthew 24:34, "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." (NIV)
On page 17 it admits that "Jehovah’s people have at times speculated about the time when the ‘great tribulation’ would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914." Now it says, instead (page 17):
Rather than providing a rule for measuring time, the term "generation" as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics.
Then it goes on to identify the generation that Jesus supposedly pointed to at Matthew 24:34-35 in this way (page 19):
Therefore, in the final fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy today, "this generation" apparently refers to the peoples of earth who see the sign of Christ’s presence but fail to mend their ways.
This new interpretation drops the thought that the world will end during the lifetime of the people who were alive to see the events of 1914. Instead, it has Jesus speaking of the "wicked generation"—people who see the sign of his invisible presence but fail to become JWs—with no time period attached.
This new interpretation drops the thought that the world will end during the lifetime of the people who were alive to see the events of 1914. Instead, it has Jesus speaking of the "wicked generation"—people who see the sign of his invisible presence but fail to become JWs—with no time period attached.
Surely though, any JW who is a genuine seeker for truth can see that this is a weak explanation. It is clearly an attempt to save face before the last person who saw 1914 passes away. The clock was ticking and the 1914 generation were very old and most were in fact dead. The promise at the front of Awake was clearly promoted as "the Creator's promise." It is a serious thing to ascribe promises to God which He has in fact not really made and which have not come to pass. God's true word always comes to pass.
