This was the title on page 4 of the May 15, 1984 Watchtower which stated on pg. 6 . .
"Jehovah's prophetic word through Jesus Christ is: 'This generation [of 1914] will by no means pass away until all things occur.' (Luke 21:32) And Jehovah, who is the source of inspired and unfailing prophecy, will bring about the fulfillment of his Son's words in a relatively short time. - Isaiah 46:9, 10; 55:10, 11."
and continues on pg. 7 . .
"Just as Jesus' prophecies regarding Jerusalem were fulfilled within the life span of the generation of the year 33 C.E., so his prophecies regarding "the time of the end" will be fulfilled within the life span of the generation of 1914. (Daniel 12:4)
Some may wonder why this prophecy means so much to Jehovah's Witnesses, especially those who have labored in the Watchtower Organization for so long and clung to the hope of still being alive through it all The Watchtower magazine of January 1, 1978 (page 31) explains:
"...when it comes to the application in our time, "the generation" logically would not apply to babies born during World War I. It applies to Christ's followers and others who were able to observe that war and other things tat have occurred in fulfillment of Jesus composite sign. Some of such persons will by no means pass sway until all of what Christ prophesied occurs, including the end of the present wicked system."
The November 8, 1994 Awake! on pg. 10 says . .
This time of the end is, however, to be a relatively short period-stretching over one generation. (Luke 21:31, 32) The fact that we are now 80 years beyond 1914 indicates that we can soon expect the deliverance that God's Kingdom will bring. This means that we will see "the lowliest one of mankind"-Jesus Christ-take complete control of "the kingdom of mankind" and bring about a peaceful and just new world.-Daniel 4:17.
The January 1, 1984 Watchtower on pg. 5 under the topic Reliability of Bible Prophecy? says . .
Man lacks complete control of future situations and must react to them as they develop. God is different. His predictions are precise for two reasons. First, as the Creator, Jehovah knows humans and he can accurately fortell where human thought and action will lead. (Deuteronomy 31:21; Isaiah 46:9, 10) Second, God can shape events before they happen. In both ways his purpose is always accomplished and his prophetic word is always stamped as true.
In the November 1, 1995 Watchtower, the promise which was thought to be from the "Creator" was given "New Light" from the organization. It stated that . .
". . the term "generation" as used by Jesus refers principally to a contemporary people of a certian historical period, with their identifying characteristics.
"Never in Jehovah's Name: claims the Watchtower Society in the march 22, 1990 edition of Awake! magazine. And then again, the reassurance in the 1995 edition of "Qualified to Be Ministers" book on page 56 which says:
"We shall not be suspicious, but the Bible says `believe all things...all things that the Watchtower says'."
So, with this advice, let us consider the facts. The Awake! article mentioned above states that they never did say that "these are the words of Jehovah" in any of their speculations of the prophetic dates given for time to time. However, this same issue and page of this publication says:
Why Awake! is Published.
Awake! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today's problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.
But again "New Light" shines on the organization as the Awake! magazine changed to . .
Why Awake! is Published.
Awake! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today's problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.
Has the Creator changed his promise of blessings "before the 1914 generation has passed away" as he supposedly promised for a long time according to the Awake! publications? Or perhaps, is the Watchtower Society desperately trying to remove more unfulfilled promises and dates as all these prophecies have come to pass?
The July 15, 1960 Watchtower magazine claims (page 439) "channeling" directly from God's throne:
"Organizationally the faithful and discreet slave class since 1919 has been channeling an ever increasing flow Biblical publications by the millions that contain the waters of truth featuring Jehovah's will as emanating from God's throne in heaven"
The conclusion could only be that the Watchtower Society did use Jehovah's name as the source of prophecies which were "channeled" from the heavenly throne to his people on earth and there was solid reason to hope and believe that "the generation" of 1914 would still be alive at the end of the world. Such hope was dashed away with the flick of a pen, or more accurately, a single issue of the Watchtower magazine.
The November 1, 1995 edition says now that the hope of 1914 as the last generation was taken away and replaced with a vague reference that a "generation" is just a contemporary people of a certain time.
"Eager to see the end of this evil system, Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time the "Great Tribulation" would break out, EVEN TYING THIS TO CALCULATIONS OF WHAT IS THE LIFETIME OF A GENERATION SINCE 1914.....
Rather than provide 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 CHARACTERS."
Proverbs 30:5,6 says . .
"Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."