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Often, when confronted with the many prophetic failures of the Watchtower Society, a loyal Jehovah’s Witness will respond by saying that even though the Watchtower has made mistakes in the past, it has corrected its errors and learned from them. But, has the Watchtower learned from its past mistakes? It’s shocking to read that in the May 1, 1999, Watchtower, the Society repeated the same false prophecy regarding the end of this system that it made in 1920.

 Looking back to 1920, Judge Rutherford, the 2nd president of the Watchtower Society, published a book entitled, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. In it he predicted that millions who were then alive on the earth would be living in 1925 to see the end of this present system and the bodily resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and many other Old Testament saints. Here are 2 quotes from this book:

“The emphatic announcement that millions now living on earth will never die must seem presumptuous to many people; but when the evidence is carefully considered I believe that almost every fair mind will concede that the conclusion is a reasonable one”." p.5

 "“...the old order of things....is ending and is therefore passing away...and that 1925 will mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old....it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on earth will still be on earth in 1925. Then....we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die”." p.97

The Watchtower magazines continually promoted the year 1925 as the end, even announcing that it was a year more clearly marked in scripture than the year 1914. But, obviously, the world did not end in 1925, and since then many millions of people living on earth have died.

A New Promise

Did the Watchtower learn from this mistake? You be the judge as I read the following quote from the May 1, 1999, Watchtower.

 "“Yes, it is true, as the apostle Paul says, that “all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now”-but not for much longer. Millions now living (underline ours) will see the “restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time,” including a restoration of peace, freedom, and justice to the whole human family.”" p.7

Did you see that this is exactly the same promise made in the 1920’s that “millions now living will never die”? Since this prophecy proved false in the past, why should anyone put their hope in it now? Jesus repeatedly warned His followers to beware of false prophets who will arise in the last days deceiving many (Matthew 24). Don’t be fooled by a lie. Jesus never said to follow an organization but said, “Follow Me”. Will you continue to put your trust in a man-made religion that continues to stumble over its own errors, or will you do what God requires and put your faith in His Son (John 6:28,29)? Although the Watchtower sets itself up as a Messiah class, stating that all must come to Jehovah through its Organization, Jesus, in contrast, said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Won’t you come to Jesus today with a repentant heart and receive the free gift of everlasting life?

Written by Wilbur Lingle

Edited and expanded by Tower To Truth

Jehovah's Witnesses Main Page

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