In 1966 the Watch Tower Society issued the first of what became a sequence of statements on the importance of a new date—1975—that raised the possibility of that year heralding the beginning of Christ's millennial reign and, along with it, doom for unbelievers. . .

The passing of 1975 without obvious incident left the Watch Tower Society open to new claims of prophetic failure. Instead of maintaining the prophetic significance of that year, however, the group's leaders embarked on a lengthy period of denial and purge, blaming rank-and-file membership for misreading the organization's interpretations.[16] The Watchtower initially explained that the reason for the failure of Armageddon's arrival was due to the time lapse between the creation of Adam and Eve. Although the Society had earlier argued that the gap was "weeks or months, not years", it now decided the time lapse could, after all, be years.[54] The following year the magazine repeated its explanation, but declared Witnesses themselves to blame for their eager expectations about 1975 because they had misread the Bible.[38] "It was not the word of God that failed or deceived [the individual Jehovah's Witness] and brought disappointment, but ... his own understanding was based on wrong premises."[55] In talks at conventions four years later, leading members of the Society finally acknowledged their error in the initial formulation of the prophecy, and in the March 15, 1980 Watchtower the Society said its claims about 1975 were regretted.[38] It assigned no different interpretation to the date and demanded that its members recognize that there never was an explicit prophecy.[16]

Singelenberg's analysis of Jehovah's Witness preaching activity in the Netherlands in the wake of the 1975 prophetic failure showed a drop in the group's membership from mid-1976, a trend that did not reverse until 1980. An estimated 5000 Witnesses in the Netherlands either left the movement, were expelled, or became marginal and inactive members.[38] Singelenberg suggested many of those expelled and shunned in the late 1970s had rebelled against the group's authority structure out of "post-prophecy frustration"; post-1975 defectors were described to him and to American researcher A. J. Brose as "opportunists" who had joined the group out of fear when the end seemed imminent, yet who lacked genuine commitment. One elder told Singelenberg: "It was good that Armageddon did not take place. It separated the wheat from the chaff."[38] Researcher Mathew N. Schmalz suggested the leadership drew attention from the disconfirmation by requiring an even greater loyalty from members, a demand enforced with the expulsion of almost 30,000 Witnesses in 1978 alone. The insistence on doctrinal orthodoxy reached the highest levels of the organization in 1980, with many in the writing committee disfellowshipped.[16]

In almost every country the annual growth rate of Jehovah's Witnesses fell markedly after the 1975 failure. In the US, the group's growth-rate fell from 6 percent to 2 percent; in South Korea it plummeted from 28 percent to 7 percent and the downward trend continued through to 1978. Even among the majority who remained, morale declined: in 1977 and 1978 the average "publisher" spent 140 hours a year proselytizing, compared to 196.8 hours in 1974.[56]

In his ethnographic study of Jehovah's Witnesses, English sociologist Andrew Holden quoted the testimony of a Witness who had been in the movement from the early 1970s, but found it impossible to remain as an active member after the failure of the 1975 prediction. He said that he, like many others, had been convinced the end would come in 1975:

I said it from the platform! We told everyone the end was near. When I became a Witness I gave up my insurance policies, I cancelled all my insurance endowments, I never bought a house because I knew I wouldn't need one, we didn't even want to put the kids' names down for school

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfulfilled_Watch_Tower_Society_predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee. . .

.

DeepSight:
Armageddon to come within 20th century

Watch Tower Society literature of the 1970s and 1980s repeatedly claimed that the "end" had to be expected before the turn of the century. The 1971 book The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah – How? stated: "Shortly, within our twentieth century, the 'battle in the day of Jehovah' will begin against the modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom."[58] A 1980 Watchtower article described the notion that "the wicked system of this world" would last "until the turn of the century" as "highly improbable in view of world trends and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy" (emphasis added).[59] A similar statement in a 1984 Watchtower article suggested that some members of the 1914 generation "could survive until the end of the century. But there are many indications that 'the end' is much closer than that!"[60] Until its October 22, 1995 issue, Awake! similarly included the statement, "this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away."[61]

In 1989, the notion that the missionary efforts of the Witnesses would culminate before the turn of the century was first reaffirmed, then abandoned. As first published, a Watchtower article of January 1 stated: "The apostle Paul was spearheading the Christian missionary activity. He was also laying a foundation for a work that would be completed in our 20th century."[62] (Emphasis added.) Nine months later a more cautiously worded statement appeared in the Watchtower: "We have ample reasons to expect that this preaching will be completed in our time. Does that mean before the turn of a new month, a new year, a new decade, a new century? No human knows" (emphasis added).[63] In later bound volumes of the 1989 Watchtower magazines, the text of the January 1 article was amended to state that Christian missionary work "would be completed in our day" rather than "in our 20th century".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfulfilled_Watch_Tower_Society_predictions#Armageddon_to_come_within_20th_century

Ọ̀gbẹ́ni i said paste just one publication where a specific date is mentioned!

Look at these:


"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matthew 3:2 this was what John the baptist said in the year 29 c.e.


"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matthew 4:17 this was spoken by Jesus Christ in the year 29 c.e.


"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Act 1:6 this was spoken by the Apostles in the year 33 c.e.

None of the aforementioned gave a specific date but they were talking about the same thing: "The end of the world"

So if i now find a global group of people who have fulfilled all the prophecies written in the Bible book of (Isaiah 2:2-4, Micah 4:1-5, Zephaniah 3:9; Zechariah 8:23) repeating the same thing in the year 1900 c.e.
Then i know they are on the same page with those who said the same thing about 2,000 years ago.

All what i need to observe closely as an intelligent observer is not the time they said it but the improvement in their worship.

I noticed that all these people have been repeating the same thing and it's almost 4,000 years ago now but things are getting better.
HOW?
They predicted that God will bring a kingdom (government) to destroy all the wicked and their evil government! Daniel 2:44
The King will become a child and later grew up to be a WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER and PRINCE OF PEACE! Isaiah 9:6
Then he will be killed for the redemption of obedient mankind! Daniel 9:26
Then a group will emerge visiting their neighbours (uninvited) discussing about what righteousness stand for! Malachi 3:16
Then they will gather obedient people from all the earth! Isaiah 2:2
Use the Bible to educate them thoroughly to the point where all of them will have the same line of thought! Isaiah 2:3 compare to John 17:20-23
Then they will erase politics and military services from their hearts so that none of them will think of raising weapons against anyone again! Isaiah 2:4

Then you're expecting me to dismiss all these successes only to concentrate on the repetitive reminders which has been for almost 5,000 years ago!

You must be out of your mind!

MaxInDHouse:


Ọ̀gbẹ́ni i said past just one publication where a specific date is mentioned!

Look at these:


"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matthew 3:2 this was what John the baptist said in the year 29 c.e.


"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matthew 4:17 this was spoken by Jesus Christ in the year 29 c.e.


"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Act 1:6 this was spoken by the Apostles in the year 33 c.e.

None of the aforementioned gave a specific date but they were talking about the same thing: "The end of the world"

So if i now find a global group of people who have fulfilled all the prophecies written in the Bible book of (Isaiah 2:2-4, Micah 4:1-5, Zephaniah 3:9; Zechariah 8:23) repeating the same thing in the year 1900 c.e.
Then i know they are on the same page with those who said the same thing about 2,000 years ago.

All what i need to observe closely as an intelligent observer is not the time they said it but the improvement in their worship.

I noticed that all these people have been repeating the same thing and it's almost 4,000 years ago now but things are getting better.
HOW?
They promised that God will bring a kingdom (government) to destroy all the wicked and their evil government! Daniel 2:44
The King will become a child and later grew up to be a WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER and PRINCE OF PEACE! Isaiah 9:6
Then he will be killed for the redemption of obedient mankind! Daniel 9:26
Then a group will emerge visiting their neighbours (uninvited) discussing about what righteousness stand for! Malachi 3:16
Then they will gather obedient people from all the earth! Isaiah 2:2
Use the Bible to educate them thoroughly to the point where all of them will have the same line of thought! Isaiah 2:3 compare to John 17:20-23
Then they will erase politics and military services from their hearts so that none of them will think of raising weapons against anyone again! Isaiah 2:4

Then you're expecting me to dismiss all these successes only to concentrate on the repetitive reminders which has been for almost 5,000 years ago!

You must be out of your mind!

Enjoy your delusions.

DeepSight:

Dont waste your energy, speaking to this fellow is like trying to dissuade Osama Bin Laden from the path of terrorism.
Chap is a fully brainwashed extremist fanatic.

First interference:
"Osama bin laden (terrorism)"

DeepSight:

You belong to a cult.
"Specific factors in cult behaviour are said to include manipulative and authoritarian mind control over members, communal and totalistic organization, aggressive proselytizing, systematic programs of indoctrination, and perpetuation in middle-class communities."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult#Secular_anti-cult_movement

After your self-appointment was cancelled you shifted the goal post to: "you belong to a cult"

DeepSight:

Enjoy your delusions.

And after you've been silenced completely you ended up saying: "Enjoy your delusion"

Well for your information, we are JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES weapon formed against our solid faith will fail, any tongue that rises against us will be silenced, that's our HERITAGE. and as for our righteousness just take it or leave it because it's from JEHOVAH our God! Isaiah 54:17

So next time don't come up with your stupidity thinking you've gotten something to say against reality!

plaetton:

Just trying to draw your attention to the similarities in the tales and myths of the Bible.

Tales and myths are always immediately discarded and everyone knows their place is fleeting but the True records of the actions of men, always
by Truth and in Truth prevents people from calling them tales and myths.

We are naturally endowed with the ability to differentiate a tale/ myth from a True Report of Happenings..

Time kills Lies and puts tales in their proper places but Up Raises The True.

And the Bible has had Time as his friend for Too Long that it can almost not be timed..