You may wonder why i mention such a long forgotten time to youths today!
Some pretty momentous things were expected for that year. You see, the Jehovah's Witnesses, true to their Adventist herritage (Oh yes!) did not stop setting dates and raising hopes. I have some first hand knowledge of this time, for i was 13 that year. It had a far reaching effect on my family. If you are willing to stick with me here, i will outline what i am talking about. I will only post material from your own societies publications and my personal comments there-on.(Blue highlighting mine)
The following is from the Watchtower of 10/15 1966 in an article on the “God’s Sons of Liberty” District Assemblies
To give aid today in this critical time to prospective sons of God,” announced President Knorr, “a new book in English, entitled ‘Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God,’ has been published.” At all assembly points where it was released, the book was received enthusiastically. Crowds gathered around stands and soon supplies of the book were depleted. Immediately its contents were examined. It did not take the brothers very long to find the chart beginning on page 31, showing that 6,000 years of man’s existence end in 1975. Discussion of 1975 overshadowed about everything else. “The new book compels us to realize that Armageddon is, in fact, very close indeed,” said a conventioner. Surely it was one of the outstanding blessings to be carried home!
THE YEAR 1975
At the Baltimore assembly Brother Franz in his closing remarks made some interesting comments regarding the year 1975. He began casually by saying, “Just before I got on the platform a young man came to me and said, ‘Say, what does this 1975 mean? Does it mean this, that or any other thing?’” In part, Brother Franz went on to say: ‘You have noticed the chart [on pages 31-35 in the book Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God]. It shows that 6,000 years of human experience will end in 1975, about nine years from now. What does that mean? Does it mean that God’s rest day began 4026 B.C.E.? It could have. The Life Everlasting book does not say it did not. The book merely presents the chronology. You can accept it or reject it. If that is the case, what does that mean to us? [He went into some length showing the feasibility of the 4026 B.C.E. date as being the beginning of God’s rest day.]
‘What about the year 1975? What is it going to mean, dear friends?’ asked Brother Franz. ‘Does it mean that Armageddon is going to be finished, with Satan bound, by 1975? It could! It could! All things are possible with God. Does it mean that Babylon the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that the attack of Gog of Magog is going to be made on Jehovah’s witnesses to wipe them out, then Gog himself will be put out of action? It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975. But the big point of it all is this, dear friends: Time is short. Time is running out, no question about that.
‘When we were approaching the end of the Gentile Times in 1914, there was no sign that the Gentile Times were going to end. Conditions on earth gave us no hint of what was to come, even as late as June of that year. Then suddenly there was a murder. World War I broke out. You know the rest. Famines, earthquakes and pestilences followed, as Jesus foretold would happen.
‘But what do we have today as we approach 1975? Conditions have not been peaceful. We’ve been having world wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences and we have these conditions still as we approach 1975. Do these things mean something? These things mean that we’re in the “time of the end.” And the end has to come sometime. Jesus said: “As these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near.” (Luke 21:28) So we know that as we come to 1975 our deliverance is that much nearer.’
“Let us make the most of the time and get in all the good hard work to Jehovah while the opportunity affords,” he urged.
Now, these were about the first real mentions of 1975, 9 years into the future. As the society said, discussion of 1975 overshadowed everything else! It would be very naive to think that the writers of the book, and Fred Franz would be ignorant of the effect this would have on the brothers. They could not expect anything less than mass speculation of what they had set in motion. 'it could' was said 3 times for emphasis.
Now, i know that those of you still with me will be pointing to this bit: And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975.
Yes, it is true that Fred Franz tried to introduce caution here. For he knew all to well what was likely to happen. Indeed was happening. True, in his talk and in the book nothing specific was said, save for the huge expectation that something was likely to happen in 1975.
Then came the Watchtower of 7/15 1967 with this in an article:
A THOUSAND-YEAR REBUILDING PERIOD
According to the Bible timetable, man’s history on earth has been nearly 6,000 years. Adam was created in 4026 B.C.E., which means that six thousand years of human history end about the fall of 1975 C.E. We are in the great 7,000-year rest day of God, starting at the time he rested after the creation of Adam and Eve. There are, therefore, a thousand years left to run. Without Satan and his demons to disturb mankind it will indeed be a restful time. It will be like a sabbath. In a way it will be a sabbath within a sabbath. The last thousand years of God’s great seven-thousand-year rest is a special sabbath over which the Son of man will be Lord.—Matt. 12:8.
It was well understood by witnesses of the time that that the thousand year rebuilding period was to begin in 1975. With 6,000 years up in that year, the last 1,000 years would be free of Satan, and '75 was that crossover year. This only hightened speculation further.
In the watchtower of 5/1 1967 there appeared this discussion of the 6,000 years:
THE END OF 6,000 YEARS
In examining these Scriptural facts, something else also captures our attention. According to Bible chronology, we are already over fifty-two years into the wicked system of things’ “time of the end.” That time began in the autumn of 1914 C.E., at the termination of the “appointed times of the nations,” and it is already far advanced. Jesus said that “this generation” that saw the beginning of this time period in 1914 would also see its end. The generation that was old enough to view those events with understanding in 1914 is no longer young. It no longer has many years to run. Already many of its members have died. But Jesus showed that there would still be members of “this generation” alive at the time of the passing away of this wicked system of things in both heaven and earth. (Luke 21:32, 33) How much longer will it be, then, before God takes action to destroy the wicked and usher in the blessings of his Kingdom rule?
Interestingly, the autumn of the year 1975 marks the end of 6,000 years of human experience. This is ascertainable from reliable chronology preserved in the Bible itself. What will that year mean for humankind? Will it be the time when God executes the wicked and starts off the thousand-year reign of his Son Jesus Christ? It very well could, but we will have to wait to see. Yet of this we can be certain: the generation that Jesus said would witness those events is nearing its close. The time is close at hand. On God’s “timetable” we are in the closing days of a wicked system of things that will soon be gone forever. A glorious new order is immediately before us. This is, therefore, good reason for Christians everywhere to rejoice. Yes, they rejoice because fulfillment of their prayers for the kingdom of God is now at hand.—Luke 21:28.
What was the result of this article? The linking of the 'generation' now being very old and the year 1975 is made. I notice that the cautionary 'but we have to wait to see' is in the middle of two very speculative statements. Again, this would not be lost on the brothers of the writing department. here was an article that did nothing but continue the hope raising of 1.5 million people.
The Watchtower of 12/15 1968 article:
How We Know It Is Getting Near
10 At the same time the political, financial, economic, social and religious elements are becoming more perplexed, and in their frustration these men are becoming faint not only out of fear but also out of expectation of the things that they can calculate are bound to come upon the earth. World famine is predicted for the year 1975.
What was the effect of this paragraph? It linked the prophecies of the end times to 1975. The brothers were already very excited about 1975, and the publishing of statistics like this had the effect of people saying '' yes! See the sign is coming true! We are very deep into the end..."
Next came a long article in the Watchtower of 8/15 1968:
Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?
WHAT about all this talk concerning the year 1975? Lively discussions, some based on speculation, have burst into flame during recent months among serious students of the Bible. Their interest has been kindled by the belief that 1975 will mark the end of 6,000 years of human history since Adam’s creation. The nearness of such an important date indeed fires the imagination and presents unlimited possibilities for discussion.
The article then had a very detailed lengthy outline of chronology that concludes with the year 1975. (this chronology can be a whole discussion on its own and will not be discussed in this post) The point of the article was to demonstrate the accuracy of the calculations and the methods used. It then continued:
30 Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then? Possibly, but we wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year period of man’s existence coincides with the sabbathlike thousand-year reign of Christ. If these two periods run parallel with each other as to the calendar year, it will not be by mere chance or accident but will be according to Jehovah’s loving and timely purposes. Our chronology, however, which is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible), at the best only points to the autumn of 1975 as the end of 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth. It does not necessarily mean that 1975 marks the end of the first 6,000 years of Jehovah’s seventh creative “day.” Why not? Because after his creation Adam lived some time during the “sixth day,” which unknown amount of time would need to be subtracted from Adam’s 930 years, to determine when the sixth seven-thousand-year period or “day” ended, and how long Adam lived into the “seventh day.” And yet the end of that sixth creative “day” could end within the same Gregorian calendar year of Adam’s creation. It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years
This was an article that even further shored up expectation. It is easy to dismiss it in the light of some 40 years past but bear in mind this was new stuff to the brothers then. To the brothers the society was not just confirming that armageddon could arrive in 1975, but also that they may only be out a few months if any. The President of the society would have been very aware that the brothers were talking about 1975 a lot, this article was certainly keeping the expectation alive and well.
The Watchtower of 5/1 1968 increased the urgency created and felt with this:
Making Wise Use of the Remaining Time
5 Therefore, God’s seventh day and the time man has been on earth apparently run parallel. To calculate where man is in the stream of time relative to God’s seventh day of 7,000 years, we need to determine how long a time has elapsed from the year of Adam and Eve’s creation in 4026 B.C.E. From the autumn of that year to the autumn of 1 B.C.E., there would be 4,025 years. From the autumn of 1 B.C.E. to the autumn of 1 C.E. is one year (there was no zero year). From the autumn of 1 C.E. to the autumn of 1967 is a total of 1,966 years. Adding 4,025 and 1 and 1,966, we get 5,992 years from the autumn of 4026 B.C.E. to the autumn of 1967. Thus, eight years remain to account for a full 6,000 years of the seventh day. Eight years from the autumn of 1967 would bring us to the autumn of 1975, fully 6,000 years into God’s seventh day, his rest day.
8 Does this mean that the year 1975 will bring the battle of Armageddon? No one can say with certainty what any particular year will bring. Jesus said: “Concerning that day or the hour nobody knows.” (Mark 13:32) Sufficient is it for God’s servants to know for a certainty that, for this system under Satan, time is running out rapidly. How foolish a person would be not to be awake and alert to the limited time remaining, to the earthshaking events soon to take place, and to the need to work out one’s salvation!
USE IT WISELY
14 Ours are “critical times hard to deal with,” for they are the “last days.” (2 Tim. 3:1) “Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.” (2 Tim. 3:13) Surely, Christians want to use their remaining time in this system of things wisely, for the right purpose, so they are not overcome by these bad times so “hard to deal with” due to Satan’s schemes and assaults. But how can we do this? One way is by not wasting time on unprofitable pursuits. This we will do if, to the best of our ability and circumstances, we follow the lead of Jehovah through his visible organization on earth today. Through his visible arrangement we receive counsel on how best to use our time. Meetings are provided for receiving uplift spiritually. There is also wholesome, stimulating activity in preaching the truths we learn to others.—Matt. 24:45-47.
15 True, much of our time is consumed in preparing, going to meetings and out in the ministry. In fact, it seems as though such a schedule leaves little time for other pursuits. But do you think such is an accident? Does Jehovah not know what is best for his people in these very dark and critical days? Aside from the primary purpose of educating us in Jehovah’s purposes and requirements so we can carry out his will, the consuming of our time at meetings and in the ministry means that God’s servants are doing the right thing and will not be in another place doing the wrong thing! The more time they spend working with Jehovah’s visible organization, the less time they will have left to get into difficulty. Yes, the arrangements Jehovah has provided now are certainly a source of great protection. “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower. Into it the righteous runs and is given protection.”—Prov. 18:10.
18 To use our time even more wisely, we need to become proficient in our lifesaving work. We want to do more than just occupy our time with the ministry. We want to make the best use of that time we spend, and we can do that if we put our heart into what we do and endeavor to improve the quality of our service to Jehovah. At 1 Corinthians 9:26 Paul said: “The way I am directing my blows is so as not to be striking the air.” Paul was not going to waste time and energy in accomplishing little or nothing. He would learn to direct his efforts skillfully to use in the best way the time he spent. We can do the same. If we do, we will be productive in the ministry, diligently working to find, feed and tenderly care for interested persons with whom we come in contact.
Now things were warming up. It almost appeared that it was no longer speculation. Counsel was coming through that it was important to stay busy. Get out in the field service and don't get caught wasting time on 'unprofitable' pursuits. Anything that was not meeting or service related was not wise.
Watchtower of 4/15 1968 also had another thought provoker:
What the Future Holds for You
Mankind faces the threat of annihilation. Yet, to what future can you confidently look?
“MANY signs are appearing on the international horizon which are reminiscent of what happened before the outbreak of World War II,” noted an editorial in the U.S. News & World Report of October 9, 1967. A few months before, United Nations Secretary-General U Thant observed: “I’m afraid we are entering today the first phase of World War III.”
The world situation is unquestionably dangerous, and is fast becoming more so. Preparations for war go on at an accelerated rate, and as more nations acquire atomic weapons, the danger increases. In addition to the peril of war, the present population explosion poses a threat of even greater food shortages and widespread starvation. In their new book, Famine—1975!, two noted food experts, William and Paul Paddock, make this forecast for the future, on page 61:
“By 1975 civil disorder, anarchy, military dictatorships, runaway inflation, transportation breakdowns and chaotic unrest will be the order of the day in many of the hungry nations—all because hunger will turn inexorably into starvation and starvation will become widespread famine.”
No wonder there is great anxiety and bewilderment as people contemplate the future. But is the situation really so critical? Does the World actually face disaster? What does the future hold for you?
UNPRECEDENTED TRIBULATION AT HAND
Jesus Christ, God’s greatest prophet, pointed forward to a period of unusual distress, and his description matches perfectly conditions prevailing since World War I in 1914. For instance, among other things, he foretold: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages . . . in one place after another.” Wars of unprecedented scope and widespread famine! And of what are such conditions a sign? Jesus explained that they were to mark his invisible presence in Kingdom power, and “the conclusion of the system of things.”—Matt. 24:3-14; Luke 21:7-33.
Thus, the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy, currently being experienced, indicates that the complete end of this system of things is at hand! Jesus compared the destruction that is soon to occur with what actually happened once before in human history. He said: “For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. For as they . . . took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be.” (Matt. 24:37-39) Yes, Jehovah God actually brought a world of wicked mankind to ruin in Noah’s day.
Whether men choose to recognize the fact or not, this system soon faces a similar destruction. It will occur at what the Bible calls “the war of the great day of God the Almighty,” or Armageddon. (Rev. 16:14-16) At that time the tribulation upon ungodly mankind will exceed any ever before experienced. In the course of God’s execution, all political organizations and alliances will be broken down. There will be wild confusion. Every man’s hand will be against his neighbor. (Ezek. 38:21; Zech. 14:13) The disorder, terror and strife will surpass even that experienced when the floodwaters rose above the heads of those struggling to escape in Noah’s day.
Jesus indicated this when he said: “For then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.” (Matt. 24:21) Happily, however, there will be survivors, even as there were Flood survivors. Jehovah’s executional forces will bring their executional swords down only “upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.”—2 Thess. 1:7-9.
DESTRUCTION OR PRESERVATION?
The future, therefore, is clear-cut. Faced with Armageddon, people today are going in either one of two directions. They are either supporting this system of things and stubbornly refusing to lean about Jehovah God or they are showing that they truly love Him by taking up His service in imitation of Jesus. There are just the two courses—one leads to everlasting life and the other to eternal destruction. “Jehovah is guarding all those loving him,” the Bible says, “but all the wicked ones he will annihilate.”—Ps. 145:20.
Notice again the reference to 1975 in a quote about the year. This certainly gave us all further confirmation that the end would come in '75 as the rest of the article again focused on armageddon and admonition to make sure we were not wasting time.
Which course of action are you taking? Do you put Jehovah God and his interests first, or do you selfishly pursue the pleasures and comforts of the world, making them your chief concern? Do not try to deceive yourself. You cannot be on both sides.—Matt. 6:24.
The Watchtower of 2/1 1969 stated:
More recently, the book entitled “Famine—1975!” by William and Paul Paddock said concerning today’s food shortages, on pages 52, 55 and 61: “Hunger is rampant throughout country after country, continent after continent around the undeveloped belt of the tropics and subtropics. Today’s crisis can move in only one direction—toward catastrophe. Today hungry nations; tomorrow starving nations. . . . By 1975 civil disorder, anarchy, military dictatorships, runaway inflation, transportation breakdowns and chaotic unrest will be the order of the day in many of the hungry nations.”
Followed by the watchtower issue of 10/15 1969 later in the year:
By continued success in the missile field and by beginning to stockpile her weapons in the year 1972, and then keeping this up, the Communist Chinese “should be in a position to deploy 15 or 20 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles by about 1975.”—New York Times, February 3, 1969.
What are we to think of these quotes in 1969, after 1968 issues having a lot to say on 1975? It was the keeping of the date in peoples minds. It was confirmation that 1975 indeed was going to be year to watch!
January 1970 Watchtower kicked off with another reminder, 5/1 1970:
How close we may exactly be to the end of the present divisive system of things cannot be predicted, as Jesus reported that even he did not know the day or the hour at the time of his earthly ministry. (Matt. 24:36) However, Bible chronology which indicates that Adam was created in the fall of the year 4026 B.C.E. would bring us down to the year 1975 C.E. as the date marking 6,000 years of human history with yet 1,000 years to come for Christ’s Kingdom rule. So whatever the date for the end of this system, it is clear that the time left is reduced, with only approximately six years left until the end of 6,000 years of human history. (1 Cor. 7:29) This corroborates the understanding of Jesus’ words that the generation alive in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I would not pass away until the end comes. Only a short time, then, remains for persons who love righteousness to show God that they want to be in his “ark” of protection and live to see the blessings of the new system of things
There is a lot of power in this paragraph. Note how it says that Jesus did not know at the time of his earthly ministry? Don't forget that Jesus had arrived invisbly in 1914, so it follows that he did know by 1970 of course.
Note also the emphasis on this: Jesus reported that even he did not know the day or the hour at the time of his earthly ministry. (Matt. 24:36) However, Bible chronology which indicates that Adam was created in the fall of the year 4026 B.C.E. would bring us down to the year 1975.
Can you see it? Did not know day or hour HOWEVER chronology brings us to the year 1975. There is obvious speculation to the point of almost saying it would come in '75. Correct, it does not say it, but it sure is suggested, and backed by complex chronology and prophecy.
After leaving the situation alone for a while, the Watchtower of 12/15 1974 mentions it again:
And now, as the critical year of 1975 enters, it may well be asked: Has the Most High God of prophecy made a name for himself? The answer is self-evident, Yes! By whom? Not by Christendom or by Jewry, but by Jehovah’s Christian witnesses!
If you enter 1975 into the search of the CD Library, when you look at the number of references to 1975 you find huge jump in references. From 7 mentions in '74 WT's to 70 in the '75 issues.
Many of the references are in fact to show the horrible state of the world in 1975. So, as they entered the year, Jehovah's Witnesses were all exteremely alert. The pointing out of the earths woes and mankinds inability to fix them only served to make them even more anxious in the lead up to Autumn of that year. But by October, Autumn had past and nothing had happened. Not one part of the events to happen before armageddon could occur had happened either.
So, in the 10/1 1975 Watchtower this was printed:
Does this mean, then, that mankind has now reached 6,000 years into the 7,000-year period that God ‘blessed and made sacred’ as his great “rest day”? Does it mean that Christ’s millennial Kingdom rule, as the final 1,000 years of that “rest day,” is to be reckoned from September 1975?—Gen. 1:27, 31; 2:2, 3; Rev. 20:1-6.
No, it does not mean that. Why not? Well, the Bible record shows that God’s creations on the “day” just preceding that 7,000-year “rest day” did not end with Adam’s creation. It shows a time lapse between the creation of Adam and that of his wife, Eve. During that time, God had Adam name the animals. Whether that period amounted to weeks or months or years, we do not know. So we do not know exactly when Jehovah’s great “rest day” began, nor do we know exactly when it will end. The same applies to the beginning of Christ’s millennial reign. The Bible provides us no way to fix the date, and so it does us no good to speculate when that date may be.—Gen. 2:18-25; Matt. 24:42, 44.
This was the first mention of this 'time lapse'. So after 9 years of speculation by the Watchtower and bible tract society, they print a 'loophole' in the calculations and claim it does no good to speculate! Now hang on a minute! Who has been doing the speculating here? The congregation publisher or the men in charge? How could they relegate all the speculating and hope building they did to nothing more than an interesting date in chronology? But they did. And the distancing of the Governing Body from their own writings got grander in the months and years ahead.
Printed in the 12/15 1975 edition of the watchtower is a telling little bit of information:
Many are led to abandon their former course of life and join with Jehovah’s witnesses in pure worship, to the extent that from 1966 to 1975 the number of Jehovah’s witnesses actively engaged in preaching the good news of God’s kingdom in Nigeria has increased by 68,426, to make a grand total of 112,164 persons. This represents an increase of 156 percent in ten years!
1966 was the first mention of of 1975 to the world wide brotherhood and 1975 pretty much the end of it too. The huge growth was no doubt due to the anticipated events of 1975! What effect on a real level did it have on people?
5/74 km:
Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the poineer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked worlds end.- John 2:17
The Kingdom ministry of 9/1974:
Fine Opportunities Ahead for the 1975 Service Year
1 As we enter the new service year, we have a feeling of keen anticipation. We are well aware that we are now nearly sixty years into the “conclusion of the system of things,” and that the time remaining is short. None of us know exactly when the “great tribulation” will strike, but we have full confidence that it will come at precisely the time fixed in advance by Jehovah.—Hab. 2:3; Matt. 24:36.
2 But before that time arrives, we have work to do—lots of it! This is evident from the numbers of interested persons that show up at our Kingdom Halls. It is shown in reports that during the past year, in one country after another, record numbers of persons presented themselves for baptism as dedicated servants of Jehovah. It is also evident from the number of persons who accept our literature when we call at their homes, and from the worldwide increase in the number of home Bible studies. There is every indication that many more persons will yet come out of darkness into God’s wonderful light.—Isa. 60:11, 12, 22; compare 1 Peter 2:9.
Kingdom mistry 11/1974:
Branch Letter
Dear Kingdom Publishers:
The figures are now in, and indeed this past service year has had Jehovah’s blessing. The number of publishers in the United States increased 15 percent; that means, on an average, 66,878 more praisers of Jehovah. This, in turn, made necessary 483 additional congregations, for a total of 6,542 just in this country. The tremendous increase is also reflected in the number baptized. There was an all-time record of 81,588 persons immersed this past year! Just think—that is more than the annual figure for the whole world just seven years ago. It certainly makes us rejoice to see so many persons get started on the way that leads to real life.
Indeed, many sold up everything they had. Many put off medical procedures, many did not pursue education. So sure they were that Jehovah would not fail them.
But the situation was changing later in the year, the KM 11/1975:
Branch Letter
Dear Kingdom Publishers:
Everyone is keenly interested in what happened in the United States during the 1975 service year. Well, we had a fine new peak of 560,879 publishers, with a monthly average of 534,765.
However, one million fewer bound books were distributed this year, the total being 8,887,673. Another point: while a really marvelous witness was given and 92,925,486 hours were spent in giving the Kingdom proclamation, yet this was 6,725,000 fewer hours than the previous year, even though we had 28,398 more workers in the field each month. Why?
Here is the answer: The monthly average of hours for the special pioneers was one hour less than for the year before. Regular pioneers’ also averaged one hour less, as did the temporary pioneers and the congregation publishers. That totals 6,417,000 fewer hours than for the previous year. Nevertheless, a truly remarkable witness was given. Maybe in 1976 all of us can pay a little more attention to budgeting our time. The apostle Paul said, ‘We must buy out the opportune time.’—Eph. 5:16.
Another thought-provoking point was the drop of 10,000 in the number of home Bible studies conducted weekly. Interestingly, there were also 10,000 fewer persons baptized. Bible study activity is something that we are going to try to improve by use of the three new study booklets during the Watchtower campaign. These will provide a good basis for return visits. So we hope and pray that the first four months of the 1976 calendar year will see a fine increase in this activity. A vital part of our work is to try to make disciples of Christ Jesus.
By december 75 the Society wrote in the Km 12/1975:
To All Bodies of Elders
December 1, 1975
Dear Brothers:
We are confident that this finds all of you ‘paying attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son.’ (Acts 20:28) These are serious times and our concern for our brothers and for their spiritual welfare calls for very thoughtful attention to their needs and interests.
We can be grateful that we do not face an impending apostasy, as was the case with Christian overseers in the apostle Paul’s day. (Acts 20:29, 30) We do, nevertheless, face trials and tests and dangers, and this is certainly not the time for relaxing our vigil on behalf of all the flock. Though enjoying a spiritual paradise, we should still have the same concern for our brothers, and particularly for the weak, that the apostle Paul expressed at 2 Corinthians 11:28, 29.—Rom. 15:1.
The 12/1976 Km:
Since our hours have decreased on the average from 9.6 in 1975 to 9.1 (or close to 8 million fewer hours), this is a good time to think about ways we can personally reverse this trend. Our each spending just one additional hour in Jehovah’s service each month would put the average over 10 again
The world wide organization was now very discouraged. For 9 years the Society had speculated on 1975. Those who sold up and spent life savings in the pioneer service were praised. Now, the tone of the Society was changing. Those who had flogged themselves before 1975 in the Pioneer work were now critisized for dropping ONE hour a month!
The Watchtower of 7/15 1976:
BE CAREFUL TO KEEP A BALANCED VIEW
All of us can make improvements in our worship of God, cementing a closer relationship with him. Perhaps we have up to this time done the best we can, and have made improvements as we went along. Does the fact that the end is very near, then, mean to us that we should make big changes in our way of living and serving God? Not necessarily so. However, there may be major improvements that we Scripturally need to make. Also, if there are areas in our life in which we can ‘buy out’ time from vain pursuits in this system we should do it. In this way, many have continued to experience the joy of full-time “pioneer” service over the years. All of us can check to see what we can do.—Eph. 5:15, 16.
15 But it is not advisable for us to set our sights on a certain date, neglecting everyday things we would ordinarily care for as Christians, such as things that we and our families really need. We may be forgetting that, when the “day” comes, it will not change the principle that Christians must at all times take care of all their responsibilities. If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.
16 However, say that you are one who counted heavily on a date, and, commendably, set your attention more strictly on the urgency of the times and the need of the people to hear. And say you now, temporarily, feel somewhat disappointed; are you really the loser? Are you really hurt? We believe you can say that you have gained and profited by taking this conscientious course. Also, you have been enabled to get a really mature, more reasonable viewpoint.—Eph. 5:1-17.
17 The Scriptures repeatedly tell us that the end will come as a complete surprise upon the world. The apostle spoke of this, saying: “You yourselves know quite well that Jehovah’s day [for judgment] is coming exactly as a thief in the night.” (1 Thess. 5:2) So that true Christians would not be ‘overtaken as thieves,’ Jesus said even to his disciples back there, and to us today: “Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” Thereafter he said: “Prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that you do not think to be it, the Son of man is coming.” (Matt. 24:42-44) These clear statements of Jesus indicate that God’s servants will never be given the date of Christ’s “coming” for judgment until it actually takes place. In fact, it will come at what appears to them an ‘unlikely’ time.—Luke 12:39, 40.
From proclaiming that the increases were a sign of Jehovah's blessing, they went to blaming the brothers for 'slacking off'. The brothers were instructed to work harder to reverse the losses.
The fault was in the brothers own wrong understanding! Now those who were praised for 'selling homes and property' were told off for neglegting responsabilities! Urging them to do more, the responsability to turn it around was theirs! And to top it off, they dismissed their own responsability for the false hopes by basically saying "well no harm done, you wern't really hurt anyway! It did you good, you got more mature!"
At no time would the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society conclude that just as the growth was proof of God's blessing that the decline must also be proof of God's disfavour. For it was appearing that they had actually run ahead of Jehovah. No such admissions were made. They were quite silent on the subject for the next four years in fact. Finally, the outcry from the worldwide brotherhood grew too loud, and they were forced to make some sort of answer.
This came in the Watchtower of 3/15 1980:
Hold to Your Choice!
4 If we remain faithful, God will not let us make ruinous mistakes. But sometimes he permits us to be in error so that we may see our need to look always to him and his Word. This strengthens our relationship with him and our endurance while waiting. We learn from our mistakes that it is necessary to be more careful in the future. The desire for the new system of things to take complete charge of the earth has always been very strong in Christians down through the centuries. And because of their own short life-span, they doubtless longed for it to come in their particular lifetime. Those who have tried to keep God’s judgment time “close in mind” have, on more than one occasion throughout history, become overly eager for that day’s arrival, in their own minds trying to rush the arrival of the desired events. (2 Pet. 3:12) In the first century, for example, the apostle Paul found it necessary to write to Christians in Thessalonica in this fashion, as we read at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3: “However, brothers, respecting the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we request of you not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be excited either through an inspired expression or through a verbal message or through a letter as though from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. Let no one seduce you in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.”
5 In modern times such eagerness, commendable in itself, has led to attempts at setting dates for the desired liberation from the suffering and troubles that are the lot of persons throughout the earth. With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of man’s existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated.
6 In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our sights on a certain date, stated: “If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.” In saying “anyone,” The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah’s Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date.
The giving of Society approved convention talks on the subject further built up the hype over '75. If you listen to recordings of those talks, what do you hear? After using the word 'possibly' the speakers then proceed to give lengthy discourses on the nitty gritty of armageddon. Conventioners would go away talking about armageddon and the word 'possibly' would not even register! Why did they do that? Really, armageddon could 'possibly' come in 'any' year. The Society truly believed that IT WOULD come in 1975, otherwise they would have left the date as mearly one of chronlogical interest being the end of 6,000 years of human history, and left the speculation out of it, for again i say, it could come in 'any' year!
The 1980 watchtower quoted above is a poor explanation of events. For nowhere do they take any responsability for what it wrote in those 9 years up to 1975, nor for the fuel added to the fire by excited and enthusiastic public representatives of the society. The article puts 1975 in the box of not a serious error... just a little one allowed by Jehovah to teach us something... and besides, the fault lies with the individuals who got the wrong idea! They are the ones that need to adjust their veiwpoint! Ok, so some of the Governing Body were disapointed too, but they were not the ones that sacrificed anything.
The Proclaimers book of 1993 knocked back the history of it to 3 short paragraphs:
“Say, What Does This 1975 Mean?”
The Witnesses had long shared the belief that the Thousand Year Reign of Christ would follow after 6,000 years of human history. But when would 6,000 years of human existence end? The book Life Everlasting—In Freedom of the Sons of God, released at a series of district conventions held in 1966, pointed to 1975. Right at the convention, as the brothers examined the contents, the new book triggered much discussion about 1975.
At the convention held in Baltimore, Maryland, F. W. Franz gave the concluding talk. He began by saying: “Just before I got on the platform a young man came to me and said, ‘Say, what does this 1975 mean?’” Brother Franz then referred to the many questions that had arisen as to whether the material in the new book meant that by 1975 Armageddon would be finished, and Satan would be bound. He stated, in essence: ‘It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975. But the big point of it all is this, dear friends: Time is short. Time is running out, no question about that.’
In the years following 1966, many of Jehovah’s Witnesses acted in harmony with the spirit of that counsel. However, other statements were published on this subject, and some were likely more definite than advisable. This was acknowledged in The Watchtower of March 15, 1980 (page 17). But Jehovah’s Witnesses were also cautioned to concentrate mainly on doing Jehovah’s will and not to be swept up by dates and expectations of an early salvation.
What is to be made of this short mention? From a perspective of 18 years after 1975, and no doubt news to a great many who came into the 'truth' in the '80s, it seems a non issue. The section gets read in a spirit of defense... note the numerous times that 'we are not saying' type of language is used. 'Many acted in harmony' makes it appear that a smaller number were the ones making too much of it. 'Cautioned to concentrate on doing Jehovah's will' leaves out all the context around those sort of comments... the urgency, it's so close, only 90 months left etc etc.
BUT, in the few years before 1975, it all had a completely different perspective. To those back then, there was no doubt, globally and universaly among the Witnesses, from the United States to Africa what the Watchtower Society were saying.
What is missing is this; An apology from them. A real apology to all those who sold up everything, to those who never married or had children. To those who today are in their 50s to 70s and have no financial security because they spent an entire life preaching for a publishing company.
So there you have it, all about 1975 directly from the pages of the WBTS publications. And i can guarentee you that if you ask an 'oldie' about 1975, they will deny everything! None of them want to admit they were sucked in by a clever publishing company and its drive to get more books sold.
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