Where did all the Witnesses over the decades get the idea that Armageddon was right around the corner? The Society certainly never put anything like that down in print:
*** w56 10/15 p. 614 When Will God’s Kingdom Come? *** Fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that the realization of the kingdom of God is "just around the corner."
*** w52 12/1 p. 721 Sharing in the Prosperity of God’s Nation *** As everybody knows, the prosperity the politicians said was now "just around the corner" did not show up in a real, lasting way when we turned the corner***
w79 4/15 p. 7 "To Be, or Not to Be"—An Atomic Physicist *** Three months later, on August 22, 1943, we were baptized at a convention in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. At that time many of us believed that Armageddon was just around the corner.***
w86 3/15 p. 17 Allow No Place for the Devil! *** We may sometimes feel that changes should be made; we want quick action, immediate answers. ‘This problem must be cleared up now, or I quit. I’ve got to have the answer to this question right now, or I’m not going any further. Armageddon and the new system have been "right around the corner" for years now. I’m tired of waiting.’***
w92 11/1 p. 28 When Someone Calls, Do You Answer? *** With the second world war still raging, I surmised that the end of this system was just around the corner, and my wife and I felt the need to warn people of this.***
w94 12/15 p. 16 United in the Perfect Bond of Love *** One such attitude has long been around: "Where now is the promise of his coming? Our fathers have been laid to their rest, but still everything continues exactly as it has always been." (2 Peter 3:4, The New English Bible) That sentiment may be formed in other words, but the outlook is the same. For instance, someone might reason, ‘When I first learned the truth decades ago, the end was "right around the corner."***
w95 3/1 p. 17 Living Up to Our Dedication "Day After Day" *** Do you ever make that mistake? When you dedicated yourself to Jehovah, did you think Armageddon was just around the corner?***
w98 8/1 p. 21 ‘We Have Done What We Ought to Have Done’ *** After all, we always thought that Armageddon was just around the corner. So when we started to pioneer, we gave up our home and dropped everything else. We pioneered in Baltimore from 1942 to 1947. (I wonder if that means they never paid into a pension plan. )***
w00 9/1 p. 28 Jehovah Always Rewards His Loyal Ones *** As we arrived for the meeting one Sunday in 1938, two elderly sisters greeted us, and one said: "Young Brother, have you taken your stand for Jehovah yet? You know, Armageddon is just around the corner!"***
g 2001 11/8 p. 13 ‘The Experiment Has Failed’ *** Should we despair? No. A righteous world government is around the corner!***
yb86 p. 169 Netherlands *** Though the number of congregations had increased by only 3 during the war years, the total publishers had soared from about 500 in the summer of 1940 to a new peak of 3,125 in August of 1945. Some had felt that Armageddon was just around the corner...***
kn31 p. 2 Are We Nearing Armageddon? *** The magazine Family Weekly noted that many "believe that the social order is collapsing, with Armageddon just around the corner."
So we can see, Jehovah's people have never said they knew when Armageddon was actually coming. Where do people come up with such ideas?