I just posted this in another thread, and I'll copy it here since it is on topic:
In a thread requesting if anyone had a copy of CoC because the lady thought there was a WT quote stating that Armageddon would occur in 1975, I wrote the following:
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Well here are some things they did say in the publications that were pretty definitive:
In the book "Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God"--the book that started the frenzie:
Page 28-29, paragraph 41 says:
Since the time of Ussher intensive study of Bible chronology has been carried on. In this twentieth century an independent study has been carried on that does not blindly follow some traditional chronological calculations of Christendom, and the published timetable resulting from this independent study gives the date of man's creation as 4026 B.C.E. According to this truthworthy Bible chronology six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 C.E.
Now maybe they didn't come right out and say Armageddon would occur in 1975, but every JW in the organization at that time knew that the Watchtower teaching was that the seventh period of a thousand years was to begin after Armageddon in the "new earth."
After 1975 when the end did not occur, Fred Franz blamed the JWs for jumping to that conclusion, charging that while they knew Adam was created in 4026, they could not know how many years after Adam she was created, and the sixth thousand year period could not begin until after she was created. Yet, in the "Aid to Bible Understanding" dictionary of JW beliefs (later replaced by the "Insight" volumes):
Page 333 states that Adam at age 130 had a son, Seth.
Page 538 states that Eve at age 130 had a son, Seth.
Watchtower, 5/1/68:
". . . it is logical he would create Eve soon after Adam, perhaps just a few weeks or months later in the same year, 4026."
The Awake! on October 8, 1966 on page 19 makes this statement:
"In what year, then, would the first 6,000 years of man's existenance and also the first 6,000 years of God's rest day come to an end? The year 1975"
Page 51 of the "Eternal Purpose" publication describes the 'Evening' of seventh creative 'day' begins, 4026 B.C.E.
But here is the Watchtower reference you might be referring to:
"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 . . . . It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years.
So, no, the Watchtower never actually said: "Armageddon will occur in 1975"--but they the same as said it. And they knew their flock believed it, but they never corrected it. Course you have to realize that once the "Life Everlasting" book was published, there was a frenzie to get on the good side of Jehovah and the money the WTS was raking in from the enthusiastic publishers was not to be interferred with. Growth was the sign of Jehovah's blessings, always.
~Ros
