(Credit goes to all those folks above). "Because there is a great crowd of people of good will today living who will survive the world catastrophe of Armageddon and enter the world of new heavens and new earth without going down into the grave or ever afterward having the need to die and cease to exist. That means that Armageddon is so near at hand it will strike the generation now living." ("You May Survive Armageddon into God's New World," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1955, p.11). Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/762933_scan-10001.jpg.html "We know Armageddon is near for another reason. Jesus said that the generation of people living when the `time of the end' began would not pass away before Armageddon breaks out. When did Jesus say this? When he told us about the many parts of the sign of the `time of the end.' That sign is made up of different happenings. All these happenings must come upon one generation to make up the sign. Since 1914 they have come. What does this mean? Jesus answers: `When you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors. Truly 1 say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' (Matthew 24: 33, 34) Many are the people alive since 1914 who will still be living when it is time for Armageddon to begin." ("From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained ," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/628751_scan-10001.jpg.html *** w52 9/1 p. 543 Questions From Readers ***
Some persons living A.D. 1914 when the series of foretold events began will also be living when the series ends with Armageddon. All the events will come within the span of a generation. There are hundreds of millions of persons living now that were living in 1914, and many millions of these persons could yet live a score or more years. Scans: http://www.imagger.com/view/26738_scan-10001.jpg.html http://www.imagger.com/view/489008_scan-10001.jpg.html (Not sure if this is the reference you are looking for) 1943 reference: The Truth Shall Make You Free-p.152 "From Adam's creation to the end of B.C. 1----was 4,028 years From beginning of A.D. 1 to the end of 1943 is----1,943 years Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/851753_scan-10001.jpg.html God's Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached-p.209 "In the year 1943 the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society published the book "The Truth Shall Make You Free." In its chapter 11, entitled "The Count of Time," it did away with the insertion of 100 years into the period of the Judges and went according to the oldest and most authentic reading of Acts 13: 20, and accepted the spelled-out numbers of the Hebrew Scriptures. This moved forward the end of six thousand years of man's existence into the decade of the 1970's. Naturally this did away with the year 1874 C.E. Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/323390_scan-10001.jpg.html The Truth that leads to Eternal Life,1968. Does anyone have a better quality scan? Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/266135_scan-10002.jpg.html W 01. Nov. 1930, p.332
Speaking of world happenings since A. D. 1914, Jesus said (and his words apply to
Christians living since that date) : “When ye see these things come to pass [as prophesied], know ye that the
kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” (Luke 21: 31) So, inside the lifetime of the present living generation the
Lord Jesus will put into effect for all mankind the value of his ransom sacrifice which he laid down for all. (Brackets in original) Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/806905_scan-10001.jpg.html That's a good thread of yours last fall, Bennyk. The first quote there was perhaps from 1911 Studies In the Scriptures Series IV The Battle of Armageddon 672 pages, 1911 edition available in hardcover. Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/521867_scan-10001.jpg.html The Watchtower January 15, 1892, p.1355
The date of the close of that ‘battle’ is definitely marked in Scripture as October, 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874. Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/562677_scan-10001.jpg.html The Watchtower Reprints, July 15, 1894, p. 1677 We see no reason for changing the figures — nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God’s dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble. Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/322644_scan-10001.jpg.html The Watchtower January 1, 1914, p. 5373 As already pointed out, we are by no means confident that this year, 1914, will witness as radical and swift changes of dispensation as we have expected. Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/385119_scan-10001.jpg.html Watchtower, July 1, 1951, p. 404 "The length of time is indicated by him when he said, "Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." (Matt. 24:34) The actual meaning of these words is, beyondquestion, that which takes a "generation" in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period." Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/820836_scan-10001.jpg.html Watchtower 1995 November 1 pp.16-20 A Time to Keep Awake Eager to see the end of this evil system, Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time when the "great tribulation" would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. However, we "bring a heart of wisdom in," not by speculating about how many years or days make up a generation, but by thinking about how we "count our days" in bringing joyful praise to Jehovah. (Psalm 90:12) Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term "generation" as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics. Scan: http://www.imagger.com/view/759763_scan-10001.jpg.html N. (That Truth Book scan looked hazzy to me. I will see if I can't find a better one).
