Jehovah's Witnesses ?

Rooster

When did Jesus say he was going to return?

Did he say he was going to return in 1914?

Did he return in 1914?

insearchoftruth

Great response Crumpet, glad the pubs are open that late, a pint sounds quite good!

Dear Rooster, it seems that the earliest Christians, the disciples of Jesus, were expecting his imminent and immediate return in glory. This idea is very clear when you read the Christian ["New Testament"] scriptures.

Unfortunately, throughout history, people living in every historical era, have considered the New Testament as a sort of prophetic "message" written to them and for their benefit. This is simply not the case. Whoever wrote the scriptures were not crystal-ball gazers peering into the future. They were writers who were addressing local ["local" in both its temporal and geographic senses] needs and concerns. Their message was a specific one, addressed to a specific group of people.

I suppose that it only normal that each successive generation has "peered into" the scriptures as if they were some sort of mirror reflecting on the times. But this is an erroneous conception. The Bible contains absolutely not one iota of "prophecy" that we people living in the twenty-first century can use or benefit.

As for the so-called "1914 doctrine" preached by the Witnesses, it is total tripe and utter bilge. The 1914 doctrine is based on their "year 607 B.C.E." theory which is, itself, erroneous.