Watchtower teaches JWs that Christ's presence began invisibly in 1914. They also teach that the start of Christ's presence coincides with the start of the last days. Whether you believe in the bible or not, Watchtower claims these teachings come from the bible. So does the bible actually agree with them? Let's see how certain bible texts expose their teachings as being completely at odds with what the bible actually says.
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1. According to the bible Christ's presence will not be a secret event that only a privileged few will see or discern.
Jesus indicated that it will be obvious to all when he compared it to lightning that lights up the entire night sky.
Look! I have forewarned you. 26 Therefore, if people say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.+ 27 For just as the lightning comes out of the east and shines over to the west, so the presence* of the Son of man will be. - Matthew 24:25-27
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2. According to the bible the last days begins before the start of Christ's presence.
At 2 Peter 3:3,4, the bible mentions ridiculers living during the last days and asking where is the promised presence. According to JW theology it means that the ridiculers are living during the very presence that they're asking about! If the JWs were correct then this would be a very noteworthy irony calling attention to the spiritual ineptitude of the ridiculers. The irony surely would not have escaped the attention of the inspired bible writer. He surely would have exposed this great folly of the ridiculers in subsequent verses. He does not! The bible writer implicitly agrees with the ridiculers' assumption that the presence has not yet started and is future. See 2 Peter 3:9 and the next point.
First of all know this, that in the last days [during christ's presence, according to JWs] ridiculers will come with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires+ 4 and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his?+ Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as they were from creation’s beginning.” - 2 Peter 3:3,4
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3. According to the bible the start of christ's presence brings an end to the opportunity to repent. The presence starts destructively - not as a century of invisible rule from heaven.
In response to the ridiculers' question about the delay to the start of the "promised presence", 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is not slow in fulling the "promise" - the promised presence - but is patiently giving people time to repent because he does not want any to be destroyed. Thus the bible is indirectly implying that when the presence does begin it will be too late to repent as it would be the time for the wicked to be destroyed. If the presence really did begin in 1914, Armageddon would have started then and wicked people would not be still around a whole century later, still having an opportunity to repent. Thus the 1914 presence is at odds with 2 Peter 3:9
Jehovah* is not slow concerning his promise,+ as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9
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4. According to the bible the start of Christ's presence brings an end to anointed christians' patient endurance of trial and adversity in this world.
James 5:7 tells christians to exercise patience "until" the presence of christ. What does he mean by "until" but that their need for patience ends with the start of christ's presence. And yet, anointed JWs are still exercising patience more than 100 years after the supposed start of christ's presence in 1914. Clearly christ's presence could not have started in 1914.
Be patient then, brothers, until the presence of the Lord.+ Look! The farmer keeps waiting for the precious fruit of the earth, exercising patience over it until the early rain and the late rain arrive. - James 5:7
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5. Jesus told his followers of events that indicate to them that his presence is near - not that his presence is here, as JWs falsely teach.
Likewise also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors. - Matthew 24:33
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Thus a careful study of what the bible says exposes the JWs' 1914 invisible presence teaching to be a concept that is alien to the bible - a concept that is not hinted at by Peter or any other NT writer. In fact, a reading of 2 Peter chapter 3 reveals that the bible implicitly equates the start of the presence with armageddon.
Whether you believe the bible or not JWs believe it and profess to base all their teachings on it so its good to know which scriptures refute the bogus 1914 teaching so we can use it to expose Watchtower's teaching as being unbiblical.