Disappointment of the year 1925
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At the first we present some of the Watchtower Society’s statements, that explain everything:
The year 1925 came to its conclusion, but the end was not yet! (The Watchtower November 1, 1993 p. 12).
The year 1925 came and went, and nothing happened. (The Watchtower November 1, 1991 p. 26).
The year 1925 came and went. Jesus’ anointed followers were still on earth as a class. The faithful men of old times—Abraham, David and others—had not been resurrected to become princes in the earth. (Ps. 45:16) (...) They had hoped to see some of the ‘ancient worthies’ [men of old like Abraham] resurrected. Instead of its being considered a ‘probability,’ they read into it that it was a ‘certainty,’ and some prepared for their own loved ones with expectancy of their resurrection. (1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses p. 146).
The year 1925 also held expectations for Jehovah’s servants. It was thought that a cycle of 70 typical Jubilees (70 × 50 years) from the time Israel entered the Promised Land would end in 1925 and mark the beginning of the great antitypical Jubilee, the Millennial Reign of Christ Jesus. It did not turn out that way. (The Watchtower February 15, 1984 pp. 23-24).
The year 1925 came and went. Some abandoned their hope. (Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1993 p. 78).
Later, the Watchtower Society began to complain that although the year 1925 had passed, the situation of the world was still bad:
Since 1925 there has been no abatement of the oppression of the masses of the people, but the ‘sun of Satan’, or ruling class, has continued to scorch them. The people are in the furnace of affliction and injustice and cruelty, and fire is kindled and administered by that body of rulers of this day of Christendom. It continues to burn, and that “sun” company is burning itself out. (Light 1930, Vol. 2, p. 30).
The experienced disappointment of the Watchtower Society’s publishers concerning “the year 1925” is mentioned in some publications:
Following 1925, meeting attendance dropped dramatically in some congregations in France and Switzerland. Again, in 1975, there was disappointment when expectations regarding the start of the Millennium failed to materialize. As a result, some withdrew from the organization. Others, because they sought to subvert the faith of associates, were disfellowshipped. No doubt, disappointment over the date was a factor, but in some instances the roots went deeper. (...) Although these tests resulted in a sifting and some blew away like chaff when wheat is winnowed, others remained firm. Why? Regarding his own experience and that of others in 1925, Jules Feller explained: “Those who had set their confidence in Jehovah remained steadfast and continued their preaching activity.” They recognized that a mistake had been made but that in no respect had God’s Word failed, and therefore there was no reason either to let their own hope grow dim or to slow down in the work of pointing people to God’s Kingdom as mankind’s only hope. Some expectations had not been fulfilled, but that did not mean that Bible chronology was of no value. (Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1993 p. 633).
So, as Anna MacDonald recalls: “1925 was a sad year for many brothers. Some of them were stumbled; their hopes were dashed. (...) I personally received a letter from the sister who brought me the truth. She advised me that she had done wrong in what she had told me...” (1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses p. 146).
The Year 1925—A Time of Division (...) [Poland] Throughout the country, there were some whose motivation for serving God was considerably influenced by the belief that they would receive their heavenly reward by 1925 at the latest. Many of these became spiritually weak or fell away after that year passed. During that period, various opposition groups were actively trying to gain control of the congregations or at least to weaken them. Three of these opposition groups exist till this day. (1994 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses pp. 187-188).
It is difficult to determine today how many people left the Watchtower Society after the failure of the year 1925. This organization does not provide precise data. They mention, for example, data on the years 1914 and 1918:
Nevertheless, according to available records, the number of Bible Students reported as having some share in preaching the good news to others during 1918 decreased by 20 percent worldwide when compared with the report for 1914. (Jehovah’s Witnesses— Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1993 pp. 424-425).
Regarding data before the year 1925 and later years, the Watchtower Society provides the following incoherent figures (Qualified to Be Ministers 1955 p. 332):
Years 1893-1918 – 21,274 publishers
[Compare the year 1918 – 3,868 publishers (Awake! February 22, 2000 p. 17)]
The year 1928 – 23,988 publishers (The Watchtower September 1, 1969 p. 533).
[Compare the year 1928 – 44,080 publishers (The Watchtower September 1, 1983 p. 15)].
We see in the above statement large discrepancies in the cited figures, so it is difficult to assess the reliability of this data. As it is impossible to get the reliable number of the publishers in 1925, so it is hard to determine the decline in the number of the members after the failure of the “Millions campaign.”
The following information does not provide more light on the matter either:
But the records that are available show that in 1919 there were only some 5,700 who were actively witnessing, (...) Within three years the number having a part in publicly proclaiming God’s Kingdom... (Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1993 p. 425).
And again, other publications show different numbers of the Annual Memorial participants:
1922 – 32,661 (The Watchtower May 1, 1960 p. 282).
1923 – 42,000 (The Watchtower May 1, 1960 p. 282).
1924 – 62,696 (as above) [65,105 – The Watchtower October 1, 1924 p. 290]
1925 – 90,434 (The Watchtower May 1, 1960 p. 282).
1926 – 89,278 (The Watchtower May 1, 1960 p. 282).
1927 – 84 064 (The Watchtower July 15, 1927 p. 218).
In 1927 there was a decline in the number of people consuming the emblems during the Memorial. It was over 6000 people compared to the year 1925.
The year 1925 especially proved to be a year of great trial to many of Jehovah's people. Some stopped waiting and went with the world. (“Your Will Be Done on Earth” 1958 p. 337; The Watchtower May 1, 1960 p. 282).
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