Was Armageddon expected in the year 1925?
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During my conversations with Jehovah’s Witnesses I was repeatedly asked, “Was Armageddon to come in 1925?” In response they asked for specific texts from their publications about the “God’s war.” However, today’s publishers do not realize that before 1925 the Watchtower Society had a completely different vision of Armageddon than it has today. This war was not meant to be a short conflict between God’s side and the devil’s and human’s side, but instead it was to be long process involving, for example, anarchy. Jehovah’s Witnesses confuse their own present concept with the earlier one and ask about Armageddon in 1925, the one they know according to today’s teaching. Similarly, the “Great Tribulation,” which today is linked to the “war of God” (to precede it directly), was once a long-time period.
Our goal is to inform those interested that the year 1925 was not expected the same way as the year 1975.
Here are the subsections we include here:
Armageddon as anarchy and revolution
The “great tribulation” since 1914
Armageddon as anarchy and revolution
When nothing happened in 1925, the Watchtower Society changed its original teaching that Armageddon had been in existence since 1914, and that date was to be its end:
Particularly since the witnesses of Jehovah discerned in 1925 that the battle of Armageddon is not a period of international anarchy on earth but is Jehovah’s war against Satan’s entire organization, demonic and human, we have realized our great responsibility respecting mankind who are threatened with everlasting destruction in that universal war. (The Watchtower November 1, 1957 p. 669).
In The Watch Tower, the official magazine published and distributed by Jehovah’s witnesses, there appeared in its issue of July 15, 1925, the leading article entitled “The Remnant.” This article set forth for the first time that Armageddon is not a disorganized “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation,” or a violent, anarchistic battle between capital and organized labor, but is a universal fight between Jehovah God and the entire organization of Satan the Devil in heaven and on earth. (The Watchtower December 1, 1961 p. 721).
In 1926 another brilliant flash of light revealed that the war of Armageddon was not to be a social revolution, as Bible Students once thought. Rather, it would be a war in which Jehovah will demonstrate his power so clearly that all people will be convinced that he is God.—Revelation 16:14-16; 19:17-21. (The Watchtower May 15, 1995 p. 18).
Thus they understood the war of Armageddon to be associated with violent social revolution. But was Armageddon going to be merely a struggle between contending factions of mankind, a social revolution used by God to overthrow existing institutions? As further attention was given to the scriptures bearing on this matter, The Watch Tower of July 15, 1925, drew attention to Zechariah 14:1-3 and said: “By this we would understand that all the nations of earth, under Satan’s direction, would be gathered to battle against the Jerusalem class, viz., those who take their stand on the Lord’s side . . . Revelation 16:14, 16.” (...) The war here being discussed was definitely not the one that was fought among the nations, beginning in 1914. It was yet to come. (Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1993 pp. 140-141).
Here we present the doctrine of the Armageddon published in the books published in the past by the Watchtower Society:
The battle of this great day of God Almighty will be the greatest revolution the world has ever seen because it will be one in which every principle of unrighteousness will be involved; for as truly in this judgment of the nations, as in the judgment of individuals... (The Day of Vengeance 1898 p. 541; The Battle of Armageddon 1923 p. 541).
We need not detail the coming trouble. Everybody sees it. It will be a battle between giants–on the one side financial giants, trusts, etc.; on the other side gigantic labor organizations. Both parties are preparing. Both parties expect to fight to the finish. Both parties expect to win. Both parties will be disappointed, for both will lose. The Bible predicts that the result will be most terrible–anarchy–“a time of trouble such as never was!” We can but imperfectly surmise the details of the trouble, but the Scriptures imply that it will include social, financial, political and religious institutions. The anarchy of the French Revolution, and the anarchy which overthrew the Jewish nation, A. D. 70, are Scriptural illustrations of what may be expected soon. (Scenario of the Photo-Drama of Creation 1914 p. 92 [In this publication on page 94, the illustrations show people of various states fighting with each other and in the description it is said: Armageddon; Compare the same illustration placed in the book Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1993 p. 57).
The Armageddon associated with the years 1914 and 1915 was announced in the following books, as the table below indicates:
| The Time Is at Hand 1908 | The Time Is at Hand 1923 | Polish The Time Is at Hand 1923 |
|---|---|---|
| (...) “battle of the great day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A. D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced (p. 101). | (...) “battle of the great day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A. D. 1915 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced. (p. 101). | (...) “battle of the great day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14), which will end after A. D. 1915 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced. (p. 106). |
Here are the comments from the period of the World War I, which clearly stated that Armageddon had already started, and it was going on:
Bible students are convinced that the great war now started in Europe is the beginning of that great trouble which the Bible calls "Armageddon" and which the Bible declares will prepare mankind and usher them into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, which will be “the desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7), and through which a reign of righteousness will be established throughout the whole earth. (The Watchtower January 1, 1916 p. 5829, reprints).
In the meantime, our eyes of understanding should discern clearly the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty now in progress; and our faith. guiding our eyes of understanding through the Word, should enable us to see the glorious outcome – Messiah’s kingdom. (The Watchtower September 1, 1916 p. 5951, reprints).
The present great war in Europe is the beginning of the Armageddon of the Scriptures. (Rev. 16:16-20.) It will eventuate in the complete overthrow of all the systems of error which have so long oppressed the people of God and deluded the world. (Pastor Russell’s Sermons 1917 p. 676).
Although Armageddon supposedly was in existence since 1914, today, in some memoirs, the Watchtower Society describes the past years as if in 1925 a “second” Armageddon was expected:
My first assignment was feeding the booklet Our Lord’s Return [published in 1925] onto a stitching machine. The overseer explained how to do it and, pointing to a huge pile of booklets, he said: “Hurry up and get the job done because Armageddon is coming!” (The Watchtower August 15, 1982 p. 10).
Those of the original remnant who survived the experiences of World War I used to quote Psalm 50:5, (...) They used to think that only these saints were to be gathered or harvested before Armageddon, although it was timely for them since 1918 to herald the message, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” It was even suggested that this harvesting of such spiritual saints might end with the year 1924, after which the heavenly glorification of these anointed, spirit-begotten followers of Christ would take place. (See The Watchtower, January 1, 1924, pp. 11-32.) (The Watchtower December 15, 1951 p. 749).
The “great tribulation” since 1914
In 1925, not only did the Watchtower Society change its teaching about the “what was the Armageddon,” but also the “time” of its coming and similarly the same issues regarding the “great tribulation:”
On account of his “chosen ones” he cuts short the days. How? Back in the year 1925 the suggestion was set out in the leading article of the Watch Tower issue of May 1, entitled “For the Elect’s Sake,” that “those days” of the “great tribulation” were cut short in the middle. The explanation was given that the “great tribulation” had begun in 1914 C.E. and that it was not allowed to run its full course then but God stopped World War I in November of 1918. From then on God was allowing an interval for the activity of his anointed remnant of elect Christians before he let the final part of the “great tribulation” resume at the battle of Armageddon and come to its termination. (...) This explanation sounded good and reasonable back there in 1925, just seven years after World War I and fourteen years before the unexpected World War II, a conflict four times as bad as World War I. (The Watchtower January 15, 1970 p. 52).
So, we see that in the years preceding the 1925, the teaching of the “great tribulation” (and Armageddon) was as it had been going on since 1914, and its apogee was about to happen in 1925.
When that did not happen, in 1925 it was stated that God in 1918 declared an indefinite pause in the “great tribulation,” after which He would finish His work as a next phase, someday, but soon, in Armageddon.
Later, even this got changed in 1970 by the Watchtower Society. They now teach that the “great tribulation” and Armageddon are still ahead of us, so it could have had no break since 1918:
However, The Watchtower of January 15, 1970, reexamined Jesus’ prophecy, especially the coming great tribulation. It showed that in view of what happened in the first century, the modern tribulation could not have an opening part in 1914-18, a decades- long interval, and later a resumption. That magazine concluded: “The ‘great tribulation’ such as will not occur again is yet ahead, for it means the destruction of the world empire of false religion (including Christendom) followed by the ‘war of the great day of God the Almighty’ at Armageddon.” (The Watchtower February 15, 1994 pp. 17-18).
Since according to the old teaching Armageddon and the “great tribulation” have been in existence since 1914, what was then expected in 1925?
The answer to this question can be found in one of previous chapters Events expected for the year 1925, in which it was presented comprehensively.
From the above we can learn that, although the Armageddon was not expected in 1925 as it was in 1975, many different events were announced, that today’s Jehovah’s Witnesses place after this “God’s war.” However, it must be added that then this was also placed after Armageddon which had been in existence since 1914.
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