Jehovah’s Witnesses Failed Prophecies
Jehovah’s Witnesses have made numerous failed predictions regarding the end of the world, the resurrection of patriarchs and Christ’s return. Major unfulfilled expectations, often cited as renewed understanding rather than failures by the organisation, occurred in 1874, 1878, 1914, 1918, 1925, and 1975. They were often followed by adjustments to “invisible” fulfilments or re-calculations.
Key failed prophecies from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society:
1874 / 1878: Charles Taze Russell originally predicted/taught that Christ’s invisible presence began in 1874 and that the resurrection of saints, “the end of the harvest”, occurred in 1878.
1914: Long predicted as the end of “Gentile Times” and the dates for total destruction of worldly governments and the full establishment of God’s Kingdom. This was later adjusted to say that Christ’s “invisible” reign began in 1914.
1915: When 1914 did not come to pass, Russell stated that it would happen in 1915.
1918: Predicted to the time (the new terminus) when God would destroy churches and church members by the millions.
1925: Predicted that the faithful patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) would be resurrected to life on earth, leading to the building of the “Beth Sarim” mansion in San Diego for them, and the start of the Millenium.
1941: The Watchtower magazine suggested only “months” remained before Armageddon.
1975: Heavily implied by the organisation that 6,000 years of human history ended in 1975, setting the stage for the Millennium, causing many to expect that Armageddon would arrive by that year. Members were encouraged to live simply and focus on preaching rather than study, careers, pensions or property.
1984/20th Century: Expectations were often reiterated that Armageddon would arrive before the end of the 20th Century.
1994: Some expectations were built around this date being 80 years after 1914.
These predictions, often documented in early Watchtower publications, caused significant disappointment and confusion, particularly in 1917, 1918, and 1925. The organisation later argued that many of these events took place “invisibly” or misunderstandings of the timing.
Further response to Failed Predictions:
The Watchtower has generally characterised these as “unrealised expectations” or “wrong premises”.
They often describe these periods as a “sifting” process for followers and assert that their understanding of bible prophecy continues to improve, or that the light is “getting brighter”.
Many followers have left the organisation following these failed prophecies, particularly after 1925 and 1975.