Eschatology

=====Jehovah's Witnesses=====
{{Main|Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses}}
[[File:Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (world headquarters).jpg|upright|right|thumb|300px|Former Watchtower headquarters in [[Brooklyn]]. The society made a number of emphatic claims of impending last days and ensuing chaos between 1879 and 1924.]]
The eschatology of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] is central to their religious beliefs. They believe [[Jesus Christ]] has been ruling in heaven as king since 1914 (a date they believe was prophesied in the Bible) and that after that time a period of cleansing occurred, resulting in God's selection of the [[Bible Student movement|Bible Students]] associated with [[Charles Taze Russell]] as his people in 1919. They also believe that the destruction of those who reject the Bible's message<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Watchtower|title=The House-to-House Ministry—Why Important Now?|date=15 July 2008|pages=5–6}}</ref> and thus willfully refuse to obey God<ref>''You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, p. 155.</ref><ref>''Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand!'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, p. 6.</ref> will shortly take place at [[Armageddon#Jehovah's Witnesses|Armageddon]], ensuring that the beginning of the new earthly society will be composed of willing subjects of that kingdom.

The religion's doctrines surrounding 1914 are the legacy of a series of emphatic claims regarding the years 1799,<ref name=indisputable>''The Watchtower'', 1 March 1922, page 73, "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the 'time of the end' began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874."</ref> 1874,<ref name=indisputable /> 1878,<ref name="OurFaith1875">{{cite magazine|magazine=The Herald of the Morning|title=Our Faith|url=http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/downloads/1874-1876_Herald_of_the_Morning.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512062421/http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/downloads/1874-1876_Herald_of_the_Morning.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-05-12|date=September 1875|page=52}}</ref> 1914,<ref name="TheWatchtower">''The Watchtower'', [http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1894JUL.asp#R1677 July 15, 1894, p. 1677] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401210133/http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1894JUL.asp#R1677 |date=April 1, 2019 }}: "We see no reason for changing the figures—nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble."</ref> 1918<ref name="September">1 September 1916 ''The Watchtower'', pages [http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1916SEP.asp#Z264:2 264–265] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713214204/http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1916SEP.asp#Z264:2 |date=2009-07-13 }}</ref> and 1925<ref name="MillionsNow">''Millions Now Living Will Never Die'', 1920, page 97, "Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die."</ref> made in the [[Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania|Watch Tower Society's]] publications between 1879 and 1924. Claims about the significance of those years, including the presence of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the "last days", the destruction of worldly governments and the earthly resurrection of Jewish patriarchs, were successively abandoned.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Holden | first = Andrew | title = Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement | publisher = Routledge | year = 2002 | page = [https://archive.org/details/jehovahswitnesse00andr/page/1 1] | isbn = 0-415-26609-2 | url = https://archive.org/details/jehovahswitnesse00andr/page/1 }}</ref> In 1922 the society's principal magazine, ''[[The Watchtower]]'', described its chronology as "no stronger than its weakest link", but also claimed the chronological relationships to be "of divine origin and divinely corroborated{{nbsp}}... in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct"<ref>"The Strong Cable of Chronology", ''Watch Tower'', 15 July 1922, page 217, "The chronology of present truth is, to begin with, a string of dates{{nbsp}}... Thus far it is a chain, and no stronger than its weakest link. There exist, however, well established relationships among the dates of present-truth chronology. These internal connections of the dates impart a much greater strength than can be found in other [secular, archeological] chronologies. Some of them are of so remarkable a character as clearly to indicate this chronology is not of man, but of God. Being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct."</ref> and "indisputable facts",<ref name=indisputable /> and repudiation of Russell's teachings was described as "equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord".<ref>''The Watchtower'', 1 May 1922, page 132, "To abandon or repudiate the Lord's chosen instrument means to abandon or repudiate the Lord himself, upon the principle that he who rejects the servant sent by the Master thereby rejects the Master.{{nbsp}}... Brother Russell was the Lord's servant. Then to repudiate him and his work is equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord, upon the principle heretofore announced."</ref>

The Watch Tower Society has acknowledged its early leaders promoted "incomplete, even inaccurate concepts".<ref>''Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom'' (Watch Tower Society, 1993), chapter 10.</ref> The [[Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses]] says that, unlike [[Old Testament]] [[Prophet#Judaism|prophets]], its interpretations of the Bible are not [[Biblical inspiration|inspired]] or [[Biblical infallibility|infallible]].<ref>''Revelation – Its Grand Climax'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, page 9.</ref><ref>{{Cite book| title = Reasoning From the Scriptures | publisher = Watchtower Bible and Tract Society | chapter = False Prophets | at = p.137:Have not Jehovah's Witnesses made errors in their teachings? }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| title = To Whom Shall We Go but Jesus Christ? | magazine= Watchtower | date = 1 March 1979 | page = 23 | quote = the "faithful and discreet slave" has alerted all of God's people to the sign of the times indicating the nearness of God's Kingdom rule. In this regard, however, it must be observed that this "faithful and discreet slave" was never inspired, never perfect. Those writings by certain members of the "slave" class that came to form the Christian part of God's Word were inspired and infallible [the bible], but that is not true of other writings since.}}</ref> It says that Bible prophecies can be fully understood only after their fulfillment, citing examples of biblical figures who did not understand the meaning of prophecies they received. Watch Tower Society literature often cites Proverbs 4:18, "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established" ([[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures|NWT]]) to support their view that there would be an increase in knowledge during "the time of the end", and that this increase in knowledge needs adjustments. Watch Tower Society publications also say that unfulfilled expectations are partly due to eagerness for [[God's Kingdom]] and that they do not call [[Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs|their core beliefs]] into question.<ref>Why have there been changes over the years in the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses?,"Jehovah's Witnesses", ''Reasoning From the Scriptures'', 1989, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, page 205</ref><ref>"Allow No Place for the Devil!", ''The Watchtower'', 15 March 1986, page 19</ref><ref>"Keep in Step With Jehovah's Organization", ''Watchtower'', 15 January 2001, page 18.</ref>