Focus on Charles Taze Russell

This is in response to some claims being made at:

http://jwfaq.blogspot.com/2009/03/was-charles-taze-russell-founder-of.html

The actual beginning of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ organization began after Charles Taze Russell died. There was no such organization at all in existence in the days of Russell. It was Joseph Rutherford who used the legal entity, the WTB&TS, as a basis to form the JW organization, which organization the majority of the Bible Students refused to accept [as demonstrated over the years 1917 to about 1935], thus forming the many “groups” spoken of that did not accept Rutherford’s new teachings. Most of these “groups”, as congregations of Bible Students, already existed in Russell’s day, in co-operation, some more, some less, with the WTB&TS. What happened over the years, however, is that these “groups” refused to accept Rutherford’s new organization, and thus formally withdrew, or in many cases, was forced into withdrawing, support and/or association from/with the WTB&TS, and many did create publishing entities of their own. The main doctrinal unifying factor of the Bible Students has been their belief in the “ransom for all,” even in the days of Russell. Russell assumed no authority over the local congregations of Bible Students, except to serve as “pastor” to those congregations that had elected him to that position. Rutherford, about 1925, rejected the core teaching of Bible Students, “the ransom for all”, and, over the years, replaced that teaching with doctrines that would basically have almost everyone who disagreed with Rutherford to receive the sentence of the “second death”. The idea of “eternal destruction” for millions of men, women and children in the battle of Armageddon originated from Rutherford, not Russell.

The term “International Bible Students Association” is actually the name of the legal susidiary of the WTB&TS in England. That legal entity, along with the WTB&TS, was taken over by Rutherford and made an instrument of his new “Jehovah’s organization” teachings, something that the “Bible Students” had never believed in. In effect, by means of deception, as well as legal trickery, Rutherford gained control of the WTB&TS and its subsidiaries, and made them the instruments of his new “organization” doctrines.

Yes, we believe that the “Gentile Times” did end in 1914 as Russell had stated. Although not all of Russell’s expectations came true at the times that he expected, the main expectation that the “time of trouble” was to begin in 1914 did indeed come true, since we have been in that “time of trouble” ever since 1914.

Bible Students have long been pointing out the JW leadership’s flip-flopping on doctrines, noting how that former “light” that evidently had been alleged to have been extinguished by “new light” is dug up and presented again as “new light.”

http://www.biblestudents.net/history/witnessbulletin1.htm

The 1876 article presented does not represent Russell’s views concerning 1914 that he adopted in 1904. From 1904 onward, Russell was not expecting the immediate overthrown of all Gentile Kingdoms in October of 1914, nor was he looking for Jerusalem to be immediately re-established. He was expecting Christ’s Kingdom to bring forth the beginning of the “time of trouble”.

For a few quotes of Russell concerning his expectations for 1914, see: http://ctr.reslight.net/?p=40

In 1904, Russell wrote, concerning the end of the Gentile Times in 1914:

“We do not expect universal peace to immediately ensue, because Christ is styled the Prince of Peace. On the contrary, to our understanding, the collapse of the nations will be through a fierce strife, ‘a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,’ in which ‘there shall be no peace to him that goeth out, nor to him that cometh in,’ because God will set every man’s hand against his neighbor. Our belief is that the warfare between capital and labor, emperors and peoples, will be short, sharp, decisive, and bring untold calamity upon all concerned. If people could only discern it, they would avoid it, but their eyes are holden; they see not, neither do they understand.”

In other words, he was expecting that the “time of trouble”, beginning in 1914, would bring discord, “war”, not peace. Although Russell certainly did not envision the “time of trouble” as lasting for many decades after 1914, I do believe that he was correct in that the “time of trouble” did indeed begin in 1914, and this time of trouble will eventually end in chaos amongst the peoples.

Russell never gave any “prophecies”, thus there were no so-called “failed” prophecies.

http://ctr.reslight.net/?p=43

As far as we know, the JW leadership of the WTS has to this day continued to teach that the Gentile Times ended in 1914. If they have changed their view on this, it must be only in the last few years, since we have many of their publications from the late 1900s that do say that the Gentile Times, or they now call it, ‘the appointed times of the nations’, did end in 1914.

The statement, “The Society then [in 1914?] concluded that 1914 was not the end of the “Seven Times” but was to be a turning point in human history,” makes it seem that Russell claimed, in 1914 before his death, that the Gentile Times did not end in 1914. This is not so. Russell died believing that the Gentile Times did indeed end in October of 1914, as he had been expecting. Indeed, as far as I know, the WTS, now as a servant of the JW leadership, continues to teach to this day that the Gentiles Times did end in 1914. With this, thousands of Bible Students agree with the JW leadership, although these Bible Students disagree with the JW leadership respecting many other things pertaining to 1914 (for instance, the JW idea that Jesus returned in 1914).”