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Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses The origins and development of the watch tower doctrine of the millennium Crompton, Robert George How to cite: Crompton, Robert George (1993) The origins and development of the watch tower doctrine of the millennium, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5685/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE WATCH TOWER DOCTRINE OF THE MILLE>JNIUM by Robert George Crompton A Thesis submitted for the degree of M.Litt. in the University of Durham Department of Theology 1993 This thesis traces the development of teaching concerning the second coming of Christ and the Kingdom of God within the Watch Tower movement (Jehovah's Witnesses). After a brief consideration of the biblical foundations of these areas of doctrine there follows an outline summary of some of the main aspects of the history of the doctrine within the Protestant mainstream during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and an outline of the Adventist teaching of William Miller in the U.S.A. Charles Taze Russell, prime mover of the Watch Tower movement, developed his ideas during the time following the failure of Miller's expectations. This thesis explores the way in which Russell amended Miller's ideas and also the distinctive way that he handled the Dispensational categorisation of history of John Nelson Dariay to create an extension of historicist speculation on the application of prophecy to the modern world. The response of Watch Tower movement to the failure of Russell's expectations in 1914 is explored and the new body of doctrine which has replaced Russell's is examined. The ways in which these doctrines have been modified in the past suggest ways in which future doctrine may develop, especially in response to the protracted delay of Armageddon. What is envisaged here, in the light of the history of Watch Tower doctrine, is no dramatic collapse of the movement but, rather, an increasing emphasis upon other, less vulnerable areas of doctrine together with a greater turnover of membership which may, in due course, undermine the movement's stability. THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE WATCH TOWER DOCTRINE OF THE MILLENNIUM by Robert George Crompton A Thesis submitted for the degree of M.Litt. in the University of Durham Department of Theology 1993 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 2 5 MAR 1994 Contents Chapter One 1.1 Introduction 5 Chapter Two 2.1 The Scriptural Starting Point 18 2.2 Daniel 19 2.3 The New Testament 23 Chapter Three 3.1 The Historicist Millennialist Tradition 29 3.2 Early Adventism in the United States 35 3.3 The Time of the End 38 3.4 1260 Days 39 3.5 Cleansing the Sanctuary 42 3.6 The Year of the Resurrection 44 3.7 Further Indications 45 3.8 The Parable of the Ten Virgins 46 3.9 The Rise of Seventh Day Adventism 48 Chapter Four 4.1 Dispensationalism 52 4.2 Charles Taze Russell 55 4.3 The Divine Plan of the Ages 58 Chapter Five 5.1 The Time is at Hand 66 5.2 The Seventy Weeks 68 5.3 The Times of the Gentiles 71 5.4 Earth's Great Jubilee 76 5.5 Restoration 78 Chapter Six 6.1 Parallel Dispensatons 83 6.2 Fleshly Israel at the Close of the Gospel Age 88 6.3 Christendom and the Elect at the Close of the Gospel Age 89 6.4 A First Appraisal 91 Chapter Seven 7.1 Interpreting the Book of Daniel 96 7.2 World History in Daniel 97 7.3 Observations 111 Chapter Eight 8.1 Days of Waiting 117 8.2 The Time of the End - Daniel Chapter 12 117 8.3 Cleansing the Sanctuary 124 8.4 The Work of Harvest 127 Chapter Nine 9.1 The End Time Calendar 133 9.2 Early Revision 137 9.3 A Second Appraisal 139 Chapter Ten 10.1 The Battle of Armageddon 147 10.2 The Gathering Storm 149 10.3 Establishing the Kingdom 152 10.4 Conclusions 156 page 2 Chapter Eleven 11.1 The End of an Era 161 11.2 The Finished Mystery 163 11.3 New Beginnings 166 11.4 Beyond 1918 172 11.5 An Alternative Way Forward 178 11.6 Observations 182 Chapter Twelve 12.1 Millions Now Living Will Never Die 186 12.2 The Harp of God 189 12.3 1925 and After 192 12.4 Observations 198 Chapter Thirteen 13.1 The Great Multitude 204 13.2 The Emergence of a New Doctrine of the Kingdom 211 13.3 A Picture of the Last Days 217 Chapter Fourteen 14.1 Interpreting the Current Sources 224 14.2 Silence in Heaven 225 14.3 Captivity and Release 229 14.4 The Faithful and Discreet Slave 234 14.5 Daniel Reinterpreted 237 14.6 The Birth of the Kingdom 241 14.7 The Coming Climax 244 Chapter Fifteen 15.1 The Security of 1914 252 15.2 External Support 256 15.3 The Achilles' Heel 260 Chapter Sixteen 16.1 The Response to Crisis 270 16.2 The Scope For Revision 272 16.3 Towards the Twenty-First Century 276 16.4 The Influence of the Watch Tower Society 278 Appendices 1. Glossary 281 2. Dramatis Personae 286 3. The Seven Trumpets 294 4. The Seven Plagues 296 5. Continuing Bible Students 298 Bibliography 300 Tables 1. The Historicist Dispensational System 134 2. The Traditional Historicist System 135 3. The Composite End Time Calendar 136 4. The New End Time Calendar 247 page 3 Declaration No part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree in this or any other university. Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Acknowledgements It is my pleasant duty to place on record my indebtedness to several people who have helped in various ways during the writing of this thesis. I am particularly grateful to Dr Sheridan Gilley for his help and encouragment. The Darlington and Leeds Districts of the Methodist Church contributed to the costs of my research. Carl Hagensick, James Parkinson and Eric Williams provided valuable information concerning the various groups of Bible Students who seceded from the Watch Tower Society. Mrs Hole of Newbold College library was most helpful in directing me to the relevant Adventist sources. And special thanks go to my friend the Revd Norman Valley who was able to locate some of the early Watch Tower sources. page 4 Chapter One 1.1 Introduction Jehovah's Witnesses are well known for their vigorous door to door evangelism but, despite the intensiveness of their activities, they are generally not well understood. There has been an almost universal tendency, arising, perhaps, from the perception of them as a movement belonging to the religious fringes, to underestimate their numerical strength and potential influence. A common picture of Witness activity for many outside the movement is of a small handful of workers faithfully calling at all the homes in their territory, year after year. Such may have been the picture a generation ago when small groups of 'pioneers' were seeking to establish Witness congregations in new territories, or when Kingdom Halls were often advertised by no more than a placard in the window of a rented upper storey. In most British towns and cities the reality is now very different with large congregations in their own premises and newly built Kingdom Halls an increasingly common sight. Exact comparisons between the size of the Witness community and that of any other religious group are, of course, extremely difficult because the Witnesses have nothing which corresponds with the idea of church membership as it is found in most denominations. However, The Watch Tower Doctrine of the Millennium Chapter 1 Page 5 the range within which the figure for such a comparison must lie is easily obtained. Take, for example, the latest membership figure of the Methodist Church, the largest free church denomination in Britain. In 1992 that figure was 408,107. (1) The corresponding figure for Jehovah's Witnesses lies somewhere between 126,173, the highest number of 'publishers' during 1992, and 224,654, the attendance at the 'Memorial' that year. (2) It appears, then, that the Witnesses in Britain have a membership somewhere between thirty percent and fifty-five percent of that of the Methodist Church. However, let us take a look at what these figures actually represent. The higher figure is the attendance at the Witnesses' most important meeting of the year, the Memorial which commemorates the Last Supper and the sacrificial death of Jesus.
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